Week 17 - God's Ideas Are Best

I’ll need teachers to play on each of the dodgeball teams! The teachers will choose one kid to be the “Doctor” but not tell the other team. This game is just like dodgeball with a couple twists:

1. When a player gets hit with a ball (from their shoulders down), that player is out and must sit down where they are. They may not move from their seat or throw any balls while they are out.

2. As long as the doctor is still in, he or she may go tag players that are seated to let them stand and resume playing. If the doctor is hit with a ball, however, he or she must sit down and may not heal the other players that are out.

3. Which ever team remains in the longest wins!

4. Additional rules:

   • No head shots. The ball must strike from the shoulder down to count as an out. (However, the person who threw the head shot is not out.)

   • No catching the ball. If you catch a ball, you are out and must sit down.

   • No crossing the center line, unless so directed by the referee. If you cross the line without permission, you are out and must sit down.

Visual 1 Show the ways that God's ideas are best again

Remember, God’s ideas are always best—even when they seem silly or awkward. Today, we're going to learn about a man who trusted God even though doing what God wanted was really awkward.

A long time ago, God promised this guy Abraham that He would be the Father of a huge nation, and that from that nation of people all the world would be blessed. He told Abraham that he would have a son, and that son would get married and have children, and that eventually, Abraham's great-great-grandchildren would be as many as the stars in the sky and the dust on the ground. And God blessed Abraham! He gave him and his wife Sarah a son, and He made Abraham's animal business boom. He had a lot of money and a lot of people who worked for him.

There was a problem, though. Abraham’s son Isaac didn’t have a wife, and Isaac was starting to get old! So Abraham did something that might have seemed a little awkward. He called his oldest worker to come to him, and gave him a job.

Visual 2 Genesis 24:4 "...Go unto my country, and to my kindred, and take a wife unto my son Isaac."

The servant asked, “What if she doesn’t want to come marry Isaac?” Abraham told him that if she didn’t want to come, then the servant could return home. But he let the servant bring with him a whole bunch of stuff to give to the girl and the family if they liked the idea. Ten camels, a lot of gold jewelry, and money.

Visual 3 Picture of the servant and Rebekah

The worker then traveled to a well near Abraham’s relatives. The servant didn’t know who Abraham’s relatives were, and He didn’t know what girl should marry Isaac. So, he prayed to the LORD GOD. “O LORD God,” he prayed, “please help me find a wife for Isaac. Fulfill your promise of love to Abraham by helping me.” The servant trusted God was good and would show goodness to him.

The servant decided that he would wait by the well until a girl arrived. If the girl offered him water and offered to give his camels water, then he would know that she was the girl for Isaac. Soon, a beautiful girl named Rebekah came to the well. “May I have a drink?” the servant asked.

“Yes,” Rebekah replied. “And I will give water to your camels too.”

“Thank you,” the servant said. “May I stay at the home of your parents?” Rebekah agreed. Then, Rebekah told him who she was. She was one of Abraham’s relatives. This was good news! God continued to be good to Abraham. This was the girl Isaac could marry.

Visual 4 Not sure? Don't stress! God's ideas are always best!

Visual 5 Genesis 24:48 “And I bowed down my head, and worshipped the Lord God of . . . Abraham, which had led me in the right way."

The servant worshiped God and thanked God for His goodness. After introducing the servant to her family, Rebekah agreed to travel back to meet and marry Isaac. The servant and Rebekah rode the camels back to Canaan. Isaac was waiting in a field. He was meditating and wondering what kind of wife God would give him. Then, Isaac saw the camels in the distance. A pretty girl sat on top of one of them.

Visual 6 Show picture of Isaac and Rebekah

Rebekah saw Isaac in the field and asked the servant, “Who is that young man?” The servant told her it was Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah met. They were married. They loved each other. God showed His goodness to Abraham, Isaac, the servant, and Rebekah.

Group Discussion: Rehoboam was the first king of Judah. He was a wicked king who worshipped other idols. He rejected God and did not do what God had said in His Word (the Bible they had included Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, and Judges). But since God is good, He tried to get Rehoboam to do the right thing. Read 2 Chronicles 12:1-8 and answer the questions along the way:

• What did Rehoboam do that was unrighteous? (v.1)

• Who came up with an army to fight Reheoboam and Judah? (v. 2)

• Do you think Rehoboam and Jerusalem were afraid? What were they afraid would happen?

• Why did God say He allowed Shishak to come against Jerusalem and Rehoboam? (v. 2)

• How many chariots and men riding on horses did Shishak bring with him? (v.3)

• When the fighting started, did Shishak take over any of Rehoboam's cities? (v. 4)

• Do you think some people wondered if God was doing the best thing by having Shishak’s big army come to kill people in Jerusalem? Why?

• What did Shemaiah the prophet tell King Rehoboam? (v. 5)

• Did Rehoboam think God was right or wrong by allowing Shishak to attack them? (v.6)

• What did Rehoboam do because he knew God was righteous? (v.6-7)

• Would it have been right for God to punish Rehoboam? Why? (Answer: Because God wants us to be righteous like He is.)

Group Activity: Go around the group and ask each child to say his/her name and attach an adjective that represents something they are “good” at. Generous George or Artistic Sally. Write them down and refer to them by this for the rest of the evening.

Prayer: Have the children list ways they can show God’s goodness to other people. Then, have them pray that God would help them do what's right and show His goodness.