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Hope Sabbath School
Jacob the Supplanter
This section picks up on the continued family history of Isaac, the miracle child and early ancestor of the promised Seed. The story doesn’t start out particularly well, however. The flawed character of his son Jacob will be manifested in the rivalry between the two brothers over the birthright (Gen. 25:27–34) and consequently over the right to obtain the blessing of Isaac (Genesis 27).
This section picks up on the continued family history of Isaac, the miracle child and early ancestor of the promised Seed. The story doesn’t start out particularly well, however. The flawed character of his son Jacob will be manifested in the rivalry between the two brothers over the birthright (Gen. 25:27–34) and consequently over the right to obtain the blessing of Isaac (Genesis 27).
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Hope Sabbath School
The Roots of Abraham
In this central section of Genesis (12-22), Abraham leaves his past to follow G\od's call. As a result, Abraham always is on the move, always a migrant, which is why he also is called a “stranger” (Gen. 17:8). In his journeying, Abraham is suspended in the void—without his past, which he has lost, and without his future, which he does not see. In the New Testament, Abraham is one of the most mentioned figures from the Old Testament, and we will start to see why.
Hope Sabbath School
A New Name: From Jacob to Israel
Jacob is now free from Laban. Under God’s blessing, Jacob has become rich. It seems that he is at last happy. He has reached his goal and is heading home to Canaan. Yet, Jacob is profoundly worried about his future in Canaan and the threat posed by his brother. It is precisely at this moment that God chooses to approach Jacob. This extraordinary confrontation will radically change the character of Jacob. As a result, Jacob is renamed Israel. After a night of wrestling, Jacob emerges from his encounter with a blessing and a new name. He has had a personal encounter with the God of love and lived. In turn, Jacob is able to look upon the face of his enemy, his brother, Esau, in humility and love.