He Restores and Guides

Memory Passage

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” Psalm 23

Day 1-Jacob’s Struggle

  • Pray.
  • Introduce Psalm 23:3. If you have been working on the sign language, watch the video to learn the signs for the new verse. Teaching Kids how to memorize Psalm 23 – YouTube
  • Before we start, have your kids practice a little math or play a little game.
    • Math
      • 200 + 20 + 200 + 20 + 30 + 40 + 10 + 20 + 10
      • We will see what this number means in a little bit.
    • Game
      • Play 21 Questions
      • Pick an animal from the list in Genesis 32:14-15.
      • Have your kids ask yes or no questions to try to figure out what animal you are thinking of.
      • If you have very young kids, you can give them clues and have them guess which animal you are describing.
  • Remind your kids that last week we read that God had told Jacob to leave Laban’s and go back to place he was born (Genesis 31:13).
  • Read Genesis 32:1-12.
  • Talk about it.
    • How would you feel if you were Jacob right now?
    • What did Jacob tell God in his prayer?
      • He restated the promise God had made to him.
      • He recognized God’s love and faithfulness, and he recognized his own unworthiness.
      • He told God his fears and asked for deliverance.
    • Remind your kids that God always hears us when we pray.
  • Read Genesis 32:13-23.
  • Talk about it.
    • Why did Jacob send all the animals up ahead of him?
  • Read Genesis 32:24-30.
  • Talk about it.
    • With whom was Jacob wrestling?
    • Jacob was changed after this night. He had a limp (verses 25, 31), he got a new name (verse 28), and he changed the name of the place so that he and people after him would remember that he had seen God and that God had preserved his life that night (verse 30).
    • What was Jacob’s new name?
    • Israel mean “he struggles with God”; it’s a combination of the Hebrew words “wrestle” and “God”.
    • How has struggle been a part of Jacob’s life?
      • Esau (Genesis 25-27)
      • Isaac, his dad (Genesis 27)
      • Laban (Genesis 29-31)
      • his wives (Genesis 30)
      • with God (Genesis 32:28)
    • Life was not always easy for Jacob; things were a struggle, partly because of things he had done and partly because things other people had done to him. But God would use these struggles for His glory, His plan.
    • Through the struggle that night, Jacob clung tightly to God and did not let go, and when the night was over, he knew God had preserved (kept, saved, guarded) his life.
    • What can we learn from the struggles that Jacob had?
      • Cling tightly to God. He will lead you in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake (Psalm 23:3)

Day 2-Jacob Meets Esau

  • Pray.
  • Practice Psalm 23:3.
  • Read Genesis 33.
  • Talk about it.
    • Did the way Esau ran to Jacob surprise you?
    • Jacob recognized that God had changed Esau’s heart. Instead of hate, he was met with love.
    • How can you show love to your brothers/sisters instead of anger?
  • Activity
    • Play a game together as a family.

Day 3-A Move and a New Son

  • Pray.
  • Practice Psalm 23:1-3.
  • Read Genesis 35:1-4.
    • What is another name for “foreign gods”? (idols)
    • Why did Jacob make his family get rid of them?
    • Explain that Jacob was not going to tolerate his family having any other gods except the Lord. He was wanting his family to turn completely to God. He was recognizing that God had been his Shepherd because he said that God had answered him in the day of distress and that He had been with Jacob everywhere he had gone.
  • Read Genesis 35:9-12.
    • What did God say about Jacob?
    • What did God say about Himself?
    • What promises did God make/confirm to Jacob?
  • Read Genesis 35:16-19, 22b-29.
    • We will learn more about Jacob’s sons over the next couple of days.

Day 4-Jacob and Joseph, Part 1

  • Pray.
  • Practice Psalm 23:1-3.
  • Do you remember the name that God gave Jacob after they wrestled that one night? (Genesis 32:28) As we finish up our time learning about him, remember that when you hear the name Israel, it is referring to Jacob .
  • Read Genesis 37. The main character of the story is now Joseph, but pay attention to the parts about Jacob.
  • Talk about it.
    • Jacob’s list of struggles grows even longer. The guy who lied to his dad is now being lied to by his sons who sold their own brother to some slave traders, and they let their dad think he was dead. What a mess!
    • But God is working this mess out for “His name’s sake”-so that He will be recognized and praised.
    • Can you tell me more about Joseph’s story?
      • Summarize what happened to him while he was in Egypt. (Genesis 39-41)
    • The famine wasn’t just in Egypt. It was in Canaan too, where Jacob and the rest of his family lived. It finally became so bad that he had to send his sons to Egypt to try to get some food.
  • Read Genesis 42:1-5.
  • Tomorrow we will read the ending to Jacob’s life story.
  • Ask, “Can you see God working through the life of Jacob and His sons? How?”

Day 5-Jacob and Joseph, Part 2

  • Pray.
  • Practice saying Psalm 23:1-3.
    • Go around the table and take turns saying one phrase at a time. The first person says the first phrase, the second person the next phrase, and so on.
      • The Lord is my shepherd
      • I shall not want.
      • He makes me lie down
      • in green pastures.
      • He leads me
      • beside still waters.
      • He restores my soul.
      • He leads me
      • in paths of righteousness
      • for His Name’s sake.
    • Talk about verse 3. Parents, if this is too much to do in one sitting, take the verse to the car. Practice as you drive. Talk about it while everyone is buckled in.
      • What do you think “He restores my soul” means? He refreshes us. He fixes us, He brings us back, He rehabilitates us. When we feel empty or broken or down-He restores us, so we must turn to Him and give Him all our cares (1 Peter 5:7).
      • What’s the last part of verse 3? Who guides us? Where does He guide us? What is the base word of righteousness? Right! So the Lord will lead us on paths that are right. Why does He lead us in the right way? So that He [the Lord] may be honored. We benefit from His leading us, but He gets the credit.
    • If you are doing a Psalm 23 book, have your kids write or trace Psalm 23, illustrate or color a picture to go with the verse, and add it to their book.
  • Let’s get back to Jacob. What’s going on with Jacob and his family? Where are they? What is going on in the land? Where did he send his sons? Where is Joseph during all this?
  • Summarize what happened in Genesis 42-45.
    • Joseph recognized his brothers when they came to buy food in Egypt, but they didn’t recognize him. Remember, it had been many years since they sold him, and he must have looked/dressed Egyptian.
    • Joseph gave them food and sent them back home, but he kept Simeon until they returned with their youngest brother, Benjamin. He was doing this to test what their hearts were like, to see if they had changed.
    • The brothers went back home to poor Jacob, who was very sad because it seemed to him that he had lost another son. They stayed home as long as they could, but eventually had to go back to Egypt because their food supply was so low. Jacob had to let go of another son, Benjamin, not knowing what would happen to him when he got to Egypt.
    • Joseph tested them one more time after they arrived in Egypt and saw that their hearts had changed; that they weren’t the same guys they had been when they sold him.
  • Read Genesis 45:1-15
    • How do you think Jacob is going to feel?
  • Read Genesis 45:24-28.
    • God restored Jacob’s soul (verse 27). (Psalm 23:3)
    • Listen to how God led Jacob “in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake”.
  • Read Genesis 46:1-4.
    • God was assuring Jacob that this was the path he was to take. It was the right way. God’s name would be honored. Jacob’s, AKA Israel’s, family would grow very large and remain in Egypt a long time. God would miraculously lead His people out of the land in such a way that only He could receive the honor.
  • Jacob lived to be 147 years old (Genesis 47:28). He had a life of struggles, but at the end of his life, He said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face, and behold, God has let me see your children as well.” (Genesis 48:11)
  • Read Genesis 48:15-16a to hear what he says about God. Do you hear an echo of Psalm 23 in there?
  • Pray. Ask God to help your children recognize Him as their shepherd who will restore them and lead them in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.