Bible Story: Genesis 25-28
Who were Jacob and Esau?
Twin Brothers
They were the sons of Isaac and the grandsons of Abraham
Differences between Jacob and Esau:
Esau was an outdoorsman and his father’s favorite. He was also an extremely hairy man.
Jacob was a quiet man that preferred staying at home. He was his mother’s favorite.
Esau was born first, meaning he had the birthright or the greater share of the inheritance from Isaac. Esau had the right to be the heir of the family, which meant he would also carry the covenant with God that his grandfather Abraham established.
One day, after Esau had been out in the field, he came home and saw that Jacob had made some stew. Esau asked Jacob if he could have some stew. Jacob said he could have some stew only if he sold him his birthright. And he did it. Esau was so exhausted that he sold his entire birthright for a bowl of stew.
Esau let his physical needs overpower his spiritual needs. He traded a life of blessing for a moment of pleasure.
When their father, Isaac, was old, his eyes became weak, and he went blind. He knew he was getting close to death, so he called Esau to go hunt an animal and cook him a meal that way, he could give him the blessing as the firstborn son. But Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother, overheard this conversation, and while Esau was out hunting, Jacob prepared a meal behind Isaac’s back so he could steal the blessing.
Rebekah helped Jacob because he was her favorite. She helped him prepare the meal and dressed him up like his brother in order to deceive Isaac. She even went as far as to put goat hair on Jacob so when Isaac felt him, he would feel like Esau. Because Isaac was blind, this plan worked, and Jacob stole Esau’s blessing and received the birthright that Esau had sold him years earlier.
When Esau returned, he was furious. Because Jacob received the blessing from Isaac, nothing was left for Esau. Fearing that Esau would kill him, Jacob fled his home to live with his mother's family. For years Jacob and Esau lived far away from each other, but later in their life, they put the past behind them and were able to work together again.
Esau shows us that we should value spiritual blessing over worldly attraction. The Bible says that a person who values physical needs over spiritual needs is “godless” or “ungodly”
Even though Jacob stole the blessing, God still blessed him. When God blesses someone, no one can take it away.
Part of this blessing included the Messiah being born in his bloodline. We later find out that Jesus was born as the Messiah and Savior of the world. Jesus was born in Jacob’s bloodline because of this blessing.
Further Learning:
While no one can take away God’s blessing, God’s blessing can be removed if the person He blessed doesn’t obey Him. To remain in God’s blessing, we must remain in His word and continue to obey Him.
Key Takeaways:
Spiritual needs are greater than physical needs
No one can take away God’s blessing
Parents, 3treesKIDS will also be learning about Jacob & Easu, both in-person and online this Sunday.
Be sure to check out their lesson at www.3trees.com/kids.
To find service times and locations, visit https://www.3trees.com/planyourvisit