Read Genesis 29:1-30. How and why does God allow for Laban’s deception? What lessons did Jacob learn?

The first thing that Jacob sees when he arrives at the place of destination is a stone, perhaps a hint referring back to the stone of Bethel, which signified God’s presence (Genesis 28:18-19). It is this stone that will, after all, give Jacob the opportunity to interact with Rachel. When Jacob hears from the standing shepherds that Rachel is coming with her sheep to water her flock, he urges the shepherds to roll away the stone. They refuse, which gives Jacob the opportunity to do it alone, and to introduce himself to Rachel (Genesis 29:11).

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Rachel responded by running to her family. This first contact between Jacob and Rachel was productive: “Jacob loved Rachel” (Genesis 29:18), so much that the seven years he worked for Laban in exchange for Rachel were like “a few days” (Genesis 29:20).

However, after these seven years, Jacob is deceived. On the night of the wedding, it is Leah, the elder sister, and not Rachel, whom Jacob discovers in his bed. Taking advantage of the confusion of the feast and of Jacob’s intense emotion and vulnerability, Laban had managed this trick. Interestingly, Jacob uses the same root word for “deceive” (Genesis 29:25, NKJV) that Isaac had used to characterize Jacob’s behavior toward his father and his brother (Genesis 27:35).

Note that the same thinking is also implied in the lex talionis (law of retaliation), “eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Exodus 21:24; compare with Genesis 9:6), which forces the culprit to identify with his/her victim in that the culprit faces what the victim did. In a similar way, then, what Jacob had done to someone else had now been done to him.

Jacob understands now what it means to be the victim of deception. Ironically, God teaches Jacob about his own deception through Laban’s deception. Although Jacob as “deceiver” (Genesis 27:12) knows well what deception means, he is surprised when he is the victim of deception. Thus, he asks the question, “Why … have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29:25, NKJV), which shows that he knows deception is wrong.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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As soon as Esau learns that Jacob has received his father’s blessing, he understands that he has been deceived and supplanted by his brother (Genesis 27:36), and he wants to kill him (Genesis 27:42). Rebekah is worried and wants to prevent this crime that would be fatal for both sons (Genesis 27:45). So, with the support of Isaac (Genesis 28:5), she urges Jacob to flee to her family (Genesis 27:43). On his way to exile, Jacob encounters God in a dream at a place that he will call Bethel, “the house of God,” and there will make a vow.

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Read Genesis 28:10-22. Compare with Genesis 11:1-9. How is Bethel different from Babel? What lesson can we learn about our relationship with God from Jacob’s experience at Bethel versus what happened at Babel?

In this dream, Jacob sees an extraordinary ladder that is connected with God. The same Hebrew verb, natsav, is used to refer to the ladder that is “set up” (Genesis 28:12, NKJV) and the LORD who “stood” (Genesis 28:13, NKJV), as if the ladder and the LORD are the same thing.

The ladder is linked to the attempt at Babel to reach heaven. Like the Tower of Babel, the ladder reaches the “door of heaven.” But while the Tower of Babel represents the human effort to go up and reach God, the ladder of Bethel emphasizes that access to God can be achieved only through God’s coming to us, and not through human effort.

As for the “stone” on which Jacob has put his head and had his dream, it becomes the symbol of beth-El, “the house of God” (Genesis 28:17; compare with Genesis 28:22), which points to the temple, the sanctuary, the center of God’s saving activity for humanity.

Yet, Jacob does not limit to the spiritual and the mystical his expression of worship and sense of awe concerning what had happened to him. That is, he wanted to respond in concrete, outward terms. Thus, Jacob decides to “give a tenth” to God, not in order to obtain God’s blessing but as a grateful response to God’s gift, which has already been given to him. Here again we see the idea of tithe long before the rise of the nation of Israel.

<–Sunday Tuesday–>

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Key Thought: Because Jacob deceived his father and steals the blessing from his brother, he has to flee for his life. Jacob receives deception as well, yet he will also receive God’s blessing. God fulfils His covenant promises regardless of how often His people fail.
May 28, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read Genesis 25: 21-34.

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. What qualities of Jacob predispositioned him to be more worthy than Esau of Isaac’s blessings?
3. Personal Application: Did God know Jacob would deceive his father? Is that the way God wanted Jacob to receive the birthright? How else would he have gotten the birthright and blessings if he hadn’t been deceitful? Share your thoughts..
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “Is it ever good to lie or do something bad in order that good may result from it?’” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Genesis 29:20-30.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. How and why does God allow for Laban’s deception? What lessons did Jacob learn?
3. Personal Application: How can we avoid justifying doing something bad so that good may come? Share your thoughts
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “How can I learn to trust God when I don’t see justice being done, when people do evil and get away with it, or when we see innocent people suffer?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Genesis Genesis 30:15-22..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. How are we to understand the meaning of what takes place here?
3. Personal Application: How does this story reveal that God’s purpose will be fulfilled despite human errors? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Why was there so much contention between the two sisters? Why does it say that God opened their wombs and remembered them? Why was Leah favored by God when she was the wife of her father’s deception? Rachel was favored by Jacob, but only had two sons by him. Was this God’s plan, or His making the best of a bad situation?” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Genesis 30:25-32.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What is going on here, and what kind of reasoning does Jacob use? What is Laban’s response?
3. Personal Application: What evidence do we see in the story of Jacob that he was growing in his character? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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The book of Genesis offers us so many vast topics from which to choose a theme hymn. As we are starting at the very beginning, I would like to give praise to our Creator of heaven and earth in singing
Hymn 320 – Lord of Creation and
Hymn 2 – All Creatures of Our God and King. The stories that follow creation will lean back toward our amazing God and what He has done for each of us in creation.

It appeared )in the first part of the week’s study) that Jacob and others needed to be asking
O for a Faith – Hymn 533, a faith that will not shrink at any time, or under any circumstances.

Wednesday shows the blessings that were given by God with the miracles in Genesis 29:31 and Genesis 30:22 when He “opened her womb”: 
Hymn 111 – It Took a Miracle. After Judah was born Leah could sing 
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow – Hymn 694/695.

It wasn’t until after Jacob was deceived by Laban, that he would sing: 
Hymn 533 – O for a Faith that will no shrink, and 
Hymn 523 – My Faith Looks Up to Thee. It is then that we are able to sing of the great faith that has been learned in 
Hymn 304 – Faith of Our Fathers and 
Hymn 602 – O Brother, Be Faithful.

God’s abundant blessings this quarter as we study through the first book of the Bible which our gracious God has given. May we be faithful and all say “Come, Lord Jesus, come – very soon” so we are able to go to our new home in Heaven, as 
We Have This Hope – Hymn 214.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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Read Genesis 25:21-34. Compare the two personalities of Jacob and Esau. What qualities of Jacob predisposed him to be worthy of Isaac’s blessing?

Already from their mother’s womb we understand that Jacob and Esau are different and will struggle against each other. While Esau is described as a tough hunter running in the field, Jacob is seen as a “mild” person sitting in the tent and meditating. The Hebrew word tam, translated “mild” (NKJV), is the same verb applied to Job and to Noah, translated “blameless” for Job (Job 1:8, NKJV) and “perfect” for Noah (Genesis 6:9, NKJV).

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This difference of character becomes more manifest later in their lives (Genesis 27:1-28:5). When Esau comes home tired and hungry, Jacob cooks him lentils. For Esau, the immediate visible and physical enjoyment of food “this day” (Genesis 25:31) is more important than the future blessing associated with his birthright (compare with Hebrews 12:16-17).

“The promises made to Abraham and confirmed to his son were held by Isaac and Rebekah as the great object of their desires and hopes. With these promises Esau and Jacob were familiar. They were taught to regard the birthright as a matter of great importance, for it included not only an inheritance of worldly wealth but spiritual pre-eminence. He who received it was to be the priest of his family, and in the line of his posterity the Redeemer of the world would come.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 177.

For Jacob, in contrast to his brother, the future spiritual significance of blessing is what matters. Yet, later, under the instigation of his mother (see Genesis chapter 27), Jacob openly and purposely deceives his father, even using the name of “the LORD your God” (Genesis 27:20, NKJV) in perpetrating that deception. He does this terrible deception, even though it was for something that he knew was good.

The results were tragic, adding whole new layers of dysfunction to an already dysfunctional family.

<–Sabbath Monday–>

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