Old Testament Lessons - Individual Levels

Lesson		Suggested Grade Levels
Lesson		Presehool	Kind-1st	2nd-3rd	4th-6th	7th-8th
1. Creation	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
2. The Fall into Sin and the Promise of a Savior	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
3. Cain and Abel	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
4. Noah and the Flood	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
5. Tower of Babel	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
6. Call of Abram; Abram and Lot	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
7. Birth of Isaac announced to Abraham and Sarah	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
8. Sodom and Gomorrah	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
9. Isaac's Birth; Abraham Offers Isaac	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
10. Isaac's Marriage to Rebekah	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
11. Jacob Receives the Blessing	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
12. Jacob Flees from Esau; Jacob's Dream	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
13. Jacob Returns to Canaan	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
14.Joseph Sold into Slavery	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
15.Joseph in Egypt	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
16. Joseph's Brothers Come to Egypt	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
17. Joseph's Brothers Come to Egypt Again	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
18.Jacob and His Family Live in Egypt	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
19. Early Life of Moses	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
20. The Call of Moses	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
21. The Plagues	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
22. The Tenth Plague; The First Passover	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
23. Israel Leaves Egypt	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
24. Israel in the Desert	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
25. The Giving of the Law	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
26. The Golden Calf	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
27. Worship in the Tabernacle	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
28. The Twelve Spies	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
29.The Bronze Serpent	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
30. The Last Days of Moses	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
31. Israel Enters the Promised Land	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
32. The Fall of Jericho	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
33. Gideon	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
34.Samson	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
35. Ruth	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
36.Samuel	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
37. Saul	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
38. David Anointed King	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
39.David and Goliath	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
40. David Becomes King	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
41. David and Bathsheba	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
42. Absalom's Rebellion	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
43. Solomon Builds the Temple	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
44. The Kingdom Divided	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
45. The Prophet Elijah	Teacher's Notes Additional Notes Teaching Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
46. Elijah and the Prophets of Baal	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
47. Elijah in the Wilderness	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
48. Naboth's Vineyard	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
49. Elijah and Elisha	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
50. Naaman and Elisha	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
51. Jonah	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
52. Overthrow of Israel. King Hezekiah	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
53. Babylonian Captivity	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
54. Daniel	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
55. The Three Men in the Fiery Furnace	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
56. Daniel in the Lion's Den	Teacher's Notes	Preschool	Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
57. Esther	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
58. Job	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4
59.. Return from Captivity/Rebuilding the Temple	Teacher's Notes		Level 1	Level 2	Level 3	Level 4

Brief summaries to describe the stories and References to Bible History Commentary (by W. Franzmann)

The Triune God creates all things in six regular days. Mankind (Adam and Eve), created in God’s image – perfectly holy and without sin - are the crown of God’s creation. God gives them dominion over all creation and the happy duty of being stewards of the Garden of Eden. Perfect harmony exists between God and man.

In this lesson, mankind (the crown of God’s creation) fails to show his love to God, fails in following God’s will, i.e., he SINS!Sin offends the holy and almighty creator (Elohim), but He is also a gracious God who provides a Savior (Jehovah) for His fallen creation.

Because of the wickedness of the people, God decided to destroy them. God spared Noah and his family and told him to build an ark. Into this ark Noah was to take his family, a pair of every creature on earth, and food to feed them all. God sent a flood which covered the highest mountains. All land creatures and birds not in the ark died. Just over a year later the earth had dried and all in the ark came out. God promised never to send such a flood again.

Following the flood, mankind shows its ongoing sinful nature by seeking to make a name for themselves, rather than glorifying the one true God. Out of undeserved love, God stops their evil plan by giving them different languages.

Abram, the father of the Jews, stands as the premier example of God's ways with sinners—the way of salvation prompted by God's grace. God directs and blesses Abram’s life so that the promise of the Messiah takes place in time. By faith Abram believed God’s promise: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

When God first came to Abraham and asked him to leave his home and family, He promised to be with him and to bless him. Here, despite their old age, the LORD promises to give Abraham and Sarah an heir – a son through whom God will carry out His promise of grace – the sending of the Messiah Jesus Christ.

This is a continuation of the previous lesson. The three men (two angels and the Son of God) are now about to leave Abraham. God had decided to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of their great sinfulness. Abraham prays for the ungrateful people of Sodom and thereby rescues Lot (Abraham’s brother-in-law). By faith Abraham believed in salvation by grace.

God fulfills His promise to Abraham and Sarah with the miraculous gift of a son, Isaac, in their old age. God tests Abraham's faith with the command to sacrifice Isaac. God provides the substitute sacrifice for all of us in Jesus Christ our Savior.

God’s Promise of the Messiah will be carried on through Isaac--and thus he must marry and sire a child. This lesson presents the LORD's handling of Isaac's approach to marriage.

This is God's record of how He manages our affairs even in spite of the mistakes that humans make due to their selfishness. The events of Isaac and his son Jacob’s lives turned out the way God wanted them to turn out, despite their sinful plans. In this lesson we learn that God is the Author and Finisher of our salvation.

Due to the results of sinful family deceptions in the family of Isaac, son Jacob is forced to flee from the wrath of his brother Esau. Along this journey Jacob has a dream. From this lesson we see God’s mercy, Jacob’s repentance, and God’s favor towards Jacob, and His reassurance to him of His promises of the Messiah.

Although Jacob returns a wealthy man, his past sins against his brother Esau worry him. In a wrestling match with Jacob, God shows He there to answer our prayers working with us, not against us. Jacob is given the name “Israel.” God preserves and blesses Jacob because He had promised to send the Promised Savior through the family of Jacob's son, Judah.

Jacob’s son Joseph is envied by his 10 older brothers and sold into slavery in Egypt. God shows His saving mercy by using their wicked act to carry out His plan to rescue the family of Israel (Jacob) and keep His promise to send the Savior through their ancestors.

God gives Joseph the faith to resist Potiphar’s wife; God gives Joseph the ability to interpret dreams; God blesses Joseph even while he was in prison; God carries out His plan to make Joseph a ruler in Egypt. God guides and blesses Joseph’s life according to His plan for the salvation of mankind. As God guided and blessed Joseph’s life, so our Lord guides our lives for our good.

This story represents the first step in God’s chastening of the ten brothers who had treated Joseph so shamefully. Joseph’s actions toward his brothers were not done out of hate but love. Joseph, a God-fearing man, was deeply concerned for the spiritual welfare of his brothers. Joseph's acceptance of what God had allowed to come into his life, together with his loving forgiveness toward his brothers, serves as a model for all who would follow.

Here we clearly see the love and forgiveness God has for us and that we should have for one another. The first part of this lesson shows the repentance of the brothers (turning from sin and in faith turning to God for forgiveness); also the forgiving nature of our Lord and the excellent example provided by Joseph. In faith Joseph realized that what had happened to him God worked for the good of him and his family.

Many years had passed since Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers. Jacob (Israel) was now 130 years old. The Lord directed him to make the journey to Egypt because of the famine in his homeland. There the Lord promised to make of him a great nation. With Joseph as His key human instrument, God preserved alive His chosen people and builds the nation which would bring forth the Messiah.

It is estimated that the descendants of Jacob now numbered between two and three million people. There arose a fear that the people of Israel would become more powerful than the Egyptians and dominate them. This resulted in putting in place various work-related practices that grievously burdened the people of Israel. They also tried to limit the growth of the nation of Israel or possibly bring it to extinction by ordering all of the male infants killed at birth. So God began His plan of deliverance of the people of Israel.

In these chapters, we read of Moses’ upbringing in Egypt, his flight after his crime of murder, and God’s Call to Moses from the Burning Bush to lead the Children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt. This is a picture of God’s larger plan to rescue mankind from the captivity of their sin through His Servant Jesus Christ.