Genesis 48 · Grade 4

God Our Shepherd

Name Date

Read and Think

As Jacob neared death, he looked back on his life and saw God's faithfulness. He described God as the One who had shepherded him all his life. Jacob was a shepherd himself, so he knew what it meant to guide, feed and protect.

Jacob adopted Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own. This gave Joseph a double portion: two tribes of Israel would come from him.

Once again, God chose the younger over the older, just as He chose Isaac over Ishmael and Jacob over Esau. God's blessings are not based on birth order or human expectations. They come from His grace.

Show What You Know

How did Jacob describe God?
What did Jacob's adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh give Joseph?
What pattern from Genesis did Jacob's crossed hands repeat?
What are God's blessings based on?

Think About It

Psalm 23 calls the Lord a shepherd. How has God shepherded you?
Jacob blessed his grandchildren before he died. What spiritual blessing would you like to pass on someday?

Memory Verse

Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers.

Genesis 48:21 (WEB)

Copy It

Prayer

Dear God, thank You for today's Bible story. Help me to . Amen.

Take It Home

For families: talk about these together.

How can you trust God with the future of your family?
How can you bless someone younger than you?