OT 15 Jacob, Esau, and the Birthright

Reference: Genesis 25:27-34

Story Summary: 
   Because Esau was the the older twin, he received his family’s birthright. That meant he would receive twice the inheritance that his brother Jacob would receive. And their father, Isaac, was a wealthy man. Esau's birthright was very, very valuable.
   One day, Esau came back from a long day in the wild, open country just as Jacob was cooking. He was tired and very hungry. “Give me some of that red stew,” he said. Seeing an opportunity to trick his brother, Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.”
   “Look, I’m dying of hunger,” Esau exaggerated. “What good are those rights to me?” Because he was so hungry,  Esau did a very foolish thing. He agreed to sell his birthright for a bowl of red stew. So Jacob gave him some stew and bread to eat and Esau chowed down. By selling his birthright for stew, Esau showed that he didn’t care about his birthright at all.

Big Idea and Motions: Small foolish decisions now can cost you big later.
Small - hold your hands about an inch apart in front of you
Foolish - twirl your index finger in circles by your temple and wiggle your head
Now - point to your feet with both index fingers
Big - hold your hands far apart
Later - point far to the right with both index fingers

Verse / Motions: Romans 6:23, ESV - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Wages - pretend to swipe a debit card
Sin - two thumbs down
Death - cross your arms in an X over your chest
Free gift - hand a “gift” to someone in front of you
Eternal life - trace an ∞ in the air with your finger
Christ Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Lord - point up



Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
A birthright meant you got twice as much… what? (Inheritance, stuff when your parents died.)
Which brother had the birthright at the beginning? Why? (Esau because he was born first.)
What had Esau been doing? (Out in the open country, probably hunting.)
What was Jacob doing? (Cooking some red stew.)
When Esau wanted stew, what did Jacob say? (First sell me your birthright.)
What did Esau say after Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright?” (I’m dying of hunger! I don’t care about my birthright!)
What did the Bible say Esau thought about his birthright? (He didn’t care about it.)
Was what Jacob did kind? Why not? (No. He should have just given soup to his brother instead of tricking him.)
How did Esau’s foolish action cost him? (He’d get half of the inheritance later.)
How did Jacob’s foolish action cost him? (He didn’t get along with his brother.)

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/pZpnVO
Resources - http://goo.gl/joVoUW

OT 14 Jacob and Esau are Born

Reference: Genesis 25:19-26, 26:2-4

Story Summary: 
   God had promised Abraham that he would grow his family into a great nation. God began to keep that promise by giving Abraham a son in his old age, Isaac. But there was a problem: Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, was unable to have children.
   Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife. God answered his prayer and Rebekah became pregnant. Soon after, Rebekah felt a great struggle inside her. She asked the Lord what was happening. God said, “Two nations are in your body. The older son will serve the younger one.”
   Rebekah gave birth to twin boys. The first to come out was red and hairy. They named him Esau. As Esau came out, his brother grabbed him by the heel. They named the younger twin Jacob.

Big Idea and Motions: God kept his promise to Abraham and Isaac.
God - point up
Kept - clasp your hands together
Promises - Touch your right index finger to your lips, press the palm of your right hand down onto the top of the fist of your left hand (See http://goo.gl/B9xpEJ for a demonstration).
Abraham - hold up an index finger to your right
Isaac - hold up another index finger to your left

Verse / Motions: Psalm 105:8, ESV - He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations...
He - point up
Remembers - tap your temple
Covenant - pretend to write on your palm with a pencil
Forever - draw a ∞ in the air with your finger
Word - open your palms like a book
Commanded - wag your finger, with your other hand on your hip
Thousand - gesture your arms in a wide circle

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What problem did Rebekah have? (She couldn’t have children.)
What did Isaac do when Rebekah couldn’t have children? (He prayed to God.)
After Isaac prayed, what did God do? (Let Rebekah have children.)
What were the babies doing that made Rebekah worried? (Struggling inside of her.)
What did Rebekah do when the babies were struggling inside her? (Asked God what was happening.)
What did God say about the two babies? (They were two nations; the older will serve the younger)
What baby was born first? (Esau.)
What was Esau like? (Hairy and red.)
What baby was born second? (Jacob.)
What was Jacob doing when he was born? (Grabbing Esau’s heel.)

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/wxHdNe
Resources - http://goo.gl/5OzRVl

OT 38 Crossing the Jordan River

Reference: Joshua 3-4

Story Summary: 
      Joshua and the Israelites were ready to enter the land God promised to give to them. To do that, they needed to cross the Jordan river. At that time of the year, the river's water was flowing fast and over its banks. It would be dangerous to cross it, but Joshua told the people that God would do amazing things among them.
     He told the priests to carry the ark of the covenant and step into the river. As they stepped in, he said God would make the waters stop flowing so the people could walk through. And when the priests stepped into the river carrying the ark, the waters stopped flowing and began to pile up ahead of them. The whole nation of Israel safely crossed the Jordan.
     After they crossed the river, God told Joshua to have 12 men go to where the priests stood in the river and carry out 12 large stones. Joshua took the 12 stones and piled them up where they camped. Joshua said that, whenever their children would ask about the pile of stones, they could tell the children about how God stopped the Jordan river for them to cross. This miracle showed the people that God was with them.

Big Idea and Motions: Remember how God saved you.
Remember - tap your brain
God - point up
Saved - do the baseball “safe” sign
You - point to another person

Verse / Motions: Psalm 77:11, ESV - I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
I will - point to yourself
Remember (both times) - tap your brain
Deeds - bounce one fist on top of another
Lord - point up
Wonders - hold your palms up and out and wiggle your hands
Old - put a hand above your eyes and look far away (into the past)

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What did the Israelites need to cross? // The Jordan River
Why would it be dangerous to cross? // The waters flowed fast that time of year
What were the priests carrying? // The ark of the covenant
What did Joshua tell the priests to do? // Stand in the Jordan River
What did Joshua say would happen when the priests entered the river? // The would stop flowing
When did the water stop flowing? // Right when the priests entered the river
What did the miracle show the Israelites? // God was with them in the promised land
What did Joshua tell 12 men to do? // Collect 12 stones from the river by the priests
What did Joshua do with the stones? // Made a big pile of them
What would the Israelites tell the children when they asked about the pile? // God stopped the Jordan river

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/1zW5HV
Resources - http://goo.gl/rSpouy

OT 37 Rahab and the Spies

Reference: Joshua 2

Story Summary: 
     After Moses died, Joshua became the leader of Israel. He sent two spies into the promised land. He wanted them to check out the city of Jericho. While they were there, the spies stayed with a woman named Rahab.
     The king of Jericho got word that spies were in his city. He sent a message with his men to Rahab, telling her to turn the men over. But Rahab hid the spies under some flax on her roof. Then, she tricked the king's men into looking in the wrong place.
     Rahab knew that God was giving Jericho to the Israelites. She had faith in the God of Israel. She asked the spies to spare her family, as she had just saved their lives. They agreed to spare her if she didn't tell anyone about them. The spies told Rahab to hang a red rope from her window. On the day of the battle, anyone inside the room with the red rope hanging from the window would be saved.
     Rahab, whose house was in the city wall, lowered the men outside her window with a rope and told them how to escape Jericho. She then hung the red rope from her window. When the day of the battle came, Rahab's family was saved.

Big Idea and Motions: Have faith in Jesus, you will be saved.
Faith - pretend to grasp a rope in front of you with two hands
Jesus - form a cross with your arms
You - point to another person
Saved - do the baseball “safe” sign

Verse / Motions: Acts 16:31, ESV - And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
They said - make your hand talk like a puppet
Believe - pretend to grasp a rope in front of you with two hands
Lord Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
You - point to another person
Saved - do the baseball “safe” sign
Household - form a roof over your head with your arms

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who was the new leader of the Israelites? // Joshua
Who did he send into the promised land? // Two spies
What city did the spies go to? // Jericho
Who did the spies stayed with? // Rahab
What message did the king of Jericho send Rahab? // Tell us where the spies are
How did Rahab help the spies? // Hid them on her roof, pointed the king’s men in the wrong direction
What did Rahab ask the spies to do? // Save her and her family
The Bible says Rahab helped the spies because she had… ? // Faith
What did the spies say Rahab needed to to? // Not tell anyone, hang a red rope from her window
Like Rahab, to be saved, we need to have faith in… ? // Jesus

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/G3BGS1
Resources - http://goo.gl/NN0NSW

OT 36 The Ark and the Tabernacle

Reference: Exodus 25:10-22, 26:1-37, 28:1-2, 41

Story Summary: 
     When God gave Moses the law on Mount Sinai, he also gave him instructions of things to build. First was a special tent called the Tabernacle, or Tent of Meeting. God promised to meet with the people there. The tabernacle was divided into two rooms. In the first room, the Holy Place, there was a special table for bread, a golden lampstand with seven candles, and an altar for burning nice-smelling incense.
     The second room, the Most Holy Place, held the Ark of the Covenant. It was a special chest covered in gold. On top, it held statues of two angels, with wings facing each other. Inside the ark, they placed the stone tablets of God’s law. It was above the wings of the angels on the ark that God promised to meet with the people.
     God chose priests to work in the tabernacle. Priests lit the candles, placed the bread, and burned the incense in the Holy Place. And, once a year, the high priest would enter the Most Holy Place with the blood of a goat as an offering for the sin of the people. Because Jesus died for all of our sins on the cross, we no longer need the tabernacle to meet with God.

Big Idea and Motions: Because Jesus died, we don’t need the tabernacle to meet with God.
Jesus died - form a cross with your arms
We don’t need - wag your index finger “no”
Tabernacle - form a “roof” with your arms over your forehead
Meet - bring your hands together and interlock your fingers
God - point up

Verse / Motions: 1 Peter 3:18, ESV - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.
Christ - form a cross with your forearms
Suffered - punch your palm
Once - hold up one finger
Righteous for the unrighteous - two thumbs up, then two thumbs down
Bring us - pretend to give something to someone else
God - point up

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What are the two names of the special place God told Moses to make? // Tabernacle, Tent of Meeting
What were the names of the two rooms in the tabernacle? // Holy Place, Most Holy Place
What were some of the things in the Holy Place? // Table of Showbread, Golden Lampstand, Altar of Incense
What special box was in the Most Holy Place? // The ark of the covenant
What did the ark look like? // Covered in gold, two angels on top
What was placed inside the ark? // Two stone tablets of the law, ten commandments
Where did God say he’d meet with them? // Between the angels’ wings above the ark
Who were the special people God picked to work in the tabernacle? // Priests
Who did God pick to be priest? // Aaron, Moses’ brother
How often did the priest go into the Most Holy Place? // One time a year
What did the priest have to bring into the Most Holy Place for the sin of the people? // Blood of a goat
Why don’t we need a tabernacle to meet with God? // God’s Son, Jesus, died for all our sins

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/A27tAl
Resources - http://goo.gl/qPxisU