Sunday, May 31, 1998 This Week’s Lesson:
In this week's lesson, which came from Genesis 24:67, Genesis 25:21-28, Genesis 27:34-41, Genesis 32:9-10, and Genesis 33:1-4, we studied about God's ideal for the family and about the relationships within that family. This part of Genesis tells about the lives of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Isaac. Isaac, the son of Abraham, and Rebekah were married, and Esau and Isaac were their two sons. Both boys were born on the same day, but they were very different in personality and likes and dislikes. Esau was an outdoorsman, and Jacob was more of a quiet, introverted type person. While Esau would go hunting for wild game, Jacob would usually find less adventurous ways to amuse himself. A problem arose in their family because Isaac preferred Esau, and Rebekah preferred Jacob. Their parental favoritism became disruptive to the family and caused a rivalry between the two boys.
Eventually, as the boys grew into men, the rivalry between them reached a climax. When Isaac was nearing the end of his life, he called his son, Esau, before him to receive the blessing of the elder son. Jacob, however, deceived his father and brother, pretended to be Esau, and stole his brother's blessing. The incident, which had been totally orchestrated by Rebekah, split their family. Isaac and Esau were very upset about what had happened, Esau wanted to kill Jacob, Jacob had to flee for his life, and Jacob probably never again saw either of his parents. What had begun innocently when the boys were young grew into something very bad and destructive. Years later, after Isaac and Rebekah had passed away, the Lord led Jacob to return to his own country. By that time, he had built a family of his own, and he was about to carry all of them back to face his older brother, Esau.
On the way back home, Jacob prayed diligently about the reunion. He also took special steps to protect his family just in case things did not go well. When he finally faced Esau, he bowed before him respectfully, and the two brothers received each other in peace. What could have been very bad was not bad at all, so Jacob did not have to defend himself or his family against an enraged brother. For them, the story had a somewhat happy ending, but not all families do. When parents show favorites among their children, they are inviting trouble. When awkward situations arise in families, they need to be dealt with quickly before they have a chance to become very bad. Life is difficult, and God has given us families to help us through. Therefore, as you go through the coming week, try to reflect on your family and thank the Lord for what He has done for you.
Tom of Spotswood"He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
"And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
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