AG Sunday School Manual Adult Teacher 25th August 2024 – Isaac Blesses Jacob. Get all Assmblies of God Sunday School Manual here
ADULT TEACHER SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSONS|JULY -DECEMBER 2024
DATE: August 25, 2024
LESSON 8: GOD BLESSES JACOB (ISRAEL)
MEMORY VERSE – PROVERBS 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths (KJV).
CENTRAL TRUTH
God patiently draws sinners to repentance and submission.
THE LESSON OUTLINE
Jacob Wrestles with God
A. Jacob Persists – Genesis 32:21-26
B. God Empowers Jacob – Genesis 32:27-32
Jacob Submits to God
A. “Get Rid of Your ldols!” – Genesis 35:1-3
B. God Protects Jacob – Genesis 35:4-7
Abrahamic Covenant Reaffirmed
A. “I Am El-Shaddai–God Almighty” -Genesis 35:8-13
B. Jacob Sets a Stone of Remembrance – Genesis 35:14-15
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Explore the many Christian life lessons found in Jacob’s story, including persistence, restoration, and appreciation for God’s promises.
Examine their lives to see whether they have submitted all areas to God, trusting Him to reveal any areas that need to be submitted to Him.
Praise God for His many blessings, most importantly the gift of salvation.
lntroducing the Lesson
In last week’s lesson, Jacob fled from Esau to live with his uncle Laban in the area of Paddan Aram in northern Mesopotamia where the family had originated (see Genesis 24:4,10; 25:20). Twenty years later, Jacob had established a large family, made his way back to Canaan, and sought reconciliation with Esau.
God’s covenant promise to Abraham was marching forward. In this portion of the story, we see Jacob turn from his ungodly past and become the person of persistent faith God called him-and us–to be.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURE
Genesis 32:24-29
[24]And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
[25]And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
[26]And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
[27]And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
[28]And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
[29]And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
Genesis 35:1-3,7,9-11
[1]And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
[2]Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
[3]And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
[7]And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
[9]And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him.
[10]And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
[11]And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
Sunday School Manual Adult Teacher 25th August 2024: COMMENTARY AND APPLICATION
1 Jacob Wrestles with God
A. Jacob Persists Genesis 32:21-26
Jacob is arguably one of the most complicated figures in the Old Testament. He was
deceptive even manipulative in his relationships with family, and his trust in God seemed to waver. However, as he fled from a vengeful Esau, he vowed: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God” (Genesis 28:20-21, NLT). Jacob expressed a level of confidence here, since the word translated if carries with it the sense of “when.” While Jacob did not know when the promise would be fulfilled, he had an eye toward that day. Jacob was growing and learning.
Genesis 32:21-26 picks up the story of Jacob a full two decades after we last saw him. He married both Leah and Rachel, fled Laban in Mesopotamia, and set out with his family to return to Canaan (chapter 31). Upon his return, he sent a message to his estranged brother, Esau, and received a reply that Esau (and four hundred of his men) would soon be heading to meet him. Then Jacob attempted to appease Esau by sending ahead a collection of gifts.
Jacob could not sleep as he anticipated the meeting with Esau, so he took his family and crossed the Jabbok River, which flows into the Jordan River from the east around midway between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. He sent all his possessions over the river as well (32:22-23). Alone in the darkness,
Jacob was suddenly grabbed by a man who wrestled with him until
daybreak. Hosea 12:3-4 calls this being an angel, though the Old Testament often uses the phrase “angel of the Lord” in reference to God himself (see Genesis 16:7-14;
22:11-15).
As the wrestling match continued, the angel could not win, so he dislocated Jacob’s hip. This left Jacob unable to wrestle; he could only keep the angel from escaping (32:24-25). Jacob then recognised this being was more than a mere man, and he continued to hold on until a blessing came (verse 26). As dawn approached, the angel cried out to be released, but Jacob insisted that he receive a blessing first.
Questions For Application
What can we learn from Jacob’s persistent wrestling with God?
Have you ever felt the need to be persístent in seeking God’s blessing? Explain.
B. God Empowers Jacob- Genesis 32:27-32
When Jacob was asked, “What is your name?” (32:27, NLT), it wasn’t just a matter of a passing introduction. The name Jacob means “supplanter” or “replacer” and is linked with deception (see 27:36). Asking Jacob his name forced him to come face-to-face with his devious past. Answering was an admission of guilt.
But then God did something Wonderful, even transformational He said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob…. From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won” (verse 28, NLT). The name Israel might be defined as “he struggled with God.” Hosea expands on this: “He wrestled with the angel and won. He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him” (12:4, NLT). Such is the name of a victor, one who has matured spiritually. It is also fitting that the name Israel became the name of the nation comprised of God’s chosen people. They would contending for the faith, and victory over their enemies would come as they trusted God.
In Genesis 32:29, Jacob asked the mysterious figure to give his name. His response implied. Jacob ought to have known it already. And indeed, verse 30 shows that he did. Jacob named the place Peniel. which means “face of God.”
Jacob had encountered God face-to-face in the darkness, and he lived to tell about it and even received God’s blessing. That blessing was both simple and indescribably profound. God changed Jacob’s name, reaffirming that his descendants-God’s people, the seed of Abraham- would be blessed by God, and through them the entire human race would be blessed. God’s covenant plan and promise continued to unfold and move forward.
Questions For Application
Jacob’s encounter left him both humbled and exalted by God. According to James 4:10 and 1 Peter 5:6, what is the relationship between being humbled and being exalted by God?
Jacob’s story reminds us that God’s people share a personal, interactive relationship with Him.
How can this help when our faith is challenged?
2 Jacob Submits to God
A. “Get Rid of Your ldols!”– Genesis 35:1-3
By Genesis 35, Jacob had reconciled with Esau, and God was directing him back to Bethel, where God had affirmed the covenant decades earlier (see 28:10-22). There, Jacob had made a vow that the Lord would be his God.
He had sealed that vow with a memorial pillar, which would become a place of worship to the Lord by directing Jacob to return to Bethel God was acting to renew the covenant promise. Upon his arrival, Jacob was to build an altar “to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau’ (35:1, NLT)
This was a reminder of how God had protected and provided for Jacob, and it also served as a rebuke Genesis 33:18-19 records that, despite God’s instructions, Jacob had originally settled in Shechem after his reconciliation with Esau.
Shechem was a Canaanite city about twenty miles north of Bethel. Chapter 34 records the tragedies that occurred during the family’s time in Shechem, including the rapenof Jacob and Leah’s daughter Dinah. By returning to Bethel, Jacob would finally be where God had originally commanded him to go.
Jacob commanded every pagan idol should be destroyed and every household member should go through ritual cleansing. Genesis 35:2-3 provides a useful description of repentance and renewal-even for us today.
First, the members of the household were to get rid of the idols they carried with them. This included the idols Rachel had taken from her father’s household (see 31:34-35) and the pagan religious items other members of the clan had undoubtedly collected from Shechem
After purging the false gods, they were to purify themselves and change their clothes (verse 2). This is an interesting instruction, because this mention of ceremonial purification comes before the Law was given. Purity before God is always necessary,. even beyond the Law.
In the case of Jacob’s family, this cleansing would enable them fo move from idolatrous influences-which are detestable to the Lord into a right standing before Him (see Deuteronomy 7:25).
We also must be pure before the Lord. Our purity is imparted through Christ (see 1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 9:14), although it does involve a personal response (see James 4:8).
How would you explain what it means to be pure before God?
For Jacob’s household to rid themselves of impurity, they would also need to change their garments (Genesis 35:2), symbolising a new way of life that included trusting in God alone. Then Jacob would build an altar to the one true God, who had been so faithful to him and his family (verse 3).
Questions For Application
Why do you think God is so insistent that Christians separate themselves from the sinful influences of the world around them?
B. God Protects Jacob–Genesis 35:4-7
Jacob dealt straightforwardly with the problem of his household’s idols and pagan religious items. He buried them “under the great tree near Shechem” (verse 4, NLT). The word translated “buried” (NLT) or “hid” (KJV) is a rare Hebrew word, different from the word translated “buried” in verse 8. lt conveys the sense of hiding, implying that they would leave the gods they worshipped in the past and worship only the Lord.
A new season was awaiting Jacob’s family in Bethel. As Jacob and his clan made their way south, God miraculously prepared the way (verse 5). He caused a sense of panic to grip the population around Bethel, squelching any desire the Canaanites and Perizzites might have had to attack and slay Jacob’s household (see 34:30).
Jacob’s arrival in Bethel (known as Luz in Canaan) illuminated the fact God had been with him each step of the way, faithful through every high and low. So Jacob turned his attention to worshipping God. He built an altar and named the place El-bethel, meaning “God of Bethel.”
This was the very place God had profoundly blessed Jacob by giving him the name lsrael. His physical travels and his spiritual journey had come full circle.
We may be able to relate to Jacob. Our Creator has a plan for each of our lives-that we would walk with Him and live in His presence. Sometimes we stray far from that purpose, but God can restore us, redeem us, and give us
new life.
Questions For Application
How can we identify and symbolically bury the idols we worshipped in the past or are worshipping now?
Describe a time you realised God had protected you.
Abrahamic Covenant Reaffirmed
A. “I Am EI-Shaddai- God Almighty”–Genesis 35:8-13
After the death of Rebekah’s nursemaid (35:8), God again affirmed His covenant with Jacob’s family.
Verse 9 states that God appeared to him again. The wording alerts us to the unique importance of this moment. God is mentioned as actually “appearing” to Jacob! This was a key moment for Jacob. God restated his name change, a firm reminder of God’s blessings upon this man who was once a deceiver.
Then God declared, “I am El- Shaddai–God Almighty” (verse 11, NLT). He would later explain to Moses, “I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai -God Almighty’ -but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. And I reaffirmed my covenant with them” (Exodus 6:3-4, NLT).
God’s next words might seem odd: “Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 35:11, NLT). This was the same instruction God had given Adam and Eve (1:28), and God was still concerned with bestowing His blessings upon all people.
He was building one natíon -but for a purpose as wide-reaching as the world He had created. The purpose of this promise itself related back to creation and the Fall. God was moving to restore and redeem what had been lost.
Not surprisingly, then, this command was followed by a recap of what God told Abraham in 12:1-3 and again in 17:4-6, plus one further point of clarity. Jacob would become “many nations. Kings will be among your descendants!” (35:11, NLT).
This (along with 17:6) likely foreshadows Abraham’s role as a spiritual as well as a biological father. Both Galatians 3:6-9 and Romans 9:8 clarify that God’s promise encompasses both Jews and Gentiles. Every nation–that is, every people group- is invited to become heirs of the promise.
This promise found its physical reality in the land God would give Abraham and Jacob’s descendants. In Genesis 35, Jacob was still a resident alien in the land of Canaan. Yet it was, in fact, his Promised Land (verse 12).
It would become the possession of his descendants. Despite many unfortunate circumstances and unwise choices, Jacob found himself in the place Almighty God had intended, and he received the Lord’s promise.
Questions For Application
What does the name E-Shaddai (Genesis 35:11) tell you about God’s nature and character? Why do you think He called himself by this name when speaking with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
Why is it important to recognise God always had the Gentiles in view as part of His covenant promise, even as He worked through the patriarchs in the Old Testament?
B. Jacob Sets a Stone of Remembrance–Genesis 35:14-1 5
Jacob knew this incredible covenant moment had to be remembered for generations, so he once again set up a stone memorial in Bethel, just as he had done years earlier (Genesis 35:14; see 28:18). He then poured wine over it and anointed it with olive oil as an offering to God.
The place would fittingly be called Bethel, or “House of God” for God had met Jacob there and affirmed His enduring promises. Bethel would continue to be a significant location throughout Old Testament times and is mentioned fifty-nine times after the events of Genesis 35.
Questions For Application
What special memories do you have of the things God has done?
How can you effectively share those stories as a testimony to His faithfulness?
What tools could you use to better remember the blessings of God
Call to Discipleship
Jacob’s journey toward the Promised Land in Genesis 32-35 brings the larger story of God’s covenant promise full circle, adding physical reality to the promise of Genesis 12.
There are times in our own lives when God’s promises seem far away, and we might struggle to believe they will come to pass. But we can be assured that God will continually guide and bless us according to His unfailing promises.
Ministry in Action
Pray and study God’s Word to prepare yourself to reach people who struggle with feelings of regret and guilt over past sins. Ask God to help you know what to say in those situations.
This week, tell someone about a miracle God has done for you. Pray for fellow believers who are struggling in their faith. Believe God to draw them back to himself.
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