Imagine having a baby when you're 100 years old! That's what happened to Abraham and Sarah, because God is powerful to keep his promises and gave them a son, even in their old age.
Sarah sent Ishamael and Hagar away but God promised to make Ishmael into a great nation and take care of him, even though he wasn't the promised son. Abraham trusted God, and God provided a safe place for them to live.
Imagine having to give up what is most precious to you! Could you do it? God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham obeyed, even though it was scary. But then God provided a sheep to be sacrificed instead. Because Abraham had not even withheld his only son from God, God gave him a BIG promise of many descendants and great blessing!
God sent a special sign to Abraham's servant to show that Rebecca was the right choice to be Isaac's wife! Isaac and Rebecca were married, and God's promises of a great nation began to be fulfilled! Today, we can look at God's word to guide us even when things are difficult.
Jacob and Rebecca tricked Isaac into giving Jacob his blessing, instead of Esau. When we lie to each other, there are sad consequences. But amazingly, God is still able to work through people's sin to keep his promises.
The night before Jacob met Esau, he wrestled with a mysterious man! The man gave Jacob a new name: 'Israel', which means 'to wrestle with God'. The struggle showed Jacob that he could trust God, even when it was scary!
Jacob had a dream of a stairway to heaven filled with angels, with God at the top. God made the same 3 BIG promises he'd made to Abraham to Jacob of many descendants to fill the promised land, and enjoy great blessing.
God made three BIG promises to Abraham to do with the promised land, lots of children, and great blessing. These promises were God's grace to those who didn't deserve it but were loved by God.
Laban tricked Jacob the same way Jacob tricked Esau. But despite Laban's lies and deceit, God looked after Jacob and his family. God's plans are much bigger than human plans so nothing can get in the way of him keeping his promises.
Lot moved to Sodom which had an impressive town and lots of green spaces. But Abraham didn't focus on what looked best. Instead, he trusted in what God had in store for him. Today, we can trust God and turn to him when making decisions by reading God's word in the Bible and praying.
The story of the Flood teaches us how S.I.N. makes God feel, how God punishes sin and how God provides a rescue for those who trust in him. Whenever we see a rainbow in the sky, we can remember God's promise to rescue those who trust in him through Jesus!
The Fall is when S.I.N. came into the world. Sin is when we say 'Shove off God, I'm in charge, No to your rule.' In the garden, the man and woman lived happily in relationship with God - until the crafty serpent tempted them to eat fruit forbidden by God.
Genesis means the "beginning". When the world began, God didn't need any ingredients or art supplies - there was nothing there. Instead, God created the world by speaking.