BIG IDEA: God keeps His promises.
This free Bible lesson, Isaac’s Story, will teach preschool and elementary students about how Isaac is a “type” for Jesus in The Old Testament. God provided a ram for Abraham to use in place of Isaac. This lesson is written with careful attention to the young audience in light of the heavy subject of God’s command to Abraham.
FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Genesis 21:1-3, 22:1-19
All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.
Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.
PREP & SUPPLIES
- printed “’Types’ for Jesus” pages for each student (double sided)
- pencils/pens
- printed & trimmed “Promise Puzzles”
- plastic bags or envelopes
- construction paper
- glue
LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY
(SLIDE) What is a “symbol”? (allow responses)
(SLIDE) A symbol is a picture, object, or sign that stands for something else. What do these symbols stand for? (heart = love; dollar sign = money, wealth; hand shake = an agreement between people)
I am going to give you about a minute to discuss with a partner. What other symbols can you think of? (allow time for discussion; possible symbols to prompt students with: direction symbols, x, checkmark, medical symbols, math symbols, peace, WI-FI, etc.)
(SLIDE) Does anyone know what “foreshadowing” in a story means? (allow responses)
(SLIDE) Foreshadowing is when a story gives you hints or clues about something important that will happen later. The hints or clues might “point to” an event that will happen later in the story.
(SLIDE) Has anyone ever heard the word “typology”? (allow responses)
(SLIDE) “Typology” is word that is not used very often that is another way to say “symbol”. It is a kind of symbolism that “foreshadows”, or gives hints to something else later in a story.
A “type” can also be called a “prophetic symbol”. This is a symbol of something that will happen in the future, because a “prophecy” is something that will happen in the future.
(SLIDE) The Old Testament is the first 39 Books of The Bible that tell us about the time BEFORE Jesus came to the earth. The New Testament is the last 27 Books of The Bible that tell us about Jesus’s birth, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection (raising back to life), and the time after He went back to Heaven.
The Old Testament POINTS TO The New Testament, and The New Testament EXPLAINS The Old Testament.
When we say that The Old Testament POINTS TO The New Testament and The New Testament EXPLAINS The Old Testament that means that both parts go together perfectly and one part without the other is not complete.
What we read about in The Old Testament tells us about events and Truths that we will read about in The New Testament, and since the events written about in The Old Testament happened before the events written about in The New Testament, when we read The Bible as ONE BOOK, The New Testament explains what may have been confusing from The Old Testament.
(SLIDE) When we talk about a “type” in The Bible, we are talking about a person, thing, or event that we can read about in The Old Testament of The Bible that stands for, or is a symbol for, or foreshadows, a person, thing, or event that we can read about in The New Testament.
(SLIDE) Adam from The Old Testament is a “type” for Jesus. Adam failed and led the world into sin and separation from God when he was tempted by the devil. Jesus did not give into the devil’s temptations, but instead leads the world out of sin and separation from God.
(SLIDE) The Passover Lamb is also a “type” for Jesus.
[A detailed explanation of the Passover Lamb is included below if you would like to teach it during this part of the lesson.]
The Passover Lamb was offered as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of the people. But Jesus was the Ultimate Sacrifice when He died on the cross to pay for the sins of all people.
OPTIONAL PASSOVER LESSON:
The Israelites (God’s people) spent over 400 years in slavery in Egypt. God sent Moses to bring them out of Egypt. After many failed attempts at asking Pharoah (the leader of the Egyptians), God finally told the Israelites that He was going to do something that would make Pharoah release the people.
He told each family to choose a spotless, male lamb from their flock to sacrifice. God told them to take some of the blood from the lamb and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they were eating the lamb.
He called this “Passover”, because that night He passed through Egypt and killed all of the first born among the people and animals. But the Israelite people who had blood on their houses were “passed over”. The blood was a sign to God that they were His people, so He did not kill the first born in any house that had the lamb’s blood on the doorframe.
Then, God told the people: “Always remember this day. You and your children after you must celebrate this day as a feast to honor the LORD. You must do this for all time to come. It is a law that will last forever.” [Exodus 12:14 NIrV]
At the time of the Easter Story, Jesus and His disciples were in Jerusalem celebrating the Passover Feast. The Jewish people celebrate Passover every year just like God told them to all the way back in the book of Exodus to remember what He did for them that night.
God told them to use the blood of a spotless lamb as a sign, and He “passed over” their houses. The judgement that He sent on the Egyptians by not “passing over” their houses was the reason that Pharoah finally freed the Israelites from slavery. So, the Passover Feast is celebrated to remember the blessing by God when He freed the people from slavery in Egypt.
Can anyone make a connection between the “spotless Passover lamb” and Jesus? (allow responses and discussion)
Jesus is the ULTIMATE SPOTLESS LAMB who died on the cross as THE PASSOVER LAMB!
Isn’t that amazing?!
So many years ago, a yearly celebration was started, and Jesus died on the cross on the EXACT DAY of Passover, as our PASSOVER LAMB to take away our sins!
Today’s true story from The Bible has some symbolism and typology that we are going to notice. The event that we are going to learn about in The Book of Genesis, in The Old Testament, “points to” another event that happened later in history and is recorded in The New Testament of The Bible.
BIBLE LESSON
(SLIDE) Last week we learned about a promise that God made to Abraham. Can someone give us a summary of the lesson that we learned about Abraham? (allow responses but be sure to read the summary below)
[Abraham was chosen by God to be the father of many nations, which means he would have a large family of important descendants, including Jesus. God made a covenant promise with Abraham, and when Abraham and his wife Sarah were very old God gave them a baby boy whose name was Isaac. Abraham’s family is blessed by God, which means that all the people in Abraham’s family have special favor with God. Because Jesus is part of Abraham’s family, all people who believe in Jesus receive the same promise that God gave to Abraham of special blessing through Jesus. When a person believes in Jesus and puts their trust in Him, they will receive salvation and new life in Him.]
(SLIDE) Today we are going to learn about Abraham’s son, Isaac.
LEADER NOTE: Today’s lesson about the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the altar may be a difficult one for younger students. Be sure that you are fully prepared to teach the Truths behind this true story from The Bible and are careful with your words so as not to scare or confuse kids. A full script has been provided that you can read if you choose to do so.
We learned last week about how God gave Abraham and Sarah a baby boy named Isaac in their old age. The Bible tells us about Isaac’s birth in Genesis 21:1-3:
(SLIDE) Genesis 21:1-3 NIrV
[The LORD was gracious to Sarah, just as he had said he would be. The LORD did for Sarah what he had promised to do. Sarah became pregnant. She had a son by Abraham when he was old. The child was born at the exact time God had promised. Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah had by him.]
Remember God had promised Abraham that Abraham would have a large family with lots of descendants. To be able to have many descendants, Abraham needed a child to be able to continue building his family. Abraham and Sarah waited many years without any children before God gave them Isaac.
Later in Isaac’s life, God told Abraham to do something that sounds strange to us. He told Abraham to do something that would be very difficult for him to do because he had waited so long to have Isaac.
The Bible actually tells us that God did this to “test” Abraham (Genesis 22:1). God wanted to see if Abraham’s heart was truly following God.
Before we read what God told Abraham to do, I want to tell you something that you may not know about the people of The Old Testament.
Does anyone know what the word “sacrifice” means? (To sacrifice means to “give up”
something that is very valuable to show love.)
(SLIDE) A sacrifice is like an “offering” of something that we really love and that we feel is
very valuable.
The people who lived during the times of The Old Testament would give offerings to God to show Him that they loved Him, to give thanks to God, and to receive forgiveness for their sins.
They would take an animal, like a sheep, from their flock and burn it on an altar as an offering to God.
The Bible says in Genesis 22:2:
(SLIDE) Genesis 22:2 NIrV
[Then God said, “Take your son, your only son. He is the one you love. Take Isaac. Go to the place called Moriah. Give your son to me there as a burnt offering. Sacrifice him on the mountain I will show you.”]
God told Abraham to take his son, Isaac, and offer Isaac as a sacrifice. This must have confused Abraham.
God had promised Abraham that his family would be large, and for that to happen he needed Isaac to be alive! What do we know about God’s promises? (allow responses)
(SLIDE) God keeps His promises. (Big Idea)
But Abraham did not question God. The next day, Abraham started off on the journey to the mountain where God told him to take Isaac.
The Bible says:
(SLIDE) Genesis 22:6 NIrV
[Abraham had his son Isaac carry the wood for the burnt offering. He himself carried the fire and the knife. And the two of them walked on together.]
Isaac was confused because he saw the fire and the wood for the burnt offering, but there was no lamb. He asked his father about this.
Then The Bible says:
(SLIDE) Genesis 22:8 NIrV
[Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them walked on together.]
They kept walking and eventually reached the place on the mountain that God had told Abraham to go to. Abraham built the altar and placed the wood on it.
As Abraham started to place Isaac on the altar, an angel appeared from Heaven and said:
(SLIDE) Genesis 22:12-13 NIrV
[“Do not lay a hand on the boy…Do not harm him. Now I know that you would do anything for God. You have not held back from me your son, your only son.”
Abraham looked around. There in a bush he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram. He sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.]
God provided the ram for Abraham to offer as a sacrifice instead of Isaac.
(SLIDE) Did you know that The Bible is one big true story?
Remember earlier when I told you about how when we talk about a “type” in The Bible, we are talking about a person, thing, or event that we can read about in The Old Testament of The Bible that stands for, or is a symbol for, or foreshadows, a person, thing, or event that we can read about in The New Testament.
The story of Isaac “points to” Jesus.
What connections can you make between Isaac’s story and what you know about Jesus? (allow responses and discussion and then lead students through the activity on the following page that describes how Isaac is a “type” for Jesus)
The Bible Story and Large Group Activity are combined into this part of the lesson.
HANDOUT: Each student will need a copy of “’Types’ for Jesus” and something to write with.
The words that need to be filled in by students are highlighted in BLUE on the printable forms.
After this listening activity, encourage students to take their paper home and discuss with family members.
The front side includes information from the Lesson Hook and the back side is the part that students need to complete as they are guided through it using the discussion below.
Isaac was just human, but he is what we call a “type”, or a symbol, for Jesus.
(SLIDE) Isaac was Abraham’s “only son”, and Jesus is God’s “one and only Son”. (Genesis 22:2 and John 3:16)
(SLIDE) The location of the sacrifice was the same for both Isaac and Jesus. (Genesis 22:2 and Mark 15:22)
Mount Moriah is near where the Jewish temple would later be built by King Solomon. Above that is the place called Golgotha where Jesus died on the cross.
(SLIDE) Both Isaac and Jesus carried the wood before the sacrifice. (Genesis 22:6 and John 19:17)
Abraham told Isaac to carry the wood for the burnt offering, and Jesus was forced to carry His own wooden cross.
(SLIDE) Isaac and Jesus both had a three day journey to the end. (Genesis 22:4 and Luke 24:7)
From the time that God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to the time God provided the substitute ram in Isaac’s place three days had passed.
On the third day, God provided the substitute ram for Isaac and Isaac was returned to his father. Jesus was in the grave for three days before being brought back to life and back to His Father.
(SLIDE) God performed a miracle for both Isaac and Jesus. He provided a ram for Isaac and raised Jesus back to life. (Genesis 22:13-14 and Matthew 28:6)
(SLIDE) We learn that God provided in both of the stories of Isaac and Jesus. He provided a ram for Isaac, and for us He provided a Savior, Jesus! (Genesis 22:13-14 and Romans 3:25)
Dear God,
Thank You for the true story of Abraham and Isaac and how the story of Abraham’s faith points to Jesus. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we can have new life and have a relationship with You. Please help us to be bold enough to ask questions when we don’t understand and bold enough to share the good news of Jesus with others who need to hear it.
We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Today, you will be building a puzzle to help you remember God’s promise to you (John 3:16). You will each get a bag (or envelope)of puzzle pieces, and a piece of construction paper. Your task is to put the pieces of the puzzle together to reveal the promise that God gives to those who believe in Jesus. Then you will glue the pieces onto your construction paper.
BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.
Discussion Prompts for Leaders:
- What is a “sacrifice”? (an offering of something that we really love and feel is very valuable)
- What do we know about God’s promises? (God always keeps His promises. We can read about His promises in The Bible.)
- What is a “type” in The Bible? (a person, thing, or event that we can read about in The Old Testament that is a symbol or foreshadowing of a person, thing, or event that we can read about in The New Testament)
- How is Adam a “type” for Jesus? (Adam failed and led the world into sin and separation from God when he was tempted by the devil. Jesus did not give into the devil’s temptations, but instead leads the world out of sin and separation from God.)
- How is a Passover Lamb a “type” for Jesus? (The Passover Lamb was offered as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of the people. But Jesus was the Ultimate Sacrifice when He died on the cross to pay for the sins of all people.)
- What is one way that Isaac is a “type” for Jesus? (the 6 ways are listed on the Leader’s Guide on the next page)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
- Use any extra time to discuss the lesson and/or the memory verse.
CLOSING REFLECTION
We learned that Abraham trusted God and was prepared to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice to show his love to God. An angel appeared to Abraham to stop him from sacrificing Isaac, and God provided a ram to take the place of Isaac on the altar. Isaac is a “type”, or symbol, of Jesus. Jesus is the Ultimate Sacrifice who died on the cross to take away our sins. When we believe in Jesus, He gives us new life and salvation from our sins.
Reflection Questions:
- How does Isaac “point to” Jesus? (see Leader’s Guide on this page)
- How did God keep His promise to Abraham by sparing Isaac? (God promised that Abraham would have a large family, which means that Isaac needed to continue the family line)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
Find other free Bible lessons for kids:
