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Volume 3, Issue 8
       
   
August 2009
       
Jacob and Esau
         
             
         Isaac and Rebekah had twin sons named Jacob and Esau.  The two brothers had very different personalities.  Esau loved to be outdoors and hunting was his specialty.  Jacob was more the quiet type, preferring to tend sheep.  Rebekah favored Jacob while Isaac favored Esau.
      inside this issue  
      Jacob and Esau  
      Word Find  
      Harp Maze  

       One day Esau came home from hunting and he was very hungry.  Jacob had been cooking lentil stew and the smell reached Esau’s nostrils.  “Please give me some stew.  I am about to die of hunger.”

      “I’ll give you some stew if you give me your birthright,”  replied Jacob.
      Esau’s birthright was to one day inherit all of his father’s flocks.  But Esau wanted food right away so he agreed to Jacob’s terms. 

         

 

So Esau gave his entire inheritance for a bowl of stew!

      But that’s only the beginning of Esau’s downfall.  As Isaac was nearing the end of his life, he wanted to make sure Esau would take over as leader of the family.  “Go and prepare a  special meal for me, Esau,” said Isaac.  But Rebekah overheard them and convinced Jacob to pretend to be Esau.  The plan worked and Rebekah cooked her husband’s favorite meal.

         
     
     
     
     
     

      Because Rebekah favored Jacob, she wanted him to inherit all of Esau’s future wealth.  Jacob obeyed his mother when she told him to dress in Esau’s clothes and put woolly animal skins on his arms because Jacob was a smooth skinned man while Esau was hairy. 

      Isaac could not see well because of his old age and he reached out to touch Jacob and felt the animal skins on his arms.  Isaac believed that it really was Esau so he blessed him, turning over his power to Jacob.

      A short time later, Esau came in with the food his father requested.  Both were shocked at what had taken place!  There was no more blessings to give Esau.  From that time forth Esau wanted to kill his brother!

      So Jacob ran away for fear that Esau would kill him once their father was dead.  Jacob had to sleep out in the wilderness.  Yahweh caused Jacob to have dreams.  In one of his dreams, he saw a ladder that reached to heaven with angels ascending and descending.  In his dream, Jacob heard Yahweh say “I am Yahweh your Elohim.  You will have many descendants and this land will be yours.  Have no fear as I am with you.”

      Jacob awoke feeling hopeful of the future.  So he went to the land of Aram where his uncle Laban lived.  There he saw a lovely young woman named Rebekah.  He agreed to work for seven years  for Rachel’s hand in marriage.  But Laban tricked him on his wedding night and gave Jacob his older daughter Leah.  So Jacob had to work another seven years for Rachel. 

   

      So after living with Laban for twenty years, Yahweh told him to go back to the land of Canaan.  Along the way an angel wrestled with him.  Jacob refused to let go until the angel blessed.  This is how Jacob got a new name, Israel which means “he wrestles with El.” 

      It wasn't long after that that Jacob crossed a stream that flowed by his homeland.  Then he saw Esau coming out to meet him with four hundred men!  Imagine how fearful Jacob must have been.  But the brother put aside their past differences and they hugged each other.  They gave each other gifts and live peaceably with one another. 

      Jacob had many descendants as Yahweh said in the dream.  Twelve sons were born to Jacob.  And many children were born to Jacob’s sons also.  Yahweh’s promises always come true.

   
                 
               
               
               
WORD SEARCH: Jacob and Esau
 
                 

Find the words in the box below:

   

Jacob

Esau

Rebekah

Isaac

Laban

Rachel

Leah

Stew

Angel

Inheritance

   
     
 
               
               
               
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Harp Maze

      David was a skilful harp player.  After he defeated Goliath, David was taken into Saul’s palace to be a special helper to Saul.  Saul cared about David very much.  Often, King Saul would have bad dreams and was restless throughout the night.  He was being punished by Yahweh for being disobedient.  So David would play the harp for King Saul and it would calm him down when he couldn't sleep.  Trace your way through the maze below!

 
 
 
 
             

                      

 
             
YAIY - Kids for Yah