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GENESIS- LESSON THIRTEEN

I. Jacob and Esau (Genesis 27-28)

A. Rebekah’s and Jacob’s deception of Isaac regarding the blessing promised to Esau (27:1-45)

1. Isaac instructs Esau to kill venison and prepare savory food to occasion the receiving of Isaac’s blessing

    (v. 1-4).

2. Rebekah forms deceptive plan in order for Jacob to receive the blessing (v. 5-17).

a. Jacob kills two goats.

b. Rebekah prepares savory meat.

c. Rebekah places Esau’s clothes upon Jacob.

d. Goat hair placed upon Jacob’s hands and neck.

3. Jacob carries out deceptive plan, and Isaac pronounces upon Jacob the blessing (v. 18-29).

4. Esau weeps bitterly knowing his Father’s blessing has been given to Jacob (v. 30-45).

a. Esau vows to murder Jacob.

b. Rebekah urges Jacob to flee to Laban until Esau’s fury eases.

B. Upon Rebekah’s stated fears of Jacob finding a wife among the daughters of  Heth, Isaac sends Jacob to Paddanaram      to house of Bethuel, Rebekah’s father(27:46-28:5)

1. Jacob to find wife among daughters of Laban, Rebekah’s brother.

2. Isaac renews Abrahamic promise with Jacob and his seed.

C. Esau chooses daughter of Ishmael to be among his wives (28:6-9)

1. Esau makes choice because he knew it displeased his father to take wife from the daughters of Canaan.

2. Mahalath (Basemath- Gen. 36:3) is chosen as wife – daughter of Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael.

D. Jacob’s vision at Bethel (28:10-22)

1. Jacob’s dream: angels ascending and descending on ladder reaching into heaven.

2. God at ladder pronounces blessing first given to Abraham upon Jacob and his seed.

a. Land where Jacob now lies promised to him and his seed.

b. Seed to be multiplied as dust of the earth in all four directions: West, East, North and South

c. In thy seed shall all of the families of earth be blessed

3. Jacob wakes up in fear thinking he is at the house of God, the gate of heaven.

4. Jacob rises early to place the stone, on which he laid his head, upon a pillar and poured oil upon it calling the                    place: Bethel: the house of God.

5. Jacob vows if God will protect him and bring him back peacefully to land, the stone upon the pillar will be                    God’s house and he will give the tenth of all that God gives him.

QUESTIONS:

1. What two facts of life does Isaac express to Esau?  How long after this statement did Isaac actually die?

2. Why did Isaac want Esau to do certain things before he was to bless him?

3. Who is to blame for deceiving Isaac: Rebekah, Jacob, or both?

4. What human senses were involved in the deceiving of Isaac to bless Jacob instead of Esau?

5. Is there any difference between “the birthright” and “the blessing”?

6. How does this event of the blessing of Jacob instead of Esau illustrate how God works out what he has promised?

7. What did Rebekah think of the character of Esau’s vow to murder Jacob?

8. Was it original with Isaac to send Jacob to Rebekah’s family to choose a wife?

9. Did Esau pick a wife from family of Ishmael to comply with his father’s wishes or to spite Isaac?

10. What is the connection with Jacob’s vision and the place called Bethel?

11. What is significant about Jacob’s vision at Bethel?

12. In Jacob’s vow, why does he give conditions before saying “Jehovah will be my God”?

13. Why does Jacob vow to give the tenth of all that God shall give him?