What Is a Covenant? Reflect on the Word BIBLE STORY BIBLE TRUTH VERSE-A-MONTH CLUB

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1 What Is a Covenant? BIBLE STORY The Great Flood Genesis 6:5 9:17 BIBLE TRUTH God makes covenants that invite us into a relationship of love and trust with him. This lesson will help middle elementary children... Begin to understand what a covenant is Know what God s covenant with Noah was Feel glad that God makes and keeps promises VERSE-A-MONTH CLUB Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10 1 Week 1 of 5 Reflect on the Word I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you said the Lord (Genesis 9:9). Since then, God has faithfully kept the covenant He made with Noah. In fact, throughout the Scriptures, God reveals himself as a God who makes and keeps covenants with His people. The idea of a covenant was nothing new to the people of Noah s day. People in the ancient Near East had been making covenants among themselves for generations. A covenant was an exchange of promises between two people or groups. One type of covenant was between a ruling, more powerful leader (like a king) and a weaker, subservient people. There were covenants between equals also. However, the kingly type is the most like God s covenants. The king didn t have to make a covenant with the weaker people groups. He could just wipe them out. Instead, the king showed mercy to the people, offering them a chance to enter into a relationship with him. The king promised certain benefits and protections to his subjects (or vassals ). In return, the vassals pledged their loyalty and faithfulness to the king. Everything worked well as long as both parties kept their part of the deal. The king had the power to severely punish those who broke the agreement. The subjects had to trust the king to keep his part, for they were powerless to do anything should he break his promises. What s new in today s passage is the idea that instead of a human ruler, God himself was the King offering to make a covenant with people. After punishing the people of Noah s time most severely, God extended a covenant to Noah and his descendants. God promised never again to destroy the earth by flood. He sealed the covenant with the sign of the rainbow, which to this day serves as a reminder to us we can trust God to keep His promises. These days, talk is cheap. Promises are made and broken as easily as changing shirts. As a result, we tend not to trust covenants as much as perhaps we used to. Some of your students might be the victims of broken promises. Maybe you are too. Today, you have the opportunity to rediscover the faithfulness of God. He keeps His covenant-promises, even if we break ours. He is the ultimate trustworthy, loving covenant-partner. Mark Hendrickson You are here Creation >>> The Fall >>> Abraham >>> Exodus >>> Judges >>> David >>> The Prophets >>> The Exile >>> Return >>>

2 LESSON PLANNER NOTES See Hear & Say Sing Do Solve Read & Write Attention Getters A Special Invitation Connections, p. 1 Promises Kept Connections, inside front cover; Resources, Item 2 Optional Activity: Promises Made Bible Story Connections, p. 2 Bible Explorations Bible Story Review Connections, p. 3 Optional Activity: Casting Call Connections, p. 2 Connections To Life Covenants Defined Closing and Prayer Optional Activity: Celebrating God s Promises Kept Connections, inside back cover Kid Zone; Parent Connections; Resources, Item 1 Discovering God s Promises Connections, p. 4 PRE-SESSION POPPERS Use one or more of these activities to involve students who arrive early. Choose those your students would enjoy most. 1. Have children help put up the background and prepare other items for this unit s bulletin board using Resources, Item Photocopy the unit 1 Faith Word cards and definitions from pages front to back. Make a copy to post on your Faith Words Word Wall and one for each student. Review this unit s words with students. 3. Cover part of a wall with a large sheet of butcher paper or several pieces of poster board. (The back side of wrapping paper also works.) Write the title Wall of Promises in big letters at the top of the paper. As children enter the room, allow them to write or draw on the wall about some way that they have kept their promise to others or how God or others have kept promises to them. 4. Pass out blank sheets of paper and have children fold them in half. Since this lesson is about God s promise of love, allow the children to spend some time writing a love note back to God. 5. Ask the children to tell about their week by finishing statements, like the following: The best thing that happened to me this week was ; The craziest thing that happened to me this week was ; and The best thing I did this week was. 6. Play a CD with some familiar praise choruses. For an extra effect, use a DVD that includes people doing the motions for such songs. As the children enter, encourage them to sing and move along with those singing on the recording. LESSON HELPS HELPING HAND Tips for teachers DIGGING DEEPER Important biblical and theological insights FAITH WORDS Foundational words of the faith 400 Years of Silence >>> Birth of Christ >>> Ministry of Jesus >>> Easter >>> Early Church >>> Letters >>> Last Things

3 Attention Getters Use these activities to help focus the children s attention and prepare them to learn today s Bible Truth. Children cannot help but relate their views of their Heavenly Father with what they see in their parents and other significant adults. As their Sunday School teacher, you probably hold more authority with them than you will ever know. By keeping the promises you make, saying what you mean, and meaning what you say, you will become a divine example of God s standard and covenant of truth. 8 Lesson 1 O ption A Special Invitation Say, Have you ever received an invitation to do something special? Allow the children to share some of the special places or parties to which they have been invited in the past. Say, Today I d like you to create your own invitation for others to do something special with you. Pass out Connections and pens or pencils. Ask the children to imagine that they are about to host a really great event. The questions on the first page of Connections will help them design their invitation. After a few moments, allow the children to share about their invitation and event. Ask, What makes your event so special? Option: Extend this activity by giving students construction paper, markers, and other decorative items to use to actually create an invitation. TRANSITION: Say, Today we re going to talk about an invitation so special that God only gave it to one man and his family. Promises Kept Before class, Separate Resources, Item 2 from Item 7. Display the poster in the classroom. In class, Use the Promises Kept puzzle poster to Connections, inside front cover Resources, Item 2, Verse-a-Month Club Puzzle Paper Card stock or poster board Scissors Glue Magnetic strip introduce and review this month s Verse-a-Month Club Bible memory verse. Read through the verse once or twice. Then ask, What does this verse tell us about God? (He does not change. He can be trusted.) What is God s promise to us? (His love does not fail, He has compassion for His people.) Make sure that students understand the words used in this verse. Use a sheet of paper to cover different parts of the verse and have students say the verse. Hand out the scroll figure from Connections, inside front cover. Ask students to read the sentence on the scroll. Say, This is our Bible Truth for this unit. We are going to learn more about the covenants or promises God makes as we study the Bible. Let students create a magnet out of the figure as directed on Connections. TRANSITION: Say, God s love is greater than we can imagine. Today we are going to hear about a man who experienced that love. God offered him a special invitation because of his devotion to God. Let s find out what happened. Promises Made Ask the children to brainstorm a list of promises they have made to other people, or that others have made to them. Write the answers on a large sheet of paper for them to see. Connections, p. 1 Pencils or pens Construction paper, opt. Markers, opt. Decorative items, opt. Large sheet of paper Marker After a few minutes of sharing, have them go back through the list of promises and discuss whether they or others have kept or broken each one. Cross out the broken promises. TRANSITION: Say, It s a lot easier to make promises than to keep them. Let s look at a story that ended with one huge promise. Do you think that the person who made it kept it? Let s find out.

4 Bible Story Hand out Connections, page 2 and allow the children to work alone or in groups to complete the Bible story. They will solve the secret message at the bottom of the page. Bolded words are the missing words from the student page. Bibles Connections, p. 2 Pens or pencils The Great Flood Genesis 6:5 9:17 God saw how the hearts of humans had become very evil. (Genesis 6:5) This made the Lord feel troubled (Genesis 6:6) that He had created man. Only one man on earth pleased God. His name was Noah. (Genesis 6:8) Noah was a righteous man... and he walked faithfully with God. He had three (Genesis 6:10) sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. God told Noah that floods would destroy all life on earth, but God promised to save Noah and his family. So, God told Noah to build an ark (Genesis 6:14) and to gather two (Genesis 6:19) of every kind of animal and living thing. Noah also was to take along every kind of food (Genesis 6:21) he and the animals could eat. God also told Noah to take seven pairs (Genesis 7:2) of every kind of clean animal with him in the ark. Noah did all that the Lord commanded (Genesis 7:5) him. Noah was about six hundred years old (Genesis 7:6) when this happened. So, Noah took his wife, his sons, and their wives (Genesis 7:7), and they went into the ark. God sent rain on the earth for forty days and nights. (Genesis 7:12) Water flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. (Genesis 7:24) The flood killed every living (Genesis 7:23) thing that was not on the ark. Finally the ark came to rest on some mountains. The waters started to dry up. First Noah sent out a raven. Then he sent out a dove. The first time the dove returned because there was nowhere (Genesis 8:9) for it to land. The second time the dove brought back a leaf. The third time the dove did not return so Noah knew the waters had dried up. Finally Noah was ready to open the door. He opened the ark and saw that the ground was dry. God told Noah to leave the ark and take every creature with him. Noah obeyed God. He came out of the ark, along with his family and the creatures. Noah built an altar to the Lord and sacrificed some of the clean animals and birds on it. God made a covenant (Genesis 9:9) with Noah, all people, and every living creature that He would never again destroy the earth through a flood. Then God said, I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9:13) Underlined words are from Genesis 6:9-10; 7:5; and 9:13. Use these activities to help the children learn from the Bible story. Virtually every ancient religion includes some sort of a story about The Great Flood, making this biblical account one of the most documented stories in ancient history. Secret Message: God Never Breaks His Promises. After the story, Ask, What was so special about Noah that God wanted to save him? What do you think Noah s family thought about building the ark? What do you think other people thought? Then ask review questions to check the children s understanding of the story. 9

5 COVENANT: An agreement between God and His people. Both God and people make promises to each other. God s covenants offer us a relationship of love with Him. Use these activities to help students connect the Bible Truth to life. 10 Lesson 1 O ption Bible Story Review Ask the children to draw a picture or make a face to complete the statements, as found on Connections, page 3. Then use the following questions to review the story. Use any type of game idea that your students enjoy, such as Ticktacktoe. REVIEW QUESTIONS: 1. Why was God sorry for creating the earth? (Humans had become very evil.) 2. What did God decide to do after observing how evil human beings had become? (To destroy the earth by flood) 3. Who was the only person in the entire world who did what God wanted? (Noah) 4. What did God tell Noah to do? (To build an ark, to gather every kind of animal and food onto the ark) 5. Why did God want Noah to build an ark? (To save him, his family, and each kind of animal from the flood that God was going to send) 6. Who or what came onto the ark with Noah? (His wife, his three sons, their wives, at least one pair of every kind of animal, etc.) 7. How long did it rain? (40 days) 8. How long did water cover the earth? (150 days) 9. How old was Noah when all of this happened? (600 years old) 10. What sign did God send to Noah after the flood was over? (A rainbow) 11. Why did God send a rainbow? (As a sign of God s covenant promise to never again destroy the earth by flood) Casting Call Before class, Gather several random items, such as an empty paper towel roll, a sheet, or a stapler, and place them in a box or a container. In class, Explain that a casting call is when a person auditions for a certain role in a play, movie, or television show. Tell the children that today they are all going to audition for the role of the people and things in the Noah story. Allow them a few minutes to read the story in Connections and figure out how to retell it. In order to have a successful casting call, they must use every item in the container at least once in telling the story. When they are done preparing and practicing, they may perform their skit for just the teacher or possibly for another class. Discovering God s Promises Say, Today we learned about one big promise made to Noah, his family, and really all of us too. Let s try to find some other promises that God makes to those of us who choose to do what God commands. This is all part of the covenant blessing of Christianity. Connections, p. 3 Pens or pencils Connections, p. 2 Several random items (see activity) Container Connections, p. 4 Colored pencils or crayons Allow the children a few moments to find the hidden words by coloring in the shapes that have dots in them on page 4 of Connections. When colored properly, the page should reveal the following words: forgiveness, hope, guidance, salvation, and love. If time allows, discuss the meaning of each of these words with the children.

6 These lessons will help middle elementary children... Begin to understand what a covenant is Know what covenants God made with His people Trust God s faithfulness to His covenants Identify some of their responsibilities as God s covenant people Rejoice that they are included in Jesus new covenant of love and forgiveness Verse-a-Month Club Bible Memory Verse: Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord, who has compassion on you (Isaiah 54:10). Faith Words: COVENANT: An agreement between God and His people. Both God and people make promises to each other. God s covenants offer us a relationship of love with Him. FAITH: Believing God s Word and acting in a way that shows that belief. Faith is trust in action. FAITHFUL: Dependable and trustworthy. God is always faithful. We can trust Him to keep His promises. God expects His people to be faithful to Him and to others. HOLY: To be perfect, complete and pure, or to be set apart for God s use only. God is holy. He is different from all other beings, and everything about Him is good and perfect. PRAYER: A conversation with God that includes both talking and listening. We can pray anytime, anywhere, about anything. Dear Parent, In this unit your child will be introduced to the concept of covenants. He or she will begin to understand the depths of God s love Plan a family game for His creation. God s covenants with Noah, night with popcorn and Abraham, Moses, and David will give them juice. Have each family insight into God s design for His relationships member choose a Bible with His people. The last lesson adds a new story to silently act out. dimension to the picture of covenant relationship. God made a new covenant through His This can also be done as teams. The rest of Son, Jesus, of love, grace, and forgiveness. the family will have to When we choose to believe in Jesus Christ, guess what the story is serve Him, and live in obedience to Him we about. Let each family enter into a covenant relationship with God. member or team think of a Bible story to portray. A few suggestions God has given us liberty to approach Him, to get you started are as follows: knowing our sins are forgiven, and we do not David and Goliath have to live defeated by sinful choices. We Noah builds an Ark can joyfully choose salvation and rely fully Jonah swallowed by a big fish on God in our daily lives. We have been given Paul s conversion a royal invitation. We can choose to be one Washing of the disciples feet of God s covenant people through a personal Following the charade, ask why the person or team chose to relationship with Jesus. Praise God for His portray it in that way. Give each person a chance to fill in details of unfailing love and the mercy He gives through the story and tell lessons learned from the story. the covenants He has made, especially the new covenant offered through Jesus. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc. Covenants Defined Connections, inside back cover Before class, Separate the front and back cover of each Connections student book. In class, Hand out Connections back cover to each student. Say, Let s read the definition of covenants as printed on this poster. Let students read in unison. Then ask, What is special about covenants? (God offers covenants to His people because of His love. We can trust God to keep His covenants or promises because He does not change.) Look at the first picture of Noah and the ark. What did this story teach us about covenants? (God offered Noah the opportunity to escape destruction. Noah obey God and lived. God kept His promise.) Our Bible Truth today says that God makes covenants that invite us into a relationship of love and trust with Him. Just as God invited Noah into a special relationship of love and trust, He invites us today to love and trust Him. Collect the covers and keep them to use throughout this unit. The Verse-a- Month Club memory verses are printed on the back for student use to learn and review the verses. Closing and Prayer Before class, Photocopy Parent Connections from pages front to back for each family. Cover the bulletin board with background paper and add an appropriate border. Prepare Resources, Item 1 as directed on the item. Place the title on the board. In class, Give volunteers the Noah and Rainbow scroll and the covenant definition scroll from Resources, Item 1 to unroll and add to the bulletin board. Discuss the covenant studied today. Ask, What was the covenant God made with Noah before the flood? (God would save Noah, his family, and other living creatures from being destroyed.) What was the covenant God made after the flood? (God would never again destroy the earth with water.) Who was this covenant for? (All God s creation then and now) Read through the definition of covenant two or three times as a review of this week s Faith Word. Ask, What have we learned about God from the covenants He made with Noah and all creation? (God can be trusted to keep His promises.) Close with prayer. Dear God, Thank You so much for always keeping Your promises to us. Help us to keep our promises to You and others. In Your name, Amen. As the children leave, hand out Kid Zone and Parent Connections for each child to take home. Celebrating God s Promises Kept Party favors and decorations Snack Praise music on CD (or other device) CD player (or other device) thanksgiving. Enjoy the snack together. Kid Zone and Parent Connections for each child Resources, Item 1, Covenants: Promises of Love Bulletin Board Photocopier and paper Bulletin board paper and border Stapler Before class, Gather some party favors and decorations, a snack, and some lively praise music to play. You may choose to forego the decorations. In class, Pass out the party favors and say, Let s end class today by celebrating God s promises. Sing a few songs or praise choruses together. In between the verses or choruses, have students take turns sharing one of the ways they have experienced God s promises (to love, to guide, to keep them, etc.) to them. Close by taking turns saying short prayers of praise and Lesson 1 O ption Spring 2017 We e ks 1 t h r o u g h 5 Parent Connections For families of middle elementary children COVENANTS: PROMISES OF LOVE Bible Truth: God s covenants invite people into a relationship of love with Him. Bible Charades 11