Unit 3: Isaac and Jacob OT3.2 Jacob and Esau the Twins Lesson

Transcription

1 Scripture: Genesis 25 Unit 3: Isaac and Jacob OT3.2 Jacob and Esau the Twins Lesson Lesson Goal: Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah through whom someday would come the promised birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. In this lesson we are going to learn how Isaac and Rebekah's twin sons despise and trick one another over the birthright. Introduction: This is the second lesson in Unit 3: Isaac and Jacob. Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah through whom someday would come the promised birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. In this lesson we are going to learn how Isaac and Rebekah's twin sons despise and trick one another over the birthright. The lesson is found in the first book of the Bible called Genesis. Genesis is the first book of Law. The books of the Law are the first five books in the Old Testament. Let's say the books of Law together. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Attention Getter: "Twins" Let's see if you can figure out who are twins. In this picture you see three girls--emily, Andrea and Annie. They all have on the same dresses. Does that make them twins? No. Twins sometimes do dress the same but wearing the same clothes does not make you a twin. Here are two girls that look very much alike--andrea and Nikki. They are the same age and love to play together. Does that make them twins? No. Twins often do look alike and love to play together but that does not make them twins. Here are two boys--evan and David. They look alike but are they twins? No. They have different parents. Evan's mother and dad are Mike and Denise Wilson. David's parents are Ken and Dawn Todd so they are not twins. This is a picture of two babies. They were born on the same day and have the same mother and dad, so are they twins? Yes, they are! That is what makes two people twins! When a mother has two babies at the very same time then they are called twins! They can be two boys, two girls, or one boy and one girl. In our class we have three girls that are not twins but are triplets. They are McKenzie, Lauren, and Alexandria Black. They were all born on the same day and have the same mother and father--jeff and Tracy Black. In this lesson we are going to learn about two boys that were twins in the Bible! They were born to Isaac and Rebekah but they were very different. Opening Prayer: "Help us, Lord, to always be truthful. Don't let us follow Esau's example of being impatient and demanding what we want right now instead choosing the most important things. Father, we are so glad You are loving and forgiving. Thank You for sending Jesus who has taken the punishment for our sins when He died on the cross. And thank You, Lord, for making all things work together for good for those who love You and are called according to Your purpose. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Memory Verse: The memory verse Philippians 2:4-5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Lesson Video: After the death of his wife Sarah Abraham decided that it was time for his son Isaac to marry. Abraham wanted a good wife for Isaac, one of whom God would approve. Because Isaac would be the

2 family through whom the Savior was to be born, it was most important that she too would love and obey God. So Abraham sent his servant Eliezer back to his homeland to his brother Nahor's family to find a wife for Isaac. Finding the right girl for Abraham's son Isaac was an important job! Eliezer did not want to make a mistake so her prayed to God and said, "When I ask a girl for a drink and she says, "Yes, certainly and I will water your camels, too, then let her be the one who will become Isaac's wife." When Rebekah came out to the well with her pitcher on her shoulder, she did just what the servant had asked God! She gave Eliezer a cool drink of water. And she drew water from the well to give to all his thirsty camels! God had answered Eliezer's prayer and led him to the right town, the right well. and the right girl. Rebekah was a kind and loving girl. Eliezer brought Rebekah back to the land of Canaan. She was very happy and excited to meet her new groom! When Isaac was forty years old, he and Rebekah were married. Rebekah brought much joy to Isaac and Abraham. They had not known such happiness since Isaac's mother Sarah had died. Twenty years passed and Isaac kept hoping that God would give them a child. They knew that someday they would have a family, because God had promised that through Isaac's descendents He would send the Savior. So, Isaac begged the Lord for a child. God finally answered their prayers and Rebekah became pregnant. In fact, Rebekah was going to have not just one baby, but two! She was going to have twins! Just before the twins were born, Sarah felt the two children inside her fighting with each other! So she prayed to the Lord and said, "Why is this happening to me?" God said, "Two nations are in your womb; one people will be stronger than the other. The older will serve the younger." What God meant by this was that the youngest son would someday be the leader of the family and receive the birthright. Usually this honor would only go to the oldest son. When the time came for her to give birth, she had twin boys! The first to come out was red and his whole body was like a hairy garment so they named him Esau which means "red." Esau as the first born should get the birthright that God had promised to Abraham. After this his brother came out with his hand grasping or holding onto Esau's heel, so he was named Jacob which means "grabber." This showed that what God has said was already coming true. He would take Esau's place of being the family's leader. Anyone that said his name knew that he tried to grab or take things from others. As the boys got older they had very different personalities. Esau grew to be a big, muscular man with coarse and rough skin and lots of hair. Esau loved the outdoors and hunted wild game with his bow and arrows. His father Isaac loved the taste of wild game so he loved Esau best. Jacob who was the younger, was just the opposite. He was smaller and his skin was smooth and fair. Jacob was quiet and liked to be peaceful. He liked to stay near his home inside the tents. He grew vegetables in his garden and enjoyed cooking over a fire. He like being alone, too, while he tended the flocks and herds. His mother Rebekah loved Jacob best. Isaac and Rebekah taught their sons to worship and love the true God. They told them about God's promises to their grandfather Abraham and their own father Isaac concerning the coming of the Savior. Esau was not interested at all in God and His promises, but Jacob had a heart for God and wanted to possess all that the Lord had promised him. One day, Esau went out on a long hunting trip. He enjoyed hunting and bringing home some wild game for his father. Jacob stayed at home and made a big pot of lentil stew. Esau had gone hunting many times. He knew just where to look for animals. But this time, no matter how hard he looked, he

3 couldn't find even one animal roaming in the woods. The longer Esau hunted, the more tired and hungry he became. Finally, he decided to give up and go home. As he got close to home, he began smelling the stew Jacob had left cooking on the fire. "Boy! Am I starved!" said Esau. "How about a bowl of that red bean soup, Jacob? I'm so hungry l could die! I think I'm going to faint!" Remember how Jacob was called "grabber" or "a trickster." He thought to himself, Now is my chance to get the promises of being the firstborn. Jacob replied, "First sell me your birthright." "Look, I am about to die," Esau said. "what good is the birthright to me when I am dying of starvation?" Right then all Esau cared about was how hungry he was! Jacob said again, "Swear to me first that you will sell me your birthright." So Esau vowed, and sold all his oldest-son rights to his younger brother Jacob for a pot of stew! This meant that Esau would not get twice as much in wealth nor be the family leader. Esau wasn't thinking very well because he had thrown away all his rights, honors, and privileges. Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank and was no longer hungry. Then he got up and left. What a terrible mistake! Esau had despised his birthright. Esau gave up everything important because he wanted something to eat right now." When we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it! Sometimes what we see is not the best for us! If we have accepted Jesus as your Savior, God has given us a birthright. We now are "born again" and get to live forever and ever in Heaven when we die. The things of the world are going to look very appealing to us as we go through life, but we shouldn't sell out! Don't trade your birthright for something as worthless as Esau did. Do you think that it was God's will that Jacob trick Esau into selling his special birthright? God had told Jacob's mother before he was born that he would rule over his older brother. God would work this out without Jacob being a sneak. God doesn't want us to trick people into doing something they shouldn't do. God doesn't need us to be devious to fulfill His promises. We need to let God fulfill His great plan for our lives in His time and in His way. But thank God, He can make good come out of the bad things that people do. As the story of Jacob and Esau continues we will discover that things get even worse for them. But, in spite of their sins, God blesses Jacob and makes of him a great nation, just as God promised. It just goes to show that God's blessings come to us not because we've done good things; it comes to us because He chooses to love and bless us. Remember let's choose to follow God His way! Review Questions: "Stir the Pot" (Grades K-5) Materials: Bring a large cooking pot and a large cooking spoon and place in front of the class. Write the following review questions on separate index cards and place the cards in the cooking pot. Say: In our lesson we learned about a twin brother who stirred a big pot of stew and caused a lot of trouble for his twin brother. Today we are going to "stir a pot of questions about the story." Procedure: Let the students take turns using the cooking spoon to stir the cards. After a few stirs the child chooses a card and reads the question aloud.

4 The other class members answer the question. Give each child in your class a turn at stirring the pot and reading the questions to the class. (Teacher may have to help read the questions for younger students.) 1. What was the name of Abraham and Sarah's son? (Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah was miraculously born when they were past the age of bearing children.) 2. What promises did God make to Abraham when he called him from the land of Ur? (If Abraham would come and follow God, He would give him a land, and so many descendants they could not be counted like the stars in the sky and the sand in the sea. His descendants would also be the one through whom the whole world would be blessed by the birth of a Savior.) 3. What did God promise to Isaac about his children? (God renewed the promise that He had made to his father Abraham that God would bless him, give him a land, and many children like the stars of the sky.) 4. What happened when Rebekah became pregnant? (She was pregnant with two sons who were twins. They fought each other in the womb.) 5. What promise did God make to Rebekah about her twin sons? (They would become enemy nations and the younger one would rule over the older.) 6. Which one of the twins was hairy? What did he like to do? (Esau grew to be a big, muscular man with coarse and rough skin and lots of red hair. Esau loved the outdoors and hunted wild game with his bow and arrows.) 7. Why did Isaac favor Esau? (Because he liked to go hunting and would bring home good meat for him to eat.) 8. Which one of the twins had smooth skin? What did he like to do? (Jacob who was the younger, was just the opposite. He was smaller and his skin was smooth and fair. Jacob was quiet and liked to be peaceful. He liked to stay near his home inside the tents. He grew vegetables in his garden and enjoyed cooking over a fire. He like being alone, too, while he tended the flocks and herds.) 9. Why did Rebekah favor Jacob? (Because he like to help her around the house.) 10. How did Jacob trick his older brother? (Esau came in from a hunting trip and was really hungry. So Jacob said he'd give him something to eat if Esau would sell him his birthright.) 11. What is a birthright? (A special honor given to the firstborn son which entitled him to twice as much inheritance as his siblings. For Isaac it also included the promise to be the leader of the family in whom the promised one Jesus would be born.) 12. What was Esau's sin? (He sold something of great lasting value for food to satisfy for only a few hours. He despised his birthright and didn't appreciate the privilege he had of being the firstborn son.) 13. What can we learn from Esau's sin? (Don't be impulsive. Think before you act. Don't neglect the birthright we have of going to heaven by trading its value for less permanent things.) 14. What was Jacob's sin? (He tricked his brother into selling the birthright to him. He didn't need to be crafty to help God fulfill His promises. It's not good to take matters into our own hands.) 15. What is the memory verse? Philippians 2:4-5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Bible Memory Verse Activity: "Selfish or Unselfish" (Grades K-5) Say: "Our memory verse is Philippians 2:4-5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves." This verse teaches us how to treat others. We are to consider the needs of others and not be selfish, prejudiced, or jealous. Let's say the verse again together. Philippians 2:4-5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Have students look up the verse in scripture and read it aloud together. Repeat until students can say the verse as a group. Materials: Divide class into small groups. Make two index cards that say "Selfish" and "Unselfish" for each group. Say: "We are going to divide our class into small groups so we can think about what this verse means. Each group will have two index cards that I will place on the floor in front of them. I will read

5 some sentences and your group is to decide if the action I am describing is "selfish" or "unselfish." Hold up your card so everyone can see your decision." Read the following sentences: 1. Esau helped provide meat for his family to eat. (unselfish) 2. Jacob cooked food for his family. (Unselfish) 3. Jacob wanted the things Esau was supposed to get. (selfish) 4. Esau wanted to eat soup more than keeping his birthright. (selfish and impulsive) 5. Jacob would not give Esau something to eat unless Esau traded his birthright. (selfish) 6. What is a word to describe someone who obeys Philippians 2:4? (unselfish) 7. What kind of person is hard to get along with? (selfish) Discuss the following questions: " When are some times when a kid your age can choose to be unselfish? (answers will vary) What can a kid your age do to obey Philippians 2:4 in that situation? What does is mean to "look out for the interests of others"? Group Learning Game Activity: "Diagram of Jacob and Esau" (Grades K-5) Materials: Draw two large intersecting circles (a Venn Diagram) on the whiteboard or on flip chart poster paper. Label one circle "Jacob" and the other circle "Esau." Procedure: As you review the lesson invite volunteer students to name differences and similarities between Jacob and Esau. Print the similarities in the intersected section of the circle and the differences in the outer sections as shown in the sketch. Say: The twin boys in our lesson today were similar and different. Let's think about some ways they are alike and different and the same. We will write these ways on the chart. (Sample answers: Both twins were boys. Both Esau and Jacob did not obey God. Jacob was the younger and Esau was the older. Jacob liked cooking. Esau liked hunting. Esau was rough. Jacob was quiet. Esau was hairy. Jacob was smooth skinned; etc.) Group Learning Activity: "Looking Out for Others" (Grades K-5) Procedure: Divide class into pairs. Pairs stand on one side of the room. Each pair stands back to back with arms linked at elbows and tries to walk to the other side of the room without falling. Repeat several times. After a few rounds ask the following questions. Optional: Group the children into trios. Each trio stands facing outward in a circle, linking arms at elbows and walking across the room. Game continues making the groups bigger and bigger until all the children are in one group. Say: "What happens if you don't work together? What if you want to go one way and your partner wants to go another way? What do you need to do to look out for your partner as you play this game? (Help each others. Go in the same direction.) When are some times it might be difficult for kids your age to remember other's interests or feelings? (When they have new toys and need to share. When a friend choose what game to play together and you don't enjoy that game. When a brother or sister chooses what television show to watch and you have another favorite.) What are some ways you can look out for others' interests and care for them. (Give them a turn. Share with them. Work together. Think about how they feel). Group Learning Game Activity: Re-enact the Story (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Bring to class items that will help in telling the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of soup. This would include pieces of fabric to create the idea of costumes or robes; a big bowl, a small bowl, and a wooden spoon for stirring

6 Procedure: Summarize the story found in Genesis 25 (or read it directly from the Bible.) Allow the children to re-enact the story. Discuss the story with your class. Say: "Was Esau right to give away his birthright for a bowl of soup? Did Jacob and Rebekah trick Isaac into giving Jacob Esau s blessing? In the next few lessons in our series, we will learn that Jacob (the trickster) gets tricked himself." Group Learning Activity: "Eternal Value" (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Bring in something that looks very old or preferably an antique. Make out slips of paper with the following items listed on them: money; Bible study; entertainment; church; fame; family; college education; patience; careers; purity; house; honesty; power; wisdom; appearance; salvation. Make out as many slips of paper with the items listed (plus others you can think of) to make as many sets as are needed for the class size. Procedure: Say:"Today I have brought in an antique to show you. (Explain the object and its history and why people value it.) Say: "You've heard stories about people selling old "junk" at yard sales that turn out to be very valuable. Why did they sell it? Most likely, they did not understand the value of the item. Or maybe they needed to get rid of it quickly. Either way, they often regret their decision when they realize what it could have done for them. In this lesson, Esau gives away his future for a bowl of stew. What kinds of things do people treat lightly today that have great effects on their future? (marriages, physical purity before marriage, family relationships, education, physical health, most important, their souls). A lot of people live for what they can have today. But our lives today are a preparation for a long, long future either in heaven or hell. Don't throw away that future for a fun time today!" "Today we are going to play a game to see if you can accumulate things that are of eternal value." Pass out the slips to the students. Have them go around and try to trade with each other. Tell them to try to give away what is only temporarily valuable and try to get what is eternally valuable. Keep some of the eternally valuable ones with you so if their fellow students won't trade, they can get them from you. Then discuss what made some of them valuable and some not. Conclude the activity by having students read their slips to the class and tell why the items will last forever. Remember some of the items are good for this life but are not of eternal value in heaven. Craft Learning Activity: "Care for Others" (Grades K-3) Materials: Markers, small plastic jars, soup cans, plastic cups or other small container for each child; decorative materials such as permanent markers, paint pens, glitter glue, etc; craft sticks Procedure: Give each child a small container and several craft sticks. Have students print a slogan or the memory verse on the outside of the container and then decorate the container with the materials you provide. On the craft sticks have children print the names of family members or draw pictures of family members. Children place the sticks in the containers. Encourage each child to choose a stick each day and find a way to care for that person. Say: "Who in your family is unselfish? What does that person do to show unselfishness? Unselfish people care for the interests of others and obey Philippians 2:4. Whose interests does the memory verse say we should look out for? What is a way to care for the interests of your brother? (Listen to what he says. Ask before playing with one of his toys. Help him with his chores. Say kind words when he is having a bad day.) Who are some other people you can care for? What can you do to care for them?"

7 Craft Learning Activity: "Jacob's Bowl" (Grades K-5) Materials: Purchase clay or use store bought clay such as sculpey clay; acrylic paint, brushes Air Dry or Bake Clay recipe: 1/4 cup salt; 1/4 cup hot water; 1/8 cup cold water; 1/4 cup corn starch. In a saucepan, boil salt and hot water. Stir cornstarch and cold water together in a separate bowl. Once the cornstarch dissolves, add this mixture to the boiling water. Whisk constantly. Reduce heat to low and cook until mixture is a stiff dough. Make sure to stir constantly so it doesn't burn. Drop dough onto table and, once cool, knead for 5 minutes until firm. Roll out the dough to about 1/2 inch thickness and cut with cookie cutters (just like you would cookies). Store extra in a plastic bag for up to 3 weeks. You can let air dry for 48 hours (in a dry, breezy location) OR Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Bake on a foil covered cookie sheet for about 1 hour. Paint with acrylic or tempra paints. (acrylic covers better, but doesn't wash out of clothes). Procedure: Use one of the following methods to make bowl: Ball Method: Form the clay into a ball. Stick thumbs into the center of the ball, pinching the sides to make a bowl shape, not a donut. Flatten out the bottom of the ball to make a nice flat surface for the bowl so it will sit sturdily on a table without risk of falling. Let the clay air dry or bake dry depending on the type of clay you are using. Use acrylic paint to decorate the pot however you like or leave it natural. Let dry. Coil Pot Method: Make a flat pancake of clay. This will be the bottom of your bowl. Roll remaining clay into long snakes. Coil the snakes around the pancake of clay building up the pot as you go. You'll need to squeeze the snakes onto the pancake and onto each other a bit so they stay together when the project dries. Let it air dry or bake dry depending on the clay you are using. Use acrylic paint to decorate the bowl however you like or leave it natural. Let dry. Snack Learning Activity: "Making Soup" (Grades K-3) Preparation: Decide where and how you will cook soup during the lesson. If you can pull this off, it makes the most wonderful impression on the children. Please follow your church s rules for Fire Safety. If there is a kitchen nearby, consider relocating the class so that you can be near the kitchen while you tell the story. If no kitchen, consider having someone bring in hot water and pour it over ramen noodles in class, so that the children can see you making soup. Boiling macaroni and pouring spiced tomato sauce over it (after it s drained) is a great way of making soup. And, of course, you will need to eat the soup during your snack! Bring all necessary cooking items and utensils. Watch food allergies! Procedure: Before you start teaching the Bible Story, start the soup. Be sure to go and check it a few times during the lesson, if possible. (Or, send an adult helper to check on it and ask for a report on how it is doing, in front of the class.) If there is a kitchen or a burner or a microwave available for the classroom, let children each take one item that the teacher has available and add to the stew pot, or eat it as a snack at the end of class, after the stew has been simmering during class time. Children might enjoy biscuits or bread sticks to go with their stew! Tell part of the story while you are stirring the soup pot, if possible. Let the children watch later as you ladle it into soup bowls for them to eat, after it cools a little. Enjoy the soup for snack! Life Application Challenge: "Loving Our Families" Sit in a circle with your students. Say: "In our lesson today we learned about Esau and Jacob. Their parents were Isaac and Jacob. God made the people in our families too. We should show God's love to the people in our family. Have students share specifically how they will share love for their family this week.

8 Isaac and Jacob Philippians 2:4-5 "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourselves."

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11 Family Tree Fit the following names into a Family Tree: Isaac Abraham Rebekah Esau Sarah Jacob

12 OT3.2 Jacob and Esau the Twins Beverly Wilson

13 OT3.2 Jacob and Esau the Twins Beverly Wilson