THIRD GRADE

KINSMAN STORIES

3 1. FINDING A WIFE FOR ISAAC.

Genesis 24:1-27.

Teacher's Aim. Through the children's interest in familiar family relationships to fix these old Bible stories permanently in their memories as an enrichment of future religious life.

1. How many families of your name do you know? Are they all related, or akin to each other? When people lived in tribes their kinship was about all that kept them together, and so kinship was important.

2. Abraham and his family went to a new country; but he did not wish his one son Isaac to get a wife there, or to join the tribes of that country. So he sent a trusty servant back to his own old home to get a wife for Isaac from among his own kinsmen. The servant took camels and rich presents, and came to the city where Nahor, Abraham's brother, lived. At evening he stopped at the well outside the city, where the women came for water. He made the camels kneel down to rest near-by, and prayed God to help him to find the right maiden. He should know her by asking her for a drink. If she gave it, and also offered to water his camels for him, he would know that she was of the right sort. Soon he saw Rebekah coming with a pitcher on her shoulder; and when she came up from the well he said, Give me to drink, I pray thee, a little water from thy pitcher. And she said, Drink, sir. And she quickly let down her pitcher upon her hand. Then she said, I will draw for thy camels also. And she hastened and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again to the well, and drew for all the camels. Then the servant asked whose daughter she was. And she answered, The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor's son. And he gave her a gold ring and two gold bracelets; and asked, Is there room in thy father's house for us to

lodge in? And she said, We have both straw and provision enough, and room to lodge in. And the servant said, Blessed be Jehovah, who hath led me in the way to the house of my master's brother.

3. Tell the story through about as given above, and let each pupil reproduce it with such help as may be necessary. The "teacher's aim" as given at the beginning of the lesson is not to be stated or explained to the class, but is purely for the help of the teacher. Let the class choose a good title for the lesson. The titles given in the book are only for convenience in reference, and are not to be used in the class. The exercise of finding a title has good educational value, and they soon become quite expert in it. Paragraph 1 is only preparatory, and is not to be reproduced by the pupils.

4. Memory Text. The Lord hath led me in the way to the house of my master's brethren.

5. Show the picture. Tissot, O., 17. Doré or Schopin, Wilde, 360, 361. Pictures may be supplied for the whole. class at a cost of one cent each if desired, but it is not at all necessary for the successful teaching of the lesson. It is useful to have one copy to pass around.

6. This is generally a good point at which to begin keeping a notebook, but care must be taken not to place too much in it, or to allow much time from the lesson period to be used up with the notebooks. Place in the notebooks the reference, name of the story 3, text 4, and the picture 5, if a copy is provided.

Home Work. If these lessons are used in school, the home work should consist in hearing the pupil tell the story after it has been taught in school, and helping to recall forgotten parts. This may be done repeatedly, day after day. The oftener it is done the better, unless it becomes irksome to the pupil; but this is not likely to happen if a skillful and sympathetic parent calls for it. Rather will the child's sense of success and pride motive his work. For this pur

FINDING A WIFE FOR ISAAC

pose parents should be provided with copies of these lessons, as well as the teacher, but the pupils do not need them. It is not wise to assign a study lesson to a child of this grade. Teachers and pupils should be in communication with each other. It is best for the pupil to hear the story first from the teacher who is to make a business of teaching it correctly and thoroughly.

3 2.

BRINGING REBEKAH. Genesis 24: 28-67.

1. Recall briefly the previous story of finding a wife for Isaac.

2. Rebekah's brother Laban brought the camels in and fed them; and the servant of Abraham told his errand to the father and brother of Rebekah. When they heard how the Lord had led him to find Rebekah, her father and brother said, This thing is from the Lord, and there is nothing left for us to say. Behold, Rebekah is before thee; take her and go and let her be thy master's son's wife, as the Lord hath spoken. Then the trusty servant thanked the Lord, and brought out rich gifts of silver and gold and fine clothing, and gave them to Rebekah and her family. Her brother and mother said, Let her stay with us at least ten days. But the servant said, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way. And they called Rebekah and said, Wilt thou go with the man? And she said, I will go. And they blessed Rebekah, and she arose and her damsels, and they rode upon the camels and followed the man. And the trusty servant took Rebekah to where Abraham dwelt in the land of the South. And as Isaac was taking an evening walk, he saw them coming. And when the servant told her who it was that came to meet them, she put on her veil and alighted. And Isaac brought her into his mother's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.

3. The class will select a name for the story.

4. Memory Text. Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her.

5. Picture: Tissot, O., 18; Doré, Wilde, 362.

6. Place in the notebooks the reference, the name 3, the text 4, and the picture 5.

The last story and this one together may be easily dramatized in class if desired. It is better not to make this exercise formal, or different from an ordinary recitation. The speaking will be conversational, in the first and second person, and the acting will be entirely without costumes and properties.

3 3. JACOB GOES AFTER A WIFE. Genesis 27:46 to 28:5 and 29.

1. Why did Abraham send away after a wife for his son Isaac? Where did he send? Whom did he get?

2. Isaac and Rebekah felt as Abraham had felt about building up a family, and tribe of their own kinsmen, and not mingling with the people of the South where they lived. So when their son Jacob was a young man, Rebekah said to Isaac, If Jacob should take a wife of the daughters of this land, what good shall my life do me? So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him and said unto him, Arise, go to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples, that thou mayest inherit the land which God gave to Abraham. And as he went he made a vow that if God would be with him, and give him food and clothing, and bring him back in peace to his father's house, he would give one-tenth of all he should get to the Lord. And he came to the well where Rachel was bringing her father Laban's sheep for water; and he rolled the stone from the well for her, and watered the flock. It turned out that Jacob tended