Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

Are you a patient person? Or are you someone who wants to get what you want right away? It is difficult to wait sometimes especially when you really, really want something or when you really, really need something done.

Jacob and Rachel. Image from Wikipedia

Well, remember Jacob? After he got the blessings from Isaac, his father, he went away from his family because his brother, Esau, was so furious that he wanted to kill him. On his way to his mother's relatives, he stopped by the city called Luz. He had a dream of the ladder to heaven where God told him that he will be blessed.  Then, off he went to Paddan Aram.

This is the what happened to Jacob (Genesis 29) ...
When he arrived in Paddan Aram, he saw a well and there met Rachel, the second daughter of Laban. Laban is his mother's, Rebekah's, brother. Jacob helped Rachel water the sheep and told her that he is the son of Rebekah, his father's sister. So, Rachel ran back home and told him father who welcomed Jacob to his house.

Jacob stayed and worked in Laban's house for a whole month. Then, Laban said he will pay Jacob for working for him. Now Jacob was in love with Rachel so he said, "I will work for you 7 years in exchange for Rachel's hand in marriage." Laban agreed.

Seven long years! But to Jacob it seemed like only a few days because he loves Rachel. When Jacob completed his work, he asked for Rachel's hand. So Jacob got married but when he woke up the next morning, he saw that it was not Rachel whom he married, but Leah, the older sister of Rachel.

He's been tricked! It was kinda like when he tricked his father, Isaac. He went to Laban and asked why he tricked him. Laban said that it is their custom for the older daughter to be married first so he gave Leah. But after the bridal week, he will also give him Rachel in exchange for another 7 years of work. Jacob agreed, got married to Rachel and worked for another 7 years for Laban.

KIDS DISCUSSION
1. Who were the relatives of Jacob whom he met in Paddan Aram?
2. What pay did Jacob agree to receive for working 7 years for Jacob?
3. Why was he willing to wait that long? Do you have the patience to wait that long? (Jacob loved Rachel. If you want something really good, you ought to be willing to wait for it like when mommy is cooking a delicious meal).
4. What happened on the day Jacob got married?
5. Why was it that he did not do something bad in return for Laban's trick on him?
6. Would you have done as Jacob did?
7. What lessons can we learn from this story? (Patience, willing to wait for the best thing, not to reciprocate evil for evil...)

MEMORY VERSE: 1 Corinthians 13:4-5
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.

KIDS' ACTIVITY
1. Jacob and Rachel coloring page from Biblewise.
2. Jacob and Rachel worksheet. You can ask bigger kids to read the text and answer the questions.
3. Playing with Clay. You can give the children some clay and let them make a boy (Jacob) and a girl (Rachel) clay. You can also make the other characters. Then, retell the story using these clay figures.

To give you an idea of how to make the people clay figures, you can check out the two videos below

Patience: Lessons in the Dark

Here are what we commonly call Chinese lilies. Two weeks ago, they were but 2 or 3 inches high. Now, they are between 2 and 3 feet. How rapidly they've grown! How can we explain it? I can give one reason for this. It's because they had enough preparation. The bulbs from which these lilies grew were kept in the dark for 10 days. There, in the dark, they saved up strength and energy for the work that was before them.

Many years of Jesus' life were hidden from the public eye. They were years when, as far as the world is concerned, he was in the dark, preparing for the great work of his public ministry. My dear young people, do not whine over the days and years you have to go to school. They are not simply days of waiting, they are days of preparation.

Again, these lilies come from dark and humble surroundings.

Now, here is a very plain dish. In the dish are a few ordinary rocks taken from our yard. Water is poured upon the rocks. Among these rocks the lily bulbs take root. Girls and boys, it does not matter much what kind of home you have, as long as it is a good home.

John Wesley's youth was hid away in a poor Methodist chapel. Abraham Lincoln was born and grew up in the dark and humble surroundings of a log cabin. Our Savior himself was born in a manger, and his childhood home was far from being a palace. Make the best of what you have and all will be well. God will take care of you and bring you out of the darkness.

How fragrant these lilies are! Faith, hope, love, patience, strength and truth - these fragrant qualities of life often grow best in the dark. My prayer is that our good Father make your life as fragrant as these flowers.


REFLECTION: Ask the kids
1. What would you like to be when you grow up?
2. What do you need to do to become what you want to be?

MEMORY VERSE: Luke 2:52
"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor whith God and men."

KIDS CRAFT: How to Make Origami Paper Lily or Free Coloring Pages

Origami Lilly - Click here for funny video clips

Alternatively, just print a free flower coloring pages from letmecolor.com

The Spider (Poem)

Don’t kill the spider, little Fred,

But come and stand by me,

And watch him spin that slender thread,

Which we can hardly see.

How patiently, now up, now down,

He brings that tiny line!

He never stops, but works right on,

And weaves his web so fine.

You could not make a thread so small,

If you should try all day;

So never hurt him, dear at all,

But spare him in your play.

- Cousin Hatty's Hymns and Twilight Stories

KID'S CRAFT: How to Draw a Smiley Spider