7. Isaac & Rebekah
Genesis 24Background Scripture (read 2-3 times during the week)
Story Summary
God promised Abraham he would be the father of many nations. God kept his promise by giving Abraham a son named Isaac. After Sarah (Isaac's mother) died, he buried her in a cave among Canaanites (near the trees of Mamre, where the Lord appeared to him and promised Isaac). Abraham decided it was time for Isaac to marry. Abraham sent his chief servant to find a wife for Isaac among his own people because he did not want Isaac to marry a girl from among the Canaanites, where they were living.
Abraham's servant took ten camels and everything he needed for the long journey. When he arrived it was late in the day, the time when the women came to draw water from the well. He stopped at a well just outside the city. He prayed and asked God to show him which girl to choose. "I will speak to a young woman. I'll say, 'Please lower your jar so I can have a drink.' Suppose she says, 'Have a drink of water. And I'll get some for your camels too.' Then let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac." Genesis 24:14
Abraham's servant had not even finished praying when a beautiful young woman named Rebekah came to the well. The servant asked Rebekah for water, and after she gave him some to drink, she offered to fill the trough with water for his camels. Then the servant gave her a gold nose ring and two gold arm bracelets for her kindness and asked for a place to stay the night. You can show the children the jewelry you brought (see supplies) as an example of what Abraham's servant might have given Rebekah as a gift. It turns out Rebekah was Nahor's granddaughter. Nahor was Abraham's brother. Although that relationship is too close for comfort by today's standards, this was a sign of success for Abraham's servant. Abraham specifically wanted a wife for Isaac from his own relatives.
Rebekah ran home and told her family what had happened. Her brother Laban went back to the well and invited Abraham's servant home to meet her father Bethuel and to stay the night. They all sat down to eat and the servant told the entire story and how God had answered his prayer. Laban and Bethuel answered, "The Lord has done all of this. We can't say anything to you one way or the other.51 Here is Rebekah. Take her and go. Let her become the wife of your master's son, just as the Lord has said." Genesis 24:50
It would be useful to explain to the children the tradition of arranged marriages. Families decide whom you will marry, and often the decision is made at a very young age. Arranged marriages are still common today in some cultures.
Back to the story: One evening Isaac went out to the field. He wanted to spend some time thinking. When he looked up, he saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel. She asked the servant, "Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?" "He's my master," the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered her face. Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done. Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent that had belonged to his mother Sarah. And he married Rebekah. She became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother died. (Genesis 24:63-66)
What You Will Need
- Supplies
- Kids jewelry or costume jewelry
Video Options
From Sharefaith Kids
From EncourageTV. There are not a lot of videos out there on this specific story. The beginning of this video covers this story.
Resource Sheets
This coloring sheet depicts the story of Isaac marrying Rebekah
This camel outline can be used for multiple Reinforcement Activities below.
1. Warm Up get your kids talking and engaged
Have you ever been to a wedding? Did you know that in the Bible, parents used to decide for their children who they were going to marry? What would you think if your parents had already picked out the person you were going to marry, even at your age?
Today we are going to learn about how Isaac became married to Rebekah.
2. Teach the Story teach a holistic story
Read story from a Children's storybook Bible for younger children.
For older children, read the story from an age-appropriate Children's storybook Bible or tell the story yourself. You may need to fill in the details from the Story Summary above as necessary to communicate the full story to the children.
3. Bible Mastery give them basic Bible skills
Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud Genesis 24:61-67
4. Comprehension Questions make sure they understand the story
First, ask the children if they have any questions about the story. What to do if you don't know the answer?
- What did Abraham want for his son Isaac?
- A wife from their homeland
- Who was sent to find Isaac a wife?
- A servant
- How would he know who to choose?
- He prayed for God to send a girl that would give him and his camels a drink
- What did the servant give Rebekah?
- Nose ring and gold bracelets
- Did Rebekah want to go?
- Yes
- How did Rebekah and the servant get back to Isaac?
- They took the camels
- Where was Isaac when Rebekah first saw him?
- In the field
5. Faith Questions open up a conversation about faith and the gospel; close with prayer
- Isaac's servant had to have faith in God that he would show him the right woman for Isaac to marry.
- Did you know that you can pray and ask God to help you as you go about your daily life?
6. Memory Verse hide God's Word in their heart
Buckets on Your Head
- It was common for women to carry water jugs on their heads or shoulder to and from the well.
- Have students try to balance empty baskets or buckets on their heads.
- To use this activity for a water day during Bible School, you can add water to the buckets!
Moving picture
- Make a moving picture.
- Print picture of a camel.
- Color and attach a popsicle stick.
- Decorate a background scene.(cardstock or construction paper).
- To get really creative, add glue and sprinkle sand over background scene.
- Cut a slit across the picture, making sure not to get to close to sides.
- Slide camel through slit.
- Make camel move across paper.
Sand paper picture
- Place a piece of sandpaper under a piece of white paper.
- Turn a plain, light-brown crayon (with the paper removed) on its side.
- Rub paper until a sand texture appears.
- With other crayons, add dunes and camels.
God's Plan For Us Is A Family
- Ask if anyone can guess what the ingredients make.
- Call individual students up to taste and describe raw ingredients; for example one student tastes baking soda, one student tastes butter, one student tastes vanilla, etc.
- Do NOT taste raw eggs.
- Do this as long as interest and ingredients last!
- Explain to class that each one of these ingredients is useful and important alone but when mixed together and baked, they make something far more useful and yummy- A cookie!
- This is like a family. Each individual is useful and important alone, however God uses a family to protect, grow, teach and make us most useful.
- Also, just like I can make different types of cookies by varying the ingredient list; God makes different types of families.
- Read scripture.
- Pass out and enjoy cookies.
- NOTE: lesson could be applied to brownies, cupcakes, etc...
- Today's lesson is about God starting a new family as a way to keep his promise to Abraham.
Bracelets
- Make bracelets out of paper towel holders (cut into 2 inch pieces.)
- Cut a slit all the way across
- Cut pieces of paper to match the size of the paper towel holder pieces.
- Decorate the paper with crayons, stickers, glitter, jewels, etc.
- Glue the decorated paper to bracelet.
Camel Craft
- Print camel bodies (2 for each student)
- Have the children color the camel bodies.
- Staple two bodies together.
- Stuff with cotton.
Fill the Jar Relay
- Fill 2 of the large buckets with water.
- Split into teams and give each team a drinking cup and a bucket
- Line up the teams at one end of your play area, and put the water buckets at the other end.
- Place the drinking cup at the starting line for each team.
- Each team must take the drinking cup to the large bucket of water, fill it up with water, run back and fill up their empty bucket.
- The first team to fill up their bucket with water wins.
Spitting Camels Relay
- Fill a large bucket with water.
- Split into teams and give each team a drinking cup. Give each player a cup.
- Line up the team at one end of your play area, and put the water bucket at the other end.
- Place the drinking cup on the ground at the starting line for each team.
- Each player must run from their starting line to the large bucket of water, fill up their cup with water and drink as much as they can, but don't swallow!
- Then the player has to run back to their starting line and spit the water out into their team's drinking cup.
- The first team to fill up their drinking cup with water wins.