Genesis
Foundation Book of the Bible
Jacob Leaves Laban
Teaching Strategy
The focus of this lesson is to review Jacob’s actions as he departs from Laban. Of special note in this lesson is Jacob and Laban’s arrangement, Jacob’s departure and lessons we can apply from these events.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Know: Understand how God demonstrates His faithfulness to the initial promise to bring a Messiah, and His continued faithfulness to the covenant with Abraham.
- Feel: Develop an appreciation for how God uses existing situations to continue His covenant with man.
- Do: Use the information gained from Genesis to strengthen our faith.
Body of the Lesson
Discussion Questions
Below are suggested questions to use during the guided discussion portion of the lesson. There are also suggested responses to questions to help students grasp the various concepts. These are provided to assist the discussion and are not considered as "right or wrong" responses.
The intent of this question is to establish a foundation for understanding how God takes us where we are and continues to move us to become what He intends for us to be when we turn our lives over to Him.
Why was Jacob a part of Laban's household?
Jacob had run away to avoid conflict from Esau following his deception in obtaining his father, Isaac's, blessing. He enters into an agreement with his kinsman, Laban, to work for 7 years to gain Rachel as his wife. Later, after being deceived by Laban, he agrees to work another 7 years for Rachel and 6 more years for the animals.
How was Jacob blessed while a part of Laban's household?
This question can be answered two ways; spiritually and physically.
Spiritually, God blessed him by preserving his life and providing him with a better quality of life.
Physically, God gave him several sons by Leah and Rachel and their maids. He also prospered with his herds multiplying and gaining other physical possessions so that he was wealthier than Laban.
What practical lesson can we learn about Jacob's work in service to Laban as it applies to our service for the Lord?
Jacob's hard work and persistence were rewarded. In like fashion, we must work hard and be persistent in our service to God. In Matthew 25 Jesus tells the parable of the talents. This parable is a glimpse into the judgment scene. In this parable, the master rewards the two servants for their hard work and faithfulness. The statement made to them is, "Well done, good and faithful servant." The unfaithful and slothful servant was punished and removed from the presence of the master.
The intent of this question is to see how God orchestrates events to enable His will to be brought about. Sometimes God intervened directly but more times than not, He used the events happening to shape the outcome according to His will.
Why does Jacob want to leave Laban if he's been successful as a part of his household?
Jacob was told by the Lord to return to the land of his father and relatives. God also makes the promise that He will be with him. Perhaps Jacob has gone through a time of testing and growing so that he was now ready to follow God's will (Genesis 30:4-16).
What was Laban's reaction to Jacob's departure and how was he thwarted in his attempt to stop Jacob?
He was angry and sought to bring Jacob and his possessions back under his control. He was not successful due in part to God's warning not to act against Jacob.
He does challenge Jacob but leaves without any of Jacob's family or possessions.
If you wish to share, how has God used events in your life to bring about your faithful service to Him?
The intent of this question is for us to reinforce in our own understanding how God directs our lives as we serve Him. It will also serve to reinforce in other's minds that God does work in our lives and will work in theirs as they learn to turn over more of their lives to Him. For this to happen, we must all learn to grow spiritually.
We must learn to put our lives into God's hands. We know intellectually that we must do this but it is a lesson that takes a long time to master. As we grow spiritually, we find that we are able to do so and as a result, grow spiritually in practice.
We must also seek to not let sin find its way back into our lives. This requires an ongoing effort at being on guard against Satan's efforts against us (Ephesians 6:10-18; I Peter 5:8-9).
We, however, continue to serve faithfully knowing that our task is to serve our Lord, sow the seed of His word and always be ready to teach others the good news of Jesus Christ (II Timothy 4:2).