Youth Teacher: 1st Quarter 2016

By Vanessa Williams Snyder

Youth Teacher is a quarterly publication used to help the Sunday school teacher discuss issues pertaining to youth ages 12-17. Sections such as Biblical Emphases give background knowledge of the lesson. All lessons include relevant life concerns and lesson applications to help the teacher relate the Bible to the lives of young people.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Oct 23, 2015
• ISBN: 9781681670973

Book preview

GENESIS 29:15–30

RESOURCES NEEDED

• New National Baptist Hymnal, 21st Century Edition, #360(NNBH, # 373)

• God’s Promises Bible

• Boyd’s Commentary for the Sunday School

UNIFYING PRINCIPLE

Marriages can be marred by unforeseen circumstances. How might husbands and wives patiently work through tradition and undesirable circumstances to reach their personal goals? After Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his older daughter, Leah, Jacob willingly agreed to work for seven additional years in order to marry his beloved Rachel.

BIBLICAL EMPHASES:

1. Jacob was willing to work for Laban so he could receive Rachel as his wife.

2. Laban deceived Jacob and gave him Leah as a wife instead.

3. Jacob agreed to work an additional seven years to receive Rachel.

TARGET EMPHASIS

SEEKERS FOR JESUS: This age group gains many of their perceptions about marriage and relationships through the media.

TEEN SCENE: Older youth realize that not all marriages are happy and healthy. They desire to see strong marriages that last.

LESSON OVERVIEW

Anyone who has been in love knows that a committed relationship is not easy. Today’s society makes love out to be something that can be easily discarded without a fight. The world tells us that if it gets too difficult, then just walk away. Unfortunately, the youth in your class see this message in America’s media and entertainment, and they may follow suit. However, God’s vision of love is much different. Explain to your class that God is the Creator of love, and He made the ultimate sacrifice because of His love for us. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us so that we would have life. Even when we accept Him into our hearts and continue to sin, He loves us unconditionally. This is a committed love with which the youth may not be familiar. Tell the students that we should love others in the same way that God loves us. This kind of devotion can be illustrated through marriage.

Today’s lesson centers on the love story between Jacob and Rachel. Jacob journeyed to the land of his uncle, Laban. After meeting Laban’s daughter, Rachel, Jacob was willing to sacrifice and work hard for the love he wanted. Tell your students to consider the following questions as the class reads the Bible passage and lesson: What would you do to show that you are committed to a relationship? How would you show love to others in the way that God loves us?

I. Jacob Serves Laban (Genesis 29:15–20)

When Jacob arrived at Haran, he laid eyes on a beautiful woman named Rachel who was taking care of her father’s sheep. Her father, Laban, was the brother of Jacob’s mother. When Rachel met Jacob, she ran to tell her father that Jacob had arrived. Laban was so happy to see his nephew that he ran to meet him and embraced him. He welcomed Jacob with open arms and allowed him to live in their household for a time. But Laban did not want Jacob to work for free and he said he would pay Jacob for his work. ‘Tell me, what shall your wages be?’ Laban asked him (Gen. 29:15, NRSV).

Laban had two daughters—Leah and Rachel. Leah had lovely eyes, but Rachel was very graceful and beautiful. Jacob was attracted to Rachel, and, in fact, the Bible says that he loved her. So Jacob asked to serve Laban for seven years in order to have Rachel as his wife. Laban agreed that it would be best for Jacob to have her rather than another man. So Jacob did as he agreed and served his uncle faithfully for seven years. The seven years did not feel long because he loved her so much. His anticipation about receiving Rachel at the end of the seven years sustained him.

II. Laban Deceives Jacob (Genesis 29:21–26)

After seven years Jacob was ready to marry Rachel. One can only imagine how he felt after seven years of working and waiting. But Laban had a different plan. He gathered all of the men together and planned a feast. During the feast he brought Leah, the older daughter, to Jacob as his wife. It wasn’t until the next morning that Jacob realized that he was married to Leah. Laban had tricked him, and Jacob was not pleased. Jacob asked Laban why he had tricked him. Laban told Jacob that it was not customary in his country for the younger to marry before the firstborn. As a father Laban was looking out for both daughters.

III. Jacob Waits for Rachel (Genesis 29:27–30)

Jacob was not happy that he had been deceived, but he loved Rachel deeply and still wanted her to be his wife. He wasn’t willing to walk away. Laban told Jacob to accept Leah and to work another seven years, and he would receive Rachel also. This time Laban kept his word and gave Rachel to Jacob as his bride. Jacob’s hard work and patience paid off.

Clearly, Jacob was willing to wait and to sacrifice for what he wanted. He made the decision that Rachel was worth the wait. Jacob easily could have made a different choice. He could have decided Rachel wasn’t worth the effort, or he could have retaliated against his uncle Laban in some way. But Jacob focused on the blessing he desired.

The story of Rachel and Jacob is not just one of love but is one that also centers on hard work and commitment. We live in an impatient world where we aim to get everything quickly with as little work as possible. But love and life do not always work that way. Often God requires us to wait and to work.

Talk to your students about Jacob’s devotion to Rachel. Even when he was assigned additional years of hard work, Jacob did not give up. He stayed committed to working so that he could have a relationship with Rachel. Then tell the students that God is even more committed to us than Jacob was committed to Rachel. No matter what has gone wrong in the past, God wants to be in a relationship with us. He is committed to us, and He will not let anything hinder His pursuit to be close to us.

In the same way, we should love