40 Moms 40 Weeks – God chooses the unlikely and even uses our sin.
Mom:Rebekah
Children: Jacob, Esau
Gospel Connection:
We cannot thwart God’s plan. He even uses our sin to bring about His glory and the salvation of His people.
Ice Breaker Question
Did you ever think you had a really good idea, but then it didn’t turn out so good?
Bible Reading: Genesis 27:1-13
Summary
Isaac favored the manly Esau and Rebekah showed more love to the thinker, Jacob. When it came time for Isaac to give his blessing, Rebekah taught Jacob how to trick his dying father. Rebekah knew that God had promised to bless her younger son, but she did not trust God to be able to handle it and tried to make her own way. After her lie, the son she loved had to run away because he was afraid his brother Esau would kill him. God used this time away for Jacob to find a wife and to grow His people into a big family. It is good for us to talk with our spouses about how we should raise our children. We also need to trust that God knows what is best and we can have faith that He will do what is right.
Question led Discussion
1. Jacob and Esau were twins, what challenges can you think of in raising twin boys?
Give opportunity for discussion
2. How do you feel when your kids fight with each other?
Give opportunity for discussion
3. How was Rebekah a good mother? How was she a bad mother?
Rebekah loved her sons and she loved God. She knew God chose Jacob to be the leader of God’s people and she wanted to make sure that happened. Rebekah wanted both of her sons to marry wives who loved God also. However, Rebekah did not trust God to carry out His perfect plan. She thought that God needed her help and she taught her son to lie to do it. We are a powerful influence in our children’s lives and should be careful to teach them right and not wrong through our words and actions.
4. Do you and your husband agree on how to raise your children? Where do you disagree?
Give opportunity for discussion
5. Why do you think God lets us do bad things like lie and hurt other people?
All of God’s ways are perfect so He must have a reason for allowing evil in the world. When God saves us and we repent of our sins and trust Jesus, we do not automatically become perfect. God puts us through a process called sanctification where He makes us more like Jesus who is perfect. We are blessed then to know God as perfect creator and perfect forgiver. God uses the sin in our lives to teach us lessons, to grow us, and to show us that we are not perfect or holy like God. This keeps us humble and prompts us to worship Him. Of course, we should fight temptation and run away from sin, but remember God uses even the bad things we do for His glory and the good of those who love Him.
6. Isaac’s dying wish was for delicious food. What is your spouse’s favorite food that you can make?
Give opportunity for discussion
7. When Jacob told Rebekah he was afraid that Isaac might curse him, instead of bless him, Rebekah said “Let your curse be on me, my son.” What are some ways that you see moms sacrificing for their children?
Give opportunity for discussion
8. Of course, the greatest sacrifice ever made was by Jesus for sinners. How can Jesus’ sacrifice help us love our families better?
Even though Jesus is fully God and could have stayed in heaven forever to be worshiped by the angels, He chose to come to earth and become a man to live with us. This is an amazing sacrifice. But then, He lived a perfect life and was willing to die a terrible death on the cross to take away the sins of all believe in Him. Jesus gave us all of his goodness and He took all of our badness. We cannot take the badness away from our families, only Jesus can do that. We can teach them to love Jesus and we can love them even when they do bad things.
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