Title: Genesis 9: 1-7 / Life is precious
Bible Text: Genesis 9:1-17
Text to read: Genesis 9: 1-7
Central Thought: God wants us to preserve and multiply life as He values life.
Exposition Goal: Establish an attitude to value life as God does
Point: Cherish life
What you need to prepare: A picture of a cow printed on a large print and pasted on a wood lock, a piece of beef jerky
[Showing a picture of a cow] Cows are sacred animals. So, you should not kill the cow, and you should not despise the cow. When the cows pass, the train must also stop. Cars or people must not obstruct the passage of cattle. [Takes jerky and puts it in his mouth and chews a few bites] Beef? It's a big day. Eating God.... Which country is this from? [After hearing the children's answers]
Yes. It is an Indian story. If so, which country will the next story be? A lake of water is shoved up to the throat in the mouth of a struggling, rebellious cow. And then turn on the faucet. Cows are in pain and can't stand it. But regardless, they continue to feed them with huge amounts of water. The intention is to increase the weight of the cow to make more money. It is then tied to the back of a car and dragged around to let the water seep into the flesh. He even slaps his whole body. After all, it is destined to die at the slaughterhouse and be put on someone's table, but this sad abuse would be a more difficult pain than death for a cow. Which country? [After hearing the children's answers] That's right. It is our country. Not all cows die like this, but it's really pitiful. right? [Looking up the jerky] Eight! I have no desire to eat beef.
Some people believe that cows are God and worship them. Some people abuse the lives of cattle. As a prince or princess of God, what attitude should you have toward life? How does God want you to treat not only cows, but flowers, trees, fish, birds, and even the insects you hate? Our question is this. "What attitude should we have toward the living things around us?"
[Closing the Bible, holding it up with your left hand and tapping the cover three times with your right index finger] The answer to this important question is here. Today, through the first half of Genesis 9, God speaks to us. "Do you want to know how God wants me to treat the living things around you? Cherish life!"
God, who created the Garden of Eden, asked mankind to do so. "Subdue the earth. Have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth" (Genesis 1:28). As God's garden keeper, man had a responsibility to nurture, care for, protect, and develop the natural creations of God. To cherish and use life was to love God, to love others, to love oneself, and to love the nature God created. However, after humans turned their backs on God and chose to live as they please, the entire ecosystem has been destroyed. People change nature to be ruled and conquered with "God" and bowed down to anything, be it the sun, an old tree, or a rock, to pray for blessings. Yet, on the other hand, people are destroying nature, which should be governed and cared for, in order to satisfy their greed. The land groans with garbage thrown out everywhere, and fish die from factory wastewater. Tree cutting causes landslides, and pesticides make our food unsafe. It eats everything from the paws of bears to snakes when it comes to body bosom. God is not pleased with these things.
To Noah and his family, who came out of the ark and opened a new world, God showed how precious life is to Noah. “Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.” "Any animal can be your food, but when you eat the meat of an animal, never eat the blood." "I will never again bring judgment to the death of all the animals in the world with water. The rainbow is my sign".
We must read how much God values life. Whether it be human life or animal life, God is the master of all life. You also need to know how much God wants you and I, His children, to cherish life. Cherish life, God commands. Whether it is the life of flowers, grass, trees, animals, people, or anything else, cherishing life is the way to love God, the Lord of life. Cherish life. Cherishing life, whether it be the life of a flower, a grass, a tree, an animal, a person, or anything, is a way to love ourselves and our fellow humans.
Let's pray together. "Heavenly Father, help us to cherish the life that God cherishes like you do for the rest of our lives. In Jesus name, I pray. Amen."