Summary of passage: Genesis 25:27-34: Esau became a hunter while Jacob stayed home. Isaac loved Esau while Rebekah loved Jacob more. Esau sold his birthright for a meal, implying he despised his birthright.
Questions:
11a) That Jacob had obeyed his parents by traveling to and taking a wife from Paddan Aram instead of a Canaanite woman.
b) After God spoke to Jacob in a dream, he vowed for the Lord to be his God and he set up the pillar upon which he slept as God’s house, promising to bring God a tenth of what God has given him.
c) Jacob worked for 7 years in order to win the hand of Rachel.
d) God is with Jacob and has allowed no harm to come to him. God has blessed Jacob with Laban’s livestock. While Jacob cared for Laban’s flock, the flock never miscarried nor were attacked by wild beasts. Jacob worked for 14 years for 2 daughters and 6 years for the flocks. God rebuked Laban for his deception and ill-will towards Jacob.
e) Jacob prays to God to protect him as he finally returns home to the promised land from his brother Esau whom he is still afraid. But God has told him it is time to return home so Jacob has obeyed.
12a) Faith
b) Jacob is one of the patriarchs of His chosen people–the people who will obey God and shine His light into the world. God chose Jacob to receive His inheritance and to love him and to be His treasured possession. To serve God (Isaiah 41:8-9). To redeem him and summon him by name. To protect and lead. (Isaiah 43:1-2). Continuing in Isaiah 43, we are precious and honored in God’s sight, loved, and He is with us (4-5). To be God’s witnesses here on earth (10, 12). To save (11).
13) He sold his birthright for a meal. He married Hittite women. He married more women in an attempt to be like Jacob and win the birthright back but it was all an act in my opinion.
Conclusions: In ancient times as soon as the words God of Abraham, Isaac, and/or Jacob was mentioned, everyone knew which God you were talking about. And that is how they identified God since there were so many pagan gods in ancient times. Most knew who Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were and no more need be said.
Today, that is not the case. Even in Christian circles I believe the names are recognized but the details are not known as they were in ancient times. Important details were memorized since not many could read. We don’t memorize Scripture like the ancients since we take it for granted that we can look it up in the Bible.
For me it has been fun throughout the study of Genesis to cement in my mind who’s who. I was talking to my husband about Isaac and Rebekah and my husband had forgotten a few details about it all. So now when the Bible refers to the “God of Isaac” I know exactly what Isaac did and why God is referred to as the God of Isaac and its significance.
I was reading to my kids about how people today don’t take the time to notice nature and observe it like they did long ago. With the wealth of information out there about God and what we know I think sometimes it was easier to get closer to God in ancient times because they did more praying, more contemplating, more thinking, more studying of God than we do. We are so distracted by technology that we may miss God in a simple book. Something to ponder at least…
Your thoughts on our relationship with God today compared to our ancestors is well put. Yes we have many,many distractions and are robed of our God given time by the world around us. We really need to get our priorities right. Thanks for blog.
Sam Mongare
We treasure God’s things less because we’re lavished with information in this age-TV, Computers Books, DVDs, Radio; we’re pampered. But to whom more is given more will be demanded, so our case will be very stiff when we meet the judge. Thanks