Jacob continued to father other sons and daughters including Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, and Joseph.

After Joseph was born, Jacob talked with his father-in-law Laban and said, “Send me away that I may go to my own place and to my country. Let me have my wives and my children that I served you for and let me go.”

But Laban said to Jacob, “Please stay for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me through you. Tell me how much you want paid and I will give it.”

Jacob said, “Give me nothing but do this one thing for me and I will feed and keep your flock. I will pass through all thy flock today removing the speckled and the spotted cattle, all the brown sheep, and the spotted and speckled goats for my own.” And Laban agreed.

Now Laban went three days' journey from Jacob while Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

But it was not too long until Jacob heard the words of Laban's sons saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father's.” Even the appearance of Laban was different. Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and kindred. I will be with thee.”

Jacob then called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flock were and said, “I see your father is not as kind as he was before but God has been with me. You know that I gave your father my best service, but your father has deceived me and changed my pay ten times yet God prevented him from hurting me. God spoke to me in a dream and told me to get out of this land and return to the land of my kindred.”

Rachel and Leah answered and said, “Does my father have any more to give for an inheritance? We are considered strangers to him? He sold us and has used up our money. So whatever God said to you, do it.”

Then Jacob put his family on camels and left with all his cattle and with all his belongings. Now Laban did not know it at first, but it was told to him on the third day that Jacob was fled. Seven days later, Laban overtook Jacob in the mount Gilead. But God came to Laban in a dream by night and said to him, “Listen to me. Do not speak good or bad to Jacob.” So when Laban met Jacob, Laban said, “What have you done? You left me without telling me and took my daughters as captives with sword. Why? I could have sent you away with a farewell gathering including song. I did not even kiss my sons and my daughters. You have done a foolish thing. I could now hurt you but God spoke to me yesternight saying, “Do not speak good or bad. to Jacob.”

Jacob answered and said to Laban, “Because I was afraid that you may have taken your daughters from me.”

Eventually Laban said, “Let us make a covenant.” Jacob took a stone and set it up for a pillar. And Jacob said to his brethren, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a heap where they ate.

Laban said to Jacob, “This heap is a witness between me and you this day. Do not hurt my daughters or take other wives beside my daughters, as God is our witness. I will not pass over this heap to you and you shall not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm.”

Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread. And they did eat bread and stayed all night in the mount. But early in the morning Laban rose up, kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban departed and returned home.

CHARACTER LESSON

DO THOSE THINGS THAT ARE PLEASING IN GOD’S SIGHT (1 John 3:22)

The wise men visiting Jesus is something that can be done daily in prayer and weekly by going to church, only now Jesus is no longer a baby but fully grown. Also, visiting people, especially widows and shut-ins is a nice thing to do as well.

Nobody in Jerusalem knowing about the birth of Jesus is an example of people not studying their Bibles. They missed Jesus coming the first time. But let us be ready to meet Jesus the second time by spending time reading the Bible, and if need be, have someone read it to you.

Herod was jealous. He did not want another king around. Jealousy causes a lot of problems between people and God. It is best to be glad for others when wonderful things happen to them.

The wise men giving gifts is an example of generosity and being kind. It is an act of love. The best gift is doing things for others, which includes listening and obeying.

Jacob was polite in asking Laban for permission to go back to the country he came from. One reason he was telling Laban was so that he would not worry. Whenever we want to go somewhere, it is polite to tell someone, especially our parents. In fact, it is best to see if you are allowed to go where you want to go in case it is not safe for you to be there. So always check with your parents before going somewhere that you are not expected to be going to.

Laban was selfish. He did not want Jacob to leave because with Jacob around, Laban was getting rich. When we tell someone that we do not want to see them leave, it should only be because we would miss their company.

Laban was quick to agree to Jacob’s request of taking all the spotted, speckled, or brown cattle. He did not realize how much that would be. And he made a mistake that he could not get out of. So before saying yes to a friend or neighbor to do something, make sure you understand what it really means.

Laban's sons saying that Jacob took away all that was their father's was not true. They did not understand the agreement. We should never say something about another person until we know everything about it. And if it is none of our business, we should not try to find out anything about it.

Laban’s expression changing from being happy when he saw Jacob to being sad and even angry is not the way to deal with something that is bothering us. If something bothers us, we should talk to that person about it.

Jacob worked for Laban in an honest way even though Laban tricked Jacob. It is always best, even if we do not feel like it, to do honest work. One reason is that when the work is completed and was done honestly, it will show who really was dishonest and maybe they will be sorry and change to be what God would have them be. At least no one would be able to point the finger at your work and say that you were dishonest as well.

Rachel and Leah saying to Jacob that he should do what God told him to do is good advice for us. The Bible is full of messages from God, and if we love God, then we ought to do those things that God tells us to do.

NATURE LESSON

And the earth brought forth... the tree yielding fruit, whose seed [was] in itself, after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. (Genesis 1:12)

Most trees grow from seeds. Whatever seed is planted, that type of tree will grow. A cherry seed yields a cherry tree; an apple seed grows into an apple tree, etc. This provides confidence and consistency. If everything were a mystery, we would always hesitate and be uncertain.

Applied spiritually, “whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). If you do the right things, say the nice words, and are kind, you will continue doing right things, saying nice words, and being kind.

“He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity” (Proverbs 22:8). However, if jealousy, pride, disobedience, and any of the other wrong things are exercised, the result will be stronger jealousies, prideful attitudes, and disobedience, all of which has no reward of heaven and therefore is vain, which means, it has no future.

“He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). Being kind, courteous, and respectful just a little bit, such as to family members only, produces being kind, courteous, and respectful a little bit and not in relationships outside the family. However, if one is always kind, courteous, and respectful all the day long, the result will be great kindness, courtesy, and respectfulness outside the home.

“For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting” (Galatians 6:8). What is fed into the mind is that which will be considered normal behavior and acted out. This is why being careful of what is watched on the television, read or seen in books, read or seen in magazines, or even watching other people is so important. Watching, listening, and reading only that which is acceptable in heaven is the best thing to sow.

“Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you” (Hosea 10:12). At first, sowing the good seed is difficult, but repeated cultivation for a healthy plant will be considered simple maintenance. Realizing that choosing the wrong only results in unhappiness is the first step and can be difficult as compared to breaking up the ground after being untouched for a few months. But break up the ground. Go through the initial process of doing only those things that please God and your parents and then daily remove any tendency towards the wrong by praying to Jesus everyday asking Him to help you as well as spending time everyday to get to know Him better through nature and your Bible.

HEALTH LESSON

Whether Therefore Ye Eat, Or Drink, Or Whatsoever Ye Do, Do All To The Glory Of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)

The First Meal of the Day:

During the night, while you were asleep, no food entered into your body. That means you have fasted all through the night for many hours. You should be very hungry, especially if you are eating correctly.

The stomach is ready to eat a big meal, which means you will be breaking the fast. This is where the word breakfast comes from. This meal, breakfast, should be the biggest meal of the day. This is why experts even say that it is the most important meal of the day. It provides the needed strength and nourishment to start the day off well.

As food enters the body, the body goes through a process called digestion. It takes the food and breaks it down into smaller pieces that the body can use. The pieces the body cannot use is discarded or becomes fat on the body. Too much fat on the body is not a good thing, so people watch how much they eat so that they do not have so much fat. But some people think if they skip breakfast that would mean less fat. They do not realize that the body does not begin to remove fat until the fast is broken. If a meal is going to be skipped, it should not be breakfast because to lose the fat, the body must be busy digesting the food and it only begins to do that with the first meal.

Also, a cup of warm water first thing in the morning helps prepare the stomach to digest the food even better.

Breakfast can include whole-grains found in certain cereals, seeds, and plenty of fruit with “toasted” bread. This is the minimum content of breakfast. If there is no appetite for breakfast, food was probably eaten too late the night before and not digested while you slept.

Breakfast should not be the same things everyday. Variety will make the meal more pleasing and increase that which your body needs called nutrients. Remember to eat several different types of the same item instead of so many different items on the table. An example is to eat raw apples and applesauce instead of an apple and a pear. Another example is to eat raisins and grapes instead of grapes and pineapple.

Matthew 2:1-2 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.”

MATCHING: For each item in the first column, write in the letter for the description from the second column.

___ 1. Chief Priests and Scribes ___ 2. Herod ___ 3. Jacob ___ 4. Laban ___ 5. Rachel and Leah ___ 6. Sons of Laban ___ 7. Wise Men

A. Found in the scriptures where the Messiah would be born B. King in Judaea C. Said that all that was their fathers was taken away D. Said to do what God said to do E. Stopped being kind when he saw his possessions disappearing F. Visited Jesus with gifts G. Worked honestly for many years even though he was lied to

[Answers to May 2002 matching: 1=G, 2=A, 3=C, 4=B, 5=E, 6=D, 7=F]

CRYPTIC: Each letter represents a different letter to make a real word. Replace the letter consistently in each word to reveal the verse being quoted. (Hint - the verse is from the one of the Bible lessons.)

A B C	D E E	F G H	C J I G H T	K G J I G
__ __ __	__ __ __	__ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __
.
.
L B Q	G D F G	F D M H O	A C B N	B P C
__ __ __	__ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __	__ __ __
.
.
A D F G H C,	F G D F	J T	B P C’ T,	D O Q
__ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __	__ __	__ __ __ __	__ __ __
.
.
B P C	I G J E Q C H O' T:		O B K	F G H O,
__ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __		__ __ __	__ __ __ __
.
.
K G D F T B H R H C		L B Q	G D F G	T D J Q
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __		__ __ __	__ __ __ __	__ __ __ __
.
.
P O F B	F G H H,	Q B.
__ __ __ __	__ __ __ __	__ __

[Answers to May 2002 cryptic: Each letter in the puzzle stood the place of a real letter: C=A, D=N, E=D, F=S, G=H, H=E, I=C, J=O, K=M, L=I, M=G, N=T, O=V, P=K, Q=L, R=W, S=U, T=R, U=P, V=F, W=J. The Bible verse was: Luke 2:38 “And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”.]

UNSCRAMBLE: Rearrange the letters in the following words to reveal the Bible word. (Hint - the words are based upon the Bible lessons and quoted from the King James Version.)

A N D	A A H I L N P T	A G D	A E H R S
__ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __	__ __ __ __ __
.
.
A A C H I R S S	B E L N U U Z	A D I H N	E H J O P S
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __
.
.
D E H O R	A A D E J U	H I O P R S W	E I P R S S T
__ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __ __
.
.
B D E L O R T U	E G N O O R R V	H M R R Y	D G L O
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __ __	__ __ __ __

[Answers to May 2002 unscramble: Row 1- JOURNEY, FLOCKS, RACHEL, LABAN; Row 2 - YOUNGER, SEVEN, LEAH, WATERED; Row 3 - PRESENT, PIGEONS, SIMEON, TEMPLE; Row 4 - PARENTS, GENTILES, LIGHT, PRAYERS.]

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

1. Visit a plant nursery to see all the different trees and bushes.

2. Go for a nature hike and identify trees and plants.

3. Sing hymns that focus on planting good characteristics such as “Trust and Obey”.

4. Go to the library, if need be, and find a book on seeds to see all the different type of seeds.

5. Go to the library, if need be, and find a book on all the different type of trees and plants.

6. Think about how a seed, put into the ground, grows to be a plant or tree.

7. Try to memorize Philippians 4:8.

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