Characters. Feb 7Th Jacob & Esau. Genesis 25:20-34

Study guide. ‘Both and’ characters. In this series we are comparing and contrasting two famous individuals from the Bible each Sunday. It’s helpful if you can summarise the stories from the passages for your group. Don’t feel you have to answer all the questions! One or two may be enough for fruitful sharing. Feb 7th Jacob & Esau. Genesis 25:20-34 (Chapters 27-33) Key thought: Seeking blessing. Esau & Jacob are twins who epitomise sibling rivalry. As is often the case in families, the children are very different to one another, and both experience favouritism from one of the parents.

1. Describe the characters of Jacob and Esau briefly. Who do identify with most?

Who do you warm to most?

2. Esau is clearly a man of appetite and seems impulsive. It’s reflected perhaps in the way he takes various wives as well as food! Jacob’s marriage by contrast could be described as one of ‘delayed gratification’. How much is instant gratification part of our culture today? Why might this trait seeking instant

gratification cause people to miss the most important and sacred things of life?

3. Why does God bless Jacob?

4. How is Jacob changed by his ‘blessing’? What does God use to shape his life?

5. Have you ever ‘wrestled with God’ for a blessing? How does this relate to Jesus teaching on prayer in Luke 18?

Take home footnotes. Jacob gets to be the one who carries the covenantal blessing of God (28:3-4). He flees to a far country, where he finds refuge wives and children. His blessing isn’t instant or easy however. Who do you think has the easier life, Esau or Jacob? a. God is going to work on your character if you seek his blessing however as he does with Jacob. It’s not just a case of ‘bless me, but leave me unchanged’! b. Family favouritism causes trouble, but Jacob doesn’t learn that lesson (c.f. Jacob & Joseph). It’s a problem through the generations of his family. c. Jesus must have had this story in mind when he told his own story of the prodigal son. He inverts some of the characteristics of the two sons but his story lands with the question ‘do you want the father’s blessing’? No matter what our character or gifts are ‘seeking first the kingdom of God’ seeking blessing is the route to becoming part of God’s kingdom story, place and purpose. Feb 14th: Ruth & Samson. Ruth 1-4 and Judges 13-16 (Samson) Samson is a ‘hero’ figure with a call an anointing from birth. Ruth is from a country who are traditional enemies of Israel, she has lost her husband and as a childless widow might have been regarded as cursed. In the Old Testament, the first words that a person speaks in the narratives are clues to their character. This is so true of Samson (Judges 14:2) and Ruth (Ruth 1:16).

Key thought: How do you leave a spiritual legacy?

1. Samson is a miracle child. He is gifted. In what ways is he like John the Baptist? Luke 1:5-17 c.f. Judges 13:2-5.

2. Ruth is a ‘foreigner’ and a widow. She doesn’t have power or status when arriving in Israel with her mother-in-law. In what ways does her character contrast and critique Samsons?

3. How does the way they both handle their sexuality affect their spiritual legacy?

4. Samson is a very famous biblical character. Ruth is much less well known and celebrated. Why? What is the legacy that Ruth & Samson leave in the history of the people of God?

Take home footnotes. a. Ruth & Samson make interesting comparisons. b. They both live in the period of the Judges in Israel’s history. They both represent surprisingly opposite characteristics around faithfulness and leadership. c. Samson should have everything going for him. Ruth’s life doesn’t seem to start with much blessing. d. True greatness and leadership are more to do with character and gift. God can work through vulnerability and apparent weakness where people have good hearts, than with showy strength and power. Let’s make sure that we discern true greatness in character as well as gift. e. How much does Christian celebrity culture focus on the things that speak of spiritual greatness, or do we celebrate the wrong things?

Feb 21st Judas & Mary John 12: 1-8/Mark 14:10-12 Luke 1:26-56 Luke 2:19 We don’t know much about Judas, and his motives for betraying Jesus remain a subject of conjecture. We know more about Mary and she is there at the beginning of Jesus’s story (obviously) and there too at the end of his life, with characteristic faithfulness even though she must often been wrestling with trying to understand the ways of God in the life of her Son. There are indications however for both Judas & Mary of their secret history which may have affected their actions.

Key thought: the power of a secret history. 1. What is Judas’ secret history? John 12:6? How do you think this may have contributed to his betrayal of Jesus?

2. What was Mary’s secret history? (Luke 2:19, Luke 2:35) How do you think this contributed to her actions?

3. How do we build a positive secret history (Mathew 6 gives a picture)?

4. How do we avoid a negative secret history (Acts 8:18-24)?

5. Do you have a secret history with God? How does it affect the external way you live your life? Is you secret history made up of past things you ponder on, or current intimacies with Him?

6. If you don’t have a strong secret history with God, do you have an alternative secret history in your inner life? Most people have one. It could be a fantasy about being a professional sportsperson, a romantic fantasy, a self-image thing that gives colour to your world view. Ask yourself is your secret history good, neutral or destructive?

Footnote A secret history defines us. It’s about the heart. It’s powerful for good or evil. A positive secret history sustains faith (in the same way that a positive romantic/sexual relationship- not visible to any but the couple sustains a marriage). A negative secret history causes faith to crumble (as a secret affair destroys a marriage).