Aim to learn how Jacob and Esau made a successful foundation of substance

Aim
* to learn how Jacob and Esau made a successful foundation of substance

Materials
* Principle Level 4
* Bible passages
* Jacob buys the birthright from Esau (Genesis 25:27-34)
* Isaac gives the elder son’s blessing to Jacob (Genesis 27: 1-40)
* Jacob and Esau unite as brothers (Genesis 33: 1-4)
* Picture cards of Jacob’s life
* children’s worksheet

Lesson Outline
1. Review the story of Jacob’s life
2. Review the Principles of Restoration
3. Explain how the Foundation of substance was successfully made
4. Activities: worksheet, memory game
5. Review the aim
6. End with a prayer

Note: There is a lot of content in this lesson. The first two parts are a review. The lesson can be shortened by beginning on part 3 – How the Foundation of Substance was successfully made

1)Review the story of Jacob’s Life
* Show the picture cards of Jacob’s life and ask the children to put them in the correct order and tell the main events of his life.
1. Rebekah gives birth to Esau and Jacob
2. Jacob buys the birthright from Esau
3. Isaac gives the elder son’s blessing to Jacob
4. Jacob Flees to Haran
5. Jakob dreams of a stairway to heaven
6. He suffers for 21 years in Haran
7. Jacob leaves Haran with is family
8. He fights and defeats an angel
9. Jacob and Esau unite as brothers

2)Review the Principles of Restoration
* God’s purpose in history is to restore human beings to the original unfallen state so that we may fulfill the purpose of creation.
* But fallen man is in the midway position between God and Satan. To cut off from Satan each person must restore himself to the level Adam and Eve had grown and then receive the Messiah, to be fully restored.
* In order to receive the Messiah we must first separate ourselves from Satan by making two indemnity conditions: the foundation and faith and substance, which reverse the mistakes of the Fall.
* The foundation of faith is to restore Adam and Eve’s lack of faith in God’s word, by making a symbolic offering
* The foundation of substance is to restore their failure to develop a Godly nature and perfect their character, by getting rid of fallen nature
* The 1st attempt in Adam’s family failed because Cain killed Abel
* The 2nd attempt in Noah’s family failed, because Ham didn’t unite with Noah
* The 3rd attempt in Abraham’s family at first failed, because Abraham didn’t cut the birds in two.
But then Abraham offered his son, Isaac. This condition meant that Isaac became the new central figure and a foundation of faith was successfully made. The foundation of substance now had to be made by Isaac’s two sons, Esau and Jacob.

3) How the Foundation of Substance was successfully made
1. Restoring the Birthright
* Why did God love Jacob and hate Esau while they were in Rebekah’s womb?
* Why did God say the elder would serve the younger?
* Why did Jacob have Esau swear to sell his birthright to him in exchange for some pottage
* Why did Jacob cunningly deceive his blind father and take Esau’s blessing?
* Why did God so greatly love, protect, and bless Jacob throughout his life, despite the fact that he  did so many seemingly questionable things?
* Why did God make him the root of the chosen people of Israel?
* Esau was the older brother and Jacob the younger brother. They represented the positions of Cain and Abel. Esau stood on the side of evil and Jacob on the side of good. 
* To make the foundation of substance Jacob had to restore the position of Abel as the elder son.
This is because Satan had taken control of God’s Creation through the position of the elder son.
Jacob did this by buying the birthright from Esau and receiving his father’s blessing

2. Removing Fallen Nature
In order to get rid of his fallen nature, Esau had to,
1. Love Jacob from God’s viewpoint
2. Receive love through Jacob by respecting his position as God’s mediator
3. Obey and follow Jacob humbly
4. Learn God’s way from Jacob

When Jacob was returning to home, Esau still had resentment against him because Jacob had taken the blessing from him. So Esau prepared an army of four hundred men. When Jacob received news of this he prayed to God and did all he possibly could.

Jacob thought, “…’I may appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterwards I shall see his face; perhaps be will accept me'” (Gen 32:20). With no reluctance he sent ahead of him as a gift for Esau the more than five hundred livestock that he had earned as a reward for his hard work in Haran. Jacob also made an alternative plan, dividing the people and livestock into two groups, so that one might flee if Esau attacked (Gen 32:7,8). When he was about to meet Esau, he deliberately put his beloved wife and child in the very rear, so that he was fully prepared to escape if it became necessary (Gen 33:2). He himself went ahead of them, bowing to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother (Gen 33:3). He greatly humbled himself, saying to Esau, “‘…for truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God, with such favor have you received me'” (Gen 33:10).

Jacob did his best to fulfill God’s Will and to change Esau’s heart from one full of hatred to one that would embrace him with love. Esau was moved by such efforts and sincerity on Jacob’s part and welcomed him. Genesis 33:4 goes on to say, “…Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.” Since Esau loved Jacob and welcomed him back, despite the fact that he had taken the birthright from Esau, the Indemnity Condition for Removing the Fallen Nature was fulfilled.

4) Activities
* Complete the worksheet
* Game – Memory game showing key events

5) Review the aim
To conclude ask each person what they could learn from today’s lesson. Refer to the lesson aim.
– to learn how Jacob and Esau made a successful foundation of substance

* Jacob restored the position of Abel as the older brother by
buying the birthright from Esau and receiving Isaac’s blessing

* Esau overcame his fallen nature by
1. Loving Jacob from God’s viewpoint
2. Receiving love through Jacob by respecting his position as God’s mediator
3. Obeying and following Jacob humbly
4. Learning God’s way from Jacob

6) End with a Prayer