The Story of Isaac, Jacob & Joseph Before looking at the second half of Genesis we need to remember where we are up to in the story.

Genesis 1-11 answered the important questions about how our world got here and what is wrong with our world. God created a world and created people to be in a relationship with him. Sin entered into our world and our relationship with God was seriously damaged.

Genesis 12-24 tells the story of Abraham and the promises God made … promises that would fix what was wrong with our world. God promised him a land to live in, descendants and blessing. But by the end of the Abraham story he owns no land (apart from a burial plot for his wife) and has one son. Bit Abraham goes to his gave totally convinced that God will fulfil his promises.

Genesis 25-50 tells us the story of Abraham’s descendants – his son Isaac, grandson Jacob and great-grandson Joseph.

Study 1 Isaac: Like Father Like Son Genesis 25-26

Study 2 Jacob: Stealing the Blessing Genesis 27

Study 3 Jacob: The Conman Gets Conned Genesis 28-31

Study 4 Jacob: World Championship Wrestling Genesis 32-36

Study 5 Joseph: The Dreamer Genesis 37-41

Study 6 Joseph: The Family Together Again Genesis 42-50

Study 1

Isaac: Like Father Like Son Genesis 25-26

The account of Isaac is brief compared to that of his father (Abraham) his son (Jacob) and his grandson (Joseph). But it is still a passage that is testimony to God’s faithfulness and his commitment to the promises made to Abraham.

Look through Genesis 1-11. Try to think of a heading or a single sen-tence to sum up these sections of Genesis:

Genesis 1-2

Genesis 3

Genesis 4-11

Genesis 12

God made significant promises to Abraham … land, descendants and blessing … not only for Abraham, but for the whole world. From Genesis 12 onwards the story of the Bible is about God fulfilling those promises … promises that culminate in Jesus.

By the time we reach Genesis 25 it seems that very few of the promises have been fulfilled … but we see Abraham still committed to the promises.

Read Genesis 25:1-10

Why does Abraham take this action in verse 5 and how does it reflect his commitment to the promises God has made to him?

(Genesis 25:19-34 gives the account of the birth of Isaac’s sons, Jacob & Esau. We will look at this section in next week’s study.)

Read Genesis 26:1-11

Compare this passage to Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20. Note all the similarities between what happens with Abraham and Isaac.

What do you think might be the point of the story? (Gen 26:1-11)

Read Genesis 26:12-35

What problem does Isaac face?

Which of the promises God made to Abraham does he now make to Isaac?

Being the recipient of God’s blessing didn’t mean smooth sailing for Isaac in his life. How can we learn from his experience in our own lives?

Study 2

Jacob: Stealing the Blessing Genesis 27

The story of Jacob begins (obviously) with his birth. But here we learn a lot about the 2 boys and God’s purpose.

Read Genesis 25:19-34

What is unusual about Rebekah’s pregnancy?

What would you think if vs 23 came back as the ultrasound report?

What does the “stew story” tell us about …

Jacob

Esau

Read Genesis 27:1-40

What is Rebekah’s plan and why? (cf 25:28)

How do all 5 senses (sight, taste, touch, hearing & smell) all play a part in Jacob’s deception?

Why does Jacob “stealing” the blessing seem a little ironic in light of what God had promised before Jacob’s birth (Genesis 25:23)?

How are you left feeling about each of the characters in the story at the end of chapter 27?

Isaac

Rebekah

Jacob

Esau

Read Genesis 27:41—28:9

How has Jacob’s deception impacted each member of the family?

Isaac

Rebekah

Jacob

Esau

In Genesis 12 God promises Abraham that “all the peoples of the earth” would be blessed through Abraham’s descendants. How are the promises to Abraham looking at this point?

Study 3

Jacob: The Con Man Gets Conned Genesis 28-31

Jacob’s deception has seen him flee his home. Jacob will return … but when he does he will be a changed man. He is sent by Isaac to Paddan Aram so that he can marry from among his own people.

What do Esau’s actions say about the way he is feeling? (Gen 29:6-9)

Before he leaves the “land” Jacob has a dream. What does he see in the dream? What does God promise in the dream? Do those prom-ises sound familiar? See if you can find where God has made those promises before.

What does God promise about…

The land

The world

Jacob’s future

Read Genesis 29:14b-30

Jacob arrives in Paddan Aram. How do you think Laban’s deception fits with God’s promise to Jacob that he will “watch over him”? As a reader, how should we feel that Jacob has been conned?

Genesis 29:31-30:24 (and 35:16-18) gives us the account of the birth of the sons of Jacob, the men who give their names to the 12 tribes of Israel. Try drawing the family tree.

What do we learn about Leah from the names she gives her sons? (You can’t help but think that the law in Leviticus 18:18 had these sisters in mind.)

Read Genesis 30:25-43

Why does Jacob want to leave and why does Laban want him to stay? What agreement do they make, and what strategy does La-ban put in place?

Why does Jacob decide it is time to leave Laban? (Gen 31:1ff)

The Mizpah Blessing (“May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other”) is often used in a roman-tic way to suggest that God will watch between us while we are apart. But what does Laban mean by it? (Gen 31:48-53) Who would you say was the least trustworthy: Jacob or Laban?

List the ways God has protected Jacob up to this point in his life.

Maturing in your faith often comes through difficulties and hard-ship. Can you think of times when you have grown through hard-ship?

Study 4

Jacob: World Championship Wrestling Genesis 32-36

Jacob has now made peace with Laban … so that leaves one final person to make peace with: Esau.

List the things that Jacob has done to his brother. What kind of reception could he expect from his brother?

Read Genesis 32:3-6.

What do you think Jacob is trying to do by sending the messengers? What does Jacob think it means that Esau is coming to meet him?

Desperate times call for desperate measures. What does Jacob do that shows his desperation? (32:7-21)

What do you think is the significance of Jacob “wrestling with God” (32:22-32)? What is ironic about Jacob wrestling God and not being willing to stop until God blesses him?

In what sense does the story of Dinah and Shechem serve as a warning for the trouble that Israel will have when they enter the land?

How has Jacob changed throughout these chapters of Genesis? What indication is there that he now trusts God?

God makes promises to Jacob (35:9-12). Which ones are the same as the promises made to Abraham and which ones are new?

Genesis 36 gives us the genealogy of the descendants of Esau … the Edomites. Where do the Edomites come up again in the Old Testa-ment?

What does the story of Jacob (Genesis 27-36) show us about:

God’s purposes

God’s promises

God’s patience

How might those things shape or influence our lives as followers of Jesus?

Study 5

Joseph: The Dreamer Genesis 37-41

The story of Joseph is a story of highs and lows. He is rejected and sold into slavery by his brothers … but from there rises to be the second most powerful person in Egypt. It is a story of Joseph’s faith-fulness to God. But above all it is a story of God’s faithfulness to Jo-seph and God’s faithfulness to the promises made to Abraham.

Read Genesis 37:1-11

What is your impression of Joseph from the opening of the ac-count? What do his brothers think of his dreams?

Read Genesis 37:23-36

How do Joseph’s brothers get rid of their brother? How do they try to cover it up their actions? How does Jacob respond?

(Genesis 38 tells the sad story of Tamar and how she tricked Judah into sleeping with her while she is posing as a prostitute. One of the reasons for including this story is to show the contrast with Joseph, who shows himself to be far more no-ble that his father. But it is shows that God is able to achieve his purposes even though the failures of others. [See Ruth 4:12 & 18 and Matthew 1:2-3]).

Read Genesis 39

How does Joseph end up in jail? Can you think of other Bible char-acters who end up in jail (or worse) because they have tried to be faithful to God? Do you know of any people who have been unjust-ly treated because of their faith?

Read Genesis 41:1-40

What was Pharaoh’s dream? Why did they trouble him? How do they find someone to interpret the dream? What is the interpreta-tion Joseph gives and what solution does he suggest? How is Jo-

seph rewarded for his interpretation (41:40-41)? How could we see that Joseph interpreting the dream is connected to God’s promises to Abraham?

What would you say to someone who said that Joseph’s rise to fame is proof that God wants us to be successful?

Study 6

Joseph: The Family Together Again Genesis 42-50

The story of Joseph began with the dreams that even though he was one of the youngest in his family the whole family would bow down before him. In these chapters we will see that happen … in a way that Joseph could never have imagined.

How do you think Joseph would have been feeling about his broth-ers? What emotion do you think you would have if you were in his shoes?

Read Genesis 42

What re the circumstances that lead to Joseph’s brothers standing before him? Joseph recognizes who they are. Why do you think he doesn’t reveal himself?

Read Genesis 45:4-8

How would you sum up Josephs assessment of the events in his life? Do you think he always would have felt that way … or does he now realize why all those things happened to him? Do you think that you could echo Joseph’s thoughts about your life?

Read Genesis 49:29-33

Where does Jacob ask to be buried? Why are we told twice in those verses that he land was bought from Ephron the Hittite? What is so special about this small piece of land?

Read Genesis 50:15-26

Why does Joseph feel he needs to reassure his brothers that he doesn’t hold a grudge? Whose “lives” do you think Joseph has in mind in verse 20? Joseph gives instructions about his own burial. What does it show about his faith?

Notes