DISCUSSIONGUIDEFORANCIENTS,WEEK6:

TheAssyrians,GilgameshandJacob
DiscusstheuniquedetailsaboutIsaacslifefromtheIsaacTriviasectionoftheCompanion. MakesureyourstudentsunderstandthatJacobsnamemeans,figuratively,deceiver.PointoutthatJacob willdomorethanhisshareofdeceivingandbeingdeceived. Holdaninfamilydiscussiononthepitfallsofparentschoosingfavorites. Ifyouwanttolookahead,pointoutthatJacobwasnottheonlyyoungerbrotherwhosurpassedhisolder brothers:Joseph,sonofJacobalsosurpassedallofhisolderbrothers,asdidKingDavidandhisson Solomon. Discussthegreatimportanceofbirthrightsandblessings.Explainthatthesonwiththefirstbornsblessing receivedadoubleshareofhisfathersinheritancetwiceasmuchlandandwealthastheothersons received. PointoutthatJacobsblessinghadaunique,almostsacredqualityoncegiven,itcouldnotberepeated, eventhoughJacobandRebekahhaddeceivedIsaacinordertogetit. AssignrolesandactoutthesevenpartsofIsaacsblessingtoJacob. DiscusswhatJacobsvisionoftheangelfilledheavenlystairwayGodmeansthatJacobistheinheritorof thepromisesthatGodmadetoAbraham. DiscussthesimilaritiesbetweenJacobandAbrahamsservantlistedintheCompanion. RetellthetaleoftrickerybetweenJacobandhiscousin/fatherinlawLaban. RetellthetaleoftherivalrythatarisesbetweenRachel,Leahandtheirmaids.DiscussJacobsroleinwhat happenedbetweenthewives. MakesurethatyourstudentsknowhowmanychildrenJacobhadtwelveandthatthelasttwo,Joseph andBenjamin,wereJacobsfavoritesbecausetheycamefromhisfavoritewife,Rachel.Notethatthough RachelwasthefavoritewifeofJacob,JesuswasdescendedfromJudahwhowasLeahsson. ExaminethestrangetaleofJacobwrestlingwiththemysteriousstrangerfromGenesis32:2232thetale inwhichJacobreceiveshisnewname,Israel.Ask:Doesthisstoryseemlikesomethingthatreallyhappened, ordoesitseemmorelikeadream?Whetheritisrealoradream,howwouldyouinterpretit?Some interpretittomeanthatitwastheHebrewpeoplesdestinynevertostopstrivingagainstGod,andneverto beabandonedbyHim. DiscussJacobssheepbreedingabilities! ReviewanddiscusstheeventsintheEpicofGilgamesh.CompareUtnapishtim,thelonesurvivorofthe Gilgameshfloodstory,withNoah.