Lesson 14 of 17 · Genesis 31-32
The Making of a Man of God
Watch God transform Jacob through pressure, departure, confrontation, fear, prayer, wrestling, brokenness, blessing, and a new name.
Lesson video
Watch the lesson
Required course reading
Genesis 31-32 - The Making of a Man of God
Read: Complete chapter
PDF pages: 332-336 · About 6 minutes
Observe how God changes Jacob through pressure, fear, prayer, wrestling, brokenness, and blessing.
Use the PDF or EPUB course book supplied after confirmed enrollment. In the EPUB, follow the chapter and section titles because page numbers vary by device.
Introduction
Prepare for the lesson
Jacob has spent years striving, bargaining, and protecting himself. In Genesis 31-32, God brings him out of Laban's household, forces him to face Esau, and wrestles away his self-reliance so that he can walk forward both broken and blessed.
Learning objectives
- See how God uses prolonged pressure to shape character.
- Recognize Jacob's movement from self-protection toward prayer.
- Understand the meaning of wrestling, weakness, blessing, and a new name.
- Embrace dependence on God as essential to spiritual maturity.
Lesson outline
Follow the main teaching
God calls Jacob to return
Jacob must leave Laban and face the unresolved past.
Separation and confrontation
The departure exposes conflict, but God restrains Laban and preserves Jacob.
Fear of Esau
Jacob divides his camp, plans carefully, and finally pours out his fear before God.
Wrestling through the night
Jacob clings for blessing and receives a disabling touch.
A new name and a new walk
Israel moves forward marked by grace, weakness, and dependence.
Class discussion
Reflect and apply
- How had Laban's household trained and tested Jacob?
- What did fear of Esau expose in Jacob?
- How does Jacob's prayer show growth?
- Why are both blessing and weakness central to the wrestling scene?
- Where is God seeking to replace self-reliance with dependence?