Audio for Thursday, February 7

Jacob seeks a wife and gets more than he bargained for.
(Genesis 27-33)

[audio:2008-02-07.mp3]

Notes: Genesis 30

Trinity International Baptist Church, English language Bible study guide for February 5, 2008

Unlike the old chewing gum jingle which promised “double the pleasure, double the fun” when a good flavor was doubled, Jacob’s life is askew when there are two wives in his household.

I. Rachel asks Jacob to have a child with her servant Bilhah (1-8:)

1-2: The envious complaint: “Give me children, or else I die.” The angry response: “Am I in God’s stead?”

3-5: Take my handmaid…and he did

6-8:  Jacob’s sons with Bilhah

  • Dan
  • Naphtali

II. Leah asks Jacob to have a child with her servant Zilpah (9-13:)

9: Take my handmaid…and he did

10-13: Jacob’s sons with Zilpah

  • Gad
  • Asher

III. Rachel bargains for mandrakes, and trades off her man (14-21:)

15:  True or False: Rachel took Leah’s husband

17-21: Jacob’s last three children with Leah

  • Isaachar
  • Zebulon
  • Dinah (a daughter)

IV. Rachel has a child of her own (22-24:)

Jacob’s first son with Rachel

  • Joseph

V. Jacob and Laban conduct an exit interview with salary negotiation (25-36:)

25: The birth of Joseph sparks homesickness in Jacob

26: He asks leave of Uncle Laban, wishing to take his (4) wives and (12) children with him

28: Laban offers to give Jacob for his service

31: Jacob does not want Laban to “give” him anything

32-33: They agree that Jacob will tend Laban’s animals one last time, with the understanding that Jacob is free to take all the animals with spotted or speckled hide.

35-36: Jacob will start with unblemished animals (the blemished animals are culled from the herds and flocks).

VI. A lesson in animal husbandry (37-43:)

37-41: Unusual selective breeding techniques at work

42: Jacob kept the strong animals for himself

 

Meditation Points:

  1. Does God control who can have children and when those children will be born?
  2. Remember the trouble that Sarah started when she urged Abraham to have a child by their servant Hagar? Rachel follows Sarah’s bad example; and not long afterwards, Leah follows too.
  3. Only this time, the animosity in the home was not between the wife and the servant, but rather between the two wives.
  4. Food got Esau into trouble over a birthright, and food got Isaac into trouble over a blessing. Rachel’s craving for fresh fruit gets her into trouble over Jacob
  5. Notice the significance of the various names found in today’s reading.
  6. Laban knows that God has blessed him because Jacob was around.
  7. As Abraham didn’t want anything from the king of Sodom, so Jacob doesn’t want anything given to him by Laban.
  8. Animals in heat surrounded by folks in polka dot dresses don’t bear spotted-skinned offspring.
  9. Was Jacob’s breeding technique inspired or “lucky”?

 

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Notes: Genesis 28-29

Trinity International Baptist Church of Athens, Greece

English language Bible study Guide for February 4, 2008

 

Continuing the narrative of Genesis 27, we find Isaac personally blessing Jacob and sending him to find a wife.

Genesis 28

I.  Jacob’s father blesses him (1-5:)

1: Be careful whom you marry

3-4: Remember your grandfather’s God

II. Jacob’s brother despises him (6-9:)

As though marrying two Hittite women wasn’t enough, Esau adds an Ishmaelite wife.

III. Jacob’s dream, in which God visits him (10-22:)

12:

John 1:51  And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

13-15: God’s covenant with Abraham now becomes God’s covenant with Jacob

16: Surely the Lord is in this place

19: Bethel-house of God

20: A conditional vow-If God will do this…then I will do this…

  • God must be with me and keep me and feed and clothe me
  • I will, then, accept the Lord as my God and I will give 10% of all of God’s blessing back to the ministry

 

Meditation Points:

  1. Christian parents should do what they can to introduce their children to children who will not be an evil influence
  2. Marrying cousins was not illegal in those days
  3. “Faith of our Fathers” is a wonderful song; but if the only faith you have is that of your fathers, then you have no faith of your own, you have no faith at all
  4. Does not God promise to keep his children today and to be with them forever?
  5. Recognizing the presence of God
  6. A commitment to tithe

 

Genesis 29

I. Jacob meets Rachel (1-11:)

10: Jacob’s gentlemanly ways charm Rachel

II. Jacob meets Rachel’s father (12-20:)

15: Laban invites Jacob to stay and offers him a job with the stipulation that Jacob be paid

18: Jacob offers to work 7 years for Laban provided that Rachel may be his wife after the 7 years

III. Jacob marries Rachel’s sister (21-28:)

23: Laban tricks Jacob

26: Laban makes a lame excuse

27: Laban offers Rachel

IV. Jacob marries Rachel (29-30:)

29: True to his word (this time), Laban allows Jacob to marry Rachel, too

30: Jacob loved Rachel more than he loved Leah

V. Jacob has four sons with Leah (31-35:)

31: Rachel was barren (Remember Sarah and Rebekah)

32-35: Leah’s sons

  1. Reuben
  2. Simeon
  3. Levi
  4. Judah

 

Meditation Points:

  1. Isaac’s bride came because of camels; Jacob’s bride came because of sheep.
  2. Sometimes lying, conniving men can be gentlemen
  3. Laban’s warm welcome is short-lived. Was there bitterness over the loss of Rebekah?
  4. How can you love someone with all your heart when there are two “someone”s?

 

 

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