Free Bible lesson for kids · Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Jacob Wrestles with God

On his way home to meet Esau, Jacob sent his family over the ford Jabbok and was left alone in the night. A man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day, and Jacob held on and said, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” God gave him a new name, Israel, and Jacob said, “I have seen God face to face.”

Teach this lesson: film, sheets and guide Print the coloring page

Bible passage: Genesis 32:22–32
Big idea: God changes us when we hold on to Him.
Memory verse: And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. Genesis 32:26 (KJV)
Ages: Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
Time: About 45 minutes
Included, free: Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game

The story

That night Jacob sent his wives, servants and eleven sons over the ford Jabbok, with all that he had (Genesis 32:22–23). Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day (Genesis 32:24). When the man saw that he could not win, he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh, and it was put out of joint (Genesis 32:25).

The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaketh.” But Jacob answered, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” (Genesis 32:26). Then the man gave him a new name: “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel” (Genesis 32:27–28). And he blessed Jacob there (Genesis 32:29). Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:30). As the sun rose, Jacob went on, limping (Genesis 32:31).

Read it in the Bible: Genesis 32:22–32 (KJV)

²²And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. ²³And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had. ²⁴And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. ²⁶And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ²⁷And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ²⁹And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. ³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. ³¹And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. ³²Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.

Questions to ask

How long did the man wrestle with Jacob?
Until the breaking of the day (Genesis 32:24).
What did Jacob say when the man said, “Let me go”?
“I will not let thee go, except thou bless me” (Genesis 32:26).
What new name did Jacob receive?
Israel (Genesis 32:28).

What this story teaches

God met Jacob when he was all alone (Genesis 32:24).
God wants us to hold on and ask His blessing (Genesis 32:26).
Jacob wept and prayed as he held on to God (Hosea 12:4).
God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and blessed him (Genesis 32:28–29).
God showed mercy: Jacob saw God and lived (Genesis 32:30).

Jesus Makes Us New

God gave Jacob a new name and blessed him. Anyone in Christ is a new creature: old things pass away, and everything becomes new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

A 45-minute lesson plan

5 min	Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God to bless us and to change our hearts.
10 min	The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next.
10 min	Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God changes us when we hold on to Him.” What does that mean for us?
5 min	Memory verse. Say Genesis 32:26 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone.
10 min	Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions).
5 min	Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week.

Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.

Game time

For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes

Thumb Wrestling

You need: Nothing

Partners hook fingers and thumb-wrestle: “One, two, three, four, I declare a thumb war!”
Winners play winners in a tournament.
Talk: Jacob wrestled all night and would not let go.

Jacob said, “I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.” Hold on to God.

For youth group · game · outdoors · about 15 minutes

Tug of War

You need: A long, thick rope, a soft field

Split into two teams and mark the middle of the rope.
Best of three pulls.
Talk: Jacob held on to God even when it hurt. What are you wrestling with God about?

God gave Jacob a new name, Israel, because he held on. God meets us when we hold on to Him.

Pray

Ask God to bless us and to change our hearts.