INTRODUCTION

Jacob Deceives Esau and Isaac

Bible Point:

Telling the truth honors God.

Key Verse:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Big Picture:

We can always tell the truth.

Jacob Deceives Esau and Isaac

Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-40

Discerning truth from fiction is a difficult thing for young children. They’re just beginning to understand the difference between reality and make-believe. Many young children will tell a lie because either they’re just “pretending” or they don’t want to get in trouble. Use this lesson to help children understand that Jesus always tells us the truth and we can honor our friendship with Jesus by telling the truth as well.

BIBLE TIME!

Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-40 tells us that Jacob told a lie and tricked his brother Esau and his father, Isaac, because Jacob wanted his father’s special blessing. Esau sold his birthright for some bread and lentil stew, and Isaac was tricked when Rebekah had Jacob put on goatskins to make it seem like he was hairy Esau. Jacob tricked Isaac and received the blessing.

KEY VERSE

In all things God works for good (adapted from Romans 8:28).

BIBLE POINT

Telling the truth honors God.

PLAY AND PRAY

Have your family sit in a circle, and choose one person to sit in the middle of the circle blindfolded. Then have everyone quietly switch places. Let the blindfolded person walk to a family member, touch the person’s face, and guess his or her name. Repeat the game until everyone has had a turn.

ASK

• Was it hard to guess who you were touching? Why or why not?

• How did you feel when you couldn’t see each person?

• What was hurtful about how Jacob tricked Esau?

OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Take a walk outside. Encourage your child to examine and touch different types of plants, trees, flowers, and rocks. Let your child feel the different textures and notice the different smells or materials. Point out the tree bark, leaf patterns, and flower petals, and observe their colors and shapes. Remind your child that even though Esau and Jacob were brothers (twins, in fact), they were very different. Esau was hairy and an outdoorsman; Jacob was smooth-skinned and quiet. Remind your child that even though we are all different, telling the truth honors God.

ASK

• How did the different objects feel?

• How do you feel when you tell the truth?

READY, SET, GROW! 

This week, your child learned that telling the truth honors God, and we can always tell the truth. Your child committed to one of the following challenges to remember that he or she needs to always tell the truth because it honors God and shows our love for God. Help your child weave faith into life this week and follow through on the challenge!

• Ask your grown-up or a loved one to tell you a story about a time when they were tempted to lie, but told the truth, and ask them what happened because of that.

• When you forget to do something your grown-up or loved one asks you to do, tell them the truth right away.