Genesis 31:43-55 Two key themes in Genesis resurface in this passage: The two lines of mankind, and the idea of covenant. What are all the sets of twos we see in these verses, and what are they intended to show us? How is this passage crucial to the unfolding drama of God's people? What is the significance of Laban asking for a covenant with his own relative? What are some characteristics of the seed of the serpent? Why does Jacob erect a pillar, and what does it mean to himself or to Laban? How did Jacob come to to call his God the Fear of Isaac? What are the contrasting destinies of these two men? (59 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Covenant

Genesis 31:31-42 Jacob now answers Laban's charges as to why he slipped away unannounced and about the stolen idols. He invites Laban to search for his idols, which he does in a most thorough manner. What really is the point of this narrative? How must Jacob have felt in watching this intrusive search? What is so significant about what Rachel did in sitting on the idols? How did Jacob, in the heat of the moment manage to express his complaint in such an eloquent and poetic manner? What is the Fear of Isaac? How does Jacob's God compare with Laban's idols? (57 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Rachel, Idols

Genesis 31:17-30 It is time for Jacob to go home. God has finished the work He was doing in Jacob's life for twenty years in Paddan-aram. But Jacob cannot leave easily. His fear of what Laban will do causes him to act deceptively and leave secretly. Was this really necessary? What if you had been there to see Jacob cross the Euphrates River twenty years earlier? How would you have accessed Jacob, compared to this second crossing? Why does the narrator stress so emphatically Jacob's belongings? What were Laban's teraphim, and why did Rachel steal them? How were Jacob's and Rachel's actions paralleled by the narrator? How did the irony of Laban's teraphim being stolen escape his notice? (55 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Rachel

Genesis 31:1-16 Things take a turn for the worse in Jacob's relationship with Laban and his sons, and Jacob's situation becomes tenuous, even dangerous. How does God use our circumstances to direct us? What is the significance of God being "with" someone? What are the three reasons that Laban's wealth was transferred to Jacob? What part did Laban play in that transfer? What lesson can we learn from Rachel's and Leah's realization that they no longer had a portion or inheritance in their father's house? What, ultimately, will happen to all the riches of the world? (56 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Blessing, Bethel

Genesis 30:37-43 The Bible contains a number of very difficult passages to understand. This is one of them, and is difficult on several levels. What should we do when we encounter very difficult passages? What exactly was Jacob doing with all those rods and sheep and goats? Did what Jacob do have any affect on the outcome, and if so, how? We look at a number of puzzling cases in Scripture similar to this one with Jacob. What can we learn from all these examples of human devices? What relevance or application does this passage have to our lives today? (66 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban

Genesis 30:25-36 God "remembered" Rachel. What does that mean? Had He forgotten her? Rachel's son becomes central to the unfolding story about the Children of Israel. Jacob now enters into negotiations with Laban regarding his desire to return home, but does Jacob really have a home? How was Jacob's sojourn changed as a result of his encounter at Bethel. What does Jacob possess that Laban desperately wants? What exactly is the agreement that Jacob and Laban reach? What does Laban do as soon as the agreement is made? How do we respond when we are wronged or taken advantage of by others? How should we view things when that happens? (61 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Laban

Genesis 29:21-35 Laban's plan to trick Jacob into marrying Leah instead of Rachel is very risky. So much could have gone wrong. How did he pull it off? Where was God in this, and why didn't He intervene? In a sudden moment, when least expected, Jacob's great anticipation and hope is shattered. Can any good come out of this? What is God doing in Jacob's life, in the future of Israel, and in Leah's life? Speaking of Leah, she was complicit in this scheme. Why? What is Jacob's attitude toward Leah, and was it justified? Why does Paul warn husbands not to be embittered towards their wives? What great good comes in Leah's life? How did she respond? (62 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Laban, Leah, Rachel

Genesis 29:13-20 As we proceed through our story about Jacob in Haran, we encounter continuously repeated references to the family relationship. Why is that? What does Jacob do during that first month he stays with Laban? What are the differences between Laban's two daughters, and how does that play into the unfolding events? Things finally seem to be going pretty well now for Jacob, and he is filled with hope and expectation. Why does God allow him to experience such hope and anticipation, only to allow the rug to be pulled out from under him? What is God doing? (58 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Laban, Leah

Genesis 29:1-12 Having left his Bethel experience, Jacob travels on to arrive in the "land of the peoples of the east." Why is Haran uniquely referred to in this way in this passage? How will the experience of Bethel change Jacob, and what will it take? What kinds of things do we discover about Jacob's character in this account at the well? How does this account of the well compare and contrast with the earlier account in chapter 24 about Abraham's servant? Why is that important? What difference does it make whether or not we see God's hand in the things He does in our lives? (57 min.)

Keywords Jacob, Rachel, Bethel, Laban