THE CORRELATED LESSON
I wonder what you will think about the next time you see a rainbow in the sky. Tell me what God said about the rainbow to Noah. God’s promise to Noah is only one of hundreds of promises that are in this book, and the best of it is, those promises are for you and me as well as for the people who lived in the days when the Bible was written. Do you see the bookmark I have in my Bible to-day?[3] It has in it the colors of the rainbow, which people have called the “bow of promise,” and that is one reason why we like to have a rainbow bookmark for the Bible. It reminds us of such beautiful promises as this: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go.” “I am with thee and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest.” This bookmark is useful in another way. The Bible has how many books? Now those sixty-six books are not all of one kind. Some are poetry, some are sermons, some are history and some are law. These ribbons mark the different kinds of books and so help us to handle the Bible more easily. Some day you will know all the kinds of books that the ribbons mark, but just now you need only remember one. The red ribbon marks the first five books which are called books of Law. (Have the children repeat this.)
LESSON 8
The Call of Abram
Teaching Material.—Genesis 11:27 to 12:9; James 2:23.
Pupil’s Reading.—Genesis 11:31 to 12:9; James 2:23.
Memory Text.—By faith Abram, when he was called, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Hebrews 11:8a, c.
LIGHT FROM OTHER BIBLE PASSAGES
Joshua 24:1-3; Nehemiah 9:7, 8; Isaiah 41:8-10; 51:1, 2; Micah 7:20; Acts 3:25; 7:1-5; Romans 4:13; Galatians 3:6-9; James 2:23.
FROM THE COMMENTATORS
Either during the reign of Hammurabi, or shortly before he established his rule, the migration of Abram from the Babylonian city called “Ur of the Chaldees” in the biblical narrative, into the land of Canaan, is supposed to have occurred.... Though he and his descendants, for a long period, were dwellers in tents, living a nomadic tribal life, like that of their near relatives, the nomadic Arabs, he had come from a country of considerable civilization, where writing and the keeping of records were common, and he had not left that state of civilization behind, ... for “the power and influence of Babylonia had been firmly established for centuries throughout the length and breadth of western Asia.”—The Rise and Fall of Nations, J. N. Larned.
With the spirit of the true prophet, Abraham leaves behind all that men usually cherish most and sets out on his long journey. In Canaan also he disregards his personal interests and is intent only upon knowing and doing the will of God.
Self-sacrificing, courageous, obedient to the voice of God—he is supremely worthy to be the father of a prophetic nation. Blessed was the race that had such a character held up thus prominently before it!—Heroes and Crises of Early Hebrew History, Charles Foster Kent.
In the simple, unhesitating faith with which Abram acted at once and to the fullest, on every intimation of the Divine Will, lay the supreme distinction which gained him his two unique titles—the “Father of the Faithful,” and “The Friend of God.”—Old Testament Characters, Geikie.
AIM
To present again the ideal of unquestioning obedience; to give an impulse toward the attaining of this ideal by showing that the obedient are friends of God and a source of blessing to their fellows.
LESSON PREPARATION
Besides the study of the Bible passages, and what the commentators have to say concerning the incident of our lesson, there are many legends of Abram which are intensely interesting and relate to the protests which he made against the idolatry of his father and of the people among whom he lived. [See History for District and Graded Schools, Ellwood W. Kemp, chapter on “What the Hebrews Taught the World”; Leben Abraham’s, by Beer, quoted by Geikie in Old Testament Characters; The Talmud.] In studying this story with the children in mind we must remember that our own point of view concerning leaving one’s country and kindred to go out, not knowing whither, is a far different one from that which the children themselves will have. To them moving has in it the attractive element of novelty, and all the charm of the “unexpected” in every day’s experience for some time after the move has been made. They have not yet become so thoroughly attached to the place where they live as to be able to comprehend in the least the sacrifice that Abram made, and if we could examine the contents of their minds by some kind of X-ray process, we would doubtless discover that they were looking upon Abram’s experience in that respect as one to be coveted. This may explain why teachers of Junior children have often found this story tame and uninteresting from the children’s point of view.
LESSON PRESENTATION
Introduction
You may be quite sure that any child old enough to be in the Junior Department has had stories of the Pilgrims and Puritans several times in his day school course. One good way of introducing this lesson, therefore, would be to question concerning the Pilgrims, and why they came to this country, developing the fact that they cared more to worship God as they thought they should than for anything else that life could give. They were ready to give up their comfortable homes, their friends, their relatives, and go into a strange land where no homes awaited them, and suffer privations, cold, and dangers, because they knew that in that strange land they would be free to worship God in their own way. From this it would be easy to pass to the story of a man who took his family, his servants, and all that he owned and went into a strange land of which he knew nothing, because he had heard the voice of God telling him to go.
Another method of approach would be by calling attention to the names by which some men have been called, which they have won for themselves by the things that they did. George Washington was called the father of his country. Why? To-day we have a story of a man who earned a much more wonderful name even than that.
The Lesson Story
It was a long, long time after Noah and the seven who were with him went out of the ark and heard God’s covenant with them and saw its beautiful sign in the sky. Now there were many people in the earth, and though they were not so wicked as the people had been before the Flood, they had forgotten the God to whom Noah built his altar and offered sacrifices, and from whom he heard the promise of blessing. Instead of worshiping Him who is the maker of the heavens and the earth, they were worshiping the sun and the moon and the stars, and even idols made by men. Of course they could not obey the God whom Noah served when they were giving all their thought to idols, neither could God speak to them, because they would not listen to his voice.
Among the people who were descended from Shem, the oldest son of Noah, there was a man named Terah, who lived in Ur of the Chaldees. He made up his mind to take his family and move away from the place where he was then living to Canaan, a country far from Ur. We do not know just why he decided to do this, but he started from Ur with his son Abram, his nephew Lot, and Abram’s wife, Sarai. They did not go to Canaan, but stopped at a place called Haran, and there Terah died. Terah was a worshiper of idols, but Abram, his son, had somehow kept the faith in the one true God, and did not bow down to the moon or stars or to idols of wood or stone. Because Abram loved the heavenly Father, God could speak to him, and Abram could hear God’s voice, and his love made him wish to do just what God asked him to do. So it happened that at Haran Abram heard God speaking to him, and saying, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will show thee.” God did not tell Abram where he wanted him to go, he only said, “I will show you the land,” but he gave him a wonderful promise, for he said, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
Now, Abram not only loved God but he believed that God knew what was the best for him, and that God would do just what he promised. So Abram did leave his country and his relatives and friends. “By faith Abram when he was called, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.” Taking his wife, his nephew, his flocks, and servants, he started from Haran, and God led him down into the land of Canaan, the very land to which Terah had intended to go when he left Ur. No doubt, as Abram journeyed he kept saying to himself as he entered a new part of the country, “I wonder if this is the land where the Lord wants me to live.” But as no sign was given, he kept on until he came to Shechem, in the land of Canaan, and there he found that he had reached the land to which the Lord had called him to go. Let us read from the Bible just what happened there (Genesis 12:6, 7). The Canaanites were heathen people, and on all sides Abram saw idols and idol worship. But he knew something far better than that, and as he journeyed through the land he built altars to the true God and offered sacrifices wherever he pitched his tents.
In all this Abram was earning a name for himself, though he did not know it. He loved God so much that he listened for his voice. When God spoke he obeyed gladly; and he showed his love by praise and prayer and worship. Would you like to know the name that Abram earned? It is one that has been given to him through the thousands of years since he lived, and it is the most beautiful name that anyone could ever have. He is called “The Friend of God.”
PUPIL’S BOOK FOR WORK AND STUDY
Ask the children if they would like to see the place in the Bible where Abram is called the friend of God, and help them to find James 2:23. Then show them the first line on page 25 of the work book on which they are to write the last four words of that verse.
LESSON 9
THE CORRELATED LESSON
What did I tell you the first five books in the Bible are called? (Books of Law.) What is the color of the ribbon for those books in our rainbow bookmark? Let us see how many of our memory texts belong with the red ribbon. Where is the verse that tells about the creation of the world? (Genesis 1:1.) Where is the verse that tells what God gave Adam to do in the Garden of Eden? (Genesis 2:15.) There was one about Noah—where will we find that? (Genesis 6:22.) And one about the rainbow—(Genesis 9:13). All these are in the first book—the book of Genesis, and because that is one of the books of the Law I will give you a red slip to mark the place of each of those verses. What was the verse about hiding from God? That verse was in the book of Jeremiah. Let me tell you how to find it. Open the Bible in the middle. What book is there? (Psalms.) Now turn to the right and you will find first Proverbs, then Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon and Isaiah, and then comes the book we are looking for—Jeremiah. Turn through the chapters until you find the 23d, and the 24th verse of that chapter. This book belongs in a group of five that are called books of the Major Prophets and they are marked by the green ribbon. (Give the children a green slip and let them put it in as a mark for the memory text in Jeremiah.) What was the verse about love? That is in one of the books of the New Testament. If you take the part of your Bible that is to the right of Jeremiah and open that part in the middle and then take the right hand little part and open that in the middle, you will find you have 1 Corinthians. Then you can find the 13th chapter and the 4th verse. The ribbon for these books, which are called Letters, is violet, so we will put a violet slip in to mark the place of this memory text. (The only other text which they have had is Hebrews 11:8a, c. They can find that by turning to the right from 1 Corinthians, and that may also be marked by a violet strip of paper. Drill by having the children find the verses by subjects.)
LESSON 9
Giving Lot the First Choice
Teaching Material.—Genesis 13:1-18.
Pupil’s Reading.—Genesis 13:1-13, 18.
Memory Text.—As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Luke 6:31.
LIGHT FROM OTHER BIBLE PASSAGES
Psalm 119:36; Proverbs 1:19; Matthew 6:19-21; Luke 12:15; John 13:34; Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 10:24; 13:1-13; James 2:8.
FROM THE COMMENTATORS
This choice of Sodom as a dwelling place was the great mistake of Lot’s life. He is the type of that very large class of men who have but one rule for determining them at the turning points of life. He was swayed solely by the consideration of worldly advantage. He has nothing deep, nothing high in him. He recognizes no duty to Abram, no gratitude, no modesty; he has no perception of spiritual relations.... It was Abram’s simple belief that God’s promise was meant and was substantial that made him indifferent as to what Lot might choose. His faith was judged in this scene, and was proved to be sound.... Wherever there is faith the same results will appear. He who believes that God is pledged to provide for him cannot be greedy, anxious, covetous; can only be liberal, even magnanimous.—The Expositor’s Bible, Genesis, Marcus Dods.
AIM
To lead the children to admire the kindliness and unselfishness of Abram, and to exhibit a similar spirit in their own daily lives.
LESSON PREPARATION
After you have read carefully the story of this lesson answer for yourself these questions: What is the most important teaching point in this story? How can I arrange the material of the story in such a way as to bring that point into strongest perspective? Abram gave up to another what he had a perfect right to take for himself. Would Junior children generally regard that as a foolish thing to do, and, therefore, lose all the force of the lesson if too much stress should be put upon that phase of the truth? What is the Junior child’s highest conception of what must be done in order to obey the Golden Rule? What elements in Lot’s character stand out clearly in this transaction? How does he exhibit indifference toward the best welfare of his family?
The consequences of his choice come out in later lessons, and are exactly what might be expected, but, of course, these must not be touched upon in this lesson. The only point which needs emphasis here is the statement of verse 13.
LESSON PRESENTATION
Introduction
Abram was sitting in the door of his tent. Sarai, his wife, was near by and was watching him anxiously, for she could see that he was troubled, but she knew not why. They had just returned to the place near Bethel from a long journey which they took into Egypt because there had been a famine in the land of Canaan. Their flocks and herds were so many that Abram was known as a very rich man in a country where men counted their wealth by the number of cattle they owned. The dark tents of Abram’s servants stretched away over the valley and up on the sides of the low hills, for his followers were many. Lot, Abram’s nephew, also had servants and flocks and herds. His tents were there too, and the smoke was going up from many fires, for it was supper time. As Abram sat looking out over the valley, Sarai questioned softly, “What is it that troubles thee?” And Abram answered, “Thou knowest how I have thought that Lot would always be with us, as he has been all his life; but I cannot now see how that can be. To-day and yesterday, and indeed every day since we pitched our tents in this valley, as I have gone about to see how the herds and flocks were being cared for by the men, I have found quarreling and strife among the herdsmen.” “Quarreling and strife?” “Yea, thou knowest we have had none of that before, but now our cattle are so many and there are so few good pasture lands that were not already in use by the Canaanites and the Perrizzites before we came into the land, and there are so few wells or springs of water beside those that they claim, that there is constant strife between Lot’s herdsmen and ours. Each one claims every spring of water and pasture land, and so they quarrel. We cannot have this kind of thing. Brothers should live together in unity, and I must find a way to end the strife. Of course my men feel in duty bound to find water and pasture for my cattle; that is what they are told to do; and Lot’s men must do the same for his, but we cannot have them fighting about it.”
The Lesson Story
The next morning Abram asked Lot to take a walk with him, and as they together climbed a hill near by, Abram told his nephew of the quarreling among their men, and then he said something like this: “You see, we have now so many cattle that no one part of the country can give us all the pasture that we need. I had hoped that we might always live together, but I see that we cannot do so and have peace and right feeling among our servants.” Now, of course, you know that Abram might then have said to his nephew, “God has promised all of this land to me and to my children, so it is only right that I should first choose the part of the land in which I wish to live, and that is what I intend to do now.” But Abram knew a better way than that. Open your Bibles and read with me Genesis 13:8, 9. So you see, Abram gave Lot the first choice, and as they stood together on the summit of the hill they had climbed, Lot could look to the north, west, and south and could see few pasture lands, but many rugged mountains and rather barren valleys. But to the east he saw the well-watered plain of the Jordan, where the grass grew rich and green, and he said as he pointed that way, “I will take the plain of the Jordan.” Very soon they separated, Lot and his family, with his servants and cattle, going down into the Jordan valley, while Abram journeyed south over the mountains until he came to Hebron.
What did Lot really choose? Not simply pasture lands for his flocks. He chose selfishness and greed, for he took the best for himself when he knew his uncle had the right to it. He chose wicked people to be his neighbors and friends, for there were cities in the valley. Listen to what the Bible says about the people in a city near which Lot pitched his tents. (Read verses 12 and 13.)
But what of Abram? What did he choose? He chose unselfishness and generosity, and he gained something better than fine pasture for his cattle, for he knew that he had pleased his heavenly Father, and soon he heard the voice of God speaking to him, and saying (read verses 14, 15, 18).
If possible, have the memory text written upon cards in attractive form, with initial letter illuminated. Give one of these cards to each pupil, and with it these statements and the question to be answered next Sunday: This is a rule that Jesus gave to his disciples. It has been called the Golden Rule. Can you think of any reason why it should have such a name as that?
PUPIL’S BOOK FOR WORK AND STUDY
Show the children the picture for this lesson and explain that it is taken from a photograph of the Jordan valley as it appears to-day, and shows part of what Lot saw when he made his choice.
LESSON 10
THE CORRELATED LESSON
Refer to the question asked in connection with Friday’s reading, and call for the written answers. Read them and let the children talk about them freely. Then take up the question about the Golden Rule and get their ideas concerning the name that has been given to it. Help them to see how like heaven this world would be if everyone obeyed that rule. Tell them that people also speak of an Iron Rule and a Silver Rule. Perhaps they can guess what the Iron Rule would be. It is the rule of savage men. It says, “If evil is done to you, do evil in return.” The Silver Rule is the rule of worldly men. That says, “If good is done to you, do good in return.” See if the children can tell why that rule is called “silver” in comparison with the Iron Rule. Then comes the Golden Rule, best of all, because it says nothing about what other people do, but tells each one under all circumstances, everywhere, to do to others as he would like to have them do to him.
If you have time review the texts with the colors as given to the children last Sunday. Then tell them that the white ribbon is used for the four Gospels which tell of the life of Jesus. Let them find Luke among the first books of the New Testament and mark the Golden Rule, Luke 6:31 with a strip of white paper.
LESSON 10
Abram’s Rescue of Lot
Teaching Material.—Genesis 14:1-24.
Pupil’s Reading.—Genesis 14:8-24.
Memory Text.—A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. Proverbs 17:17.
LIGHT FROM OTHER BIBLE PASSAGES
Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:5-10; 6:20 to 7:28.
Note.—The statements in Hebrews that Melchizedek was without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, merely mean that the Scriptures do not mention his ancestors, parents, birth, or death.—New Century Bible, Genesis, W. H. Bennett, D.D.
FROM THE COMMENTATORS
Archæology. In this chapter we again come in contact with Babylonian records, not, as heretofore, with mythology, but with history. We may regard it as certain that Chedorlaomer and his allies were actual historical personages; that Elam at one period was the dominant power in the lands east of the Euphrates, as implied in verses 5, 9, and 17; and that in the same period the dominant power in those Eastern lands claimed and sometimes exercised a certain supremacy in Palestine, which was enforced occasionally by such warlike expeditions as the one described here. It is also not improbable that the four Eastern kings mentioned here were contemporaries, and that Elam was the dominant power in their time.... Amraphel: usually identified with Hammurabi, a Babylonian king, known to us from the inscriptions. Numerous letters and inscriptions of Hammurabi have been discovered, including forty-six dispatches (inscribed tablets of baked clay) to a high official or tributary prince. “Hammurabi,” we are told, “is already known, from the date on a Babylonian contract, to have succeeded in defeating the Elamites in the course of his reign, and this fact would not be inconsistent with his having been Chedorlaomer’s ally during the earlier part of his reign, to which period the narrative in Genesis 14 would, on this assumption, be referred.”—New Century Bible, Genesis, W. H. Bennett, D.D.
No one fails to see what it was that balanced Abram in this intoxicating march. No one asks what enabled him, while leading his armed followers flushed with success through a land weakened by recent dismay and disaster, to restrain them and himself from claiming the whole land as his. No one asks what gave him moral perception to see that the opportunity given him of winning the land by the sword was a temptation, not a guiding providence. To every reader it is obvious that his dependence on God was his safeguard and his light. God would bring him by fair and honorable means to his own. There was no need of violence, no need of receiving help from doubtful allies. This is true nobility; and this, faith always produces.—The Expositor’s Bible, Genesis, Marcus Dods.
AIM
The aim in this lesson will be practically the same as that of Lesson 9. This story shows again the kindliness and unselfishness of Abram and even more forcibly and attractively perhaps for the Junior children, as those qualities are exhibited in the doing of a brave and hazardous thing.
LESSON PREPARATION
In the lesson story as given last week how much was taken directly from the biblical narrative? How far do you think it legitimate to expand the Bible story? Was the part not given in the Bible narrative true to your conception of the times in which the story has its setting? Bible stories sometimes need expansion to make them complete and interesting to the children. It was not a necessity in last Sunday’s lesson, but was chosen simply as a way of introducing the lesson story. In all our story work it is not important that the story shall always be something that has actually happened, but it must be something that, given certain conditions, could and would be likely to happen. In expanding Bible stories we must keep the facts not only true to life, but true to what we know of the age to which they relate. There are many fictitious stories that are true, that is, true to life and to the principles that underlie all action. There are others that are both fictitious and false. Take, for example, the so-called Sunday school stories of fifty years ago in which the good boy was so abnormal and impossible that every normal boy who read the book revolted from the type with a natural and healthy hatred. All our illustrative stories must be true to life, and must not present a moral so apparent as to cause the child to react from it because of the sheer force of the impact.
The lesson for this week is intensely interesting both to us who are older and to the children, but the points of deepest interest in each case will be different. For us the mysterious Melchizedek, “who passes over the stage a living king and priest,” and then is seen no more, possesses much of charm and fascination. The difference between the Abram who was enriched without protest in Egypt by a heathen king (Genesis 12:16), and the Abram who disdains to take so much as a shoe lace from the king of Sodom (Genesis 14:23), is also of interest to us. But, of course, in studying the lesson to present it to the children we must put these things far in the background and get the story with its vivid action and rapid movement so thoroughly into the mind and heart that it can be told with as much feeling as would characterize the narration of an event that happened yesterday.
LESSON PRESENTATION
Introduction
Down in the Jordan valley, close by the side of Sodom, there are many dark tents. Cattle are feeding in the rich pasture lands and both the tents and the cattle belong to Abram’s nephew, Lot. Up among the rugged mountains, west of the Dead Sea, is Hebron, and there too we see many, many tents, and in the door of the tent of the ruler, or chief, we see Abram. There was a time when you would have seen the tents of Abram and Lot very near together. Why are they now separated by so many miles? Why did Abram let Lot choose first and take the best of the land? Why did Lot take the Jordan Valley? (Let the review so far as possible come spontaneously from the children, but if it lags in any degree, or if the important points are not brought out, ask questions that will make the story complete.)
The days passed very pleasantly in Abram’s camp. There was now no quarreling among the herdsmen, but the camp was a busy place, for all had work to do. Abram himself was not idle. Among his servants there were more than three hundred men who were able to fight, and Abram needed to have soldiers to protect the great company of people over whom he was chief, and to protect the flocks from robbers if any should come to steal. So Abram spent quite a good deal of his time training his men, so that they would know how to obey and fight under a leader as all good soldiers must.
The Lesson Story
One day there was much excitement in Abram’s usually quiet camp. A crowd was gathered about a man from the plain who bore the stains of battle, and was worn and hurt with the roughness of the way he had traveled. Eagerly they questioned: “What has happened? How were you hurt? From what city have you come?” and soon they heard the story. “Four kings from Babylon, with their armies, came into the Jordan valley to fight against the cities of the plain because they had rebelled the year before and refused to pay tribute, as they had been doing. The five kings of the cities with their fighting men went out to meet their enemies, but were dreadfully beaten. Many were caught in the slime pits of the valley and died there. Some escaped to the mountains, as I did; but our enemies have taken the women and children and the goods and cattle of Sodom and Gomorrah and have gone back in triumph to their own country.” Of course you can guess the question that Abram and many others asked right away: “What has happened to Lot? Was he killed in the battle?” “No,” was the answer, “but he went out to help the king of Sodom and was taken prisoner. His wife and children were taken, too, and all his cattle.”
What do you think Abram did when he heard this news? Instantly he called for his three hundred and eighteen men whom he had trained to be soldiers, and told them to get ready for the march. There were three chieftains in that part of the country named Mamre, Eschol, and Aner, with whom Abram was friendly, and when he sent word to them that he was going to rescue his nephew and the other people taken by the kings of the East, they joined him, and the party started north. They had to travel more than a hundred miles before they overtook the enemy. Then they waited until night, when Abram divided his company in such a way as to make an attack at one time from different places. The soldiers were sleeping, thinking themselves perfectly safe, and when the attack came they were panic-stricken and fled, and Abram pursued them as far as Hobah, a village near Damascus. Then he led his soldiers, his nephew Lot, Lot’s family, and all the other people of Sodom and Gomorrah with their possessions back toward home.
As Abram passed near Salem, in the mountains west of Sodom, Melchizedek, who was both priest and king in that city, brought food and drink for the soldiers and for the people who had been rescued, and he blessed Abram saying, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be God Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.” And to him, as the priest of the most high God, Abram gave a tenth of all that he had taken in the battle. Then the king of Sodom came to meet Abram. It was considered the right thing for anyone who gained a victory in battle to keep for himself all the goods that he took and the people also for slaves, to keep or sell as he wished. The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Let me have the people that you have rescued, but keep the goods for yourself,” but Abram answered, “I have vowed to the Most High God that I will not take so much as a thread or a shoe lace of all these things, nor anything else that belongs to you, because if I do, you may say that you made me rich. Let there be nothing for me. Let all that is taken from your possessions be what my soldiers have eaten and the portion that rightfully belongs to my allies, these three men who went with me.”
It seems strange that in this story there is nothing to tell us that Lot even thanked his uncle for what he had done. All that we know is that he went back into the Jordan valley and to wicked Sodom, and Abram and his soldiers and the friends who had helped him journeyed south until they came to the home tents at Hebron. Did you ever hear the proverb, “A friend in need is a friend indeed”? Open your Bibles in the middle, turn to the next book on the right, and you will see that it is the book of Proverbs. Find chapter 17 and verse 17, and let us read that proverb together. Who was it in this story that acted the part of a friend? A friend to whom? What is the name that Abram earned for himself? Do you not think that a friend of God would always be quite sure to be a friend of man also?
(Ask the children to watch during the coming week and see how many people they can find who are doing kindly things for others. Suggest that they try themselves to be “friends” and “brothers” to everybody who needs any help that they can give.)
LESSON 11
THE CORRELATED LESSON
(If the children have the colored slips marking their memory verses corresponding to the rainbow bookmark colors, as suggested in Lesson 8, it will be easy for them to find the verses. Such a drill as the one given here will not only fix the verses in their memory associated with their meaning, but will help the children to acquire facility in handling the Bible and turning quickly to references. As you will see this lesson is partly a drill on information which is given on page 31 of the Pupil’s Book for Work and Study.)
How many memory texts have we had in the first book of the Bible? What is the name of that book? What is the color in the rainbow bookmark for the first five books? What are those books called? Who can tell what the memory texts in Genesis are without looking in the book? Who can give one from Jeremiah?
Who will find for me a verse about love? What is that chapter called? Then if any one should ask you, “Where will I find the Love Chapter in the Bible?” what would you answer? Who will find a verse that tells how Abraham obeyed when God called him? What is that chapter about? Then what is it called? In what book is the Faith Chapter found? What is the number of the chapter? Let us see if we can all find the Christmas Story.
What one of our memory verses would you like me to find? (Give out the other memory verses by subjects and let each child read the verse he has found.) What is the text that tells us what a friend and a brother will do for any one who needs his help? Let us find that in the Bible. Open your Bibles in the middle. What book have you there? That is the hymn book of the Bible. The next book to the right is another book of poetry, and that is the one which has our memory text in it. The chapter and verse are both 17. Who will be the first to find it? Yellow is the color for the books of poetry, so I will give you a yellow slip to mark the place of this verse. Let us all read it together. Who can tell me in other words what that verse means?
LESSON 11
Abraham Entertaining Angels
Teaching Material.—Genesis 15:1-6; 17:1-8, 15, 16; 18:1-16; Hebrews 13:16.
Pupil’s Reading.—Genesis 17:1-5, 15, 16; 18:1-8; Hebrews 13:16.
Memory Text.—Forget not to show love unto strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2.
LIGHT FROM OTHER BIBLE PASSAGES
Numbers 22:22-27; Judges 13; 1 Kings 19:5-8; Luke 1:11-22, 28-33; Matthew 2:13.
FROM THE COMMENTATORS
(Genesis 15:1-7.) Abram felt that he had made the mightiest earthly powers his enemies, and probably feared that the next campaigning season would bring down on his encampment an irresistible host; so the word of encouragement comes, “Fear not, Abram; I am thy shield.” Besides, he saw that he was exhibited to his followers as a man who had the enjoyment neither of this world’s winnings nor of the promise of God, for the sake of which he sacrificed the booty offered him by Sodom. The soreness he felt on this account was removed by the assurance, “I am thy exceeding great reward.”—Commentary on Genesis, Marcus Dods.
AIM
To further deepen the impression made by the last two lessons, helping the children to see the beauty of kindness, and so stimulate within them the desire to practice kindness and helpfulness in their own lives.
LESSON PREPARATION
These lessons give to us as teachers an opportunity for a leisurely study of the book of Genesis of which every teacher should take advantage. Of course all that intervenes between lessons at any point should be read for one’s own information, but no more should be given to the scholars than is indicated by the limits of the teaching material. It is interesting to note in the study of chapter 17 that “the rite of circumcision is not, as is sometimes thought, a rite peculiar to the Jews. It was and still is widely practiced in different parts of the world”; but while with other races the underlying principle seems to be initiation into manhood, with full civil and religious rights, its meaning among the Jews was and is the same as that which underlies our sacrament of christening, namely, dedication to God.
The opportunity to lead children in the study of these early stories is a privilege which every teacher should appreciate to the utmost. Dr. Eiselen calls attention to the value of these stories in this way: “Missionaries say—and experiences at home confirm the claim—that the patriarchal narratives are of inestimable value to impress lessons of the reality and providence of God, and to encourage the exercise of faith and confidence in him. There is nothing that can be substituted for them in religious instruction.”[4] He also quotes from Prof. W. W. White twenty-one Christian virtues that are illustrated and enforced in the life of Abraham: “He was steadfast, resolute, prudent, tactful, candid, kind, self-controlled, obliging, self-denying, condescending, unselfish, peaceable, hospitable, courteous, humble, thankful, reverent, prayerful, worshipful, faithful, obedient.”
This lesson is a fitting climax to the three which show particularly Abraham’s unselfishness and kindness and self-forgetful thoughtfulness. In the other two he was acting for some one whom he knew and loved as a father might love a son. In this incident he extends the most complete and joyous hospitality to men whom he believed to be ordinary travelers.
LESSON PRESENTATION
Introduction
I wonder if Abram was not a little discouraged when he came back after rescuing Lot and the other people of Sodom from the four kings of the East? It would not be strange if he was both sad and discouraged, for the nephew whom he loved had gone back among the wicked people of Sodom, where his life was in danger all the time, and Abram might easily have felt that he had not done very much for Lot, and had made enemies for himself of the powerful kings whose soldiers he had attacked.
The Lesson Story
But if he was discouraged and half afraid, his heavenly Father and Friend knew it, and he appeared to Abram in a vision saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Then Abram said: “O Lord, how will you give this land to my children as you have promised, when I have no child at all?” The Lord took Abram out into the night and bade him look at the stars in the sky, saying, “Can you count them? Your children’s children shall be as many as the stars for number.” And Abram believed God’s promise and was comforted. Again God appeared to him and repeated his promise, and said, “Your name shall not be Abram any more but Abraham, which means father of a multitude, and your wife’s name shall no longer be Sarai but Sarah, or princess, for she shall be the mother of kings.” Yet Abraham and Sarah had no children.
One noon time as Abraham stood in the tent door he saw three men coming near. They were strangers to him, but he hastened to meet them and said, “I pray you go no further in the heat of the day. Come and rest here under the shade of the tree, and I will have water brought that your feet may be bathed, and I will have something prepared for you to eat, and after you are rested and refreshed you may go on your way.” The strangers accepted the invitation, and Sarah and the servants soon had a dinner prepared for the guests, and they ate while Abraham stood by to wait upon them and show them every honor. It was not long before he found that his guests were messengers from God. The promise that a child should come to their home was given to Abraham again, but now one of the messengers told Abraham just when Sarah’s son would be born. He said, “At this time next year.” And Sarah heard what was said as she stood in the tent door near by. Can you think how happy Abraham and Sarah must have been that day? What a joy it was to them that they had provided the very best they had for people who they thought were mere strangers. See what our memory text says. (Hebrews 13:2.) Here is a command from that same chapter (verse 16). To “communicate” means to share the good things that you have with others.
At the Christmas time when the birthday of Jesus is near, I am sure we all wish that we could share the good things that we have with him. Have you ever thought what you would have done if you had been in Bethlehem the night Jesus was born? This is what some one has said:
If I had been a sleeping guest
Lodged at the inn that Christmas night,
When the wee Lord was laid to rest
In the cold stall in humble plight,
I know I would have waked, instead,
And given him my warm, soft bed.
How glad any of us would be to do that. Is there anything we can do? This is what the rest of the poem says:
But I was not a lodger there—
It was so long ago, indeed.
Yet all around me, everywhere,
Are little children still in need,
And when I love and cherish them
I serve the Babe of Bethlehem.
—Nancy Byrd Turner.
Used by permission of the Congregational Sunday School and Publishing Society.
LESSON 12
THE CORRELATED LESSON
Take your Bibles and see how many verses you can find among your memory texts which tell us something that Abraham did, or some command that makes us think of something he did because he obeyed it so well. (Hebrews 11:8a, c; Luke 6:31; Proverbs 17:17; Hebrews 13:2.) Would you say that Abraham was loving? Might we think of Abraham then, when we read 1 Corinthians 13:4a? What is that whole chapter called in which it is said: “And Abram when he was called obeyed, and he went out not knowing whither he went”? In what book is the Faith Chapter? What is the number of the chapter? In what book is the Love Chapter found? What chapter? How did it happen that Abraham had angels for his guests one day? What command is there for us in the Bible about entertaining strangers and what reason is given? What verse do you think of when you hear the name of Noah? What one are you reminded of when you think of Adam in the Garden of Eden? What verse gives a meaning to the rainbow? What does a friend always do? In what book is that verse found? What kind of a book is it? What is the color for the books of poetry?
If you were to turn to Luke 2:8-20 what story would you find? What is that group of books called? How many Gospels are there? Let us say those four names, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Let us find the first one of the Gospels which is also the first book in the New Testament. What is the name of that book? Find chapter 25 and verse 40. Let us mark that verse, for it is one we ought always to remember, and it will be a pleasure to us to be reminded of it as we turn the pages of our Bibles. Shall we read it together?
What is our text for this year? (Luke 11:28.) Listen while I read something which God said to Abraham (Genesis 12:2, last sentence of 3). What a wonderful promise that was! To-day we will find out how that promise came true.
LESSON 12.—CHRISTMAS LESSON
The Song of Mary
Teaching Material.—Luke 1:21, 22, 26-55.
Pupil’s Reading.-Luke 1:26-28, 46-55.
Memory Text.—And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Luke 1:46, 47.
LIGHT FROM OTHER BIBLE PASSAGES
Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:1-25.
FROM THE COMMENTATORS
This chapter is remarkable for preserving a record of two inspired hymns—the Magnificat and the Benedictus—which have been used for more than a thousand years in the public services of Christendom. The Magnificat first appears in the office of Lauds in the rule of Saint Cæsarius of Arles, A. D. 507. (Blunt, Annotated Prayer Book, p. 33.) It is so full of Hebraisms as almost to form a mosaic of quotations from the Old Testament, and it is closely analogous to the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10). It may also be compared with the Hymn of Judith (Judith 16:1-17). But it is animated by a new and more exalted spirit, and is specially precious as forming a link of continuity between the eucharistic poetry of the old and new dispensation.—Cambridge Bible, Edited by F. W. Farrar, D.D.
AIM
To show that the coming of Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham; to arouse and deepen faith in God and gratitude for his greatest Gift.
LESSON PREPARATION
Read all of the first chapter of Luke and all of the references from the chapter to other parts of the Bible. Picture to yourself the dark and weary centuries of waiting for the promise to be fulfilled. If possible, read some such book as Deborah, by Dr. James M. Ludlow, which gives a vivid picture of the times of the Maccabees. The books of the Maccabees in the Apocrypha and the article on Maccabees in any good Bible dictionary will also be helpful in showing something of what the God-fearing Jews had been suffering in the two hundred years preceding the birth of Christ.
LESSON PRESENTATION
Introduction
I have a story of a song to tell you to-day. It was a song of praise and gladness, but the joy that was in it was so great that there are no words that could possibly tell it all. It was sung at first by just one voice, but in the hundreds of years since it has been sung and spoken by thousands upon thousands who have been made glad by the joy that rings through it. It is sung in churches by choirs and people, and the words of the song are read over and over again, especially at the Christmas time, in every place where people have heard the Gospel message. Shall I tell you how this song came to be sung the first time?
God had given this great promise to Abraham, “In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,” and as the years and years went by the people who called Abraham their father became very many, and as the fathers and mothers sat in the doors of their tents while the stars were coming out they would say to their children, “Do you see how many stars there are? God once told Abraham, our father, that his children’s children should be as many as the stars, and that promise has come true. But there was another and more wonderful promise than that, for God said, ‘In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed,’ and that promise will come true some day.” The children never forgot about that promise, and they told it to their children, giving it as one would some precious jewel, and they would always say, “The promise has not come true yet, but it will.”
So the long years went by. Many of the people forgot God, and sorrow upon sorrow came, and still there was no sign of the blessing that had been promised. God sent to his people many prophets who spoke words of cheer, and told of a Saviour who would come, but all the people knew was that some day he would come, and they cried eagerly to the Lord saying, “How long, O Lord, how long shall it be?” The hearts of the people grew sick with waiting as they asked each other, “When will the promise come true? When will the Saviour come?” But no one could answer, for none knew.
One day, in Jerusalem, those who truly loved the Lord came out of the temple with joy shining in their faces. “Something has happened!” they said to their friends, “We do not know just what it is, but Zacharias the priest has seen a vision. He was in the temple burning incense, and when he came out to us he could not speak, but he made us know that God had sent him some wonderful message.” So the people began to hope that this might mean the coming of the Saviour. But half a year went by and there was still no sign of the coming of the promised One. Every priest who went into the temple to offer incense must have hoped that some message would come to him, but no vision of an angel was seen there again.
The Lesson Story
Up in the north in a city called Nazareth there lived a young woman, so kind and good and true that even the birds and flowers seemed to love her. As God looked at her and read the very thoughts and desires of her heart, he knew that he could trust her with the care of the greatest Gift he had ever sent to the earth, the One in whom the promise made to Abraham should come true. So it happened one day that as Mary stood among her flowers a messenger came and spoke to her saying, “Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee.” Mary was troubled when she heard his words, for she did not know what they meant. But with joy she heard: “Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God, and to thee shall be sent a Son in whom the promise made to Abraham shall come true, for he shall bring blessing to all the people of the world. He will come as a little baby, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High, and of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
When Mary heard this she could hardly believe that it was not all a dream. To think that she should be chosen as the one through whom God’s greatest promise should come true! All the people thought that the Saviour would come as a great king, but Mary knew now that he was coming to her arms as a little child, and there was great joy in her heart when the angel left her and went back to the heavenly places. Very soon she went to see her cousin Elisabeth, that she might tell her of the great happiness that had come into her life, but Elisabeth already knew it, for God had told her, and together they rejoiced that the great promise was so soon to come true. Elisabeth told her gladness in a few words, but Mary’s heart was so full that her praises flowed out in song (read verses 46-48, 54, 55).
So you see it was the promise to Abraham coming true; and you know how one night at Bethlehem, while shepherds were watching their flocks on the hillside, a Baby was born in the stable of an inn and was laid in a manger for a cradle. That was the gladdest day of all the days that ever have been or ever will be in this world, for it was the day when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa. No wonder the angels sang, “Glory to God in the highest.” No wonder we always wish to sing songs of joy at the glad Christmas tide.
Let us say together the words of praise that Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” And let us praise God as the angels praised him the night when Jesus was born: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men in whom he is well pleased.” Is there any other way in which we can show our love and gratitude? (Speak of what your Sunday school is doing for the poor, and of the part which the Juniors have had in the gifts. Quote Matthew 25:40, and call attention to pages 36 and 37 of the Pupil’s Book for Work and Study.)
LESSON 13
THE CORRELATED LESSON
As the lesson for Christmas Sunday is not an integral part of the lessons to be reviewed to-day, it would be well to have a conversation with the children about the beautiful picture for the Christmas Lesson. Get them to express themselves freely concerning it. Ask to what they think Mary is listening, and in that way get from them the story of the angel’s message. It is an interesting fact for teachers to know that while one of the greatest charms of the picture as we have it is that it leaves the angel to the imagination and centers all thought and attention upon Mary, this effect is secured by leaving out half of the original painting in the reproduction. In the painting the garden is shown extending to the left and rear, and the angel is standing under the trees at some distance from Mary. It is evidently the consensus of opinion that the presence of the angel weakens the picture artistically, as it certainly does in teaching power, for most of the reproductions leave out that feature of the original. After the picture has been fully discussed and the story given by the children, have the memory text recited and ask how many read the Christmas story from the Bible. Give to each child a white strip to mark the place of the Christmas Story and another for the Song of Mary. See how many know the reference for the Christmas Story and drill upon it.
LESSON 13
Review
Teacher’s Theme.—Walking with God. Genesis 6:9; Proverbs 3:5, 6. See also Genesis 5:21-24; Isaiah 30:21; Amos 3:3; Hebrews 11:5; 1 John 1:6, 7; 2:6; Revelation 3:4, 5.
LESSON PREPARATION
Read over at one sitting, if possible, Genesis chapters 6-18, with the theme of this lesson uppermost in the mind. The story of Enoch has been used for the pupil’s book because it fits in so well with this theme, and because it is a name and a story that all children should know. It need not be introduced into this review, of course, but the reference is given as part of the study because Enoch is such a notable example of those who walked with God.
LESSON PRESENTATION
(Draw on a large sheet of paper a road with another branching off from it. Begin your lesson by telling of two persons starting out to walk together.) When they come to the parting of the roads one says, “I am going this way.” The other says, “I cannot go that way, for this is the only road that leads to the place to which I wish to go.” What must they do if they are to keep on walking together? Two cannot walk together unless they agree and are willing to go the same road. If one of the two must take this road and the other can take whichever he chooses, it is quite certain that the one who can choose will go with his friend if he really loves him and wishes to be with him.
Do you remember what the Bible says about Noah? Noah walked with—whom? Let us see what that means. What is the road that God walks? It is the way that leads to heaven. It is the way of love, goodness, joy, kindliness, obedience, trust, patience. Noah walked that way, but the other people were filled with violence and their thoughts were evil. There are no such things as violence and evil in the way that God walks, so people who love those things are not walking with God. What do you think of Abraham—did he walk with God? Why do you think so? (Get from the children the story of his obedience to God’s call and the memory text for that lesson; his giving Lot the first choice and the Golden Rule; his unselfish risking of his life to rescue Lot, showing that he was a true friend and brother, and his kindness in entertaining those who he thought were strangers. Call for the memory texts for both of these lessons by subjects and read or recite to the children Hebrews 13:16.) How splendidly Abraham did these things! What name did he earn by his obedience and love?
What story have we had about a woman who walked with God? Does any one walk with God in these days? Can boys and girls as well as men and women walk with God? Certainly, anyone who loves the Lord may walk with him, and he loves us so much that it grieves him when we choose to go the other way. In his Word we are told, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths.” Have you ever heard what seemed almost like a voice inside of you saying, “That is wrong, do not do it”? That is the voice of God speaking to you, for he has said, “Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.” So that the voice that you hear, which we call conscience, is God’s voice trying to keep you from turning away from him and walking in evil ways. What does our text for this year say? (Luke 11:28.) Is it easy to keep the word of God, to walk his way? No, it is not easy but he has promised to help us and he will do so always if we ask him. Do you talk to your heavenly Father every day?
(Ask how many use the prayer, “Now I lay me down to sleep,” and how many offer some other prayer, not committed to memory, but their own? Ask how many pray in the morning, and show them how much they need care and guidance through the day, and ask them each morning to use this prayer: “O, Lord, help me to walk with thee to-day in loving obedience.” When children have reached the age of nine they should be led to see that the mere recitation of a memorized verse is not talking with God. Many parents teach the child some simple prayer when he is about four years old, and give no further help nor instruction on the subject of prayer from that time on; and for this reason a heavy responsibility rests upon the Sunday school teacher. It is essential that the child shall understand that talking with God is as real as talking with anyone whom he can see; that God hears and answers always, but does not always answer yes; that we need always to pray for help to do right and for forgiveness when we do wrong; that we should talk with our loving heavenly Father about everything that interests us. This note is put here because it is important that teaching on prayer and suggestions concerning it should be put in all through this course at any time when it comes in naturally with the lesson.)