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This Bible Adventure Notebook belongs to

Josh Mosey

YOU are the reason we do what we do here at Barbour Publishing. We promise that we will always use our God-given talents to produce content with you in mind—and that we will remain biblically faithful, no matter what.

Thank you for being the heart of our business.

ISBN 979-8-89151-312-9

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Published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.barbourbooks.com

Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

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002878 0326 DS

Hey there, Bible explorer

The notebook you hold in your hands is a fun, interactive way to help you study scripture to get to know God and His Word better. Grab your Bible, turn the page, and you’ll find easy-tofollow steps that take you through more than forty Bible study adventures. Keep a sharp pencil handy, because you’ll get to answer questions to help you apply God’s Word in your life and write down prayers to talk to God about everything and anything. On top of that, you’ll find fascinating Bible trivia, insights, and memory verses to learn along the way. The Bible is the most important book of all—so let’s learn it together!

THE CURSE IN THE GARDEN

Scripture to read from your Bible:

Genesis 3:1–9

MEMORY VERSE

But the Lord God called to the man. He said to him, “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:9

Write Genesis 3:9 from your own Bible:

Let’s Dig Deeper

God created everything. He made the earth and the sun, and He made plants that turn sunlight and water into food. He made animals to eat the plants. Then He made humans to care for the whole system with Him. God didn’t need Adam and Eve’s help, but He values relationships. You can see it throughout the creation story.

After listening to a sly serpent, the people disobeyed God’s rules, so the system broke down. But that’s not where the story ends.

Right after Adam and Eve knew they had messed things up, God called out, “Where are you?” God came looking for them and set up a new system to make things right and restore the most important relationship there is: the one between Him and us.

God is still looking for people to work with who will take care of the systems He has set up. Even for God, the adventure of making things right is better done together.

Let’s Think About It

When you know you’ve done something wrong, how do you act?

What would you do if God came looking for you?

What are some relationships you value?

Let’s Pray About It

God, thank You for making a way for things to be right between us. Help me follow Your rules and live well in the systems You have made so we can enjoy this adventure together.

I praise You for:

I ask You for: Amen.

Fast Fact

Serpents are linked with eternal youth in many ancient religions, probably because when a snake sheds its skin, it looks young again. There are even other stories about snakes tricking humans out of fruit, which grants eternal life.

Write Genesis 3:9 again. See if you can do it from memory!

THE WAY THROUGH THE WATER

Scripture to read from your Bible:

Genesis 6:13–22

MEMORY VERSE

Noah did just what God told him to do.

Genesis 6:22

Write Genesis 6:22 from your own Bible:

Let’s Dig Deeper

When God’s original system for the world broke, it really broke! God’s heart hurt because of the choices people were making. To undo some of the damage, He started over. Instead of a complete reset, God chose a rescue plan for the humans and animals He had already made.

Out of everyone in existence, God chose Noah to be part of the wettest rescue plan ever, surrounded by every animal created (even the ones who don’t mind eating people), and God kept him safe.

God has chosen you to be part of His plan too! Not to build another floating zoo but for your own part of His story. Ephesians 1:4 says, “Even before the world was made, God chose us for Himself because of His love. He planned that we should be holy and without blame as He sees us.”

Are you ready to be part of fixing things?

Let’s Think About It

Why do you think Noah found favor with God?

How would you deal with people who thought you were crazy for following God’s instructions?

What do you think God has chosen you to do?

Let’s Pray About It

God, thank You for inviting me to be part of Your adventure. Give me the courage to follow Your instructions no matter what other people say.

I praise You for:

I ask You for:

Fast Fact

The rains that caused the flood only lasted for forty days, but Noah’s family spent close to a full year inside the ark before the waters sank down enough to let everyone out. That’s a long time, but maybe it felt less to Noah, since it was only 1/600 of his life so far.

THE WRONG WAY TO REACH GOD

Scripture to read from your Bible:

Genesis 11:1–9

MEMORY VERSE

So the Lord sent them everywhere over the whole earth. And they stopped building the city.

Genesis 11:8

Write Genesis 11:8 from your own Bible:

Let’s Dig Deeper

Part of God’s new plan after the flood was for people to spread out and fill the whole world again. The world is big, and He still wanted people who would join Him in caring for things. But only a few hundred years after Noah’s family left the ark, people had other ideas. Instead of spreading out, they gathered in one place and started to build a tower. Why a tower? Maybe they didn’t believe God’s promise and wanted to make something tall that would be safe from floods. Maybe they wanted to try to climb up and fight God where He lived. The Bible says that they wanted to make a name for themselves. In any case, they disobeyed God, so He set them back on the right course by confusing their language. When your plans don’t line up with God’s, anything that gets you back on course is a blessing, even when it seems like God is just confusing matters.

Let’s Think About It

How might you act if you felt like God was asking you to do something you didn’t want to do?

What are some other things that seem like a curse but are actually a blessing?

How do you feel when you listen to someone speaking a language you can’t understand?

Let’s Pray About It

God, help me trust You even when I don’t understand the plan You have for me. When things don’t go the way I think they should, help me see it as a blessing when it gets me back on the right course.

I praise You for:

I ask You for:

Fast Fact

The Tower of Babel was located in what would become the kingdom of Babylon. When Genesis was wri en down, Babylon was already a powerful city with many towers called ziggurats, which were a bit like pyramids that reached toward the heavens. The Tower of Babel might have looked like one of these.

ABRAHAM & SARAH’S UNLIKELY JOURNEY

Scripture to read from your Bible:

Genesis 18:1–15

MEMORY VERSE

“Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

Genesis 18:14

Write Genesis 18:14 from your own Bible:

Let’s Dig Deeper

God was still looking for people to involve in His rescue plan when He found Abram and Sarai. They were unlikely heroes.

A childless elderly couple—Abram was seventyfive, Sarai was sixty-five—when they followed God’s plan and left home, God changed their names to Abraham and Sarah, promising that their descendants would become a whole nation of people dedicated to Him.

When twenty-four years passed and Sarah hadn’t had one child yet, God’s promise that Abraham’s children “will be as many as the stars” (Genesis 15:5) didn’t seem likely to happen.

It was so unlikely that when God showed up and announced that Sarah would give birth in the next year—at the age of ninety—she laughed. Still, it happened just as God said. Her laughter at the impossibility of the situation inspired the name of her son, Isaac, whose name means “he will laugh.” God keeps His promises, even when they seem laughable.

Let’s Think About It

What is something that makes you laugh?

If you were going to pick people to be heroes, what qualities would you look for?

If God asked you to wait twenty-five years for His promise to be fulfilled, how would you feel?

Let’s Pray About It

God, You keep Your promises even when they seem unlikely. When I’m tempted to laugh at Your promises, help me remember Isaac’s parents.

I praise You for:

I ask You for:

Ft Fact

Whether Abraham knew when he saw the three men in Genesis 18 or whether he slowly figured out that one of them was God, Abraham did his best to treat the strangers to a feast. This level of hospitality is still talked about and praised.

JACOB’S WRESTLING MATCH

Scripture to read from your Bible:

Genesis 32:22–32

MEMORY VERSE

And the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel. For you have fought with God and with men, and have won.”

Genesis 32:28

Write Genesis 32:28 from your own Bible:

Let’s Dig Deeper

If you have siblings, the story of Jacob and Esau might feel familiar. Two siblings who valued different things fought over something special—a blessing from their father. In the end, Jacob tricked his father into blessing him, and his brother Esau was left out.

Jacob was a tricky character—the Bible has a number of stories about how he won things with his tricks—but he was always afraid that Esau would get him back for stealing that blessing.

Years later, on the night before Jacob was about to see Esau again, he fought a different opponent instead. The text refers to a man who wrestled with Jacob all night over another special blessing. This time, there were no tricks Jacob could use. He just had to keep fighting.

When day came, Jacob was injured but victorious, and he got the blessing he fought for. Like Abraham, Jacob’s name was changed and a new chapter in his life began.

Let’s Think About It

How would you feel if someone tricked you out of getting something you wanted?

What do you think it means to wrestle with God?

How does Jacob put his past behind him after his wrestling match?

Let’s Pray About It

God, keep me from using tricks to get what I want so I don’t have to worry about people I’ve treated poorly. I pray that good will come to me because I’m willing to work hard for You.

I praise You for:

I ask You for:

Fast Fact

The name “Jacob” means “heel holder” and “supplanter.” When Jacob was born, he was holding on to his twin Esau’s leg. The “supplanter” part means someone who takes someone else’s place, sometimes using tricks. Both parts fit Jacob’s story completely, but his name was changed to “Israel,” which means “he who struggles with God.”