The Israelites Choose to Turn Away

"The people did eat, and bowed down to their gods."

Numbers 25:2

Balaam went to Balak and God made him bless the children of Israel when he wanted to curse them. But this didn't make Balaam good. He wanted the promised reward from Balak. So he told Balak that if he could make the people of Israel do something wicked and turn away from God, then God would punish them. 

So the two men sent women to the Israelites to invite them to a feast. The feast was to honor their idol Baal Peor. Many were foolish and accepted the invitation to the feast. They had made the choice to sin by going to the feast. God sent an illness and in one day 24,000 people died. 

But Phinehas, Aaron's grandson, did as Moses had commanded him. He first killed the wickedest of the people who had feasted and joined with Baal Peor. Then he prayed and cried over what had happened. The people prayed and cried too. God forgave them and stopped the illness.

Afterwards Phinehas led the Israelite men to punish Balak and his people. Balaam was killed during the fighting. All the wicked women who had tempted the Israelites were also killed. This ended Balaam's evil counsel. 

It's sad to think of Balaam, because he knew what was good and right to do but he chose to do the wrong thing. Remember that no one could hurt God's people until they chose to do wrong. Then God punished them. 

But today, because Jesus has come, God sees Jesus and how he died for our sins. He sees us through Jesus and gives us mercy and grace when we do the wrong things. 

QUESTIONS

1. What did Balak want to do?

2. How had Balak tried to hurt the children of Israel?

3. Why couldn't Balaam curse them ?

4. What did Balaam think would be the way to hurt them ?

5. Whom did he send to them ?

6. Whom did the women persuade them to worship ?

7. What did God send to punish them ?

8. How was the plague stopped ?

9. How was Balaam punished?

10. Why was Balaam to be blamed ?

11. When could not Balaam hurt the Israelites?

12. When could he hurt them?

13. For who took care of them when they were good ?

14. Who has saved us and offers us grace?

"There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel." Numbers 24:17

The Israelites wanted to pass through King Balak's land. They promised they would stay on the road and wouldn't leave it, but he was afraid of them. He'd heard the stories of the battles they'd fought with other kings. So Balak wanted to have the Israelites cursed. He wanted to bring God's anger on them. 

This was very mean of King Balak, but he didn't know God wouldn't let harm come upon his people. Balak tried to have the prophet Balaam curse the Israelites, but when Balaam spoke, he could only speak blessings over the people. He could only say that God was taking care of them and would be their king. He promised that a Star would come from the tribe of Jacob and a Sceptre would rise to be king. 

This meant that our Savior would come from the Israelites. This was Jesus. He was called a Star because He came to give us light. A bright star also marked the place where He was born. A sceptre is something a king carries in his hand. When Jesus is called the Sceptre it means that He will be king. 

Balak was very angry when Balaam didn't curse the Israelites but only blessed them. It wasn't God's will for him to hurt the Israelites. Balak went on with his wicked life and God continued to take care of his people. 

Remember that bad words and bad wishes do harm to the person who speaks them, not those they are meant for. If someone bullies you, know that God will take care of you just as he took care of the Israelites. Tell your parents or a pastor about the problem, and pray for the bully, because God loves him too. 

QUESTIONS

1. What did Balak want?

2. Why did he want the Israelites to be cursed?

3. Whom did he set to curse the Israelites?

4. But what did Balaam do instead?

5. Why could he not curse them ?

6. Who would not let him curse them ?

7. Who was to be born among them ?

8. What did Balaam call our Saviour?

9. Why was He like a star?

10. Why was He like a sceptre?

11. Could Balak hurt the Israelites?

12. Why not?

13. Whom do bad words hurt ?

14. Why do we need to watch what we say ?

15. What should you do if someone bullies you?

Isaac Blesses Jacob

"Bless me, even me also, O my father." Genesis 27:34

God had called Abraham out from his home and promised to give his children the land called Canaan. He promised Abraham that in his Seed all the nations of the world would blessed. This renewed the promise God had given to Eve. Abraham believed God would keep His promise, but when he reached the land it wasn't his. He was stranger, living in a tent, and trusting God every day. 

His son Isaac lived like him with no home but trusting God for his daily care. Isaac had two sons named Esau and Jacob. Esau was the oldest and he had the first right to God's promises. But Esau didn't care about the promises. He didn't see what the value was to him. He wanted what he could get right now instead of what he would get in the future. 

One day when he came home he was very hungry. His younger brother Jacob was making stew and cooking it over a fire. Esau gave up all of his rights to his brother for a bowl of the stew. So for a bowl of soup he sold right to the lands of Canaan and the right to be a forefather of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Many years later Esau was sorry for what he had done. His father Isaac was old and blind and was going to die soon. Isaac called for Esau, the son he loved best, and asked him to bring home some meat for a feast. Esau went and brought home the meat, but when he came inside Isaac cried out in sadness. Jacob had come to him instead and Isaac had mistaken him for Esau. Isaac had given his blessing to Jacob instead. Jacob now had all the rights to the promised land and all of God's promises.

Esau cried out and asked his father if there was only one blessing. Isaac was sad for him, and blessed him, but he couldn't take away what he'd given Jacob and Esau had lost.

When Esau had traded his blessing for the stew, he didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know to wait patiently for the glorious blessing to come. This was why he was allowed to be disappointed. This is a warning to us. We have a blessing, an inheritance promised to us too. The kingdom of heaven has been promised to us but we're tempted to not care about that blessing when we want something here in this world. But we don't need to waste those blessings or forget about this blessing. If we do, we'll be sorry later, just like Esau.  After we die, it will be too late to change our minds. So right now, while we are alive, we should have faith and show our faith by making sure the things here on earth don't make us forget the better things in heaven.    

QUESTIONS

1. What were the names of Isaac's two sons?

2. What had God promised Isaac ?

3. Which son had the first right to the promise ?

4. But which cared about it most ?

5. What did Esau want ?

6. So what did he give up for the sake of the soup ?

7. Could he get it back again ?

8. What are you an heir of ?

9. How could we lose the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven ?

10. Shall we be able to change after we are dead?

11. Then what must we care about most?

12. Why could not Esau get his father's blessing?

13. What did he like better than waiting for what he could not see?

14. Can we see heaven?

15. But when we get there, will it not be better than anything we can see here ?               

Abraham Buys Land

"I am a stranger and a sojourner with you." Genesis 23:4

 Abraham and Sarah were very old and had been together many years. When Sarah died, Abraham wanted to bury her. He didn't have any land of his own in this new country. He was a stranger there, but he knew God had promised it would all belong to his children one day. But he wanted to own the land where Sarah was buried. 

So he went to the prince who owned some fine land, a field with trees on it and a rocky cave called Machpelah. The prince said he would give it to Abraham, but Abraham wanted to make sure it would always be safe. He bought the land using lumps of silver. The silver all weighed the same and each had a mark on it. He gave the prince 400 lumps of silver and the cave was his. Abraham had his dear wife Sarah buried there. When Abraham died years later, he was buried in the cave with Sarah. Many more years later, his son Isaac and Isaac's son was also buried in the cave Machpelah. 

The cave is a sacred place. The land has changed over the years, and there are buildings over the cave now, but the bodies of Abraham and his family are still there, waiting to rise again at the Last Day when we shall see them and know them.     

QUESTIONS

1. Who was Abraham's wife ?

2. Where did Sarah die?

3. What did Abraham want to do ?

4. Did he own any land ?

5. What did he need to do ?

6. Who owned the land he wanted ?

7. What was it called ?

8. What is a cave ?

9. What did he pay?

10. What was Abraham's money?

11. Who were buried there afterwards?

12. How is the place marked now?

13. When will Sarah's body leave the grave in the cave of Machpelah?

14. What do you say you believe in? 

(In the eleventh Article of the Creed )

15. What is Resurrection ?      

Video - God's Promise to Abraham

Abraham and Isaac

"Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." Genesis 22:12

Soon God's promise came true and Abraham had a son named Isaac. All the promises God had made were for Isaac's children after him. Abraham loved God and believed even more.  

But then God asked Abraham to do a strange thing. God told Abraham to take Isaac to the top of a hill and offer him to God as a sacrifice, as if he had been a calf or lamb. Abraham was shocked that God would ask him to do this wicked thing, but he knew that if God commanded it, there had to be a reason and he should obey. 

So they set out to the mountain together. Abraham carried the knife and a vessel with fire in it. Isaac carried the wood to start the fire on which the sacrifice would be burnt. While they were walking, Isaac said, "Father, we have fire and wood, but what about the lamb?" Abraham said, "God will provide the lamb." 

Isaac soon knew that he was to the be lamb, for his father put the wood in place and tied his hands, then took the knife. Isaac didn't complain or struggle. Like his father, he was willing to obey God. But just as Abraham had the knife ready, an angel called to him from Heaven and said, "Don't hurt the boy. Don't do anything to him. I know that you fear God because you haven't withheld your only son." 

Abraham untied his son and was as glad as if Isaac had risen from the dead. He saw a ram that was caught in a bush nearby, so he took the animal and offered it as a sacrifice instead of Isaac. In this way, God did provide a lamb for the offering. 

God blessed Abraham more and more, and promised again that his children should have the land and that in his Seed should all the nations of earth be blessed. That Seed was our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given by his Heavenly Father to die and then rise from the dead that all people might be saved by Him. 

QUESTIONS

1. What was the name of Abraham's son?

2. What had God promised Abraham ?

3. What had Abraham done at God's command ?

4. What was he to do ?

5. Whom did he obey ?

6. Where was he to go ?

7. Who went with him?

8. What did Isaac ask?

9. What did Abraham answer ?

10. Who seemed likely to be the lamb ?

11. What was Abraham just going to do?

12. Who called him?

13. What did the angel tell him ?

14. Why was God pleased with him ?

15. What blessing did God give him?

16. Who was to be his Seed in whom all nations should be blessed ?                

Abram and Lot Divide the Land

"Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between thee and me."

Genesis 13:8

Abram was traveling with this nephew, Lot. They had left their home because God had called Abram to leave his former home and come to a land that God would give to his children. Abram believed God's promise, so he obeyed. Lot, the son of Abram's dead brother, went with him. 

They weren't alone. Each of them had great groups of cows, sheep, camels, donkeys and goats. They each had servants that cared for the animals. The servants would set up their camel hair tents in any place they found grass and fresh water. They would stay there until the grass was eaten and then move to another place. 

They reached a bare, stony place where the sun was hot and there wasn't much grass. Abram built an altar with great stones and prayed. 

Abram and Lot loved each other and were at peace, but when their servants cared for the animals they would argue. If Abram's men found a green valley, they wouldn't let Lot's servants into the valley. If Lot's servants found a well full of fresh water, they wouldn't let Abram's animals drink. They were always arguing and complaining to their masters. 

Abram didn't want this to continue, so he said it would be wiser to separate. Lot should travel one way and he would travel another so there wouldn't be any more arguments. Abram even let Lot choose the way he wanted to go. 

Lot looked and saw a green valley filled with a grassy meadow and fields of corn. A river ran into a clear lake and there were five towns on the banks of the lake. He liked this better than the bare, stony hills where they were. He never thought about the people who lived there - are they good or bad? He took the first choice and went to live in the green valley. 

Abram had the right to choose first because of his status as Lot's uncle, but he chose not to use this right. He gave up the right to choose first and let Lot choose. He hated the arguments and knew that by separating and allowing Lot to choose, there would be peace. The peace within the family would please God. 

QUESTIONS

1. Who had called Abram?

2. Who went with him?

3. What was Lot to Abram ?

4. Why did they go ?

5. What had God promised ?

6. What had they with them ?

7. Who argued?

8. What did the servants argue about?

9. Did Abram and Lot argue?

10. How did Abram prevent an argument?

11. Who was to choose first?

12. Who might have chosen first ?

13. Why didn't Abram choose first ?

14. Should you hurry to take the first choice?

15. What should you try to avoid?

16. If you and don't say "It's mine," and "I must," would you avoid arguments?

Abram Received God's Blessing

"In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." Genesis 12:3

When Noah's grandchildren and great grandchildren multiplied and the world was full of people again, they still were not all good. As time went on they grew worse. 

But God called to a very good man named Abram, and told him that if he would move away from his home, God would show him a new land to call his own, and God would bless him and give the land to Abram's children and their children. God told Abram his children would be more than the grains of sand on the seashore or the stars in the sky. God told Abram that from his children all the nations of the earth would be blessed. 

Abram thought it was strange to hear this from God because he was an old man. He and his wife, Sarai, didn't have a child. But he believed in God. He believed God is Almighty and can whatever He will. So he did as God said and moved from his home to the land God showed him. 

He brought all of his animals with him - his cows, goats, sheep, camels and donkeys. He brought servants to care for the animals. When they reached a place with grass and fresh water, they would stop to rest. They only had tents made with goat hair and set up with poles. They could set up and take down the tents as they needed. Abram and Sarai and all their servants all lived in tents instead of in a house in a city. 

 Soon they came to a beautiful country. There were high hills rising up and green valleys full of grass for the sheep and cows. The glorious blue sea spread far away towards the west. God told Abram to look at the land, for this was the place his children would call their own. At the time, though, Abram didn't have any of it, and he still didn't have a child. 

But he was sure God was telling the truth, that somehow - he didn't know how - it would happen as God said and that his children should have this land and that in One all of nations of the earth would be blessed. This is called faith. 

QUESTIONS

1. What good man do you hear of today?

2. What did God tell Abram to do ?

3. What did God promise ?

4. Who were to have the land ?

5. Why was it strange to hear of his children ?

6. But did he believe it would come true?

7. Why did he believe it?

8. How did he show that he believed?

9. Where did he go?

10. What had he with him?

11. What did he live in?

12. What is a tent like?

13. What sort of place did he come to ?

14. Who were to have this land ?

15. How many were his children to be ?

16. Did he believe this?

17. What is believing called?