365 Bible Stories for Young Hearts

C R O S S W AY B O O K S
A PUBLISHING MINISTRY OF
GOOD NEWS PUBLISHERS
WHEATON, ILLINOIS
365 Bible Stories for Young Hearts
Copyright © 2006 by LionHudson.
Published by Crossway Books
A publishing ministry of Good News Publishers
1300 Crescent Street
Wheaton, Illinois 60187
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided
by USA copyright law.
Cover illustration: Alan Perry
Cover design: Josh Dennis
First printing, 2006
Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hudson, Lion,
365 Bible stories for young hearts / Lion Hudson.
p. cm.
ISBN 13: 978-1-58134-807-1 (hc: alk. paper)
ISBN 10: 1-58134-807-X
1. Bible stories, English. I. Title: Three Hundred sixty-five Bible
stories for young hearts. II. Title.
BS551.3.H83 2006
220.9'505—dc22
2006004281
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Contents
DAY
PAGE
OLD TESTAMENT
The Story of Creation
1 The World Is God’s Creation
2 God Makes the First People
3 The Saddest Day on Earth
4 Disobedience Brings Punishment
5 The World’s First Murder
6 The Man Who Walked with God
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16
17
18
19
20
The Story of Noah
7 A Good Man in a Sinful World
8 Noah Obeys Orders
9 A Long Boat Ride
10 Dry Land at Last
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25
27
The Story of Different Languages
11 The Tower of Babel
29
The Story of Abraham
12 Abram Believes God
13 A Selfish Choice
14 A Wonderful Promise
15 Lot Is Captured
16 Sarai Gets Impatient
17 Abram Gets a New Name
18 Heavenly Visitors
19 The Angels Warn Lot
20 God Destroys Sodom
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30
31
32
34
35
35
37
37
DAY
PAGE
21 The Son of Promise
22 God Takes Care of Ishmael
23 Abraham Proves His Faith
39
40
40
The Story of Isaac
24 Isaac Needs a Wife
25 The Right Wife for Isaac
26 God Answers a Prayer
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43
44
The Story of Jacob
27 Esau Throws Away Something Valuable
28 Jacob Fools His Father
29 Rebekah Helps Jacob Escape
30 A Stairway to Heaven
31 Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
32 Jacob’s Secret Escape
33 Jacob Wants Peace with Esau
34 Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
35 God Cares for Jacob
36 The Death of Isaac
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45
46
48
48
51
51
52
53
54
The Story of Joseph
37 Joseph the Dreamer
38 Joseph Visits His Brothers
39 Joseph’s Brothers Get Rid of Him
40 Joseph Goes to Jail
41 Pharaoh’s Dreams
42 Jacob’s Sons Buy Grain
43 Joseph’s Brothers Don’t Recognize Him
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56
57
59
60
61
62
DAY
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
PAGE
Joseph Sends for His Favorite Brother
Joseph Sees Benjamin
The Cup in the Sack
A Surprising Announcement
Jacob Moves to Egypt
A Happy Family Reunion
A Blessing for Each Son
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64
64
65
67
68
68
The Story of Moses
51 The Cruel Egyptians
52 The Baby in the Floating Basket
53 A Princess Finds a Surprise
54 Moses Escapes
55 The Bush That Kept Burning
56 Moses Can Do Miracles
57 Aaron Will Help His Brother
58 Pharaoh’s Hard Heart
59 The People Complain to Moses
60 Big Trouble for Egypt
61 Frightening Punishments
62 The Worst Punishment
63 The First Passover
64 Pharaoh Lets the People Go
65 A Path Through the Sea
66 Pharaoh’s Soldiers Drown
67 Food from Heaven
68 Water from a Rock
69 Joshua Leads the Army
70 God Calls Moses to the Mountain
71 Commandments About Loving God
72 Commandments About Loving Others
73 A Special House for God
74 Clothes for the Priests
75 Dedicating the Priests
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76
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81
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96
DAY
PAGE
76 A Golden Calf-Idol
77 Moses Destroys the Idol
78 New Tablets and a New Agreement
79 Building God’s House
80 God’s Glory Fills the Tabernacle
81 The Wrong Kind of Fire
82 Rules About Food
83 Aaron’s Special Work
84 Important Rules to Obey
85 Special Holidays
86 A Big Celebration
87 The Levites Work in the Tabernacle
88 Too Much Meat!
89 Miriam and Aaron Criticize Moses
90 Checking Out the Land
91 Punishment for Disobedience
92 The Earth Swallows Korah
93 Buds, Blossoms, and Fruit
94 Moses Loses His Temper
95 Bitten by Poisonous Snakes
96 The Talking Donkey
97 Curses Turn to Blessings
98 The View Across the River
99 The People Are Divided
100 Safe from Revenge
101 Moses’ Long Speech
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102
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103
104
106
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
113
114
115
116
117
118
118
120
120
The Story of the Israelites
102 Joshua Becomes the Leader
103 Rahab Helps the Spies
104 Crossing the River
105 The Lord Visits Joshua
106 A City’s Walls Fall Down
107 Why Did Ai Defeat Israel?
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126
127
DAY
108
109
110
111
112
PAGE
DAY
PAGE
Punishment for a Thief
The Tricky Gibeonites
The Sun Stands Still
A Special Place for Levites
The People Choose God
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129
130
131
131
The Story of Samuel
133 Hannah Prays for a Son
134 God Speaks to Samuel
135 Enemies Capture the Ark
136 God Brings the Ark Back
137 Israel Asks for a King
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157
158
159
161
The Story of the Judges
113 Israel Needs New Leaders
114 The First Judges
115 Deborah Leads an Army
116 God Chooses Gideon as Leader
117 Is the Wool Wet or Dry?
118 Gideon’s Army Wins
119 Jephthah’s Foolish Promise
120 A Miracle Baby
121 Samson Kills a Lion
122 Samson Punishes His Enemies
123 An Unfaithful Girlfriend
124 Samson’s Enemies Capture Him
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135
136
138
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
The Story of Saul
138 God Chooses Saul to Be King
139 Samuel Warns the People
140 Saul Disobeys the Lord
141 Jonathan Frightens an Army
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165
The Story of Ruth
125 Naomi and Ruth
126 Ruth Works in the Fields
127 Ruth and Boaz Are Married
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150
The Story of Job
128 Job’s Troubles
129 Job’s Friends
130 God Blesses Job Again
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152
152
The Story of Jonah
131 Jonah Disobeys God
132 Jonah and the Fish
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154
The Story of David
142 David to Be the Next King
143 David Plays for King Saul
144 Goliath Frightens the Israelites
145 David Hears Goliath’s Challenge
146 David Kills Goliath
147 Saul Is Jealous
148 David’s Best Friend
149 David Tells a Lie
150 Where a Lie Can Lead
151 David Spares Saul’s Life
152 Nabal Insults David
153 David Marries Abigail
154 David Refuses to Kill the King
155 Saul Calls Samuel’s Spirit
156 David Defeats the Amalekites
157 Israel’s First King Dies
158 David Is Crowned King
159 God Punishes Uzzah
160 The Ark Returns to Jerusalem
161 David’s Kindness to Jonathan’s Family
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190
DAY
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168
PAGE
David and Bathsheba
The Baby Dies
Fighting Princes
David Runs Away from His Son
Absalom Hangs by His Hair
King David Praises God
David Chooses Solomon to Be King
The Story of Solomon
169 Solomon Becomes King
170 Solomon Makes a Wise Decision
171 Solomon Builds God’s Temple
172 God’s Glory Fills the Temple
173 Solomon’s Great Kingdom
174 King Solomon Breaks God’s Law
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The Story of the Kings
175 The Kingdom Is Divided
176 Jeroboam Builds Idols
177 A Lion Kills a Prophet
178 Jeroboam’s Son Dies
179 More Wicked Kings
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211
The Story of Elijah
180 Miracle Food
181 Elijah Raises a Dead Boy to Life
182 Drought and Famine
183 A Contest on Mount Carmel
184 Fire from Heaven
185 God Sends Rain at Last
186 An Angel Feeds Elijah
187 God Chooses a New Prophet
188 A Victory for Israel
189 Ahab’s and Jezebel’s Sin
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223
DAY
190 Ahab Dies in Battle
191 The King’s Men Chase Elijah
192 A Heavenly Chariot Ride
The Story of Elisha
193 Elisha Does Miracles
194 The Lord Provides Water
195 The Wonderful Jar of Oil
196 A Special Room for Elisha
197 A Dead Boy Lives Again
198 The Poisonous Food
199 A Servant Girl’s Advice
200 Naaman Is Healed
201 A Greedy Servant
202 The Axe That Floated and the Blind Army
PAGE
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230
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232
233
234
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237
238
239
The Story of Kings, Queens, and Prophets
203 A Time of Great Hunger
240
204 Four Men Share with Others
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205 A Woman Gets Her Land Back
242
206 Hazael Commits Murder
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207 Jehu Will Be King
245
208 A Wicked Queen Dies
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209 The Death of a Powerful Prophet
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210 God’s Prophets Warn Israel
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211 The Death of a Nation
249
The Story of Judah
212 Meanwhile, Back in Judah…
213 A Faithful King
214 God Gives Judah a Victory
215 The King’s Illness and Death
216 A Baby Prince Is Hidden
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254
DAY
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PAGE
Joash, a Wise Young King
Joash Repairs the Temple
The Death of Joash
A New King for Judah
King Uzziah Gets Leprosy
Isaiah Says a Savior Will Come
King Ahaz Nails the Temple Shut
Hezekiah Opens God’s House
Passover Becomes a Happy Time Again
An Angel Fights for Judah
Hezekiah’s Life Is Lengthened
King Manasseh’s Heart Is Changed
Another Young King
Josiah Celebrates Passover
Judah Is Ruled by Babylon
Jeremiah Is Put into a Well
Ezekiel Teaches Using Object Lessons
No One Believes Ezekiel
God’s Special Messenger
God Sends Good News
The Beautiful City Is Burned
Judah—a Lonely, Deserted Country
The Story of Daniel
239 Daniel and His Friends
240 The King Has a Scary Dream
241 The Dream and Its Meaning
242 “We Will Not Bow to the Statue”
243 How Many Men in the Furnace?
244 Another Strange Dream
245 The Mysterious Hand
246 Daniel Keeps on Praying
247 Thrown to the Lions
248 Daniel Prays for His Country
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264
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270
270
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273
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285
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290
DAY
PAGE
The Story of Return from Exile
249 Back Home at Last
290
The Story of Queen Esther
250 The Most Beautiful Queen
251 A Dangerous Law
252 Mordecai Asks Esther to Help
253 A Sneaky Plot
254 The Brave Queen Saves Her People
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293
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297
The Story of the Prophets
255 Trouble for the Builders
256 Ezra Comes to Teach
257 The King Is Kind to Nehemiah
258 The Jews Work on the City Walls
259 The Temple Is Finished at Last!
260 Joyful Celebration
261 Many Years of Trouble
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302
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305
306
309
THE NEW TESTAMENT
The Story of John the Baptist
262 A Surprise for Zechariah
263 A Promise from an Angel
264 Elizabeth Has a Baby Boy
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314
The Story of Jesus
265 God Sends His Son
266 Simeon and Anna
267 The Wise Men
268 Hiding from Herod
269 John Baptizes Jesus
270 Satan Tempts Jesus
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323
DAY
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300
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302
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304
PAGE
Jesus’ First Miracle
How to Be Born Again
King Herod—John’s Powerful Enemy
The Woman at the Well
Jesus Heals a Sick Boy
From Fishermen to Followers
Jesus Heals the Sick
Down Through the Roof!
Jesus and the Sabbath
The Twelve Special Disciples
Jesus Preaches on a Mountain
Jesus Tells How We Should Live
Two Different Houses
Jesus Shows Great Power
Showing Love to Jesus
A Story About Money
A Story About Seeds
A Story About Faith
Two Wonderful Miracles
Jesus Gives Health and Strength
Blind Men Can See
The Disciples Tell the Good News
Jesus Feeds a Crowd
Jesus Walks Across the Lake
Another Picnic and a Miracle
Peter Knows Who Jesus Is
A Miracle on a Mountain
Jesus Teaches About Pride
A Really Good Neighbor
Learning to Pray
A Blind Beggar
Open Eyes, Open Heart
Jesus Is Our Shepherd
Jesus’ Good Friend Dies
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329
330
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333
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336
337
338
339
341
342
342
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362
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369
DAY
305
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313
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315
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320
321
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323
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325
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328
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331
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333
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337
New Life for Lazarus
Ten Are Healed; One Is Grateful
Healing on the Sabbath
Looking for the Lost
The Son Who Ran Away
The Runaway Returns
The Rich Man and the Poor Man
Jesus Loves Little Children
Jesus Heals Bartimaeus’ Eyes
The Man in the Tree
Crowds Welcome Jesus to Jerusalem
The Farmer’s Son
Clothes for a Wedding
Oil for the Lamps
Using Our Talents
The Sheep and the Goats
A Gift of Love
The Disciples Celebrate Passover
Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet
The Last Supper
Jesus Prays in the Garden
Soldiers Arrest Jesus
Peter Hears the Rooster Crow
Officials Question Jesus
Pilate Frees One Prisoner
A Crown of Thorns
The Crucifixion
Jesus Dies on the Cross
Jesus Is Buried
Alive Again!
The Disciples See Jesus Alive
The Disciples Go Fishing
Back to Heaven
PAGE
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386
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399
400
401
402
403
405
407
408
DAY
The Story of the Apostles
338 The Holy Spirit Comes
339 Obeying God, Not Men
340 Lying to God
341 The Cost of Obeying God
342 A Good Man Dies for His Faith
343 Philip Helps an Ethiopian
344 Saul Sees the Light!
345 Can the Believers Trust Saul?
346 Peter Sees a Vision
347 A Gentile Believer
348 An Angel Sets Peter Free
349 Traveling Disciples Start New Churches
350 The Church Solves a Problem
PAGE
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411
412
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414
416
417
418
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420
420
422
423
DAY
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
Paul and Silas in Jail
A Helpful Earthquake
Paul’s Preaching Starts Trouble
More Christians and More Trouble
Paul Talks to Felix
Paul Appeals to Caesar
A Storm and a Shipwreck
A Snake Bites Paul
Paul Lives in Rome
Letters from the Apostles
The Christian Soldier’s Armor
Jesus Is Coming Again
The Runaway Slave
An Unsigned Letter
John’s Vision of Heaven
PAGE
423
424
426
426
428
429
430
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
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DAY 1
The World Is God’s Creation
A
Genesis 1—2
long time ago, God made the world. It was dark and empty, and nothing lived in
it. Then came six days of Creation. Here is what happened. On the first day, God
said, “Let there be light,” and light came. God called the light day. At the end of
the day, darkness returned, and God called it night.
On the second day, God placed the sky above the earth and called it heaven.
On the third day, God divided the water-covered earth into rivers, lakes, and
oceans. He made dry land appear between them. Then he made plants grow on the
land. On the fourth day, God made the big, bright sun to shine during the day. He
made the moon and sparkling stars to shine at night.
On the fifth day, God made fish and other sea creatures. Then he made waterbirds
(like ducks and geese) and other birds (like robins and eagles) that live high in the
trees. On the sixth day, God made animals.
He made huge ones (like elephants) and tiny ones (like mice). Some were beautiful
(like the tiger). Others were funny-looking (like the anteater). Some (like the cheetah)
could run fast. Others (like the turtle) walked very slowly. And God made insects—
some that flew, some that crawled, and some that jumped.
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DAY 2
God Makes the First People
W
Genesis 1—2
hile it was still the sixth day, God decided to make a man. God took dust
from the ground and made it into a man’s body. He breathed into it, and the
man became alive. God named him Adam. Adam was different from the
animals because he was like God himself.
God gave Adam a home in a beautiful garden called Eden. It was full of wonderful
fruit trees. God said, “Adam, you may eat any fruit except the fruit from this one tree,
the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If you even taste this tree’s fruit, you
will die.”
God put Adam in charge of the Garden. He told Adam to give each kind of animal,
bird, and insect a name.
God knew it wasn’t good for Adam to be the only person in the world. He needed a
friend and helper. So God made a woman from one of Adam’s ribs.
So the earth and skies, plants and animals, and human beings were finished in six
creation days. God was very pleased with everything he had made.
On the seventh day God didn’t make anything. It was a quiet, holy day of rest.
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DAY 3
The Saddest Day on Earth
S
Genesis 3
atan was in the Garden of Eden as well as God and
Adam and his wife. Satan is an evil spirit who tries
to get people to do wrong things. Satan
disguised himself as a snake, or serpent. He
asked the woman, “Did God tell you not
to eat any fruit in the Garden?”
“No!” she replied. “We can eat from
every tree except the Tree of the
Knowledge of Good and Evil. If
we eat that fruit, we will die.”
“No, you won’t!” Satan told
her. “It can’t hurt you. It will
make you wise like God!”
Then the woman made a big
mistake. She looked at the
tree. The fruit looked so good! She remembered that Satan had said it would make
her wise, so she disobeyed God and ate some of the fruit. Then she gave some to
Adam to eat.
Later they heard God calling them. They didn’t answer. Instead, they hid among
the trees because they were afraid of him. God called again. “Where are you, Adam?”
“I’m hiding,” Adam finally said. “I’m afraid of you.”
“Why? Did you eat the fruit I told you not to eat?” God asked.
Adam blamed his wife. “The woman brought me some, and I ate it.”
God asked the woman, “Did you really do that?”
“I did, because the serpent tricked me,” she said.
What weak excuses for disobeying God.
DAY 4
Disobedience Brings Punishment
B
Genesis 3
ecause Adam and his wife listened to the serpent instead of to
God, God punished them. First, God told the serpent, “From now
on, you will have to crawl on the dusty ground. You will be a
special enemy of the woman and her children. You will strike at
their heels, but they will crush your head.”
Then God told the woman that because she had
disobeyed, she would suffer pain when her
children were born.
God said to Adam, “Because you ate the
fruit I told you not to eat, you will have to
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work hard to grow crops. Then you will die, and your body will return to the ground
from which I made it.”
After that Adam named his wife Eve. Her name meant she would become the first
mother of all the people who would ever live on the earth.
God made Adam and Eve leave the beautiful Garden of Eden for fear that they
might also eat from the Tree of Life and live forever in their sinfulness. Then God
sent angels with swords to guard the entrance to the Garden and to the Tree of Life.
DAY 5
The World’s First Murder
E
Genesis 4
ve gave birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. Cain became a farmer, and
Abel became a shepherd. When it was time to offer God a gift, Cain
brought grain and fruit, and Abel sacrificed a lamb. God was pleased
with Abel’s offering, but he saw that Cain had disobedience in
his heart, so he didn’t accept Cain’s gifts. Cain became very
angry.
“Why are you so angry?” God asked him. “If you do what
is right, I will be pleased with you, too. If you don’t, you will
always be in trouble because of your sin.”
Cain became more angry with God, and he hated Abel
because God had accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not his.
One day the brothers went out to the field together.
Cain attacked Abel and killed him.
God called to Cain: “Where is your brother?”
“How should I know?” Cain answered crossly. “Am I supposed to look after him all
the time?”
God knows everything we do, and he knew that Cain had killed Abel. He said,
“Your brother’s blood calls out to me from the ground. Now you must leave home and
wander from place to place. You will live in fear, and your crops will never grow well.”
DAY 6
The Man Who Walked with God
A
Genesis 5
dam lived until he was 930 years old. He and Eve had many children and
grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Soon many, many people lived in the
world.
One of them was Enoch. The Bible tells us Enoch loved God and thought about him
all the time. Enoch and God were friends, and Enoch pleased God by obeying him in
every way.
When Enoch was 365 years old, God took him to live with him. We don’t know how
it happened, but we know Enoch didn’t have to die the way other people do.
Enoch had a son named Methuselah, who lived to be 969 years old. As far as we
know, Methuselah was the oldest man who has ever lived.
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