This lesson is compatible with the "Abraham & Isaac" Flash-A-Cards from Abeka Books.  

Scripture References: Genesis 27:30-46

“Is that Jacob rounding the corner?  I wonder where he is going in such a hurry.  Oh well.  I can ask him later.  Right now, I’m going to give dad this stew and get the blessing I deserve as the oldest son!” thought Esau.  He went inside to see his father lying in bed.  “Dad get up!  I have caught an animal and made your favorite stew!  Eat so that you can bless me!”

“Who…who are you?” said Isaac, sounding very confused.  

“It’s me, dad!  Esau!  Remember me, your firstborn son?!”  Esau must have thought his father was delirious with the sickness, and it made him forget him.  I’m sure he felt panic deep inside his heart!

Isaac, his father, began to shake.  “But who?  Who is the one who just brought me food?  I have already given him the blessing!  And it can’t be taken back…he will surely be blessed.”

When Esau heard that, he knew why Jacob had gone in such a hurry.  HE WAS FURIOUS!  Esau began to cry bitterly.  “Dad bless me also!  Bless me!”

Isaac said sadly “Your brother has tricked me and taken away your blessing.”

Esau said “Twice now he has robbed me!  He stole the inheritance of the firstborn, and now he has taken away the blessing of the firstborn!”

Was that entirely true?  Did Jacob steal the inheritance from Esau?  If you remember, Esau willingly agreed to trade his inheritance for a simple bowl of stew!  I’m positive he also knew about what God had said to his mother Rebekah, when God told her the younger son would rule, not the older son.  But I don’t think Esau cared much about God’s plans at that time in his life.  He only wanted to do things his way.  It’s true that Jacob and his mother did wrong in tricking Isaac, but Esau also did wrong in giving his inheritance away.  Esau couldn’t, or wouldn’t see his own sin, though.  He blamed it all on Jacob.

So, he asked his father to bless him, as he had blessed Jacob. 

Isaac had to tell the truth.  “I have blessed Jacob your brother, and I have given all his brothers as his servants.  He will be the master of the family.  I have blessed him with grain and juice.  What can I do for you, now?  He has the blessing.”

Esau was getting desperate!  He couldn’t believe this was happening!  He deserved all the best of his father’s food and riches!  He deserved to be the master!  He wanted to live a nice, comfortable life with only fun, good times.  He was only thinking about how HE could be happy.

God had other plans, though.  God wanted Esau to be happy, but God also knows that riches and plenty of food aren’t what bring us happiness.  They are nice blessing we can enjoy, if God allows these things in our lives, but they never bring real happiness.  The only true happiness we have is when we are filled with the love of God!  When we trust in Him, and His plans for our lives, we can be calm and happy.  When we try to have our own way, and our own plans, we are often anxious and frustrated!  There is great peace in believing that God has the best plans for our lives, if we will just give our plans to Him, He will make our lives into something so beautiful!  I wonder what wonderful plans God had for Esau.  Esau could have had great peace and happiness, even knowing that his brother would be the ruler over him.  But Esau wasn’t concerned with God’s plans, so he had NO peace at the moment! 

He begged his father once more “Dad, don’t you have just ONE blessing for me???  Please!  Bless me!  Bless me, too!”  and he cried once more.

Isaac quietly said “You will live off of the fatness of the earth, and the dew from the clouds.  You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother.  When you become restless, you will shake the chains of service off of your neck.”

Isaac was realizing that he had done wrong in trying to bless his favorite son, instead of giving the blessing to Jacob in the first place.  He knew he could not take Jacob’s blessing back and give it to Esau.  He knew God’s plan, and there was no way around it, even though he tried to do it his way.  So instead of blessing Esau as he had originally planned, he blessed him in a different way.  He blessed him with plenty of food, but he knew Esau’s life wouldn’t be easy, like he wanted.  He and his descendants would have to fight for land, probably fighting the people around them who worshipped false gods.  And after a long time, his descendants wouldn’t have to serve Jacob’s descendants anymore. 

I’m positive Esau was not happy with this blessing.  It was far from what he had hoped.  He had hoped for all the best blessings his father could imagine!  But instead, Jacob got the best blessing.  Esau was fuming as he went to his own tent.  He began to complain, probably to the servants.  My father is very sick, and probably won’t live much longer.  As soon as he is dead and buried, I will take my revenge on Jacob.  I’m going to KILL  him!”

Do you think Esau will really kill Jacob, his own twin brother?  Come back next week to find out!

Now let’s pray and ask God to help us find true happiness and peace in Him!  Let’s ask for help in trusting God’s plans and giving our plans to God.  God has the BEST plans, even if they look different than our own right now.