Lesson 11 – Jacob’s Dream
God revealed the certainty of His presence now and forever to Jacob in his dream. God reveals Himself and His plan of salvation for us in His Word and Sacraments; we respond with praise and worship.
Opening
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This lesson will use the Bible. Also paper and pencil will be needed.
What kinds of things stand in the way of you achieving your dreams? You may know YouTube sensation Kid President. What you may not know are some of the barriers he overcomes to follow his dreams.
Watch the video, "The True Story of Kid President".
So what are some of Kid President's dreams and challenges? Rob's dream is to share hope and joy to make the world a better place. He has osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition that makes his bones break easily. At the time of this video, he had had over seventy breaks and many surgeries. He could easily become discouraged, but instead his joyful, indomitable spirit bubbles over Rob and Brad said, "Wherever you are today, give the world a reason to dance!" Kid President said, "Dream with me....What will you create to make the world more awesome?"
What kinds of dreams do you have? How can you expect God to help you achieve your dreams? God hears and answers our prayers and certainly removes barriers for us. Even more, He brings good out of our mistakes and uses us to serve Him and other people despite our sin. He gives us vocations through which we serve Him, such as son, daughter, sibling, volunteer, and employee.
As Christians, we can live as forgiven children of God and show His love in the world through these vocations. The Holy Spirit works in us and empowers us to do the good works God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).
Prayer: Dear Jesus, Your love and forgiveness give us hope and joy. Plant dreams in our hearts and minds that help us discover ways to serve You and to give You glory. In Your holy name we pray. Amen.
God Speaks
The recent lessons have been about Isaac, Rebekah, and their twin sons, Esau and Jacob.
What happened when Isaac blessed his sons? Rebekah and Jacob tricked blind Isaac into giving Jacob the firstborn blessing meant for Esau. Esau returned and discovered the treachery. His father blessed him too, but with "leftovers."
This lesson explores the results of the family dispute. When a family goes through an emotional trauma, relationships change and sometimes people experience negative consequences for many years.
On the Student Page at the end of the lesson, read and follow the directions under The Family Meltdown. But instead read all the parts and visualize it. Draw the scene, make a word collage or a speech bubble, or chose your own idea. Use the family chart to help you understand the relationships.
Again, Rebekah told Isaac only part of the story. What did she leave out in Genesis 27:46? She did not say that Esau planned to murder Jacob after Isaac died. Instead, she said she did not want Jacob to marry a Hittite woman, which may have been true. She encouraged Isaac to send Jacob away, and he did.
Before Jacob left, Isaac blessed him again. What blessing did Isaac give that we also receive? Isaac's blessing included the blessing of Abraham to him and his offspring, the promise of the Messiah.
How do we receive this blessing? Read Galatians 3:13-14, 27-29 on the Student Page. We receive Abraham's blessing through Jesus' death and resurrection, which fulfilled the messianic promise. In Baptism, we put on Christ and are one with Him. Since we belong to Him, we also are Abraham's offspring and heirs of God's promise to bless all nations through Christ Jesus.
How did Esau try to please his father? Esau heard Isaac sent Jacob away so he wouldn't marry a Canaanite woman. Realizing his wives were Canaanites, Esau found an Ishmaelite woman to marry, a granddaughter of Abraham.
Jacob received the birthright and the blessing of his father, but he had to run from his brother’s rage and did not return for twenty years. He left behind his family and all the belongings he received in the birthright.
Why do you think this happened? Help them know God worked through this family despite their sin to bring His Son into the world.
Martin Luther said this trial tested Jacob to see if he'd cling to the blessing in faith and wait. "If God did not test us and postpone His promises, we would not be able to love Him wholeheartedly. For if He immediately gave everything He promises, we would not believe but would immerse ourselves in the blessings that are at hand and forget God" .
What dangers and challenges could someone encounter while traveling and in a foreign land? Traveling alone made Jacob easy prey to robbers. He didn't know anyone. Eventually, he’d have to ask family members he never met for food, clothing, and shelter. He'd experience different laws and customs.
Continue with Jacob's Dream on the Student Page.
Read Genesis 28:10-22
What gift did God give Jacob to reassure him that he was not alone (verse 12)? God gave Jacob a dream. In it, he saw a ladder with angels ascending and descending from heaven.
What did the Lord promise Jacob (verses 13-15)? The Lord appeared above the ladder and promised to be with Jacob always. God reassured Jacob he would return to his homeland, and He repeated the messianic blessing of Abraham that he would have offspring like the dust of the earth. God would bless all the earth's families through Jacob and his offspring, the Christ.
What gifts does God give us to reassure us that we are not alone? God places us in a community of believers in Christ, and He gives family and friends who love us. God gives us His Word and strengthens our faith through Holy Communion, sharing His real body and blood, His real presence, with us.
What do you think the dream meant? (Read John 1:511 on the Student Page). The dream assured Jacob that God was with him, but it also showed that Christ would descend to earth. In John 1:51, Jesus compared Himself to the ladder. He is the way that God came to us and the way we return to God (John 14:6).
What did Jacob do when he woke (verses 16-17)? He felt awed and afraid. He called the place "the house of God' and "the gate of heaven”.
How did Jacob mark the place of the dream (verses 18-19)? He set up the stone he slept on as a pillar. He poured oil on it to consecrate it as a holy place. He named it Bethel ("house of God”; the place where God dwells).
What vow did Jacob make (verses 20-22)? If God would be with him and take care of his needs (bread, clothing) so that he would return to his father's house in peace, then the Lord would be his God and this stone would be God's house. He would give a tenth of his wealth to the Lord.
We Live
Martin Luther liked the narrative of Jacob's ladder because it is good "for us to hear of the weaknesses of the saints".
What do you think Luther meant? Do you agree or disagree? Why?
Luther went on to say he knew he couldn't imitate heroics like David killing Goliath. "But when examples of weakness, sins, trepidation, and trials are set forth in the saints... they buoy me up.... For I see how they, fearful and terrified though they were, did not perish but buoyed themselves up with the promises they had received; and from this I conclude that there is no need for me to despair either."
Has God ever made you wait for an answer to prayer? Did you get impatient and give up? Many people in the Bible waited for God to keep His promises, from the time God promised a Savior to Adam and Eve to the time the Savior was born in a stable in Bethlehem thousands of years later.
How can knowing that God sometimes waits years to answer our prayers comfort us? It helps us learn to be patient and trust in the Lord.
How does God work in our lives as He did Jacob's? God acts in our lives as He did in Jacob's. Through His Word and in Baptism, God reaches out with love, grace, and forgiveness in Christ Jesus, His Son and our Lord. The Holy Spirit guides, protects, nurtures, and keeps us in the one true faith through His Word and Sacraments.
How and why should we fear the Lord? Read Proverbs 1:7 on the bottom of the Student Page. We fear the Lord when we understand that He is holy and perfect, the Creator of the universe, and beyond our comprehension. In comparison, we realize that we are poor, miserable sinners who need His grace and forgiveness. Fools trust themselves and despise the Lord and His teachings.
Closing
Prayer: Yourself and our Savior in Your Word and Sacraments. Thank You for the privilege to hear and taste God's goodness through Jesus Christ, Your only Son and our Lord. Amen.
