Elementary Level, Block 1—Adam to Noah
Week 2
Adam—Having Important Responsibilities
Point to Emphasize: We can be responsible for the things we have and protect the ones around us.
Reference Reading: Genesis 2—3
Memory Verse: And Jehovah planted a garden in Eden…and there He put the man whom He had formed. (Genesis 2:8)
Story Sample
What is the name of the first man? Right, Adam! And why do we want to be like Adam? Yes, because he was the best! God created this perfect man that was so different from the animals. This man was God’s top creation. Today I am going to tell you where God put this man and what he was doing there.
Listen to what the Bible says God did. It says that He planted a garden. What?!? Why a garden? What is a garden? A garden is a beautiful place with some soft warm dirt used for growing flowers, fruits, and even vegetables. And sometimes there are some rolling hills and bushes and trees, right? Oh, and what about water? There has to be water coming from somewhere right? Wow, what a place.
Now, listen to this. Once that garden was planted, God did something wonderful. He put that man, Adam, right there into the garden. You see, all God wanted was to make this man happy! How do you feel when you are in a library? Right, you have to be quiet, not running around. And what about at a police station? Oh my, so scary with all the serious people there, and you wouldn’t let out a peep! Aha, but what about a garden? Who has been in a garden before? [Discuss] When you enter a garden you feel it is a most wonderful place where you can rest and enjoy. Everything is colorful and birds are happy, and maybe there is something tasty to eat.
Adam must have been so happy there, and so thankful God had put him there. In the same way God cared for Adam, He cares for us by placing us in our families! All our needs are met in our families. We have a roof over us, we have a bed to sleep in, and we have food to eat. It is in our families where we receive the care we need. [Lead children to discuss how thankful they are.]
Now, did God just leave Adam alone to do whatever he wanted? It’s very interesting that right after putting Adam there, God gave him some very important instructions. You could even say God gave him a job to do. Who has ever heard this big word—responsibility? [Write on board and discuss its meaning.] So Adam’s responsibility was to work and keep the garden. This beautiful garden that God had filled with happy living things, all of it, was now up to Adam to work in it and keep it and even protect it.
Wow! Isn’t that interesting? On one hand God put Adam in such a pleasant place, but at the same time God depended on Adam to be responsible to keep everything clean and orderly. What an important responsibility.
Now I want to tell you a story about growing up in my house. I have three younger sisters, so our house was always amazing fun. We each had our own bed, and we had the best food, and mom and dad were always taking care of us. We had so many books and crayons and colored pencils. Oh, and the dolls! And the games! When we all played together, well just imagine, we had them all over the house. And sometimes I would sit and look around and see all the mess. And I realized that it was important for me to be responsible to keep up with all our things. It felt so good inside to look after my sisters and all the toys and make sure everything was orderly. [Insert your own story of having a sense of happiness and rest when you take care of your responsibilities.]
So I hope each one of you will understand that in the same way that Adam had a responsibility, we also have responsibilities. He worked in the garden, and we get to work in our homes. We keep our rooms clean, and all our toys and books in order. Oh, and all the papers spilling out of our backpack. What else did Adam do? Adam needed to protect the garden. In the same way, we can be those who protect. What can we protect? Let’s see… Who has a younger sibling? Who has a pet? Who has grandparents? When they need a drink, when they need a hug, when they lose something, we can help them and protect them in so many ways!
In this next week I challenge all of you to be like Adam! How can you do that? First let’s enjoy and be thankful for where God has placed us in order to take care of us. Right? Think how much God has done to care for us just like He did for Adam. But what else? Aha, God gives us some things to take care of, right? To work there and care for the things we have. And also to protect the others around us. Today we can be so responsible in the place God has placed each of us.