Intermediate Level, Block 1—Creation, Fall, and Flood
Week 2
God Creating (2)
Point to Emphasize: We can be careful and thorough in all our work.
Reference Reading: Genesis 1—2
Memory Verse: Jehovah God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)
Story Sample
The very beginning of the Bible tells us an incredible story of how God created so many things. He made the heavens, the earth, the plants. Oh, and then wow, all the animals! Can you imagine how that happened? God spoke and it came into being. That’s right, out of nothing it just became.
Now listen to this: on the sixth day, after everything else was prepared, God created man! But wait a minute, how did God create man? Did He just speak “ADAM” and there he was? You will be happy to know that actually, He took His time and carefully considered, making a plan, and then He began to make man. Wow, this is different from everything else. With the plants and the animals God spoke, and it was done. However, with man, He thought about His creation, He made a plan, and then He set to work.
Does this ever happen to you? Some things you do are so important that you make a plan, right? Maybe you make some drawings first, and you think about your plan step by step. You have to gather the right materials. Or maybe you talk to some other helpers about how best to make it, right? What if this is a super important project at school? [Discuss] This kind of work requires us to be very careful and thorough. And that’s what God did too. The Bible tells us that God FORMED [Emphasize this word and write it on the board.] man out of the dust of the ground. Did you know that our body contains the same basic ingredients that are found in dust: salt, copper, iron, and other minerals? And what did God do with this dust? He formed it, He shaped it, He took that material and made the form of a wonderful man. Awesome!
Then the Bible tells us something even more amazing. Because that form of a man made from the dust wasn’t alive yet, right, how could it get to be alive? Did God speak it alive? Listen, God took that form of a man and He BREATHED [Emphasize this word and write on board. Demonstrate by blowing into your hands.] into his nostrils. And the Bible says that breath was not just any kind of breath. No, it was the breath of LIFE. And right then man became alive!
Remember the creation of the plants and of the animals? God spoke and the plants and the animals came into being. He didn’t form those from dust. He didn’t breathe into the plants to make them alive or breathe into the animals either. Aha, but here, in the creation of man, we see how careful God was. He formed man out of the dust of the ground and then God breathed into man the breath of life. What great care God took in His creation of man!
But God wasn’t done yet. God cared for this man named Adam so much. He knew it wasn’t good for Adam to be alone. He needed someone to stand by him and help him. So God took another step and created a woman. That’s right, Adam would have a wife to be his companion. And because this was so important, again, God did this in a very careful and thorough way. He didn’t just speak, “Let there be a woman.” No, listen to this. God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. And while he was sleeping, God opened his side and took out one of his ribs. That’s right —one of his bones— God actually removed it! He took it out while Adam was sleeping and carefully closed him back up. Then He took that rib, which had been in Adam before, and now BUILT [Emphasize this word, write on board if possible] a woman. Isn’t this amazing? How thorough and careful God was in His creation of a man and now also in His creation of a woman.
Aren’t you happy at how wonderfully you were made? Wow, so many parts and pieces that all work together! Our ears were designed so we can hear. Our eyes were designed so we can see. Even think about how our face looks. What if our nose was upside down? That would be a big problem on a rainy day! But look how God purposely designed everything just right. How careful and thorough He was. Look at your hands. You have one thumb and four fingers. What if, instead of this, you had five thumbs? You might have a hard time picking up your fork to eat. But with your hands you can do anything. We were truly made by God so wonderfully!
So I hope you will really consider how important it is to be thorough and careful. Many times at home we have responsibilities we have to do. One of the chores in our house is for the children to set the table for dinner. Sometimes they do a very careful job remembering to place the fork on top of the napkin, to the left of the plate and the knife and spoon to the right of the plate. They put the glass in its place and everything looks so nice and orderly as we sit down for dinner. The meal is served and we can all enjoy it together. But what if the job was not done carefully? “Oh no! Where’s my fork?” “Hey! I need a drink!” Oh my – you see what a disappointment that would be for everyone. [Insert your own story, which demonstrates being thorough and careful in the work you do.]
Aren’t we all glad to hear that God didn’t act so careless in His creation? He took the time to make a plan for His creation of man and woman. And He completed all the steps in the most perfect way. So in this next week, let’s also try to be thorough and careful in all our responsibilities at school and at home.