Tag Archive | Jacob & Esau

#2024 GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 23

Jan23

   Day 23 —  Won’t you read the Bible with me this year?   It only takes a few minutes.  (You can also listen to an audio recording.)

   Day 23 – Genesis 32 – 34 (Jacob goes home)

In yesterday’s reading we saw Jacob being confronted by his father-in-law. He will face more crises today.

Chapter 32. After leaving Laban and before he meets his supposedly blood-thirsty brother Esau, God sends a host of angels to encourage him. (He’s going to need that!)

He’s sent a message to Esau that he is returning home and hopes to find favor (not fury) in his brother’s eyes.  The message comes back that Esau is coming to meet him…… with 400 men. YIKES!  (Remember Abe’s 318 men who fought kings and rescued Lot?)

Jacob divides his camp in two, hoping to save some of them, and asks for help and deliverance from the God of his grandfather and his father (not his own yet). He remembers that God had promised to be with him and to make his offspring numerous as the sand.  Then, still trusting in his OWN methods, he sends Esau a humongous gift of animals to appease him. And then he waits.

That night, God, Himself meets and wrestles with Jacob. He changes his name to Israel (champion with God) and blesses him. He also cripples Jacob’s hip to remind him Who really got the upper hand. Jacob realizes he’s “seen” God for himself.

Chapter 33. Taking one more precaution against the Esau-crisis, Jacob arranges his family in preferance of who he loves most. The servant girls and their boys in front, Leah, her sons & daughter next, and his beloved wife Rachel and favorite son Joseph at the very back. Then he turns to face his “avenging” brother.

But miracle of miracles! Esau runs to meet his long lost sibling and embraces him (and there is no dagger in his hand!). Introductions are made all around, Jacob/Israel is humble towards Esau, and Esau is gracious towards his “cheater” brother. They both go their way in peace.

Whew. Crisis number two averted, by God hand, again.

Jacob/Israel and his huge (intact) family and still an abundance of animals, turn West, cross the Jordan River and re-enter the Promised Land. He settles in Shechem and buys some land, including a well from the local head honcho. (betware, Jacob!!)

In Chapter 34, a set of horrible disasters plays out. First Jacob & Leah’s daughter Dinah is raped. The man, and his father, the local king barter for her. (Lets all intermarry and be one happy family.)  Unfortunately, Jacob does not meet this crisis head on. It’s left to Simeon and Levi, full brothers to Dinah to revenge their sister’s defilement.  They murder not only the man and his father, but ALL the men in the town. They also plundered the city – all their wealth, all their little ones and wives, all that was in their houses.

Whoa. (Certainly not the ‘eye for an eye’ concept that God had set in place hundreds of years ago.)

Jacob is aghast and ashamed… and fearful. He thinks he’s doomed now, by the hands of all the surrounding Canaanites. “I stink in their sight,” he moans. And they hastily move on.

On his journey home, he’s had to deal with Laban, Esau, and now the pagans in the land that God promised his offspring.  He’s nearly 100 now, and responsible for so many people. He’s at a very low point.

But God meets him in the pit and raises him up. (tomorrow’s reading)

#2024 GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 21 & 22

Jan22

    Day 21 & 22 — (I combine Sunday and Monday reads.)  Won’t you read the Bible with me this year?   It only takes a few minutes.  (You can also listen to an audio recording.)

   Day 21 – Genesis 27-29  (Isaac & sons, Jacob on his own)

Chapter 27 tells us that Isaac is getting old and blind. He is 137 years old (the age his half-brother, Ishmael died, and he assumes his death is coming soon. But Genesis 35:28 tells us he actually will live another 43 years and die at 180!!!)

But that was his frame-of-mind when he decided to bestow the “Blessing” on his older son, Esau (whom he loved best, because of the food he brought. Hmm, like father, like son: food would be his downfall!)  He asks Esau to go hunt for some fresh meat, cook it, and bring it to him so he could bless him.  Exit Esau, Meanwhile behind the tent flap Rebekah & Jacob eavesdrop.  And Mom sets a plan into action that will eventually deprive her of her favorite son for the rest of her life.

Together, with like-tasting venison-stew, kid leather hand and neck coverigs, and a stolen robe of Esau’s they TRICK old Isaac into blessing Jacob.  Now God had already promised this, and might have brought it about in an amicable way, but Mom couldn’t chance. it.  The ruse goes off, with only a few suspicious questions, and Jacob receives the Patriarchal Blessing. But is he blessed?  You decide.

Esau returns and blows up at the trick. He now has neither Birthright or Blessing. He threatens to kill his brother (as soon as their father dies). Rebekah is frightened he WILL do it, and convinces her husband to send Jacob off to her brother Laben’s family “to get a non-pagen wife.”  Remember Esau’s Hittite wives who were bitterness for her and Isaac.

Chapter 28, it sounds good to Isaac and he sends Jacob off to Haran, where his very own wife came from. Sadly Rebekah never sees her fave boy again. She dies before he comes back.

Too bad they hadn’t know Proverbs 3:5-6.

Heading north, Jacob stops at a place he renames Beth-el (house of God) and has a fantastic dream about a ladder stretching from earth to heaven, and angels going up and down on it.  (Remember the song about climbing Jacob’s Ladder?)  And the LORD, the God of Jacob’s fathers, appears and blesses him: his offspring as numerous as dust – the land theirs forever – all the nations to be blessed through his Offspring.

On top of that, God promises to be with Jacob always and will bring him back to The Land.  Jacob vows back to God, saying that if He will do all that, then the LORD will be Jacob’s God too.

Chapter 29 – Jacob reaches Haran, and (deja vu) he sees a woman coming to water her sheep who is of the very household he’s looking for. It’s love at first sight. Her father, Laban (Jacob’s uncle), agrees to give Rachel to him as a wife …. for seven years of free labor.  The years fly by.  The wedding feast comes, and he marries Laban’s veiled daughter.

Come morning… YIKES!!! Not the beautiful Rachel, but her older, not-so-pretty sister, Leah. Jacob complains to Laban. YOU TRICKED ME!  Ah, Jacob, you know how it feels now!  Laban says, oh, I forgot to tell you the oldest daughter gets married first. But no problem, Rachael can be yours for another seven years free labor.  A week later, Jacob now has two wives, and although LEAH is considered Jacob’s “prime wife” by God, Jacob always calls RACHEL his true wife.

Four sons are born to Jacob by Leah – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah (the son through whom the Messiah will come.)  Judah’s name means PRAISE because with him, Leah praised the LORD.

   Day 22 – Genesis 30 – 31

Chapter 30 begins with a MEGA STRIFE in Jacob’s household. He is bought, bartered, and traded between his two wives and their servent girls for his affections and his “power to impregnate”. Before the chapter is done, Jacob (at 91)  has eleven sons and a daughter and he thinks it’s time for him to “go home,” back to the Promised Land. Uncle Laban objects hotly. Jacob has been his “rain maker” and brought much prosperity to him.

ALLOW him leave?  NO!!!

In chapter 31 Jacob sighs and agrees to work a few more years, all the while plotting an outrageously weird plan to “cheat” Laban out of his best sheep and goats. Laban is conniving too, and switches the rules several times. (What a pair!) Jacob claims Laban cheated him TEN TIMES!

(Oh, Jacob, remember the lentil stew you traded for the Birthright? Remember the kid-leather gloves and claiming to be Esau to get the blessing…..?)

But God is sovereign in all, and Jacob prospers despite all the trickery.  Then God sends an angel to tell Jacob it’s time to, “go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.”

He takes his two wives out into a field and secretly tells them to pack up, that they are leaving.  And while Laban and his other sons are moving the sheep to another pasture, Jacob, all his women and kids and possessions exit Haran, gaining a 3-day lead on his father-in-law.

Laban is furious and takes some men in hot pursuit. But God sent a nightmare to Laban warning him, “Be careful not so say anything to Jacob, bad or good.”  Laban catches them and rants at Jacob. WHY have you tricked me? Why did you trick me?  It’s in my power to do your harm, but….. your God warned me not to.

At the end, he just asked to kiss his daughters and grandkids goodbye.  Things calm down, but then Laban drops a bombshell.  “I know you longed greatly for your father’s house…..but WHY DID YOU STEAL BY IDOLS?”

What???

Jacob swears he did NOT take them, and allows Laban to search all his tents, pronouncing a “curse of death” on anyone who has them. (Jacob will rue the-is day.)

But…Jacob did not know that Rachel — his beloved Rachel, his precious wife, the mother of his favorite son, Joseph — had taken the idols from her father’s house. She hid them under a camel’s saddle in her tent and sat on it, claiming to be in “the monthly way of women,” and not able to get up.

Jacob and Laban argue more, and finally agree on a mutual oath, that they would be “keeping an eye” on each other. The oath they swore has been taken as a benediction today, but it was originally a malediction.

“The LORD watch between you and me, when we are out of one another’s sight.”

And they set up a piller (like a line drawn in the sand) saying that neither one was to pass over it to do the other one harm.  “May God judge between us” they vow.

In the morning Laban kissed his grandchilddren and daughters and went home. Jacob went on the other way.

#2024 GOAL – Reading Through The Bible Chronologically, day 20

Jan20

Won’t you read the Bible with me this year?   It only takes a few minutes.  (You can also listen to an audio recording.)

   Day 20 – Genesis 25 – 26  (A new man, same old sin & brothers hate)

Let’s look at chapter 26 first and then attack the geneologies of chapter 25.

Another famine comes to the land. Remember what Abraham did when a famine came in HIS time and what happened as the result? This time the LORD appears to Isaac and tells him clearly, “DO NOT GO DOWN TO EGYPT, stay in this “promised land” and I will bless you. And God reaffirms the “Abrahamic blessing” to Isaac as well – offspring as numerous as the stars, the land given to them, and all nations blessed through his ultimate offspring.  Isaac obeys and stays.  But…..

Like father: like son. It’s hard to believe, but a fearful Isaac tells the men in Gerar that Rebekah is his sister!!!  This time is is not even half true. If anything they are cousins twice removed!   Anyway, it seems the king saw them kanoodling in the garden one day and confronted Isaac.  Our boy gives his weak excuse and Abimelech chastises him and warns all his people about him. Sheesh, Isaac!! Obey and then dismay your God.  And because Isaac was such a prosperous farmer, the Philistines were jealous of him and the king told him to, “go away!”

*Later Abimelech calls him back because he sees God has blessed Isaac and wants to get in on a little of that blessing.  After some squirmishes about the wells again, there is peace.

Okay back to the geneologies of chapter 25.

Before Abraham dies, he re-marries a woman named Keturah, who bears him six more sons who became the fathers of more nations on the East side of the Jordan. And they have grandsons for Abe as well. In verse 6, Keturah is called Abraham’s “concubine” which refers to a wife of “lesser status”.  Sarah is the prime wife, her son, Isaac, in the Messianic line.  Like with Ishmael, Abraham sends all these “secondary” sons away, because he KNOWS God has given the land and the blessings to Isaac.

Then at 175 years old, Abe dies.  (It’s interesting that he DID see his twin grandsons up to the age of 15.) Also interesting is that Ishmael returns and together he and Isaac bury their father in the cave of Machpelah, which Abraham had bought as a family burial place, and where Sarah was buried.

The progeny of Ishmael is listed, with twelve “princes” born from him, all settling far east of the promised land. Then at 137, he died.

The last part of chapter 25 begins the story of the twin boys born of Isaac and Rebekah twenty years after they were married.  When Isaac saw his wife was barren, he prayed and God heard his prayer.  When the the babes in her womb seemed to wrestle and struggle inside her, Rebekah prayed to the LORD.  And, interestingly, God prophesied to her about the boys. Two nations would come from her, they’d be divided, and the older would serve the younger. 

In time the boys wre born. The first one out had vibrant red hair (Esau, meaning ‘red’), the second one had smooth skin (somewhat like his character).  How fun that the second one (Jacob) had a hold of the firstborn’s heel when he was born.  He was called Jacob (grabber, supplanter).

Then we see a serious failing of these twice blessed parents.  Dad loved Esau best (he caught and brought Isaac, yummy venison).  And Mom loved Jacob best (he stayed home and helped around the house).

Trickster Jacob, one day cheated his minutely older brother out of his birthright (a double portion of all their father would leave to them). Esau was famished; Jacob was cooking some lentil stew (probably his mom’s famous recipe). Esau’s stomach growled and rumbled at the delectible smell. Jacob held out one hand with the stew and the other for Esau’s birthright. Esau “threw away” his birthright and gobbled the stew (sopping up the last with some fresh bread Jacob included).

Verse 34 says Esau DESPISED his birthright.  Later, Esau would DESPISE his brother and threaten to kill him.

Verses 34-35 of chapter 26 tell us that at 40, Esau married two Hittite women, and that they made life BITTER for Isaac and Rebekah.

Sigh.

Since the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, with brothers Cain and Abel, sin and strife has split and threatened brothers.  Sadly this won’t be the end of it.