Genesis 31 pt2
Notes
Transcript
And not only that, but Rebekah conceived children through one man, our father Isaac. For though her sons had not been born yet or done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to election might stand—not from works but from the one who calls—she was told, The older will serve the younger. As it is written: I have loved Jacob, but I have hated Esau.
THE BINDING OF ISAAC
This chapter introduces 2 important concepts:
Substitutionary atonement (dying in the place of another to make things right)
Belief in the resurrection after death
Exodus 20:16 (CSB)
Do not give false testimony against your neighbor.
Remember that Genesis is building up to the rest of the Torah, which builds to Jesus. Abraham’s family is one of liars…so no surprise that not giving false testimony is a top ten commandment.
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 20)
Do not misuse the name of the LORD your God, because the LORD will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name.
In the previous chapter, we saw Jacob’s name is a wordplay on “heel”, since he was grabbing Esau’s heel when they were born (perhaps to stop him from being born first). As adults, Jacob buy’s Esau’s birthright (inheritance, clan leadership, etc.) for some lentil stew. Jacob is about to deceive his father, but deception is embedded in their family makeup.
Jacob’s (Ya’aqob) name is a play on heel (aqeb) and cheat (aqab). Jacob is called a cheater by Esau later on. The name Jacob probably is related to the phrase “God Protects” (Ya’qabal’el), and God does indeed protect Jacob. God will ultimately change his name to Israel (meaning “God struggles’).
Christian Standard Bible (Chapter 25)
But the children inside her struggled with each other, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her:Two nations are in your womb;two peoples will come from you and be separated.One people will be stronger than the other,and the older will serve the younger.
test
What does your dream house look like?
How can you tell a couple is married?
Can children avoid the sins of their parents?
Have an example when in-laws actually were the bad guys?
Moms, how far would you go to protect your favorite son?
Have you ever accidentally done the right thing?
Why is gluttony a deadly sin?
How do you recover from parenting mistakes?
Why do we copy others? Why do we fail?
Do you get angrier at people who are close, or people who aren’t?
Have you ever made a deal with God?
What do people think heaven is like?
What magic beans do we chase?
What do you do after you have been betrayed?
If you shared a husband with your sister, and he was actually your cousin, how would you make it work?
Who are some unsung heroes?
Does your road with God slow down sometimes?
Do you reward your kids more than they deserve?
Do families have personalities? Do they change? Who changes them?
Has there always been a struggle between science and religion?
What ridiculous things have envy led you to do? What about that one coworker?
Are there moral lies?
Is hard work rewarded? Should it be?
Do life events change our personality?
Rachel; meaning “ewe”. Younger daughter of Laban. Second and favorite wife of Jacob. Mother of Joseph and Benjamin. One of the two matriarchs of Israel, along with her older sister Leah. Like her grandmother-in-law, Sarah, she is barren and jealous of another woman. Like her mother-in-law Rebekah, she is barren and a trickster. Rebekah asks the Lord for death during her pregnancy, and Rachel dies in pregnancy. Rachael is a pagan, loved by Jacob, while her sister Leah honors the Lord and is not loved by Jacob.
Leah, meaning “gazelle.” Older daughter of Laban and Jacob’s first wife. Leah bore six sons to Jacob (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun) and a daughter (Dinah). Her handmaid, Zilpah, bore two sons to Jacob (Gad, Asher), which by the law of that day were officially Leah’s. When Jacob returned to Palestine from Padan-Aram, Leah and her children were placed in front of Rachel and Joseph, evidently to absorb any violence from Esau, Jacob’s brother. This is indicative of the less-favored status of Leah to Rachel. Leah died in Palestine and was buried in the cave at Machpelah, where lay the remains of Abraham, Isaac, and their wives.
The main theme of Genesis 30 is sibling conflict between Jacob’s wives Leah and Rachel, who compete for his love and children. Another theme is God’s blessing on Jacob and his family, who multiply in number and wealth despite human schemes and deception. A third theme is God’s sovereignty over human fertility and destiny, as He alone opens or closes a woman’s womb and fulfills His promises to Jacob.
Rachel is barren and envies her sister Leah, who has four sons with Jacob. She gives her servant Bilhah to Jacob as a surrogate mother and names the two sons she bears: Dan and Naphtali.
Leah stops having children and gives her servant Zilpah to Jacob as well. She names the two sons she bears: Gad and Asher.
Leah’s son Reuben finds some mandrakes, a plant believed to enhance fertility, and brings them to his mother. Rachel asks for some of them and Leah agrees in exchange for Jacob sleeping with her that night. Leah conceives two more sons, and a daughter: Dinah.
God remembers Rachel and opens her womb. She conceives a son and names him Joseph, meaning “may he add”.
The main theme of Genesis 31 is Jacob’s departure from Laban and his return to his homeland. The chapter details several conflicts between Jacob and Laban over Jacob’s wealth, Laban’s idols, and a covenant they make at Mizpah. The chapter also shows how God protects and guides Jacob throughout his journey.
Jacob left Laban for several reasons. First, he heard that Laban’s sons were envying him for his wealth and accusing him of taking their father’s property. Second, he noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not friendly anymore. Third, he felt that it was time to return to his homeland and build his own household. Fourth, he received a command from God to go back to the land of his fathers and his relatives with a promise of God’s presence.
When do you not trust a handshake?
Have you ever lied about your period?
When do the bonds of family overcome family rivalry?
When God blesses you, are you upset that it took so long and you worked so hard?
On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” When Laban overtook Jacob, Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban and his relatives also pitched their tents in the hill country of Gilead. Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and taken my daughters away like prisoners of war! Why did you secretly flee from me, deceive me, and not tell me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and lyres, but you didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters. You have acted foolishly. I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Watch yourself! Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s family—but why have you stolen my gods?” Jacob answered, “I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live! Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.
Jacob answered, “I was afraid, for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. If you find your gods with anyone here, he will not live! Before our relatives, point out anything that is yours and take it.” Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols. So Laban went into Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two concubines, but he found nothing. When he left Leah’s tent, he went into Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of the camel, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent but found nothing. She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.
Then Jacob became incensed and brought charges against Laban. “What is my crime?” he said to Laban. “What is my sin, that you have pursued me? You’ve searched all my possessions! Have you found anything of yours? Put it here before my relatives and yours, and let them decide between the two of us. I’ve been with you these twenty years. Your ewes and female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams from your flock. I did not bring you any of the flock torn by wild beasts; I myself bore the loss. You demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or by night. There I was—the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. For twenty years in your household I served you—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times! If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, certainly now you would have sent me off empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and my hard work, and he issued his verdict last night.”
gn31:43-47
Then Laban answered Jacob, “The daughters are my daughters; the children, my children; and the flocks, my flocks! Everything you see is mine! But what can I do today for these daughters of mine or for the children they have borne? Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I. Let it be a witness between the two of us.” So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a marker. Then Jacob said to his relatives, “Gather stones.” And they took stones and made a mound, then ate there by the mound. Laban named the mound Jegar-sahadutha, but Jacob named it Galeed.
Then Laban said, “This mound is a witness between you and me today.” Therefore the place was called Galeed and also Mizpah, for he said, “May the Lord watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, though no one is with us, understand that God will be a witness between you and me.” Laban also said to Jacob, “Look at this mound and the marker I have set up between you and me. This mound is a witness and the marker is a witness that I will not pass beyond this mound to you, and you will not pass beyond this mound and this marker to do me harm. The God of Abraham, and the gods of Nahor—the gods of their father—will judge between us.” And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and invited his relatives to eat a meal. So they ate a meal and spent the night on the mountain. Laban got up early in the morning, kissed his grandchildren and daughters, and blessed them. Then Laban left to return home.
What should Jacob have done?
What memorials do you put up?
Jacob wanted food, clothes, and family. What do you want from God?
Are there similarities between these verses and your life?
What did Esau want from his father? Could God have replaced it?
What did you want from your father?
What are you giving your children?
Where was God in this story?
Christian Standard Bible Chapter 11
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
How do I keep from becoming like Isaac?
What should have Rebekah done differently?
Why would God use this mess?
Applications
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