Genesis 25-28, 32-33

2. Look at the role of the parents in this conflict. Do a character study of Isaac and / or Rebecca. Use specific quotes from the text to support your reasoning.

Rebecca is the main instigator of this entire conflict. She likes Jacob better, so she makes Jacob trick his own father, and steal Esau's blessing. Now that Esau's blessing was wasted on Jacob, and Isaac refuses to take back Jacob's blessing (for some reason) and give it to Easu, Easu wants to kill Jacob. Jacob has to be sent away for his own protection. Isaac is suborn for not just switching the blessing. What kind of parents are these? Each favoring one over the other? "Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob." Making brothers servants of each other? "and you shall serve your brother." Making brothers want to kill each other? "then I will kill my brother Jacob.” It is interesting however that God had predicted all of this just before the twins birth in Genesis 26.

4. How do you interpret the various elements of Jacob's dream and what might they mean within the larger scope of Genesis?

Jacob's dream acts as proof of his fathers blessing. He is blessed by the lord. The latter must represent a connection between earth and heaven. It is made directly to Jacob because of his fathers blessing. It is like a bridge from one world to another. This is why Jacob treats it as such. “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”It shows the power in the blood line of Abraham, and also represents the significance of a fathers blessing. He renames the place Bethel because of its great significance.

5. We are told here that "Jacob was left alone" (32:24). How do you interpret this with what follows - the wrestling with "something"? How do you interpret this wrestling? What or whom exactly might Jacob wrestle? Why?

Perhaps Jacob is left alone because he is a time of great conflict with him self (this conflict may have come about through the anxiety of his brother arriving). He feels for an instant, an absence of God, because he has lost hope. He struggles (wrestles) with him self for an entire sleepless night (possible even causing him self injury), but when the sun rises, he is hit with a sudden sense of peace, and no longer doubts God, or struggles with him self.