We are studying Genesis 30:22-32 & 43 for Sunday, November 26. Here are a few questions we might want to consider for class:
Verse 22 reads that “God remembered Rachel.” What do we think this means? (E.g., that God had actually forgotten Rachel; that it is a figure of speech; … ?) Why do we think this, rather than something else? Does this tell us anything about what we believe about God? What?
Would there be advantages, for Jacob, Rachel, Leah, and their children, to staying with Laban in Haran? What would they be? What would the disadvantages be? What values, do we think, would influence a decision to stay or to leave? [More personal:] What course of action seems most appealing to us? Why?
What does the negotiation between Jacob and Laban in verses 25 through 34 tell us about their relationship? How would we describe that relationship? How important is this, do we feel? Why is that?
How would we describe Laban’s behavior in verses 35-36? How would we describe Jacob’s behavior in verses 37-42? Does Jacob’s course of action seem justified to us? Why or why not? Does it seem necessary? Why or why not? Does the text seem to support our opinion, or not? Why do we say this?
Who is “the man” in verse 43? Do we have the impression that God has blessed this man? Why, or why not? How do we feel about this? Why?
One theme we might want to explore in this text is what the specific blessings people seek from God – for instance, children, or wealth – mean in the context of people’s relationship to God. For instance, does receiving a specifically desired blessing indicate divine favor? Does not receiving one indicate divine disfavor? What are some of our reasons for wanting to answer these questions one way or another?
Matters of Interpretation 