Bible tale: Part 1 of 5 - Jacob’s Adventures in Love & Trickery

 Part 1 of 5 - Jacob’s Adventures in Love & Trickery

Genesis 28-29

re-told by Debbie Dunn

Story highlights:

* Jacob traveled to Uncle Laban's home to escape Esau’s rage

* Jacob had dream about Lord speaking to him from top of a stairway to heaven.

* Jacob was welcomed to the home of his Uncle Laban & cousin Rachel

Bible role-play begins:

Narrator #1: Just before Jacob left his parents and his angry brother Esau, he met with his father one last time.

 

Narrator #2: His father, Isaac, told him to travel the long distance to meet and marry one of his Uncle Laban's daughters. Laban was the older brother of Jacob's mother.

 

Narrator #1: Isaac blessed Jacob with these words: "May God Almighty bless you and give you many children. And may your descendants multiply and become many nations!"

 

Narrator #2: The blessing continued. "May God pass on to you and your descendants the blessing He promised to Abraham." Please recall that Abraham was Jacob's grandfather.

Narrator #1: As a bit of foreshadowing, Jacob did end up with 12 sons and one daughter. Just wait until you hear the strange tale of how those 13 children came to be born!

 

Narrator #2: On the 450-mile trip to reach his Uncle Laban, Jacob set up camp in a place he would later name Bethel. He found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep.

Narrator #1: As he slept, Jacob dreamed that there was a stairway that reached from the earth up to Heaven. He saw angels of God going up and down that stairway.

 

Narrator #2: In that amazing dream, Jacob saw the Lord standing at the top of the stairway. Listen to what the Lord said to Jacob.

 

 Father God: I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! Your descendants will spread in all directions - to the west and the east, to the north and the south. I will bless all the families of the earth through you and your descendants. What's more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day, I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.

Narrator #1: Then, Jacob woke up from that amazing dream. He said, "Surely, the Lord is in this place, and I wasn't even aware of it!"

 

Narrator #2: But Jacob was also afraid and said, "What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to Heaven!"

Narrator #1: The next morning, Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then, he poured olive oil all over it.

 

Narrator #2: In the Bible, pouring oil upon the stone is called anointing. In that way, Jacob was setting that stone apart as being holy and a sacred marker of an encounter with God.

Narrator #1: That was Jacob’s way of honoring God after the vision and promise he received.

 

Narrator #2: Jacob named that place Bethel, which means 'house of God,' although it was previously known as Luz.

Narrator #1: Then, Jacob made his vow: "If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father's home, then the Lord will certainly be my God."

Narrator #2: Jacob's promise continued. He said, "And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything He gives me."

Narrator #1: Then, Jacob hurried on. When he finally arrived a few days later, he saw a well with a heavy stone covering it to keep out leaves and dust.

 

Narrator #2: He also saw three flocks of sheep and goats waiting to get water from this well.

Narrator #1: Jacob went up to the shepherds and said, "My friends, would you please tell me where you are from?"

 

Narrator #2: The shepherds replied, "We are from Haran [Hair-inn]." Jacob was excited as that was the very city where his uncle was supposed to live.

Narrator #1: Jacob asked, "Do you know a man there named Laban, the grandson of Nahor [Nay-horr]? And if so, is he doing well?"

 

Narrator #2: The shepherds said, "Yes, we know him. He is doing well." Looking around, they said, "Look! Here comes his daughter Rachel with her flock right now."

Narrator #1: Jacob saw that Rachel was very beautiful. When he found out that she was going to have to wait for the well to be uncovered until all the shepherds and their flocks had gathered, he decided to do something thoughtful.

 

Narrator #2: Jacob told Rachel that they were cousins through her Aunt Rebekah. He kissed her cheek and wept aloud. He also moved the heavy stone off the well by himself and watered her flock.

Narrator #1: After he finished that, Rachel ran home to tell her father, Laban, about Jacob's upcoming surprise visit.

 

Narrator #2: As soon as Laban heard that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He hugged and kissed him. He also brought him home.

Narrator #1: After Jacob told his Uncle Laban his story, Laban happily exclaimed, "You really are my own flesh and blood!"

 

Narrator #2: Tune in next week to discover the sneaky trick Uncle Laban did regarding secretly switching the brides at Jacob's future wedding.

Narrator #1: END OF SKIT. Let’s give our volunteers a great big hand!

Are you a Bible enthusiast or do you lead a Youth Group or Family Bible Study? To get a FREE PDF download of this story, click on this link below:

Free PDF download of Part 1 of 5 - Jacob’s Adventures in Love & Trickery.

Do you want more stories about Jacob, his four wives, his 12 sons, & 1 daughter? If so, visit the JACOB chapter from my EXPLORE BIBLE STORY dot org website.

Click here to get more stories about Jacob.

My ever-expanding Explore Bible Story dot org website includes Bible stories and Biblical Family Trees about

• Creation, Adam, & his Descendants
• Noah, the Ark, & the Flood
• Abraham & Sarah
• Isaac & Rebekah, Esau & Jacob
• Jacob & his 4 wives
• 12 sons of Jacob who became known as the 12 Tribes of Israel
• Moses who was from the line of Levi
• Joshua who became leader of Israelites after death of Moses
• 12 Judges of Israel including Deborah, Gideon, & Samson
• Kings of Israel including Saul, David, & Solomon
• 4 Major Prophets of Israel: Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
• 12 Minor Prophets of Israel
• More Prophets of Israel: Samuel, Nathan, Elijah, & Elisha
• Women from Old & New Testament
• Jesus Christ, our Messiah, Lord, Savior, & King of king
• 12 Disciples of Jesus
• Apostle Paul & other Significant Followers of Christ
• Triune God: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit
• The Free Gift of Salvation & The Sinner's Prayer
• About Website: Explore Bible Story.org
• About the author: Debbie Dunn