THE BASIC REVELATION IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES

(For Younger Children)

Lesson Thirteen: How the Two People Acted Differently:

The Effects of the Fall 

Objectives:

Materials:

1. Lessons Eleven and Twelve of this series
2. Life-study of Genesis #18, for reference
3. Optional: props for pantomime/dramatization

Implementation:

1. Review last two lessons: what happened to the two people on the outside and what happened to them on the inside?
2. Ask: Couldn't these things happen to the two people and still everything go on pretty much he same between he two of them/with each other, and even with God? Now God can't go on with His plan to get inside them to make them His sons, that's true; but they're still going to act pretty much like they, always have, aren't they? - even though they now have to live outside the beautiful place where the two trees are, Well, let's see if they began to act differently.
3. Recall how it was in the beautiful place where the two trees were, before the two people ate the wrong fruit.
4. Dramatize them realizing God has come to visit with them as usual and being very, very frightened - almost terrified.
5. Ask, what is different in the way they are acting since they ate the wrong fruit and the things happened to them inside? Which way of being/acting would you like better if it were you there? Everything was so nice and lovely at first, wasn't it? What a shame that now they have to be all afraid and hiding..the niceness is all ruined, now!
6. Ask: What about how they acted toward each other. That changed, too. Watch how their kindness and lovingness, to each other has changed when God asks them why they're afraid and hiding like this:
7. Dramatize, assuming each one's part in turn, God's questions in Genesis 3:8-13 and their answers, each blaming and accusing the other party instead of taking the blame. Make their attitudes toward each other radically different from what you showed earlier.
8. Ask: How have they changed toward each other? How are they acting toward each other now? Now you can see how those things that happened on the inside caused them to act differently from how they had been before they ate the wrong fruit. Are they thinking about taking care of each other now, or only of their own selves.
9. Apply all this to us today: Here we are, just like the two people. Do you ever blame someone else instead of taking the blame? Of course. Do you ever feel afraid of God? - if you should all of a sudden be right before His throne in the heavens, for instance. Sure, you would be "scared to death." And that's O.K. - the Bible says that people ought to fear God, after what happened with those first two people. Because all the people who have ever lived after those first two people have been affected by what they did: they didn't just "mess up" themselves only, but all people us too got "messed up" also. You can tell that this is so because we act like they acted after they ate the wrong fruit. This shows that we all got "messed up" too.

Reinforcement:

10. Ask: Who can tell how the two people changed toward God? Who else can tell how they changed toward each other? And, who can tell what had happened to them inside that caused them to act so differently from before? (two items).

Preview:

(This is the end of Unit Two for the younger children. Further units in this series entitled "The Basic Revelation in the Holy Scriptures" have been developed for the older children which are included in this volume. These can be adapted for use with the younger children.)