Judah and Tamar. Judah's two oldest sons were wicked and God killed them both before they were able to have any children. Then Judah puts his daughter in law in a bad position and ends up with a situation he never bargained for. His hypocrisy is quickly revealed but he does take responsibility and God redeems him. How hypocritical are we at times? Do you put things off that you should be doing or make excuses that aren't completely truthful? What do we do when we are confronted with our sin? Is redemption available for us too?

Joseph Sold by Brothers. Jacob didn't hide that Joseph was his favorite son. This made the rest of his sons very jealous. Then Joseph had 2 dreams that insinuated that he would one day rule over them all. That was more than his brothers could take! So when given the opportunity, they conspired to get rid of him. Jacob, Joseph, & the brothers all respond badly to their feelings. When we allow our feelings to rule, then they can grow & cause us to do horrible things.

As Jacob and his family travel from Shechem, God protects them. Even though his sons have done wrong, God keeps His promises and reassures Jacob of that. Rachel dies in childbirth and Jacob has another son. God divinely moves Esau out and Jacob in to the promised land. We wrap up the lives of Isaac, Rebekah, Rachel, Leah, and Esau.

When a man in the new land defiles their sister, the brothers conspire against him. Their reaction is one of deceit, vengeance, & injustice. How do we react when others do us harm? It is hard to do what is right and leave the rest to God but it is the right way. We are called to truth, fairness, & peace.

Meeting Esau. As Jacob prepares to meet his bother Esau he is very afraid. We examine 2 encounters he has with God before his meeting & how they are a model for us in our prayer lives. Just a few things we hit on: Going to God first, reminding ourselves of who He is, what He says, & what He's already done, being authentic, wrestling with God, allowing Him to make us new.

Jacob & Laban. Jacob had served Laban 14 years for his wives & had 11 sons & he was ready to go home. But it was not in God's timing, so he made a deal with Laban to stay with him in exchange for a flock of his own. Jacob trusted God to bless his flock & He made him very prosperous. After 6 years, the Lord told him it was time to leave. But instead of telling Laban, he just left because he assumed Laban would not want him to go. Laban felt blindsided & went after him. Jacob's second assumption could have been worse than his first but the Lord took care of him & they made peace. Do you trust God with your livelihood? Do you trust His timing? Are you confident enough to just be upfront & open with others, trusting God with their response?

For Jacob, it is love at first sight with Rachel. He works for 7 years so that she can be his wife. But deception comes for him this time, and he is given her sister Leah instead Rachel also becomes his wife a week later when he agrees to work 7 more years. So he has two wives one that he wanted and another that he didn't. God evens the playing field for Leah and allows her to have his children, while Rachel is unable. The sisters rival, each one lacking in some way. What do we do when our needs aren't met, when we feel unloved, unwanted, unneeded, unable? Is God enough for us?

Esau was devastated when he found out that Jacob had taken his blessing. But his priorities were not where they should have been from the beginning. When we say something is important to us but we do not place it in a position of importance, we are at risk of losing it. Esau was so angry that he wanted to kill Jacob so his mother sent him away. On his journey, God found him and extended the Abrahamic blessing to him. His dream gave Jacob a visual of just how involved God was in his life. Do you believe that God is involved in your every day life? We owe Him everything!

Jacob steals Esau's Blessing. Jacob and Rebekah go to great lengths to deceive Isaac and cheat Esau out of the blessing. Is Isaac wrong to try to give the blessing to Esau in the first place? Why does Rebekah take it into her own hands to bring about God's plan? Has Esau already forfeited his right? Is Jacob's only concern getting caught? Despite the whole family looking after their own interests, God's plan will prevail. Ends do not justify the means. Two wrongs do not make a right. Negative consequences should not be our only deterrent. Have some integrity. Do what is right.

Isaac lies. God sent Isaac to another city and just like his father, out of fear, he lied saying that Rebekah was his sister. Even after God told him that He would be with him, he was still afraid. Are we ever afraid, even when we know we are in God's will? Do we Trust him enough to obey fully? Do we follow Him or base our actions off of our perceived circumstances? Assumptions and fear can be dangerous. Acting on our feelings or reasoned thoughts instead of trusting God can lead us to do things that we shouldn't. Sometimes God uses opened and closed doors to lead us. Pray and pay attention to His leading.