Cain and Abel

Passage

Familiarize yourself with this passage:

Genesis 4:1-26

After they were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve began to have children. Their oldest was a boy named Cain. After Cain they had another boy named Abel. Cain grew crops and Able raised livestock. One day Cain and Abel brought a sacrifice to the God. Cain brought some of his crops. Abel brought the very best of his animals. God liked Abel’s sacrifice, but he did not like Cain’s, so Cain was angry with God and with Abel. God asked Cain why he was mad. God told him if he did what was right that his sacrifice would be accepted also. God also warned him that if he did not do what was right, it would be easier for him to fall into sin. Cain did not listen to God’s words. Instead, Cain took his brother Abel out into a field and killed him. God punished Cain by sending him away from his family and his land to wander the earth. After this, God gave Adam and Eve another son named Seth.

Object Lesson (optional):

Supplies Needed:

• Cake pan

• Water

• Two strands of hair

Directions:

1. Put water in a cake pan so that the bottom is completely covered.

2. Ask one girl and one boy to give you a strand of their hair. Tell them that they are going to see the hairs fight each other and that they will have to watch the hairs very closely.

3. Place the two hairs in the water and begin telling the story. Stay crouched over the pan as you tell the story.

4. When you get to the part of the story where God told Cain that sin is crouching at the door and it desires to have him, then slap the water in the pan so that the children get a little wet. 

5. When you finish telling the story, tell the kids that we never expect sin to happen, just like they did not expect you to slap the water in the pan. It can  surprise us and can catch us off guard. This is why God warned Cain. We should also try to do what is right because sin can surprise us, too!

Memory Verse:

Genesis 4:7
If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.

Jesus Connection:

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith in Jesus it is impossible to please God. If we have faith in Jesus, then he will always be standing alongside us to help us overcome the temptation of sin (1 Corinthians 10:13) We must be aware of that “sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you”, and without the help of Jesus we are not be able to rule over it, as God has told us to do.

Songs

“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”

He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands,
He's got the whole world in His hands, He's got the whole world in His hands!

He's got the itty, bitty, baby in His hands, He's got the itty, bitty, baby in His hands,
He's got the itty, bitty, baby in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands!

He's got momma and papa, He's got momma and papa,
He's got momma and papa, He’s got the whole world in His hands!

He's got you and me, sister/brother, in His hands, He's got you and me, sister/brother, in His hands,
He's got you and me, sister/brother, in His hands, He’s got the whole world in His hands!

Games/Activities

Tick-Tack-Toe Review Game:

Supplies Needed:

• Masking tape
• Two colors of Bean bags, 3-4 bags of each color (or two sets of x and o cards)
• Review questions
Directions:
1. Before class, use the masking tape to make a tick-tack-toe board on the floor. Also place a piece of tape on the floor where the children should stand when tossing the bean bags.
2. Divide the children into two teams. Give each team a set of bags.
3. Take turns asking each team questions from the lesson. If a team gets the question correct, a team member gets to throw the bean bag at the tick-tack-toe board.
4. The first team to get three in a row wins.
5. *To make this more challenging for older children, if there is already a bag in a space and their team gets into that same space as well, you can either say the first bag in the space stays, or the most recent bag in the space stays.

Review Questions:

• What were the names of Adam and Eve’s first two sons? (Cain and Abel)
• What did Cain do for a living? (He worked with plants; he was a farmer.)
• What did Able do for a living? (He worked with animals; he was a shepherd.)
• What did Cain and Abel do for God? (They both brought God a sacrifice.)
• What sacrifice did Cain bring to God? (Some of the produce from his plants.)
• What sacrifice did Abel bring to God? (The very best lamb from all his animals.)
• Whose sacrifice did God like more? (Abel’s.)
• Why did God like Abel’s sacrifice more than Cain’s? (Abel brought God the best, but Cain did not bring the best.)
• What warning did God give to Cain? (Genesis 4:7; If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.)
• What did Cain do to his brother Abel? (He killed him.)
• What punishment did God give Cain for killing Abel? (God sent him away from his family.)
• Who is always there to help us when we feel tempted to sin? (Jesus!)

Crafts/Projects

Fluffy Sheep

Supplies Needed:

• White and black construction paper
• Cotton balls
• Glue
• Scissors
• White crayon
• 2 googly eyes (optional)
• Red yarn (optional)

Directions:

1. Out of white paper, cut an oval shaped cloud. This will be the sheep’s body.
2. Out of black paper, draw with a white crayon: 4 small rectangles (the legs), a medium sized circle (the head), and two ‘bean’ shapes (the ears). Cut out these shapes.
3. Cover the sheep’s body with glue.
4. Stick the 4 legs onto the bottom of the body.
5. Cover the rest of the sheep with cotton balls.
6. Glue the sheep ears to the head, and then glue the head onto the body (on top of the cotton balls).
7. Glue the googly eyes on the head. Glue the red yarn on the sheep’s face to make a smiling mouth. (If you do not have the eyes or string, use a white crayon.)
8. Cut a small triangle out of black construction paper and glue it to the face as a nose.

Coloring Page: