SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 06 October 17, 2004

Abraham rescues Lot
Theme: A Journey with Abraham
Theme Verse: "By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going." Hebrews 11:8 NIV
Readings: Genesis 14: 1-16
Memory Verse: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

      First look at the Memory Verse. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble."
Word received: I AM your strength. I was Abraham's strength. I will be your strength. I AM always with those whose hearts are turned to Me. I will be with them, even in the midst of disaster. Look at Lot: all that he has and even he himself have been taken captive. I want to be with you in the bad times as well as the good. I will be your refuge and strength.
Background: Geography

      1. Abraham is in Hebron, in the south of Canaan, about 20+ miles , as the crow flies, from the middle of the Dead Sea (Salt Sea), but over a rugged mountain range. He is not involved in the affairs/politics of the Salt Sea Valley.

      2. The Dead Sea's lower section , now covered with salt water, is where Sodom and Gomorrah and the other two cities mentioned in vs.2 are located. Zoar is just south of the present end of the Dead Sea. On maps of the area as it was 4,000 years ago there were several key trade routes that used to go through the area. The war and rebellion may have been about controlling trade routes.

      3. Dan, the city mentioned in vs. 14, was how far north Abram pursued the armies. After attacking the captors and freeing the captives. Then Abram pursued the armies to a distance north of Damascus--a very long journey.
Background: Kings

      Notice that these kings were kings of cities or small regions, not kings of countries. It would be like saying the King of Schenectady and the King of Albany.

      War and rebellion are nothing new on earth! The four kings go to war against 5 kings of cities in the Dead Sea valley, called the Valley of Siddim (Salt Sea), who had rebelled. There was wide spread fighting and the four kings defeated the five kings of the Salt Sea Valley taking all the goods, all the food of Sodom and Gomorrah and many captives--and Lot, his possessions and family "since he was living in Sodom".

       Why was Lot captured? Because he had chosen the fertile valley because it looked good to him and he pitched his tent near Sodom. Soon he moved into a house in town. Lot was in a place he shouldn't have been and got into trouble. How many times are we where we shouldn't be and get into trouble in a physical or spiritual place?
2 Peter 2:7 calls Lot a righteous man, who was "distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men". "God knows how to rescue godly men from trials" (vs. 9) yet we learn later in Genesis that it destroyed Lot's family. He had moved from near Sodom to inside it. Psalm 1:1 talks about a progression toward evil behavior that we can easily fall into, from "walking in the counsel of the wicked, to standing in the way of sinners, to sitting down with mockers. Lot objected to the behavior in Sodom but he seemed content to live there. It matters who we hang out with. Proverbs 22:5 gives this advice, "In the paths of the wicked be thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them."

      Abram's response to the crisis was to go and rescue Lot even though Lot was in the wrong place--a place he had chosen. How many times do we choose to be in the wrong place and still God comes to our aid? Word received: I AM faithful and I love you. When you ask for My help I will surely answer you. When we've gotten into trouble by making bad choices, God wants us to come to Him and confess and repent (turn around) and ask his forgiveness. Then he can give us the clear and right way to go.
PRAYER: Thank you Lord, for your love, patience and faithfulness. Help us to respond to you.

      Abram was in a neutral place. He could have avoided the war and chosen not to intervene but he loved his nephew and was loyal to him. He made a major effort and put himself and his household at risk to go on a rescue mission, to set the captives free. Abram was not known as a warrior but as a peaceful man so this was unusual activity.

      This is how God acts. He is a Savior. Over and over he rescues his people from captivity: from slavery in Egypt in the Exodus, from foreign armies, from captivity in Babylon (which was caused by their own sin and bad choices). In the same way, God in Jesus provided a rescue mission, that through the death and resurrection of Jesus we might be rescued from the captivity of sin. "God showed his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) "God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have ever-lasting life." (John 3:16) Look at how Abram goes at once to rescue Lot and all the others. Abram has God's heart to rescue someone he loved, even though Lot had gotten himself into this mess. This is what God does for us too.

      God's hand was obviously on Abram. First, someone escapes and comes and tells Abram about what had happened (vs.13). Then God made Abram powerful enough to defeat the four kings who had defeated 5 kings. He gathers 318 of his trained servants (all born in his household-even though no son was yet born to Abram) plus whatever aid his three allies (brothers) could give him. Looks like he was vastly outnumbered. (Think of Gideon.) God is glorified in Abram's victory and God uses Abram to save Lot, just as Jesus died to save us from destruction. This act of Abram reveals Abram's God to those around him. We too can glorify God and show what he is like by our actions. Share ways, large and small, that God has saved you. Did God use other people? PRAYER: Lord, thank you so much for saving us! Thank you for loving us and caring so much for us that you made the ultimate sacrifice: you gave your son so that we might be set free.

      Abram went all the way from Hebron into the valley and pursued the enemy army all the way to Dan and beyond Damascus to rescue Lot and the others. There is no distance too far or situation too bad that God cannot rescue us from as well. Jesus left his home in heaven to come to earth as a poor Jewish carpenter and traveling teacher so that he could die for you and me.

      Are there places we need to be rescued from? Are there people that God wants to use us to rescue? What is the role of prayer here? Word received: There are conflicts raging around Abram. Lot is carried away captive. There are conflicts raging around you today and some of My people have been carried away captive. Pray for Bp. Dan and Bp. Dave that they will know their part in rescuing My people as Abraham rescued Lot.

Teaching Ideas for Lesson 06

Please read the Study Guide first.

      Go over Memory Verse to make sure the children understand it and then if they have memorized it.

      Remind them their parents need to sign a report slip monthly if they have read the lessons, so they will get credit at the end of the year.

      Make sure they know what happened in the story. Get them to tell you.

Basic points of the lesson for little ones.
1. God will be our strength and protection if we will turn our hearts to Him, in bad and good times.
      2. God used Abram to rescue Lot and show Lot how much He loved him, even after Lot's bad choices got him in trouble.
      3. God loves you/us even when you/we make bad choices. When you/we confess our bad choices, and turn back to God, He will forgive you/us and help you/us.
      4. God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to die for us and rescue us from our bad choices (sins), if we ask Him.
      5. God wants us to pray for people we know who have made bad choices, that God will rescue them.

Activity: Younger classes will stop in the hall and look at the map. Then they will take a journey walk to show them how far Abram went to rescue Lot and the others. They need to see how big the war area was. ( They had no cars, planes, trains, autos, wagons and probably only the leaders had animals to ride. They would have had to carry their food and supplies. They would have had spears, swords, bows and arrows to fight with. They had to go all the way up north and then come back south again, taking several weeks.)