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Many years passed before Jacob went back home. God had blessed him with great wealth, he was married and had many children. While on his way, he received news that Esau was nearby. Hearing that Esau had an army of men, Jacob feared for his family’s safety. Jacob prayed, “Lord, You said You would watch over me! I am afraid Esau will kill us! Please, protect us.” Jacob prepared big herds of animals as a special gift for Esau. Jacob thought, “Hopefully Esau will forgive me when he sees this gift.” That night, Jacob prayed again. A man wrestled with him until morning. Jacob’s leg was hurt, but he would not stop struggling. “I will not let go of you until you have blessed me,” said Jacob. The man said, “Your name will be changed from Jacob to Israel. For you have wrestled with God and won the victory!” Later, Jacob and Esau met. Jacob bowed low before Esau. Esau had forgiven his brother. He ran to Jacob and kissed him. The brothers cried for they were happy to see each other. Who did Jacob wrestle with? Why did Jacob’s name change to Israel?
Jacob’s Fight at Night
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Esau hated Jacob for stealing his blessing. Rebekah warned Jacob, “You must leave this place before Esau tries to kill you. Go to your grandfather’s home for a while.” Jacob set out on the long journey. One night, he used a stone for a pillow and fell asleep. In a dream he saw angels climbing up and down a ladder to heaven. God was standing above the ladder. He said, “I will give you the land where you are sleeping. And I will protect you everywhere you go.” When Jacob woke up he said, “Surely the Lord is in this place.” He named the place Bethel, which means, “House of God.” Why did Jacob have to leave his home? What did God say to Jacob in the dream?
Jacob’s Dream
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After Abraham died, his son Isaac became the owner of all his tents, sheep, cattle, camels, and servants. Now Isaac and Rebekah had twin boys. Esau was the oldest son and Jacob was the youngest. Being the firstborn, Esau would receive more of his father’s riches and God’s promises. One day, Esau came in from hunting. Jacob was cooking some vegetable soup. “Mmmm, that soup smells good. I am very hungry, can I have some?” asked Esau. “Sure, you can have the soup if I get your part of our father’s wealth”, Jacob said slyly. Esau did not value his birthright and the future blessing that it would bring. So, in haste, he gave them up for a bowl of soup. When Isaac was old and blind, he called for Esau and said, “I want to give you God’s blessing before I die. Go hunting for an animal that is good to eat. Then prepare a tasty meal for me. When I have finished eating the meal, I will bless you.” Rebekah heard what Isaac said to Esau. She made a plan for Jacob so that he could receive the blessing Isaac was going to give to Esau. Isaac could not see, so Jacob pretended to be Esau and went to Isaac’s tent. “Is that really you, Esau? Come closer so I can touch you,” said Isaac. Jacob wore animal skins to make his skin feel hairy like Esau’s. In that way Jacob tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing planned for the firstborn. How many sons did Isaac have? What were their names? What did Esau give up for a bowl of soup?
Jacob and Esau
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It was time for Isaac to find a wife, but the local women worshiped false gods. Abraham was worried. He feared that if Isaac married one of the local women then all his grandchildren might also become idol worshipers. Abraham said to his loyal servant, “Go to my homeland and choose a wife for Isaac and bring her back with you.” “How will I be able to choose the right woman?” the servant asked. “The Most High God will send His angel before you. He will help you,” said Abraham. Then the servant travelled to Abraham’s hometown. He stopped by a well to pray, “Lord God, please lead me to a woman who is right for Isaac.” Just then, a beautiful young woman named Rebekah came to the well. She gave the servant a drink of water and said, “I will water your camels too.” The servant praised God for answering his prayer. “God has been kind and truthful. Rebekah is the right wife for Isaac.” Why did Abraham send his servant back to his homeland? Why did Abraham’s servant pray to God?
Isaac Gets a Wife
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One day God tested Abraham’s love. He said, “Abraham, I want you to give your only son to me. I want you to sacrifice Isaac on an altar.” This was very difficult for Abraham, since he loved Isaac very much. But Abraham trusted God. Early the next morning, Abraham took Isaac to a mountain and built an altar. “Father, where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Isaac asked. “God will provide!” answered Abraham. Then Abraham laid his son on the altar. Suddenly, an angel of God shouted, “Abraham! Abraham! Do not hurt the boy. Since you have obeyed the Lord God, I now know that your love for God is great!” Then Abraham saw a ram caught by his horns in the bushes. Abraham sacrificed the ram that God had provided instead of his only son. Abraham named that place “The Lord will provide.” The Lord God blessed Abraham with a great reward because he trusted Him. Did Abraham trust God? What did Abraham offer to God at the end?
Abraham and Isaac
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Abram worshipped the Most High God. His neighbours prayed to false gods. God told Abram, “Leave this country. Go to a new land, and I will bless you.” Abram obeyed God. Abram packed all his things and moved. Then God appeared to Abram and said, “I will give all the land you see to you and your family.” Abram thanked God. One night God spoke to Abram in a vision. “Can you count all the stars in the night sky? I will bless you with as many children as there are stars, you will not be able to count them.” Later God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Again, God said, “You will be the father of many.” At that time Abraham was ninety-nine years old. God said, “Your wife, Sarah, will give birth to a son.” Abraham said, “Sarah and I are too old, we are not able to have children.” “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” said God. Then, just as God had promised, Sarah and Abraham had a son. His name was Isaac, which means “laughter”. Who told Abraham to go to a new place? Did Abraham love God?
God’s Promise to Abraham
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Soon the earth was full of people again. Everyone used the same language to talk. The people said, “Let’s build a city with a tall tower to show how wonderful we are.” These proud people thought they were greater than God. God was not happy. So He confused their language. The people stopped building the tower and scattered to every land. And the city was named Babel, which means “confusion.” From then on, people lived in different lands, each group speaking their own language. Why was God not happy with the people who built the Tower of Babel? Why did God confuse their language?
The Tower of Babel
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The earth was crowded with wicked people. The Most High God was sorry that He made humankind. He said, “I will destroy everything on earth and start again!” But God saw one good man who tried to do right. The man’s name was Noah. God told Noah, “I will drown the earth in a flood of water. You will be saved, if you build a big boat.” Noah did everything God said. He built a boat tall and wide. His family and many animals would hide safely inside. Noah put two of every kind of animal on the boat – lions, elephants, monkeys, and bears; every animal pair marched onto the boat. When it was all ready, God sealed the door shut. Thunder and lightning crashed. Rain poured from the sky. The storm lasted for forty days and forty nights. The water rose high above the mountain peaks, and everything was destroyed. Finally, God sent a wind to dry the earth and the boat touched solid ground. Then Noah sent a dove from the boat. The dove returned with an olive leaf in his beak, then Noah knew the ground was almost dry. When Noah left the boat, he built an altar. He thanked God for saving his family. God was very pleased. He blessed Noah. God said, “I will never again destroy the earth with a flood. A rainbow in the sky will be the sign of my promise to you.” Why did Noah build the ark? Why did God save Noah and his family?
Noah and the Big Flood
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Adam and Eve had many children. Their oldest son was called Cain and the second was called Abel. Cain was a farmer and Abel was a shepherd. One day Cain and Abel each brought offerings to the Most High God. Abel’s offering was good but Cain’s was not given with pure intentions and God was not pleased with it. Cain was angry that God did not accept his offering. He wanted to kill Abel. “Your heart is angry,” God said. “If you do what is right I will accept you.” But Cain did no obey God. Cain hit Abel and killed him. “Where is your brother?” God asked. Cain answered, “I don’t know. Is it my job to take care of him?” God said, “I know what you did to your brother. You will surely be punished for the terrible way you treated him.” God told Cain, “Because your heart is evil, you cannot stay in my presence.” So Cain roamed the earth without God. Why did Cain kill Abel? Why did Cain have to leave God’s presence?
Cain and Abel
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Adam and Eve were happy and satisfied in the beautiful garden. They walked and talked with God. He was their friend. God told them, “You may eat fruit from any tree, except one. If you eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, you will die!” Adam and Eve obeyed God. Now at that time there was an evil spirit called Satan. Previously he was one of God’s angels but he had rebelled against God and as a result had become an evil spirit. Now the devil, called Satan, came in the form of a snake and deceived Eve. “Did God really tell you not to eat any of this tasty fruit?”, the snake asked. Eve looked at the beautiful fruit on the tree in the middle of the garden. The snake went on, “Taste a little bit! It will make you wise like God, you will not die.” She ate the forbidden fruit. Then she took some to Adam, and he tasted it too. Suddenly, they heard God walking in the garden. They knew they had disobeyed God, so they were afraid. Even though God knew where they were he called out in a loud voice, “Adam, Adam, where are you? Why are you hiding?” Adam answered, “When I heard You coming I was frightened,” “Did you eat the fruit I told you not to touch?” God asked. “The woman gave it to me!” said Adam. “The snake said it was okay to eat!” said Eve. God was grieved that they had not obeyed Him. Then God cursed the snake and said, “Snake, you will crawl on your belly forever!” God told Adam and Eve, “Because you chose to not obey me, you must leave the garden immediately.” Then He made clothing from animal skins for them to wear and sent them away from the garden. Why did Adam and Eve hide from God? Why did Adam and Eve have to leave the garden of Eden?
Adam and Eve in the Garden
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Long ago, God created the world. The earth was dark. The sky was empty and black. But God’s Spirit looked over the world. He had a wonderful plan! When God spoke, the heavens appeared. He blessed the earth with beauty. God shaped the high mountains, He filled the lakes with cool water, He made the soft grass, fresh fruit, and the beautiful, fragrant flowers. God made the sun shine in the day and the stars shine at night. God created fish to splash and swim in the seas and birds to sing and fly through the air. Then He filled the earth with animals: Some that crawl and creep. Some that jump and leap. God said, “Let us make someone to care for this wonderful world!” God formed a man from dirt and breathed life into him. He named the man Adam. Then He also formed a woman to help Adam. Her name was Eve. God placed them in a beautiful garden called Eden. In six days, God made everything. He saw that it was all good. On the seventh day, He rested from all His work. Who created the world? What were the names of the man and the woman God created?
The Creation of the World
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Jacob’s Fight at Night