June 1, 2014

OT 15 Jacob, Esau, and the Birthright

Reference: Genesis 25:27-34

Story Summary: 
   Because Esau was the the older twin, he received his family’s birthright. That meant he would receive twice the inheritance that his brother Jacob would receive. And their father, Isaac, was a wealthy man. Esau's birthright was very, very valuable.
   One day, Esau came back from a long day in the wild, open country just as Jacob was cooking. He was tired and very hungry. “Give me some of that red stew,” he said. Seeing an opportunity to trick his brother, Jacob said, “First, sell me your birthright.”
   “Look, I’m dying of hunger,” Esau exaggerated. “What good are those rights to me?” Because he was so hungry,  Esau did a very foolish thing. He agreed to sell his birthright for a bowl of red stew. So Jacob gave him some stew and bread to eat and Esau chowed down. By selling his birthright for stew, Esau showed that he didn’t care about his birthright at all.

Big Idea and Motions: Small foolish decisions now can cost you big later.
Small - hold your hands about an inch apart in front of you
Foolish - twirl your index finger in circles by your temple and wiggle your head
Now - point to your feet with both index fingers
Big - hold your hands far apart
Later - point far to the right with both index fingers

Verse / Motions: Romans 5:8, ESV - For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Wages - pretend to swipe a debit card
Sin - two thumbs down
Death - cross your arms in an X over your chest
Free gift - hand a “gift” to someone in front of you
Eternal life - trace an ∞ in the air with your finger
Christ Jesus - form a cross with your forearms
Lord - point up

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
A birthright meant you got twice as much… what? (Inheritance, stuff when your parents died.)
Which brother had the birthright at the beginning? Why? (Esau because he was born first.)
What had Esau been doing? (Out in the open country, probably hunting.)
What was Jacob doing? (Cooking some red stew.)
When Esau wanted stew, what did Jacob say? (First sell me your birthright.)
What did Esau say after Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright?” (I’m dying of hunger! I don’t care about my birthright!)
What did the Bible say Esau thought about his birthright? (He didn’t care about it.)
Was what Jacob did kind? Why not? (No. He should have just given soup to his brother instead of tricking him.)
How did Esau’s foolish action cost him? (He’d get half of the inheritance later.)
How did Jacob’s foolish action cost him? (He didn’t get along with his brother.)

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/pZpnVO
Resources - http://goo.gl/joVoUW

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