This is the Book of beginnings. It documents the beginning of the world, beginning of humankind, fall of humankind, beginning of salvation by God's grace through human faith, beginning of languages, beginning of patriarchs of Israel
Often, discovering the author of the Bible Book might have some question or ambiguity that makes it difficult to name an author. Genesis is not in question. Jesus, Himself is quoted as attributing Genesis to Moses (John 5:45-47). His authorship was affirmed by Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus' time (Matthew 19:7; 22:24). The Hebrew word toledoth, applies to the first book of the Bible and is titled “Genesis” in the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Jewish Scriptures. The word means “beginning, origin,”¹ or generation and is a foundational theme that winds throughout the book.
Genesis was written for the people of Israel. As Moses led them out of slavery, he followed God's leading to document their lofty origins, and the history of their forefathers and some history about their origins. We see in Genesis the Adamic and the Abrahamic Covenants. We see the histories of Abram (Abraham), Isaac, Jacob (Israel, the beginnings of the twelve tribes of Israel and God's leadership and provision during the 40-year journey through the wilderness.
The writing of the Book of Genesis is generally accepted as coincident with Moses leading Israel out of captivity and slavery in Egypt or 1,400 years before Christ. It describes events dating back to the creation of the earth and all its inhabitants. The Scofield Reference Bible fixes that date as 4004 BC. Scientists, who typically believe that all things at the molecular level, have remained the same since the beginning of time say that the earth is 4.54 billion years old and that Adam and Eve lived between 99,000 and 156,000 years ago (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/topics/resource-library-age-earth/#:~:text=Earth%20is%20estimated%20to%20be,oldest%20rocks%20to%20radiometrically%20date. and https://www.nature.com/articles/nature.2013.13478 ).
The focus of the first eleven chapters of Genesis is on the general development of humankind. Once the great flood takes place, the focus change to a single family living in Mesopotamia. The man's name was Abram and Sarai (later changed to Abraham and Sarah by God, Gen 17:5, 15). These two began the family of Jewish patriarchs tracked trough Genesis and referenced throughout the remainder of the Bible.
Genesis establishes the earth and its inhabitants. In Chapter 12, it establishes the God-chosen family and race through which we can understand the relationship God wants to have with all His people. The transitions are sharp and sometimes very fast. The divine providence of God becomes obvious as He causes the family to move from one location to another in response to seasons of plenty and seasons of little. The Book ends with Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob (Israel), who was sold into slavery by the older ten sons of Israel, rescues the entire family out of starvation, has them well established in Egypt and many years later meets with his own, natural death. The Book of Exodus begins with the bad news, "Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph" (Ex 1:8). That king knew nothing of how Joseph led Egypt through seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine resulting in the dominance of Egypt throughout the region. Israel rapidly turned from Egypt savior to Egypt's slave nation.
Abraham (Abram) was called to the ministry by the LORD (Hebrew: Jehovah) and asked to leave his home and family in Ur of the Chaldes (far right). His other travels are shown in red. Isaac's travel was far less and almost entirely inside Canaan (purple). Jacob's travels are shown in blue.
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Understand the Context (Genesis 20:1-23:20)
We start the second quarter of our study in the Book of Genesis, the first Book of the Old Testament, with a topic that reveals how God works with us as His people. One of the questions that weighs on believers and nonbelievers, as well, is why do bad things happen to good people? As we completed our first quarter of study in Genesis, we transitioned to the starting place of God’s covenant with humankind. We met Abram and Sarai, and saw God choose them out of humankind as the beginning of a special people. He established a covenant with Abraham, as he would soon be known, as a man who would be the “father of many nations” (Gen 17:1-6). Earlier, when God initiated this discussion, Moses wrote, “And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Gen 15:6). That statement became the forerunner for showing people were made righteous by their faith in God through His grace. The Apostle Paul stated it as, “. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eoh 2:8-9). This is the foundation of the Abrahamic Covenant and a basic Bible truth. The belief in our heart that Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised again is the confession that causes our justification – being saved from the penalty of sin (Rom 10:9-10).
After accepting God’s offer of righteousness by our faith, through His grace, God begins to allow things into our lives that help us to grow in Him and move us closer to holiness – this is called sanctification or being saved from the power of our sin. Our final state will be in our glorification – being saved from the presence of sin, which will happen when we leave this earth to spend eternity in God’s presence – where we will be saved from the presence of sin.
These four chapters (Gen 20-23) show us the tests God allowed into Abraham’s life to help him grow. Some Abraham did very well with; others not so well. But either way, Abraham grew mightily as a man of God and leader among His people. These tests are also models for us to study and learn of how God will work with us in similar ways to help us grow.
In Chapter 20, Abraham’s faith in God is tested as he comes into the kingdom of King Abimelech who is noted for adding women to his harem at every opportunity. Abraham doubts God’s protection and tells the king Sarah is his sister rather than wife.
In Chapter 21, he and Sarah laugh at God’s promise of an heir being born to them as they will soon be 100 and 90 years old, respectively. God challenges Sarah on her laughter and she again fails the test by saying she never laughed.
Later in Chapter 21, Abraham fails to believe God can cause him to have a child with Sarah and allows her to use Hagar to mother Abraham’s child. Later Abraham is again tested when God tells him that Ishmael will not be his heir. Abraham doubted again. He also had another test under King Abimelech which he failed.
In Chapter 22, Abraham is tested by God asking him to sacrifice Isaac, he only son, to the Lord. Abraham succeeds in this test and carries out that sacrifice until God intervenes.
And finally in Chapter 23, Abraham succeeded in believing God when he purchased the burial cave for Sarah in the place God said would be his possession forever.
The Command (Genesis 22:1-3)
Now we focus on one of Abraham’s challenges from God to better understand what took place. Verse 22:1-2 states that God tempted Abraham. God got Abraham’s attention and said, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou loveth, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering…” (Gen 22:1-2). The command is clear, concise and easily understood. Understanding why God would ask this of Abraham is not easy. We know that God transcends all time, that is, God is not bounded by time like we are. God is at the creation, at the crucifixion, at the Rapture of the Saints and at the Second Coming all at the same instant. God knows the pain of “so loving the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Here, He is asking the same from Abraham, but not to save the whole world, rather to test his obedience. But consider this, Abraham took his only son, Isaac, to carry the wood of his own sacrifice up the hill of Mount Moriah to be sacrificed. God asked that of Abraham with the picture in His mind that He would have His only Son, Jesus, ascend the same the same hill (then named Calvary), carrying the wood of His sacrifice. One cannot help but think there was more on God’s mind than simply whether Abraham would obey.
But look at Abraham’s response. There is no record in Genesis 22 that Abraham spent a great deal of time deciding whether he should do as God directed. We can only speculate that Abraham figured that this God making the command was able to have a man of 100 and a woman of 90 have a child, why should he doubt that He could do it again if He really wanted Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Verse 3 says that Abraham got up the next morning, saddled his donkey, tasked two of his servants to accompany them, tied the wood on the beast, and departed for the place God told him to sacrifice Isaac. There is no doubt that Abraham did not understand what God was doing or why. There is also no doubt, however, that Abraham was on the way to sacrifice the son whom he waited for until he was over 100 years old.
The Climb (Genesis 22:4-8)
Now we see the third day of the trip. Abraham was approaching Mount Moriah and could see the place far off. Within sight of the place of the sacrifice, Abraham told the two young men who were helping him, to remain where they were. He said they should stay while he and the lad go to worship and will return them when finished.
Verse 6 shows Abraham loading the wood for the sacrifice on his son and taking the fire and a knife as he and his son headed off together to worship. Next, we hear Isaac speak up as he and his father travel toward the sacrificial site. Isaac asks, “My father, and he said , ‘Here am I, my son.’ And he said, ‘Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?’” (vs. 7) Verse 8 does not offer a lengthy answer explaining the command of the LORD. Abraham simply said, “My son, God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering.” “ So, they went both of them together” And that is the end of the information on the trip to the sacrificial site.
The Test (Genesis 22:9-12)
Abraham and Isaac arrived at the place designated for the sacrifice as God had directed him. Abraham set about the work of building the alter and making ready for the sacrifice. After carefully building the alter, Abraham arranged the wood on the alter. He heard no further instruction from God, so Abraham bound Isaac, his son, and laid him on the alter on top of the wood. The Scripture is silent on Isaac’s response to all this. Verse 10 unceremoniously states that “Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.” Abraham must have been thinking, “well, God is not going to stop me, so here it goes.”
Somehow an angel of the LORD (Hebrew Jehovah) called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham.” So, Abraham stopped and said, “Here am I” (vs. 11). The angel said, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” I can imagine there was a short time of cerebration before Abraham and Isaac continued. For Abraham, the relief of not having to offer his only son on the alter. The covenant that God gave must have made Abraham see the boy’s face with the millions of others who would have been impacted by him. He must of asked if God would provide another son or would God change the mission He had told Abraham he was to keep or would the promise be fulfilled another way.
Anyway, the episode of Abraham offering his own son as a sacrifice is over. I am sure Abraham untied Isaac at break-neck speed. He probably wanted Issac off that wood as fast as humanly possible. He certainly wanted to eliminate any chance of a “on second thought” from that angel. It was probably only seconds later that Abraham’s mind came back to the reason they were there. They were to offer a sacrifice and worship the Lord in the process.
The Substitute (Genesis 22:13-14)
In that precious moment, Abraham lifted up his eyes to evaluate the circumstances now that Isaac was no longer the sacrifice. As he looked this way and then the other, he saw a ram that caught his horns in the branches of the thicket. He dressed the ram with the appropriate ceremony and offered him as a burnt offering instead of Isaac. That must have been a tremendous opportunity for relief. Abraham could once again think in long-term thoughts about all the ministries he could do with his son alongside. Yes, it was a glorious day and what Abraham had said to his son was proven true. Surely, the Lord did provide the sacrifice for the worship.
But just as it is written hundreds of other places in the Old Testament, Abraham had to name this place and so, Abraham named it Jehovah-jireh or God will provide. Abraham told team and he told his son when they asked about the lamb for the sacrifice, he said, “The Lord will provide.” And God certainly did. It was a joyous trip back down the mountain. Abraham and Isaac embracing and telling the story of the successful sacrifice of the animal God had provided just like his father said. God provided than, in about 1400 BC and He provided again in 32 AD when the Savior of all human kind carried His cross up that hill. God so loved the world…
Understand the Context (Genesis 24:1-25:18)
Recall in Genesis 15, Abraham was having doubt that he would ever father a child through Sarah so he offered to use Eliezer of Damascus, the trusted steward of his house and all he owned as that heir. This was an accepted Hebrew custom to do so when a benefactor had no heir to receive his property for his family. The designated, trusted servant would be adopted into the family and receive the inheritance into the family. Abraham’s trust in Eliezer continued into Chapter 24 where Abraham sends him to find a wife for his son, Isaac, with the appropriated linage. Eliezer was instructed to look for Isaac’s wife in the linage of Bethuel, a son of Abraham’s brother, Nahor. The details of how Eliezer found and selected Isaac’s wife, Rebekah, is clearly a blessing from God. She was not only perfect for him but brought great comfort to him after his mother, Sarah, died. Eliezer’s work is our focal study below, so enough about it here.
Chapter 25:1-11 is used for “cleanup” on Abraham’s life story and 12-18 for brief comments on Ishmael’s life. After Sarah died and her body placed in a cave bought by Abraham in Canaan, his faith was proven that he saw Canaan as his long-term home was. He married a lady named Keturah but refused to allow any children from that marriage to remain with the family, as was the case with Ishmael and his family. Abraham died at the age of 175-years-old, and his body was added to Sarrah’s in the cave at Machpelah in Canaan. This cave would become the family vault as time passed and Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob (later named Israel by God) and Leah, his first wife, even though Rachael was the love of his life and the mother of his favorite two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. She died giving birth to Benjamin.
Moses reminds us that Ishmael was the son of Abraham by Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian handmaiden. The twelve sons born to Ishmael, in order of their births, were Nebaioth, Kedar, Abdeel, Midsam, Mishma, Durmah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. They settled in the lands of Havilah to Shur which are east of Egypt, toward Assyria. Ishmael and sons settled in defiance of his brothers (Gen 25:18). These were the Arab tribes from which the early Muslims descended. “According to Islamic tradition and genealogical records, there are believed to be 12 generations between Ishmael, the son of Abraham, and Muhammad, the prophet of Islam.” Christianity is six centuries older than Islam.
A Request (Genesis 24:12-14)
Genesis 24:12 shows the messenger and trusted servant of Abraham initiating his assignment to acquire a wife for his master’s son, by praying to his master’s God for the wisdom needed to make the right decision. Verse 13 shows that Eliezer had positioned himself in the place and time where the most likely candidates for Isaac’s wife would likely visit. He knew that he was in the right place and time, but he wanted even more. Verse 14 show Eliezer asking for nothing less than a miracle. He lays out the behaviors and even the verbiage he wants to see and hear the right woman say to him. He wants the woman he asks for a drink of water to respond that she will give him water and also water his camels as well.
And notice also that Eliezer assumes that Jehovah has already made the selection of the right woman, but he needs to see that choice visually revealed by God through her actions. He has the faith to know the one correct choice is already made. In other words, God has previously done the work that his master, Abraham, has assigned to him. As such, Eliezer’s work is not to re-accomplish the work of the Master but to have a visual and audial revelation of His previous decision. This is true faith! We might have asked God simply, “Lord, show us what You have decided.” We may have presumed that the work was for us to do because we were delegated that responsibility. Eliezer knew that Abraham believed that God had is personal hand in every event of his life and selecting a mate for his son must be one of the most important of those events. This woman would birth Esau and Jacob. Jacob would be renamed Israel by God, and his 12 sons would lead the 12 tribes of Israel which still exists to this day. When decisions of this magnitude are made, people of great wisdom reach out quickly to the Master of the universe for answers.
The Answer (Genesis 24:15-20)
Even before Eliezer finished his prayer to God, God had sent His answer into visual contact for him (Gen 24:15). Recall now, in order for God to reveal the decision He had made, the woman would have to come to the well at the very moment when Eliezer was there and looking for her. God was, in fact, causing both the messenger and His selection to be in the right places at the right times for Abraham’s trusted servant to see God’s personal choice for Isaac’s wife. Verse 15 tells us that this unique woman was qualified to be that wife. She was a Jewess. She was in the acceptable range of near kin to become his wife. However, if she is the right one, God will have her do and say the things Eliezer asked to see her do and hear her say. Eliezer initiates the meeting knowing that he had to establish the interface to see what God had worked. Verse 17 states that he saw her and ran up to her to establish the medium needed for her to present the evidence Eliezer needed for him to see and hear. Eliezer said, “Please let me drink a little from your jar.” Will she respond as he prayed or shall he look for another?
Look at verse 18! She told Eliezer to drink, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hand and gave him to drink. But verse 19 seems to drive the meeting exactly where Eliezer needed to see it go. Rebekah said, “I will draw also for your camels until they have finished drinking.” She emptied her entire jar in the trough and returned to the well to draw more. She repeated this exercise until all his camels had their fill.
Now someone might say she might had been trained by her father to do this same thing anytime she was asked by any stranger. Not only would the poor girl never return home, but she would also be in grave danger of being taken advantage of by one of the needy travelers. No, it was Jehovah who told her what to do to reveal His will for Eliezer to clearly see His choice for Isaac’s wife. There could be no ambiguity. Eliezer must know his prayers were answered.
Place Offered (Genesis 24:24-27)
Rebekah told Eliezer that she was a member of a house of some means. She said she was a daughter to Bethuel, the son of Milcah who she bore to Nahor. Briefly, she restated that information Eliezer had already researched and that he knew he had to match. Rebekah tells Eliezer that there is plenty of straw and feed for the camels, and there is ample room to keep them and him. Eliezer could contain himself no longer. In verse 26, he bows low and worships the LORD (Jehovah). Eliezer has seen the miracle he was looking for. The God of his master had revealed to him in the most obvious terms every one of the words Eliezer had asked Him to make Rebekah says and every statement he asked God to make her say so he would know he was not wasting time but has truly found the woman God had chosen to be the mate for his master’s son.
Now, Eliezer can respond to Jehovah for what He has done. His prayer starts with blessing the Lord. Eliezer had a monumental responsibility set before him. The owner of everything he knew and everything he had experienced is a godly man of many years in age. But he had chosen for himself that Jehovah would be his God, and now Eliezer has experienced the supernatural world his master knew all too well. Eliezer had the real time experience of praying to Jehovah and seeing Him respond in such a precise and accurate way that there could be no question of Rebekah’s choosing by God to be the wife of the Master’s son, Isaac.
Eliezer blesses Him because he is so grateful that anyone who hears the story of how he selected Rebekah to respond to his master’s tasking would insist that this woman must be God’s choice as Isaac’s wife. Eliezer calls Him “The God of my master Abraham” (vs. 27). Abraham had set a lofty example of how thoroughly he believed in this God and how there was none other. Eliezer has had an experience with that same God and all he can say is that this God “has not forsaken His lovingkindness and His truth toward my master” (vs. 27). He finishes by praising God that He led him to the house of his master’s brothers. This is because this woman not only demonstrated she was the one selected by God, but she met the narrow constraints of the proper family ties.
Understand the Context (Genesis 25:19-27:46)
In the previous study, we saw Abraham commissioning his most trusted servant, Eliezer, to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Starting this study with Genesis 25:19-26, we find that wife, Rebekah, marrying Isaac. He was 40 years old, and Rebekah was likely in her late teens or early twenties. The Scripture passage reveals that Isaac and Rebekah were having some difficulty conceiving a child, so they prayed for the Lord’s help. He gave them twins. They named the boys Esau and Jacob. When they were being born, the younger one (Jacob) grabbed the heel of the elder one (Esau). Some saw that Jacob trying to exert authority over Esau.
As the boys grew, Esau became the rugged man. He loved the outdoors as a hunter and tracker. He became a hairy man with the tough skin associated kind of splitting of the family leads to serious dysfunction, as we will see.
Genesis 32:24-32 documents a very significant spiritual change in Jacob as he happened to physically wrestle with God. The driving force in Jacob’s life changed from himself to his God. God left him with a limp to remind him of the confrontation. Chapter 26 continues in that vein by showing God confirming the Abrahamic Covenant through Isaac. He would be the one through which God would establish the special race of people who would eventually be called Israel. As we will learn later, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and his twelve sons would be called the twelve tribes of Israel. Through Isaac, God would see the Abrahamic Covenant fulfilled.
Our focal passage (Gen 27:18-30) reveals Jacob’s stealing of Esau’s birthright. It describes a discussion between Abraham and Isaac where Abraham asks his favorite son to hunt game and prepare a savory meal for him out of the game he killed. But we also see Rebekah revealed as the mother who intervened for her favorite son and coached Jacob to deceive his father.
Trap Set (Genesis 27:18-20)
We learn from the beginning of this chapter that Isaac is now very old and nearly blind. He had met with Esau and asked him to go hunting for some game to make Isaac’s favorite dish, a savory meal. Rebekah was within hearing range and feared that Isaac wanted to give his final birthright blessing to Esau. The prophecy was that the older son would serve the younger son, and Rebekah was going to conspire with Jacob to fulfill that prophecy. She meets quietly with Jacob to let him know her thoughts. It will take a while for Esau to hunt, dress, cook and serve his animals, so she has Jacob get a pair of goats from the farm that she will cook instead.
The meal was prepared, Jacob was disguised and it was time to set the trap for Isaac. Verse 18 says Jacob came into the room where his father was sitting. Jacob addressed him and said, Here I am.” Isaac responded questioning, “Who are you, my son?” Then the deception begins. Jacob says, “I am Esau your first born; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me” {Gen 27:19).
Isaac may have been old and feeble, but he was not totally gullible. He knew that the time between his request to Esau and the completion of the task including the cooking was simply too short to match the meal being served. Isaac was skeptical and asked, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” (vs. 20a).
But Jacob’s response to his father’s question shows just how far he was willing to go to pull off this deception of his father and thief of her eldest son’s blessing. Jacob replies, “because the LORD your God [Jehovah thy Elohiym] caused it to happen to me” (vs. 20b, author’s brackets). First, in the Hebrew Scriptures, the name of God is so sacred that they will not even write it. Rather, they use the consonants JHVH or YHWH (because of alphabetic ambiguity) to avoid writing it. Second, Jacob is not only willing to use the name of God in vain, but to specify it by adding the name used in Genesis 1:1 for the Creator of the universe.
Deception Carried Out (Genesis 27:21-27)
But Isaac is still not convinced. In verse 21 he says, “Please come close, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” The problem was that no matter how Jacob smelled or what he said, there was the fact that Jacob could not do Esau’s voice. Look at verse 22, after Isaac felt Jacob, he said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” Isaac did not recognize Jacob because of the goat’s skin that Rebekah put on his arms and neck to deceive him (vs. 23). Nevertheless, verse 23 finishes with the words, “So he blessed him.” Still, in verse 24, Isaac asks again, “Are you really my son Esau?’ Recall that this is the meeting that Isaac told Esau he would give him his birthright blessing (Gen 27:1-4). This blessing, once given, could not be revoked or amended. Hebrew custom said it was final. Isaac knew he had to be absolutely sure he was blessing the correct son. It forces the question in my mind, what must Isaac have thought of Rebekah and Jacob that he was worried they might try to deceive him this way. Whatever it was, I guess I have to admit Isaac was correct! Jacob finishes in verse 24 by assuring his father, “I am” Esau.
Now, Isaac is finally ready to accept the “savory meal” that he requested of Esau (vs. 25). He tells Jacob to bring it to him, and he will eat it, so he can bless him (vs. 25a). The second half of the verse says that Jacob brough the meal for him and included some wine (a staple in those days).
After Isaac finished the meal, he signaled for Jacob to come to him so he could kiss him. In verse 27, Moses documents that Jacob came close to Isaac at his request, and when he was close, Isaac smelled his garments. He said, “See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed.” Recall that Rebekah had used the skins of the goats to trick Isaac into thinking Jacob had Esau’s arms and neck. She made the savory meal the way Isaac liked it so he would think it was his son’s meal. And finally, she found some of Esau’s clothes and dressed Jacob in them, so he would smell like Esau. So far, it all worked. Isaac remained skeptical, but he could not explain why Jacob smelled, felt and cooked like Esau but spoke like Jacob. Would he bless?
Blessing Granted (Genesis 27:28-30)
Isaac was somewhat skeptical, but Jacob had passed all the tests except the voice test. Isaac was old and he told Esau that his days were short. Isaac felt the pressure of time. Was there sufficient evidence for Isaac to accept the son who was presented to him and not the son who was still hunting for the perfect game to cook the father’s favorite meal? Moses’ telling of this history switches in verse 27 from prose to poetry, from the literal translation to include the figurative. Isaac offers Jacob God’s blessing of the dew of the heavens, the plenty of the earth and the plenty of grain and new wine (vs. 28). These are the general blessings of God’s creation and all with which He blesses His people.
Verse 29 contains the formal blessing of the father to his eldest son. It begins with a blessing that the people might serve Jacob willingly; not out of force or compulsion. And that all nations would bow to to him, i.e., bow out of respect and honor. Isaac blessed Jacob that he would forever be the master of his brothers and all his mothers sons would bow to him. And here is the blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant: “Cured be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you” (vs. 29). And that completes the blessing of the father to his eldest son and the theft of Esau’s birthright by Jacob and his mother, Rebecca.
So, what happened to Esau? Verse 30 tells us that as soon as Isaac finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had hardily walked out of the presence of Isaac, Esau returned and came in from his hunt. He left to go for a hunt to give his father his favorite meal. Isaac promised to give him his final blessing. He returns to learn that his blessing had already been given to Jacob. He will protest and Isaac will be sad and angry, but the blessing has been completed and cannot be reversed. Rebekah and Jacob have their victory.
Understand the Context (Genesis 28:1-22)
Chapter28 serves as a reminder for us to always consider the ramifications of our actions. We recall from Chapter 27 that Jacob and his mother, Rebekah, conspired together to mislead the aged Isaac as to which son he was pronouncing the eldest son’s blessing. After Rebekah overheard Isaac's request for a special meal after which Isaac would pronounce that blessing, Rebekah delivered that meal through the younger son, Jacob, as she helped him masquerade as the elder son, Esau. The plan worked as Rebekah and Jacob successfully stole Esau’s blessing for Jacob. We left that situation with Esau returning from his hunt for his father just after Isaac pronounced his blessing on Jacob instead of Esau. After he discovered there were no remaining blessings for him, he pledged that as soon as the grieving period was completed after Isaac died, he would then murder his brother (Gen 27:41). The next verse says that the words of Esau were rehearsed to Rebekah, and she quickly contacted Jacob and told him to go to her brother, Laban in Haran until his brother Esau’s anger subsided or he forgot “what you have done to him” (vs. 27:44). Notice how Rebekah, the co-conspirator, now finds it convenient to saddle Jacob with the entire guilt.
So, between Rebekah in Chapter 27 and Isaac in Chapter 28, the advertised travel of Jacob to Haran is to find a proper wife for the young son. At 28:1-5, Isaac directs Jacob to take the 450 mile trip to visit Laban, his mother’s brother in Haran. The hope is that Esau anger will subside, and Jacob can return. When Esau hears Isaac express his desire that Jacob not marry a woman of Canaan, he marries the daughter of Ishmael, Mahalath.
Jacob rested in Luz on the way to Haran and found a rock suitable for the evening’s rest. The rock was later endorsed as a holy rock and used as a relic and worship piece. Nevertheless, while Jacob slept, he had a dream which will be discussed as our focal passage below. Luz, the place where Jacob rested, would be renamed Bethel, the house of the Lord. Jacob pledged to call Jehovah his God, to worship Him and pay tithes to Him as displays of his gratitude to God.
Dreaming (Genesis 28:10-12)
So, whether Jacob is travelling 450 miles from Beersheba to Haran for fear of Esau or to find a proper wife, he is, in fact, on the trip. Travelling about 30 miles a day was normal and Bethel was 50 miles from Beersheba. If Jacob makes it as far as Luz (Bethel) for his first stop, he was highly motivated to get away from Beersheba. In either case, verse 11 says it was night when he arrived. As he looked for a comfortable place to sleep, he found a rock that looked perfect to him to rest his head. So, he made his bed on the ground and used the rock as a pillow.
Verse 12 begins to lay out the dream he had that night. He saw a ladder in the dream. Some versions call it a staircase; the Hebrew word cullam allows for either, but the ladder interpretation would better fit something with its base on the earth and its top going up into the heavens or heaven. The activity he saw involving the ladder helps with what he was seeing. Jacob said he saw the angels of God going up and down on the ladder. The Hebrew word malak defines them as messengers of God and that is consistent with the context of what happens in the next few verses. The fact that Jacob saw them moving up and down on the ladder is consistent with their function as messengers. They would be numerous and very active as God would send them up and down the ladder that He might send and receive communications from all humankind.
It is interesting that Jacob is not viewing a vision that has only himself as the recipient or source of these messages. Frequently, our dreams are focused on self as something sufficiently important to invade our precious sleep. But Jacob sees hundreds if not thousands of messengers carrying thousands of messages up and down, to and from God. It also speaks to Jacob not viewing God as unique only to him in this vision. Thousands of communications are being made between God and His people and God is dealing with them at the hands of these messengers to get it done. The suspense builds because we have the vision firmly in hand and anxiously await what the vision holds for Jacob as he receives it.
Promised (Genesis 28:13-15)
Jacob sees God giving and receiving the messages from the top of the ladder, and God originates a four-part message to Jacob by a messenger. First, God thinks it important to begin with Jacob by eliminating any possibility of identity ambiguity in his mind. He says, “I am the LORD [Jehovah], the God [Elohym] of your father Abraham and the God [Elohym] of Isaac;” (Gen 28:13, author’s brackets). The uppercase LORD identifies the male singular God of the universe, and the male plural God identified the triune God of the entire creation; that is, “all that was created was created by Him and for Him and there was nothing created that was not created by Him” (John 1:3). And, by the way, this is the same God of your grandfather, Abraham, and your father, Isaac. Now, Jacob knows exactly Whom and by what authority He speaks to him. Second, the LORD God gives the land that Jacob is sleeping on to him and his descendants.
Verse 14 shows the LORD God’s delineation of whom Jacob’s descendants are to be. They are limitless in number, even as the particles of dust on the earth. These descendants will multiply and populate the earth in all four directions of the compass from this place, and in Jacob and his descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Those who receive the gift of this land will be the descendants of Jacob, and Jacob’s descendants, and they will bless all the families of the earth. The impact of Jacob’s descendants will be felt by all the earth’s inhabitants. It must be noted that God is not just blessing Jews here but foretells of the blessings of Israel spreading to all the people groups of the earth.
Verse 15 gives the fourth part of the message for Jacob, and this is a great one. God promises Jacob that He will be with him and keep him no matter where he goes, and He will bring him back to this place (that land He just gave him). This is how and why God brought Israel back to their land. And furthermore, God meant He would bring them back to ALL OF THEIR LAND; the land from the river of Egypt (the Nile) to the Euphrates River, just below Haran. This land was deeded by God to these people, and God says He will not leave them until it is done.
Gate of Heaven (Genesis 28:16-17)
Jacob heard and received this message from the Lord and felt the personal lift and blessing from the direct word of the Lord. Verse 16 begins with the fact that he awoke from that sleep having full awareness that God was there and had spoken to him. At the instant he opened his eyes, his mind and voice went to the fact of God’s presence there. He agrees with himself that he had not been aware of that presence until after the dream. Like many of us when we have the visit from the Lord in that first instant after surrendering to His call, Jacob realized something was different now. Something about himself was not the same and something about this place is now, somehow holy, special and set aside - sanctified by God.
About ten years after I had been saved on March 24, 1974, at the Temple Baptist Church in Los Cruces, NM, I returned to the altar where it happened. The auditorium was missing the 650 people who were there on that Sunday. I was alone at the altar instead of having the 34 others who also surrendered alongside of me as on that day. Pastor Joe Penrod was no longer there. But I fell to my knees as on that day and prayed again. It was not a prayer of surrender but a prayer of thanksgiving for the miracle of new birth He gave me on that day, ten years earlier. I said simply, “My Holy Father, Jesus my Savior and Lord. I believed you died to buy my freedom and my full pardon then, and I believe more strongly today than ever before. Thank you, my Holy One.”
Jacob must have had those same feelings as he awoke to the realization that he had been in the presence of the Creator of the Universe that day. He felt the fear, great respect and admiration of God as he knew He had spoken to him and transferred the Abraham Covenant to him. But like my feelings, it was for far more than just himself. Jacob wanted this place marked; he wanted that rock upon which his head rested that night to be honored throughout eternity so that others would understand that God had been there for him, and would be there anyone else who came with an open heart to hear Him. This place was certainly “The House of God and the Gate to Heaven” for Jacob, and he wanted it marked for anyone else who came this way.
The Vow (Genesis 28:18-22)
I turned from atheism that day to not only acknowledge that God existed, but that He was my personal God, Creator, Enabler and Master. He sent His Son, Jesus the Christ, to pay for my sins and buy my pardon. I arose from my knees that morning free of the weight of all sin and guilt. I felt different. When the Pastor asked me if I wanted to be baptized, I responded immediately that I did. I was baptized by emersion that evening with dozens of others. Jacob woke up from that dream determined to signal what had happened to him for everyone around. First, he lifted up the stone upon which his head rested that night and put it on a pillar and anointed it with oil recognizing that it represented the place where God came to talk with him and change him, forever. But that was not all he did. Verse 19 tells us that renamed the city of Luz to the name Bethel (Hebrew: Beth-El, “The House of God”). He wanted all to know that this was the place where he had a personal meeting with his Creator. He would never be the same.
Jacob is driven to make a vow to the Lord. We might more correctly call it a commitment (vs. 20). Many times the translations from Hebrew or Greek to English start with the word “if.” This word makes Jacob’s commitment look more like a deal he is brokering with the Lord. That is not true for him and it is not true for us. It might speak more to us if that word was translated “Because.” That is, “Because God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear; and I return to my father’s house in safety…” So, because God is doing these things, Jacob will commit to the LORD being his God (Hebrew: Jehovah mi Elohym) (vs. 21). This is making God his personal Savior and Lord. This is the commitment or confession of Jacob, the supplanter and deceiver. Soon, God will honor his commitment with a new name, Israel (Hebrew: Yisrâʼêl, or “He will rule as God”) (Gen 32:28).
Jacob remembers the stone and says that the stone as set upon the pillar will be the beginning of God’s House (vs. 22). He finishes his pledge committing to pay a tithe (10%) of all he receives as a gift to God. This is a standard in Scripture and endorsed by Jesus (Matt 23:23, Luke 11:42).
Palm Sunday (Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; & John 12:12-191)
Palm Sunday is very significant in the Life of Jesus Christ because it was the day of His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem to allow the people to formally recognize Him as the Hebrew Messiah and Greek Christ. There were at least three earlier times when the people tried to crown Him or call Him the Messiah. In each case, He responded, “It is not yet my time,” and He left the borders of Israel. First, He went from Galilee to Tyre and Sidon (Matt 15:21, Mark 7:24), Second, He went from Galilee to the Decapolis (Mark 5:20, 7:24), and third, He went from Galilee to Gadara (Mark5:1, Luke 8:26). But this time, Jesus rode on the colt of a donkey into Jerusalem signifying He was the promised messiah (Zech 9:9-11). How did the people know?
Daniel prophesied the exact date when he said, “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress” (Dan 9:25, NASB). That 69 weeks of years is exactly 483 years or 173,880 days. King Artaxerxes started the clock when he commanded Nehamiah to go and rebuild the walls of Jerusalem on March 14, 445 BC (Neh 2:6). On April 6, 32 AD, Jesus rode the colt of a dinkey and fulfilled that prophecy. The following Sunday was Easter Sunday or the Resurrection Day of Jesus Christ.
Some reject that date in 32 AD in favor of 29, 30 or 33 AD. But as the chart above shows (using lunar cycles) only 32 AD fulfills the prophecy. The insertion of the E-Adar 2 correction for the Lunar calendar places 1 Nisan 445 BC and 10 Nisan 32AD in the right perspective for a Sunday Triumphant Entry and a Sunday Resurrection. All other years between 30 and 34 AD have the end of 173,880 days far beyond the dates of Holy Week. Those favoring a 29 or 30 AD dates are attempting to honor the fact that Jesus could not have been born later than 4 BC (Herod’s death). Those saying 33 AD ignore the prophesy and assume Jesus was born in 1 AD. More to come!
Understand the Context (John 19-20)
John 19 captures the interface between the power of Rome caught in the political dilemma of local religion gone awry. The Jewish religious leaders had a law that said any person claiming to be God or His Messiah (Greek: Christis) is guilty of a crime unto death. They believed Jesus’ claim was blasphemy but knew that would not get the Roman death sentence from Pilate. However, if they accused Him of claiming to be the Jew’s King, that would usurp Pilate’s authority as well as Caesar’s. Yet, the Jews had no authority from Rome to enforce capital punishment (18:31-32). Hence, the dilemma; Pilate interrogated Jesus and reported to the Jews, “I find no guilt in Him” (18:38). He even suggested he could free a prisoner because of the Feast Day, but the Jews insisted he release Barabbas instead (18:39). Pilate had Jesus severely scourged and presented Him to the crowd, nearly beaten to death. Nevertheless, the crowd, under the influence of the religious leaders demanded His death. Pilate asked, “Then shall I crucify your King?” to which the Chief Priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” (18:15)
So, Pilate gave the command to crucify Jesus with the charge on His cross saying, “Jesus the Nazarene, The King of the Jews” (19:19). Jesus cried out seven times from the cross: He asked God’s forgiveness on all those doing the crucifixion, He gave John charge of His mother, He saved one of the two being crucified with Him, He quoted Psalms 22:1 asking why God had forsaken Him, He said He was thirsty, He said, “It is finished” (Greek: tetelestia) and he commended His spirit to the Father. Nearly all debts were noted with the Telos when they were paid. The word Jesus uttered, Tetelestia, included verbs discharging the debt of sin from past, present, future and all time in eternity. Then, and only then, did Jesus allow Himself to die.
Joseph of Arimathea was permitted by Pilate to take Jesus’ body off the cross after he verified His death (Mark 15:42-45). Joseph and Nicodemus hastily buried Him in a new tomb as Mary Magdalene and Mother Mary watched (46-47).
A Removed Stone (John 20:1-2)
But now the evidence that God accepted the sacrifice Jesus made to abolish all sin, forever. Paul says, “1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom 8:1-4). So, at dawn on the first day of the week (Sunday), Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James (or Jacob) and Salome came to the tomb with spices to finish the hastily done preparation of Jesus’ body in the tomb (Mark 16:1-2). Verse 16:3 says they were discussing whom they might get to help them roll the great stone away from the entrance to the tomb. But, when they arrived, “they saw the stone already taken away from the tomb” (John 20:1). Matthew says, “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it” (Matt 28:2). I can only imagine coming to put spices on Jesus’ body but finding the stone rolled back and an angel sitting on it!
Mary has a little difficulty shifting gears from the works of the flesh she intended to do at the grave into the idea of God’s resurrection of Jesus, our Christ. Her first thoughts are more like someone must have broken into the tomb and taken Jesus’ cold, dead body away to another place. So, she bolted out of the area around the tomb to tell her leaders of the terrible theft of Jesus’ body. John tells us that Mary ran to find someone and ran into him and Peter (John 20:2). She told them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” Mary’s heart is revealed at this moment and it is not on the supernatural but the natural. It is a human thief that has committed this horrific offense, and he has left us no word on where the precious body of our dearest friend and Savior of all humankind has been placed.
An Empty Tomb (John 20:3-10)
Peter and John wasted no time on trying to discuss the details of what Mary saw. They just wanted to go to the location of the crime to investigate for themselves. The Bible says they ran together for a part of the trip, but John was faster than Peter and arrived at the tombs first (vss. 2-3). I often wonder if this was not a bit of John’s ego showing as he noted that he was faster (recall it was John who wrote this Gospel). But John stopped at the entrance of the tomb and did not go inside. It was Peter who finally arrived and went directly into the tomb. Verse 5 tells us that John stopped and looked inside. Could he have thought he was protecting the integrity of the crime scene? The Scripture says he saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in (vs. 5). Peter, on the other hand, came running to the tomb and went immediately inside, and saw the linens lying there as well (vs. 6). Most interpreters agree that the burial shroud was not only lying there but they were lying the same way as if Jesus’ body was still in them. That is, not unwrapped and thrown on the floor (the way most of us guys would do), but still wrapped the way Joseph and Nicodemus left them on Friday night. Some would ask, “Who cares?” Later, we find the apostles gathered together in a room with the doors locked and the windows drawn for fear of the authorities coming to arrest them, and Jesus came to them. There was no knocking at the door or ringing the doorbell; He simply came into the room. Now, I think that a man who can walk through wood, plaster and building studs would probably not take the time to unwrap the grave clothes, but simply got up and left them where they were.
The face cloth was found in a different place. It was not with the shroud, but rather, rolled up in a separate place (vs. 7). Did Jesus reach back and grab it to wipe away what might have remained on His face? The Bible now tells us that John finally joined Peter inside the sepulcher (vs. 8). When John looked at the grave clothes and the face cloth, HE BELIEVED! There was no need for the writer to tell us what he believed. He simply knew there was no need to find the perpetrators of the crime – Jesus was risen. This was not knowledge from what Jesus said, for they did not understand the His promise, yet. It was sufficient for them the simply go home.
The Living Teacher (John 20:11-17)
The Scripture does not tell us how fast Mary ran back to the tomb after she told Peter and John that Jesus’ body was missing; it simply says that she was standing outside the tomb, crying (vs. 11). Still crying, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, evidently after Peter and John “went home.” She sees two angels, one sitting where Jesus’ head had been and the other at His feet (vs. 12). Peter and John left after speaking to no one, but Mary is going to have a conversation with these angels. John 20:13 says, “And they asked, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ and Mary spoke back to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’” Mary sensed another person behind her and turned to find Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Him. (Recall the disciples on the road to Emmaus did not recognize Him either.)
Now, Jesus speaks to Mary saying, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ (John 20:15). Mary answers Jesus, but she thinks it is the gardener of the graveyard with whom she is speaking. She says, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus responds to her in that same tone of voice that we hear when someone cannot believe what we are saying because we know better, He says, “Mary!” and she immediately turned around and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni” which means teacher (vs. 16). I can imagine she was so overwhelmed with joy that she wrapped her arms around His legs below His knees as she was still sitting. She probably held fast to Him wanting to make sure she would never be without Him again. But Jesus knew He had to ascend be He could let her hold Him so tightly. He said, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I [Jesus] ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” (John 20:17). So, Jesus tells Mary that He must ascend to the Father before He appears to the others. That must have been a speedy trip because that same day He will appear to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and also make His first appearance to the apostles without Thomas. In fact, Jesus will appear to more than 500 over the next 40 days (1 Cor 15:5-8).
Understand the Context (John 29:1-31:55)
Let us start our look at Genesis 29 – 31 by reviewing where we left Jacob in Chapter 28. Recall that he and his mother, Rebekah had successfully stolen the birthright of Jacob’s older twin, Esau by fooling his father, Isaac into believing he was blessing Esau while blessing Jacob. At the very end of that effort, we saw the completed blessing of Jacob by Isaac just as Esau returned from his hunt for game to prepare Isaac’s favorite meal. Esau was irate and swore that when the grieving for his father was completed, he would eliminate Jacob. Rebekah overheard that conversation as well and had Jacob move 450 miles away from his family home in Beersheba, Canaan to her brother’s home in Haran, Paddan-Aram (Syria). Her brother’s name was Laban and he had two daughters of marrying age, Leah and Rachel. Haran was the city where Eliezer found the well where Rebekah drew water for her family and selected her as Isaac’s wife. On the way to Haran for this trip, Jacob spends an evening in Bethel where he is visited by the Lord and has the “Stairway Vision” of Chapter 28.
Jacob meets Rachel at the well in Haran and contracts with Laban to work for him for seven years to buy her hand in marriage. Laban agrees to Jacob’s offer but substitutes his older daughter, Leah, for Rachel on the wedding night after all were heavy from partying. Laban has Jacob work an additional seven years to buy Rachel’s hand again. Leah turned out to be a prolific woman while Rachel was barren. So, Leah had the first six sons for Jacob along with one daughter. Rachel, being obsessed with jealousy against Leah, offers her handmaiden, Bilhah, to Jacob resulting two more sons for Jacob. Leah responds by offering her handmaiden to Jacob, and hence, two more sons for Jacob while Rachel remains childless. God finally unlocks Rachel’s womb, and she has a son for Jacob whom they named Joseph, of the “coat-of-many colors” fame. At this point, Jacob decides the time was right for him part ways with Laban and return to Canaan. It had been 20 years since Jacob left Beersheba and last saw Esau.
Past (Gen 30:25-30)
Verse 30:25 repeats the timing as stated in the previous paragraph with Rachel bearing her first son for Jacob and naming him Joseph, meaning “will the Lord give me another son?” Jacob tells Laban it is time for him to return to his own place in his own country. Jacob only asks for what is his, that is, he wanted his wives and children for which he had already paid 14 years. He reminded Laban that he had rendered extraordinary service to him across all these years (vs. 26). But Laban was not so quick to release Jacob and lose all that cheap labor. Laban says that God visited him and left a message that Jacob should remain longer. Laban believes the Lord has blessed him because of Jacob (vs. 27). Laban even asks Jacob to name his own price for staying longer (vs. 28).
But Jacob replies in verse 29 that Laban knows very well that he had provided exceptional service to him over all those years and every direction he turned to do that service for him, it was grand. He went on to remind Laban that his cattle had increased from the very little that Laban gave him to care for to the current multitude of herds under his leadership (vs. 30). Jacob says, as a matter of fact, “the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned.” “But now,” Jacob continues, “When shall I provide for my own household also?”
The Bible tells us in verse 31:2 that Jacob had noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him had changed, and he was no longer as friendly as he once was. Further, Laban’s son were questioning the right of Jacob to take a part of the great wealth Laban had built for himself and his heirs (vs. 31:1). It was clear that the Lord was allowing the politics between these two deceivers to deteriorate to where both men realized their time together was short. Laban’s objectives relative to Jacob was simply to profit all he could as Jacob departed. Jacob’s goal was to capitalize from some of what he built for Laban to seed his own wealth. So, somewhere in the joint resolution of both men’s goals was a mutually favorable point where each could leave the negotiating table with feelings of success.
Present (Gen 30:31-34)
So, Laban asks Jacob what he must give him for him to agree to stay with him for another contract period. Jacob immediately responded to make sure Laban abandoned the terminology of “giving” anything to him. Jacob has learned (partially from personal introspection) that when one allows another to establish indebtedness in their mind, they feel compelled to do more business with them. Jacob was entirely unhappy with Laban’s business ethics. It was Laban who agreed to give Jacob Rachel’s hand in marriage and then switched to her elder sister during the wedding process. It was Laban who had Jacob work another seven years for Rachel a second time. And when Jacob had married both daughters, it was Laban who would not let Jacob take anything he built for Laban as a legacy for his own wealth. No, Jacob wanted to make it abundantly clear, he wanted no further business relationships with anyone who might be even less ethical than Jacob was.
The Jamieson, Fausset and Brown Commentary correctly points out that separating the livestock by speckle, spot or color gave Jacob much less access to the sheep and goats than it gave Laban. JFB categorizes that separation as “relatively rare” which means Jacob’s share would be less than 10 percent of the overall herd. That is very generous of Jacob, and it seems that Laban was aware of it. But notice in verse 33 that Jacob goes farther and offers Laban a guarantee of sorts. He states that when Laban comes to calculate Jacob’s wages, if he finds any in the flocks that do not match the agreed upon criteria, he will count them as stolen and return them immediately.
It is always entertaining to watch two “players” playing each other, and this is one of those times. Laban, not wanting to appear overly excited about the deal Jacob offered, says, “Good, let it be according to your word” (vs. 34). He wants to get Jacob’s final acceptance of this exceptional deal formalized. We can anticipate that Jacob being the “player” he is, has something up his sleeve. Verses 31:5-13 show that Jacob knew the Lord was working something of a miracle and most of what should have gone to Laban, miraculously went to Jacob.
Future (Gen 30:41-43)
Verse 30:41 begins with the word “Moreover” or “Further” and signals that Jacob had even more subtle ways of getting the deal with Laban to work in his favor. Jacob observed which animals were very strong during mating and those which were feeble or weak. Whenever Jacob saw a strong mating animal, he would set up guides (rods) to lead that animal to his side of the pasture. Alternatively, when he spotted a feeble or weak mater, he would not put the guidance rods up and that animal would be left to go to Laban’s side. In this way, the growth of the size of the flock was large for Jacob and slow for Laban. By now, it should be obvious that Jacob would be a ”player” throughout his life. We will discover later that God recognized that as well, and He began to designate which side of Jacob’s personality He was addressing by calling him Jacob when he was behaving like the deceiver he was and Israel when he is behaving like the godly man he had become.
Verse 43 gives the results in summary fashion saying Jacob became exceedingly prosperous and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys. Laban may have been in business a lot more years than Jacob, but Jacob had ways of causing greater increase over given times. In a sense, the contrast between Laban and Jacob was like the contrast between a great technician who is a master at making computers work at their highest efficiencies and the skilled computer design engineer who could design the computers to work at peak efficiency regardless of who was at the controls. Laban mastered what was; Jacob mastered what could be.
The stage is set. Jacob is ready to execute the third of God’s three promises to him. He was returning to his homeland in Beersheba. He chose to sneak away from Laban’s world rather than giving him another chance to work some kind of deception in his life. So, Jacob left with his wives and eleven sons (Benjamin had not been born, yet), and his massive flocks. When Laban saw that he was gone, he chased him and overtook him in seven days in the hill country of Gilead. After Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren, he blessed Jacob’s journey.
Understand the Context (Genesis 32:1-33:20)
So, after Jacob used his advanced knowledge of animal genetics to multiply his flocks exponentially compared to Laban’s flocks, Jacob took his unannounced leave from Haran to comply with God’s promise for him to return to homeland near Beersheba in Canaan. In three days, when Laban was told Jacob’s absence, he departed from Haran to overtake Jacob. Laban succeeded just east of the Jordan River north of the Dead Sea after a seven-day journey (Gen 31:23). They stated their mutual anger and disappointment with one another and struck agreement that Jacob’s wives were Laban’s daughters and Jacob’s children were Laban’s grandchildren so, there must be peace between them. Laban called the place Jegar-Sahadutha and Jacob called it Gileed, both were Syrian words meaning the heap of witness. They agreed that Laban would return to Haran and Jacob would keep God’s commitment to return him to Beersheba. They agree to a covenant they called Mizpah (Hebrew), “May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from the other” (31:49). Laban added that Jacob must not harm his daughters nor ever marry another, as God is his witness.
Now Jacob must meet with his paternal twin brother, Esau, to make peace out of Esau’s sworn revenge to kill Jacob for stealing his birthright blessing. Jacob sent word to Esau that he had returned after 20 years with Laban and wanted to meet with him. Esau agreed but had Jacob’s messenger announce that Esau was coming with 400 men marching with him. Jacob feared that the 400 men could overtake and destroy him, take all he had, kill his sons and take his wives. Jacob divided all he had into two camps believing if Esau attacked, he could escape with the other half of his estate.
Before the meeting, God appeared to Jacob as a man, wrestled with him all night long and finally took Jacob’s hip out of socket. Before leaving Jacob’s presence, God announced a blessing on Jacob and gave him the new name of Israel, “because he strove with God and prevailed (32:28).”
Alone (Genesis 32:22-24)
Jacob had sent his messengers ahead of him to his estranged, paternal-twin brother, Esau, letting him know that he had become a man of some wealth and he wanted to find favor in his lord’s eyes. But the messengers returned with the news that Esau was coming to visit but he was bringing 400 soldiers with him for the meeting (Gen 32:6). Jacob was struck with paralyzing fear as he remembered Esau’s pledge of 20 years earlier that when the grief over Isaac’s death was over, he would kill Jacob (27:41). So, Jacob considered all his wealth and divided his it into two camps. He reasoned that if Esau attacked one camp, he could escape with the other. He also gathered a present for Esau of hundreds of each kind of animals in his flocks to offer ahead of his actual presence. He also marched his wives, maids and children across the river toward Esau (32:22-23). The numbers of livestock a man owned was a presentation of his economic status and power.
Next, but far more personal, a man’s wives and concubines represented the personal power he had amassed, and the number of children displayed his masculinity. In parading all this ahead of his meeting with Esau, Jacob was announcing to him (and his 400 warriors) that he was willing to share all of his power and status as gifts of reconciliation to his brother. Verses 22 and 23 show that Jacob was willing to flesh out his intent to win his brother’s favor. He was sending his wives, maids and children across the river to go before him as his brother approached. The level of Jacob’s sincerity becomes very obvious as one looks at the size of this gift.
But as Jacob ushered his wives, maids and children across the river, he was alone and separated from all he cared for. God, however, wanted Jacob to know that he was not alone. In the darkness of the evening and all through the night God manifested Himself as a man and came to wrestle with Jacob. As each hour went by, Jacob’s mind was not as occupied with all he was offering and the fact that he felt he was totally unworthy of any mercy from Esau. Rather, God occupied his mind with the wrestling match.
New Name (Genesis 32:25-29)
Hour after hour Jacob would try to overpower and overtake the Creator of the universe. Most of us realize that this is not God’s effort to win a battle against Jacob. Rather, this is an effort for the Lord to encourage and strengthen one of His called servants. God has already delivered His message to Jacob transitioning the Abrahamic Covenant through his father, Isaac, to Jacob for fulfillment. But it is in times like these when Jacob needs more. He may well know what his life mission is, but this same day, he will receive a man who pledged to kill him shortly after Isaac died. That time had passed nearly 20 years ago, but now the opportunity for Esau to accomplish it is just a few miles away. When Jacob heard that Esau had 400 of his trained military forces following him to this meeting, he realized that he was totally lacking any capability to respond this threat. This battle would be more than the loss of a fight; this loss would be on the order of a major massacre. Jacob would not only lose his life, but he would watch the loss of life for everyone who accompanied him on this mission. As his wives, maids, children and servants crossed that river, everything he had was at risk of elimination.
But is it not at times like this that God always shows up? Jacob’s mind is far from that battle right now. The Lord has completely occupied his mind with this wrestling match. Now, the hours had passed. Both combatants realize the skies are beginning to lighten. As the Lord sees the dawn approaching, He asks Jabob to release Him. Jacob refused to let Him go until He would bless him. The Lord took one more shot at Jacob to leave him a reminder of the bout: He took his hip out of socket and Jacob would walk with a limp for the rest of his life. The Lord ended the bout and asked Jacob his name, but when Jacob answered, the Lord said, “no longer Jacob but Israel because you strove with the Lord, and you prevailed” (32:28). So, as Jacob prepared to meet his estranged brother, as the sun was rising, Jacob had a new name, Israel, and a new walk, with a permanent limp. Oh, and a new attitude under God’s blessing of him. Jacob needed a miracle, and the Lord has blessed him. Jacob was ready for Esau and his 400 men. He was no longer alone; he stood in the shadow of the Creator.
New Walk (Genesis 32:30-32)
Jacob was astonished that he was able to see this man, who was the manifestation of God, and survive (vs. 30). This is because he knew, as we know, that the Bible says no one can see God and live (Ex 33:20). Specifically, Moses wrote of Jacob’s experience, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” Jacob named the place where he saw God, Penuel (Hebrew for “Face of God”). Jacob realized that a universal law of order had been waived for his sake. Consider for a second how Moses must have felt as he wrote these words realizing that he was only permitted to see the afterglow of God when he requested to see Him, yet Jacob was able to see Him (or a manifestation of Him) face to face.
Verse 31 skips ahead, somewhat, as Jacob began to feel the rising of the sun as he crossed over Penuel. Further, he also noticed that he was limping because of the dislocated hip socket he had suffered while wrestling with God. This may have been a surprise as he experienced it for the first time. The issue, of course, is that he will experience that limp every day for the rest of his life.
Because of this, according to Genesis 32:32, “the sons of Israel will not eat the sinew of the hip which is the socket of the thigh” because God touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip. Jacob was excited about seeing the face of Good and surviving; there may be a greater experience for him in that he was able to touch God’s manifestation for hours as he wrestled with Him through the entire night.
Now, think for a moment how effective God was in what He did for Jacob. Jacob was in total fear of the arrival of Esau and his 400 soldiers. He felt completely alone in the coming massacre. But God showed up for him as a man and stood with him, and wrestled with him and now Moses can only record Jacob’s overwhelming feelings of being able to wrestle with God, to see Him face to face and survive. What happened to Jacob’s unmitigated terror anticipating the arrival of his brother. We know what happened --- GOD HAPPENED AGAIN! Doesn’t He always?
Understand the Context (Genesis 34:1-37:1)
Jacob and his family moved to Shechem after his meeting with Esau, his brother. Today’s study begins with Dinah, that seventh child of Jacob birthed by Leah. As she walked through the town to learn more of her new surroundings, she caught the eye of Shechem, son of a local chieftain. He was so taken by her that he took her by force, but later felt more than just a physical attraction and asked his father to approach Jacob for a marriage. Dinah’s brothers, Simeon and Levi, deceived Shechem into believing they were in agreement but insisted the men of his clan must all be circumcised before the planned wedding. They agreed, but in the third day, while they were “still in pain,” Dinah’s brothers killed all of them. Jacob learned of the ordeal and corrected his sons (Gen 34:1-31).
At this point, Jacob hears the voice of the Load telling him to return to Bethel. Last time he was there, he experienced the vision of the staircase with the angels of the Lord moving up and down the stairs. In preparation for their return, Jacob cleansed the entire camp for false gods and idols. On the way to Bethel, they were astonished at the fear demonstrated by the various townspeople as he traversed their areas. It was clear the Lord had prepared the safety of his way. Chapter 35 also documents the death of Jacob’s beloved wife, Rachael, while she was delivering her second child, Benjamin.
Chapter 36 (including 37:1) Document the wives of Esau in his dwelling place at Edom, just below the Dead Sea. The list is exhaustive and contains all the wives and each of the children from each of the wives. Moses does the same for all of the wives and children of Jacob as they were gathered in the land God gave them in Canaan. This was also the place where Jacob was called and learn from God that he would receive the Abrahamic Covenant as passed down from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This was the place where Jacob rested his head on a rock and built a pillar and monument, he would be visiting again to receive God’s call.
Get Up! (Genesis 35:1-4)
At first glance, today’s study in Chapter 35 looks a lot like the study we did of Jacob’s renaming as Israel in Chapter 32, but the teaching reveals that God often requires a personal commitment of His people followed by a public commitment. Jacob’s earlier visit to Bethel was when he received God’s revelation and he made his personal commitment to his renaming and the associated new ministerial calling. There, Jacob was alone with God in a very personal setting. He received his instruct between him and the Master and committed to it in no uncertain way. But, look closer at this meeting with God and observe the commitment to be the same but the setting is far more public. God requires the entire camp to be cleansed of all idols and false gods. Jacob specifically cleansed his own house first and then went to the other houses to cleanse the rest of the camp. Everyone would be involved with Jacob’s calling this time and they would all be a part of his commitment to God. They became a part of his surrender and commitment as they sacrificed every idol and all worship pieces they had gathered in their travels. His public commitment to God was no less impressive than his personal commitment, but now, all the members of his family, church and nation has become a part of it. They would eagerly help Jacob remember and provide the support he would need to stay in his commitment. After all, everyone was watching.
Look at the example Paul leaves us in Romans 10:8-10 involving the two things that must be done to be saved from the penalty of our sins. He says, “8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”-- that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” We begin our redemption by personally believing something in our hearts. Paul says it is the heart belief which makes us right with God, but that public statement of it that solidifies the agreement with God with the support of all those around. A personal belief supported by a public statement.
Build (Genesis 35:5-8)
Now, Jacob begins to see the evidence of some supernatural events that are taking place. It starts with him observing that no one is willing to stand in the way of him returning to Bethel. He can see that unexplainable fear in their eyes as his people pass by. He does not understand why, nor even what, is happening, but it is certain that something big has changed. Jacob was not hindered in his travel in any way (vs. 35:5). He successfully arrived at Bethel in the land of Canaan; him and all his company with him. No one was hurt, no one was hindered and all arrived safely (vs. 6). This is so much like our personal acknowledgement of Jesus Christ. It is not about an astonishing speaker or a fantastic experience. It is all about an individual finally having enough of God’s revealing Himself that it seems like someone has turned on a very bright light in a very dark room. It makes you want to shout, “I SEE! PRAISE ALMIGHTY GOD IN HEAVEN, I SEE! For the first time in my life, I really see!” Jacob saw the supernatural evidence of change all around him and “HE SAW!” He did not look for explanations; he just saw that God was acting through him and it was overwhelmingly powerful!
So, Jacob rebuilds the altar he had built privately, and he named it El-Bethel. Look at the excitement here. On his first visit, he saw the stairway with God’s angels moving up and down the stairs with God’s messages. He recognized God and called the place the house of God – Beth-EL. But now it is more to him. The same rocks, the same pedestal, the same place but now it is El Bethel. Coming out of the Hebrew language he is saying “this is now not only the House of God, but it is now my personal God’s House of God. Now I have a relationship with Deity. I have not only seen God and seen His House; but now I realize HE IS MINE!!! This place is MY GOD’S House of God. For the first time, this is personal to me, and it is too much to contain. The father whose daughter Jesus raised and asked him not to tell anyone could not contain what he had seen! “I HAVE TO TELL SOMEBODY!!” This man named Jesus touched the hand of my dead daughter and she got up and came back to me! I must tell somebody what Jesus did for me. In verse 7, Jacob remembered this was the place where God revealed Himself to me, but now, it was different. Now, He did not just show me – I SAW!!!
In verse 8, there is a death of a beloved servant of Jacob’s mother. God reminds us that there is often a low that follows the highest of highs. But even death has a new feeling when you have seen God’s light!
Renewed (Genesis 35:9-15)
Linda Randal, one of the great Gospel singers on the Bill Gaither Homecoming Tours, reminds us that “the God of the Mountains is still God in the valley; and the God of the good times is still God in the bad.” Verse 9 recaptures the place we just visited and says that “God appeared to Jacob again as he was coming down from Haran, and He blessed him.” It sounds so routine compared to from where we just came. The awesome work God was doing with Jacob and all of the house of Israel were beyond awesome. But let us not bring judgement too early. Instead, let us look at the words, “And He blessed him” to see the dynamics of how this passage ends.
Verse 10 begins the delivery of God’s blessing on Jacob, the father of the 12 tribes of Israel. He starts by reminding Jacob of what He said when they were wrestling last time Jacob came this way. “Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.” Notice how verse 10 ends: “Then He (GOD) called him Israel.” The Creator of the Universe purposely set the example for all humankind by calling Jacob by his new name, Israel. Any questions?
Verses 11-14 contain God’s instructions or taskings of Israel because he is now the “One who rules as God” instead of “the heel catcher or supplanter or deceiver.” God’s first instruction to Israel is to receive these words from “God Almighty,” “Be fruitful and multiply.” While Israel already has 12 boys, he is to lead the birth of nations and a company of nations, there shall also be kings who will come from Israel. We immediately think of kings David and Solomon.
But now God departs, “Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him” (Gen 35:13). And then, Israel did what Israel did best; he set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured a drink offering on it (vs. 14). This was Israel’s way of immortalizing the event, happening or meeting. And verse 15 says Israel named the place where all this happened, Bethel. Again, these might initially sound repetitious of exactly what happened back in Chapter 32, but recall that this is a new man carrying out these things. Every time Israel causes something to happen, it is automatically a major event. In Chapter 32, everything was done in a low-key, almost secret environment. In Chapter 35, the whole world is tuned in. The deceiver, Jacob, has been replaced by God’s Chosen speaker for Himself, Israel. The mondain has become earthshattering or gargantuan in importance. Miracles are commonplace. In the newer Testament, hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were healed of every kind of disease by THE SHADOW of Peter (Acts 5:15). Nothing is trivial any longer.
Understand the Context (Genesis 37:2-36)
We studied the life of Jacob after he escaped the death threat of his twin brother, Esau. We made note that as he fled, he stopped for a night at Bethel and had a vision of a stairway and a visit from God. There Jacob’s name was changed to Israel, the Abraham Covenant was transferred to him and God promised him he would return to the land of his father. But Jacob followed his mother’s (Rebekah’s) directions and went to Haran to stay with her brother, Laban. Jacob fell in love with Rachael, Laban’s youngest daughter and agreed to work seven years for her hand. Laban agreed but switched Rachael out in favor of his oldest daughter, Leah. Jabob agreed to work seven more years to get Rachael’s hand. Meantime, he had six sons and a daughter with Leah.
He married Rachael but found her barren. Rachael allowed Jacob to have two sons with her handmaiden (Bilhah), and Leah responded by allowing him to have two sons with her handmaiden (Zilpah). Then Rachael had Joseph, and he quickly became the favored son of Jacob and Rachael.
While the elder ten sons labored in the fields and herds, Joseph came to visit and told his brothers that he had two dreams in which either the ten of them or the ten plus Jacob and Rachael would bow to worship him. The brothers were irate, but it was worsened by Joseph wearing a special coat of many colors Jacob made as he visited their work sight.
While Rueben, the eldest son, wanted him thrown into a dry well where he could rescue him later, the others pulled him out of the dry pit and sold him while Rueben was absent. Rueben returned to find Joseph already sold. The brothers put goat’s blood on Joseph’s robe to explain to their father that a wild animal killed his favorite son. Jacob and Rachael were in deep grief until a few years later when Rachael conceived again. Rachael named him Ben-oni, “Child of my sorrow.” Jacob renamed him Benjiman, “son of my right hand” as she died in his birth.
A Dream (Genesis 37:5-8)
Understanding the thought process of young Joseph is very difficult. He knew that the older brothers could see how favored he was by their parents, Jacob and Rachael. It was bad enough that the older brothers worked all day and frequently had to spend the nights watching over the massive herds and acres of crops, but Joseph visited the work sites and flaunted his freedom while they worked. Add to that, Joseph began to see his prophetic capabilities early in life and not only dreamed dreams but interpreted them. He saw the sheaves being tied as they were harvested and saw the bunches standing tall, but something happened: all the sheaves harvested by the others turned in the direction of Joseph’s sheaves and bowed down. His brothers were gifted as well. They went from interpreting their sheaves bowing in the direction of Joseph’s sheaves to show his reign over them. The result: they hated him even more. The Hebrew culture was (and is) highly organized and hierarchical. The younger would never take the place of an elder. But we know the history; Joseph’s dream was exactly what would happen.
But the abuse of the norms is not over, yet. Jacob gave Joseph a robe of many colors that he would wear during these visits. The brothers would wear shades of tan so they could keep as cool as possible while they kept the flocks and oversaw the fields in the open sun . Joseph in his coat of many bright colors just did not fit in. He stressed his differences from the other ten brothers to the point of pain. He made parental favoritism even more obvious than it was.
So, Joseph was either purposely turning his brothers against him, or he was clearly out of touch with cultural norms and standard, hierarchical protocols of the Hebrew family. In the background, however, we cannot forget that God is the author and finisher of His plan, and He has a tremendous plan for Joseph. Because of the immense hate he was generating among his brothers, they almost had to reject him from the family. Only Rueban, as elder brother seemed sufficiently loving for his little brother to want to rescue him from the others. But Joseph had to be sold to Egypt to save them and Israel together. Truly, their evil became his good.
A Plot (Genesis 37:18-22)
So, the ten brothers saw Joseph coming to visit their work site and conspired to put him to death (vs. 18). As he approached verse 19 tells us they said, “Here comes this dreamer!” Still in the general language, they said “let us kill him and throw into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams” (vs. 20).
How does a family become this dysfunctional? Surely, the beginning stems from Uncle Laban’s treachery in tricking Jacob into receiving Leah into the bridal chamber after the wedding feast instead of Rachael. Jacob awakes and finds he had consummated a marriage with a woman he did not select to marry. It was Rachael’s older sister instead of Rachael. Was Rachael a party to this debauchery? Did her father force her to stand back at that last moment when her sister entered Jacob’s chambers? Laban offered only that it was customary that the older sister must be married first. Nevertheless, it was Laban who robbed Jacob of the second seven years of labor for the same woman. And the agreement Laban made with Jacob was for Rachael, not Leah. Laban had opportunity to disagree with the contract at that time rather than forcing his will on Jacob later. This marriage was the source of the six oldest sons of Jacob. The next four came from Rachael’s then Leah’s handmaidens. Having four women in the same household claiming one man as husband and father of their children introduces more emotional issues than even the disastrous blended family situations of today. Joseph is about to die because of it.
But Reuben, Leah and Jacob’s first child, the eldest of Jacob’s sons, had some feeling for doing the right thing here. He took the boy away from the others and said, “Let us not take his life. Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him” (vss, 21-22). Moses tells us that Reuben did this to save the bot out of that pit at a later time and restore him to his father. How did Reuben grow up with some sense of righteousness that the others were missing? Regardless of all this, we know Joseph had an appointment with destiny under God’s hand in Egypt in the not-too-distant future, and Joseph’s dreams would play a role.
A Pit (Genesis 37:23-28)
The discussion above all took place before Joseph arrived at the work site. In verse 23, we pick up at Joseph’s arrival. That arrival begins with his brothers stripping him of his coat of many colors that his father made for him. For the father, it was the symbol of their parent’s love and appreciation for the first born fruit of the love Jacob had for Rachael; of the love he had that motivated 14 years of labor for Laban to get her hand. For the other sons, it was the symbol of favoritism for Joseph over all of them. Joseph decision to flaunt it while visiting his brothers was the final element instigating their attack on him. They took Joseph’s coat and threw him into a pit; probably the one Reuben suggested. It was empty and had no water in it (vs. 24). Their peace with what they had done is displayed in the fact that they all sat down to have a meal after they disposed of Joseph. But while they were having the meal, a caravan of Ishmaelites happen by (vs. 25). They were on their way to Egypt on camels with products to sell there.
Judah (Jacob’s fourth son) questioned, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him (vs. 26-27). Next, some Midianite traders passed by, so they (the brothers) pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. The terms Ishmaelites and Midianites are used somewhat interchangeably because both tribes were nomadic descendants of Abraham. The Ishmaelites descended from Ishmael who was Abraham’s son through Sarah’s Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar. The Midianites descended from Abraham and his wife Keturah whom he married after Sarah died. Midianites were also related through Moses’ wife, Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, the Midianite priest.
So, the Ishmaelites sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt under Potiphar’s house. It was this sale that God used to eventually raise Joseph into being the next highest man to the Pharaoh when famine struck Jacob’s land and he approached Egypt for food. He approached Joseph, his own son.
Understand the Context (Genesis 12:1-14:24)
Now, we find ourselves at a major pivot point in the history provided by Moses in the Book of Genesis. To reach this point in history, Chapters 1-11 covered 2,000 years of time. The remaining chapters of Genesis, 12-50, will cover only 350 years. With the extreme slowdown in time covered also comes a major change in focus. Earlier, we dealt with events of global importance: the Creation, introduction of sin into the world, Adam and Eve (and all humanity) being banned from the physical presence with God in the Garden, the first murder as Cain killed Abel, a global flood annihilating all humankind, animals, fish and birds except those on the Ark, the linguistic unity of humankind replaced linguistic diversity because of their arrogant thought of reaching God’s heaven through their personal efforts.
But now, we introduce the family of God. The first member is one who “believed God and it was accounted unto him for righteousness” (Gen 15:6). The action brought salvation by God’s grace through human faith (Eph 2:8-9). We move into this relationship as God ordains the man Abram and promises through his son (Isaac) a blessing upon nations too many to number. Isaac’s son, Jacob would be renamed Israel by God and his 12 sons would become the fathers of the 12 tribes of Israel. Through the Tribe of Judah would come King David and the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Messiah and Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, the Savior of all humankind.
Chapters 12-14 introduces God’s covenant with Abram and how his name is changed to Abraham, the father of many nations, and his wife’s name is changed from Sarai to Sarah, the mother of nations (Gen 17:5, 15). Abraham’s life shows him as a common man who deceives a pharaoh into believing Sarah is his sister instead of wife. We also meet the king and priest named Melchizedek who blesses the greater, Abraham, with his tithes. Then we see the dimensions of the future Promised Land of Canaan. While God promised Abraham the land from the Nile to the Euphrates Rivers and the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, Israel disobeyed and her regret persists.
Move (Genesis 12:1-5a)
The lineage of Noah’s son, Shem is documented in Genesis 11:10-26 ending with Terah living seventy years and begetting Abram, Nahor and Haran. Verse 11:31 documents the movement of Terah family out of Ur the Chaldees and into the land of Canaan. There we also learn that Lot is the son of Haran and Nahor’s wife, Milcah, is Haran’s daughter. So, Lot is Abram’s nephew, and his brother’s wife, Milcah is also his niece. But no such explanation for Sarai. In Genesis 12, Abram tells of how she was his half-sister and wife, but the explanations are missing. In verse 12:1, Moses documents God’s call Abram out of Ur of Chaldees to Canaan separate from his father. There he promises to make Abram great and the father of a great nation (vs. 2). It is also in that verse that God promises, “2b and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: 3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” The significance of God’s promise to bless others as they bless Israel is frequently quoted to this day. But verse 3 also holds the truth that God promises that all the families of earth shall be blessed through him. While many separate the world into either members of the chosen race or pagans, the Bible frequently makes it clear that God’s promises are to the entire world through the chosen people. See the frequent use of “strangers among us” as referring to non-Jewish families brought into the race formally through the ceremony of the Mikvah pool and that process looks exactly like Baptism through Immersion to this day. This is how God’s promises to Abram blesses all the families of earth.
So, at age 75, Abram and Lot departed out of Haran (vs. 4). Haran was a town about 300 miles northeast of Israel but was also the name of Abram’s brother and father of Lot. They journeyed to Canaan with all the belongings that had including all their children and household members they amassed while in Haran. Canaan was a country more than a city and Chapter 12 continues to mention the many cities in Canaan they visited. The key thought here is that Abram was called of God and he responded heartedly. There is a model here for us to consider about God’s callings.
Separate (Genesis 13:11-13)
God blessed Abram and Lot so greatly that the land on which they chose to live became too small to support both of them. God frequently opens the doors of heaven to flood blessings upon those who love Him, and this was no exception. The earlier part of Genesis 13 documents their great wealth in sliver, gold and livestock. They agreed that they would have to separate and looked to the east and west for solutions (13:5-7).
Lot looked toward the fertile valleys and cities of the east, and with his uncle’s permission, he chose to move his tents to the area near the city of Sodom (vs. 11). Abram, on the hand, moved farther west in Canaan. While the land was much less fertile, he had much more acreage and the peace of not having to share the land with another very successful herdsman.
Moses, our writer, plants the seed in verse 13 that there will be a horribly negative influence of gross sin with which Lot, et al, must counter on a daily basis. The level of evil is summed, “But the people of this area were extremely wicked and constantly sinned against the Lord” (Gen 13:13). Notice the words “extremely” and “constantly” in this sentence (Gen 13:13, NLT). They are replaced by the single word “exceedingly” in the KJV and uses the Hebrew word mehode. The definition of this word uses words like “vehemently; by implication, wholly, speedily, etc. (often with other words as an intensive or superlative; especially when repeated):—diligently, especially, exceeding(-ly), louder and louder, might(-ily, -y), (so) much, quickly, (so) sore, utterly” (Microsoft Bible Explorer). When we look ahead just five chapters to 18, we see the three heavenly visitor (the Lord and two others) visiting Abraham to inform him that they have come to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the constant uproar of prayer to Him regarding the evil of the city (18:20). Abraham bargains with the Lord against punishing the righteous and the evil of the city together and the Lord reveals that if He had found even ten righteous men within the city, He would have saved the city for the sake of that ten (18:32). I would think that when the angels evacuated Lot and his family, the total number of righteous in the city was exhausted.
Claim (Genesis 13:14-18)
Here, the heading word, “Claim” is used as a Real Estate Claim. God is going to show Abram the length, breath and depth of the real estate He is going to promise to Abram as he represents Israel’s future. Verse 14 sets the stage by telling Abram to look in all four directions. In verse 15, He explains why. He says, “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever.” Notice the word “forever” at the end of verse 15. This settles the modern issue of how long this land was given to Israel. Recall from the earlier reference of Genesis 15:18 that we are talking about all of the land that extends from the Nile to the Euphrates Rivers. Israel is currently being very gracious in living on less than half the land God said was Israel’s permanent possession.
Now, God has sufficient foreknowledge to understand how many people it would take to oversee an estate of that size, so He makes a promise concerning how many people Israel will have in its number. God says not only will I give you all this land, but I will also make your numbers as the dust of the earth, and if a man can number the dust of the earth, that shall be the number of Abram’s seed to occupy that land (vs. 16).
God knows that the size of the estate He just promised to Abram was far greater than any man can fathom, so He tells Abram to go and walk the length and the breadth of it because He is giving it all to him (vs. 17). So, if verse 17 can be interpreted to say God directed Abram to walk it and he did, then afterward, Abram decided he wished to live on the Plains of Mamre (near Hebron). This would put Abram pitching his tent in his new location about 20 miles southwest of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is called the City of God and nearby Bethlehem is called the City of David. What a great place for an Israeli leader to settle.
And as was the case with Abram, the first thought for him was not to sit and gloat over the greatness of his newly awarded possession, instead, Abram immediately built an altar that he might worship the Lord there. Honoring God was far more important to Abram than having any thought of how big the land was that God just gave to him.
Understand the Context (Genesis 15:1-16:16)
Many of us can identify with Abram’s impatience in this situation. God had talked with Abram 10 years earlier that he would be a great nation. He said that he would have offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky, the sand on the seashore or the particles of dust on the ground. Abram was 75 years old then nevertheless, who among us would not believe God no matter how impossible the feat seemed to be. But now, Abram is 10 years older and approaching 86 years old. He has been living in his body and had personal knowledge that fathering a baby at his age was questionable, at best. Likewise, Sarai had personal knowledge of her body and knew she had completed menopause at least three decades earlier. While she was ten years younger than Abram, she knew her body had lost the capability to procreate years earlier. Why, it would take a miracle for them to have a son at this stage in life! But is that not what we are talking about here?
There were still a couple ways to help God make this happen. Jewish custom allowed for a man with no heir to adopt a trusted servant as his heir. Or Sarai could allow one of her best servants to serve as a surrogate mother for her child. After all, if Sarai owned the servant, she certainly owned anything that came from the servant. But neither of these alternatives was acceptable to the Lord as we enter Chapter 15. God insisted that the child would be from the bowels of Abram and Sarai, and that is how this feat would take place.
To show how serious He was about this promise, God used an old ritual of dividing the parts of a sacrificed animal into two rows and walking between them as a symbol. The ritual implied that the promise maker would suffer the same fate as the animals used if he failed to keep the promise. As Sarai decided to help God keep His promise, she used Hagar, her handmaiden, to surrogate for her and deliver Ishmael. Everything in her life turned to trash. She blamed Abram for the whole thing, Hagar lost all respect for her, Hagar and Ishmael would eventfully be driven off and her relationship with Abram was never the same. “Helping” God keep promises can be disastrous.
Believed (Genesis 15:1-6)
So, here is the Scripture where God and Abram meet again to discuss Abram’s heir to God’s promises. In verse 15:1, God’s word came to Abram saying, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Verses 15:2-3 lay out how Abram plans to implement God’s plan to address the problem of his missing offspring. Abram assumed that after the ensuing ten years, it was now certain that he would not have a natural child as an heir. Therefore, he would use the Hebrew custom which allowed a man with no heir to adopt a trusted servant as that heir. In this case, Eliezer, Abram’s house steward could be that heir. After all, Abram reminds the Lord in verse 3, “Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir.”
But once again, the word of the Lord comes out strong and powerful to assure Abram that this is not the solution He will accept (vs. 4). Rather, says the Lord, “he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” Notice the total lack of ambiguity in God’s words, “he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.” And God, once again, takes Abram out to show him the stars and ask him to number them, for this shall be the number of his heirs which shall come from him in the generations to come. God continues, “if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be” (vs. 5b).
Abram’s response and God’s blessing on it sets up the whole thought of Paul’s statement, “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9). So, the great absolution from the just punishment for all our sin comes to us by way of our faith in God driven by His grace in presenting us with such a limitless and undeserved gift! The words of verse 15:6 sums the whole idea, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” Abram’s change from telling God how he would take care of fulfilling His promise, to fully believing what God said and would do is a full display of Abram’s repentance and acceptance of God’s plan. Paul says, “If ye believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, the Lord Jesus Christ, thou shalt be saved” (Rom 10:9).
Impatient (Genesis 16:1-4)
So, the march toward doing God’s business for Him continues onward. Sarai is still looking at God’s promises to Abram as if it is her responsibility to help God keep His commitments. We just left Abram as he finally accepted what God said as the final word, but now we have Sarai going down the same path. Recall that she is 10 years Abram’s junior but is still beyond 75 years old at this point. She knows how many decades it has been since she showed signs of reproductive functioning of her body. But she also knows how dearly Abram wanted God’s promise of a son to be fulfilled. She remembers that Hebrew custom allows for her to use a slave as a surrogate for having a child for her husband, so she approaches Abram with the proposal. Verse 16:1 introduces the name of the chosen maid as Hagar, the Egyptian handmaiden given to Sarai as she left Egypt after Abram claimed she was his sister instead of his wife. Sarai suggests to Abram that they use Hagar to produce Abram’s son and fulfill God’s promise. The second half of verse 16:2 says that Abram “hearkened” to her voice (Hebrew: shawmah that is to listen with consent). So, Sarai took Hagar to her husband after they had lived in Canaan for 10 years. Recall that Abram was 75 when he left his family home so is now 85 years old.
After Sarai gave Hagar to her husband, she conceived, and as soon as that conception took place, Hagar developed contempt for her mistress. Regardless of what Hebrew custom dictated was proper and allowable, human nature cannot be trumped. Sexual relations between a man and a woman was designed by God to be the highest form of intimacy two people can share. Participating in this relationship will cause and maintain a strong bond between the parties. Sarai gave Hagar to act like Abram’s wife and now, from Hagar’s view, she wanted to keep her new mate and expel Sarai. The Bible says, “her mistress was despised in her eyes” (Gen 16:4). Further, Abram will always recall that he shared his marital bed with another woman. It is a shame for them that did not consult with the Lord before they allowed this breach to be considered.
Impetuous (Genesis 16:5-6)
Now we see the results of sin coming home to roost. Sarai has to confess to Abram, her husband, that she now sees her intended good as horribly bad (vs. 5). But even worse, she says, “My wrong be upon thee” (Gen 16:5). The New Living Translation interprets that as, “This is all your fault!” (Gen 16:5, NLT). Look at what has happened because Sarai tried to help God by using Hagar mother a child with her husband. Hagar’s natural reaction is to make that relationship more and has contempt for Sarai because she has Abram. Sarai can no longer use Hagar as her trusted servant because Hagar has slept with her husband. Abram has conspired with his wife to share their marital bed with another woman. Sarai suggested it but is now blaming Abram for the entire mistake. These broken relationships will always be the natural outcomes when even the most righteously intended actions are taken to play God. No one can take God’s promises away from Him. He makes His promises, and He alone has the capabilities to make them happen without causing grief between all the people involved.
As Sarai accuses Abram as carrying the complete fault for these problems, Abram can only respond to her with truth, “Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee” (vs. 6). So, Sarai began to deal with Hagar harshly until Hagar could no longer bear it, and she ran away from Sarai and Abram’s family. Sarai blamed her husband for agreeing to her suggestion and now has driven her maid away from the family because the maid obeyed her direction. But we know from our personal lives that sin is like a rolling snowball in the snow. The more you push it along, the bigger it gets. The only way to deal with sin is confessing it to God and praying that He will show you how to overcome it. If Abram and Sarai would have consulted with God before they did this thing, He would have prevented it all. God knew He was going to have Abram and Sarai parent Isaac. It was decided long before either of them existed. The test for this couple was whether they would surrender to letting God be God and trust Him to perform what He promised, or take things into their own hands and cause grief that would affect the future of all humankind.
Think all the way back to the first sin and when God was looking for Adam the next morning. God asked Adam if he ate of the tree He commanded him not to eat of and Adam said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Gen 3:12). Just like Sarai blamed her sin on Abram, Adam blamed his sin on Eve, "the woman that God gave him." I suppose it was Adam’s way of saying it was God’s fault. This is not just an old Bible story, is it?
Understand the Context (Genesis 17:1-18:15)
So, we are now at 24 years after God gave Abram the promise of making him a great nation and that He would bless those who blessed them and curse them who cursed them (Gen 12:2). We have already seen Abram try to help God by offering up Eliezer of Damascus, his servant as the heir he did not have and later, offering up Ishmael, his son by Sarai’s handmaiden, Hagar. Of course, Sarai had a large role in making Ishmael an option (Gen 16:1-6). We saw Hagar run away from Sarai because of her harsh treatment and God telling her to go back and submit to her owner.
In this study, we will see God appear to Abram in the form of a man, but not as a man as in the case of God being in Jesus of Nazareth. This manifestation of God is called a theophany. That is, God appeared in the form of a man but not as a man. The message God delivered was to restate the covenant already given to Abram but to make it permanent. That means it is as powerful today as it was when it was first given in 1800 BC. So, the words of Moses, “And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness” are just as fresh for us as they were for Abram (Gen 15:6). They provided authority for Paul to say, “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9). God graciously decided that all the charges against us for our sins would be totally forgiven through faith that Jesus paid the price for them by His death. And approved by God by raising Him from the dead. Paul says briefly that there is now no remaining condemnation against us, who believe in Jesus Christ (Rom 8:1). And that is the good news!
The smaller changes we will see in this week’s study are name changes for Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah. For Abram, that is from the “exalted father” to the “father of many nations.” That is immense in terms of the reinforcing God’s covenant. For Sarai, the change is more of language application from Ur to Canaan dialects. We will also see God’s awesome grace applied to Abram’s prayer for Ishmael’s greatness. God graciously gives Abram what he asked.
Covenant (Genesis 17:1-8)
Now, Moses reminds us that Abram is 99 years old, and the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the Almighty God (Hebrew: El Shaddai); walk before Me, and be thou perfect” (vs. 17:1). This is the identification step where the Lord establishes His expectation for Abram and His identity in terms of power and authority to make the covenant He is about to make with Abram. God briefly identifies the covenant in verse 2 by saying it is established between Abram and Himself and He will multiply Abram above measure. Abram’s response is to show proper humility before the Lord and as he simply fell on his face; the deepest bow possible. From that level, God addresses Abram to tell him of the remainder of the covenant (vs. 3). God begins by restating the previous words of His covenant that He will make the covenant with Abram, and it identifies Abram as the father of many nations (vs. 4). This statement is gravely important because it does not exclude people as much as includes them. The covenant is made with Abram but as he will reach many nations.
Verse 5 marks a full identification of Abram with the covenant as God changes his name to match his identity under this new covenant. The name Abram means “exalted father,” but his new name of Abraham means the “father of many nations” and God documents that it was He who made Abram what he is. God adds that He will make Abraham “exceedingly fruitful,” make many nations out of him and have kings come out of him, as well (vs. 6).
The character of this covenant is that it will be made between God and Abraham and continue into Abraham’s seed after him (vs. 7). The duration of the covenant will be everlasting, that is, it will have no end. God makes sure Abraham understands that not only is He establishing an everlasting covenant with him but that He will always be their God. This is a statement of personal commitment from the Creator of the universe to Abraham and his seed after him. And, it is almost like God is saying, “Oh, one more thing.” Here God identifies the land where this covenant people will live and possess. It is where he is currently a stranger, but it is called Canaan, and it will be an everlasting possession. That is, from the border of Egypt to the Euphrates River, forever.
Sign (Genesis 17:9-10)
Here, God sets His expectation of Abraham and all of those who follow after him. God commands that Abraham keep His covenant and see to it that it is kept throughout all his generations through his seed. Just to make sure we do not misinterpret this statement; God is not saying that only those physically birthed from the seed of Abraham’s body will enjoy this covenant with God. Rather, He is stating that, consistently with Abraham’s new name, “father of many nations,” that all his family and heirs plus all those who believe and accept that covenant after him throughout all generations will have God’s covenant with them as well. Every time God speaks this covenant, and even with the new name He gave Abram, God includes “many and all nations.” This does not diminish the idea of the Jews being a chosen race; instead, it opens the floodgates for anyone, anywhere to move into the Abrahamic Covenant by following the tenets of the covenant.
Next, God establishes a mark of that covenant. Note that the mark of the covenant is not the blessing of the covenant, rather, it is a sign that one has entered into that covenant. For Abraham and all the current members of the Hebrew faith in that day, they were directed to be circumcised immediately. Later, we will read that Moses is instructed that the male child was to be circumcised on the eight day after his birth (Gen 17:12).
Look at it as we look at a baby christening in the Christian faith. The christening is a decision made by the parents and minister for the child. The child has no personal part of the act. As a matter of fact, if we look at the Jewish custom of Mikvah, the washing or cleansing ceremony for that faith, we find that the conversion of the “stranger among us” into the Chosen Race is administered only after the convert has already converted his or her life to Judaism including obedience to the Law and circumcision. Then the convert can enter the pool. Rabbi will lay the convert back into the water signifying his death and burial as a Gentile, and then raise the convert out of the water signifying his new birth as a Jew. The Mikvah ceremony is a picture of what the convert agrees has happened inside him. Christian Baptism is the same; one only enters the baptistry after he or she has been converted and accepted Christ as Savior and Lord. Any earlier timing makes the baptism an effective as any other bath. The correct timing establishes the baptism as the first act of obedience for the new Christian and a public confession of that truth. Likewise, circumcision has no spiritual value until the child choses to follow Jehovah and the associated laws given to Moses.
Promise (Genesis 17:15-19)
Under this heading, God starts by including Sarai in His conversion with Abram. God says her name will no longer be Sarai but Sarah (vs. 15). Verse 16 continues by identifying the blessings that will follow that name change. God says He wants to bless her and give her a son of her. He says again, “I will bless her, and she will be the mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her” (vs. 16). It seems clear that these words are consistent with those for Abram, but the name change seems more related to proper understand by the audience at Canaan than the homeland of Ur.
As Abraham hears God’s promise that Sarah will give him a son, he falls on his face and laughed and asked in his heart, “Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old. Bear?” (vs. 17). It is clear that Abraham’s reaction to God’s statement some 24 years after his original call and he still without a child, that he is somewhat doubtful of its fulfillment. His laughing at the Lord’s comment also reminds us of Sarah’s laughing just a couple chapters earlier and how God reacted to it. So, in his state of disbelief, Abraham looked toward God and said, “O that Ishmael might live before thee!” (vs. 18). This wish seems to indicate that Abraham did not understand that “helping God” is still not the response God wants. He already corrected him when he offered to adopt Eliezer of Damascus to be his heir and when Sarai decided to use Hagar as a surrogate for birthing a son to Abraham. Nothing has changed God’s mind. He still does not require nor desire help to make His promises come true.
So, God responds immediately, “Sarah thy wife shall bear a son indeed” in verse 19a. We can almost hear God’s voice raising after Abraham expresses his doubt and dishonors Him with his laughter. This is not new information for Abraham to process. God committed to Abraham’s fathering many nations in His first statement of his call, and it did not change in the next two statements of that call. Further, in each case when he or Sarah had tried to help Him, God totally rejected that help.
Next, God specifies the name Abraham and Sarah shall call their son, “and thou shalt call his name Isaac” (vs. 19b). The name Isaac means “laughed at” and captures forever the laugher, doubt and disbelief expressed first by Sarah, but later by Abraham when his birth was spoken of by God. Nevertheless, God says, “I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him” (vs. 19c). So, the everlasting nature of His covenant with Abraham is updated for Isaac and promised forever after him. And recall, it is this covenant that builds on Genesis 15:6 where Abraham expressed his belief in God’s word, and it was accounted unto him for righteousness. This is the grace of God being believed by faith and resulting in a right standing with God. Paul said, “For by grace ye are saved through faith, it is the gift of God, and not of works least any man should boast” (Eph 2:8-9). The writer of Hebrews tells us, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). The message is consistent.
Understand the Context (Genesis 18:16-19:38)
The focal verses for this study point toward Genesis 18:16 as the starting point, but the introduction of the three men visiting Abraham goes back to Genesis 18:1. The identities of these men are extremely important to the interpretation of why they were visiting Abraham and what authority they had for doing so. Verse 1 clearly states that this visit was headed by the appearance of “The LORD” (KJV). The Hebrew word for the KJV rendering of the word LORD is Y’hovah or Jehovah. Abraham addresses Him as Hebrew Adonay which is a singular masculine noun reserved only for the highest deity. In either case, both Moses (author) and Abraham (subject) recognize the spokesman of the three visitors to be God, Himself. The identities for the other two “men” is addressed at verse 19:1 as “two angels” or Hebrew malak (deputy or messenger of God). Now that we know who these visitors are, let us look at why they came.
Verses 18:1-8 shows that they came for fellowship with Abraham and Sarah. Note also that Jehovah and His two angels consumed food while they were there. (Some people asked me if we will eat in Heaven.) Verses 18:9-15 shows they came to deliver the news to Abraham and Sarah that Sarah was going to have a baby she would name Isaac (vs. 17:19). Abraham (99) and Sarah (89) are well stricken with age, and Sarah laughs when the message comes that she will have a child within the year. She later denies she laughed (vs. 15). Second, the “men” came to tell Abraham that they have heard the cry of Sodom-Gomorrah and their severe sin.
Third, the angels departed from Abraham’s camp to destroy Sodom-Gomorrah and left Abraham and Jehovah talking. Abraham enters a discussion with God over whether He will destroy the righteous with the unrighteous (vs. 18:23). Abraham decreases the number of righteous found there to a point of only 10 righteous, where only Lot’s family could be included (vs. 18:31).
In Chapter 19, we find the angels visiting Lot before they destroy the city. The description of the behavior of the towns people and what they want to do with the angels of God fully documents their level of depravity and God’s justice in sending the angels to destroy them. I would caution too great the judgment we direct at the inhabitants of Sodom-Gomorrah as we watch our own country moving toward the very same levels of allowable personal depravity!
As the Angels destroy Sodom-Gomorrah and Lot escapes to the village of Zoar, we see his wife looking back at what she used to have and being turned into a pillar of salt. Then we see Lot’s two daughters behaving the way their city behaved as they decide to get their father intoxicated and commit incest with him. The two sons born of that sin were the fathers of Moab and Ammon. Ruth was a Moabitess (Ruth 1:4).
Urgency (Genesis 19:12-17)
Genesis 19:12-17 continues with the visit of the two angels to Lot’s residence at Sodom-Gomorrah. Our discussion picks up the next day, before sunrise, but after the angels dealt with the mob in the street. As the mob began to attack the door to Lot’s home, one of the angels caused the mob members to be blinded. The ensuing frustration caused them to change their minds about the attack on Lot and the angels (vs. 11). Now, the angels are following up on the conversation the Lord had with Abraham regarding the destruction of the righteous with the wicked. The angels asked Lot to fetch any of his relatives who are in the city so those who are righteous could be evacuated with them (vs. 18:23). Lot started by warning the two men who were going to marry his daughters (vs. 19:14a). But his sons-in-law (evidently betrothed but not yet married) mocked him and refused to depart with him (vs. 14b).
The Lord’s reasoning was sound, that is, that a righteous person would have no desire to stay in Sodom-Gomorrah. The environment would be totally foreign and repulsive to one who loved Jehovah. Of course, that line of thought would force questions concerning Lot’s walk with God. His sitting at the gate, multiple delays in leaving the city, treatment of his daughters and desire to escape to another city rather than the mountains would all seem opposite to behaviors a person with a God-centered life would do.
Verse 15 states that when the morning came, the angels told Lot to take his wife and two daughters because they were the only ones who were willing to leave the city with him. The angel warned Lot that time was short unless they wanted to be consumed with the rest of the city. Nevertheless, it seemed like Lot was delaying even after the angels specific warning. But the delays were not for important issues like making sure they had any necessary legal papers, or a change of clothes or food for the next day. Rather, they seemed like frivolous delays just to occupy time. Almost like Lot had some hesitation about turning his back on Sodom-Gomorrah. The angels evidently felt the same way, so they grabbed the hands of Lot, his wife and his two daughters and forcibly pulled them out of the city as quickly as possible (vs. 16). Once Lot and his family were safely outside the city, the angels told him to get away to the safety of the mountains, so they would not be consumed with destruction of the city. As we will see on the next slide, Lot continues to delay. He must not have understood.
Bargaining (Genesis 19:18-22)
Lot begins to bargain with the angels. He obviously did not understand the urgency of getting as far away from the city as quickly as possible. He implores them to let him go to the local village rather than the mountains. He is afraid that he will be overtaken by evil and die if forced to go to the mountains. He says there is a small city that is nearby. Lot seems to think that the fact it is small makes a difference in his case to go there rather than the mountains (vs. 20). He is so convinced of this that he says his soul will be able to live if he is allowed to escape there. It may be that Lot is so used to living in the city that he is afraid he cannot survive outside that kind of environment. Notice in verse 21 that the angels must modify their plans for destroying the little city if they allow Lot to escape there. Nevertheless, the angel says, "See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken.”
The angels had physically pulled Lot and his family outside the gate of the city (vs. 16), and it appears that they are still in the same place as Lot insists on more conversation and more delay. This seems to be a perfect illustration of what “just doesn’t get it” really means. The angels have agreed to his terms, and now, they want him to hurry because they cannot do anything to the city until Lot and his family are safely out of range (vs. 22). Recall that when the angels first came to Sodom-Gomorrah, they found Lot “sitting at the gate” (Gen 19:1). Historically, this meant Lot was trusted by the leadership of the city to control entry into the city. He was not just a citizen of the city; he had risen to the leadership of the city. Also consider the depth to which his personal morality (not to mention his godly beginnings) had sunk in order to live there, tolerate the behaviors demonstrated by the mob and even offer his two daughters in exchange for the safety of the angels. This is a man who has left his Jewish history far behind.
There is no information on what personal belongings the family was allowed to take with them. Given that the angels pulled them by their hands, they obviously were not carrying much. For most people, this would be a clue of a “hasty departure.” Why Lot’s delays now?
Judgment (Genesis 19:23-26)
Verse 23 provides an update on the time of day, that is, when Lot’s finally arrives in Zoar, the sun was risen. It was at this time that the fire and brimstone was rained down on Sodom-Gomorrah and all the small towns and villages near there, except for Zoar. Only one village was not listed among those destroyed and that one was Zoar. That was where Lot requested to go rather than the mountains mentioned by angels assisting his relocation (Gen 19:17). In verse 24, Sodom-Gomorrah is separated into two, separate places. Also included in the destruction are all the plains, all the inhabitants of the cities and all that grew upon the ground. Clearly, the Lord wished to turn these areas into pictures of destroyed and barren places. The fact that He destroyed all that grew out of the ground was intended to advertise that whatever greatness existed there before, would certainly not exist there again. The whole region had been stripped of its capability to support life.
The angels warned Lot and his family, “And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, ‘Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed’” (Gen 19:17). The hope designed into God’s plan of destroying a city or region is that it will be recognized as a lifestyle that region endorses that is inconsistent with God’s desire for His people. Further, the mandate He set for not looking back was more than just a boundary on personal curiosity, rather, it was a prohibition on placing your eyes on from where you came instead of to where you are going. God is using destruction to eliminate the presence and memory of what used to be. It seems to be the same intent He has when He insists that believers confess (acknowledge) their sin and turn away from them. Merely walking away only to return again is not God’s goal in repentance from sin. He allows temptations to enter into our lives to grow us in the recognition and rejection of the unclean thing. He says, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1 Cor 10:13). Tempted; we learn, reject and grow.
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