YEA Lesson Library
Choices
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches that Satan deceived Eve into disobeying God. There were consequences to Adam and Eve’s disobedience, just as the student will experience consequences for not obeying God.
Scriptures
Genesis 2:8-17
Genesis 3:1-14
John 8:44
Romans 5:12
Romans 6:23
Ephesians 5:6
Words to Know
CONSEQUENCES - the effect which follows an action; result; outcome
TEMPT - to invite or persuade to an act which is evil, immoral, or unwise
SUFFERING - having great pain
The Lesson
Karen and her mother were working in the garden when Karen began to think of her Sabbath School lesson about Adam and Eve living in the Garden of Eden. This was a good time to ask her mother some questions about things she didn't understand.
"Mom," Karen said, "when God made Adam and Eve, He put them in the Garden of Eden. It was a beautiful place filled with ripe fruits and vegetables. God made squirrels and animals to play in the trees and fields. There were many sweet smelling flowers. Why don't we live there today?”
"You're right," Mom explained, "the Garden of Eden was a beautiful place. God put Adam and Eve there and told them to work it and keep it beautiful. There were trees full of fruit. The garden had many ripe vegetables ready to be picked. It was the most beautiful, perfect place you could imagine. God told Adam and Eve that they could eat the fruit and nuts from any of the trees - except one!”
"What tree was that, Mom?" Karen asked.
"In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God commanded Adam that he was not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," Mom continued.
"Did Adam obey?" Karen asked.
"One day Eve heard a voice. She looked around to see who was talking to her. She saw a serpent - a snake that could talk! That was strange! This snake told Eve, 'Go ahead, have some of the fruit. If you eat it, you will become like God,’" Mom told Karen.
"Did Eve eat the fruit? And did she become like God?" Karen asked.
"Eve did eat the fruit and, no, she didn't become like God," Mom explained. "Satan, the snake, lied to Eve and she believed him. Eve also got Adam to eat of the fruit of the tree that God said not to eat. Eve made a choice to eat the fruit, and Adam also made the wrong choice.”
"Then what happened?" Karen wanted to know.
Mom told her, "God saw what Adam and Eve had done. He came down to the garden to talk to them. But, when Adam and Eve heard God walking, they hid themselves. Just think, they tried to hide from God! When you do something really bad, do you feel like hiding from God? When God asked Adam what he had done, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the snake; she said he had tricked her. They both made wrong choices. They had to pay the consequences.”
"Mom," Karen pleaded, "Were the consequences bad?”
"Karen, you asked why we don't live in the Garden of Eden today," said Mom. "It is because Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command and ate the fruit He told them not to eat. Because Adam and Eve listened to Satan and disobeyed God, they were punished. God made them leave the beautiful Garden of Eden to live in a world with pain and suffering. Things were no longer perfect. When God tells us to do something, we must be careful to do it. Satan will try to tempt you to do what he wants you to do. He may say, ‘If you do this, you'll look cool.' But we must believe God and not listen to Satan.”
"Mom, tell me," Karen quizzed, "Was the serpent punished as well?”
"Yes, Karen," Mom answered, "From then on, the snake would crawl on its belly on the ground. Whenever God tells us to do something, or not to do something, it is for our own good. If Adam and Eve had listened to God, they might still be living in the perfect garden. But, they suffered consequences because they disobeyed God. Sin always brings suffering. Sin brings about sickness, suffering, death, and many more bad things. God wants you to make good choices and obey Him. If you ask Him, He will help you.”
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for showing me why we don't still live in the Garden of Eden. Help me to make the right choices and obey your commands so that you will bless me with good things and not bad consequences.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday -Genesis 2:17
Monday- Genesis 3:4-5
Tuesday - Genesis 3:8
Wednesday - John 8:44
Thursday - Romans 5:12
Friday- Romans 6:23
Saturday - Ephesians 5:6
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, children will be able to:
1. Tell what was in the middle of the Garden of Eden.
2. Tell who tempted Eve and told her it was okay to eat the fruit.
3. Explain the consequences of Adam and Eve's choice.
4. State who God want us to act like
.
Topics & Themes
Adam and Eve
Choices
Consequences of Sin
Garden of Eden
Obedience
Punishment
Sin
Temptation by Satan
Tree of the Knowledge of Good/Evil
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars or stickers, songbook, CD, puppet, newsprint pad, items that can be dropped without damage: feather, ball, sheet of paper, book, pencil, etc.
Preparation
Arrive early enough to attach sheets of newsprint pad to the wall at children's eye-level. As each student arrives, ask him/her to draw things on the newsprint that they think would have been in the Garden of Eden. Continue this activity until all of the students have arrived. This activity can be completed at the end of class.
Elementary school children commonly follow rules, but they often don’t see beyond the stigma of getting caught at doing wrong. Direct their thinking to God's reasons for His rules. Point out how God rewards our keeping His rules: a long life if we obey our parents, having many friends by being friendly.
Purchase or make a puppet. Using it will hold students' attention and make your class fun. Today's lesson points out the truth that there are consequences for failing to obey the rules. Whenever we make a choice, there is a consequence. If we make good Choices, usually there are good results or consequences. If we choose to do what is wrong, we usually face bad consequences.
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening the class with prayer, introduce the class to Harley, the puppet. Tel students that Harley has some questions about why we don't still live in the Garden of Eden today, so we invited him to come to Sabbath School so he could ask questions and get some answers.
Object Lesson - Ask students to choose one of the following objects: feather, ball, sheet of paper, book, pencil, or other items that can be dropped without damage. Line up students and ask them to hold their objects out in front of them. When you say "go," the children are to drop their objects. Ask: What happened to all these things? (They fell to the floor.)
Harley: Why didn't they float in the air?
Teacher: They obey the law of gravity, Harley.
Harley: What's that? Do you know, children?
Teacher: Gravity is a force that pulls everything to the ground. God gave us laws. If you obey His laws, there are good consequences. If you disobey, there are bad consequences. If you drop something, the natural consequence is for it to fall to the ground. Can you think of other examples, such as, if you jump in a lake, you’ll get wet? (Allow children to answer.)
Harley: I know, I know one, Teacher.
Teacher: What example can you give, Harley, that shows the natural consequence for doing something?
Harley: If you touch a hot stove, you'll get burned.
Teacher: Harley, you're right. Everything God created has rules that must be followed. The sun, moon, and planets must follow the path that God laid out for them. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He gave them rules. Adam had a job to do: he was to tend the garden and name the animals. God expected Adam to obey Him. Adam and Eve were told not to eat the fruit of one tree in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Harley: Teacher, that's a mouthful. Don't you think so, children? Did you say the name of that tree is the knowledge of good and evil?
Teacher: Yes. In Genesis 2:17, God said, “If you eat the fruit, you will be doomed to die." Satan showed up where Eve was. He wasn't ugly but he was a snake. He was tricky and he knew how to get Eve to listen to him. He made Eve think God was unfair and wasn’t telling the truth. He told Eve that, if she ate the fruit, she wouldn't die and her eyes would be opened. She would be like a god, knowing good and evil. Eve made the wrong choice. She decided to listen to Satan. She ate the fruit from the tree and gave some to Adam. Adam also made the wrong choice.
Harley: Will Satan try to tell us the same things today?
Teacher: Harley, that's a very good question. God came to the garden and Adam and Eve were hiding. He gave them the chance to tell Him what they had done, but Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent for giving her the fruit . . . and there were consequences. God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden and they could not come back. Sin always has bad results; it cuts us off from God. Punishment is never pleasant, but it teaches us a lesson so we won't make the same mistake again. We must learn from our mistakes. We don't like to be punished. The way not to be punished is to make good Choices. God wants our behavior to always be like His.
Harley: That answers my questions. Now I know why we don’t live in the Garden of Eden.
Review Questions
Have Harley ask the questions:
1. What was in the middle of the Garden of
Eden?
2. What talked to Eve and told her it was okay to eat the fruit?
3. What were the consequences of Adam and Eve's choice?
4. Who does God want us to act like?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Have students finish drawing what they started in the pre-class activity.
REACH Activity
Special Materials Needed:
Popsicle sticks, double picture frame, wrapping paper
Activities:
1. Do a sword drill. Use the Daily Devotional Scriptures in the YEA book, Color My World. Read out the Scripture reference. Then start the timer. When the child has found the verse, stop the timer. Read the verse and talk about how it relates to the lesson. Challenge the child to see how quickly he/she can find each of the verses in the Bible. The sword drill works well as a competition game if you have more than one child.
2. Write the first half of the memory verse on black construction paper with white crayon or colored pencil. Write second half on white construction paper with black crayon or colored pencil. Glue back to back.
3. Write “sin in bubble letters on paper. Color the letters black. Write Jesus Christ on a strip of paper. Glue it over the word sin. Jesus Christ pays the penalty for the sins you have done, if He is your Savior.
4. Sing: “O Be Careful Little Eyes” on page 39 of Kids Classics Collection.
5. Sing: “Whisper a Prayer” on page 57 of Kids Classics Collection.
6. Retell the story to someone in your family.
7. Draw two trees. Label one the “Tree of Life” and the other the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.” Label them “The Right Way” and “The Wrong Way.” Then label them “God’s Way” and “Everything Else.” Write “Choose Life” at the bottom of the drawing.
8. When have you made a good choice? A bad choice? Share and discuss how you felt before and after those decisions. Say a prayer asking God to help you see the right decisions to make and stay away from the bad ones.
9. Adam and Eve made the wrong choices. But you don’t have to. Write a prayer in your Bible notebook, asking God to help you make choices that honor Him.
10. Warning signs are all around us. They are made to keep us safe. Make a sign that will remind you of God’s love and how much He wants you to be safe in the world He created for you!
11. Have you ever been tricked by someone? Has anyone ever told you a lie or cheated you? How did it make you feel? Talk about it with your family.
12. Sing: “One Door and Only One” on page 44 of Kids Classics Collection.
13. When you read the Bible it is as if God is speaking to you. For three days make a list of things you learn from your YEA Bible lesson. Talk to someone about what you have been learning about making good choices. What good choices have you made lately?
14. Colors are all around us and add to the excitement of the world God created for us. What are your favorite colors? Paint or use some other color tool to create a picture which shows only your favorite colors.
15. Buy a small double picture frame. Take a picture of your family. Cut it to fit one side of the frame. Write the following verse on a piece of wrapping paper that will fit the other side of the frame: “As for me and my family, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15). Display in your room or home.
16. Memorize Genesis 3:23. How do you think Adam and Eve felt when God made them leave the Garden of Eden?
Song
"O Be Careful Little Eyes" is on page 39 of the Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the children in prayer asking that God will help each child to obey Him.
Printable Pages
