Theme: Hero’s of the faith
ABEL
Songs:
* Praise him
* The books of the Old Testament
Prayer:
Dear Lord, help us to listen and learn more about you. Help us to learn to only worship you and to obey you, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Story Time:
Reference: Hebrews 11; Genesis 4:1 – 16
Resources: Story board, pictures of Abel, Cain, crops and sheep.
Adam and Eve had a baby boy and they named him Cain. Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. As the boys grew up they turned to different interests. Cain loved to grow things. The bible says he was a ‘tiller of the ground’
Abel preferred to work with animals. He became a ‘keeper of the sheep’ and he took loving care of the little lambs.
Both the boys had been taught about God. Eve probably told the boys of the Garden of Eden and how wonderful it was. These two boys learnt of their loving Creator, of the devils temptation, of how she yielded to it and all the sad things that happened after it. Best loved of all Eve’s stories was the promise that one day one of her children would crush the serpent’s head and lead the family back to their Eden home. Every child must have hoped to be that hero.
The children learned they must give offerings to God to show their love and respect for Him and their faith in his promise to help them. Time and time again they were told that sin is so hateful that only by death- the shedding of blood- can it be purged away.
“ In the process of time…Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought the first of his flock and the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.” (Gen 4:4-5)
The Lord was pleased with Abel’s offering but he was not pleased with Cain offering.
Why did God make this difference? Why was he pleased with one offering and not the other?
Because by the shedding of blood of a lamb Abel showed that he understood God’s plan to defeat Satan and win back man for his Eden home-that it could only be by the death of “the lamb of God,” the very Son of God Himself.
Cain no doubt understood this as well as Abel but he could not see why his offering was not as good as Abel’s. When he saw that God was pleased with Abel’s offering but not with his offering he was filled with jealousy.
“And Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast”(Gen 4:5) that is he looked as he felt-very angry indeed.
God saw those ugly looks and he said to Cain,” Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”(Gen 4:6)
God was been fair. He wasn’t playing favourites. Cain had the same chance as Abel. If he had brought the same offering as Abel, God would have also been pleased with his offering.
But Cain was in no mood to listen. He was so angry he could not see straight. He thought he was right and God was wrong. And he was sure Abel had played some trick to win God’s favour.
By and by he went to where Abel was standing and “talked with his brother”. What he said is not recorded but it was not kind or brotherly. His voice rose. He called names. He made false charges. It was the first quarrel.
More and more angry did Cain become until at last he “rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.” (Gen 4:8)
Death had come to the human family. The first home had been broken for the first time.
Application:
Cain wanted to do things his way and not God’s way. He wanted to make the rules (take the place of God) and to not follow God’s rules. We worship God by obeying him.
He did not get his own way, so he became very angry and as a result he committed murder. We must give control of our lives to the one true God and avoid evil.
Learning the Commandments:
*Recite commandment 1:
You shall have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
*Sing commandment song
Activity:
*Colour in medal with number 1 on it to show God is in first place.
