Elementary Level, Block 3—Jacob and Joseph
Week 21
Jacob—Being Born the Second
Point to Emphasize: We can be thankful for God’s arrangement in our family.
Reference Reading: Genesis 25:19-27
Memory Verse: Of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named. (Ephesians 3:15)
Story Sample
Today we are going to learn about a new person in the Bible, a man named Jacob. We have learned about Abraham and Isaac, right? Well, Jacob was Isaac’s son and Abraham’s grandson.
Actually, Isaac had two sons—he had twins! The older twin was named Esau, and Jacob was the younger twin. Esau was born first, and when he was born he was so hairy that they called him Esau, which means hairy. Jacob was born second. His name means heel-holder. Isaac and Rebekah gave him that name because when Jacob was born he was holding onto Esau’s heel—as if he wanted to pull ahead of Esau. He wanted to be born first.
Jacob and Esau were really different from each other. Esau was strong in some ways—he was physically strong and he liked to be outdoors. Jacob was strong in other ways—he was a quiet person who had a strong mind and liked to stay indoors. Esau spent his time hunting, while Jacob was always thinking up ways to get what he wanted.
Even while he was being born, Jacob was trying to get his own way—he was holding Esau’s heel because he wanted to be born first. But God had a different plan. God arranged that Jacob would be born second. That was no accident. God knew exactly what Jacob needed—He knew that Jacob needed to have a father like Isaac, a mother like Rebekah, and a brother like Esau. He even knew he needed a grandfather like Abraham. Jacob was placed in exactly the right family.
We too, have been placed by God in the right family. Sometimes this might seem hard to believe. Did you know I have three younger brothers? Three! My youngest brother was born when I was seven, and when my parents brought him home, I thought they had made a mistake. How could one girl have three brothers and no sisters? Shouldn’t I have at least one other girl to grow up with? But it was not a mistake. As I grew older, I realized the Lord gave me the best family. He planned out who would be my brothers and who would be my parents, and He put me with those ones. [Storyteller, insert your own story about God putting you in the right family.] God knows what parents we need, what brothers and sisters we need, even what grandparents, aunts, uncles, and more. He put us in exactly the right family.
I’m thankful for my family. Aren’t you thankful for yours? Every night we can thank God for our family!