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“Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD.” — Isaiah 1:18
Come, Follow Me · Old Testament 2026 · Week 10
“Let God Prevail”
March 2–8, 2026Genesis 24–3310 chapters · 389 verses
The covenant passes to a new generation. Rebekah leaves home to marry Isaac. Their twin sons struggle before they're born, and Jacob gains the birthright and the blessing through bargaining and deception. Fleeing his brother, Jacob sees a ladder to heaven, serves twenty years for his family, and wrestles until dawn for a blessing. He comes away with a new name: Israel.
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Place
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Study guide
These chapters follow one family through love, rivalry, deception and reconciliation, and show the covenant surviving through flawed people.
How to read this week
Expect flawed heroes. Jacob bargains and deceives, and is deceived in return. Genesis doesn't excuse him. It shows God working patiently with him until he becomes Israel.
Follow the theme of the firstborn. Again and again the younger son is chosen: Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, later Joseph and Ephraim. God's choices aren't bound by birth order.
Watch Jacob's encounters with God. At Bethel (ch. 28) he's running away; at Peniel (ch. 32) he's coming home. Both times God meets him, and both places get new names.
Notice the faces. Jacob sees God “face to face” at Peniel (32:30), then tells Esau his face is “as though I had seen the face of God” (33:10). Reconciliation follows his encounter with God.
Keep track of the children. The names Leah and Rachel give their sons (29:31–30:24) reveal their hopes and heartaches. These sons become the tribes of Israel.
Jacob's story
Ch. 24 — Rebekah marries Isaac
Ch. 25 — Twins born; Esau sells the birthright
Ch. 27 — Jacob receives Isaac's blessing; flees from Esau
Ch. 28 — The ladder at Bethel
Chs. 29–30 — Twenty years in Haran; eleven sons born
Ch. 31 — Jacob returns toward Canaan
Ch. 32 — Jacob wrestles at Peniel and becomes Israel
Ch. 33 — Jacob and Esau reconcile
Images and ideas to recognize
Passage
Image
What it means
Gen 25:30–34
Red pottage
Trading eternal blessings for momentary appetite.
Gen 28:12
The ladder
A connection between heaven and earth; often linked to temple covenants.
Gen 28:18
Pillar anointed with oil
Marking a sacred place of covenant.
Gen 32:24
Wrestling until dawn
Striving with God in prayer for a blessing.
Gen 32:28
The new name Israel
A changed identity; “let God prevail.”
Gen 32:31
The limp
A lasting reminder of an encounter with God.
Restoration connections
Enos 1:2–8 — Enos describes his “wrestle” before God, echoing Jacob.
D&C 132:37 — Isaac and Jacob “have entered into their exaltation.”
D&C 131:1–4 — Eternal marriage and the highest degree of the celestial kingdom.
Bible Dictionary, “Israel” — The name's meanings and its use for the covenant people.
Questions for the week
Esau traded his birthright for something immediate. What immediate wants compete with eternal priorities in your life (25:29–34)?
Where is your “Bethel,” a place where you feel the Lord is near (28:16–17)?
What blessing are you wrestling for? What helps you hold on until it comes (32:24–26)?
What would it mean for you to “let God prevail” in a specific area of your life?
Is there someone you need to reconcile with, as Jacob and Esau did (33:4)?
Conference talks & Church resources
Talks the Church's lesson points to this week, plus other Church resources that teach from these chapters.
Scholarly papers
Faithful scholarship from BYU and related publishers, tagged with the chapters each one discusses.
Podcasts & video
Come, Follow Me shows and episodes covering this week's reading.