Isaac Blesses Jacob

"Bless me, even me also, O my father." Genesis 27:34

God had called Abraham out from his home and promised to give his children the land called Canaan. He promised Abraham that in his Seed all the nations of the world would blessed. This renewed the promise God had given to Eve. Abraham believed God would keep His promise, but when he reached the land it wasn't his. He was stranger, living in a tent, and trusting God every day. 

His son Isaac lived like him with no home but trusting God for his daily care. Isaac had two sons named Esau and Jacob. Esau was the oldest and he had the first right to God's promises. But Esau didn't care about the promises. He didn't see what the value was to him. He wanted what he could get right now instead of what he would get in the future. 

One day when he came home he was very hungry. His younger brother Jacob was making stew and cooking it over a fire. Esau gave up all of his rights to his brother for a bowl of the stew. So for a bowl of soup he sold right to the lands of Canaan and the right to be a forefather of our Savior Jesus Christ. 

Many years later Esau was sorry for what he had done. His father Isaac was old and blind and was going to die soon. Isaac called for Esau, the son he loved best, and asked him to bring home some meat for a feast. Esau went and brought home the meat, but when he came inside Isaac cried out in sadness. Jacob had come to him instead and Isaac had mistaken him for Esau. Isaac had given his blessing to Jacob instead. Jacob now had all the rights to the promised land and all of God's promises.

Esau cried out and asked his father if there was only one blessing. Isaac was sad for him, and blessed him, but he couldn't take away what he'd given Jacob and Esau had lost.

When Esau had traded his blessing for the stew, he didn't know what he was doing. He didn't know to wait patiently for the glorious blessing to come. This was why he was allowed to be disappointed. This is a warning to us. We have a blessing, an inheritance promised to us too. The kingdom of heaven has been promised to us but we're tempted to not care about that blessing when we want something here in this world. But we don't need to waste those blessings or forget about this blessing. If we do, we'll be sorry later, just like Esau.  After we die, it will be too late to change our minds. So right now, while we are alive, we should have faith and show our faith by making sure the things here on earth don't make us forget the better things in heaven.    

QUESTIONS

1. What were the names of Isaac's two sons?

2. What had God promised Isaac ?

3. Which son had the first right to the promise ?

4. But which cared about it most ?

5. What did Esau want ?

6. So what did he give up for the sake of the soup ?

7. Could he get it back again ?

8. What are you an heir of ?

9. How could we lose the inheritance of the kingdom of heaven ?

10. Shall we be able to change after we are dead?

11. Then what must we care about most?

12. Why could not Esau get his father's blessing?

13. What did he like better than waiting for what he could not see?

14. Can we see heaven?

15. But when we get there, will it not be better than anything we can see here ?