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Showing posts with label Lesson - 4. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lesson - 4. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

The Names of God, Senior - I, Lesson - 4

SENIOR

AGE GROUP: 14 - 15 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): IX & X

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 4

THE NAMES OF GOD

During the Biblical times, the name given to an individual, was meant not only as an identification, but as a personal identity as well. Often, a person’s name included words with a special connotation that revealed the unique nature of that individual. Throughout the Scriptures, God displays his majesty and sovereignty through His names. God's names divulge and remind us of the various divine attributes and the unchangeable nature of God. God appeared to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM” in the burning bush (Exodus 3:13,14). Later, God made Himself known as “LORD (YHVH)” to Moses, before he sent the plagues upon the Egyptians. God informed Moses that he was known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty but not as LORD (YHVH). We are going to learn about the various names of God given in the Holy Bible. (Click this link to learn about the Holy Trinity and the attributes of God)

ELOHIM:

The first name for God given in the Holy Bible is Elohim (or Elohay). It is mentioned over 2300 times in the Old Testament. Genesis 1:1 states "In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth". The very first use of the name of God “Elohim” is in a plural form to refer to the One True God, which is a mystery. This mystery is what is revealed throughout the Holy Bible as the “Trinity or the Triune God”. Hence Elohim is the name of the Triune God. Elohim comes from the Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "power". Elohim is combined with other words to describe various unique characteristics of God. 

Elohay Mauzi - God of my Strength (Psalm 43:2) 
Elohay Tehilati - God of my Praise (Psalm 109:1) 
Elohay Yishi - God of My Salvation (Psalm 18:46) 
Elohim Kedoshim - Holy God (Leviticus 19:2, Joshua 24:19) 
Elohim Chaiyim - Living God (Jeremiah 10:10) (1) 

EL:

“EL” is another name used for God in the Holy Bible. El is the simple root word from which the name Elohim arises. El is often combined with other words to describe various natures of God. It is used about 200 times in the Old Testament.

El Elyon - The Most High God (Genesis 14:18) 
El Olam - The God of Eternity (Genesis 21:33) 
El Echad - The One God (Malachi 2:10)

El Roi – The God who sees me 
Immanu El - God is With Us (Isaiah 7:14) (2)

ELAH: 
ELAH is another name for God. It is used about 70 times in the Old Testament. When combined with other words, it represents different attributes of God.

Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem (Ezra 7:19)

Elah Yisrael - God of Israel (Ezra 5:1)                                                                
Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth (Ezra 5:11) (3) 

YHVH or YHWH:

YHVH or YHWH is the Hebrew word that translates as "LORD". It occurs about 6828 times in the Old Testament more than any other name for God. According to Jewish tradition, it is the unutterable name of God, composed of four Hebrew letters, “Yod, Hey, Vav and Hey”. The title is also referred to as the "Tetragrammaton", meaning the "The Four Letters". In most Bibles, it is given as LORD, in all capital letters. (4)

Is Jehovah and Yahweh the correct name for God?

Although some pronounce YHVH as "Jehovah" or "Yahweh", scholars really don't know the proper pronunciation, since Hebrew is written without vowel markers, and the utterance of God’s name YHVH was discontinued around 2oo AD after the destruction of the second Temple of Jerusalem, the exact utterance of YHVH was forgotten. The Jews stopped pronouncing this name by about 200 A.D., out of fear of breaking the commandment "You shall not take the name of the LORD (YHVH) your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). Today's Jewish rabbis typically use "Adonai" in place of YHVH when reading from the Torah (the Old Testament). (4) Consonants were only added for ease of reading during the medieval periods. God’s name was only spoken only once a year by the High Priest as he entered into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement. (5) The commonly used names “Jehovah and Yahweh” were arrived by inserting the vowel markers of the name Adonai between YHVH, but they are still considered incorrect pronunciation.

God’s name is written as YHVH, all the letters in the name are always capitalized since the name is a proper noun. YHVH is the source and cause of all beings and existences; nothing in the universe exist apart from Him. The name YHVH indicates the mystery as well as the utter transcendence of God. It also shows that His name is beyond all attributes of language and beyond all definite human and linguistic descriptions.

(YHVH) Yahweh - Jireh: "The LORD Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) 

(YHVH) Yahweh - Rapha: "The LORD Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26)

(YHVH) Yahweh - Nissi: "The LORD Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15)
(YHVH) Yahweh - M'Kaddesh: "The LORD Who Sanctifies" (Lev 20:8)

(YHVH) Yahweh - Shalom: "The LORD Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) 
(YHVH) Yahweh - Tsidkenu: "The LORD Our Righteousness” (Jerem 33:16) 
(YHVH) Yahweh - Rohi: "The LORD Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1)

(YHVH) Yahweh - Shammah: "The LORD Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35)

(YHVH) Yahweh - O’Saynu: “The LORD our Maker” (Psalm 95:6) (2)

Adonai:

Adonai means “Lord, Master or Owner”. Adonai is the plural form of Adon. It has been used to refer to men, angels and also God. The word Adonai has been used more than 400 times to refer to God in the Old Testament. (3)

Adonai – The Lord (Used instead of the Tetragrammaton) Isaiah 6:1

Adonai Ha’adonim – The Lord of lords (Deuteronomy 10:17)

Adon Adonai Tseva’ot – The Lord God of hosts (I Samuel 17:45)

We ought to fear misusing and abusing God’s name, for His name is holy and it is a name that is above all names. When people use His name in swearing and cursing, they show disrespect for God and defile His holy name. God's name is of utmost importance therefore we should hold it in high esteem in our minds and hearts. 

Memory Verse: Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord! …………………. From the rising of the sun to its going down, The Lord’s name is to be praised. (Psalm 113:1-3 NKJV)

References:

1.    Names of God (Retrieved 13th August 2020 from https://www.allaboutgod.com/names-of-god.htm)

2.    Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., White, W., & Vine, W. E. (1985). Vine's complete expository dictionary of Old and New Testament words. Nashville: Nelson.

3.    Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'ADONAI'”. "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia". 1915. 

4.     Day of Atonement (Retrieved 13th August 2020 from https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/encyclopedia-of-the-bible/Day-Atonement)


For Sunday School activities and stories in English https://jacobsladderactivity.blogspot.com/

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY

I.     Fill in the Blanks:

1. …………………… means “The Most High God”.

2. "Tetragrammaton," is given as …………………… in the Holy Bible in all capital letters. 

3. God’s name was only spoken once a year by the high priest as he entered into the Holy of Holies on the …………………………

4. Yahweh -Shalom means "The Lord Our …………………".

 

II.    Give short answers:

1. What is special about the names of God?

 

 

2. What does the name of God “Elohim” mean?

 

 

3. What is “tetragrammaton”?

 

 

4. Why did Jews use the name “Adonai” instead of YHVH?

 

 

III. Give brief answers:

1. What do you know about “YHVH” considered to be an unutterable name of God in the Jewish tradition.



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Sunday, April 12, 2020

Isaac Blessed by the Lord, Intermediate - I, Lesson - 4

INTERMEDIATE

AGE: 12 - 13 YEARS

STANDARD/GRADE: VII & VIII

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 4

ISAAC BLESSED BY THE LORD

God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Isaac was the promised son of Abraham, born to him when he was 100 years old. Isaac grew up and Abraham decided to find a bride for Isaac to marry. Abraham sent one of his oldest servants to find a wife for Isaac among his own people because he did not want Isaac to marry a Canaanite girl. 

A bride for Isaac:

Abraham's servant took ten camels and everything he needed for the long journey and travelled to Mesopotamia. He stopped at a well just outside the city. He prayed and asked God to show him the right girl for Isaac. He prayed saying, "I will speak to a young woman who comes to draw water from the well and will ask for water to drink, and if she says to me, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels also,’ then let her be the bride whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son, Isaac”. 

Rebekah offers a Drink:

Abraham's servant had not even finished praying when a young woman named Rebekah came to the well. The servant asked Rebekah for water, and after she gave him some to drink, she offered to fill the trough with water for his camels also. The servant was convinced that the Lord had led him in the right way. 

Abraham’s servant gifted her a gold nose ring and two gold arm bracelets asked for a place to stay the night. Rebekah ran home and told her family what had happened. Her brother Laban went back to the well and invited Abraham's servant home to meet their father Bethuel and to stay the night. They all sat down to eat and the servant told the entire story and how God had answered his prayer. Laban and Bethuel agreed to send Rebekah with Abraham’s servant to be the bride of Isaac. Soon Isaac and Rebekah were married. 

Isaac Goes to the Philistines:

Isaac and Rebekah did not have any children for a long time. Isaac prayed to God and they had twin sons named Esau and Jacob after twenty years of marriage. Many years passed, Esau and Jacob grew up and a famine struck the land where Isaac was living. So, Isaac went to Abimelech, King of the Philistines, in the city of Gerar. God appeared to Isaac and told him not to go to Egypt and to live in the land where He tells him to live. God promised to bless him and to keep his covenant which He made with Abraham, if Isaac obeyed Him. 

Isaac reaps hundredfold:

Isaac stayed in Gerar, the land of the Philistines just as God had instructed him, and the Lord blessed him. Water was rare and precious in the desert area where they lived. While Isaac lived in Gerar, he and his family used the wells that Abraham had dug when he lived there. His crops grew and his flock increased. The Bible says that Isaac planted crops in that land and in that same year he reaped hundred-fold i.e. 100 times more than he planted. That was because the Lord blessed him. 

The Philistines’ Jealousy:

Isaac became so wealthy that all the Philistines who lived there became very jealous of him. The Philistines filled Isaac’s wells with dirt. The source of his water supply was destroyed. In the olden days when modern gadgets were not available, they had to dig wells manually. It would have been a laborious work to dig those wells in the desert heat. All that hard work was destroyed in such a short time when the wells were filled with dirt by the Philistines. Yet, Isaac did not retaliate. King Abimelech also did not want Isaac there and told him to move away since Isaac had become too powerful. 

Isaac digs wells:

Isaac did not contest with the Philistines. Instead he left and settled in the valley nearby called the valley of Gerar. He reopened more wells that his father Abraham had dug before and gave them the same name his father Abraham had given them.

Esek - Isaac’s servants dug a new well in the valley of Gerar and discovered fresh water, but the shepherds of Gerar fought with them saying that the water belonged to them. So, Isaac named the well “Esek”.

Sitnah - Isaac’s servants dug another well but the shepherds of Gerar quarrelled over that too. Hence it was named “Sitnah”. Each time, the Philistines argued that the water belonged to them, Isaac simply moved to another spot.

Rehoboth - Finally, Isaac dug a well and no one quarrelled over it. Isaac named it “Rehoboth” saying, “Now the Lord has made room for us and we shall be fruitful in the land”. From there Isaac went up to Beersheba. That night the Lord appeared to him and once again confirmed the covenant He made with Abraham. Isaac built an altar there to worship the Lord. 

Abimelech makes Peace Treaty with Isaac:

Soon after that, Abimelech, the King of the Philistines travelled to Beersheba to meet with Isaac. The king brought his personal advisor and his army commander with him. Isaac was surprised and asked them why they had come to meet him. They had sent him away from their land earlier. Abimelech answered that they could clearly see that the Lord was with Isaac, so they wanted to make a peace agreement with Isaac. Isaac agreed and made an oath of peace with the men. 

The Well of Sheba:

That day, Isaac’s servants came to tell him that they had found water in the well they had dug. Isaac named the well “Shebah” and the town was called “Beersheba”. Even though, Isaac had to go to another country because of famine, God still blessed him and he reaped hundred-fold. His enemies became jealous because of his wealth and they constantly caused him trouble. He met many oppositions there and had to move from place to place.  However, his enemies were forced to make peace with him, when they saw that the Lord was with him. 

Bible Reference: Genesis 26

Memory Verse: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:16 NKJV)

Click this link and visit devotions blog to read Christian articles   

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Fill in the blanks:

1. Abraham's servant had not even finished praying when a beautiful young woman named ……………………….. came to the well.

2. Isaac planted crops in Gerar and in that same year he reaped …………………….

3. Isaac dug a well and no one quarreled over it, so Isaac named it “…………………………….”

4. Isaac made an oath of …………………… with Abimelech. 

Give short answers:

1. What did Rebekah do when Abraham’s servant asked her for water? 

2. Why did Isaac go to Gerar instead of going to Egypt? 

3. Why did Abimelech come to visit Isaac? 

4. Why was the city of Beersheba named so? 

Answer in brief:

1. What happened when Isaac dug wells in the valley after he moved away from the Philistines?

 

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Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Abraham Prays For Sodom and Gomorrah, Junior - I, Lesson - 4

JUNIOR

AGE: 10 - 11 YEARS

STANDARD/GRADE: V & VI

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 4

ABRAHAM PRAYS FOR SODOM AND GOMORRAH

Abraham was one of the descendants of Noah and he was living in a place called Ur (in modern day Iraq). His name was Abram before God changed it to Abraham. Even though God had already destroyed the earth once with flood because of wickedness, people continued to sin. Everyone forgot about the God who created them and they worshipped their own gods. Among those people, God found Abraham to be faithful and He revealed Himself to Abraham. God told Abraham to leave his own country and tribe and to go to the place where he would show him. So, he started the journey with his wife Sarai, father Terah and nephew Lot. 

During his journey, Abraham had stopped at a place called Mamre and pitched his tent there. One day during the heat of the day, as he was sitting at the entrance of his tent, he saw three men standing nearby. The Holy Bible says it is the Lord Himself who visited Abraham. 

When Abraham saw them, he ran towards them, welcomed them and told them not to leave until he brought them some water to wash their feet and food to refresh them before they continued their journey. In the olden days, people had to travel long distances by foot and there were no hotels to take rest or refresh themselves. They were at the mercy of the strangers in the cities they visited. Usually guests were welcomed and taken care of. The three visitors agreed to Abraham’s invitation. 

Abraham quickly prepared a meal for them, bread and roasted meat along with some butter and milk. Abraham stood there as they ate and one of the men told Abraham that his wife Sarah was soon going to have a son.  

   

Then the men got up and started their journey towards a city called Sodom. The Lord decided not to hide his plan from Abraham because Abraham was going to become a great and mighty nation and all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. The Lord told Abraham that he had heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah because of their wicked ways and he was going to check out on that city. 

As Abraham was speaking to the Lord, the other men went towards the direction of Sodom. Abraham realized that God was angry with the people of Sodom and the city was going to be destroyed soon. Abraham started to plead and bargain with God for the people of Sodom. Abraham asked God whether he would destroy the city if 50 righteous men were there. God replied that if he found 50 righteous men in Sodom, he would spare that place. But Abraham was not sure whether there were 50 righteous men in Sodom, so he asked God if he would destroy that place if forty – five righteous people were there. God answered, “No!” 

Again, Abraham reduced the number of righteous men from 45 to 40 and then to 30. Again, he asked God if there were only 20 righteous people whether the city would be destroyed. God replied, “No!” For the final time Abraham asked God whether the city would be destroyed if there were only 10 righteous men. God promised that for the sake of that 10 righteous men the city would not be destroyed. But the city was so corrupt that except Abraham’s nephew Lot none of them were righteous. God couldn’t find even ten righteous men to save the city. But God remembered Abraham’s prayers and wanted to spare Lot from destruction.

The angels who came to Sodom told Lot to immediately leave Sodom. When the time of destruction drew near, Lot was still hesitating to leave Sodom. So, the angels had to physically drag Lot, his wife, and his two daughters out of the city. God let Lot and his family escape and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with brimstone and fire from heaven. As they fled, Lot’s wife turned to look back at Sodom and was turned into a pillar of salt.

Lot's wife who was turned to a pillar of salt on Mount Sedom in Israel near the Dead sea.
 Picture credit: Creative Commons License

Bible Reference: Genesis 18, 19

Memory Verse: Therefore confess your ……………… prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. (James 5:16 NKJV)

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Fill in the blanks:

1.     Abraham had moved to a place called ……………….. and pitched his tent there.

2.   The other men went towards the direction of …………………

3. Sodom was so corrupt that except Abraham’s nephew ………… none of them were righteous.

4. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed with ……………….. and …………………. from heaven.

Give short answers:

1. Who travelled with Abraham from Ur?

 

2. What did Abraham tell the three visitors?

 

3. What was the meal given by Abraham to the three visitors?

 

4. Why did the Lord visit Sodom?

 

Answer in brief:

1. How did Abraham plead with God for Sodom and Gomorrah?

 

 

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