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Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 24.1-21,26 • Beyond the Call of Duty • How would Abraham's servant know which woman was right for Isaac? Should he choose the most beautiful woman he could find? the smartest? The richest? Instead of deciding for himself, Abraham's servant prayed for guidance from God. • It was common courtesy for a person to give a weary traveler a drink of water. For Rebekah to offer water to the camels also was truly an act of unselfishness, not to mention a lot of work. The water had to be drawn from the well, poured into heavy pots, and carried to the animals. And, each camel could drink twenty-five to thirty gallons of water! • Although Rebekah was beautiful and unmarried, performing this work of watering the camels is what convinced Abrahan's servant that this was the woman God had chosen for Isaac. Are we willing to do more than is expected of us?
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 26.1-11 • Because Rebekah was so beautiful, Isaac worried that the men of Gerar might kill him to get her. Like his father Abraham, Isaac lied and told the Philistines that his wife was his sister. • God had promised to take care of Isaac and his family, but Isaac was afraid. Fear and mistrust often lead to lies and divisions among family members and friends. Fear also pulls us away from God's plan for our lives. But God gives us second, and third, and fourth chances.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 27.42-45 • Deception Always Has a Price • Rebekah thought she was doing the right thing by sending Jacob away so he and Esau would not harm each other, Little did Rebekah know that sending Jacob away for "a while" would turn out to be twenty years! • Nor did she know that she would never see him again; Rebekah died before Jacob returned, Imagine how much happier their family could have been if they had trusted God to follow through with his plan. • We are often impatient and think that we need to help God along. True, we shouldn't simply sit around waiting for God to do this thing. We do need to be careful about pushing and doing what we think is God's will. Many times God surprises us in showing us what he has planned. Let's keep our eyes and minds open to God's possibilities.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 28.10-22 • God the Seeker • As Jacob slept, God spoke to him in a dream. There's no evidence that Jacob had not been looking for God; God initiated his contact with Jacob. • We tend to think that we're the ones who search for God, but in reality, he seeks us first. He draws us to him by speaking to our hearts and minds. • In Jacob's dream, God gave him a promise that he would be blessed like Abraham and Isaac were. God also promised to watch over Jacob and to protect him. Finally, he promised to bring Jacob back to his homeland. Although twenty years passed before Jacob returned, he did come back. • As we grow in our awareness of God's constant presence, we will walk more firmly on the path God has set before us. We may fail to understand or obey God, but the One who walks beside us will never fail.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 31.1-16 • Time To Move • How can we know when it is time to move or make a change in our lives? Jacob's situation gives us a few hints. First, we have the outward signs: Laban's sons' jealousy, Laban's changed attitude, and Jacob's financial freedom. All these factors indicated that it may be time to move on. • Second, we read about the inward signs: God spoke to Jacob and told him to move. Sometimes we are not sure whether we have heard from God, or if we simply want to follow our own desires. In these times, the third confirmation may help the support of family or friends. Jacob wisely discussed the potential move with his wives before taking any action. If those closest to us can't support our plans, maybe we should slow down and rethink our ideas.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 32.1-12 • Footsteps from the Past • The confrontation with Laban must have seemed like child's play compared to what Jacob expected from his brother, Esau. After all, the last time Jacob had seen or heard anything from Esau, he had threatened to kill him. Now, Esau was rapidly approaching along with 400 men - not a good sign. • Imagine living with this kind of fear for more than twenty years. Is there some hurt or mistake in your past that still causes you to cringe with fear? The way to break through that fear is by admitting the hurt or mistake to God and by remembering what he has promised us. In Jacob's prayer, he remembered that God promised he would be successful. God can help us to break through our fears and trust him to take care of our needs.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 39.1-9 • Joseph Resists Sexual Seduction • Although he was the head of Potiphar's house, Joseph was still a servant. When Potiphar's wife attempted to talk Joseph into having sex with her, it was more of a command than an invitation. For a servant to disobey the wishes of his master's wife was unheard of. Still, Joseph resisted her desires. • In our struggle against evil, there are times to stand up and fight back. At other times, the smartest action we can take is to get away from the temptation. We don't know for certain where Joseph was going when he ran away from Potiphar's wife. But Joseph knew the pressure was too great for him to stay there. • How can we know whether to fight or flee? We all have our weak points. What one person may be able to stand might cause another person to sin. If we are honest with ourselves, we know when it is time to run.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 41.25-36 • From Prison to the Palace • In explaining the king's dreams, Joseph gave the king the good news and the bad news. Joseph didn't simply tell the king the meaning of his dreams, though. He gave the king good advice and a plan. • Many people are able to see the problems but do not offer workable solutions. Joseph showed that he trusted God to do what he had promised him. the king recognized that God was giving Joseph wisdom, so he made Joseph the second most powerful person in Egypt. • Joseph's promotion came suddenly, and possibly when he least expected it. It is easy for us to think of Joseph as an "overnight success." We tend to forget, however, that God was training Joseph through thirteen years of hardship. • When the time came for Joseph to move to the top, he was prepared. He had learned how to trust God through good times and bad, He had also learned how to be sensitive to the needs of others.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 43.1-2 • Bad Things Happen to God's people, Too • Jacob and his family were not sheltered from the effects of the famine. Their good supply, like that of all their neighbors, ran dangerously low. We are also subjected to natural disasters and other problems. Just because we believe in God doesn't mean we will never be hurt again. • God rarely removes us from the natural calamities that come to both believers and unbelievers. These circumstances are times for us to show the world that we trust God, even when times are tough. • God used the famine to cause Jacob's family to move to Egypt. In doing so, he was getting ready to fulfill another part of the promise he made many years before to Abraham.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 46.1-4 • A Promise Is Renewed • Jacob must have been a little hesitant about going to Egypt. It was a long journey from Canan, and he was not a young man. But Jacob's love for his son was greater than his fear, so he went to Egypt. Perhaps Jacob was even concerned that he may die in Egypt, far away from the land God had promised to him. • But God was going to keep his promise. Since Jacob had been faithful to him, God reminded him of the promise and assure Jacob that it would be fulfilled. • We may not have the need to make a difficult journey in our old age but we do face many problems and difficult situations. It is during these times that God may seem far away, and trusting that God will see us through these times is very difficult.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 47.13-26 • Food Forever • Imagine what it would be like to be so desperate for food that you would offer to become a slave in exchange for food. That's exactly what the Egyptians did when famine struck their land. They ran out of all their resources - their money, their possessions, everything they had. This means they had nothing to offer in exchange for food, except themselves. • Do we cling too tightly to the material things, forgetting what it is that truly sustains us? Material things of this world will one day disappear. Only God is eternal. When we cling to him, we are fed in ways beyond any food on earth.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 49.1-7 • Mixed Blessings • The final blessings Jacob gave to his sons were intended to be fulfilled through their families in the future. Many of the predictions Jacob made about his sons related to how the men had lived in the past. • For example, Reuben, the oldest son, should have received the largest portion of the family inheritance. Since Reuben had slept with Jacob's wife many years ago, Jacob didn't give him this honor. • Similarly, the families of Simeon and Levi were to be scattered (thus reduced in power) because of their cruel actions to the people of Shchem. • Although our past sinful actions and attitudes can be forgiven, often there are still consequences we must face. This doesn't mean God has turned his back on us. It means that we must realize we have to be responsible for our actions. This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.
Short Commentary & Lesson Genesis 50.1-14 • No Short Cuts • It would have been easier for Joseph to bury Jacob in Egypt, but that was not what Jacob wanted. it was not what God had promised, either. • Jacob knew he would probably die in Egypt, but he believed God's promise that he would be buried in Canaan, Joseph did the right thing by asking permission to bury his father in Canaan. • Joseph demonstrated great faith in God's Word. Sometimes it can be difficult to know what God wants us to do. Once we do know, we would be foolish to ignore it.
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