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Memory Verse: Psalm 62:5 “ 5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in Him.”
Your lesson tells the story of Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, the choices they made, good and bad, and the consequences and effects of those choices on the lives of those they loved.
Genesis 25:20-21
“When Isaac was forty years old, he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel
the Aramean from Paddan-aram and the sister of Laban the Aramean. 21 Isaac pleaded
with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children.
The LORD answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.”
Genesis 25:22-26
22 “But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she
went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she
asked. 23 And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two
nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation
will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger
son.”
24 And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed
have twins! 25 The first one was very red at birth and covered with thick hair
like a fur coat. So they named him Esau. 26 Then the other twin was born with
his hand grasping Esau’s heel. So they named him Jacob. Isaac was sixty
years old when the twins were born.”
Rebekah had, so far, been unable to have children. So Isaac prayed. Was his choice to pray, wise? Why? What were the consequences? (God answered Isaac’s prayer. Rebekah became pregnant with not one but two children – twin boys. God told her the elder Esau would serve the younger son Jacob.)
Genesis 25:27-28
27 “As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman,
but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. 28 Isaac loved
Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah
loved Jacob.”
Esau became a great hunter – he was an outdoorsman. Jacob, on the other hand was more of a homebody – quiet. Isaac loved Esau and Rebekah loved Jacob. Was Isaac and Rebekah’s choice to favor one child over the other wise? Why? What problems do you see that their parent’s choice to do this could cause in the family? (It would cause strife, competition for the love of the other parent, favoritism, feelings of not being loved or accepted, envy, sibling rivalry, selfishness, and even hatred and a heart for murder.)
Genesis 25:29-34
29 “One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the
wilderness exhausted and hungry. 30 Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved!
Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name,
Edom, which means “red.”) 31 “All right,” Jacob replied,
“but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” 32 “Look,
I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright
to me now?” 33 But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright
is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the
firstborn to his brother, Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil
stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights
as the firstborn.”
As firstborn son, upon the death of Isaac, Esau was entitled to a larger share of the inheritance than the rest of his brothers and sisters. This was called a birthright. Jacob knew this and used Esau’s hunger as an opportunity to try to get Esau’s birthright. What other choices were available to Jacob when Esau asked for some of the stew? (He could have just given his brother some stew. He could have said “No”.)
Esau chose to give his birthright to his younger brother in exchange for some food. Was this choice wise? This birthright was a very special and precious possession, but obviously Esau had no regard for it. What were the consequences of his choice? (He gave up something precious for something temporary and short-lived.)
Matthew 16:26
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own
soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?”
Luke 9:25
“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself
lost or destroyed?”
Genesis 27:1-13
1 “One day when Isaac was old and turning blind, he called for Esau, his
older son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied.
2 “I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don’t know
when I may die. 3 Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into
the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare my favorite dish,
and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs
to you, my firstborn son, before I die.” 5 But Rebekah overheard what
Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game,
6 she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau,
7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will
bless you in the LORD’s presence before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen
to me. Do exactly as I tell you. 9 Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine
young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish.
10 Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he
dies.” 11 “But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my
brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth. 12 What if my father touches
me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll
curse me instead of blessing me.” 13 But his mother replied, “Then
let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the
goats for me!”
Isaac knew his time was short and before he died he wanted to give Esau the blessing reserved for the firstborn son. Isaac called Esau and asked him to hunt some wild game for him, cook it and bring it to him to eat and he (Isaac) would give Esau the blessing for the firstborn son. So Esau left to do what his father had asked.
Remember that Rebekah favored Jacob over Esau. She overheard her husband talking to Esau. What were her choices at this time? (Let Esau receive the blessing or enable Jacob to get Esau’s blessing.) How did she choose? Was it a wise or foolish choice? Explain. What were the consequences of her choice?
Genesis 27: 14-30
14 “So Jacob went out and got the young goats for his mother. Rebekah
took them and prepared a delicious meal, just the way Isaac liked it. 15 Then
she took Esau’s favorite clothes, which were there in the house, and gave
them to her younger son, Jacob. 16 She covered his arms and the smooth part
of his neck with the skin of the young goats. 17 Then she gave Jacob the delicious
meal, including freshly baked bread. 18 So Jacob took the food to his father.
“My father?” he said. “Yes, my son,” Isaac answered.
“Who are you—Esau or Jacob?” 19 Jacob replied, “It’s
Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game.
Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.” 20 Isaac asked,
“How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The LORD your God
put it in my path!” Jacob replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come
closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau.” 22
So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. “The voice
is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac said. 23 But
he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like
Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob. 24 “But are you really
my son Esau?” he asked. “Yes, I am,” Jacob replied. 25 Then
Isaac said, “Now, my son, bring me the wild game. Let me eat it, and then
I will give you my blessing.” So Jacob took the food to his father, and
Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. Then Isaac said
to Jacob, 26 “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son.”
27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his
clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah!
The smell of my son is like the smell of the outdoors, which the LORD has blessed!
28 “From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, may God always
give you abundant harvests of grain and bountiful new wine. 29 May many nations
become your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over
your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. All who curse
you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.” 30 As soon
as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and almost before Jacob had left his father,
Esau returned from his hunt.”
Rebekah and Jacob made several choices that had long-term consequences to them. What were they? (Rebekah deceived her husband. Jacob went along with the deception to steal Esau’s blessing. Jacob lied to his father Isaac and deceived his father into believing that he, Jacob, was really Esau.)
Genesis 27:31-41
31 “Esau prepared a delicious meal and brought it to his father. Then
he said, “Sit up, my father, and eat my wild game so you can give me your
blessing.” 32 But Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”
Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.” 33
Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served
me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came.
And yes, that blessing must stand!” 34 When Esau heard his father’s
words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me?
Bless me, too!” he begged.
35 But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken
away your blessing.”
36 Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated
me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my
blessing. Oh, haven’t you saved even one blessing for me?” 37 Isaac
said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all
his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him an abundance of grain
and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?” 38 Esau pleaded,
“But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!”
Then Esau broke down and wept. 39 Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You
will live away from the richness of the earth, and away from the dew of the
heaven above. 40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother.
But when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.”
41 From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob
the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s
death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”
Esau returned from a successful hunt and prepared a delicious meal for his father. He was eagerly anticipating receiving his blessing. Can you imagine how shocked, hurt and angry Esau was when he discovered that Jacob had stolen his blessing? Jacob had gained the blessing, but he also gained Esau’s hatred. Jacob’s life was now in danger. Was it what it cost worth all the pain that Jacob and Rebekah’s deception earned for them?
Genesis 27:42-46
42 “But Rebekah heard about Esau’s plans. So she sent for Jacob
and told him, “Listen, Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you.
43 So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in
Haran. 44 Stay there with him until your brother cools off. 45 When he calms
down and forgets what you have done to him, I will send for you to come back.
Why should I lose both of you in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m sick and tired of these local
Hittite women! I would rather die than see Jacob marry one of them.”
Rebekah learned of Esau’s plans to kill Jacob and warned her son to flee to her brother’s house in Haran. She was in danger of losing them both. As it was, she lost her favored son’s presence in her life. He had to flee to save his life. Again, Rebekah deceived Isaac with a story that she did not want Jacob marrying any of the local Hittite women. She used that as an excuse for Isaac to send Jacob to his uncle Laban’s home to keep Jacob safe.
Genesis 28:1-5
1 “So Isaac called for Jacob, blessed him, and said, “You must not
marry any of these Canaanite women. 2 Instead, go at once to Paddan-aram, to
the house of your grandfather Bethuel, and marry one of your uncle Laban’s
daughters. 3 May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may
your descendants multiply and become many nations! 4 May God pass on to you
and your descendants the blessings he promised to Abraham. May you own this
land where you are now living as a foreigner, for God gave this land to Abraham.”
5 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to stay with his uncle
Laban, his mother’s brother, the son of Bethuel the Aramean.”
Isaac sent his son Jacob to his uncle Laban’s home to secure a wife. Even after Jacob deceived his father, Isaac sent him away with a blessing.
The results of choices made by Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau all had consequences. Would Isaac and Rebekah have chosen not to favor one child over the other if they could have seen how it fostered competition, rivalry and even hatred between Jacob and Esau? Would Jacob have used Esau’s hunger to try to get Esau’s birthright? Would Esau have traded his birthright for a bowl of food? Would Rebekah have lied to and deceived her husband had she known that she might never see Jacob again, or might lose one or both of her children to murder and hatred? Would Jacob have gone along with the deception to fool his father Isaac and steal his brother Esau’s blessing if he knew that Esau would be angry enough to kill him?
Just as Abraham and Sarah “jumped the gun” with God with the birth of Ishmael, Jacob and Rebekah “jumped the gun” with God when they deceived Isaac, enabling Jacob to steal Esau’s blessing. None of these people waited on God to fulfill His promises, instead they attempted to fulfill His promises for Him. They gained the short-term benefit and long-term consequences that nearly destroyed their lives.
As children of God, your birthright will be eternal life with God forever. This is a very special and precious promise by God to you. Would you choose to give that away in exchange for the temporary joys of power, money and possessions or fame on this earth? Sadly, too many of God’s children will choose the way of the world – temporary riches, power, fame, possessions – and lose their birthright. Can you think of any examples of this today? (People have lost families, marriages, and children because of their pursuit of money, power and fame.)
I read once that the most dangerous gift that God gave mankind is the ability to choose for themselves, and once having chosen, to live with the results of their choice. Adam and Eve had to live the rest of their lives with the result of their choice. We are still living with the result of the choice Abraham and Sarah made to include Hagar in their family. The birth of Ishmael and the results of choices made after his birth are still felt in the world today.
The history of the world is the result of the choices of individuals and nations. The future is the result of choices being made now by you, me, and all other humans worldwide. We have to have more than just our own ideas of what and how to choose. God gave us His Word, both written and in His Son as a standard to guide us in our choices. You don’t have to do it all alone. Help is available. Ask God. He is always there to hear you. He wants you to make good choices. He doesn’t want you to fail. On the other hand, Satan does want you and all of mankind to fail. He wants us to make bad choices and enjoys seeing us suffer as the result of those bad choices. Don’t let him have the satisfaction of seeing you suffer with the results of your bad choices. Choose wisely.
James 1:5-8
5 “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.
He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask Him, be sure that your
faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as
unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such
people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty
is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they
do.”
Deuteronomy 30:19
19 “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between
blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you
make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might
live!”
You are faced with choices every day. Do you barge ahead, full-steam-ahead, only to crash and burn in the unanticipated consequences of your choices? Or, do you ask God for wisdom and clarity to choose as He would have you choose? Will you choose the world and lose your eternal inheritance? Will you sell your birthright and allow your blessing to be stolen from you? The choice is yours to make, and yours alone. Will you make it alone or will you ask God to help you choose wisely?