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.