Tag Archives: Genesis

Jacob has Children (Gen 29: 31-35, 30: 1-24)

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Bible Summary:

Since Jacob loves Leah less, the Lord gives her children but not Rachel.  Leah has four sons, including Reuben, and expects Jacob to love her more after each one.

Jealous Rachel tells Jacob to give her children.  He erupts that God is to blame for her lack of children.  Rachel gives Jacob her slave Bilhah so she can have a child and ends up with two sons.  Not to be one-upped, once Leah stops having children she gives Jacob her slave Zilpah who then has two sons.

One day, Rachel asks Reuben for some mandrakes.  Leah complains that she has already taken her husband.  Rachel bargains a night with Jacob for the mandrakes.  Leah becomes pregnant again with a son and later has another and a daughter.

Then God answers Rachel’s prayers and gives her a son, Joseph.

My Thoughts:

Change Fallacy: Expecting someone in your life to change after some significant event is achieved is a recipe for heartbreak.  That person has likely been that way their whole life and will not change unless they choose to change.  Your choices are: (1) talk to the person about the issue and ask if they will change, (2) accept the person for who they are, foibles and all, or (3) leave the situation.

I suspect that second marriages are more successful because people learn the grass is not always greener.  Having been through it once before, they realize nobody is perfect and then accept those foibles.  So, take a deep breath and try to look beyond those idiosyncrasies, try to find those reasons you got married in the first place and nurture them.  Try to talk.

Blaming God: This story blames God for controlling Rachel’s ability to have children.  We all like to blame God for our misfortune.  Why doesn’t He give us what we want so badly right when we pray for it?  I love the movie Bruce Almighty when he says “Yes” to all the prayers and chaos ensures.  Sometimes your prayers are answered later, maybe years later.  Other times they are not answered but something even better happens.  Try not to blame God next time, but look for the reason.  What are you supposed to learn?  And by all means, thank God when your prayers come true.

Jacob Marries (Gen 29: 1-30)

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Bible Summary:

Jacob arrives at Uncle Laban’s well, meets his daughter Rachel, and falls in love.  Laban runs out to meet Jacob, invites him to the house, and Jacob stays for a month.  Laban tells Jacob he should not work for free, so asks his price.  Jacob admits he loves Rachel and is willing to work seven years for her hand in marriage.  Laban agrees.

After seven years, Laban gives a wedding feast but then brings his eldest daughter Leah to Jacob for the night.  Jacob does not realize the trick until the morning and then confronts Laban.  Laban says it is custom for the oldest daughter to marry first, but if Jacob will agree to seven more years of labor, he can marry Rachel at the end of the weeklong marriage celebration.  Jacob agrees and Rachel becomes his wife at the end of the week. Jacob works for Laban for another seven years.

My Thought:

For Love: What would you do for love?  Jacob endures 14 years of labor and being tricked into marrying someone he is not really interested in.  The customs of that time and culture are vastly different, but the fairytale of love rings true to this day.  Divorce seems more the truth of today.  True love is very hard to come by.  Maybe Jacob had it right, to wait until they were older and more mature before getting married.

Jacob’s Ladder (Gen 28)

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Bible Summary:

Rebecca tells Isaac she is sick and tired of Esau’s foreign wives and would just die if Jacob marries one of the Hittite girls.  Isaac sends Jacob to Mesopotamia to marry one of Uncle Laban’s daughters and blesses him to receive many children, so he will become the father of many nations.

Esau learns of this new blessing, Jacob’s leaving, and that Isaac does not approve of local women, so he marries one of his Uncle Ishmael’s daughters.

On the way to Uncle Laban’s, Jacob camps overnight and dreams of a stairway to heaven, with angels going up and down.  God stands beside him and promises many descendants and the land he is lying on, and blesses all these nations through Jacob.  God tells Jacob He will protect him wherever he goes and will bring him back safely to this land.

Jacob wakes and becomes frightened since this must be the house of God with a gate that opens to heaven.  The next morning, Jacob dedicates a memorial to God and renames the place Bethel.  He vows upon his safe return to worship God there and give Him a tenth of everything he is given.

My Thoughts:

Marry Your Kind: The message is pretty clear that the author thought Hebrews should marry their kind and not foreigners, especially since biblical patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob married other Hebrews.  My opinion is that we are all of the humankind and no one is a foreigner.  Differences between us are only manmade.

Jacob’s Ladder: Led Zepplin aside, this stairway to heaven is also known as Jacob’s Ladder in other Bibles.  I believe this story is the beginning of formal religion with a vow by Jacob to worship God at Bethel.  I don’t understand why Jacob would be frightened though. He just saw God who vowed to take care of him.  Seems to be the religious establishment putting fear into people that they need to worship God and tithe.

Tithing:  There is a lot of debate about tithing, especially since a few have taken advantage of it and are now living in multi-million dollar homes from donations of their members.  I believe tithing is healthy, but in your own way.  Give some to your church, temple, or mosque, some to charities, and to others you know really need help.  I’m not sure 10% is the magic number, so give what you feel is appropriate.  If you are short on money, give your time and expertise by volunteering, even if only a couple times a year.

The key to tithing is in the giving.  It is about thinking of others, thinking of the greater good, and making a difference on a regular basis.  This is what I believe is pleasing to God.

Isaac Blesses Jacob (Gen 27)

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Bible Summary:

Old and blind Isaac sends his eldest son Esau out to hunt for a tasty dinner after which Isaac will give him his blessing.  Isaac’s wife Rebecca overhears and helps their younger son Jacob disguise himself as Esau so he can receive the blessing instead.  She even agrees to accept any curse if the deceit is discovered.

Isaac does not believe Jacob is Esau, so tests him in several ways.  With Rebecca’s help, Jacob passes all the tests and Isaac gives him his final blessing.

Esau returns and discovers he has been cheated out of his blessing.  Esau cries and pleads for any blessing from Isaac.  Isaac says the blessing is final and forever, that Esau is now Jacob slave along with all their other relatives, and that Esau will “live by the sword, be his brother slave, rebel, and break away from his control.”

Esau hates Jacob and plots to kill him when their father dies.  Rebecca overhears the plan and tells Jacob to live with her brother Laban far away until Esau cools off.

My Thoughts:

Is Deceit Good? Okay, on the surface, this story is right out of a Hollywood film, with favoritism, deceit, lies, mother and brother against father and brother, and revenge.  It makes for a captivating story, but what is the lesson?  Is deceit really good?  It seems to work well for Jacob.  Do you need to be cunning and do whatever it takes, even against your brother, so you can get ahead?

Following God’s Will:  Rebecca is the instigator in this story. She listens to other peoples’ conversations and guides Jacob into deceiving father and brother even though he knows it is wrong.  However, maybe Rebecca is just following God’s will. In Genesis 25, she is told by God that “the older will serve the younger”. Maybe this is why she takes extra care of Jacob and makes sure he receives the power God intended.

Verbal Contracts are Binding: Isaac sticks by his word even though he gave the blessing to the wrong person through deception.  Maybe Esau should have stuck to his word and told his father about selling his birthright to Jacob.

You know, if our word was our bond today, then we would not have hundred page legal documents for every transaction between people.  Of course, no one likes to get deceived either!

Family can be tough: Boy, you thought your family was bad.  No matter how bad things are, you can always find someone else in a worse situation, like Esau.  Be thankful for your blessings.

Self-Help Tip: I think Rebecca has a great tip for Jacob to leave until Esau cools off.  This can also work the other way: if you are angry, you can go to another room or leave until you cool off.

NOTE: no matter how much I try to be objective, I still don’t like the deceit, especially against family members, in this story!

Isaac Survives a Famine (Gen 26)

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Bible Summary:

Another famine hits Canaan. The Lord tells Isaac not to go to Egypt but stay in the lands near Canaan that He promised Abraham, so Isaac moves to the land of Philistines.

Isaac tells everyone Rebecca is his sister for fear they will kill him for his beautiful wife. King Abimelech sees Isaac and Rebecca making love, so challenges Isaac about the lie. Isaac tells the king of his fear, so Abimelech warns his people not to mistreat them or be put to death.

Isaac becomes a farmer, reaps a hundred times as much as he sows, and becomes a very rich man. The Philistines become jealous and fill Isaac’s wells, plus King Abimelech asks Isaac to leave.

Isaac moves twice and digs new wells. Each time the shepherds of the area quarrel over the water, so Isaac moves on. With no dispute after the third move, Isaac stays and names the well “Freedom”.

Isaac then leaves for Beersheba. God appears and tells Isaac not to fear because He is with him. Abimelech shows up with an advisor and army commander to make a peace agreement since Isaac was close to God. They celebrate with a feast.

My Thoughts:

Wife as Sister Again: Isaac pulls the same stunt as Abraham did to Abimelech in Genesis 20 by telling everyone his wife is his sister. Maybe the fear of being killed for his wife is real since they are foreigners. Things were a lot different back then.

Isaac Rich Again: I guess Isaac must have lost his inheritance during the famine, likely spent on the only remaining food, since this story says he becomes rich in the new lands. Farming seems somewhat of a break from shepherding for Isaac, though he still has sheep per the quarreling over the wells. Farming is a natural response to famine though.

Do Not Fear: God says, “Do not be afraid; I am with you.”  God is always with us, each and every one of us.  I love the poem Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson.  It helps me remember that God is there, even when things are not going well.

Abraham’s Immediate Descendants (Gen 25)

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Bible Summary:

After Sarah died, Abraham married again and had six more children.  He gave them presents and sent them east, away from Isaac.  Abraham died at 175.  Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave next to Sarah.

Ishmael had twelve sons who were ancestors of twelve tribes that lived east of Egypt but away from Isaac’s descendants. He lived to 137.

Isaac was forty when he married Rebecca.  She became pregnant with twins that fought each other in the womb.  She asked the Lord why and he said two rival nations were within her.  The twins, Esau and Jacob, were born.

Esau became a hunter who loved the outdoors.  Jacob was quiet and stayed at home. Isaac preferred Esau and the food he brought home.  Rebecca preferred Jacob.

One day Esau returned home famished and demanded some soup from Jacob. Jacob agreed in exchange for Esau’s vow to give him the first-born rights.  Esau agreed, ate the bread and soup, and left, which was all he cared for his birthright.

My Thoughts:

Carelessness: I believe Esau is the main point of this story.  Esau’s carefree ways are in stark contrast to Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob’s concerns with preparing for a vast nation of descendants.  Esau is more interested in hunting, which as we learned during Cain and Able is not the family business of tending sheep, and is willing to give up his birth-right for some bread and a bowl of soup.  I am sure the storytellers of old emphasized how Esau’s carelessness cost him greatly.

Borrowed Future: This story rings true today.  Most people are more interested in a bigger house, a better car, and the latest technology than caring for future generations. The politicians have run the United States and many other “developed” countries into a hole.  They care more about trading favors and “what’s in it for me” than truly solving our countries’ ills.

The U.S. National Debt is quickly approaching $15 trillion (see National Debt Clock.  Note: click the World Debt button there for other countries), which does not include coming Social Security and Medicare shortfalls.  Who’s going to pay for this debt?  Not the people that used it.  They are dead, retired, or soon retiring now.  The federal debt really started to grow around 1980 (see Debt Graph) – about the time the carefree hippies of the sixties reached their forties and started running things.  Hmm?

Sorry for getting off the Bible.

A Wife for Isaac (Gen 24)

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Bible Summary:

Abraham wants to find a wife for his son Isaac from his own people back in northern Mesopotamia.  He sends a servant, but tells him under no circumstance is Isaac to go there since God promised them the land of Canaan.

The servant takes ten camels, stops at a well outside the city, and prays to God to let the woman that offers him and his camels water to become Isaac’s wife.  Rebecca, a beautiful virgin and second cousin to Isaac, fulfills the water offer.  The servant gives her gold jewelry.  She says they can stay at her father’s place and leaves to tell him.

Rebecca’s brother Laban returns to bring the servant to their home.  The servant tells Rebecca’s family about Abraham, how Sarah died, and that Isaac is to inherit great wealth. Rebecca’s father Bethuel and Laban say Rebecca can go since God decided the matter. The servant gives expensive gifts to Rebecca, Laban, and her mother.  Laban and their mother ask if Rebecca can stay home for 7-10 days before leaving, but the servant wants to leave immediately, so they ask Rebecca and she agrees to leave right away.

Rebecca’s family gives her a blessing, “May you, sister, become the mother of millions! May your descendents conquer the cities of their enemies.”

Upon the servant’s return to Canaan, Isaac meets them in a field.  Rebecca covers her face with a scarf.  The servant retells everything to Isaac.  Isaac takes Rebecca into his mother’s old tent and she becomes his wife.  Isaac loves Rebecca and is comforted for the loss of his mother.

My Thoughts:

The First Princess Fairy Tale: The king, Abraham, wants a nice princess for his son. Isaac.  The king searches for said princess in a land of his ancestors far, far, away. Rebecca does the right thing, serving others, to be worthy of being a true princess.  She and her family are glad to join such a rich family.  Her mother and brother want her to stay just a little longer, but alas she agrees to leave forthwith to be with her betrothed.  Isaac takes his princess to his mother’s old castle and makes her, Rebecca, his wife.  Isaac loves Rebecca.  The end.

Kind of sounds like Cinderella and many of the other princess stories, doesn’t it?  I think this one from about 4,000 years ago was likely first!

Foreshadowing: This is a great story.  I am sure the “conquer the cities of their enemies” is foretelling some future events.  The suspense is killing me.

Money: This story shows that the pursuit of money has been around for thousands of years.  Money can buy nice things, but not always happiness.  The real challenge of money is to know when you have enough.  Most people continue to strive for more and never stop to “smell the roses” until it is too late: a health problem surfaces, they become too old to enjoy it, or they lose the one they wanted to share it with.  Be sure to enjoy life and your family along the way.

Abraham Buries Sarah (Gen 23)

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Bible Summary:

Abraham mourned Sarah’s death at age 127.  He asked the Hittites three times to sell him, a foreigner, some land to bury his wife.  Each time they offered to “give” him the land.  On the last response, a high ranking Hittite mentioned the land was only worth 400 pieces of silver anyway, so Abraham paid him that amount and the land became his.

My Thoughts:

Ownership: I believe Abraham wanted to own the land to ensure his beloved wife’s burial site would be safe for generations to come.  He knew they or future generation could not renege on the “gift” if he bought the land.

Foreigner: Even more than thirty years after moving there, Abraham was still considered a foreigner in Canaan (modern day Israel).  It is so hard to accept new people.  They are “different” in how they dress, what they eat, and how they act.  We fear they will take over our area, that they will change things.

I know in America we were all new at some point in our family’s past, except maybe the Native Americans.  This newness fades after we live in the same neighborhood, become friends, and “they” become “us” over years.  Please remember this the next time someone “different” moves in next door.  Introduce yourself so you can speed up this “getting to us” process.  The world would be at peace if we all realized we are “us” and there is no “them”.

God’s Ultimate Test for Abraham (Gen 22)

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Bible Summary:

God demands the ultimate test of Abraham, the sacrifice of his son Isaac.  Abraham takes Isaac on a three day journey to the mountains.  Isaac asks where the lamb is for the sacrifice.  Abraham says God will provide one and then a little later ties Isaac to an altar and goes after him with a knife.  An angel of the Lord stops Abraham and provides him a ram to sacrifice instead.   From heaven, God tells Abraham he will richly reward him for his obedience with “as many descendants as there are stars in the sky.”

My Thoughts:

Loyalty: I guess God needed to test Abraham’s loyalty since he didn’t believe Isaac could be born to him and Sarah at such an advanced age (Gen 17 & Gen 18).  Being a parent, I find it amazing that Abraham could even try to go through with killing his own son.  But, Abraham proved true to God.

Belief: The Jewish people “believe” they are the chosen ones of God because of stories like this, which helps them “act” like chosen ones.  In reality, we are all chosen ones, no matter who you are!  I challenge you to believe you are a chosen one of God and act like it. You will be surprise how your life will improve.

STOP: Do NOT try to kill your child based on this Bible story.  Please contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 if you need help.

Isaac is Born (Gen 21)

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Bible Summary:

In her nineties, Sarah gives birth to a son for Abraham as God said would happen. Abraham circumcises his son Isaac as God commanded.  Sarah tells Abraham to send the slave Hagar and his son by her Ishmael away without any of his wealth.  God tells Abraham not to worry about Ishmael, since he will father a great nation too.  Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, but God watches out for them in the desert.  Ishmael grows into a skillful hunter and Hagar gets him an Egyptian wife.

My Thoughts:

Fulfilling Promises: God fulfills his promise to Abraham by giving him a son by his wife. Abraham reciprocates by circumcising Isaac.  I am sure this is the point where Abraham and Sarah finally believe in God and his promise that they will have many descendants. No more laughing disbelief from them.

God Cares for Ishmael: Even though Ishmael is out of favor with the chosen family of Abraham, God still cares for him.  The Old Testament is a story passed down over many centuries by one line of people, so they will naturally show themselves in a better light. However, God loves and cares for us all just the same.