This week we are focusing on Genesis chapters 28-30, with a conclusion to our overview of the Muslim faith. This overview is important since it is at this point that questions come up about Ishmael and Isaac; Esau and Jacob, and the history of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Therefore, we will finish addressing some basic facts concerning this history. As Christians we believe, and have historical evidence for, the passing of the Covenant Promise from Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, and then his descendants specifically. This Covenant is the unfolding of the Genesis 3 Promise, and as we study we will see that the promise of a Messiah, fulfilled in Jesus, was there in the beginning, and can be found all throughout the Old Testament, connecting to the reason we have for sharing the Gospel Message today! This study will help us understand the history and importance of not only the faithfulness of God through His Covenant Promise, but the love He has for His people as seen in His sovereignty over all things! We can take comfort in the fact that God never makes a mistake, and all things work together for good, for those who trust in Him!

Defending our faith and developing a Biblical worldview based on our understanding of God’s Word takes time and practice, and must be part of a lifetime commitment we make to the LORD. It should form our purpose and identity in everyday life as we grow closer to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, modeling Him to our family, friends and neighbors. As Christians, it is more important than ever to know what we believe, and why we believe it, and then apply that to who we are on a consistent basis, and this can only be done if we know Jesus and what His Word teaches.

All class sessions include a time for prayer and reflection, a presentation, and a Bible study section. You will find the presentation overview and Bible study questions at the truthfaithandreason.com website, with basic answers for your review and, or to use as a leader’s guide.

Watch this week’s presentation:

Presentation

Foundations Bible study
Genesis chapters 28:10 through 30, Jacob receives the Covenant Promise

Introduction and Review

Prayer cards: Take a minute and write your name on the index card provided, and add any special prayer request you might have. Exchange cards at the end of the class.

Review of Focus Verses:
THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT Goes FROM Isaac TO JACOB

¹² He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

¹³ And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

¹⁵ Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Genesis 28:(12)13-14 (15) NASB

Three Parts of the Covenant:

1. Land
2. Nation
3. Blessing – The Seed Promise: Jesus is the Blessing to come!

The Importance of Bible Study
Practicing Hermeneutics

Homework Review

Chapter Reading for Step #3: Context – What does it say?

The Importance of Bible Study
Practicing hermeneutics (continued from last week…)

Chapter Reading for Step #3: Context
– What does it say?

Chapter 28

Jacob’s Dream

• 28:10-17
• 28:18-22

Discuss (summarize)…

Going Deeper Questions for Step #4:  Interpretation

(Genesis 28:10-22) In this section Jacob begins his journey to Haran. Describe Jacob’s dream and what he saw (focus on verses 12-13)?  Cross-reference with John 1:48-51 – who does the “Ladder” picture?

Jacob’s Dream and the “Ladder”

• Jacob saw a ladder in his dream, that was set on the earth and extended into Heaven with the angels of God ascending and descending on it – God stood above on it and spoke directly to Jacob.
• This was another Christophany (appearance of the pre-incarnate Jesus) where God spoke to a human-being – Jacob this time.
• If we cross-reference with John 1:48-51 we find that Jesus is the ladder – signifying that He is the way to Heaven (John 14:6-7 – the way, the truth and the life)…

New Testament – John 1:48-51

⁴⁸ Nathanael said to Him, “How do You know me?” Jesus answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ⁴⁹ Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel.” ⁵⁰ Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” ⁵¹ And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” 

 John 1:48-51 (NASB)

What parts of the Abrahamic Covenant did God promise Jacob, and what did Jacob do and say after God spoke to him?

Jacob and the Covenant

• In this section, God affirms the Covenant Promise given to Abraham and Isaac by promising: 1) the land on which he was lying; 2) descendants that would be like the dust of the earth; and 3) in him and his family would all of the families of the earth be blessed. God also promised to protect him and bring him back to the land, and that He would not leave him until all that He had promised was done.
• After God spoke to Jacob, when he woke up, he said: “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it. He was afraid and said, how awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven. He then rose early in the morning and set up a pillar of the stone he had put under his head and called the place “Bethel.”” This was also the place where Abraham made one of his first sacrifices to God when he entered the land. Bethel became a significant place of worship later on in the Old Testament, and ultimately became a place of idol worship, condemned by the prophet Hosea.
• Jacob also made a pledge to tithe to the LORD. Abraham had given a tithe to Melchizedek earlier. Note: Tithing was common in ancient times and was not specifically required by God until it was written in the Law of Moses.
• Note: At this point in time, Jacob still seemed to be relying on himself and not completely trusting God. Evidenced in verse 20: “Then Jacob made a vow, saying,
• “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the LORD will be my God.””
• Here he is trying to bargain with God, and it won’t be until chapter 32 where he wrestled with God all night, and made a confession in prayer that he would begin to call on God as his God, and not just the God of his fathers, Abraham and Isaac.

Step #5: Application for chapters 27-28
– How do I use what I have learned?

Answers will vary…

HOMEWORK REVIEW

Chapter Reading for Step #3: Context
– What does it say?

Chapter 29

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

• 29:1-8
• 9-14
• 15-22
• 23-30

Jacob’s Children

• 31-35

Discuss (summarize)…

Going Deeper Questions for Step #4:  Interpretation

(Genesis 29:1-20) In this section Jacob meets his family from Haran. What happened when Jacob met Rachel?

Jacob meets Rachel

• Just as had happened earlier with Abraham’s Servant, when he went to get a wife for Isaac from this same area, God led Jacob to his mother’s family.
• When he saw Rachel, and found out that she was the daughter of his mother’s brother (his uncle), he rolled away the heavy stone from the watering well and watered the flock of Laban. He then kissed Rachel and wept.
• The text does not tell us specifically why he kissed Rachel or why he wept. Two options: 1) It was love at first site, and he reacted by kissing her and weeping (although probably not a common thing to do in this time or culture); or 2) he was so overjoyed that he had found his family that the kiss and weeping may have been one of joy (kissing on the check is a middle east custom, and Laban does the same to Jacob when he meets him as well).

How did Laban respond to meeting Jacob, and why?

Laban and Jacob

• Laban ran to meet him, kissed him and brought him to his house.
• Jacob stayed for a month and then the bargaining began from Laban – “what shall your wages be?”
• Jacob then asked for Rachel’s hand in marriage and said he would serve Laban seven years for her.
• Many scholars say that Laban knew the wealth of Abraham’s family from the previous visit years earlier when they came for Rebekah, and he wanted to use Jacob to eventually get to the family’s inheritance.
• Laban seemed to have ulterior motives, whether it was for cheap labor, or to eventually get the family’s inheritance through Jacob.

Who was Leah, and what was the comparison between her and Rachel?

Leah and Rachel

• Leah was the oldest daughter of Laban, and the text describes her as having “weak eyes” which is another way of saying that she was not very “pretty.”
• Rachel was the younger daughter and is described as being “beautiful of form and face” which is another way of saying that she was the more attractive one.

(Genesis 29:21-35) In this section Jacob begins his family by working for Laban. Describe how Jacob ended up with Leah, even though it was Rachel he loved, and how did God respond to Leah’s plight? How did Laban respond when Jacob confronted him?

Jacob, Leah and Laban

• Laban, again with ulterior motives, tricked Jacob by sending Leah into the tent. You might ask how Jacob would have not known the difference until morning? One answer is that, just like today, the festival would have included alcohol, the tent was dark, Leah would have been completely covered until they ‘slept together,’ and Jacob was likely drunk.
• Laban waited to tell Jacob that the custom of the land was to marry off the oldest first. When Jacob objected, he was also given Rachel, but had to wait until after the wedding week for Leah. This was in return for seven more years added to Jacob’s free labor for Laban. (Note: The text does not say he had to wait another seven years for Rachel, but agreed to the additional service for Rachel too).
• Because she was unloved, God allowed Leah to conceive first in this order: Rueben, Simeon, Levi and Judah – Note: keep these names in mind as they will play interesting and pivotal roles later on – especially Judah.
• Note: Some scholars say that the best wife for Jacob was actually Leah, not Rachel, and in God’s sovereignty this will prove to be true as she will bear the majority of the sons of Jacob (and could have ultimately bore all 12). Rachel is unable to bear more than one child, and later dies in the second and last child’s birth, therefore showing she was not the one best suited for God’s purpose and plan.

Discussion: How does Laban compare to Jacob as a deceiver, and what lesson can we take away, as application, from the actions of these two men?

Answers will vary but could include…

• One way that we see Jacob had meet his match in Laban as a deceiver, is that Laban ultimately ends up with 20 years of free labor from Jacob (14 for the girls, and he bargained for 6 more).
• There are always consequences to deception, favoritism, and/or selfish ambitions, not only in families, but other relationships as well – they don’t always play out right away, but can ultimately affect the future for generations to come.

Chapter Reading for Step #3: Context
– What does it say?

Chapter 30

Jacob’s Children (continued…)

• 30:1-8
• 9-18
• 19-24

Jacob’s prosperity

• 25-33
• 34-43

Discuss (summarize)…

Going Deeper Questions for Step #4:  Interpretation

(Genesis 30:1-24) In the first part of this chapter Leah and Rachel continue their competition for Jacob’s affection, and in having children. What did Rachel do when she saw Leah had so many children while she had none at this point, and how did Leah respond in kind?

Rachel and Leah – the competition:

• Rachel became jealous of her sister because Leah was able to bear children so easily.
• Rachel said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die.” This is ironic because she does die giving birth to her second child Benjamin.
• Rachel then gives Bilhah, her maid, as a concubine to Jacob so that she could have children through her (reminiscent again of Abraham and Sarah’s mistake)
• Note: Concubines were wives without the privilege of family statis and were subject to their master, in this case Rachel as Hagar was to Sarah.
• Leah responds in kind to the competition and gives her maid Zilpah to Jacob.
• Both concubines had two children each.
• Note: As was previously said, it is Leah who seems to have been the best choice for Jacob and the one who seemed strong and able enough to bear God’s plan for the twelve sons, instead Jacob and his family suffer the consequences of jealousy and competition within the family.

Going Deeper: Make a chart that show the twelve sons of Jacob in order of their birth, who their moms were, and the meaning of each of their names.

Leah:

1. Reuben – “behold a son” 
2. Simeon – “because I am unloved/God is listening/God hears”. 
3. Levi – “joined/attached/now this time my husband will become attached to me” 
4. Judah – “praise/let him [God] be praised” 
5. Issachar – “man of hire/there is a reward” 
6. Zebulun – “prince/to dwell/gift-dowry”

(Dinah)

Zilpah (Leah’s Maid):

7. Gad – “good fortune/luck” 
8. Asher – “happy/blessed”

Rachel:

11. Joseph – “he will add/may God add”.
12. Benjamin – (first named Ben-oni “son of my sorrow”) “son of my right hand/son of the south”

Bilhah (Rachel’s Maid):

5. Dan – “judge/he judged” 
6. Naphtali – “my wrestling/my struggle/my strife”

(Genesis 30:25-43) In this section of the chapter, Jacob asks Laban to give him what he owed him so he could leave with his family. How did Laban try to get Jacob to stay, and what offer did Jacob make to Laban?

Jacob’s demand and Laban’s offer:

• Laban said: “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account. Name your wages, and I will give it.” Notice it says that Laban “divined it” – that means he was using satanic means to determine things. Laban was pagan – so it makes sense that this would be the way he would do things.
• Note: It is important to remember that, since the Fall, Satan will always try to deter God’s Covenant and Promise, therefore he would use Laban to keep Jacob from going back to the Promised Land.
• Instead of wages, Jacob offered to take the speckled, spotted and black goats and lambs – which were rare among the flocks. This would separate what was Jacob’s from that of Laban’s, and this would be the beginning of Jacob’s own possessions and riches.

Discuss: Jacob is said to be the first “Geneticist.” What did he do with the flocks to get them to reproduce and flourish, and how do you see God’s hand in this?

Jacob, the geneticist:

• Jacob had figured out how to get the flocks to mate with certain enticements, and he would make sure to separate out when the flocks produced the imperfect, thus his flocks he would be segregated from Laban’s group and then mate with the stronger ones producing more of the imperfect, yet strong, flocks for Jacob: “Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods; but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s”
• Note: Scholars are not sure what was in the rods and peelings – special chemistry or supernatural intervention?!

God’s hand:

• Even though Jacob seemed to have devised a method, it was ultimately God’s hand that miraculously helped produce more of the mixed color flocks than the white.
• As we know from modern genetics, Jacob’s method was not the thing that produced the colors, however, God put in place the right setting for the right animals to breed with the right DNA to make just the right offspring to help Jacob prosper.

Step #5: Application for chapters 29-30
– How do I use what I have learned?

Answers will vary…

HOMEWORK

Read Chapters 31 and 32 for Step #3: context

Going Deeper Questions for Step #4:  Interpretation

1.(Genesis 31:1-21) In the first part of this chapter, Jacob makes a decision to flee from Laban. Why did Jacob decide it was time to leave, and who did he council with in making that decision? How did Jacob follow through on the decision to leave, and do you think Jacob was trusting in the LORD at this time (why, or why not)?

2.(Genesis 31:22-55) In the second half of the chapter, Jacob and his family take off without telling Laban. What did Laban do when he discovered Jacob was gone, and what did God say to Laban in a dream? What happened between Laban and Jacob when Laban caught up with them, including what Rachel had done to make things worse? What agreement, or covenant, did Laban and Jacob make with each other, and how did they confirm it?

3.(Genesis 32:1-32) In this chapter, Jacob is on his way home, but he fears his brother Esau’s reception. What did Jacob do to appease his brother Esau before he got there?

4.Going Deeper: Who did Jacob wrestle with, what was the outcome and why was this important?

Step #5:  Application for chapters 31-32 – How do I use what I have learned?

Please continue to join us each week as we study about, and through, God’s Word!

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You will not find this material in the public school curriculum even though it is based on solid evidence and grounded in research. It is ironic that following the evidence to where it leads stops at the door of our public schools as they will not let a “Divine footprint” in!  Join us as we examine evidence for Christianity and learn how to become a thoughtful defender and ambassador of your faith.

Click into the resource page of this website to view many of the top Christian thinkers and apologists along with some of their work; connecting to these types of resources is essential in your Christian growth.

Please let me know what you think: Give feedback, ask questions or send concerns in the comment section of the blog.

Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15