College & Career: 1st Quarter 2016

By Dr. Ricky A. Woods

College and Career is the young adult quarterly directed toward students ages 18–24. The lessons are designed to address the unique experiences of African- American young adults as they venture into the world of higher education and work.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Oct 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781681670966

Book preview

BAIT AND SWITCH

Unifying Topic: A Bride Worth Waiting For

GENESIS 29:15–30

BACKGROUND SCRIPTURES: GENESIS 28–30

Genesis 29:15–30

INTRODUCTION

One of the most important decisions a person will make in his or her life is the decision of whom to marry. What makes this decision so critical is that it is built upon the idea of a lifetime of trust with a single person and includes forging a life together. Unlike dating, in which one is searching for a suitable partner, marriage is a commitment to remain with this person and establish a relationship similar to Jesus and His bride, the Church. Marriage means that one loses the sense of complete independence in life’s decisions because now every decision is based on how it may impact another for good or bad.

In today’s lesson Jacob left the only home he had known, and for the first time he was without the benefit of family bonds. His journey brought him to the home of his mother’s kinsman, and it was there that he met Rachel for the first time. Jacob vowed to serve Laban for seven years for Rachel’s hand in marriage. When the wedding was over, Jacob discovered he had been deceived, and the woman he married was not Rachel but Leah. Jacob had to find a way to obtain the woman of his true affections and understand the consequences of deceit.

Life.Point

Deceit is a part of the world that we live in, and we must all be prepared to determine how we can respond to deceit in a godly manner when we become its victim.

Lesson.Point

There are some things in life worth waiting for and earning through hard work. Although Jacob was deceived by Laban and forced to work fourteen years for Rachel, instead of seven years as they had agreed upon, Jacob loved her enough to wait and work.

Section I

Jacob loved Rachel so much that he was willing to work several years to marry her. How is this love similar to Jesus and the Church?

Section II

There are consequences to deception, as Jacob learned firsthand. How should one react to deception?

Section III

Honesty and trust are the foundation to any healthy relationship. What other qualities should one expect in a godly relationship?

EXPOSITION

I. STARTING A NEW LIFE (Genesis 29:15–20)

When Jacob arrived in Laban’s home, he was once again among family and was given the shelter and security that family provides. In ancient cultures there was an expectation for homeowners to provide protection and resources for guests. This expectation was shared especially among relatives and people of the same tribe or clan. Life was a daily struggle in the ancient world, so it was important to know that one’s neighbors and relatives would do what they could to help each other. This is how tribes or clans were not only able to survive but thrive and flourish in the right circumstances. However, the customs of the day required all family members to work in service to the family patriarch, which was Laban. Because Jacob was living under Laban’s protection and receiving essential resources— food, water, and a place to sleep—he had a responsibility to the family’s patriarch. He had to assist in ways that would benefit Laban, as well as the family at large. Fortunately, Laban did not expect Jacob to work without earning wages. Jacob decided that his compensation would be a wife: