------------------------------------------------------------------
                Life of Jacob E-Mail Bible Study
------------------------------------------------------------------
                    Week 6 - Genesis 37-47
           BEREAVEMENT AND DEPRESSION, FEAR AND HOPE

While Jacob's sons struggle and triumph, Jacob is depressed and
afraid, and then is encouraged by God.
------------------------------------------------------------------

We've added this week's to our original plan, and extended the
Bible studies one additional week through June 5. This next
session covers a lot of ground, including the Joseph saga. We'll
be skipping chapter 38, but assume you've read the rest to get the
gist of the story. We'll focus on Jacob in our study (mostly). The
main sections which involve Jacob are:

37:1-36
42:1-5, 29-38
43:1-14
(45:3-8) Can't resist
45:25-28
46:1-7

The final week we'll wrap up with 46:28 - 49:33

MONDAY (If you're out of town for the US Memorial Day holiday,
please try do the reading, but skip sending the answers in.)
------------------------------------------------------------------
LEVEL 1: OBSERVATION QUESTIONS. WHAT DOES THE TEXT SAY?
------------------------------------------------------------------

READ chapters 37, 39-46

1.1  OPTIONAL: (ch 37) In what ways did Jacob show favoritism to
Joseph?

COMMENT: We discussed earlier how favoritism has affected us as
individuals, as we saw Isaac's favoritism towards Esau. So we
won't discuss this at length, just a bit in the next question.

1.2  OPTIONAL: (ch 37) Why did Joseph's brothers hate him?

TUESDAY
-------
------------------------------------------------------------------
LEVEL 2: INTERPRETATION QUESTIONS. WHAT DOES THE TEXT MEAN?
------------------------------------------------------------------

2.1  Why do you think Jacob loved Joseph and Benjamin more than
his other sons? Hint: Where is Rachel now?

2.2  (37:31-35) What does bringing the blood-stained robe to Jacob
say about these sons' attitude toward their father? What does this
do to Jacob? How do you think this affects his future behavior?

2.3  (42:3-4) Why didn't Jacob send Benjamin with his brothers to
get grain? What does this say about Jacob's state of mind? Who is
he thinking of here? What is he afraid of?


WEDNESDAY
---------
2.4  What do 42:36 and 43:6 say about Jacob's state of mind? If
you were a psychologist, how would you diagnose him?

2.5  (43:1-10) Is Judah's manner of speaking with his father
appropriate? Why do you think Jacob changed his mind? (43:11-14).

2.6  (43:11-14) What do these verse indicate about Jacob's mental
health? What does they say about his character? What do they say
about his spiritual state?


THURSDAY AND FRIDAY
-------------------
COMMENT: 45:3-8 aren't properly the story of Jacob, but I can't
resist. ;-). Joseph, alone among his family, sees the "big
picture" of what God is doing.

2.7  EXTRA CREDIT. When do you think Joseph began to see the "big
picture" of what God was doing? What is that "big picture"? What
was the purpose of all this? How did it relate to the Blessings of
Abraham?

2.8  EXTRA CREDIT. Joseph seems to indicate that his brothers
aren't guilty before God for what they did (45:5, 8). What do you
think? The larger question is: Does God predestine our sins? And
if so, are we responsible for them? [BTW, don't be surprised if we
don't solve this today. ;-) ]

2.9  EXTRA CREDIT. Sometimes after a terrible tragedy, some devout
person might say with resignation, "It must have been the will of
God." Is that necessarily so? What light do Genesis 50:20 and
Romans 8:28 shed on that question?

2.10  (46:2-4) How do God's words to Jacob relate to his
psychological and spiritual needs?

FRIDAY
------
------------------------------------------------------------------
LEVEL 3: APPLICATION QUESTIONS. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME?
------------------------------------------------------------------

3.1  It is rare when we can discern the "big picture" of how God
uses our struggles. We may not see it for years, or never see it
in this life. Can you share how seeing God's "big picture" at some
point in your life brought you a measure of peace?

3.2  Each of us is probably going through some kind of struggle or
trial right now. If God were to speak to you directly, what could
he say that would bring comfort to you? What scripture verses do
you recall that might indicate he would say this?

------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 1997-98, Ralph F. Wilson, all rights reserved. Joyful
Heart is a trademark of Joyful Heart Ministries. For reprint
permission contact pastor@joyfulheart.com