GENESIS 

Chapters 29 and 30 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 29 and Chapter 30.

Chapter 29:
Verses 1-14  Jacob meets Rachael.
Verses 15-30  Jacob makes a business agreement with Laban in exchange for marriage to Rachel. Laban tricks Jacob and gives him Leah. Another agreement is made so that he can have Rachel also.
Verses 31-35  Leah starts having children – has 4 sons (Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah). Then she stops having children.

Chapter 30:
Verses 1-8  Rachael has not been able to bear children yet. She gives her maid to Jacob and she has 2 sons (Dan and Naphtali).
Verses 9-13  Not to be outdone, Leah gives her maid to Jacob and she bears 2 sons (Gad and Asher).
Verses 14-21  Rachael makes a deal with Leah. Leah bears more children for Jacob (Isachar, Zebulun and Dinah).
Verses 22-24  Rachael finally has a child for Jacob (Joseph).
Verses 25-43  Jacob makes another deal with Laban – this time he wants to start his own flock. Jacob comes up with a plan to get more lambs.

Discussion: 

Are you married or engaged?
Was it love at first sight when you met each other?
Did you have a long engagement or a short one?
Obviously Leah knew she wasn’t the one that Jacob was supposed to marry – did she agree with Laban to do this? Was Laban just trying to get rid of his daughters?
Jacob worked 14 years to get the woman he loved. Have you ever had to go above and beyond for the one you love?
Leah had 4 sons before she started praising the Lord (Genesis 29:35). Are you praising God in the midst of your trials?
Rachael finally has a son but she wants more – she was not satisfied with what she had. Are you satisfied with what you have? Why or why not?
Jacob did not have to agree to have children with the maids – but he did. What might have been his reasoning? What do you think it was like for the women?

Child Activities:
Coloring pictures of sheep and goats – make them speckled and spotted.

GENESIS 

Chapters 27 and 28 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 27 and Chapter 28.

Chapter 27
Verses 1-4  Isaac tells Esau to make him some savory food and that he wants to bless him before he dies.

Verses 5-17  Rebekah overhears Isaac talk to Esau and comes up with a plan for Jacob to get the blessing instead.

Verses 18-26  Jacob brings the food to Isaac and convinces him that he is Esau.

Verses 27-29  Isaac blesses Jacob with the blessing he was going to give Esau.

Verses 30-36  Esau shows up with the food he has made and finds out that Jacob beat him to it.

Verses 37-40  Isaac gives a blessing to Esau.

Verses 41  Esau plans to kill his brother once their father is dead.

Verses 42-45  Rebekah tells Jacob to go to her brother Laban. Rebekah may have thought Esau would calm down in a few days.

Verses 46-48  Rebekah creates a situation to manipulate Isaac into sending Jacob away.

Chapter 28
Verses 1-5  Isaac sends Jacob to Laban to find a wife.

Verses 6-9  Esau sees that his father disapproves of his 2 Canaanite wives, so he adds another wife from Ishmael’s family (Isaac’s half brother).

Verses 10-12  Jacob has a dream of a ladder to heaven and angels going up and down the ladder.

NOTE: The ladder created a bridge from heaven to earth.
The cross is the bridge from earth to heaven. Jesus showed us the way to heaven.

Verses 13-15  God speaks to Jacob in his dream – gives him the promise that was given to Abraham and Isaac.

Verses 16-17  Jacob wakes up and realizes that he was in the presence of God.

Verses 18-22  Jacob makes a vow and anoints the stone that was used as his pillow.

Discussion:
How does it feel when someone tricks you?
Have you tried to trick someone?
Has anyone made you a promise? Did they keep it?
Have you made a promise to someone? Did you keep it?
God had a plan for Jacob but Rebekah decided to hurry it along. Have you tried to hurry God along?
What were the consequences of that?

Child Activities:
Furry fabric (to drape on one of the children to create hairy neck and arms)
Blindfold
Have a child put on the blindfold. Then have one of the children put on the furry fabric. See if the blindfolded child can guess who is wearing the furry fabric.

Crafts:
Make a paper (or cardboard) ladder tall enough to reach the ceiling.
Cut out angel figures and attach (glue or staple) to the ladder.

GENESIS 

Chapter 26 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 26.

Verses 1-6  There is a famine in the land and God tells Isaac not to go to Egypt, but to stay in Gerar.

Verses 7-11  Isaac tells a lie to protect his wife (just like his dad). Isaac had faith to trust God in the famine. Isaac had faith to pray for children (Chapter 25). But, he did not have faith that God would protect his wife. Isaac’s lie gets discovered when the king sees him being affectionate to Rebekah. Abimelech calls him out on the lie.

Verses 12-16  Isaac prospers in the land, so much so that the Philistines envy him and Abimelech asks him to leave.

Verses 17-18  Isaac leaves the area and digs up the wells that were from the time of his father.

Verses 19-22  Apparently Isaac didn’t move far enough away and his servants and the herdsmen of Gerar quarrel over the water rights. Eventually they find water that no one is arguing over.

Verses 23-25  Isaac goes to Beersheba and God speaks to him there repeating the covenant that He made with Abraham.

Verses 26-31  Abimelech shows up and wants to make a treaty with Isaac (he sees how God has blessed Isaac).

Verses 32-33  The servants dig another well and find water.

Verses 34-35  Esau takes 2 wives of the Hittites and this upsets Isaac and Rebekah.

Discussion:
What are you afraid of?
Do you have something so special that you can’t trust anyone with it – not even God?
What do you think will happen to it?
Have you worried about something and nothing happened?
Does worrying help?
If you make a mistake, do you tell your children?
Are you teaching them to do what you say but not what you do?
Do your words and actions match up?
What has happened in your life to confirm that you are where God wants you to be?
If you don’t have confirmation, what can you do about it?

Children Discussion:
Have you told a lie to protect someone? What happened?
Do you have enemies? Why are they enemies? Can you make a treaty with them?
Does your behavior upset your parents? What can you do about that?

GENESIS 

Chapter 25 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 25.

Verses 1-6  Abraham marries Keturah and they have 6 sons. Abraham gave gifts to all his sons but to Isaac he gave all that he had. Abraham’s other sons were sent away from Isaac. In later years these other sons would become nations that will give Israel trouble.

Verses 7-11  Abraham dies at the age of 175. Isaac and Ishmael bury their father with Sarah.

Verses 12-18  The genealogy of Ishmael – he had 12 sons. Ishmael lived to the age of 137.

Verses 19-28    Isaac and Rebekah were married for 20 years before they had children. Isaac prays for his wife. Rebekah gives birth to twin sons. Esau was the first born and Jacob was second. Isaac’s favorite was Esau and Rebekah’s favorite was Jacob.

Verses 29-34  Esau sells his position in the family (firstborn) because he was hungry and too tired to make anything for himself. He decided a meal was more important than his position in the family.

Discussion:
Abraham’s favorite son was Isaac.
Isaac’s favorite son was Esau. Rebekah’s favorite was Jacob.
Jacob’s favorite son was Joseph. (Chapter 37:3)
Favoritism seems to run in this family . . .

Do you have a favorite child? Why is one favored over the others? Do you think your children know that you have a favorite?
Did your parents have a favorite? Was it you? If it wasn’t you, how did that make you feel? Did it cause sibling rivalry?

Children Discussion:
Is it important to pray for people (like Isaac did for Rebekah)?
Do parents have a favorite child? Is that fair?
If you are the oldest child in your family, would you trade places with a younger sibling (like Esau did)?
Did Esau make a good choice? What would you have done?

Activity:
Ask each child if they need prayer about something.
Assign prayer partners and have them pray for each other.
Write down the prayer needs and watch as they get answered.

GENESIS 

Chapter 22, 23 and 24 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 22, Chapter 23, and Chapter 24.

Chapter 22:
Verses 1-19  Abraham is tested by God and he passes the test! (Note: It has been said that Isac was about 33 years old at this time – he was not a child.)
Verses 20-24  Abraham hears about the children born to his brother Nahor. (this will be important when we get to chapter 24)

Chapter 23:
Verses 1-2  Sarah dies.
Verses 3-20  Abraham negotiates with the sons of Heth for a burial place for Sarah.

Chapter 24:
Verses 1-4  Abraham makes his servant swear that he will find a wife for Isaac but not from the Canaanites.
Verses 5-9  The servant is concerned that the woman will not go with him. However, Abraham does not want the servant to take Isaac with him. If the woman will not go with him, then he will be released from the oath.
Verses 10-14  The servant loads up the camels and travels to Mesopotamia (where Abraham’s brother Nahor lives – see chapter 22: 20-24) The servant prays for a sign from God to show him which woman he should ask for Isaac.
Verses 15-25   The servant meets Rebekah and the servant sees the sign that he had asked God for. The servant gives Rebekah the gifts he has brought for her.
Verses 26-27  The servants thanks God for answering his prayer.
Verses 28-30  Rebekah tells her family about the servant and shows them her gifts.
Verses 31-33  Laban greets the servant and invites him in.
Verses 34-49  The servant tells them about his mission.
Verses 50-51  Laban and Bethuel agree and give Rebekah to the servant.
Verses 52-53  The servant worships God for answered prayer again and gives more gifts to Rebekah.
Verses 54 – 61  The servant and Rebekah and her nurse depart to make their way back to Abraham.
Verses 62-67  Rebekah and Isaac meet and become husband and wife.

Discussion:
God does not approve of child sacrifice. Did Abraham know that? Did Abraham have faith that God would give Isaac back to him? Why did Isaac go along with it?

Isaac must have had faith, belief and trust as he allowed Abraham to bind him. What do you think they talked about on the way to the mountain? While on the mountain? On the way home?

Abraham sends his servant to find a wife for Isaac. Do you think it was a coincidence that the servant found Rebekah? Do you think that God guided the servant to Rebekah? Rebekah goes with a stranger, to an unknown land – do you think she trusted God?

Abraham prayed that God would go before his servant and select a bride for Isaac. His prayer was answered! Does God answer prayers? Is the answer always yes? Can the answer be no?

Children Activities:
Have someone be the “servant” and someone else be “Rebekah”. Have “Rebekah” hide and then have the children look for her. Give hints to point the way.

Wedding celebration! Have a party with wedding themed plates, cups, etc.