Bahan Alkitab: Genesis 24;25;20-34 and Genesis 27:1-45
Tanggal: 31/10/2021
Ringkasan:
Sunday School – God Chose Jacob to Be in His Family.
Genesis 24; 25:20-34
Genesis 27:1-45
Bible Truth: The members of Isaac’s family schemed and lied to get what they wanted. But God worked his purposes in their family in spite of their sin.
To recognise that God works out his purposes in our lives as he did in Isaac’s and to ask God to forgive our sins and bless our families.
Memory verse: For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4
Continues part of Abraham family.
As Isaac grew up, His father Abraham would like to choose a spouse for him who is fear of the Lord. Therefore, he had instructed his servant to go to his homeland to find a wife for Isaac. At the end of his journey, the servant came to well where the women were coming to draw water. He prayed and asking for God’s guidance by having her answer in a certain way when he asked her for a drink of water. Indeed, the woman (Rebekah) was the girl God had chosen for Isaac. She is not only giving the water to Abraham’s servant, but she has a kind heart to draw water for the camels too. After having discussion between the servant and Rebekah’s mother and brother, they realized it is God’s will for Rebekah to go to Canaan and marry Isaac. After they had been married for a while, Isaac began to pray for a child and God waited for 20 years to answer his prayer, but hen He gave them not one son, but two twin boys named Esau and Jacob.
Before the babies were born, God told Rebekah that the first baby Esau will not become the leader, but the second baby Jacob would rule over the son born first and became a leader. In those days, the oldest son will inherit twice as much as the other son’s did when the father was away or died. For example if the younger sons each got 10 sheep, how many sheep would the oldest son get? (20) These is the privilege that the oldest son birth right. But God chose Jacob the younger son to receive the birth right and blessing. Additionally, God chose Jacob to be His own family and to receive the promises of having many descendants and a land to live in and of being a blessing to all the earth.
What’s the difference between Esau and Jacob? They are twin, shouldn’t be look alike? Perhaps they a look physically similar but bible told us that they looked different and enjoyed different things. Jacob was quite and liked to stay at home around the tents. Esau was big, strong and had hairy skin. He liked the outdoor and hunting. As he grew up, he didn’t obey God and didn’t care about God’s promises. He even married 2 wives who didn’t love God.
One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came back from hunting, and he smell the nice red stew which cooked by Jacob, and he wanted to have some of it as he feels hungry and thirsty after been out for a whole day hunting. He told Jacob please let me have some of the red stew but Jacob clever enough to challenge his brother to sell his birth right to him with exchange of red stew. Since, Esau didn’t care much about the birth right at that time he simply wanted to satisfy his hunger, therefore he said yes to Jacob to have the birth right didn’t think much what would happen to him in many years later.
Many years later, Isaac was growing old and blind…He thought he would soon die and one day he asked Esau to shoot some of the wild game with his bow and arrow and cook for him after that he will bless him. While talking with Esau, Rebekah heard their conversations therefore, Rebekah wanted Jacob to have a blessing rather than Esau. Therefore, she told Jacob to bring two goats from their flock for her to cook so that he could take the food to his father and pretend to be Esau. Jacob answered her, it won’t work although father was blind but he could feel my skin is not Esau skin as hairy and rough and I will be cursed instead of receive blessing. But Rebekah had it all figured, and she covered Jacob’s hands and arms with hairy goat skins and had him put on Esau’s clothes. Jacob brought his cook food to his father and Jacob notice the differences his voice is not Esau but then his skin’s is Esau’s skin, and he was cheated by all Rebekah’s plan that’s where Jacob received the blessing from Isaac. After Jacob left, Esau came to Isaac with the cooked food which his father requested but Isaac told him that he has eaten given his blessing to Jacob, Esau said please give me the blessing too but with regrets the blessing could only be given once said Isaac. Since, then Esau was so angry to Jacob and he said to Jacob after our father dies, I will kill you and Jacob had to leave Canaan , the land God had promised to give him. He lived in another place for 20 years.
In conclusion, Isaac, Rebekah, Esau and Jacob hurt each other as they didn’t trust and obey God. But God is a faithful God in spite of this family sins and He restores the love again between Esau and Jacob. There is a forgiveness happened in their family and God name is glorified.
Is our family perfect? Not perfect but God has His own purpose in each of us, so we must learn to lean not on our own understanding but trust God to His will and confess our sins when we do wrong to Him. Let this lesson teach us to recognise our own sins and walk in the right path that God has provided in order to glorify His name.
Ayat Hafalan:
Ephesians 1:4
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.