The International Sunday School Lesson Outline

November 11

Lesson 11 (KJV)

Jacob’s Deception

Devotional Reading: Psalm 24:1–6

Background Scripture: Genesis 27:1–28:5

Genesis 27:5–10, 18, 19, 21–29

5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it.

6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying,

7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the Lord before my death.

8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee.

9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth:

10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death.

18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I

pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not.

22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

24 And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank.

26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed:

28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.

Key Verse

He discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

—Genesis 27:23

God’s World and God’s People

Unit 3: God Blesses and Re-creates Regardless

Lessons 10–13

Lesson Aims

After participating in this lesson, each learner will be able to:

1. Recount how Isaac was deceived into blessing Jacob rather than Esau and what the blessing consisted of.

2. Tell why human beings resort to deception so often instead of telling the truth.

3. Identify and correct one thought process that tends to produce words and actions intended to deceive.

Lesson Outline

Introduction

A. Dress-Up for Grown-Ups

B. Lesson Context: Family Dynamics

C. Lesson Context: Patriarchal Blessing

I. Deception Suggested (Genesis 27:5–10)

A. Overhearing Isaac (v. 5)

B. Advising Jacob (vv. 6–10)

Parenting Pathology

II. Deception Starts (Genesis 27:18, 19)

A. Addressing Isaac (v. 18)

B. Lying to Isaac (v. 19)

III. Deception Succeeds (Genesis 27:21–29)

A. Isaac’s Doubt (vv. 21–24)

Not a “Little White Lie”

B. Isaac’s Declaration (vv. 25–29)

Conclusion

A. Two Laws

B. One Solution

C. Prayer

D. Thought to Remember

HOW TO SAY IT

badest	bad-est.
chicanery	shi-cane-ree.
Edomites	Ee-dum-ites.
Esau	Ee-saw.
Hittite	Hit-ite or Hit-tite.
Jacob	Jay-kub.
Obadiah	O-buh-dye-uh.
Philistines	Fuh-liss-teenz or Fill-us-teenz.

What Do You Think? How should we handle a situation where someone in authority attempts to include us in an unethical plan? Digging Deeper How would your response change, if at all, if the unethical plan requires only your passive acceptance rather than active participation?

What Do You Think? What are some ways to determine whether someone’s kind words, gifts, or acts of service are selfless or self-seeking? Digging Deeper How do we avoid Pilate’s error of correctly recognizing wrong motives but reacting wrongly anyway (Mark 15:9–15)?

What Do You Think? What can you do to ensure proper motives when seeking blessing or approval of someone you respect? Digging Deeper How do you know when it’s time to stop striving for unreceived approval?

What Do You Think? What can Christians do to prevent succumbing to temptations to “stretch” or “spin” the truth in difficult situations? Digging Deeper At what point, if ever, is “stretching the truth” with good intentions acceptable?

Visual for Lesson 11. Point to this visual as you ask, “Is the outcome of today’s story typical of where deceit ends up? Why, or why not?”

What Do You Think? How should we react to situations where we discover that someone has consciously deceived us? Digging Deeper Does the amount of time that has elapsed make a difference? Why, or why not?

To print the reproducible activity page, simply click the highlighted text below to create a pdf file on your hard drive. Then open the pdf file in Acrobat Reader and print.

Activity Page (November 11: Jacob’s Deception)

Nickelson, Ronald L., Jane Ann Kenney, et al., eds. The KJV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2018–2019. Vol. 66. Colorado Springs, CO: Standard Publishing, 2018. Print.