Early Childhood
How did Jacob treat his brother when they were younger? (Jacob tricked Esau; Jacob did not treat Esau well.)
When Jacob was going to meet Esau on their way to his home, what did Jacob do to try to help Esau not be so angry? (Jacob sent animals as a gift to Esau.)
What happened to Jacob while he was alone at night? (Jacob wrestled with an angel who looked like a man.)
Have you ever had a sibling or friend who was upset at you? How did it make you feel?
How did you resolve (or make it better) the issue?
What did God do in the story? (God was with Jacob; God gave Jacob a new name; God blessed and kept His promise to Jacob’s family.)
Who can we trust when we’re afraid? Why?
How does it make you feel to know God keeps His promises and is faithful, no matter what we do?
Sometimes we may get into difficult situations. Maybe someone is upset with us, and we
need them to forgive us. Maybe someone treats us badly and we need to forgive them. We
can remember this story and how God was with Jacob and how Esau forgave his brother. God
is always with us, and He helps us too. He is faithful! Let’s say a prayer together now.
How did Jacob treat his brother when they were younger? (Jacob tricked Esau; Jacob did not treat Esau well.)
When Jacob was going to meet Esau on their way to his home, what did Jacob do to try to help Esau not be so angry? (Jacob sent animals as a gift to Esau.)
What happened to Jacob while he was alone at night? (Jacob wrestled with an angel who looked like a man.)
Have you ever had a sibling or friend who was upset at you? How did it make you feel?
How did you resolve (or make it better) the issue?
What did God do in the story? (God was with Jacob; God gave Jacob a new name; God blessed and kept His promise to Jacob’s family.)
Who can we trust when we’re afraid? Why?
How does it make you feel to know God keeps His promises and is faithful, no matter what we do?
Sometimes we may get into difficult situations. Maybe someone is upset with us, and we
need them to forgive us. Maybe someone treats us badly and we need to forgive them. We
can remember this story and how God was with Jacob and how Esau forgave his brother. God
is always with us, and He helps us too. He is faithful! Let’s say a prayer together now.
Elementary Questions
What did Jacob do at the beginning of the story? Why did he go to live with his uncle?
(Jacob lied to and tricked his father to get what he wanted. Jacob went to live with his uncle to get away from Esau, who was angry with him.)
Twenty years after tricking his father, Jacob went back to face his brother Esau. Do you think Jacob changed during this time? Why or why not?
Why was Jacob afraid to see Esau? (Jacob thought Esau might still be angry with him and want to hurt him.)
When have you been afraid? How did you respond?
When Jacob was afraid, he prayed to God, and God was faithful. Have you ever prayed when you were afraid? Tell us about it.
God was faithful to Jacob and took care of him even when Jacob had done wrong things. When have you experienced God’s faithfulness? When has God taken care of you?
People are not perfect, but God is perfect. We often choose to do the wrong thing, but God
is faithful always. Let’s thank Him in prayer for His faithful love.
What did Jacob do at the beginning of the story? Why did he go to live with his uncle?
(Jacob lied to and tricked his father to get what he wanted. Jacob went to live with his uncle to get away from Esau, who was angry with him.)
Twenty years after tricking his father, Jacob went back to face his brother Esau. Do you think Jacob changed during this time? Why or why not?
Why was Jacob afraid to see Esau? (Jacob thought Esau might still be angry with him and want to hurt him.)
When have you been afraid? How did you respond?
When Jacob was afraid, he prayed to God, and God was faithful. Have you ever prayed when you were afraid? Tell us about it.
God was faithful to Jacob and took care of him even when Jacob had done wrong things. When have you experienced God’s faithfulness? When has God taken care of you?
People are not perfect, but God is perfect. We often choose to do the wrong thing, but God
is faithful always. Let’s thank Him in prayer for His faithful love.
Preteen Questions
How would you describe Jacob at the beginning of this story? Why did he go to live with his uncle? (Jacob lied to and tricked his father and took advantage of his brother’s hunger to get what he wanted. Jacob went to live with his uncle to escape Esau, who was angry with him.)
How did Jacob change? What details from the story show us how much he changed through his experiences? (Jacob became a man who prayed to God and trusted Him when he was afraid. He was gracious and generous to his brother, offering him gifts and kind words.)
Do you think God changed during the course of the story? Explain.
Why was Jacob afraid to see Esau? What did Jacob do when he was afraid? (Jacob thought Esau might still be angry with him and want to hurt him. Jacob prayed that God would protect him.)
When have you been afraid? How did you respond?
God was faithful to Jacob and took care of him even when Jacob had done wrong things.
When have you experienced God’s faithfulness? When has God taken care of you?
People are not perfect, but God is perfect. We often choose to do the wrong thing, but God is faithful always. Let’s thank Him in prayer for His faithful love.
How would you describe Jacob at the beginning of this story? Why did he go to live with his uncle? (Jacob lied to and tricked his father and took advantage of his brother’s hunger to get what he wanted. Jacob went to live with his uncle to escape Esau, who was angry with him.)
How did Jacob change? What details from the story show us how much he changed through his experiences? (Jacob became a man who prayed to God and trusted Him when he was afraid. He was gracious and generous to his brother, offering him gifts and kind words.)
Do you think God changed during the course of the story? Explain.
Why was Jacob afraid to see Esau? What did Jacob do when he was afraid? (Jacob thought Esau might still be angry with him and want to hurt him. Jacob prayed that God would protect him.)
When have you been afraid? How did you respond?
God was faithful to Jacob and took care of him even when Jacob had done wrong things.
When have you experienced God’s faithfulness? When has God taken care of you?
People are not perfect, but God is perfect. We often choose to do the wrong thing, but God is faithful always. Let’s thank Him in prayer for His faithful love.
Engage Prayer!
Invite kids to share their prayer requests and praises, and to pray for each other. Some kids may not be comfortable praying out loud. That’s OK. Encourage kids to pray silently, thanking God that we can trust Him to help us when we are feeling sad or angry. Tell kids that even though people may disappoint us, God is faithful and always keeps His promises, no matter what!
Invite kids to share their prayer requests and praises, and to pray for each other. Some kids may not be comfortable praying out loud. That’s OK. Encourage kids to pray silently, thanking God that we can trust Him to help us when we are feeling sad or angry. Tell kids that even though people may disappoint us, God is faithful and always keeps His promises, no matter what!