Mary MacKillop An Australian Hero

This year I have learnt about the life of Mary MacKillop. She was a pioneering woman who became a nun. During her lifetime she travelled Australia and New Zealand setting up schools and helping the poor and needy. Recently the Pope declared her a Saint.

Teaching kids about Mary MacKillop is a worthwhile lesson.

The Tower of Babel and Abram called from Ur

The Tower of Babel and Abram is called from Ur

Genesis 11

The aim of this study is to show that God dispersed the people and confused their language and from this many languages emerged.

Questions

1. What language did the descendants of Noah speak?

2. Why did men want to build the tower?

3. Who did they want to glorify?

4. How does God react to the ambitions of men? Note the use of us!

5. What happened? What two changes did God make among men?

6. Where did men go?

7. This is the first time we meet Abraham. Where is he living?

8. Where is Terah going to take his family? Where does he stop?

The First Language—Edenees

Today a few scholars believe that from Adam to Nimrod the whole world spoke Hebrew. One of the reasons for this is that many of the early names still have meaning in Hebrew but not in other languages. Another argument is that when Noah complied the books written from Adam to Noah he didn’t rewrite them in a different language for example when he made an editorial comment he used the original language like Ephrath and made a comment that that is now Bethlehem. All claims that Hebrew is not the original language are based on the assumption that “men made up language” but so far no one has figured out how someone could have done this.

One Mind, One Language—The Tower of Babel 2247BC

About 100 years after the flood The Tower of Babel was built. Noah would still have been alive.Many believe that the Tower of Babel was commissioned by Nimrod (mentioned in Gen 10:8-12). Nimrod is attributed with founding and building the cities of Babel (Babylon), Erech (close to Ur), Akkad (an early Mesopotamian power) and Calah (named Nimrud after it’s ruler).

The People Dispersed –2247BC (about 650 years after the flood)

The people’s language is now confused and they disperse to the ends of the earth. Linguistic experts (those who study language) have proposed that there are about 70—90 original language families and this is the same number of families named in Genesis 10.

From Shem to Abram

Arphaxed was born when Shem was 102 Shem lived to 600

Salah born when Arphaxed was 35 Arphaxed lived to 438

Eber born when Salah was 30 Salah lived to 433

Peleg was born when Eber was 34 Eber lived to 464

Rue was born when Peleg was 30 Peleg lived 239

Serug was born when Rue was 32 Rue lived to 239

Nahor was born when Serug was 30 Serug lived to 230

Terah was born when Nahor was 29 Nahor lived 148

Abram was born when Terah was 70 Terah died at 205

*Shem was 490 years old when Abraham was born.

• Do you think Abraham and Shem met? Shem didn’t die till Abraham was 110.

• Could Abraham have been given the old books and genealogies to keep safe?

• Did Shem still have Adam’s book or Noah’s book?



The Spade—Archaeology

Sometimes you might read different dates to what the bible says for kingdoms and events. This has made some people struggle with the dates that the bible uses. Recently I read an article on the dating of the Kings of Israel. They had revised Ussher dates and now had other ones. It said the reason for their revision was correct so far as the spade and archaeology has revealed.

Archaeology is a science dating from the 1800’s. It is it is historic in nature and often the findings are more assumptions based on theory rather than repeatable testing to examine a hypothesis. For this reason archaeologist’s findings are often flawed. Take the city of Ninevah as an example. For many years archaeologists claimed that it did not exist until it was discovered by Austen Henry Layard in 1847.

This therefore begs the question—should we be trying to make the bible fit the “truth” of archaeology or the trust the bible!

Why do You Choose to Believes the Bible

I just listened to this whole sermon on this question. It is very well explained incorporation the arguements of today and giving intellegent thoughtful answers.

Get comfortable and listen. It takes about 50mins. Please take the time to listen.

The Son's of Noah-Ham, Japeth and Shem

The Book of the Son’s of Noah

Genesis Chapter 9--10

The aim of this study is to see that after the flood it was a whole new beginning for mankind. The land was different and new nation began from the Noah’s sons. Chapter 10 is a record of all the people groups. These people groups spread across the earth.


The Birth of Civilization—the Fertile Crescent 2349 BC

From the ark, the sons of Noah would have come down from the mountain and settled.  If you look at a map of the Middle East you will see that the area below the mountains of Armenia, two rivers flow. They are called the Euphrates (not the same one as the Garden of Eden; probably in memory of Eden) and the Tigris.  Between these two rivers the region is called Mesopotamia, the land of Shinar. This is where civilization is said to have begun, even secular historian agree on this one.  Some of the excavated cities in this region are Sumer, Ur and Nineveh.

Where did the Ark land and Where is the Ark now?

For many years it was said that the ark was to be found on top of a high mountain in Armenia. Today that mountain is within the borders of Turkey.
Josephus (a Jewish historian during Jesus' times) reords in his writings that Armenians have relics to show you from the ark. Marco Polo is said to have been to the mountain where the ark was supposed to have settled but could not climb it, as the snow on the summit never melts, but keeps increasing each year. A Babylonian writer records that the ship was grounded in Armenia and its descendants went to live in Babylon (formally Sumer). This is just like the bible account.
There are also reports of people sighting the ark from a plane or helicopter. Today the exact location of that mountain is not known so it is now referred to as “lost”.



Covenant and Curse—The Promised Land.

Noah curses his son Ham and in his curse prophesies that Ham’s descendants will serve the descendants of the other two. This prophecy was historically fulfilled in the conquest of Canaan (inhabited by Ham’s descendants) by Shem’s descendants, the Hebrews.

The Table of Nations

Noah’s three sons were the fathers' of many nations. (Gen 9:18-19).

Japheth— These people spread mostly throughout Europe and one group in India. The Greeks also claim Japheth, in fact the name Jupiter is derived from one of his son’s name. A small south western Chinese tribe Miao also claims to be a descendent. They call him Japhu.

Ham—Canaan, Ham's son, settled just east of the Mediterranean in a land which became known as the land of Canaan. They also settled in Africa and Egypt and possibly, to the Far East. Their languages are called Hamitic languages.

Shem—This people group are called Semitic; originally Shemitic because they were dependents of Ham. Shem’s son Arphaxed is in Abraham’s family tree. The other descendents are mostly Middle Eastern, known today as Arabs.

What about all the different skin colours?

Modern genetics shows that when a large, freely interbreeding group is suddenly broken into many smaller groups which from then on breed only among themselves (as the Biblical description of the language dispersion at Babel would imply), different racial characteristics will arise very rapidly. These twin girls and pictured with their biological parents are evidence of this.

A New Earth, Cave Men and an Ice Age

After the flood the world looked different. It was probably a lot harsher. Man’s lifespan decreased rapidly. Even the age they started having children was much shorter. They had no homes to live in. They had to start from scratch.

Where might they have sheltered? Could it be caves? Cave art, jewellery, weapons and tools have all been discovered from people who lived in caves. Were they living there just after the flood? Where they really primitive!

Many Creation Science scholars also believe that the ice age began soon after the flood and could have lasted more than 500years. Up to 30% of the worlds surface was covered with ice.

Questions to ask
1.    What are Noah’s instructions as soon as he leaves the ark?
2.    What are they now allowed to eat as food that they couldn’t before?
3.    What was the BIG change in the relationship between man and animals after the flood?
4.    This is the first mention of the word “covenant” in the Bible. What is a covenant? What are the terms of God’s covenant with Noah?
5.    What is the significance of the rainbow?
6.    What foolish thing did Noah do?
7.    How do the reactions of his sons differ?
8.    What is the consequence of Ham’s disrespect for his father?

Noah and the Flood-Biblical World View

The Book of Noah
Scripture: Genesis 5:1b—6:9a—7
Lesson Notes

• The aim of this lesson is to help show that Noah’s ark is not just a cute animal fairytale but rather a catastrophic milestone in the course of human history.

The story of Noah is pivotal in the history of mankind and could be broken down into many lessons but we only have one week to cover this great man.  This portion of scripture is Noah’s account of what was happening before The Flood and just after.  Noah may have written more but this is what Abraham included in the book of Genesis. Genesis 6:4 shows evidence of Moses’ editing “in those days, and also afterwards”.

Noah’s Timeline –The Flood 2349 BC

The first part of Noah’s book begins with a genealogy from Adam to Noah. This genealogy also appears in 1 Chronicles1:1—4 and Luke 3:36c—38. There are 10 generations and eight rulers (Enoch went to heaven before his father’s death and Methuselah also outlived his son Lamech). King’s list dug up in Sumer show 8 kings before the flood.


Adam to Seth    130y
Seth to Enos    105y
Enos to Cainan    90y
Cainan to Mahalaleel    70y
Mahalaeel to Jared    60y
Jared to Enoch    162y
Enoch to Methuselah    65y
Methuselah to Lamech    187y
Lamech to Noah    182y
Noah begat Shem    502y

Were Noah’s sons triplets? Genesis 5:32.

“And Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

The Landmark date for Noah was not his sons’ births but rather the flood. The age of Noah at his son’s birth were not given exactly according to Noah’s age like all the other dates in the genealogy. His genealogy was recorded from the flood. The flood occurred when he was 600 and he died 350 years after the flood. Scholars have worked out Seth’s birth date to be when Noah was 502 using Seth’s genealogy and flood dates.

Kinds of Animals on the boat!
God brought the animals to Noah and they were all different kids. That does not mean they were every different variation of one kind. How many types of dogs can you think of? Well Noah only needed to put one KIND of dog not poodles, bull dogs, dingos and greyhounds.

The Science of Noah’s Flood?

This story is often seen as just a fable for little kids. Pictures depict  a tiny boat with a Noah and his wife plus a menagerie animals on deck (Where  were the dinosaurs?). This representation is unhelpful because it makes the story seem ridiculous.
Noah’s flood was a catastrophic event in human history. With such a catastrophe taking place you would expect to find some evidence of this event. Looking at science there is evidence of a cataclysmic flood. Here are some!

Geological Evidence for The Flood can be seen in fossils. Up until Darwin’s theory emerged everyone just assumed that fossils were created in the flood. One edition of a Creation Science magazine will cover this topic in great detail. In short large portions animals were quickly fossilized, some even had food in their mouths. Deep valleys were also carved out of stone from flood waters receding.

Many ancient writings record the flood and the generations before the flood. The most famous example is Gilgamesh, this is an ancient poem from Sumer (before Babylon) depicting a flood story extremely similar to Noah’s flood.

Chinese Writing and Noah's Flood

Maio a south western Chinese tribe have passed down their history orally and they have many details which agree with the biblical account. They quote all the way back to the first man—Dirt who was made from the dust of the earth. Also names such as Seth, Lamech, Noah and his sons are recognised. They even tell us Noah’s wife’s name Gaw Bo-lu-en.

The Chinese people arrived in their land shortly after Babel. Chinese writing using word pictures for boat depicts a vessel with eight people. http://objectiveministries.org/creation/chinese.html

Evil Days—Genesis 6:1-9

The evil times that Noah was living in record giants!
Could giants have existed?
It could be that these were the product of fallen Angels (Job 2:1; Job 38:7) who produced children with human women. Many cultures have a record of great warriors who were half God and half human. An example is Achilles in the story of Troy (Iliad). Other cultures including England record giants, no doubt these stories have an origin from Noah’s times.


Questions to ask about the Biblical account of Noah’s Ark



1. Did Noah wait till it started raining to enter the Ark?
2. How many people were in the Ark?

3. Who gathered the animals? Who closed the Ark door?

4. What was the first thing Noah did after leaving the Ark?

5. What promise did God make after leaving the Ark?

Children's Ministry Workers

Today I have spent the day pondering and writing some Children's Ministry material. Surfing around the net for some inspiration I came across this gem. I thought I'd post it here for you.

As children's ministers, we're in a very unique position. We're leaders, and yet we're not given a lot of attention in the normal church leadership. We just keep quietly working behind the scenes doing "our thing." I'm beginning to see that we have been strategically placed in the body almost like secret service agents--we can do a tremendous amount of advancement yet go undetected, in a sense. No one pays alot of attention to the kids--that gives us the freedom to build an incredible army--the secret weapon in the church--the kids! Becky Fisher

Sunday School Lesson: The Sons of Adam

Scripture: Genesis 2:4b—5:1a

Lesson Notes:

The aim of this lesson is to see that Adam is made in the image of God and he has a special role on this earth. That sin came into the world through Adam's sin but God in his mercy had a plan for redemption from the Seed of the woman –the Messiah!

Man is made in the image of God and he has work to do!

Man was made differently and God gave him a job. He was to be a wise steward of God's creation. After the fall he still had work to do but it became more difficult.

The Promise!

Adam, Eve and the serpent all had a curse placed on them after they sinned. But God also had a plan for redemption. Genesis 3:15 is generally seen as the first prophecy of the Messiah.

Seth is Adam and Eve's third son. From his decendants Noah is born.

Who was Cain's wife?

In the Bible it says that Adam and Eve had other sons and daughters (he lived to be 930 after all). In those days brothers and sisters would have married. If close relatives were permitted to marry today we would have many defects for we all carry imperfect genes.

Men of Technology

Genesis 4:17—24 give us some of the history of Cain and his descendants. Notice the technology and skills in this age. These men built cities, played and made instruments, worked with metals to make tools, lived in tents and raised cattle.

This is quite different from the evolutionary representation of primitive man that says man moved from cave to tent to wandering around with animals and then he worked out how to make fences and then VOILA! –a city!

Questions to ask

1. How is man different to the animals?
   
2. Why was Eve created?
   
3. What was Adam's job?
   
4. How did Adam and Eve sin?
   
5. Did Adam die when he ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?
   
6. What was the consequence?
   
7. Who was the Adam's first son?
   
8. What was Cain's occupation?
   
9. Why did Cain murder his brother?
   
10. What was Cain's punishment?
    
11. What is name of Adam and Eve's third son?
    

Our Dates 4000BC— 2349BC

• 4004 BC Adam created
  
• Cain slays Abel
  
• 3874BC Seth Born
  
• 3384BC Enoch born (taken to heaven 3017 BC)
  
• 3317BC Methuselah born. He lived to be 969 and died the year of the flood
  
• 3074BC Adam dies
  
• 2962 BC Seth dies
  
• 2948 BC Noah born
  
• 2349 BC The Flood
  

Suggested Activities

• Own Picture
  
• 
  
  Eden is now guarded by angles with flaming swords. Cain goes to live in the land of Nod. Where would that be? Design the city. What would you need?
  
  • a market
    
  • homes
    
  • entertainment places
    
• 
  
  Make a musical instrument.
  
  • Construction Materials
    
  • Build a city