This lesson is compatible with the "Abraham & Isaac" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.
Scripture References: Genesis 24: 62-67
“Isaac, look at Jacob, our son. Isn’t he so smart? He’s already learned how to cook so many things, and he is just 10!”
Isaac didn’t say much in response to his wife. He just nodded his head a bit. He was a bit annoyed. Rebekah was always going on and on about Jacob.
When Esau came in the tent Isaac said “Rebekah, look at our son! He has brought home a deer from his hunt! Now we can have one of my favorite meals! Deer stew! Isn’t Esau so talented? He is always bringing home animals from the hunt. We eat well here in my house!”
Rebekah mumbled something about food and then left the tent. She was annoyed because Isaac was always going on and on about Esau.
Both Isaac and Rebekah had a favorite child. Isaac loved Esau because he was a good hunter, and he loved being outside. I imagine they spent most of their time together, with Isaac training Esau on how to take care of the outdoor things. Rebekah loved Jacob because he was quiet, unlike his loud, wild brother who was always running around with too much energy. Jacob was calm and enjoyed doing things inside, and he had even learned some cooking from his mother. Jacob learned how to take care of the herds close to home, as well. I imagine he enjoyed taking care of the animals and milking the goats in the morning.
We all know parents aren’t supposed to have favorites, but Isaac and Rebekah began to be very selfish. I imagine they didn’t try too hard to get to know the child that was different from their own personalities. They just didn’t understand them, and maybe didn’t even know how to talk to them. So, they spent a lot of their time with the child most like them.
Even people that God has chosen for His special plan can fail Him sometimes. We can see this all through the Bible. But God keeps His promises, even when we don’t deserve those promises.
The boys grew up and heard all about those promises. They heard about their grandfather Abraham, and their grandmother Sarah. They heard about how Isaac almost died on the altar, but God stopped Abraham just in time, and told Abraham to look up and see the ram He had provided! They learned about sacrifices, too. Esau and Jacob listened to the stories for many years. After a while, Esau grew tired of them. He didn’t see why it was so important to pray. He could do many things on his own. He was the best hunter around! He didn’t need God to help him put an arrow in a bow and pull it. He enjoyed doing whatever he wanted. He didn’t want God to mess up his fun.
Jacob listened, and thought about God. His mother had told him many times how God said that her younger son would rule over the older son. “Jacob, I believe you will have the inheritance of the oldest son, even though you were born second. God promised to make you stronger and a ruler!” Jacob began to wonder how this could be, as every boy who was born first was the stronger one, and the ruler of the family. He often thought about how he could make himself the ruler of the family.
After time, and the boys had grown into young men, Esau was out hunting, and Jacob was out in the fields with the herds of sheep. Jacob had taken some beans and vegetables with him, to make his meals, as he was going to spend the day with the flocks. The time came was nearing noon, , and Jacob had put the beans and vegetables in the pot to cook. The smell of stew filled the air…and it smelled GOOD! Jacob make himself a bowl when it was ready to eat and sat down to eat. He saw someone far away, walking towards him. It was his brother Esau! I wonder if Esau could smell the food while he was out hunting. He must have thought “I have been looking for animals all day, and I have nothing to show for it! Boy am I hungry! Wait! What’s that I smell? Stew! I am so hungry! I’ll go see what’s for lunch.” Esau’s stomach grumbled as he made his way to his brother’s shepherd’s camp. When he got there, he looked in the pot and saw a red stew. And it looked good! It had been hours since he had eaten.
“Please give me some of this stew, Jacob. I’m so tired and hungry. I’ve been hunting all day!”
Jacob thought for a minute and saw his chance!
“I’ll give you some stew, but only in exchange for your birthright. I want the inheritance that is given to the older son.”
Esau angrily said “Look! I’m dying here! If I don’t eat soon, I’ll die anyway, so what does it matter if you have the inheritance. I’ll be dead anyway if I don’t eat!”
Jacob said, “Swear to me that it is mine from today on.”
Esau said “Fine. I swear it’s yours. Now give me stew! Hurry!”
Jacob was happy with himself. He had just accomplished God’s plan! Or so he thought!
When God makes a promise, is it necessary for us to try to make the promise come true?
NO! God never needs our help to keep His promises. We can’t keep God’s promises. Only HE can. God is much more powerful than us. He is much smarter than us. It’s not our job to figure out a way to make God’s plans happen. It is our job to TRUST God! We can trust that God will make His perfect plan happen, even when it seems people around us are messing God’s plan up. Remember Abraham and Sarah? They tried to figure out how to make God’s plan happen, and Ishmael was born. They had lots of problems because of that. Now Jacob was trying to figure out how to make God’s plan happen. Do you think it will go well?
You have to come back next week to find out!
Let’s pray and ask God to help us trust Him, even when it’s hard.