Why was Noah saved out of all the people on earth? How can we be saved? Includes a lesson, game, class activity, and snack idea.
Needed: Bibles, Legos or building blocks of some kind, a picture of a rainbow, Bingo sheets and animal crackers
Intro Activity
Build a couple of simple objects out of building blocks beforehand. A tower, wall, or small house would work well.
When the children come in, give them some blocks and show them your example. Ask them to build the same thing, just like you did.
Do the same thing with your second object.
When they’re finished, say something like, Now that you’re all expert block builders, I have an assignment for you. I want you to build a boat that is 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Do you think you can do that? Can you make a boat that big?
Well, we’re not actually going to make a boat that big, but one man and his family did.
Lesson
Summarize Genesis 6-8 using the Bible story below and asking the included questions as you read.
God saw that all the people had become wicked and that they only thought about bad things all the time. It made God sad and He was sorry that He had made people on the earth. He said, “I will destroy everyone and everything on the earth, because I am sad that I made them.”
Why was God sad that He had made people? (Because all the people were doing bad things and thinking bad things.)
Can you believe that God was sad? Did you know that God gets sad sometimes?
God does get sad. The Bible tells us that God also gets mad. He’s not always happy. If God gets sad and mad, do you think it’s okay for us feel those ways sometimes?
God never does anything wrong. So if it’s not wrong for God to feel bad about something or to get angry, then it’s not wrong for us to feel sad and angry. We just have to be careful what we do when we feel those ways.
Everyone, pretend to be God and act sad about the wrong things people were doing.
So, God felt sad about all the wrong things people were doing. What was God going to do about that?
He was going to destroy everything that lived on the earth. He was going to kill all the people and all the animals too. Remember that God made everything, so He can destroy it if He wants to.
But Noah found favor with God. Noah was a righteous man, who walked with God.
What does it mean to be righteous?
If you’re righteous, it means that you have a good relationship with God and that you always try to do the right things.
Everyone, pretend to be Noah and give me your biggest smile. Noah was happy because he was in a right relationship with God.
So, because Noah had a good relationship with God and because he did the right things that God wanted him to do, God was happy with Noah. God told Noah what He was about to do. “I am going to flood the earth,” God said, “and I am going to destroy everyone and everything on it because they have all become wicked. But you, build an ark. It will be a very large boat that you and your wife and your sons and their wives can go into, and then you will not drown like everyone else when I flood the earth. Also, I will bring a few of every kind of animal to you and you are to put them on the ark with you so that you can keep some of every kind of animal alive and safe from the flood.”
Then God told Noah how to build the Ark-boat and Noah did everything that God told him to do.
Everyone pretend that you’re building a really big boat. Cut the boards. Hammer the nails into the boards.
Noah made the ark because God told him to. Would you do something if God told you to do it?
How can we find out what God wants us to do?
We can find out what God wants us to do by reading our Bibles, and praying, and coming to church. That’s how God tells us what He wants us to do.
Everyone, pretend that you’re reading your Bible. Now, pretend you’re praying. Now, pretend you’re in church.
When the Ark-boat was finished, God told Noah and his family and some of every kind of animal to go onto the boat. Then God made it rain very hard for forty days and forty nights.
Everyone, make the sound of rain coming down.
It rained so much and the water got so high all over the earth that even the tops of the mountains were covered with water! And everyone and everything on the earth drowned.
It was a very sad time because everyone died. They didn’t listen to God and so God had to punish them by flooding the world.
Everyone, make a sad face for the people who died.
But Noah and his family and the animals with him were safe on the Ark-boat.
Everyone, make a happy face that Noah and the animals were safe.
Finally, after one hundred and fifty days, the water started to go back down and the Ark-boat that Noah and his family and the animals with them were on came to rest on a mountain called Mount Ararat.
Everyone, pretend that you’re in a boat and that it just landed on a mountain.
Then God said, “Noah, you and your family and the animals with you can come out of the ark. It’s safe now.”
Everyone, cheer that Noah and the animals made it safely through the Flood.
So, Noah and his family and the animals with them came out of the ark and spread out again all over the earth. And Noah thanked God for saving him and his family in the Ark-boat.
Everyone, pretend to be Noah and thank God for saving you from the Flood.
And God put a rainbow in the sky, promising, “I will never flood the whole earth again.” (Show your picture of a rainbow.)
God said that He would never flood the whole earth again, but does that mean that God won’t destroy everything again? (No.)
(Read 1 Peter 3:7 , quoted here in the NIV:) “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.”
God isn’t going to flood the whole world again, but this verse tells us that He is going to destroy it again. What does this verse say God will use to destroy the world? (Fire.)
The Bible says that at the end of the world, God will destroy everyone who is evil, and everything, with fire coming down from Heaven. Just like He did with the flood, God will destroy everyone who is bad and thinks about bad things.
But what can we do to escape that fire and not be destroyed?
We can be like Noah. We can believe in God and have a good relationship with God and do the right things that God wants us to do. Then, God will save us from the fire and we will live forever with Him.
Game and Snack: Ark Animals Bingo
Create Bingo Cards using the names of different animals that might have been on the ark. Use animal crackers as the markers. Put all the animal crackers on a plate in the middle of the table. When you call an animal’s name, kids will grab an animal cracker from the middle to put on their card. Tell them that their goal as they’re marking their card is to make matches with their animal crackers because God told Noah to take two of every kind of animal on the ark. When you’re finished with the game, kids can eat some of the animal crackers.
Some ideas for animals include Dog, Cat, Horse, Rhino, Monkey, Dove, Pigeon, Giraffe, Elephant, Lion, Lizard, Snake, and Camel.
Closing Prayer
God, we thank You that You saved Noah from the Flood and that You will save us when You destroy the world again. Help us to be friends with You like Noah was and always do the right things. Amen.
This lesson is included in my book, Created: Children Sunday School Lessons for Genesis 1-11.