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 13 Isaac and Rebekah

Reference: Genesis 24

Story Summary: 
   Abraham asked his servant to travel to the land of his family and find a wife for his son, Isaac. He didn’t want Isaac to marry one of the evil people who lived in the land of Canaan. He sent the servant off with camels packed with treasures.
   When he arrived, the servant stopped by the well outside of town. He prayed, “God, give me success. Suppose I say to a women, ‘Please give me a drink.’ If she says, ‘I’ll give you a drink. I’ll get some water for your camels, too,’ let her be the one you’ve picked for Isaac.
   As he finished the prayer, Rebekah came to the well. The servant asked her for a drink. Rebekah said, “I’ll give you a drink. I’ll get some water for your camels, too.” Right then, the servant knew that God had answered his prayer.
   After talking with and giving gifts to her brother, Laban, Rebekah and the servant returned to Abraham. When Isaac met Rebekah, he took her home to be his wife.

Big Ideas and Motions: God listens when his people pray.
God - point up
Listens - cup your hands behind your ears
People - hold out your hands and wiggle your fingers
Pray - press your palms together and bow your head

Verse and Motions: Psalm 145:18, ESV - The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Lord - point up
Near - squeeze close to anybody by you
All - gesture your arms in a wide circle
Call - pretend to talk on a phone
All/call - same motions as before
Truth - touch your index finger to your lips, then point away from you*
*This is the ASL sign for “truth”.



Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What did Abraham want his servant to do? // Find a wife for Isaac
Why didn’t Abraham want Isaac to marry someone from the new land? // They were evil people
What kind of place did the servant stop at when he got there? // A well
What did the servant pray? // God, show me the right wife for Isaac
What did the servant want the right woman to say? // I’ll get water for you and your camels
Who showed up as he was praying? // Rebekah
What did Rebekah say when he asked for a drink? // I’ll get water for you and your camels
What did the servant give to Rebekah? // Jewelry and clothes
Who did Rebekah and the servant go and tell this story to? // Laban, her brother
After he met Rebekah, what did Isaac do? // Marry her

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/mBQ9l1
Resources - http://goo.gl/9LGzwL

OT 12 Job

Reference: Job 1-2, 42

Story Summary: 
     Job was an honest  and righteous man. God blessed him with many good things, including 10 children, and many servants and animals.
     One day, when Satan challenged the Lord. "Job only trusts in you because you've guarded his family and given him so many good things. If you take those things away, he'll speak evil right to your face!" The Lord God agreed to let Satan test Job. Satan was allowed to take away the good things God had given Job, but he couldn't touch Job himself.
     Satan put his plan into action. Soon, messenger after messenger came to Job with terrible news. His animals had been stolen or killed. He's servants had been attacked. And his children were all dead. Still, Job didn't speak evil of God.
     But Satan wasn't through. He told God, "If Job's own body is hurt, he'll curse you to your face!" God agreed to let Satan test Job. But Satan had to allow Job to live. So Satan did what he said. Painful sores covered Job's body. Even though he was miserable, Job didn't speak evil of God.
     After passing Satan's tests, the Lord rewarded Job. God gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Big Idea and Motions: God is always Good, even when things look bad.
God - point up
Always - gesture your arms in a wide circle
Good - two thumbs up
Look - put a hand above your eyes and look around
Bad - two thumbs down

Verse / Motions: James 1:12, ESV - Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life...
Blessed - hold two thumbs up near your face and smile
Man - flex your muscles
Steadfast - stomp your foot, put your hands on your hips, and stand boldly
Trial - pound the bottom of your fist into your palm, like a judge pounding a gavel
Test - pretend to write on your palm
Receive - pretend to receive a box from someone
Crown - pretend to put a crown on your head





Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What was Job like? // Honest, right, respected God, avoided evil
What blessings did God give Job? // 10 children, many animals, servants
What test did Satan want to do to Job? // Take away his stuff
What did Satan say Job would do if he lost his stuff? // Speak evil of God, right to his face
What bad things happened to Job in the first test? // Lost all his animals, servants, and children
Did Job speak evil of God after test 1? What did he do? // No, he shaved his head, tore his clothes
What was the second thing Satan wanted to do to Job? // Hurt Job’s body
What did Satan do to Job’s body? // Covered it with sores
What did Job’s wife tell Job to do after he was covered in sores? // Speak evil of God and die.
Did Job speak evil of God after test 2? // No
What did God give Job at the end of his life? // Twice as much as he had before

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/E3AHxj
Resources - http://goo.gl/jVb9x0

OT 11 Sodom and Gomorrah

Reference: Genesis 18:16-33, 19:1-29

Story Summary:
     The people of Sodom and Gomorrah were very wicked. Because of this, God was going to punish and destroy their city. This concerned Abraham because his nephew, Lot, lived in the city of Sodom. “Will you destroy the city if 50 righteous people live there?” he asked God. God agreed that, if 50 righteous people were in the city, God would not destroy it. After asking God several times, each time with a lower number, God agreed that, if there were 10 righteous people in the city, God would not destroy it.
     When two of God's angels arrived in Sodom, the men there tried to hurt them. The angels warned Lot and his family to flee the city. Lot tried to persuade his sons-in-law to flee, but they laughed and figured they were only joking.
     The angels grabbed Lot and his family by the hand. They told him, "Run away and don't look back." After Lot and his family had left, God sent fiery sulfur raining down on the city, destroying everything. As they fled, Lot's wife looked back, against the angel's instruction. She was
turned into a pillar of salt.

Big Idea and Motions: Sin brings punishment, but God saves sinners.
Sin - two thumbs down
Punishment - smash the bottom of your fist into your palm
God - point up
Saves - do the baseball “safe” sign with your arms
Sinners - point to yourself with two thumbs

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 credit card through a card reader machine
Sin - two thumbs down
Death - cross your arms over your chest and bow your head
Free gift - pretend to hand a present to someone else
God - point up
Eternal life - trace a ∞ in the air with your finger
Christ Jesus - form a cross with your forearms






Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What did God plan to do to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? Why? // Destroy them because of their great sin
Why did this make Abraham worry? // His nephew, Lot, lived in the city of Sodom
What did Abraham ask God to do? // Not destroy the city if 10 righteous, godly people lived there
What did Lot do for the angels when they came to Sodom? // Gave them a meal
What did the people of Sodom want to do to the angels? // Hurt the angels
What did Lot’s sons-in-law do when Lot told them to leave because the city was going to be destroyed? // They laughed and thought he was joking.
Who grabbed Lot and his family by the hand and led them out of the city? // The angel
What did the angel tell them to do? // Run and not look back
What did God to to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah? // Sent fiery sulfur on them and destroyed everything
What happened to Lot’s wife when she stopped and looked back? // Turned into a pillar of salt

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/IhGnwr
Resources - http://goo.gl/qq5kgx

OT 10 Three Visitors and Isaac’s Birth

Reference: Genesis 17:1-16, Genesis 18:1-13, Genesis 21:1-7

Story Summary:
    God appeared to Abram and gave him a new name, Abraham, which means "father of many." He reminded Abraham of his promise to him: "You will be the father of many nations." He also gave Abraham's wife a new name: Sarah, which means "princess."
     Later, God and two of his angels appeared to Abraham. Abraham ran to his wife, Sarah. The two of them quickly prepared a meal for their guests. God told Abraham that, in one year, he'd return and Sarah would have a child. When Sarah heard this, she laughed. "Can someone as old as me have a baby?" she thought. After all, Abraham and Sarah were 99 and 89 years old and had no children of their own.
     God heard Sarah's laugh. "Why did you laugh?" he asked. Sarah knew she was in trouble, so she lied and said she didn't. God said, "Is anything too hard for me? I will return to you next year. Sarah will have a son."
     And that's exactly what happened. A year later, Sarah gave birth to her firstborn son. They named him Isaac, which means "laughter."

Big Idea and Motions: Nothing is too hard for God.
Nothing - wave your arms back and forth and shake your head
Too hard - pound the bottom of your fist into your palm as you say each word
God - point up

Verse / Motions: Jeremiah 32:27, ESV - Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?
Behold - cup your hands around your mouth
I am - point to yourself with two thumbs
Lord - point up
Flesh - squeeze the skin on your arm or cheek
Anything - wave your arms back and forth
Too hard - pretend to lift a heavy weight above your head



Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What new name did God give to Abram? // Abraham
What does Abraham mean? // Father of many.
What new name did God give to Sarai? // Sarah
Who came to visit Abraham? // The Lord God and two angels
What did Abraham and Sarah do for God and the two angels? // Made them food
What did God say would happen? // Sarah would have a child
What did Sarah do when she heard that? // She laughed
When did God say Sarah would have a child? // In one year
How old were Abraham and Sarah when the baby was born? // 100 and 90.
What did they name the baby? // Isaac
What does the name Isaac mean? // Laughter
What does the word “omnipotent” mean? // All powerful

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/mTggI5
Resources - http://goo.gl/oBxlBY

OT 09 Abram and Lot Separate

Reference: Genesis 13

Story Summary:
     God had made many great promises to Abram: a great land, a great name, a great blessing, and a great people. As he travelled, Abram moved around with his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot. God kept one promise right away: he gave Abram a great blessing. Abram and his nephew, Lot, had tons of livestock and plenty of silver and gold.
     But then a problem came. The land became too small for all of Abram and Lot’s many animals. Their workers were arguing in the fields because there wasn't enough space for both of their groups. Abram decided to split the two groups up.
     He let Lot pick a land to go and live. Lot chose the beautiful land of the Jordan River Valley near the city of Sodom. Abram took all his things and went the other way.
     After Abram moved, God spoke of his promises again to Abram. He told Abram he’d give him all the land that he could see. And, God said, his children would be so many, they couldn’t be counted, like the dust of the earth.

Big Idea and Motions: God always keeps his promises.
God  - Point up
Always - Gesture your arms out in a wide circle
Keeps - Fold your hands together out in front of you
His promises - Hold up your right hand, with your index/middle fingers crossed

Verse / Motions: Psalm 100:5, ESV - For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Lord - point up
Good - two thumbs up
Steadfast love - tap your chest three times (one on each syllable)
Forever - draw a ∞ in the air with your finger
Faithfulness - hold left fist stomach-level, tap temple with right index finger, then right fist on top of left fist*
All generations - gesture your arms out in a wide circle
* This is the ASL sign for “Faithful”.



Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Who travelled with Abram? // His wife, Sarai, his nephew, Lot
What promise did we see God keep right away to Abram? // God blessed him with good things
What blessing did God give Abram? // Silver and gold, livestock
What was Lot blessed with? // Lots of livestock
What problem did Abram and Lot have? // Not enough land for animals, workers were arguing
What was Abram’s solution? // To split up
Lot picked the Jordan River Valley. What was it like? // Great, like the garden of Eden
When God spoke to Abram, what did he say about the land? // He’d give it all to Abram
When God spoke to Abram, what did he say about his kids? // They’ll be as many as the dust
What does the word “faithful” mean? // God always keeps his promises.

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/uc6bpq
Resources - http://goo.gl/IjUkm5