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INTRODUCTION

SUMMARY :  

         

     Jacob is a crucial character in the Old Testament. He is Abraham's grandson, but even more importantly he is the father of all those who became the twelve tribes of Israel. As well as this, his story is remarkable in that God chose him for this role, despite the fact that he was a scheming twister, someone far from the sort of person we would expect to be a “man of God”. This is truly a story of grace.

 

What we will see:

 

- the early life of Jacob

- his birth & his relationship with his brother

- his being sent away from home

- his life in Haran

- working for his Uncle for 20 years

- marrying two wives & having twelve sons

- his return home

- leaving without telling his Uncle & the upset it caused

- preparing to meet his brother again

- an encounter with God & a warm welcome

- his later years

- spoiling his son Joseph & the upset of loosing him

- leaving to live in Egypt & blessing his sons before he died

 

What we should notice:

      We should notice first and foremost the sort of person Jacob is. First of all we will see that he is a twister, a devious, unscrupulous individual who doesn't mind putting down even his own family. Next we will see him getting his own medicine from his Uncle as he works for many years "earning" a family. After that we will see him having a life changing encounter with God which works, eventually, to bring an amazing change in him in old age: a godly man full of faith.

  

      The story of Jacob is remarkable in that it is about a man of God's choosing, who we probably would NOT have chosen, but who, under God's hand, is amazingly transformed. He is a triumph of the grace of God. May we learn much from him.

 

PART 1 : "Early Days at Home"

      As we said above, this first Part is going to show us the sort of man Jacob is, and it's not a pretty sight!

Study No.1 : Birth : Genesis 25:19-26

A. Find Out:

      

1. How old was Isaac when he married? v.20

2. Why was Isaac praying? v.21

3. How old was Isaac when his sons were born? v.26

4. Why did Rebekah seek the Lord? v.22

5. What did the Lord tell her? v.23

6. What did Jacob's name mean? v.26 & footnote

 

B. Think :

1. How long did it appear to be before the Lord answered Isaac's prayer?

2. What can you tell about Isaac & Rebekah's relationship with the Lord

     from this passage?

3. What characteristic of the Lord is revealed here?

 

C. Comment :

      Rather like his father, Abraham, Isaac doesn't seem to be able to have children because his wife was barren. Unlike Abraham, Isaac asked the Lord for help. As with Abraham the Lord appears to have taken some time to answer. We don't know how long it was before Isaac started asking but it seems likely that either a) Isaac took a long time to get around to asking or b) the Lord took a long time to answer. Whichever it is the lessons are clear: we need to learn to quickly take all problems to the Lord AND to persevere until the Lord answers.

  

     Rebekah also appears to know something of the Lord for, when in her pregnancy she felt disturbance, she asks the Lord about it. Again an example to follow. The Lord reveals to her something of the future of the twins (note, she hears the Lord, also saying something of her relationship with the Lord). We see here at least, the Lord who knows all things and the Lord who chooses. Read Romans 9:10-13. This doesn't necessarily mean that God makes people as they are but at least that He knows what they will be like and chooses those He knows will respond to Him.

 

D. Application?

1. Do I take my problems to the Lord?

2. Do I patiently persevere in prayer?

Study No.2 : Birthright! : Genesis 25:27-34

A. Find Out:    

       

1. What sort of person was Jacob? v.27b, 29a

2. Which parent loved which child? v.28

3. What state was Esau in when he came in? v.29

4. What did he ask of Jacob? v.30

5. What did Jacob demand in return? v.31

6. What did Esau think about his family position? v.34a

 

B. Think :

1. What does this passage teach about parental responsibility and family

    divisions?

2. What do Jacob's actions show about him?

3. What does the passage show about Esau?

 

C. Comment :

     First, we see the foolishness of the parents who allowed favouritism to creep in. Yesterday we said Isaac and Rebekah both had some sort of relationship with the Lord, but that doesn't stop people making mistakes, and these mistakes will lead to greater problems if they are not dealt with, as we will see. The warning is clear for those of us with families!

     Second, we see the individuality of these two boys, very different from each other, each with their characteristics clearly displayed. Jacob, quiet and a schemer, Esau the "doer" who thinks only for the "now". Now a birthright is that which is due by way of position within the family, and the elder son always was held in the highest esteem and inherited the bulk of the family fortune and the family name. Esau is an illustration of a man who cares more about personal desire at the moment than about the family name. We live in an age when many just "live for today" ignoring the consequences of that. In Esau's case that reveals a lack of respect for the family.

 

D. Application?

1. Are we excluding others by having "favourite people"?

2. Are we respecting our parents, or has the spirit of the age allowed

    disrespect to creep in?

3. Living for the moment or motivated and directed by godly vision?

 

Study No.3 : Deception! : Genesis 27:1-17

A. Find Out:

       

1. What state was Isaac in when he called Esau? v.1

2. Why did he want him to hunt game? v.3,4

3. Who started plotting against them? v.5-8

4. What was she going to do? v.9,10

5. What flaw did Jacob see in the scheme? v.11,12

6. How did she overcome that? v.15,16

 

B. Think :

1. What was really the purpose of Isaac having his favourite meal?

2. What did Jacob understand about curses & blessings?

3. How would you describe Rebekah as seen here?

 

C. Comment :

      Isaac is an old man who is losing his faculties. He wants to feel good about Esau, so he can give him a "good blessing", so he plans for his favourite meal, to make it a special "event", to be obtained by Esau. Is it perhaps true that he needs to make himself feel good about Esau? Perhaps he already senses something about the sort of person Esau is. Sadly Jacob is little better! What a family!

     Then comes Rebekah who, hearing what is about to happen, schemes to get her favourite, Jacob, to receive the blessing. Can this be a family that is part of God's plan to bless the world? Yes, God takes the earthly and makes something of heaven shine in it!

      Note their understanding of the power of blessings and curses. They understood that when Isaac, as head of the household, pronounced a blessing or a curse, it would result in good or evil for the person concerned. The Bible indicates quite clearly that this is quite true. That is why Jesus became a curse for us (see Galatians 3:13 ) so that we might not suffer the curses of disobedience (read Deuteronomy 24:14 - 28:68 to sense the gravity of this in the later life of Israel ).

 

D. Application?

1. Thank the Lord Jesus that He has taken the curse of sin for us. (see

     Galatians 3:14)

2. Thank the Lord that He takes us who are merely earthen vessels (see 2

     Corinthians 4:7) and puts His glory in us.

 

Study No.4 : Blessing Received : Genesis 27:18-29

A. Find Out:

       

1. How did Isaac first check if this was Esau? v.21

2. How did he next check? v.27

3. What did he first desire for him? v.28

4. What did he second desire for him? v.29a

5. What was his third desire for him? v.29c

 

B. Think :

1. In what state was Isaac obviously? see v.19-27

2. How would you describe in your own words the nature of the "blessing"

    Isaac pronounced?

3. What sort of man will these make Jacob become?

 

C. Comment :

      With this whole episode we tread on strange ground. God had already declared to Rebekah that Jacob will eventually be stronger than Esau (25:23). Esau also has given up his right to his inheritance (25:33) and now by deception Jacob receives the parental blessing to receive the family blessing.

      We should not see God making Jacob deceive his father into giving him the blessing, rather God knew that would happen. The wonder is that God chose this man knowing he was a deceiver, a twister, even from birth. This is the wonder of the story of Jacob, that he will become Israel , the chosen of God, despite being what he is. Perhaps more than any other personal history in the Bible, the story of Jacob teaches us the wonder of God who chooses that which is twisted and makes it into something great. Again with a "blessing" we cannot tell how much the blessing is actually "prophetic", being a foretelling of what will happen, or how much it is a "legal statement" on earth which brings about the following circumstances. Whichever it is, Jacob has a future which is worth watching!

D. Application?

1. Thank the Lord, that as Christians, we now live within the security of a

     clear plan that God has for us (see Ephesians 2:10 )

2. Ask the Lord to help you work out your salvation in harmony with Him

    (see Philippians 2:12 ,13).

Study No.5 : Esau's Blessing : Genesis 27:30-40

A. Find Out:

       

1. How did Isaac react when he found it was Esau? v.33

2. How did Esau respond? v.34

3. Why did Esau say Jacob was aptly named? v.36

4. How does Isaac feel about Esau's plea? v.37

5. Where does Isaac say Esau will live? v.39

6. What sort of life does he say he will have? v.40

 

B. Think :

1. What again, do Esau's reactions (see v.34,38) tell us about his

     understanding of Isaac's blessing?

2. How would you summarise Isaac's description of what he has given

     Jacob? see v.37

3. How is Esau's "blessing" the other side of the coin from Jacob's?

 

C. Comment :

     This passage reiterates various things. First, the importance of parental blessing. Once it has been given to one it cannot be given to another. Second, Jacob's character, as a deceiver-twister, is emphasised. When you consider his father and mother and brother as well, it's not surprising! Isaac however, does discern that one son will be strong and be much blessed and the other be a man of barren places who is a fighter. In that he is right, it's just that originally he had it the opposite way round to what God had said it would be.

  

     The Lord takes man's foolishness and even sin, and uses it for his own purposes (see in Acts 2:23 how God knew how men would react to Jesus and so used that for His purposes). The Lord works good out of everything for those he has called (see Romans 8:28 ). Humanly speaking we might have given up on this family, but God chooses them and, out of this environment of quarrelling, frustration and bitterness, is going to bring something great out of it.

 

D. Application?

1. Thank the Lord that He can take our failures and even turn them for

     good. If you have failed then ask Him to take it and use it to teach you,

     and to take you on from that point to a place of blessing.

2. Place yourself firmly in His hands today.

Study No.6 : Jacob Leaves Home : Genesis 27:41 - 28:5

A. Find Out:

       

1. What did Esau plan in respect of Jacob? v.41

2. How did Rebekah plan to stop it? v.43

3. How long would that be? v.44,45

4. How did Rebekah put it into Isaac's mind to send Jacob away? v.46

5. Where did he send him? v.2

6. How did he send him? v.3,4

 

B. Think :

1. From his point of view, what mistake did Esau obviously make about his

    grudge?

2. Who was the initiator/peacemaker in this family?

3. What does it say about Isaac that he sent Jacob with his blessing?

 

C. Comment :

      Esau, somewhat understandably, feels bitter about what has happened, and so plans to kill his brother. He obviously shares his feelings openly and when Rebekah hears about it she takes action to stop it by sowing in Isaac's mind the idea that, like him, his son should have a wife from outside Canaan. Perhaps Isaac also saw this as a way to get rid of a troublesome son, and so he went along with Rebekah's idea, and Jacob is also, perhaps, glad to get away. As he goes Isaac blesses him, the old man obviously not holding grudges like his older son.

      The person who stands out in this family is Rebekah, a schemer who produces a scheming son who is now going into exile. The prime characteristic that comes out again and again in the story of this family is human endeavour, human self centredness, human planning, human scheming - and the disharmony it brings! Despite all this God is still going to take this man Jacob and make his name known world-wide! The lesson here is that we do not need to think we cannot receive God's blessing because of our family background.

 

D. Application?

1. How would we be - like Rebekah, a schemer, or like Nathaniel (John

    1:45) in whom is nothing false?

2. Ask the Lord to point out to you any tendency to be a self-centred

    schemer, and confess and forsake it!

RECAP No.1  "Early Days at Home"  Genesis 25:19-34 / 27:1-41

SUMMARY :  

         

In these first 6 studies we have seen:

- Isaac praying to have children

- Rebekah expecting children & calling on the Lord

- the Lord saying the older will serve the younger

- Esau & Jacob being born

- Esau selling his birthright to Jacob

- Jacob getting Esau's blessing from Isaac

- Esau getting the second blessing only

- Jacob leaving home for Haran

 

COMMENT :

      From the beginning of these studies we see the Lord intervening to say that Jacob will be more blessed than Esau. Jacob, we have seen, is a twister and takes advantage of his foolish brother to take his birthright and his blessing. It appears amazing that God will choose such a man out of which to bring into being one of the most famous nations in world history. We have much to learn here!

 

LESSONS :

1. God sovereignly chooses, regardless of present human merit.

2. Having favourites in a family causes division.

3. Jesus has become a curse for us so that we may receive His blessing in return.

4. God has a plan & a purpose for each of us.

5. The Lord can transform our failures into good.

6. God wants us to be free from scheming & self endeavour.

 

PRAY :

      Ask the Lord to help these lessons really be applied in your life.

 

PART 2 : "Jacob away from home"

      There is sometimes a sense of humour discernible in God's dealings with us. Watch for it in this next Part as Jacob, the twister, meets his match in his uncle, Laban, who he goes to stay with. Note also Jacob's perseverance in working for his loved one.