GENESIS: Regardless of the Circumstances of Their Conception, Children are a Blessing from God; "And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now I will praise the Lord.'"

And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 28:13-14)

We studied in the previous lesson that Jacob arrived in Haran, to the brother of his mother to get a wife. Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.” And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29:20-25) 

And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.” Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years. (Genesis 29:26-30)

Now Jacob had two wives, each having their own maid servant; one wife he loved more than the other, either because Leah’s eyes were delicate [unattractive], but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. (Genesis 29:17) Or maybe Jacob loved Rachel more because he met her first, when he first arrived to the area, and he immediately felt a love towards her.  Either way, it's not God's Will that he have more than one wife.  When his father blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. (Genesis 28:1-2) 

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben [meaning, see a son]; for she said, “The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.” Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.” And she called his name Simeon [meaning, heard]. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore his name was called Levi [meaning, attached]. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name *Judah [meaning, praise]. Then she stopped bearing. (Genesis 29:31-35)

Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!” And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.” Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan [meaning, judge]. And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, “With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali [meaning, my wrestling]. (Genesis 30:1-8)

When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad [meaning, troop or fortune]. And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher [meaning, happy]. (Genesis 30:9-13) These women did the same thing that Sarah did, when she thought she couldn't conceive a child for Abraham, And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. (Genesis 16:1-4)

It wasn't a good idea when Sarah told Abraham to do it, and it wasn't a good idea when Rachel and Leah told Jacob to do it.  So why did the men do what their wives said? It goes back to Adam and Eve. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6) And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (I Timothy 2:14) By nature, men are logical and women are emotional. Men in general act based on the circumstances.  Abraham and Jacob wanted children so they did what their wives said in order to conceive children.  Women in general act based on feelings, so since they felt like they couldn't conceive, even though in Sarah's case God promised that she would, she, Rachel and Leah thought is was a good idea to have their maid servants conceive for their husbands. 

Logical vs. emotional, different reasoning, but in these cases, not according to God's Will. However, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28) God made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He was going to fulfill, in spite of how Abraham and Jacob went outside of His Will. If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (II Timothy 2:13)

Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” But she said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son’s mandrakes.” When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And he lay with her that night. (Genesis 30:14-16) 

Mandrakes were a Mediterranean plant of the nightshade family, with white or purple flowers and large yellow berries. It has a forked fleshy root that supposedly resembles the human form and was formerly widely used in medicine and magic, allegedly shrieking when pulled from the ground. It was used as an aphrodisiac, as described in the Song of Solomon: Come, my beloved,Let us go forth to the field; let us lodge in the villages. Let us get up early to the vineyards; let us see if the vine has budded, whether the grape blossoms are open, and the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love. The mandrakes give off a fragrance, and at our gates are pleasant fruits, all manner, new and old, which I have laid up for you, my beloved. (Song of Solomon 7:11-13)

How sad, Leah had to buy her husband's affections, regardless of the number of children she had for him, because he loved Rachel more. And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar [meaning, wages]. Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun [meaning, dwelling]. Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah. (Genesis 30:17-21) 

Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” So she called his name Joseph [meaning, he will add], and said, “The Lord shall add to me another son.” (Genesis 30:22-24) Eleven sons and one daughter, over a period of seven years! God indeed had begun fulfilling His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; even though Rachel was the wife Jacob loved, it would be through Leah's son, Judah that in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. For it is evident that our Lord [Christ Jesus] arose from Judah,... (Hebrews 7:14)

GENESIS: We All Reap What We Sow, and Have to Deal With the Consequences; Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?”

So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. (Genesis 29:1)

In the previous lesson, we studied that Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother." (Genesis 28:1-2) So after traveling for some time and being visited by the Lord in a dream, he has finally arrived in the east, near Haran, where his mother's people are from. (Genesis 11:26-32)

And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth. Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth. And Jacob said to them, “My brethren, where are you from?” And they said, “We are from Haran.” Then he said to them, “Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?” And they said, “We know him.” So he said to them, “Is he well?” And they said, “He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.” (Genesis 29:2-6) 

Then he said, “Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.” But they said, “We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.” Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. Then Jacob kissed [greeted] Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. So she ran and told her father. (Genesis 29:7-12) 

All of the questions and introductions were necessary so that Jacob would be sure he was at the right place and so that he could explain who he was to everyone. Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, “Surely you are my bone and my flesh [relative].” And he stayed with him for a month. Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?” Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. (Genesis 29:13-17) In other words, Leah was not as attractive as Rachel.

Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, “I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.” And Laban said, “It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. (Genesis 29:18-20) Either Jacob chose Rachel because he saw her first and immediately felt love for her, or he chose her because she was the most beautiful, which is why her and Leah's looks were mentioned. Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. (Proverbs 31:30) Choosing a spouse can not just be about looks, but the character of the person is most important.

Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.” And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. (Genesis 29:21-24) What a deceitful man Laban was, to have Jacob work for him for seven years to earn the right to marry Rachel, but then to get him drunk during the marriage feast and send Leah into the wedding chamber instead.  As we learned from the wedding ceremony of Isaac and Rebekah, the final act of the marriage ceremony is the consummation of the marriage. (Genesis 24) Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:24-25)

So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?” And Laban said, “It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.” (Genesis 29:25-27) Now, either Laban sincerely did not want his younger daughter to be married before his older daughter, which he should have told Jacob from the beginning; or he wanted the free labor the Jacob provided, and this way he got fourteen years of service from him.

Interestingly enough, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. (Genesis 25:27) Jacob with the help of his mother deceived his father Isaac, and Isaac had to later tell Esau, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.” And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” (Genesis 27:35-36) Jacob stole Esau's birthright and blessing, but he also had to become a skillful hunter, a man of the field. He had to work, and work hard for everything he wanted; nothing was coming to him easy anymore. 

Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7) We can deceive people to get what we want and think we're getting away with something, but God knows ALL; and even if He forgives us and still fulfills His covenant, like He did with Jacob, we will suffer the consequences, whether here or at the judgement, just like Jacob did. Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years. (Genesis 29:28-30)

A total of twenty-one years of service and two wives. ...if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. (Mark 3:25) Every relationship we've studied so far, there arose a problem when the man had more than one spouse. Again, this was a practice of the Gentiles, but God never wanted this to be the kind of marriages His chosen people had.  Marriage is supposed to be between one man and one woman, ONLY!  Jesus said, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9)

Just like all before him, this would cause serious problems in Jacob's family, as we will study in future lessons...

GENESIS: In Spite of Our Mistakes, God Keeps His Covenants, and We Can Be Blessed; Jacob made a vow saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”

So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” (Genesis 27:41)

We studied in the previous lesson that Isaac's youngest twin son, Jacob deceived his brother Esau and then his father. And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” (Genesis 27:36) And the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, “Surely your brother Esau comforts himself concerning you by intending to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice: arise, flee to my brother Laban in Haran. And stay with him a few days, until your brother’s fury turns away, until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereaved also of you both in one day?” (Genesis 27:42-45)

And Rebekah said to Isaac, “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?” (Genesis 27:46) Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. “May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be an assembly of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.” So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. (Genesis 28:1-5)

This is very similar to how Abraham found a wife for Isaac. So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:2-4) Remember, the problem wasn't that the women of Canaan were from another country or race, the problem was that they didn't believe in the same God.  

That's why Esau's first two wives were such a problem for his parents. When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. (Genesis 26:34-35) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. ...what part has a believer with an unbeliever? (II Corinthians 6:14-15) 

Also, God commanded, Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24) Marriage was only supposed to be between one man and one woman; yet, because of being exposed to the customs and practices of the Gentile nations, Esau had taken two wives. Abraham was married to Sarah, and then married Keturah after Sarah had died. Isaac was only married to Rebekah. But now, their children would start this practice of having multiple wives for whatever reason, but this was not according to the Will of God.

Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram. Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had. (Genesis 28:6-9) 

Not only is Esau taking another wife, which would make his third, but he's choosing a woman from the family of Ishmael, Isaac's brother, whom their father, Abraham sent away with his mother after Isaac was born, and Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” (Genesis 21:9-10)

Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28:10-12)

The only other time a reference of the angels of God ascending and descending between heaven and earth is when Christ Jesus called his first four disciples. Nathanael answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1:49-51)

Later the angels of God would ascend and descend upon the Son of Man, but now the Son of Man, the Lord God, Christ Jesus Himself would ascend and descend to speak with Jacob. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:13-15)

God promised Abraham, "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:17-18) Then God promised Abraham's son Isaac, "...to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” (Genesis 26:3-5)

And now, even though Jacob had received the blessing from Isaac deceitfully, he still had received the blessing, and so the Lord God was confirming His same covenant with him as with his father and grandfather, that he would inherit the land of the Canaanites, his descendants would be innumerable, and that in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed, that "seed" being Christ Jesus. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Genesis 28:16-17) How awesome a place indeed, the area where the "seed", the Lord God, Christ Jesus would descend from heaven to be born (Matthew 2; Luke 2); where He would be crucified and buried (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19); where He would ascend back to heaven (Acts 1); and where He will return to judge the earth (Revelations 14-20).

Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel [future Bethlehem]; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” (Genesis 28:18-22)

Just as Abraham gave a tithe or a tenth to the priest of God (Genesis 14:18-20), so Jacob was establishing the necessity of honoring God by giving Him back a tenth of all that He gives us. "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it." (Malachi 3:10) We know that God is faithful and He keeps His promises, so we should be obedient in this area of our lives also. “Render...to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21; Mark 12:17) AMEN!

GENESIS: Jacob Deceives His Brother, Esau and His Father, Isaac; “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!”

As the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter. He was an outdoors-man, but Jacob had a quiet temperament, preferring to stay at home. Isaac loved Esau because he enjoyed eating the wild game Esau brought home, but Rebekah loved Jacob. (Genesis 25:27-28 NLT)

It never goes well in a family when a parent prefers one child over another, or even if they do, that they show it.  It creates jealousy and covetousness between the children, which is exactly what happened between Jacob and Esau. Jacob wanted what was rightfully Esau's, as the firstborn; and later Esau would want what Jacob deceitfully received from him.

One day when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau arrived home from the wilderness exhausted and hungry. Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”) “All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.” “Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?” But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn. (Genesis 25:29-34 NLT)

Remember the time Christ Jesus was tempted by the devil? Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.  Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:1-4; Luke 4:1-4) Esau too was hungry from being out in the wilderness for a long period of time, but he would learn the hard way that being hungry temporarily would have been better than to give away the birthright and words of blessing that would proceed from the mouth of his father. 

We need more than just physical food to live, we need the Word of God, the Lord Christ Jesus. Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “...Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.” (John 6:43-51)

FAST FORWARD... When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah. (Genesis 26:34-35) They were a grief to Isaac and Rebekah for good reason, because as we study in future lessons about the children of Israel (ie. Jacob's descendants), the Hittites and Esau's descendants, the Edomites will be a constant problem for them.

Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” (Genesis 27:1-4)

Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt game and to bring it. So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, “Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother, saying, ‘Bring me game and make savory food for me, that I may eat it and bless you in the presence of the Lord before my death.’ Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves. 10 Then you shall take it to your father, that he may eat it, and that he may bless you before his death.” (Genesis 27:5-10)

Jacob didn't become deceitful for no reason, he learned from his mother.  What a sad testimony to how she raised her children. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” And he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother made savory food, such as his father loved. Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. And she put the skins of the kids of the goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she gave the savory food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. (Genesis 27:11-17)

So he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God brought it to me.” Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. (Genesis 27:18-23)

Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.” He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed. Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!” (Genesis 27:24-29)

A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. (Proverbs 18:20-21) Isaac had spoken life into Jacob's future, and it would not be reversed, because "a man's word is his bond". “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;..." (Deuteronomy 7:9) Even  though he was deceived, Isaac gave Jacob the blessing, which symbolized a covenant between Isaac and God, and God keeps covenant. Keeping covenant doesn't mean escaping consequences for doing wrong, and Jacob and his descendants will suffer plenty at the hand of their enemies and Esau's descendants too, as we will study in future lessons.

Now it happened, as soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, that Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also had made savory food, and brought it to his father, and said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that your soul may bless me.” And his father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” So he said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.” When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, “Bless me—me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came with deceit and has taken away your blessing.” (Genesis 27:30-35)

And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” And he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Then Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Indeed I have made him your master, and all his brethren I have given to him as servants; with grain and wine I have sustained him. What shall I do now for you, my son?” And Esau said to his father, “Have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me—me also, O my father!” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; and it shall come to pass, when you become restless, that you shall break his yoke from your neck.” (Genesis 27:36-40) 

A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, and contentions are like the bars of a castle. (Proverbs 18:19) Esau would have a blessed life, but he will also live a hard life, and he and his brother would be enemies for a long time, but Isaac promises through the power of God that the day would come where he would be free and break Isaac's yoke from his neck, meaning they would settle their differences and reconcile.  But for now, So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him,... (Genesis 27:41) Let this be a lesson to all of us, Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. (Psalm 34:13) AMEN!

GENESIS: God Enlarges Isaac's Territory, Just Like He Promised Abraham, "live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands."

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. (Genesis 26:1)

Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” (Genesis:26:2-5)

God made the exact same promise to Abraham, "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Geneis 22:17-18) So far, what we've learned about Isaac, he also learned from his father, Abraham, to not keep God's charge, commandments, statutes and laws.  

We must never forget whom the seed is, Christ Jesus, Whom made it very clear to the Jewish religious leaders who wanted to deny the truth of Who He was. Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:54-58)

So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. (Genesis 26:6-8)

Well, "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree"! Isaac did the same thing his father, Abraham did twice (Genesis 12:10-20; 20), acting like his wife was his sister so that the men of the Gentile country wouldn't kill him to take her for themselves. But fortunately, us like with Abraham, God would not allow the men of the country to touch Rebekah. Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’” And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

Is there ever a time to that's right to tell a lie?  The answer is NO!  That's why God never allowed anything to happen to Abraham or Isaac's wives before the truth was revealed.  But in spite of them lying, God blessed Abraham and Isaac afterwards to gain more possessions than when they first arrived to those countries. Why? If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. (II Timothy 2:13) “Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy..." (Deuteronomy 7:9) God had promised Abraham and then Isaac "to you and your descendants I give all these lands", and Isaac would continue to enlarge his territory.

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the Lord blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.” (Genesis 26:10-16)

Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them. Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” (Genesis 26:17-22)

Who controls the land?  Whoever controls the water supply, because everyone has to have water; therefore, God finally allowed him to dig a well that the men of Gerar did not quarrel with Isaac over. Then he went up from there to Beersheba. And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” (Genesis 26:23-27)

But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’” So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. (Genesis 26:28-31)

Well then, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31) There are certain promised we have from God, if we do as Abraham and Isaac did, and obey His voice and kept His charge, His commandments, His statutes, and His laws. In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? (Psalm 56:11; 118:6) For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man who trusts in You! (Psalm 84:11-12) "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord. (Isaiah 54:17)

It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day. (Genesis 26:32-33) AMEN!

GENESIS: Just Like Isaac, We Too are the Children of Promise; Through Christ, God Give Us All, just like "Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac."

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. (Genesis 23:1-3) Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah. (Genesis 25:1)

And she bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan begot Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim. And the sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah. (Genesis 25:2-4) Even though they are family, later the children of Israel will have many issues with the Gentile descendants of Midian and Dedan. But they will also be blessed by the descendants of Sheba and Ephah, as we will study in future lessons.

And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac. But Abraham gave gifts to the sons of the concubines which Abraham had; and while he was still living he sent them eastward, away from Isaac his son, to the country of the east. (Genesis 25:5-6) This was a very wise thing for Abraham to do, and we should learn from it today, to get our affairs in order and will to our descendants what we want them to have before we die, so that there won't be any conflicts among them after we're gone. Always have several copies of the same will distributed to several family members, but then as much as we can, we need to distribute while we're still alive.

Abraham treated his other children fairly, but Isaac was the child conceived by his wife; And Sarah my master’s wife bore a son to my master when she was old; and to him he has given all that he has. (Genesis 24:36) Isaac was the son of promise because God said, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.” (Genesis 17:15-16)

Just as Isaac was the son of promise, we too who have accepted God's free gift of salvation through faith in Christ Jesus are the children of promise. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son [Hagar and Ishmael], for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman [Sarah and Isaac].” So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free. (Galatians 4:28-31)

This is the sum of the years of Abraham’s life which he lived: one hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth. There Abraham was buried, and Sarah his wife. And it came to pass, after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac dwelt at Beer Lahai Roi. (Genesis 25:7-11)

The brothers who had been separated when Isaac was a newborn and Ishmael was thirteen, after Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” (Genesis 21:9-10) Now the brothers are reunited at the death of their father, and there is no fighting or quarreling, because Abraham was wise enough to resolve all issues in his family while he was alive. What a testimony to Abraham's life!

Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maidservant, bore to Abraham. And these were the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: The firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael and these were their names, by their towns and their settlements, twelve princes according to their nations. These were the years of the life of Ishmael: one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. (They dwelt from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt as you go toward Assyria.) He died in the presence of all his brethren. (Genesis 25:12-18)

The descendants of Kedar will become mighty and great, but will eventually be destroyed because of their treatment of the children of Israel. Dumah will play a part in the children of Israel's future.  And we learned from the study of Job that one of his friends who came to comfort him was Eliphaz the Temanite (Job 2:11), a descendant of Tema.

This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham’s son. Abraham begot Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan Aram, the sister of Laban the Syrian. Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. (Genesis 25:19-21)

But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. And the Lord said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau [meaning hairy, rough]. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob [supplanter, meaning to trip up or to overthrow]. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. (Genesis 25:22-26)

We've studied this before, but names mean something to God.  During the time we're studying, the people of God chose their names wisely, but even God would change their name if they no longer matched the meaning of their original name, like Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah. (Genesis 17) This will become especially clear as we continue studying about Esau an Jacob. 

But the most important change any of us can experience is the change we receive after accepting Christ Jesus as our Savior and Lord. But as many as received Him [Christ Jesus], to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:12-13) and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. (Romans 8:17)

GENESIS: How to Choose a Spouse; Abraham said to his servant, "I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. (Genesis 24:1 NIV)

He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” (Genesis 24:2-4 NIV)

We must be careful not to misinterpret the meaning of this scripture.  There is not problem in marrying people from a different country or race.  The problem is to marry someone who doesn't believe in the One True Living God, Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is in them. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? (II Corinthians 6:14-15) Marriages have a better chance of succeeding if both people believe in the same God.

The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?” “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. (Genesis 24:5-9 NIV)

Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. (Genesis 24:10-15 NIV)

We studied in the previous lesson that Abraham had a brother named Nahor, named after their grandfather, for which the town of Nahor was named after; it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel. And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother." (Genesis 22:20-23) Rebekah would be the perfect person to become Isaac's wife, based on what Abraham specified and the servant prayed for.

She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.” “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. (Genesis 24:16-21 NIV)

Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8) But we have to make sure we ask according to God's will. Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. (I John 5:14-15) We should be specific in our private prayers, and if we are sure we're praying according to God's will, we will know for sure from Whom the answer comes.

When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.” Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, saying, “Praise be to the Lord,the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” (Genesis 24:22-27 NIV)

The jewelry symbolized what the engagement ring and wedding band represent today. Just like Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together,... (Matthew 1:18) Rebekah is now betrothed, or committed to Isaac before having a relationship with him, even meeting him. The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,” he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.” “Then tell us,” Laban said. (Genesis 24:28-33 NIV)

Abraham's servant had to make sure that Rebekah was indeed who she said she was, and he needed to explain why he came, so that everyone would understand and be in agreement. So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. The Lord has blessed my master abundantly,and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. And my master made me swear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’ (Genesis 24:34-38 NIV)

“Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’ “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family. You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’ (Genesis 24:39-41 NIV)

“When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. See, I am standing beside this spring. If a young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,” and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’ Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder.She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also. (Genesis 24:42-46 NIV)

“I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’ Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.” (Genesis 24:47-49 NIV)

Abraham's servant assured them that indeed he was from Abraham, of whom they all knew. He also assured them that their Rebekah would be well taken care of and provided for.  And he also brought with him enough to give her family to help replace what they would lose by her not being there to help them. Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.” When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there. (Genesis 24:50-54 NIV)

When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.” But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.” Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.”  So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she said. So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess the cities of their enemies.” Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. (Genesis 24:55-61 NIV)

When God tells us to move, we are to move.  It's normal to feel nervous and hesitant when making a life changing decision, but Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6) God promised, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;I will guide you with My eye." (Psalm 32:8)

Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. (Genesis 24:62-67 NIV)

And that's a wedding ceremony and consummation of the marriage ordained by God. The two people believe in the same God, and He brings them together.  The jewelry given to Rebekah by the servant represented an engagement between the man and the woman. Rebekah put the veil over her face as some women still do today during their marriage ceremonies, to symbolize being a virgin, before they come together. Then the couple become united physically. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. (Genesis 2:24-25) "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9) AMEN!

GENESIS: God Enlarges Abraham's Territory in the Promised Land; "So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham."

So Abraham returned to his young men, and they rose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. (Genesis 22:19)

Now it came to pass after these things that it was told Abraham, saying, “Indeed Milcah also has borne children to your brother Nahor: Huz his firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel the father of Aram, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.” And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milcah bore to Nahor, Abraham’s brother. His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also bore Tebah, Gaham, Thahash, and Maachah. (Genesis 22:29-24)

The word "brother" was often used for relative in the scripture. This Nahor was not Abraham's grandfather, but indeed his brother. Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. (Genesis 11:24-26) The purpose of Nahor's family being included in the scripture at this time is because of Rebekah. We will study more about her in the next lesson.

Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying, “I am a foreigner and a visitor among you. Give me property for a burial place among you, that I may bury my dead out of my sight.” (Genesis 23:1-4)

And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him, “Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.” Then Abraham stood up and bowed himself to the people of the land, the sons of Heth. And he spoke with them, saying, “If it is your wish that I bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and meet with Ephron the son of Zohar for me, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah which he has, which is at the end of his field. Let him give it to me at the full price, as property for a burial place among you.” (Genesis 23:5-9)

Abraham is doing something very similar to what he did when with Abimelech, he's increasing his territory in the land God promised him.  He dwelt in Beersheba because Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there. (Genesis 21:27-31)

Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days. (Genesis 21:32-34) Remember, God promised Abraham, “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates— the Kenites, the Kenezzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.” (Genesis 15:18-21) 

But Abraham wasn't going to let anyone give him anything, because then one day they may decide to take it back.  Just like he paid for his land in Beersheba, he was going to pay for his land in Hebron, even though Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the Lord. (Genesis 13:18) And he had been living there for many years.

Now Ephron dwelt among the sons of Heth; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the presence of the sons of Heth, all who entered at the gate of his city, saying, “No, my lord, hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; I give it to you in the presence of the sons of my people. I give it to you. Bury your dead!” Then Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land; and he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, “If you will give it, please hear me. I will give you money for the field; take it from me and I will bury my dead there.” (Genesis 23:19-13)

And Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him, “My lord, listen to me; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver. What is that between you and me? So bury your dead.” And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron which he had named in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, currency of the merchants. So the field of Ephron which was in Machpelah, which was before Mamre, the field and the cave which was in it, and all the trees that were in the field, which were within all the surrounding borders, were deeded to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the sons of Heth, before all who went in at the gate of his city. (Genesis 23:14-18)

We have to be very careful what we accept from people and what we allow them to do for us. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. (Romans 13:7-8) We never want anyone to be able to hold something over us, like we owe them something. We should always pay a fair price for the things we want, and then get the proof in writing that it now belongs to us - a receipt from a store, a signed contract for an agreement, and like Abraham, a deed for a possession of land and property.

And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. So the field and the cave that is in it were deeded to Abraham by the sons of Heth as property for a burial place. (Genesis 23:19-20) And this serves as more proof, that God is continuing to enlarge Abraham's territory in the promised land! “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) Yes, He will!