MEMORY VERSE: "...and Lot...pitched his toward Sodom." Gen. 13:12
BOOK TO REMEMBER: "Joshua" As a reminder to memorize this book of the Old Testament, write "Joshua" on a slip of paper to give to each child at the end of class.
PRAYER: Pray that everyone makes good choices in the coming week, knowing that consequences to bad choices always follow. Staying close to God and the Bible are good choices.
SPECIAL SONG: Books of the Old Testament
VISUAL AID: Chalkboard or Whiteboard Drawing: Write the word, "Choices" at the top of the board and Genesis 13:1-11 slightly smaller. Draw a line vertically down the middle of the board. On one side draw the plain of Jordan, lots of green grass, and the city of Sodom in the background. On the other side, draw a not so green, slightly hilly land. As you tell the story, draw the sheep and cattle, tents, Abram and Lot and their herdsmen. As Lot chooses where he will go, write "LOT" somewhere on the picture that shows his choice and "ABRAM" on the other side.
LESSON POINTS:
- Abram was a very rich man. The Bible says he "was very rich in cattle." When we think of cattle, we think of cows, don't we? But 'cattle' can also mean other animals, too, like camels, oxen, sheep, and donkeys. (Gen. 12:16; 13:5) He had lots of silver and gold; he was a very rich man.
- Do you remember--did Abram have any children? No. Did he have any nephews? Yes. He had Lot who was his brother's son. Now, Lot had many animals, too which became a problem because what do cows eat? That's right! Grass! What do sheep eat! That's right! Grass! In the area where Abram and Lot had their many, many animals, there was only so much grass and it was not enough. Some of the herdsmen, which are men that take care of the herd, began to argue and disagree about things, so no one was happy.
- Then Abram said to Lot, "Lot, there shouldn't be any disagreements between us. Just look at all of this land! We should separate ourselves. If you go to the left, I'll go to the right. If you go to the right, I'll go to the left. You choose. Which way do you want to go?"
- Lot lifted up his eyes and he saw that the plain of Jordan was covered with lots and lots of green grass and that it was watered nicely. What do animals drink? That's right! Water! So as he looked he was thinking about how nice everything was on the plain of Jordan where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were.
- Let's turn to Genesis 13:11 to see what Lot chose. (Read verse.) Let's put our bookmark right here. What did Lot choose? Lot chose to go toward the city. The Bible says that Lot "pitched his tent toward Sodom" or the good land. But the Bible says that the people in Sodom were not good men. Uh-Oh! Definitely sounds like trouble! We are going to talk more about those troubled cities, but that was Lot's choice. He chose the good land and the bad cities. Abram chose to go the other way and lived in the land of Canaan.
Materials needed: Construction paper, crayons
- Pass out 9" x 12" construction paper to each child.
- Instruct the student to take a dark colored crayon and draw a line (about 2" down from the top) from side to side, width-wise (see picture above). Demonstrate on the whiteboard.
- From the middle of the line, draw another line down the middle (see above). Like an upper-case "T".
- On one side, have the students draw mountains, hills and grass.
- On the other side, students can draw a city and lots of grass.
- Write the word, "CHOICES" at the top of the paper.
- Add "Gen. 13:1-13" at the top.
- Draw Abram and Lot in the middle of their sides of the paper.
- Draw in different kinds of livestock.
- Add the words "Sodom" and "Canaan" on the correct sides of the paper.
- Color.