Curriculum
Esau Sells His Birthright
Memory Verse:
“So Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 25:34
Bible Background
What Kids Will Learn
God knows and wants what’s best for us. Without God’s help and direction, we can make bad decisions that can last a long time.
Scripture Summary
Isaac was the son of Abraham and Sarah. As you might recall, God promised Abraham and Sarah a child, even in their old ages.
When Isaac and Rebekah married, he was 40 years old. They spent the next 20 years trying, unsuccessfully, to have children. Isaac pleaded with God for children, as did his parents, Abraham and Sarah. They pleaded with God for Isaac.
A birthright was a certain honor placed on the first-born male. Within this right, the son received twice as much inheritance as the other sons. The first-born son is also the intended future leader of the family, typically after the father passes away. The first-born son could sell his birthright, therefore denying the benefits of finances and leadership position.
Further on in Genesis 27, Jacob follows his mother’s plan to deceive Isaac into giving him the first-born blessing, instead of his brother, Esau. As the true first-born, Esau should have received Isaac’s blessing before his death.
Esau rejected the spiritual blessings that accompanied the birthright. Impulsively, Esau traded his long-lasting birthright to satisfy an immediate and temporary need. The pressure of hunger that Esau was experiencing distorted his objectivity and caused him to make a devastating choice of trading his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Why Is This Important
We have lots of decisions to make in life. Small decisions. Big decisions. Sometimes, we can be tempted to make a bad decision because of our own selfish desires or someone else’s tricks. If we listen to God, He will help us make the best decision.
Teacher Devotion
Scripture
While You Wait
“Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.” (Genesis 25:21)
This is a beautiful verse. Isaac and Rebekah were experiencing a difficult time. Many couples since their time have also struggled with infertility. Isaac prayed to God, and God heard his prayers. Then Rebekah conceived twin boys. We can always seek God for His intervention when we struggle.
Taken out of context, this verse makes it sound very quick. Isaac and Rebekah weren’t able to have children. Isaac prayed to God, and Rebekah became pregnant. To me, the verse sounds like it took place over a couple of months, or maybe a year tops.
But that’s not the case. Isaac was 40 years old when he and Rebekah were married. When Rebekah gave birth to Esau and Jacob, Isaac was 60 years old. That’s a span of 20 years. Twenty years of infertility.
Twenty years of pleading with God. Twenty years of believing in God’s plan.
Esau also had a time of waiting. He came in “from the open country, famished.” Esau wasn’t about to wait until the next meal that day. He was hungry, and he wanted to eat immediately. He even exaggerated the situation mentioning that he was “about to die.” He couldn’t wait a matter of hours and ended up making a catastrophic deal trading his birthright for a bowl of stew.
Waiting can take hours. Waiting can take decades. What do I do while I wait? Do I make a poor choice in order to speed up the process of getting what I want? Do I earnestly seek (and even plead with) God and His best next steps? It’s hard to wait. In a world of choosing the shortest line at the store, paying extra for expedited shipping, and speeding through yellow lights, we can go against our natural inclination and choose to wait with anticipation and believe God’s best is truly best.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for being present as I wait. I don’t like waiting. Please help me trust You while I wait. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Bible Memory Verse
You’ll Need: Three disposable, paper bowls, Pen
Get Ready: On the inside bottom of three bowls, write:
- “So Esau despised”
- “his birthright.”
- “Genesis 25:34”
“So Esau despised his birthright.” Genesis 25:34
SAY: Today, we’re going to practice our Bible memory verse in a fun way. Remember, Esau gave away his entire birthright for a single meal. Our verse is, “So Esau despised his birthright.” “Despised” means he gave it up for almost nothing.
Form a circle. Pass the first bowl. As each child holds it, say the phrase and have children repeat it. Pass all three bowls, and then say the entire verse together.
Repeat this process several times.
Interactive Bible Experience
You’ll Need: Bible, A basket of small simple toys (at least one per child and several extras)
SAY: In today’s Bible lesson, Esau made a very poor choice and foolishly gave up his birthright to his brother for a single meal.
Read aloud Genesis 25:29, 31.
SAY: Esau had a choice to make, and he made a bad choice. We’re going to play a game where we make choices, too. Let’s see what choices you make.
Here’s how to play.
- Give each child a toy.
- Ask children each to choose whether to keep their toy or trade it for another toy in the basket. Have them say, “I choose to (‘keep’ or ‘trade’).”
- Play as long as children are interested, and then collect all the toys in the basket.
Then ASK:
- Did you make a good choice about your toy?
- How did trading your toy make you feel?
SAY: In our activity, you got to make a choice. Esau had a choice, too, and he made a bad choice.
ASK:
- When have you made a bad choice?
- What can we learn from Esau’s choice?
PRAY: God, thank You for letting us make our own choices. Please help us make good choices. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Snack
Trail Snack Stew
You’ll Need: In separate bowls you’ll need: plain popped popcorn, M&Ms candies stick pretzels Cheerios cereal, Raisins mini marshmallows Resealable bags, Spoons Sanitizing hand wipes
Get Ready: Set out the bowls with snack items and hand wipes. Place a spoon in each bowl.
Have kids follow these steps to make their Trail Snack Stew.
- Clean your hands.
- Take a resealable bag.
- Point out the ingredients you want to include in your personal “Trail Snack Stew.”
- Hold open your bag while the teacher spoons in your chosen ingredients.
- Enjoy!
SAY: In today’s Bible lesson, we learned that Esau made a poor choice by selling his birthright for a bowl of stew. But God wants us to make good choices. And He won’t leave us alone to figure things out. He gives us trustworthy adults to ask for help. He gives us the Bible to learn from. And God is always here, ready to help.
Game
Thataway Game
You’ll Need: An activity area with obstacles you can arrange, such as chairs, boxes, tables, and more
Get Ready: Set up an obstacle course with a clear start and finish.
Explain to kids that they’ll be playing a game called “Thataway.” Play the game like this:
- Have children line up.
- Explain that they must crawl as they go through the obstacle course. When they come to each obstacle, they must choose which way to go around it.
- When they get to the finish line, they’ll cheer for the child coming next.
Afterward, ASK:
- How did you like choosing your way through the obstacle course?
- How do you think Esau felt after he made his choice?
Craft
Choice Collage
You’ll Need: Esau Sells His Birthright How-to Video, White construction paper, Various shapes and, sizes of colored, construction paper, tissue paper, and wrapping paper (The more varied the colors and designs, the better.), Scissors, Glue sticks
Get Ready: Set out the supplies. Place the precut pieces of paper in the center of your workspace
Have children follow these steps to create a Choice Collage to take home.
- Invite children to create a collage by choosing different pieces of paper and gluing them onto their white construction paper using glue sticks. They can make a picture or simply add colors, shapes, and designs they like.
- Once children are done, write: “God helps (child’s name) make good choices” somewhere on their paper.
Afterward, SAY: We have choices, just like Esau had a choice.
We can make good choices!
Prayer
Choice Prayer
SAY: Today, we’re going to choose how we pray and thank God. I’m going to give you some choices about how you’ll pray now.
- Do you want to stand, sit, or lie down to pray? Do that now.
- Do you want to keep your eyes open or closed to pray? Do that now.
- Finally, what would you like to pray about?
SAY: God is always ready to hear from us, whether we need His help making a choice or we just want to talk with Him. He’s our friend and He loves us.
Lead kids in prayer.
