Jacob and Esau (Discussion Questions)

Categories: Forgiveness

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Read Genesis 25:20-34; 27:1-46; 28-29; 32-33

Is this just a story about forgiveness?
Who needs to be forgiven? [look deep]
Why didn't Esau and Jacob get along?
What is a "blessing"?
What is a "birthright"?
How do you think Esau felt when he didn't get the blessing? (Gen 27:38,41)
What did Esau promise to do to Jacob? (Gen 27:41)
Has anyone ever taken away something very important to you? What did you do?
Who should have healed the rivalry between the two boys?
Why should siblings get along with one another?
If you can't get along with a brother or sister, how are you to get along with friends?
When should we start to get along with our brothers or sisters?
Whose responsibility is it to make sure siblings get along?
What happened to Jacob and Esau?
Why were they contentious?
Who told Jacob to deceive Esau?
What did Jacob have to do?
Who was hurt by this deception?
If you had been Esau, how would you have handled the situation?
Do we ever benefit from deceiving someone?
How does deception apply to our world today? Big business? Stock traders? Foreign affairs?
What have you learned from this experience?
What does the expression "what goes around comes around" mean in terms of Jacob's experience? [He deceived his dad and brother, and then his uncle deceived him on his wedding night and then again in the distribution of livestock.]
What might Laban's conversation with Leah and Rachel before the wedding begins sound like?
How do you think Leah and Rachel felt about the situation?
How are Esau and Leah's situations similar? Rachel and Esau's situations?
When does Jacob get his relationship with Esau straightened out? [After he got his relationship with God right]
Why is it important to have a good relationship with God?
Who needed to be forgiven? [There are a lot of people in these stories who need forgiveness]
Who forgave?
Who should have forgiven but didn't?
Can you think of a time when you needed forgiveness or forgave someone?
How did you feel when you were forgiven?
How would you instruct someone in how to forgive?