VERSES: Genesis 27:1-45
MEMORY VERSES: Genesis 27:22 "...the voice is Jacob's, but the the hands are the hands of Esau."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: 2 Kings Write "2 Kings" on a piece of paper for each child to take home at the end of class.
PRAYER: Thank God for all things, but especially for our families and the people we love. Let us show God how much we love Him by obeying him.
SPECIAL SONG: The Family In God's Plan (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4)
VISUAL AID: "Hairy" arm for teacher (see below for instructions) to be used when telling the story. A man's jacket might be nice, too, to slip on while telling the part about misleading Isaac.
LESSON POINTS:
- As time went by, Isaac grew very old, so old that he could not see. He called for his son, Esau, who went in to the room with Isaac and said, "Here I am!" Isaac told Esau, his oldest son, that he was getting very old and did not know when he was going to die. He told Esau to take his weapons, his arrows, and bow and go out in to the field. Isaac wanted Esau to go and get some venison and make some of his good meat, the kind that Isaac loved. He wanted to eat some good food before he died.
- Guess who heard them talking? Rebekah heard everything! Rebekah called for Jacob and told him that she had heard Isaac tell Esau to go and get some venison or meat. She tells her youngest son, Jacob, to go out and get two baby goats and she would make some tasty meat for Isaac. She said that Jacob should be the one to to bring Isaac his food, so that Isaac would bless Jacob instead of Esau. Jacob said to his mother that his father would surely know the difference in his two sons, especially because Esau was hairy and Jacob was not. Jacob was afraid that Isaac would feel his smooth skin and he would know that he was not Esau, know that he was a deceiver, and Jacob would receive a curse instead of a blessing!.
- But Rebekah had thought of everything! She wanted Jacob to receive Isaac's blessing, so she told Jacob to obey her and he did. He went out and brought his mother two baby goats and she made the tasty food that Isaac loved to eat. Rebekah did something else, too! She took Esau's good clothes and put them on Jacob. She also put the hairy skins of the goats upon his hands and upon the smooth part of his neck. She then gave Jacob the food and some bread and Jacob took it into Isaac's room. Why did Rebekah want Jacob to trick his father this way? To receive the blessing! Blessings in Old Testament times were very important!
- When Jacob went into the room, Isaac couldn't see. Jacob said, "Father!" Isaac asked, "Who are you?" Jacob replied, "I am Esau, your oldest son. I have done as you told me and now sit up and eat some of my venison that you may bless me." Was that true? NO! Jacob and Rebekah were tricking Isaac!! Isaac was suspicious. He said, "How did you make this food so quickly? Come here that I may feel your skin to see whether you are Esau or not." Let's turn to Genesis 27:22 and read what happens! (Read verse.) Let's place our bookmarks right here. Uh-oh! When Jacob went closer to Isaac and Isaac felt his skin, Isaac said, " You have the voice of Jacob, but the hands of Esau." So, since Isaac felt the hairy skin of what he thought was Esau's, He blessed Jacob. Was it Esau? NO! It was Jacob!!
- When Jacob went even closer to kiss Isaac, Isaac smelled his clothes and blessed him. He smelled like the field outside because the clothes belonged to whom? That's right! Esau! So Isaac was sure that it was now Esau. He said, "The Lord will bless you with much to eat and people were serve you and everyone that curses you will be cursed and everyone who blesses you will be blessed." But it wasn't Esau. It was Jacob!!
- Then right when Isaac was finished blessing Jacob with all the good things, Esau came back from his hunting and gave food to his father. He told Isaac to sit up and eat his tasty food. Isaac asked, "Who are you?" Esau said that he was Esau, Isaac's oldest son. The Bible says that Isaac trembled and asked, "Who was that came in and gave me venison and I ate it and blessed him with all the good blessings?"
- When Esau heard what had happened, the Bible says he cried a great cry and said, "Bless me, my father, bless me!" But Isaac said, "Your brother has come in with trickery and taken away the good blessing." Isaac said, "This is the second time he has taken something away from me! He has taken my birthright and he has now taken my blessing! Don't you have a blessing for me, father?" Isaac said that he had already given Jacob the good blessings. Esau tried again and asked for a blessing and cried. Finally, Isaac said that Esau should live on the earth by the sword and should serve his brother, Jacob, but that there would be a day when he would break the yoke off his neck, meaning he would not serve him any longer.
- The Bible says that Esau hated his brother for what he had done and was going to kill him, but his mother, Rebekah, told Jacob to run away to Laban, his uncle's house and stay there for a while until Esau wasn't mad any more. Jacob did what his mother told him to do.
- Rebekah did wrong by telling Jacob to trick Isaac, but God had told her that the younger son would rule over the older son, didn't he? Sometimes things work out in a very unusual way!
- Esau was the one who had sold his birthright foolishly, but still he wanted to remain the oldest son . Esau cried, but the deed was done. Our actions bring on consequences that we do not like sometimes. Because Esau hated his brother and wanted to kill him, Jacob had to run away and live in another country and work hard, Rebekah did not have her favorite son, Jacob, around her anymore, and Isaac had to see that his sons living apart. Sin definitely has consequences!
- God never approved of any of these evil things, but God does make all things work out for good.
Materials needed: Inexpensive pieces of "hairy" or "wooly" fabric, even old pieces of towels will work, sewn to loosely fit a small child's forearm, thread, needle, scissors, black marker.
- The Bible teacher prepares the "hairy arms" in advance. The "hairy" arm needs to slip on and off easily.
- The teacher passes out the "hairy arms."
- The students write, "Gen. 27:22" on the 'arm.'
- The students tell the story to each other by using the 'arms' and, later, to their parents.