YEA Lesson Library
A Child of the King
About This Lesson
This lesson uses Jacob’s adoption of his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to teach the student about our adoption into the family of God - because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Scriptures
Genesis 48
Deuteronomy 8:17-18
1 Samuel 16:7
Malachi 3:16-17
Malachi 3:16-18
John 1:10-13
Acts 2:38-39
Romans 8:12-17
2 Corinthians 10:12-13
1 John 3:1-3
Words to Know
ADOPTED- legally made part of a family
INHERITANCE - what you receive from your parents, usually after their death
FEAR - in the case of God, having a deep and reverent respect for Him
RIGHTEOUS - a person who is right with God because of Jesus Christ
WICKED - someone who does wrong, evil, or does not accept Jesus Christ
The Lesson
Anne and Greg were overjoyed. They had just received a call telling them they could adopt a little Chinese girl. Anne andGreg had two other children, but they felt very strongly that God wanted them to have another - an adopted child. She was only three months old! Anne and Greg would be flying to China to get her in five weeks. There was so much to do! Anne suddenly realized that they would have to tell the other two children they would soon have a little sister. They would have to explain what "adopted" meant. But Greg and Anne didn't want their new daughter to feel adopted. The three children would grow up as one family. Anne and Greg would treat all three equally.
Jacob, his sons, their families, and all their possessions moved to Egypt because Joseph was there to save them from the famine. Jacob lived another 17 years in Egypt. Then Joseph was told that his father was ill. So he took his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him to see Jacob. Jacob told him that Manasseh and Ephraim would be counted as his. He said, "Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine." In a way, Jacob was adopting his grandsons. They were to be given an inheritance along with Joseph's other brothers.
But Jacob did something strange. Usually the firstborn is the one who receives the greater blessing. It is the right of the first born. But Jacob placed his right hand on Ephraim's head instead of Manasseh's head. Joseph didn't like it. He tried to move his father's hand. Manasseh was the first born! But Jacob knew what he was doing. He told Joseph, "I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations." So Jacob put the younger brother, Ephraim, ahead of the older brother, Manasseh.
Look at the blessings of Ephraim and Manasseh. Even though Manasseh was the older of the two boys, Ephraim received the greater blessing. That should tell you a couple of things. First, God blesses whom He wishes to bless - regardless of wealth, birth order, intelligence, or family standing. That means you cannot compare yourself with someone else. You can only see what is on the outside, and that doesn't matter very much to God. You can't see what is in a person's heart. And you don't know the whole story of why they do what they do. So don't look to see what someone else is doing, what kind of situation they are in, or how they react to a problem. You have to do what you know is right. The only way you can do that is if you keep your eyes focused on Jesus Christ.
Secondly, things are not always going to work the way they are supposed to work. Manasseh was the oldest. He was supposed to get the greater blessing. But that's not the way it worked. God had other plans. Similarly, don't think that you have 70 years to live, so you can wait to learn God's lessons for you. It may not work that way. You don't know how long you have to live. You are given today. What are you going to do with it?
The third thing you can see from this blessing is that God has the right and ability to count you as His. Because Jesus Christ died for you, He satisfied the legal requirements for your adoption into God's family. But God is not just adopting you! It is more than that! When Christ returns, you will be born into the family of God! God is giving you sonship! Right now, you belong to God, if you accept Jesus Christ's sacrifice for you, and if you love God and seek to do His will.
Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit within us testifies that we are God's children. And if we are God's children, then we are heirs of God and co-heirs with Jesus Christ (Romans 8:12-17). Wow! Do you understand a little of what that means? You know that Jesus Christ is now seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Everything is His! Because you are a co-heir with Christ, and because you are a child of God the Father, you are a prince or a princess right now!
Just like the prince or the princess doesn't rule the kingdom, you are not sitting on a throne somewhere ruling either. Rather, the princes and princesses have to be taught how to rule, how to judge, and how to govern the people. They have to go to school and become educated so they will someday know how to rule. In the same way, God is teaching you today through the Bible and your YEA lessons!
Greg and Anne's little Chinese girl was adopted into their family. The rules that applied to Greg and Anne's other children also applied to their new little Chinese child. But more than adoption, you have been given the promise of being born into God's family. So God expects you to do His will, to seek His ways, and to learn the lessons He prepares for you.”Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honoured his name. 'They will be mine,' says the LORD Almighty, ‘in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.’"
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to live my life as your child, learning your ways and your will in my life.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: Deuteronomy 8:17-18
Monday: 2 Corinthians 10:12-13
Tuesday: 1 Samuel 16:7
Wednesday: John 1:10-13
Thursday: Romans 8:12-17
Friday: Acts 2:38-39
Saturday: 1 John 3:1-3
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. State that Jacob blessed Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.
2. State that Jacob thought of Joseph's two sons as his.
3. Explain the concept of adoption.
4. Contrast adoption with begotten and born.
5. State that Ephraim received the blessing of the firstborn even though Manasseh was the oldest.
6. State that we are counted as God's if we have His Holy Spirit.
Topics & Themes
Adoption
Blessings
Ephraim
Firstborn
God’s Family
God’s Plan
God’s Will
Holy Spirit
Inheritance
Jesus, Savior
Joseph
Manasseh
Materials Needed
Bibles, YEA students' and teacher's books, pencils and pens, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, songbook, CD or cassette tape, and music player, blackboard, chalk
Preparation
One of the greatest promises for our children in the Bible is the assurance of their holiness, even if they have not yet been baptized. I Corinthians 7:14 lets us know that even if only one parent is a believer, the children are still holy. Additionally, Acts 2:38-39 is a wonderful promise from God and inheritance from the parents.
Nevertheless, as the children are raised to know God, there must also come an age of accountability, a period of transition where the auspices of their parents begin to lessen as the children must choose God and His ways for themselves ever increasingly.
To that end, parents and teachers need to teach our children that God is not unreachable. He is their Heavenly Father who loves them very much. But He still expects them to always choose Him.
Please note that in the Activity in the teacher’s edition, there are four examples of choices that the kids may have to face. You may wish, as teacher, to refrain from giving your opinion - to defer the decision to the parents. At any rate, the discussion in class should help some students if and when they face these situations.
How to Teach This Lesson
Rules of the House - Have the students quickly write down some of the rules from their own family. Have them share the rules with the group. Discuss being transplanted into another household with its unique rules. Discuss adoption. Talk about how the parents have to apply the rules equally to all the children, adopted or biological.
Jacob's blessing -Turn to Genesis 48 and have the students take turns reading through the chapter. Then talk about Jacob "counting" Ephraim and Manasseh as his. Also discuss how Ephraim was given the greater blessing.
Election- We are not told that Ephraim was better in some way than Manasseh. All we know is that Jacob gave the greater blessing to him. Romans 9:6-13 talks about God's sovereign choice. Impress upon the children that wealth, good looks, a large family, a nice house, intelligence are not indicators of God's preference. We cannot compare ourselves with anyone else (2 Corinthians 10: 12).
The Way It Goes - You also cannot count on things to always work out like they are supposed to: your estimated lifespan may be 80 years, but there's no guarantee that you'll live that long. So make the most of each day. Take advantage of the time and opportunity God has given to you today. Ask the students to think of other examples. (Ecclesiastes 9:11-12 has a few.)
Born into God’s family - Ephraim and Manasseh were counted, or adopted, into Jacob's family. God's people, going one step further, are born into His family at the return of Christ. Romans 8:12-17 talks about the Holy Spirit within us testifying with our spirit that we are God's children. Discuss what it means to be a child of the King. How do we get that position? Only through Jesus Christ fulfilling the legal requirements that we might be born into the family of God (Romans 8:3).
What are our responsibilities within that position? (Romans 8: 12; Galatians 5:25; I John 3:3). When will we receive our inheritance? (Romans 8:22-23.) What is the difference between begotten and born? Are we still children of the King now - even though we're not yet born into the family?
Household Rules - Just as each family ha sits own set of rules that the parents expect the family to live by, God has His rules for us to live by. Just as in the family, the rules are not set up just for fun or because the parents are mean. The rules are there to help the family work together smoothly and so that no one gets hurts. Similarly, God's rules show us the way to make life work. Ask the students at this point to share what rules they came up with in doing their activity for class.
Counted as God’s - Have each student recite their memory verse. Then talk about it. Make sure that the students realize that our righteousness comes from Jesus Christ, but that in our relationship with God, we obey His rules.
Review Questions
1. What did Jacob do when he was about to die?
2. What did Jacob tell Joseph about Ephraim and Manasseh?
3. What does it mean to be adopted?
4. What blessing did Ephraim receive?
5. How do we know that God has counted us as His?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Ask the students to brainstorm some every-day examples of how this lesson affects their lives. Possible examples:
1. Student is teased, or worse, for not using God's name in vain. How does it help knowing that you are a prince or princess?
2. Your friends ask you to go with them to an R- rated movie. They tell you to just tell your parents that you're going to a PG-I3. What do you do, knowing that God is evaluating you for a ruling position in His Kingdom?
3. Your friends want you to go roller skating with them. When your parents say no, your friends begin ridiculing parental authority and their own parents. What do you do?
4. You are an excellent basketball player. But, many of the games are on Friday night. If you don't play on Friday night, you don’t get a starting position. What do you do, knowing that you may not have 80 years to get your relationship with God right?
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Adoption
There were several reasons for adoption in the Bible. First, children were so important in Bible times that when a couple was unable to have children of their own, adoption was one option. In Genesis 30:6, Rachel claims Bilhah’s child as her own. Another reason for adoption is seen in the case of Pharaoh’s daughter claiming Moses as her son - she had compassion for the baby found crying in the Nile (Exodus 2:1-10). In Esther 2:7 we read that Mordecai adopted Esther as his own child because both of her parents were dead.
So why do you think God adopts us into His family? Can you think of any scriptures to support your idea? Talk about this with your parents and do some research in the Bible to see what you can find about adoption and the relationship God desires to have with each of us.
Journal Jot: Adoption
Imagine you were going to be adopted by the King of England. What would you expect to gain from that adoption? What would be the good parts of being adopted by the king of a country? What kinds of responsibilities and restrictions would you also have? Would you think the rewards of being a prince or princess were worth the responsibilities? Why or why not? Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Now look up Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:4-5. These verses talk about being adopted by God into His family. There are lots of benefits of being a child of God. Are you will to accept the responsibilities that you will also receive?
Word Study: teknon
Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (NAS). The Greek word for “children” is teknon. It is used in both the figurative and natural sense of being the offspring of the parents, in other words, a child. (Source: Zodhiates’ Hebrew-Greek Key Word NAS Study Bible, 1990).
God created each of us. But to become a child of God means that you are part of His family. That happens when God adopts each of us, just a Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons. Legally, Ephraim and Manasseh became Jacob’s children, with all the rights and inheritance due them as full sons of Jacob. Thinking about the incredible honor and privilege of being a child of God is mind-blowing, but we must also remember with this honor comes a great responsibility to honor God is everything we think, say, and do.
Write this word and its definition in your Bible notebook.
Just Toolin’ Around: El Shaddai
The name Jacob uses for God in Genesis 48:3 is “God Almighty” or in Hebrew “El Shaddai.” Elohim is used in Genesis 1:2. Jehovah-Jireh is used in Genesis 22:14. Every one of the names used for God tells us more about His character and who He is. Make a chart in your Bible notebook. Make one column for the name, one column for what it literally means, and a third column for places where it is found. Leave room to add on when you find another name. This is a very cool study! (Don’t forget to look up the meaning for “Elohim” and “Jehovah-Jireh” and add them to your chart.)
Did you Know? Ephraim and Manasseh
Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh, “in a sense replacing Reuben and Simeon (his oldest sons). A literal translation of the final Hebrew clause in Genesis 48:5 might read: ‘Like Reuben and Simeon they will be to me.’ Joseph’s sons became Jacob’s firstborn sons.” (Source: NIV Archaeological Study Bible, 2005, p. 78.)
Stretch It Out: Adoption
Do you know what the adoption laws are in your state? Do some research to find out who can be adopted (age-range). What are the requirements to adopt someone? What are the costs associated with adoption? Are the adoptions open or closed? How many children can be adopted? Is preference always given to the family? Then find someone you can interview about adoption and their experience. Gather all of the information you find and write a short paper on adoption that you can share with your family.
Music Notes: God of Grace and God of Glory
This hymn is on page 85 of the CEM Hymnal.
The author of the text, Harry Emerson Fosdick, was a Baptist pastor who served as a chaplain during World War I. He wrote this hymn in 1930 for the dedication of the famous Riverside Church in New York City in the middle of the Great Depression. He paired his text with the same tune that is used for “Angels From the Realms of Glory.” But a Methodist hymnologist and hymnal editor paired it with the tune written by John Hughes. It’s this later version which is found in most hymnals today. (Source: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-god-of-grace-and-god-of-glory)
Remember, as you’re singing this hymn, that Fosdick intended the singers and listeners to think soberly about the state of our society and how we got to the current condition, and then to fully devote ourselves to seeking God’s wisdom and courage to change our direction. He wanted the tempo to be slow enough to convey the seriousness of our choices and for singers to be able to really think about what they were singing.
See the REACH activities for YE3W - Cool Times and Happy Days - for the notes about the hymn “A Child of the King.”
Questions?
Write down any questions you have in your Bible notebook so that you can remember to ask your parents or your pastor.
Song
“Jesus Loves Me” is on page 6 of Kids Classics Collection. Note: Please sing all three verses.
Closing Prayer
Guide the students to pray for God's guidance as children of the King.
Printable Pages
