“February 21–27. Genesis 24–27: The Covenant Is Renewed,” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 (2021)
“February 21–27. Genesis 24–27,” Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: 2022
Illustration of Rebekah by Dilleen Marsh
February 21–27
Genesis 24–27
The Covenant Is Renewed
As you read Genesis 24–27, pay attention to spiritual insights you receive. Pray to know how the principles you find are relevant to your life.
Record Your Impressions
God’s covenant with Abraham included the promise that through Abraham and his posterity “shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Abraham 2:11). That’s not a promise that could be fulfilled in one generation: in many ways, the Bible is the story of God’s ongoing fulfilment of His promise. And He began by renewing the covenant with the family of Isaac and Rebekah. Through their experiences, we learn something about being part of the covenant. Their examples teach us about kindness, patience, and trust in God’s promised blessings. And we learn that it’s well worth giving up any worldly “pottage” (Genesis 25:30) in order to secure God’s blessings for ourselves and our children for generations to come.
Ideas for Personal Scripture Study
Marriage is essential to God’s eternal plan.
Today many people make marriage a low priority or even consider it a burden. Abraham had a different perspective—to him, the marriage of his son Isaac was of highest importance. Why do you think it was so important to him? As you read Genesis 24, think about the importance of marriage in God’s plan of salvation. You might also read Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s message “Why Marriage, Why Family” (Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 50–53) and consider why “a family built on the marriage of a man and woman supplies the best setting for God’s plan to thrive” (page 52).
Questions like the following might help you consider other important principles in this chapter:
Genesis 24:1–14. What did Abraham and his servant do to include the Lord in their efforts to find a wife for Isaac?
Genesis 24:15–28, 55–60. What qualities do you find in Rebekah that you would like to emulate?
What other insights do you find?
See also Doctrine and Covenants 131:1–4; “The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
I can choose between immediate gratification and things of greater value.
In Abraham’s culture, the oldest son in a family typically received a position of leadership and privilege, called the birthright. This son received a greater inheritance from his parents, along with greater responsibilities for caring for the rest of the family.
As you read Genesis 25:29–34, consider why Esau might have been willing to give up his birthright in exchange for a meal. What lessons do you find for yourself in this account? For example, is there any “pottage” that is distracting you from blessings that are of most value to you? What are you doing to focus on and appreciate these blessings?
See also Matthew 6:19–33; 2 Nephi 9:51; M. Russell Ballard, “What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2005, 41–44.
The Abrahamic covenant was renewed through Isaac.
The covenant God made with Abraham was intended to continue through many generations, so Abraham and Sarah’s legacy of covenant keeping would need to be passed down to Isaac, Jacob, and other faithful women and men among their posterity. As you read Genesis 26:1–5, look for some of the blessings of the covenant that God mentioned. What do you learn about God from these verses?
Jesus Christ is the well of living water.
You may notice that wells and springs and other water sources play important roles in many Old Testament stories. This isn’t surprising, because most of these stories happened in very dry places. As you read in Genesis 26 about Isaac’s wells, ponder what water may symbolize in the scriptures. What insights do you find about spiritual wells of “living water”? (see John 4:10–15). How are you digging spiritual wells in your life? How is the Savior like living water to you? Note that the Philistines had “stopped” the wells (see Genesis 26:18). Is there anything in your life that is stopping your wells of living water?
A well in ancient Beer-sheba, where Abraham and Isaac dug wells.
Were Rebekah and Jacob wrong to deceive Isaac?
We don’t know the reasons behind the approach Rebekah and Jacob used to obtain a blessing for Jacob. It is helpful to remember that the Old Testament as we now have it is incomplete (see Moses 1:23, 41). There may be information missing from the original records that would explain what might seem troubling to us. However, we do know that it was God’s will for Jacob to receive the blessing from Isaac because Rebekah had a revelation that Jacob was to rule over Esau (see Genesis 25:23). After Isaac acknowledged that he had blessed Jacob instead of Esau, he affirmed that Jacob “shall be blessed” (Genesis 27:33)—suggesting that God’s will had been accomplished.
Ideas for Family Scripture Study and Home Evening
-
Genesis 24:2–4, 32–48.Abraham asked a trusted servant to find a wife for Isaac, and the servant covenanted with Abraham that he would. How did Abraham’s servant show faithfulness in keeping his covenant? How can we follow his example?
-
Genesis 24:15–28, 55–60.Your family could look in these verses for attributes that made Rebekah a worthy eternal companion for Isaac. Encourage family members to pick one of these attributes that they feel they should develop.
-
Genesis 25:19–34; 27.To review the stories of how Esau’s birthright and blessing came to Jacob instead, you could write the sentences from “Jacob and Esau” (in Old Testament Stories) on separate strips of paper. Family members could work together to put the sentences in the correct order.
As you discuss Esau selling his birthright, you might also talk about what matters most to your family, like your relationships with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Perhaps family members could find objects or pictures that represent what they consider to be of eternal value. Let them explain why they chose those things.
-
Genesis 26:3–5.To help your family understand the Abrahamic covenant, you could invite them to find the promises described in these verses. Why is it important for us to know about these promises today? (see “Thoughts to Keep in Mind: The Covenant,” in this resource).
-
Genesis 26:18–25, 32–33.Why are wells important? How is Jesus Christ like a well of water?
For more ideas for teaching children, see this week’s outline in Come, Follow Me—For Primary.
Suggested song: “Choose the Right,” Hymns, no. 239.
Improving Personal Study
Memorize a scripture. Elder Richard G. Scott taught, “A memorized scripture becomes an enduring friend that is not weakened with the passage of time” (“The Power of Scripture,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 6).
Esau Sells His Birthright to Jacob, by Glen S. Hopkinson