Rachel is going to have a second son, giving Jacob a total of 12, but dies in child birth. Isaac also dies at the end of this chapter but he was 180 years old; he lived to see Jacob return and be reconciled to his older brother Esau.
Genesis 35
Continue readingAfter 20 years, Jacob finally breaks ties with Laban. But to return home he still has to deal with an older brother who possibly still wants to kill him, and was the reason he left in the first place. Then he wrestles with an angel and claims to have seen the face of God. There is never a dull moment with this guy.
Continue readingJacob finally gathers all he has and flees from Laban in order to return to the land of Canaan. There is a verse in this chapter that is often quoted but maybe it does not exactly mean what a lot people think it means.
When people say they don’t read the Bible because it’s boring, I can tell they have in fact not read the Bible. There are portions that are a little dry but the book of Genesis is not among them. If the stuff from chapter 30 happened on a modern daytime soap, the audience might find it hard to suspend their disbelief. But of course this is real. In the words of Jack Palance, the truth is stranger than fiction.
Genesis 30
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister and said to Jacob “Give me children, or I will die.”
Continue readingAbraham, Isaac and Jacob are great men of the Old Testament, renowned for their faith but sometimes questionable in other aspects. They lived in a different time, in another culture, and remember this is before the Law was given to God’s people. Abraham lied, on two separate occasions, about his wife being his sister; Isaac later did the same thing with one of the same kings. Jacob stole his older brother’s birthright and later his father’s blessing. And now it’s Jacob’s turn to be on the receiving end of some deception. This is just the beginning of the drama for Jacob.
Continue readingI’ve been thinking today about the difference between teaching and preaching. A preacher should be able to teach, but a teacher should be able to teach without preaching. Teaching is about explaining things in ways that people can understand. The Read the Bible series isn’t really about teaching the Bible; the stated goal is to read the text and discuss it’s just I’m the only one doing the discussing. Anytime someone wants to jump in just start leaving comments and we can interact. Preaching involves not only reading the text and doing some teaching but giving application. It starts with “what do we learn from this passage” and transitions into “what are we going to do about it.” When you leave church after hearing a good sermon you should have some goals for the upcoming week. There should be one or more action points; you should be able to answer the question What does the pastor/preacher want me to do? Sometimes a well-taught lesson will lead us to do things differently or take action but a good sermon will provide application. Some of the passages as we read through the Old Testament, I’m not sure how I would preach those from the perspective of how should we respond? You can learn a lot about God by reading the Old Testament so I hope you hang in there and find it worthwhile.
Bible Survey is a category of posts that are part of The Master’s Table but located under a unique URL. In recent weeks I have been reading the Bible more, but posting on my blogs less. Disciplined Bible reading and prayer are something I struggle with.
The Children of Israel (Gen 29 – 35) is the latest post at Bible Survey. Jacob’s name change, his wives Leah and Rachel, and a listing of his children are all covered. Click through the link to give it a read; questions, comments and discussion are always welcome.
I’ve just added a new post to Bible Survey, my 30 year plan for reading through scripture! I exaggerate slightly. At any rate, Jacob’s Ladder explores Genesis 28. Describing Jacob’s dream is easy; interpreting what it means, that can be a different story. Jewish and Christian traditions differ, but at the end of the day I think there’s only one place we can land: it’s about Jesus.
Read Genesis 28: Jacob’s Ladder at Bible Survey.
After 5 posts on Abraham I have decided it’s time to move on. There are a lot more stories there, but Bible Survey kind of turned into a lifetime in Genesis on me. Perhaps I should write a book on Abraham; can’t imagine that making the New York Times Bestseller List.
The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob looks at two aspects of that title. When the Bible uses that phrase (15 times in the ESV) it is for one of two reasons; to either remind the Hebrews who they are and whose they are, or to explain to others outside the Hebrew nation which God it is we are talking about. Head over to Bible Survey and check it out.
The Master's Table 