MEMORY VERSE: Genesis 3:9
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Review Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus
PRAYER: Pray that we all stay away from sin and close to God by reading His Word.
SPECIAL SONG: Adam and Eve In the Garden
ADAM AND EVE IN THE GARDEN
The first man's name was Adam,
The first woman's name was Eve,
They lived in the Garden of Eden
Until God made them leave.
"Of this tree, do not eat,"
That's what the LORD had said,
But Adam and Eve didn't listen,
God made them leave instead.
Eve obeyed the serpent,
Adam obeyed Eve,
They sinned in the Garden of Eden,
Sin always makes God grieve.
VISUAL AID: Make a larger version of the story box (see below under Activity).
LESSON POINTS:
- Highlight points from last week's lesson, "Adam and Eve In The Garden." We remember that Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. While they were in the Garden, they had jobs to do: Adam took care of the Garden and named the animals and Eve helped Adam.
- One day the serpent spoke to Eve and said, "Did God tell you that you could eat of every tree in the Garden?" Eve said that God had told them they could eat of any of the trees, but could not touch or eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil that was in the middle of the garden or they would die. The serpent, who was really the devil in disguise, said they would NOT die. He said that God didn't want them to eat of the tree because when they ate of the fruit, then they would be like God. What do you think Eve did? Did Eve eat of the tree? Did Eve obey God? Let's turn our Bibles to Genesis 3:6 and read what Eve did. (Read verse.) Did she eat the fruit? YES! Did she know that God said no? Yes, she knew, but did it anyway. Let's put our bookmarks right here. Did the Bible say it was an apple tree? No. An orange tree? No. A peach tree? No. What kind of fruit was it? We don't know because the Bible doesn't say. Whatever it was, did Eve eat it? YES!
- Eve knew what God had said, but when she looked at the tree and saw that the fruit was good to eat, that it was beautiful, and that it would make her smart like God, she ate of the fruit and gave some to Adam and he ate some, too! Did they know better? Yes, they did! They sinned! Sad, sad day!
- Now, when they ate of the fruit that they were told not to eat, the Bible says that "their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked." They did not know this before, but since they knew, they sewed together fig leaves and made aprons for themselves to cover them.
- When they heard God's voice in the garden, they were afraid and tried to hide from God! We can never hide from God, but they tried...and God found them! He knew where they were, but He called out to Adam, "Where are you?" Adam told God that when he heard God in the garden, he was afraid because he was naked and hid in the garden.
- God asked Adam a question. He asked, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree that I said not to eat?" Adam blamed God and Eve. He said, "The woman that You gave me, she gave me the fruit and I ate it." Then God asked Eve, "What have you done?" Eve told God that the serpent tricked her and she ate of the fruit. How very sad! Adam and Eve lived in the beautiful Garden of Eden and they disobeyed God's rule! What was the rule? Don't eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, but they did.
- When we disobey God, there are always consequences! God told the serpent that he was punished: Because he had done this bad thing and lied and tricked Eve, he would have to crawl on his belly and God would put hatred between her seed (Christ) and the serpent (Satan or the devil). Eve would have sorrow in childbirth and that Adam would always rule over her. He told Adam that because he listened to his wife and ate of the tree that the ground would be cursed. What does that mean? There would now be weeds and stickers and he would have to work for his food. They did not have to work for their food before because God had given them the food they needed,but after they sinned, they had to leave the Garden because they did not obey God! God drove them out of the Garden of Eden because if they ate of the other special tree, the Tree of Life, then they would live forever, so he made them leave and go out and live outside the Garden. Should Adam and Eve obeyed God and not listened to the serpent? YES! Should we always obey God? YES! All of the time! Every minute!
- God made Adam and Eve coats of skins to wear because their little aprons were not enough.
- Because Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden and did not obey God, God was grieved. When someone is grieved, it means they are extremely sad. Sin always makes God grieve.
- There were grave and serious consequences for disobeying God (Genesis 3:14-19).
- Talk about how the world portrays sin. Television, movies, magazines, etc. make sin look tempting, just like the serpent tempted Eve. Never be tricked by the devil!
- We all know or should know what 'consequences' are. At home, when our parents discipline us for disobeying them, there are always consequences. It is the same when breaking God's rules. There were consequences. Do you remember what the punishments were for Adam, Eve, and the serpent?
- Can we ever hide from God? It is not possible. God knows everything. God is everywhere. We might think we are hiding something, but we are mistaken. God knows all.
- Mention that God cares about what we wear. He wants His children to be modest and covered. How do we know that He was not happy with Adam and Eve's aprons? He made them coats of skin to wear. The aprons were not enough to be modest in God's eyes. We should learn from this example!
ACTIVITY: Story Box
Materials needed: Small boxes for each child, colored paper, scissors, glue, crayons, tape. It is nice if the small boxes are all the same kind, but not necessary. A box is a box.
- Prior to coming to class, open the boxes and cut off the lid and two flaps.
- Measure the back of one of the small boxes and cut a piece of blue paper just a bit smaller than the box to form a small 'theater.'.
- Add a small amount of glue to one side of the paper and push the paper to the back of the box. This is the background to your diarama scene.
- Let the students cut out one tree--brown for trunk and green for tree top. Glue.
- Cut out different colored circles for fruit. Glue on tree.
- Cut out a small snake. Glue on tree.
- Cut out two small green bushes.
- Cut two circles out of tan construction paper. These are Adam and Eve's heads. Add faces with crayons. Tape or glue one head to top of each bush. (See the example at the top of this blog.)
- Make a small fold at the bottoms of the tree and the two bushes. Place a small piece of tape or glue to the bottom, so that when they are placed in the box, they will stand up.
- Finally, take a piece of paper smaller than the width of the box and about four inches long. Have the student write, "Sin In The Garden" and "Genesis 3" on the paper and attach to top of box. (See the picture at the top of this blog for an example.)
- Good job! The children will be pleased with their projects, the parents will know they are learning the Bible, and God will be pleased because He sees you treasure His Word!
- If you believe this project is a little too difficult for your students, look below at the yellow paper project. The same items can be glued to construction paper and not a box. Same idea, just a different application.
