Genesis 12, 15 and 17.
Lesson Aim
To understand that God gave special promises to Abraham
Hook 1: Sand
Have you ever been to the beach?
Take in some sand. Give each child a pinch of sand on a piece of paper. Ask the children to count how many grains of sand they have. Show them a jar filled with sand and ask them to guess how many grains there are in the jar. Then explain God’s promise to Abraham.
Hook 2: Chocolates
Tell the children that a certain person has promised you a box of chocolates. At this point the person should come and give you a box with only one chocolate in it. Describe how let down you feel. What promises have people made to you? Have they kept the promises? What promises have you made? Were you able to keep them? Explain the promises which God made and how he always keeps them.
Hook 3: Questions
Have you ever been out at night and seen the stars in the sky? Have you ever tried to count them? Have some statistics about stars and galaxies, and show some pictures of some constellations. Then explain God’s promise to Abraham.
Application
God kept the promises that he made to Abraham. He promised that his descendants (children) would be as many as the grains of sand. But he also promised that from these descendants, all the nations of the world would be blessed. Jesus ultimately kept this promise when he died and rose again. If you are a follower of Jesus then you also are a child of Abraham.
Language
Explain that descendants means children and their children and their children etc.