GENESIS 

Chapters 34 and 35 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 34 and Chapter 35.

Chapter 34
Verses 1-3      Shechem commits a crime against Dinah.
Verse 4           Shechem wants to marry Dinah.
Verse 5           Jacob learns of the crime against his daughter.
Verses 6-12    Shechem’s father asks Jacob to give Dinah to his son as a wife.
Verses 13-17  The sons of Jacob make an agreement with Shechem’s father.
Verses 18-24  Shechem and his dad present the agreement to the men of their city and all agree.
Verses 25-29  While the men of the city were recovering from the circumcisions, Simeon and Levi kill every male in the city. They take the women and children hostage and plunder all their goods.
Verses 30-31  Jacob is not happy with Simeon and Levi and he fears for his life.

Chapter 35
Verse 1          God tells Jacob to go to Bethel.
Verses 2-4     Jacob tells his family and all in his house to get rid of the idols and purify themselves.
Verses 5-7     Jacob travels to Bethel in safety.
Verse 8          Rebekah’s nurse dies.
Verses 9-10   God tells Jacob his name is now Israel.
Verses 11-15 The promises given to Abraham and Isaac are also given to Jacob.
Verses 16-20 Rachel dies in childbirth as she gives birth to Benjamin.
Verses 21-22 Reuben sleeps with Bilhah (Rachel’s maidservant).
Verses 23-26 A list of the 12 sons and who their mothers were.
Verses 27-29 Isaac dies. Jacob and Esau bury their father.

Discussion:
-- Have you been the victim of a crime? How did you handle it? Did you avenge yourself by committing a crime against that person? Did you take the law into your own hands?
-- Dinah was hanging out with the wrong people. Does that justify what happened to her?
-- Who do you blame when bad things happen to you? Do you forgive those who have wronged you?
-- Jacob was more concerned with his reputation than his daughter’s. What should he have done?
-- The 2 brothers killed all the males in that city – did that punishment fit the crime?
-- Jacob orders the family to “clean up”. Was that enough? Did anyone confess their sin or ask for forgiveness?

Children Discussion:
-- What kind of punishment should you get when you disobey? Time out? Spanking? Loss of privileges?
-- Does punishment help you to obey?
-- Is it better to just obey?

GENESIS 

Chapters 32 and 33 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 32 and Chapter 33.

Chapter 32
Verses 1-5     Jacob sends a message to Esau.
Verses 6        Esau sends a message back.
Verses 7-8     Jacob is afraid of Esau and divides his family and flocks into 2 camps so that one will be spared if the other is attacked.
Verses 9-12    Jacob prays for safety.
Verses 13-21  Jacob prepares his gifts for Esau.
Verses 22-32  Jacob wrestles with God. God changes his name to Israel.

Chapter 33
Verses 1-3      Jacob divides up the women and children into 3 camps. The ones he loves the most are last.
Verses 4-7      Jacob and Esau meet. Esau meets the family.
Verses 8-11    Esau doesn’t want the gifts from Jacob but Jacob insists.
Verses 12-15  Esau wants them to all travel together but Jacob comes up with reasons why they can’t. Jacob agrees to meet up with Esau later.
Verses 16-17  Esau goes off in one direction and Jacob goes in another – Jacob is not going to meet up with Esau – he deceives him again.
Verses 18-20  Jacob buys a piece of land.

Discussion:
--Jacob is returning home and knows he will run into Esau. Jacob remembers the death threats and comes up with a plan to soften Esau’s heart. Do you think Esau still wanted to kill him?
--Jacob tries to buy Esau’s forgiveness. How do you ask for forgiveness? Is a gift necessary?
--Jacob prayed to God for safety and then he lies to protect himself. Do you take matters into your own hand? Do you trust God or yourself?

Child Discussion:
--Does your family have reunions?
--What’s it like seeing people you haven’t seen in a long time?

GENESIS 

Chapter 31 

If you don’t have a Bible handy, click this link for Genesis Chapter 31.

Verses 1-3    Jacob notices that things are not going well with Laban and his sons.
Verses 4-13  Jacob tells Rachel and Leah all that has been going on.
Verses 14-16 Rachel and Leah agree with Jacob.
Verses 17-18 Jacob packs up all that he has.
Verse 19        Rachel steals her father’s idols.
Verses 20-21 Jacob and his family secretly leave Laban.
Verses 22-25 Laban pursues Jacob and finds him. But Laban had a dream where God spoke to him.
Verses 26-30 Laban wants answers – why did they leave and why did they steal his idols?
Verses 31-32 Jacob explains why they left secretly and tells Laban he can search for his idols amongst their belongings.
Verses 33-35 Laban searches everywhere and can’t find the idols. Rachel sits on the idols and makes an excuse for not getting up to be searched.
Verses 36-42 Jacob is very angry and gives Laban a tongue lashing.
Verses 43-55 Jacob and Laban make a peace agreement.

Discussion:
Jacob could tell that things had changed – Laban was jealous. Has anyone been jealous of you? How did it make you feel?
Have you been jealous of someone? Why?
God told Jacob to leave but He didn’t tell him to do it secretly. Did Jacob think that God would not protect him from Laban?
Have you had to do something in secret? Why?
Rachel stole idols from her father – if an idol can be stolen, does it really have any power?
Rachel also lies about it. Does it seem like Jacob had any kind of godly influence in his family?
Laban believed in idols and yet he made an agreement with Jacob with God as the witness. Was God just another “idol” to Laban?

Child Activities:
Collect some items (rock, toy, etc.)
Hold each one up – is it silly to pray to a rock (or toy, etc.) for help?
(gives a visual for children to see that man made idols are nothing)