On The Road: Jacob At bethel - Guide

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, we come gathering in your name.

Help us to bow the head and all its thinking,

bow the will and all its choosing,

bow the heart and all its loving.

Form us so that we can be more in your image.

Amen.

Jacob is a complicated character in the Bible. He is born grasping the heel of his twin brother

(Genesis 25:26). He is a cheat, liar and deceiver. When we come to this passage he is running

from his brother Esau from whom he has stolen the birthright. Esau wants to kill Jacob.

Read Genesis 28:10-19

● What do you observe in this passage? Don’t worry about understanding what it means.

Just note what happens, what is said, and the images that appear.

● Jacob has spent his whole life trying to get blessing from God. Yet, he already had it.

What promises does the Lord give to Jacob in vv. 13-15? If you were Jacob, which

would resonate most with you?

● Jacob comes to a new awareness of God’s presence. Where has God been real and

present to you? Was there a time or situation in your life?

● Where do you need to know that God is walking with you right now?

● Zach preached that God meets us on the road to shape who we are becoming. How

might God be shaping you at this time in your life? What experiences, factors,

circumstances are in play?

● Jesus drew from this story about Jacob in John 1:51. What do you think Jesus meant?

● Look at Ephesians 3:18-19. Just as Jacob came to a greater awareness of what God

had for him, so this passage speaks of what God has for us. What does this prayer

mean to you?

Close with Prayer