Friends & Fellowship, McLean Bible Church 11/12/2017 GROWING YOUR FAITH IN GOD. Wilfred Ju 1. Jacob's Growing Faith in YHWH FOLLOWING JACOB'S EXAMPLE

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1 GROWING YOUR FAITH IN GOD FOLLOWING JACOB'S EXAMPLE Friends and Fellowship Community Group Taught by the Holy Spirit through His Vessel Wilfred Ju Jacob's Growing Faith in YHWH Session Topic Bible Verses 1 God Foreknew, God Calls Gen. 25:19-34 Gen. 27:1-46 Gen. 28: God's Promise, God's Abundance, God's Blessing Gen. 28:12-22 Gen. 29:1 30:36 Gen. 30: Power of Prayer to God Gen. 30: Building Altars to God Gen. 12:1-8 Gen. 13:14-18 Gen. 26:24-25 Gen. 28:16-22 Gen. 35:1-7 Gen. 35: God's Protection Gen. 31:1-55 Gen. 32:1-2 6 Becoming a New Man Gen. 32:24-30 Gen. 35:9-13 GOD's Presence in Jacob's Life The History of Jacob What We Hope to Learn Life before Knowing God Answering God's Calling Trusting in God Power of Focused Prayer Building Altars to God Trusting God's Protection Becoming a New Man Wilfred Ju 1

2 Session 1:, God's Calling Genesis 25:19-26 Events leading to Jacob's birth Isaac (40 yrs old) marries Rebekah (v20) Rebekah was barren for 20 yrs (v26) Isaac intercedes or intreats YHWH (v21a) Hebrew: (צתר) ʼâthar (aw-thar'): To burn incense in worship, i.e. intercede, intreat, (make) pray (-er) Connotation: Isaac was really beseeching God to heal Rebekah's womb. Supposition: Isaac, following Abraham's example, sacrificed lambs without blemish. Supposition: Isaac intreated for years YHWH answers Isaac's intercessory prayer (v21b) So What!? What can we learn from Isaac regarding intercessory prayer? God knew Esau and Jacob from beginning to end. Genesis 25:22-23 Rebekah was having a difficult pregnancy This time Rebekah inquired of God directly. YHWH knew both Esau and Jacob before birth Not just twins in Rebekah's womb... and the elder shall serve the younger. Genesis 25:24-26 Esau (meaning rough) born first Jacob came fast on Esau's heels. Jacob - meaning heel catcher, commonly interpreted as supplanter or usurper Wilfred Ju 2

3 God knew Esau's and Jacob's distant offsprings And YHWH said to her [Rebekah], 'Two nations are in thy womb and two manner of people shall be separated from your womb; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people;... From Jacob came the tribes of Israel From Esau came the tribes of Edom (Gen. 25:30, Gen. 36:8-9) Edomites reject Israelites under Moses (Num. 20:14-21) King Saul battled the Edomites (1 Sam. 14:47) King David subjugated the Edomites (2 Sam. 8:14, 1 Kings 8:15-16, 1 Chron. 18:12-13) Edom revolts against King Joram (2 King 18:16-24) Differences in Personality Esau Jacob Cunning hunter & Outdoors man (Gen. 25:27a) Manly, loved by father, Isaac (Gen. 25:28a) Very foolish, unthinking, knee-jerk reactive (Gen 25:29-34) Disobediently independent (Gen 26:34-35) Unpretentious homebody (Gen 25:27b) Mother's son (Gen 25:28b) Wise, clever, opportunistic. (Gen 25:29-34) Obedient to mother (Gen 27:6-17) Obedient to father (Gen 28:1-5) Clueless (Gen. 28:6-9) Courageous (Gen:27:18-27)... A wise son makes a father rejoice but the foolish son is his mother's sorrow (Prov. 10:1) A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish man despises his mother. (Prov. 15:20) A foolish son is a vexation to his father; and bitternes to her who bore him. (Prov. 17:25) A foolish son is a calmity to his father,... (Prov. 19:13) Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old. (Prov. 23:22) 23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it, Also wisdom and instruction and understanding. 24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight 25 in him. Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice. (Prov. 23:23-25) Confirmed Part 1 Read Gen. 25:29-34 Sibling rivalry From the womb Esau & Jacob were in fierce competition (Gen. 25:22) Jockeying for position in the family hierarchy Table Discussion: With whom does the Bible find fault? Why? So What? Discuss Heb. 12:14-17 Wilfred Ju 3

4 Confirmed Part 2 Read Gen. 27:1-13 The plot: A scheme is concocted for Jacob to receive the blessings from Isaac. Table Discussion Who is the instigator of the scheme? What is the reaction of the other participant? Why did the mastermind of the scheme decide on the course of action described? So What? - What do we learn from this event? Confirmed Part 3 Jacob receives the blessing from his father, Isaac Genesis 27:27b-29 27b Surely, the smell of my son Is like the smell of a field Which YHWH has blessed. 28 Therefore may God give you Of the dew of heaven, Of the fatness of the earth, And plenty of grain and wine. 29 Let peoples serve you, And nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, And let your mother s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, And blessed be those who bless you! Inheritance of the Abrahamic Covenant passed to Jacob Gen. 12:2-3 Gen. 28:3-4 Read Gen. 28:10-22 God's Calling This is Jacob's first direct encounter with YHWH. Rabbi on radio program Order of angels: going up going down ladder Not going down going up ladder To the rabbi the order was important Implication: Angels were already on earth watching over Jacob (and by extension us) Rabbi Jesus refers back to Jacob's vision (Gen.28:12) And He [Jesus] said to him [Nathanael], 'Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.' (John 1:51) Wilfred Ju 4

5 God's Calling God Calls, Jacob Responds Summary of Gen. 28:12-15 Jacob dream, a dream sent by GOD! Ladder with heavenly beings going up and down A great and mighty, awesome presence at the top of the ladder The great & mighty, awesome presence declares Himself I am Y e hôvâhʾĕlôhîym of your father Abraham, and ʾĕlôhîym of Isaac;... (Gen. 28:13a) Y e hôvâhʾĕlôhîym promises Transferred promises, originally made to Abraham, personal to Jacob Table exercise: List the promises YHWH made Jacob's Response How Did Jacob Respond? Read 28:16-22 After Jacob awoke: how did he react; what did he do? So What!? God foreknew, God calls, we respond Read Romans 8:28-30 How does Jacob's dream apply to us? God foreknew God Foreknew God Called From the womb God knew to whom He would give the inheritance of the Abrahamic Covenant. Rebecca took action on God's prophecy to ensure the blessing of God through Isaac went to Jacob God called God declares himself - I am Y e hôvâhʾĕlôhîym God blesses Jacob with manifold unbreakable promises. God gives the Abrahamic Covenant to Jacob Jacob confirmed his belief in God's promises Jacob made his relationship to God personal then Y e hôvâh shall be myʾĕlôhîym. Wilfred Ju 5