Genesis 22:1–19 | Abraham & Isaac | Sacrifice

LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS

In Genesis 22:1–19, Abraham is tested by God in a deeply emotional and dramatic way. God asks him to offer his beloved son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. Abraham’s obedience reveals the depth of his faith, trusting that God could even raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. This moment marks a pivotal demonstration of surrender, with Abraham choosing to obey God even when it seemed to cost him everything.

In Hebrews 11:17–19, the writer reflects on Abraham’s faith as exemplary. It was not blind obedience, but a deep, reasoned belief in God’s promise. Abraham trusted that God’s plan was always good, even when he didn’t understand it. This story points ahead to God’s provision of His own Son and teaches that real faith means giving everything to God, holding nothing back.

OPENING ACTIVITY 6:00–6:15 | Coins in Playdoh

Items Needed

• Playdoh
• Assorted coins (1 bag per child)

Give each child an assorted bag of coins and a jar of Playdoh. Ask them to push the coins into the Playdoh to make imprints. Point out that on the coins are the words “In God We Trust”. Let them know to that today’s Bible story is about trusting God.

SONG 6:20–6:30

PRAYER 6:30–6:40

• Sing: “Whisper a Prayer” (soft and slow)
• Form a prayer circle
• Say: “Dear God, help us trust You like Abraham did. Help us remember that You are always good, even when we don’t understand. Amen.”

BIBLE STORY 6:40–6:50

Question 1: What book of the Bible is this from? (Genesis)
Question 2: Is it in the Old or New Testament? (Old Testament)

Story:
A long time ago, God told Abraham that he would have a big family, more than the stars in the sky! But Abraham and Sarah didn’t have any children. When Abraham was 100, and Sarah was 90, God gave them a baby boy named Isaac.

Abraham loved Isaac very much. One day, God told Abraham to do something very hard. He said, “Take your son Isaac to the mountain and give him to Me.” Abraham didn’t understand, but he trusted God.

So Abraham and Isaac walked up the mountain. Isaac asked, “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham said, “God will provide.”

When they got to the top, Abraham made an altar. He was ready to give God Isaac, but then, God said, “Stop!” God saw Abraham’s big faith and gave him a ram to sacrifice instead.

Abraham trusted God, even when it was hard. And God took care of everything!

Theological Questions:

• Who gave Abraham his son? (God)
• Who did God provide instead of Isaac? (A ram)

Life Application Questions:

• Can we trust God when we’re scared? (Yes)
• What are some things we can give to God? (Toys, time, love)

Prayer:
Dear God, thank You for always keeping Your promises. Help me trust You like Abraham did. Amen.

BIBLE STORY GAME 6:50–7:00 | Trust Walk Adventure

Items Needed:

• Cooler with Ice
• Juice boxes (in cooler)

How to Play:

Start with an announcement:
“Today, we’re going on a Trust Adventure! That means we’re going to try some fun things and talk about what it means to trust!”

STATION 1: “Trust the Chair”
Action: Walk to a row of chairs.
Say: “Can we trust this chair to hold us when we sit down? Let’s try!”
Follow-up: “What did you do to show you believed the chair would work?” (Sat in it!)

STATION 2: “Trust the Door”
Action: March to the door.
Say: “This door is closed. Can we trust it to open when we need it to?”
Let them open and walk through.
Follow-up: “What did you do to show you trusted the door?” (Opened it and walked through!)

STATION 3: “Trust the Fridge”
Action: Tiptoe to a cooler with drinks inside.
Say: “This cooler keeps things cold. Do you think it did its job today?”
Hand out cold juice boxes
Follow-up: “What did we do to show we trusted the cooler?” (Took a drink!)

STATION 4: “Trust Your Body”
Action: Giant steps or crab walks back to the classroom.
Say: “Can you trust your legs to keep standing? Can you trust your hands to clap?”
Let them try different motions.
Follow-up: “What did you do to show you trust your body?” (Moved, stood, jumped, etc.)

Trust Talk While Drinking Juice:
Sit and sip together while guiding a quick reflection:

• What does it mean to trust someone or something?
• Why did we trust those things today?
• Can we always trust God to take care of us? (Yes!)
• What are some ways we can show God we trust Him?

Say Together:
“God is good. God takes care of me. I can trust Him!”

BIBLE CRAFT 7:00–7:10 | Ram in a Tree Craft

Items Needed

• Ram in a Tree Craft (Printed on Cardstock)
• Glue
• Cotton Balls
• Crayons

Have children color the paper. Then have them put glue on the back of the ram and stick cotton balls on it. Remind them that in the story, God provided a ram for the sacrifice. God will always provide for our needs.

SNACK TIME & COLORING 7:10–7:25

Items Needed

• Coloring Page
• Crayons
• Snack

Children color while enjoying a snack and reflecting on the story.

BONUS ACTIVITY: Ram Hide & Seek

Hide a small toy ram around the room. Children take turns finding it. Discuss how God provided the ram in the story.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Genesis 22:1–19 (KJV)

22 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.

² And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

³ And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

⁴ Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

⁵ And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

⁶ And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

⁷ And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

⁸ And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

⁹ And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.

¹⁰ And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.

¹¹ And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

¹² And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.

¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.

¹⁵ And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

¹⁶ And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

¹⁷ That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

¹⁸ And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

¹⁹ So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba.

PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET

Today’s Key Takeaway: Trusting God

What I Learned Today:

1. Abraham loved God and trusted Him.
2. God asked Abraham to give up something very special.
3. God always keeps His promises and takes care of us.

Questions to Ask Me:

Theological Questions

1. Who gave Abraham his son? (God)
2. Why did God test Abraham? (To see if he would obey)
3. What did God send instead of Isaac? (A ram)
4. What does this teach us about God? (He provides)
5. Where did this story happen? (Mount Moriah)

Life Application Questions

1. What is something I love that I can give to God? (Toys, time, love)
2. Can I trust God even when it’s hard? (Yes)
3. What does it mean to obey God? (Do what He says)
4. How can I show faith in God? (By trusting and obeying)
5. What is something I can thank God for today? (Family, love, Jesus)