“Different Strokes”

“Different Strokes”

Genesis 25:21-24
“Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. 22) But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the Lord about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked. 23) And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son. 24) And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered
that she did indeed have twins!” (NLT)

I. Different Family Capabilities
Listed below are relatives in the Bible and how their skill sets were different.

1. Cain was a and Abel a .
Genesis 4:2
“Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel. When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground.” (NLT)

2. Esau was a and Jacob was a .
Genesis 25:27
“As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoorsman, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home.” (NLT)

3. Joseph was an and his brothers were .
Genesis 41:41
“Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I hereby put you in charge of the entire land of Egypt.” (NLT)

Genesis 46:31-32
“And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s entire family, “I will go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s entire family have come to me from the land of Canaan. 32) These men are shepherds, and they raise livestock. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own.’” (NLT)

4. David was a and Solomon was a .
1 Samuel 16:23
“And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David would
play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit would go away.” (NLT)

1 Kings 6:2
“The Temple that King Solomon built for the LORD was 90 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 45 feet high.” (NLT)

5. The Proverbs 31 Woman was an and her husband was a .
Proverbs 31:16, 23
“She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard. 23) Her husband is well known at the city gates, where he sits with the other civic leaders.” (NLT)

II. Different Family Negativities
Listed below are relatives in the Bible and the household issues they displayed.

1. Abraham and Sarah displayed in their household.
Genesis 16:1-2, 4-6
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2) So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. 4) So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. 5) Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!” 6) Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.” (NLT)

2. Issac and Rebekah displayed in their household.
Genesis 25:28
“Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (NLT)

3. Joseph’s brothers displayed in their household.
Genesis 37:3-4
“Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph
had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 4) But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.” (NLT)

4. Miriam and Aaron displayed in their household.
Numbers 12:1
“While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because he had married a Cushite woman.” (NLT)

5. Hophni and Phinehas displayed in their household.
1 Samuel 2:12-14
“Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels who had no respect for the Lord 13) or for their duties as priests. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three-pronged fork. While the meat of the sacrificed animal was still boiling, 14) the servant would stick the fork into the pot and demand that whatever it brought up be given to Eli’s sons. All the Israelites who came to worship at Shiloh were treated this way.” (NLT)

III. Different Family Personalities
Listed below are relatives in the Bible and how they differed.

1. Moses was a and Aaron was a .
Exodus 4:10, 14
“But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” 14) Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you.” (NLT)

2. Nabal was and Abigail was .
1 Samuel 25:2-3
“There was a wealthy man from Maon who owned property near the town of Carmel. He had 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats, and it was sheep-shearing time. 3) This man’s name was Nabal, and his wife, Abigail, was a sensible and beautiful woman. But Nabal, a descendant of Caleb, was crude and mean in all his dealings.” (NLT)

3. Joseph was and Mary was .
Matthew 1:18-20
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19) Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 20) As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.” (NLT)

Luke 1:26-29, 35, 38
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27) to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28) Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you!” 29) Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 35) The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 38) Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.” (NLT)

4. Martha was a and Mary was a .
Luke 10:38-42
“As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39) Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40) But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41) But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42) There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” (NLT)

5. The Younger Son was and the Older Son was .
Luke 15:17-19, 25-28
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! 18) I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, 19) and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ 25) “Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, 26) and he asked one of the servants what was going on. 27) ‘Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ 28) “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him.” (NLT)

IV. Different Family Responsibilities
Please share the differences in duties that take place or took place in your household.

(MULTILINE)