JulieAnn

Reuben betrayed his father Jacob, and disrespected him. More than just sexual sin, he dishonored Jacob, as his father, breaking several commandments. The anger in the family would have been felt by everyone and affected everyone.

God is still the same. Same yesterday, same today and same tomorrow. God was letting Jacob know that nothing he could do or did would ever take that away and that His love is permanent. God's promises don't come with "conditions." God promises to bless us if we just follow Him. We remove ourselves from His grace. He does not remove Himself from us. God was reminding Jacob that He is God almighty, and the He promised him many descendents, kings and nations will be in his bloodline, and land.

Jacob's prayer reveals his humanness. Even though he is a child of God, he is still weak in his human side. Sometimes saying things outloud reassures us and maybe Jacob was repeating God's promise out loud, not to persuade or remind God, but to remind himself that God promised to protect him. He submits himself to God and goes humbly to his brother. Jacob has learned much in his time away. He realizes that is God who is in control and not him. Jacob knows he cannot do this without God on his side. His faith is strong and he chooses to do what God is leading him to do. But he is afraid and concerned for his family. So he goes in prayer, which is what we all should do when we are taking a leap of faith.

The terms are that the Lord is watching when they are apart. This should be a constant reminder to Jacob and to Laban that even though they could not keep a watch on each other, the Lord was there all the time. Laban must have had an idea of the Lord's power because of the sheep changing colors at birth and because God came to him in his dreams. This would not have been a typical dream. Laban woke with full understanding, awareness complete trust that God had spoken to him. And he was afraid. Knowing God was watching would keep them both in step.

Laban could not be trusted. Jacob knew this from living with him for 14 years. His wives also knew this. Laban thought they were going out to shear the sheep and that they would be back. Jacob and his wives used that time to flee so they could escape without threat. God told Jacob to leave. He was following what God told him. Jacob fulfilled his commitment to Laban. He had every right to leave. Rachel should not have taken the idols from her father. God had already shown her his power over and over when the lambs were born each time Laban changed the rules. Taking what did not belong to her was not just.

Jacob knew that God was in charge because God told him He was. When Laban would change the rules, the sheep would change, too. Jacob knew how breeding worked and knew there was no way the sheep could change under his own control. God promised Jacob He would be blessed and Jacob knew his wealth was part of that blessing. Jesus taught a great deal on the dangers of wealth. We start to believe we can do anything and stop acknowledging that everything we have comes from God. He can bless and He can take away, which is always a blessing even though we may not see it that way. God wants us close to Him. But if our wealth is keeping us from Him, He may choose to take it away from us. He owns it all. We are but mere stewards, honored to manage whatever He gives us.

God is working on Jacob. He could completely change him in an instant but this is not how God does things. He teaches us, renews us, restores us, transforms us over time. Through those 14 years, Jacob was learning and growing. God's prupose was being served. Everything is for God's glory.

The act of setting and annointing the stone was a cultural act with significant meaning. Jacob was making his vow to the Lord and to his descendents and the annointed stone was his seal. Jacob promises that God will always be his God, that this will be a place to honor God and that he will tithe 10 percent back to God. Jacob knew that all he received came from God. He wanted to honor God with everything he had.

Jacob possessed the birthright. Isaac had forgiven jacob for any deception plus he undoubtedly had heard Esau's grumbling and threats. Isaac was close to God and spent time in prayer. He blessed Jacob because he knew that is what he was to do. Isaac trusted God to work all things for good. He knew to pray in God's Word and so he used God's Word's to bless Jacob asking for land, fruitfulness, and descendants.

Q6. Extra Credit. Whose character flaws most remind you of your own? Isaac's, Rebekah's, Esau's, or Jacob's? Why? How is God working to improve your character? Oooo tough one to answer but not so tough to recognize. I would be more like Esau and Rebekah. I was and still am at times, impulsive and impatient. I want it now and I don't want to wait. I will worry about the consequences later. I am strong willed like Rebekah and work hard. I work very hard to make what I am working on successful. That is my flesh side. My weaker side. But God has my strong side. Through my walk with Christ I have grown tremendously. My prayer every day is to seek God first and I DO pray for patience. I know it is said that we are not to pray for patience but, surprise, I can't find that rule anywhere in the Bible. In fact, my Bible says to come to God for everything! And patience is one of the fruits of the Spirit. So I am to pray for the other fruits but not this one? Yes, God gives me plenty of opportunities to practice patience but you know what? In asking for His help and guidance, and TRUSTING in Him, those practice times are becoming easier and easier and I am growing in Him.

Q5. (Genesis 25:28) What happens when your children sense that you love one child more than another? Did such discrimination happen to you when you were growing up? If so, how are you finding healing? How can we as parents love our children equally but differently? Shouts of "its not fair" and "how come they get more than me?" shake through the house. These are the results of parenting more than one child. While there are tremendous blessings that come with having several children probably the one blessing that comes from having only one is that you never have to feel the guilt as a parent that you are showing favoritism. But we are human. We have likes and dislikes and there are people we like and don't like. We love our children but we don't like them equally. We struggle with this every day. But it is critical that each child know they are loved without exception, for who they are. We are to shine for Christ every day and our primary ministry is the children we are blessed to raise. It is so easy to love someone we genuinely like. But love is not always easy. And if you have a child that you don't seem to have anything in common with, or their personality just clashes with yours, that is a little tougher. But Jesus loved everyone. And we are to do the same. Each child needs to be treasured and cherished for who they are and for how God is creating them. Growing up there was obvious favoritism in our house. There were 5 kids and I was in the middle. There were a lot of hurt feelings and they continued through our adult lives. When I took the walk with Christ, I forgave my parents and just love them for who they are. It is not that they did not love me. I was a strong willed child and I am sure, difficult to handle each day. Impatient, impulsive, very chatty, I know I must have gotten on their nerves. hmmmm who do I sound like. Peter? But my parents loved me and they love me today. I try very hard not to show favoritism to my kids. I challenge myself every day to just love them for who they are and to let them know they are super special. But it is a challenge and I could not manage it without God's help every day.

Q4. (Genesis 27:33) Why couldn't Isaac reverse his blessing once he discovers Jacob's trickery? What is Isaac's role in this blessing? What is God's role in it? Isaac's word was binding and Easu trading his inheritance was binding. Isaac was an honorable man and to reverse the blessing would dishonor his family and the future families of Esau and Jacob. Esau's reckless choice effected the entire family and their future and not just Esau. Isaac was also Esau's father. Sometimes, as a parent, the choices we make are tough and usually "hurt us" more than our children but Isaac knew that Esau was impulsive, impatient and loved instant gratification. Isaac knew that Esau needed to reap the consequences of his decision even though it hurt Isaac's heart. Isaac was also a God fearing man and he knew that God was handling the entire situation. Isaac did not worry and he trusted in God. Isaac did his part and he trusted that God would manage whatever came of it to His glory and not to the impulsive or self-centered decisions that were made. All things are done for the glory of God. Not some things. Not just good things. The Bible is very clear that ALL things are done for the glory of God.

Q3. (Genesis 27:6-29) God had told Rebekah that Jacob is supposed to rule over Esau (Genesis 25:23). To what extent does this excuse her plan to deceive her husband Isaac? How much responsibility does Jacob bear in the deception? There is no excuse for not waiting on God to manage what He promises. We try to justify our actions when we try to control the outcome of a situation but by not waiting on God we are denying ourselves a blessing and possible miracle. For example: a friend of mine had a terminally ill child. When she and her husband decided to try for another child they discovered they were pregnant with twins. Later in her pregnancy they learned that both babies had the same terminal illness. Rather than wait for a miracle from God and a blessing, they decided to end the pregnancy in a late term abortion. The regret and guilt have been overwhelming for them. They tried to justify their decision but this was never God's plan for them. Sometimes we just think we know what is best for us and without the counsel and blessing from God we usually end up regretting whatever decision we make. Jacob bears just as much responsibility, if not more as a spiritual leader in the home. Although Rebekah has no doubt told Jacob of what God spoke to her concerning his leadership, he should have stood firm on waiting for God. Jacob was not a child when this occurred. With Isaac and Esau not home, Jacob had the responsibility of the spiritual leadership in the home and he should have counselled Rebekah to wait for God to work. Jacob saw a quick and easy fix to the problem and so he participated in the manipulation and deception of Isaac and Esau so that Jacob would not have to wait for the inheritance.

Q2. Was Rebekah a spiritual woman, that is, interested in spiritual things? Was Isaac a spiritual man? Which do you think was the more spiritually sensitive? What evidence of spirituality do you see in Jacob? In Esau? Rebekah was a spiritual woman. She spoke to God and God spoke to her and answered her prayers. She sought God on many things in her life. Yet, like many, she felt she needed to "help" God fulfil His promise concerning Jacob. Rebekah let worry influence her decisions. She tried to justify her actions but failed to recognize that God does not do anything arbitrary and He does not do anything using deception or manipulation. You can bet that if you are planning something and have asked God about how you should respond, and you don't hear right away, then the answer is to wait, not to go ahead and do what you are planning. So many times we say, "Well, God didn't say no," when in fact He didn't say anything yet. Isaac was a very spiritual man. He sought God's counsel on everything and trusted God to take care of him. Isaac had more trust in God and was willing to wait for God to manage things. Jacob was determined and worked hard. He honored his father and mother. Esau worked hard and loved his parents. He strived to please Isaac.

Q1. Why does the New Testament condemn Esau for selling his birthright? (Hebrews 12:16-17) What did selling the birthright represent? What does this transaction say about Esau's character and values? What does it reveal bout Jacob's character and values? Acting impulsively to obtain pleasure here on earth while disregarding the consequences often leaves us hurting with feelings full of regret. We have a tremendous inheritance waiting for us in heaven but we can "give it all" away for simple earthly pleasures. For eample: Having a godly marriage means doing marriage God's way which means waiting to sleep with your spouse so you gain the blessing of God when you marry. We desire God's blessing over our marriage but we compromise that blessing when we don't honor God and His desires for us. We tend to "give away" our inheritance over and over again and then we rush back to God asking for forgiveness. By not honoring our Father and the inheritance He wants to bless us with, shows that we don't value that inheritance or the sacrifice that was made so we are able to accept that inheritance. Esau was shallow and impulsive. He lived for the moment and did not care about his future. He exaggerated his hunger and threw away his inheritance so he could get a quick meal, a guilty pleasure. He was self-centered in that his concern was for his well being and not the future of his family. Jacob was manipulative and greedy and also self-centered. To gain what God promised through wrongful actions means he did not trust that God would fulfil His promise. Jacob had trust issues and felt the need to take matters into his own hands. Both men loved and honored their parents.

Hi everyone - My name is Julie and I am from Glendale, Arizona. I love digging deep into the Bible and studying God's Word. I love deep studies and I am so thankful God led me to this website. I look forward to learning more and more and being involved in the discussions. God bless you all as you study! Thank you Pastor Ralph! Julie