🔥Chapter 3 – True Relationship

30 mins:   [🔥]

Bible Passage: Genesis 25 : 27-34, 27, 28, 29: 1-13, 32, 33
Bible Event: Jacob found the truest relationship

[Please share the story in detail. The following is only an outline for your guidance.]

Context

Isaac had two sons, Jacob and Esau. In those days, the birthright was a special privilege given to the firstborn son. It included the responsibility of carrying on the family’s legacy and becoming the head of the household after the father’s death.

Esau did not value his birthright and sold it to Jacob for a bowl of stew. Jacob, however, wanted more than just the birthright. With the help of his mother, he deceived his father and received Isaac’s final blessing as well.

Because of this serious mistake, Jacob had to flee from home. He learned that Esau was furious and wanted to kill him.

Main Event

Jacob was running away from home. His mother told him to seek refuge with her brother’s family. Historians estimate that the journey was approximately 720–800 kilometers long.

Can you imagine walking that far all alone?

Jacob began his journey from Beersheba, where his parents lived. After traveling nearly 100 kilometers, he arrived at a place called Luz. By then, night had fallen.

How would you have felt if you were in Jacob’s place?

Jacob was not like Esau, who loved the outdoors and spent much of his time hunting. Jacob had rarely ventured far from home. Now he was experiencing the painful consequences of his choices.

Imagine walking for days with no companion, no family, and no certainty about what lay ahead. Jacob must have felt exhausted, lonely, frightened, and perhaps even guilty.

That night, he picked up a stone, placed it under his head, and went to sleep. Jacob had reached the lowest point of his life. Yet it was in that desperate moment that he encountered the truest Friend of all.

While he slept, God met him in a dream.

The holy God had no obligation to reach out to a deceiver like Jacob. Yet God graciously stooped down to meet him. He spoke words of promise, protection, and blessing over Jacob’s future.

How did Jacob respond?

Surprisingly, he responded with skepticism. The idea of having a relationship with God seemed almost too good to be true. So Jacob made a deal with God.

Let’s read Genesis 28:20–21:

“Then Jacob made this vow: ‘If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the LORD will certainly be my God.’”

What would you have done if you were God?

God could have been offended by Jacob’s doubts. He could have reminded Jacob of all his mistakes. Instead, God responded with love and patience.

God understood Jacob’s condition. He knew Jacob was at rock bottom. Jacob was worried about simple things—whether he would have food to eat, clothes to wear, and safety as he crossed the desert. God saw his fears and understood his heart.

And God accepted Jacob where he was.

Jacob named that place Bethel, meaning “House of God,” because it was there that God met him and began a new relationship with him.

Conclusion

Jacob safely reached his uncle’s house. There he married and built a family. Years later, he returned safely toward his father’s home. Along the way, he even met Esau again. Instead of taking revenge, Esau showed kindness and welcomed him.

As Jacob traveled home, he passed through Bethel—the very place where he had made his promise to God. There, God appeared to him again and blessed him.

God changed his name from Jacob, which means “deceiver” or “cheater,” to Israel.

Over the years, Jacob had come to know God as his truest Friend. So Jacob worshipped God, offered sacrifices, and thanked Him for His faithfulness and goodness throughout his life. The God who met Jacob when he was lonely, afraid, guilty, and broken had remained faithful to him every step of the way.

30 mins:   [Girls – 🔥🔥, Boys- 🔥🔥]

Activity: MY RAINY DAY

• Hand out A4 sheets to the children and ask them to write their answers to the two questions above.
• If space permits, invite the children to spread out around the room and find a comfortable place to sit quietly while they reflect and write about their RAINY day.
• As teachers, consider participating in the activity as well. Take a few moments to write about your own rainy day experience. Your willingness to reflect and share can encourage the children to be honest and thoughtful in their own responses.