Taken from Amazing Mazes for Kids by Steve and Becky Miller, copyright © 1998 and published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, OR. Used by permission. |
The Birthright Stew
Genesis 25:19-34
Isaac and Rebekah gave birth to twin boys, Jacob and Esau. The boys were very different. Esau was born first and was red and hairy. He became a skilled hunter. Jacob did not look like Esau, and was a quiet man who worked around the family tents.
One day, Jacob was cooking some stew. Esau had just finished a long, hard hunting trip and smelled the good stew. He said, "Hurry, give me that stew! I'm starving!"
But Jacob said, "First, sell me your birthright."
Esau agreed to sell his birthright, trading it for Jacob's stew. When Esau was finished eating, he got up and left.
What had Esau done? Remember, Esau was the firstborn child. Back in those days, the firstborn child received the biggest inheritance after his parents died. This was called a "birthright". Because Esau was born first, he had the birthright. But when he arrived home from his hunting trip, he traded his birthright for Jacob's stew. That meant Jacob now had the birthright. When their parents died, Jacob would get the biggest inheritance, not Esau.
Esau did not take good care of his birthright, and Jacob had tricked his brother into giving up the birthright.
Can you find your way through the steam and get to the bowl of stew? |
