Jacob-Esau: Messing w/Blessing

Confirmation Study & Review Sheet

Week presented: 10/28/03

Topic: Jacob and Esau: The Messing with the Blessing

Review: : The Bible stories illustrate (that is, they draw a picture for us) what God is like. The stories don’t just exist so that we can learn facts about the past. They convey to us truths about God.

Things we learn from the stories that we’ve looked at so far

(Creation of the World – Adam and Eve – The Fall into Sin – Noah and the Ark - Abraham & Isaac)

God is powerful
God makes promises — and God keeps His promises
He’s gracious (He gives undeserved love; He forgives; He’s compassionate.)
He loves us.
He’s righteous (there are consequences for sin).

Today we look at Jacob & Esau (Genesis, chapters 25-27):

The Basics and the Background:

Genesis 25, verses 19-34

4 Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, was pregnant w/twins

4 The twins struggled with each other in the womb

4 Esau was born 1^st, Jacob 2^nd (meaning, Esau would be entitled to the blessing from his father); Esau was hairy and red

4 Jacob came out hanging onto Esau’s heel. His name means “person who tricks others.” [Their way of saying that in Hebrew would have been, “He grasps the heel.”]

4 God Gave a Promise to Rebekah:
“The older one (Esau) will serve the younger one (Jacob).” (v. 23)

4 In a sense, this promise came true when Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for food.

The Story:

Genesis 27

4 Rebekah coaches Jacob into tricking his old father in order to get the blessing.

4 Esau is shut out of the blessing from his father.

Input from the students: What do you think of all this?

4 Rebekah was lying, cheating, and unfaithful to oldest son.

4 Rebekah was unfair, a bad wife, mean.

4 Jacob is a liar, and he used God’s name to lie. Jacob shouldn’t have gone along with his mother.

4 Jacob was just listening to his mother, like he should have, right?

4 BUT it is confusing, too
– Because Esau sold his birth-right, he didn’t deserve to get the blessing anyhow.
– God had given a promise to Rebekah that Jacob would receive the blessing. So should she have been wrong to make sure that Jacob got the blessing?

Pastor Ken says:

4 Those are tough questions, w/o a cut an dry answer.

What we know is this:

4 God worked out His plan through [“in spite of”] all the foolishness and Rebekah, Jacob, and even Esau.

4 God’s plan had in view the promise of Jesus—who would come from this dysfunctional family.

4 Jesus Connection: When Rebekaha says: Verse 13- “let the curse fall on me,” doesn’t that sound like something Jesus would say to us when we have sinned?!?
* Forgiveness means that Jesus took the blame, the curse, the punishment for our sin upon himself.

THINGS WE LEARNED TODAY: (student’s list)

4 Jesus came from a messed up family, but that’s ok.

4 Jesus understands us.

4 God loves all his children and not just one.

4 God can make something good come out of anything.

4 Jesus takes our curse from our sins and puts it on himself.

4 He gives us salvation life and forgiveness of sins.

4 Families may be different, but Jesus’ love is the same for all.

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Prince of Peace Lutheran Church and School
8304 Old Keene Mill Road; Springfield, VA 22152
703.451.5855 - church; 703.451.6177 - school
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www.poplc.org