We shall continue with
the study of the Book of Genesis this week.
(1) Why did Isaac name these wells after the original names given by Abraham? (Refer to, say, Gen. 16:14; 24:62; 25:11.) What might be the significance of his action?
(2) How might the Philistines look upon his action?
(3) Why did the Philistines keep opposing his newly dug wells?
(4) How did Isaac deal with their opposition?
(5) Why did the Philistines stop at the third well?
(6) How did Isaac greet the final outcome?
(7) What lesson can we learn from Isaac?
(8) Why did God choose to appear to Isaac “that night”?
(9) What was the main message from God?
(10) How would you have responded to God’s appearing and His message?
(11) How did Isaac respond to God?
(12) How did Abimelech clearly see that the Lord was with him? Did Isaac not act like a “push-over” in dealing with the wells?
(13) What motivated Abimelech to seek peace with Isaac? Was he afraid of Isaac or his God?
(14) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
(1) Do you think Isaac should know about what God had already told Rebekah before the birth of the twins? (Gen. 25:23) Did he not believe in God’s Covenant with Abraham in which he was the chosen heir?
(2) Why would he then insist on blessing Esau as his heir? Was it out of favoritism or his gluttony?
(3) Did he recognize the earlier sale of birth-right by Esau to Jacob?
(4) Why was his blessing on the sons so important?
(5) What about the action of Rebekah? Did she do it out of faith? If so, what options did she have to make sure Esau obey the prophetic words of the Lord, other than deceiving the husband who loved her?
(6) What about the action of Jacob? What might be the outcome of his action if it did not work? What might be the reasons for his “obedience” to his mum?
(7) How would you describe this family in terms of the following relationships?
a. Between Isaac and Rebekah
b. Between Isaac and Esau
c. Between Isaac and Jacob
d. Between Rebekah and Esau
e. Between Rebekah and Jacob
(8) At such a critical moment, how did their respective actions reflect the family spiritual condition?
(9) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
(1) Now, Jacob succeeded in cheating his brother of his birthright. From the blessing pronounced by Isaac, what might this right entail?
(2) Why do you think Jacob coveted this right? What did he really want?
(3) Do you know that this right, above and beyond what it might entail customarily in ancient times, carries a huge responsibility too because of the Abrahamic Covenant? Read Genesis 12:3 and 18:18-19. How much did Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob care about this responsibility?
(4) Did Jacob “qualify” to assume this awesome responsibility?
(5) If this was the case, how would you expect God to deal with Jacob or the situation?
(6) Do you know what God did in dealing with Jacob so that he might “qualify” to assume this responsibility?
(7) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
(1) How important was Esau’s response that he was the “firstborn”? (v. 32)
(2) Why did he cry so loudly and bitterly over the loss of the blessing since he despised his birthright? Why did the blessing appear to be so important to him now?
(3) Did Esau know whether he was worthy of his father’s blessing?
(4) Did he not confess that his birthright had already been taken? Why then would he think that the birthright and the blessing were separate?
(5) What is the Bible’s own verdict on Esau? (See Heb. 12:16-17)?
a. In what way was he immoral?
b. In what way was he godless?
(6) What was the effect of Isaac’s blessing on Esau?
(7) Isaac’s blessing to Esau was more of a prophecy than blessing: See 2 Kings 8:20, 22 for its fulfillment.
(8) Mull over Esau’s words of hateful revenge in v. 41. Do you know whether Esau carried out his words of revenge? Even with these hateful words, how similar is this story of Esau with that of Cain (Gen. 4)? What might be their differences?
(9) Rebekah said, “Why should I lose both of you in one day?” What was the outcome of her action?
(10) If Jacob coveted his brother’s birthright because of the traditional inheritance of double portion of estate, what did he get now in this respect?
(11) What is the main message to you today?
(1) It appeared that Isaac had not rebuked Jacob of his deception. Why?
(2) If Isaac understood the importance of not marrying a Canaanite woman, why would he allow Esau to do so in the first place?
(3) In being sent away with the blessing so pronounced, how improbable was his situation from the fulfillment of this blessing? What is the irony being depicted here?
(4) Both Isaac and Jacob sought their wives from Paddan Aram, each under very different situations. How different were their situations?
a. Both were initiated by the fathers
b. Abraham sent an entourage of camels and gifts
c. Isaac sent Jacob himself with nothing!
d. The servant of Abraham embarked on a journey of faith
e. What can you say about the journey of Jacob who was sent to the same place and for the same purpose? If he had not used deception but reliance on God’s timing and intervention, would Isaac not emulate his father and send an entourage to fetch him a wife?
(5) V. 8 is a very interesting verse in that, “Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac;".
a. Did he not know before this?
b. Why did he mention only his father, and not his mother?
(6) What did he do about it? What can you say about his action? How did it, again, reflect the verdict of Hebrew 12:16-17?
(7) What then is the essential message of today and how may you apply it in your life?
(1) Jacob was sent (or rather, was more likely driven) away and now he embarked on this lonely, uncertain and dangerous journey. He would have a lot of time to reflect on his past actions on the road:
a. What might be his regrets?
b. What might be the most appropriate word that could describe his current state of mind as he lay down on a stone to sleep?
(2) Since Jacob was such as a deceitful person, why would God appear to him?
(3) How did God introduce Himself?
(4) What was the main message of this appearance?
(5) What did God aim to achieve with this dream?
(6) Why did His appearance take the form of a ladder that reached to heaven?
(7) What might be the significance to Jacob that angels were ascending and descending on it?
(8) Why was Jacob afraid when he woke up from the dream? What kind of fear was it?
(9) Do you think the contents of his vow match the contents of the promises made by God in the dream? Why or why not?
(10) In his vow, he appeared to promise God a house and a tenth of his wealth. How did such a promise reveal his knowledge of God and his faith?
(11) If you were Jacob, how would you have responded to the vision or appearance of God to you? (Or for that matter, how had Abraham responded to God’s appearance and promises?)
(12) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?
The meeting of Jacob with Rachel and Laban invites the comparison of the meeting between Abraham’s servant and Rebekah and Laban:
(1) What kind of attitude was taken by Abraham’s servant toward meeting the right bride for Isaac?
(2) What did Jacob approach the situation with?
(3) What did Laban see years ago at the visit of the servant of Abraham?
(4) What did Laban see now at the visit of the grandson of Abraham?
(5) Upon the arrival at Paddan Aram, the servant of Abraham responded with worship to the Lord twice. What about Jacob? Did he express an attitude of worship or thanksgiving because of his safe arrival?
(6) At the first visit, Laban received much in gifts from his visitor (Gen. 24:53). Now what did he get from Jacob instead according to this passage?
(7) From Jacob’s willingness to work for free in exchange for Rachel, what changes can we detect in his life?
(8) What is the main message to you today and how can you apply it to your life?