THE STORY

§10. The Purchase of the Birthright (Gen. 25:25-34)

Isaac and Rebekah had two sons who were twins. The first was red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called his name Esau, and the name of his brother was called Jacob.

And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents. Now Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: and Rebekah loved Jacob.

And Jacob boiled pottage: and Esau came in from the field, and he was faint: and Esau said to Jacob, "Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint."

And Jacob said, "Sell me this day thy birthright."

And Esau said, "Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall the birthright do to me?"

And Jacob said, "Swear to me this day."

And he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob. And Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentils; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: so Esau despised his birthright.

§11. The Deception of Isaac (Gen. 27:1-45)

A. ISAAC'S COMMISSION TO ESAU

And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his elder son, and said unto him, "My son."

And he said unto him, "Here am I."

And he said, "Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death. Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me venison; and make me savory meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die."

And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

B. REBEKAH'S SCHEME

And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, "Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 'Bring me venison, and make me savory meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.' Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savory meat for thy father, such as he loveth: and thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, so that he may bless thee before his death."

And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing."

And his mother said unto him, "Upon me be thy curse, my son: only obey my voice, and go fetch me them."

And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savory meat, such as his father loved. And Rebekah took the goodly garments of Esau her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: and she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: and she gave the savory meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.

C. Jacob's Deception

And he came unto his father, and said, "My father."

And he said, "Here am I; who art thou, my son?"

And Jacob said unto his father, "I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me."

And Isaac said unto his son, "How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son?"

And he said, "Because the Lord thy God sent me good speed."

And Isaac said unto Jacob, "Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not."

And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. And he said, "Art thou my very son Esau?"

And he said, "I am."

And he said, "Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee."

And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, "Come near now, and kiss me, my son." And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said,

D. ESAU'S DISAPPOINTMENT

And it came to pass, as soon as Isaac had made an end of blessing Jacob, and Jacob was yet scarce gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. And he also made savory meat, and brought it unto his father; and he said unto his father, "Let my father arise, and eat of his son's venison, that thy soul may bless me."

And Isaac his father said unto him, "Who art thou?"

And he said, "I am thy son, thy firstborn, Esau."

And Isaac trembled very exceedingly, and said, "Who then is he that hath taken venison, and brought it me, and I have eaten of all before thou camest, and have blessed him? yea, and he shall be blessed."

When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceeding great and bitter cry, and said unto his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father."

And he said, "Thy brother came with guile, and hath taken away thy blessing."

And he said, "Is not he rightly named Jacob? for he hath supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright; and, behold, now he hath taken away my blessing. Hast thou not reserved a blessing for me?"

And Isaac answered and said unto Esau, "Behold, I have made him thy lord, and all his brethren have I given to him for servants; and with corn and wine have I sustained him: and what then shall I do for thee, my son?"

And Esau said unto his father, "Hast thou but one blessing, my father? bless me, even me also, O my father."

And Esau lifted up his voice, and wept. And Isaac his father answered and said unto him,

E. ESAU'S HATRED

And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob."

And the words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah; and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, "Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now, therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; and tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away; until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget that which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?"

§12. The Dream of the Heavenly Ladder (Gen. 28:10-22)

And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, "I am the Lord, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not." And he was afraid, and said, "How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

31. No man is altogether good and no one is wholly bad. Good and evil struggle for the mastery in us. Jacob is a man in whom this is very clearly seen. He was the twin brother of Esau, but Esau had the right of the oldest son. This was called the birthright. It was very important in that day. It meant that after the father's death Esau would become the head of the tribe, and would have twice as much of the property as his brother. Jacob did not like this and began to scheme to get the better of his brother.

32 (§10). What was the difference between the two men?

33 (§10). Tell the story of the hunting day and how Jacob sold the food to his brother.

34 (§10). What do you think of Esau in this affair? He gave up a great future for a little satisfaction.

35 (§10). Jacob was "smart" or "clever" in his bargain. Was he brotherly? Is it honest to charge all that you can get for something that people must have?

36 (§11A). The last solemn blessing of the head of the tribe was considered very important. How did Isaac arrange that it should be given to Esau?

37 (§11B). There was a wretched favoritism in this family. What was Rebekah's scheme to get the blessing for her favorite? Tell the story.

38 (§11C). Picture the blind old father and the crafty son coming to him. How did he secure the blessing? Notice how one wrong leads to another.

39 (§11D). Tell the story of Esau's bitter disappointment.

40 (§11E). What revenge did Esau plan? Rebekah was afraid: what advice did she give to Jacob? When the man had to flee for his life, how much had he gained by his deception? Do the "smart" men always win? If they do is it worth while?

41 (§12). The Lord is wonderfully forgiving, and he still wanted to lead Jacob to a noble life. Follow the journey on the map. What did Jacob do when night overtook him? There are great rocks at Beth-el that look something like a huge staircase. How did these form themselves in Jacob's dream? This is a simple, beautiful story of the old time when men thought they saw God in dreams. Tell the whole story in your own words.

42 (§12). What promise did the Lord give him? What vow did Jacob make?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Call to mind the meaning of magnanimous. Taking advantage of another's need as Jacob took advantage of Esau is the opposite of magnanimous. When the earthquake occurred in San Francisco some stores that had bread put up the price so high that very few could buy it. Soldiers compelled them to sell it for the regular price. How were those storekeepers like Jacob? Why was their conduct wrong? Write the answers to these two questions in your notebook.

THE STORY

§13. Jacob's Return after Twenty Years (Gen. 29:1, 16, 23, 28; 30:43; 31:17, 18)

And Jacob came to the land of the children of the East. And he served Laban, his mother's brother. And Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. And Laban gave his two daughters to Jacob to be his wives.

And Jacob increased exceedingly, and had large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses.

And after twenty years Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon the camels; and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered to go unto the land of Canaan.

§14. Jacob's Fear of Esau (Gen. 32:1-21)

A. THE MESSAGE TO ESAU

And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir. And he commanded them, saying, "Thus shall ye say unto my lord Esau, 'Thus saith thy servant Jacob, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now: and I have oxen, and asses and flocks, and menservants and maidservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight.'"

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to thy brother Esau, and moreover he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him."

Then Jacob was greatly afraid and was distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and the herds, and the camels, into two companies; and he said, "If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the company which is left shall escape."

B. JACOB'S PRAYER

And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, O Lord, which saidst unto me, 'Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good': I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast showed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two companies. Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children. And thou saidst, 'I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"

C. THE PRESENT TO ESAU

And he lodged there that night; and took of that which he had with him a present for Esau his brother; two hundred she-goats and twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milch camels and their colts, forty kine and ten bulls, twenty she-asses and ten foals. And he delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself; and said unto his servants, "Pass over before me, and put a space betwixt drove and drove."

And he commanded the foremost, saying, "When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, 'Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?' then thou shalt say, 'They be thy servant Jacob's; it is a present sent unto my lord Esau: and, behold, he also is behind us.'"

And he commanded also the second, and the third, and all that followed the droves, saying, "On this manner shall ye speak unto Esau, when ye find him; and ye shall say, 'Moreover, behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us.'" For he said, "I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept me."

So the present passed over before him: and he himself lodged that night in the company.

§15. The Wrestle and the New Name (Gen. 32:22-31)

And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two handmaids, and his eleven children, and passed over the ford of Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that he had.

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 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 strained, as he wrestled with him.

And he said, "Let me go, for the day breaketh."

And he said, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me."

And he said unto him, "What is thy name?"

And he said, "Jacob."

And he said, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed."

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.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said he, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Peniel, and he halted upon his thigh.

§16. The Meeting With Esau (Gen. 33:1-16)

And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he himself passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, "Who are these with thee?"

And he said, "The children which God has graciously given thy servant."

Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. And Leah also and her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

And he said, "What meanest thou by all this company which I met?"

And he said, "To find grace in the sight of my lord."

And Esau said, "I have enough; my brother, let that thou hast be thine."

And Jacob said, "Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: forasmuch as I have seen thy face, as one seeth the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my gift that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough." And he urged him, and he took it.

And he said, "Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee."

And he said unto him, "My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and that the flocks and herds with me have young: and if they overdrive them one day, all the flocks will die. Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according to the pace of the cattle that is before me and according to the pace of the children, until I come unto my lord unto Seir."

And Esau said, "Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me."

And he said, "What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord."

So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

§17. The Altar of Beth-el (Gen. 35:1-7)

And God said unto Jacob, "Arise, go up to Beth-el, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, who appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother."

And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem. And they journeyed: and a great terror was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob. So Jacob came to Beth-el, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar, because there God was revealed unto him when he fled from the face of his brother.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

43 (§13). There is a long and interesting story of Jacob's marriage and of his twenty years' service with Laban. It was a hard service, for Laban was a hard master and was very jealous of the prosperity of his son-in-law. But in spite of difficulty Jacob was successful, though in the game of wits he was not always very scrupulous. At last he determined to return to his own land, but was obliged to go secretly for fear of Laban. Even so, Laban pursued him and there was a hot dispute. But at last they made a covenant of peace, and parted. Jacob journeyed as far as the brook Jabbok, a stream which flows westward into the Jordan, about twenty-five miles north of the Dead Sea. Locate it on the map.

44 (§14A). As Jacob returned home, what might he have to fear? The old sin comes up after twenty years. Note Jacob's plan. He is very courteous to Esau and yet he wants him to know what a great man he has become. What would the reply of the messengers indicate about Esau's life for the twenty years? How did Jacob feel when he heard of Esau, and what did he do?

45 (§14B). Jacob was very shrewd, but there is a better defense than cunning. Read the beautiful prayer. How does he think of God? How does he think of himself? What does he pray for? What promise does he plead?

46 (§14C). How many animals were there in each of the five droves? How many were there altogether? What was Jacob's plan to pacify Esau? Do you think this was a shrewd scheme?

47 (§15). In the old days the experiences and feelings of the heart were often told as if they were physical events. So we must understand the wonderful story of the wrestle. Jacob had been a clever man living by his wits. God had in many ways been seeking to bring him to obedience to his will. Now when the danger of Esau is upon him, Jacob has the fight of his life—but it is within his own heart.

48 (§15). Picture the loneliness of Jacob and describe how you think he felt that night? Did you ever have a great heart struggle about some duty, or over some temptation?

49 (§15). Jacob was defeated and yet he was victorious. When we give in to God, we are really victors. What was his new name? How are all his people called by it? The old name belongs to the clever man: the new name belongs to the godly man, who has received God's blessing.

50 (§16). This story may be passed rapidly, though it is full of interest. Tell in your own words: (1) what happened when the brothers met; (2) how Jacob wisely separated from Esau.

51 (§17). There was one place in Canaan that was very sacred to Jacob. What had happened at Beth-el? Why did God tell him to go there? How did he prepare his people for the visit? What thoughts do you think came to him when he returned to the spot where he had slept as a lonely young man twenty years before?

WRITTEN REVIEW

Tell your parents what you have learned about Jacob, and ask them if they ever knew a person who had done wrong and was in danger from it years afterward, and who was sorry for the wrong, and was helped by God's goodness. Write what they tell you in your notebook.

JOSEPH

THE STORY

§18. Joseph and His Dreams (Gen. 37:3-11)

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a long garment with sleeves. And his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren; and they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him. And Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren: and they hated him yet the more.

And he said unto them, "Hear, I pray you, this dream which I have dreamed: for, behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose, and also stood upright; and, behold, your sheaves came round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf."

And his brethren said to him, "Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?" And they hated him yet the more for his dreams, and for his words.

And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it to his brethren, and said, "Behold, I have dreamed yet a dream; and, behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me."

And he told it to his father, and to his brethren; and his father rebuked him, and said unto him, "What is this dream that thou hast dreamed? Shall I and thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?"

And his brethren envied him; and his father kept the saying in mind.

§19. Joseph Sold as a Slave (Gen. 37:12-35)

And his brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem. And Israel said unto Joseph, "Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them."

And he said to him, "Here am I."

And he said to him, "Go now, see whether it be well with thy brethren, and well with the flock; and bring me word again."

So he sent him out of the vale of Hebron, and he came to Shechem. And a certain man found him, and, behold, he was wandering in the field: and the man asked him, saying, "What seekest thou?"

And he said, "I seek my brethren: tell me, I pray thee, where they are feeding the flock."

And the man said, "They are departed hence: for I heard them say, 'Let us go to Dothan.'"

And Joseph went after his brethren, and found them in Dothan. And they saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him. And they said one to another, "Behold, this dreamer cometh. Come now therefore, and let us slay him, and cast him into one of the pits, and we will say, 'An evil beast hath devoured him': and we shall see what will become of his dreams."

And it came to pass, when Joseph was come unto his brethren, that they stript Joseph of his coat, the long garment with sleeves that was on him; and they took him, and cast him into the pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a traveling company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead, with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt. And Judah said unto his brethren, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him; for he is our brother, our flesh."

And his brethren hearkened unto him. And they drew and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they brought Joseph into Egypt. And they took Joseph's coat, and killed a he-goat, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they brought it to their father; and said, "This have we found; know now whether it be thy son's coat or not."

And he knew it, and said, "It is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt torn in pieces." And Jacob rent his garments, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days. And all his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted; and he said, "For I will go down to the grave to my son mourning." And his father wept for him.

§20. Joseph's Faithfulness (Gen. 39:1-6)

And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh's, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hand of the Ishmaelites, which had brought him down thither.

And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he ministered unto him: and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand. And it came to pass from the time that he made him overseer in his house, and over all that he had, that the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had, in the house and in the field. And he left all that he had in Joseph's hand; and he knew not aught that was with him save the bread which he did eat.

§21. Joseph in Prison (Gen. 39:17-23)

But Potiphar's wife spoke false words concerning Joseph, and she said unto her husband, "The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: and it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he fled out."

And it came to pass, when his master heard the words of his wife, which she spake unto him, saying, "After this manner did thy servant to me," that his wrath was kindled. And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound: and he was there in the prison.

But the Lord was with Joseph, and showed kindness unto him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the prison; and whatsoever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand, because the Lord was with him; and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.