Appreciating God's Discipline 

Genesis 25-35

Appreciating God's Discipline Genesis 25-35 A) Influence of Sins B) God and Man's Sin C) Understanding Man's Sin Nature D) Understanding Jacob's Sins Assignment

Objectives

A) The Influence of Sin

Introduction

Overview of Chapter Contents Genesis 25-35

Genesis 25 Birth; Esau trades birthright

Genesis 27 Jacob steals blessing

Genesis 28 Jacob is sent away; the promise of God

Genesis 29 Love at first sight;Jacob is tricked

Genesis 30 Jacob's wives compete; Laban cheats Jacob

Genesis 31 Jacob escapes Laban; God blesses Jacob

Genesis 32 Jacob fears Esau; Humbled by God

Genesis 33 Jacob restored to Esau at great cost

Genesis 34 Jacob's daughter raped; vengeance

Genesis 35 Jacob's new name is Israel

There are two major unbiblical views of the origin of behavior. The one blames the shaping of the environment; the other on the passing on of genes. It is sufficient for us to know that the world naturally comes up with 'blame' systems. They develop a thought that excuses man of his own sin. The Bible agrees to the importance of both of these shaping influences but at the same time hold man accountable for what he does. The scriptures go beyond this categories and include the spiritual aspect.

Man has insisted on excluding God's participation in the shaping of mankind. The reason is obvious. If God is involved, then man is responsible for what he does. The scriptures give us an astonishingly clear perspective of how God works in the live of each person. If we are not careful though, we will miss the hand and voice of our Creator.

Numerous scriptural observations of Jacob with his parents, brother Esau and his children allow us to see the effect of sin in a life, family and society. When skimming over these chapters, one can hardly but draw the conclusion that God is showing us these weaknesses on purpose!

As noted on the chart to the right, when the subjects of each chapter is written down, we can get a better grasp of what is being taught. We notice from these titles that God stresses His interference in Jacob's life to help him see the horribleness of his scheming.

When God gets His holy hand on a man's life, God is determined to bring him through 'purging' incidents so that he will no longer tolerate sin's presence in his life. Of course, we must look beyond the actual discipline to its end result. God is making us holy like Himself so that we can enjoy fellowship with Him and that He can more mightily exert His power through our lives (1 Peter 1:16).

Because it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy."

God keeps confronting and challenging Jacob through his life. By carefully looking at Jacob's life and seeing the effect of sin and God's grace upon his life, we too will be better able to discern and appreciate how God gets involved in our own lives as His children.

Ready for Marriage?

The most important question in seeking a marriage mate is not whether, "I like him or her." Far more important is whether you have matured to such a state where you will pass on godly passions, values, perspectives to your children.

Premarital counseling is even more helpful when it helps the couple to think through the negative influences they have received from their parents. These effects can be long-lasting and devasting to the new married couple if not discovered and eliminated.

Next: B) God and Man's Sin