Monthly Archives: January 2024

GENESIS 27 JACOB OBEYS REBEKAH DESPITE FEAR

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January 22

GENESIS 27

11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.” 14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.  – Genesis 27:11-17

GENESIS 27 JACOB OBEYS REBEKAH DESPITE FEAR

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Rebekah explains to Jacob the details of the birthright theft

Even though Jacob feared that he will be cursed when discovered

He obeyed his mother Rebekah whom he honored

Jacob knew that his mother knew what she was doing

His obedience to her have been inherited from his grandfather

He followed Rebekah who he believes is doing what is right.

In Hebrews 11:31 it says that Rahab the prostitute didn’t die with those who were disobedient in Sodom because she allowed God’s spies a refuge. And in James 2:25, James uses Rahab as an example of justification of her faith by her work when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way. Rahab was driven by her fear of the Lord that made her draw a covenant with the angels to be spared her life and her relatives because they believe in the Lord.

Could it be that Rebekah’s plot to steal the birthright of Esau be also borne out of her fear of the Lord? God spoke to her when she was pregnant with the twins and declared to her that the elder son will serve the younger. Wasn’t she allowing that prophecy of God to come to fulfillment by letting Jacob have the birthright and get the blessing of his father Isaac? Wasn’t her fear of God much heavier than the fear of a curse if Isaac found out?

REFLECTION

  • Did Rebekah do what’s right according to James 4:17?

GENESIS 27 REBEKAH PLOTS TO DECEIVE ISAAC

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January 21

GENESIS 27

When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” 5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” – Genesis 27:1-10

GENESIS 27 REBEKAH PLOTS TO DECEIVE ISAAC

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

As Isaac grew old and faint in seeing, he called Esau, his firstborn

He wanted to prepare when he dies so he can give him his blessing

But Rebekah hears this conversation and plots to deceive Isaac

She called her favored son, Jacob and told him to listen to her plan

Rebekah told him to go to their flock and get her two good goats

She will cook her husband’s favorite dish so Jacob can get blessed.

This deceptive plot of Rebekah seems evil but the deception was allowed by God in order for Jacob to get that blessing that is usually given to the eldest son. But in Genesis 25:23, God revealed to Rebekah that the older will serve the younger. Apparently, she kept this revelation to herself all those years. So, she knew that Jacob, the younger of the twins is the one favored by God. Without God’s revelation, we can view Rebekah’s deception as evil, but if you consider God’s revelation, you would see it differently. Maybe this is why Jacob was her favorite and if we look back to Genesis 26:34, we clearly see how Esau broke the covenant promise of Abraham by getting two Hittite wives much later in life.

REFLECTION

  • How do you view Rebekah’s deceptive plot to steal Esau’s blessing?

GENESIS 26 ESAU BREAKS COVENANT PROMISE

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January 20

GENESIS 26

30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 He called it Shibah; therefore, the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and they made life bitterfor Isaac and Rebekah. – Genesis 26:30-35

GENESIS 26 ESAU BREAKS COVENANT PROMISE

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

The Lord blessed Isaac with much wealth and offsprings

He was looked up to by many because of God’s blessings

Isaac continued digging wells and found one

He called it Shibah which is now called Beersheba.

When Isaac’s son Esau turned forty, he broke the covenant

He married and had two wives who were pagans

By doing this, it created difficulties for Rebekah and Isaac

Esau breached Abraham’s covenant promise to God.

Let’s go back to Genesis 25 when Esau and Jacob were born. The Lord said to Rebecca that there are two nations in her womb. We knew from this chapter that Esau was the rough and tough one who was a skillful hunter and Jacob was the tent dweller who was more the quiet one. God’s word to Rebecca was clearly prophesying what will happen to these two boys she was giving birth to.

Just as soon as they were a little older, maybe in their early twenties, Esau sold his birthright to his younger brother and now he had that double blessing that God gives the firstborn child. By the time they were forty, Esau clearly broke the covenant promise that Abraham, his grandfather made with God. He married two pagan wives. It is always a difficult time when children go against their ancestor’s beliefs.

REFLECTION

  • How was God’s word to Rebecca in Genesis 25 manifested here in this account?

GENESIS 26 COVENANT BETWEEN ABIMELECH & ISAAC

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January 19

GENESIS 26

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.26 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.” – Genesis 26:23-29

GENESIS 26 COVENANT BETWEEN ABIMELECH & ISAAC

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

After Isaac was asked to leave Gerar by Abimelech, he journeyed

Wherever he went, the Lord prospered him in wealth and riches

Abimelech, upon hearing his blessings, came to him with Phicol

He asked Isaac to make a sworn pact between them

He wanted Isaac to ensure that they will not be harmed by him

Isaac responded and made that covenant with Abimelech.

What an interesting proposition from Abimelech after he sent Isaac away from his land because he was prospering in numbers of people and riches. Now that he learned about the growth of his wealth, he comes to Isaac to ensure that they will not be enemies but friends. It sounds like a strategy to retain power on the part of Abimelech. We witness here how Isaac had a good and righteous nature to even accept that treaty. He could have gotten back to Abimelech after he was asked to leave Gerar, but he accommodated their proposal for a peace treaty. It shows his forgiving heart and wisdom.

We also get a glimpse of how Abimelech operates in the world system of power. He wants to make sure that he will have allies in case he needs support from them. Dependence on the Lord is out of the question on those who do not serve God.

REFLECTION

  • How do you view the proposal of Abimelech in terms of the motives of his heart?

GENESIS 26 CONTENTIONS OVER TERRITORIES

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January 18

GENESIS 26

12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.

14 He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him. 15 (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.) 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 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 contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” – Genesis 26:12-22

GENESIS 26 CONTENTIONS OVER TERRITORIES

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

As soon as Isaac’s wealth and riches become obvious

The Philistines wanted him out of their nation

Then as he moved to Gerar to redo the wells that his father dug

More contentions come about because of the spring water there

When he moved again, he finally dug a well and called it Rehoboth

This name means that the Lord allowed them to be fruitful there.

Isaac is now reaping the promises that the Lord gave to his father, Abraham. But wealth and riches always bring about contentions. Once someone gets an outpouring of gifts from the Lord, there will always be someone who will become envious of that. When the Philistines saw his growth in wealth and riches, they asked him to leave their land. So, Isaac journeyed to Gerar and settled there. But it didn’t stop the people in that place to claim the well that Abraham dug as theirs. We clearly see the sinfulness of humans especially when it involves something that is profitable.

REFLECTION

  • Where do quarrels come from? What does James 4 say about this?

GENESIS 26 SINS OF THE FATHER REPEATED

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January 17

GENESIS 26

6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 7 When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. 8 When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing withRebekah his wife. 9 So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” 10 Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” – Genesis 26:6-11

GENESIS 26 SINS OF THE FATHER REPEATED

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When Isaac settled in Gerar to follow God’s instruction

He knew he was amongst pagan country and had apprehensions

Like his mother Sarah, Rebekah was also very beautiful

Isaac feared for his life knowing that the king would want Rebekah

He repeated his own father’s sin by lying that she was a sister

He too, like Abraham, was rebuked by a pagan ruler.

This clearly a repeat of Abraham’s pattern of lying. It was almost the same plot, same lie and same outcome. It was also in Gerar that Abraham journeyed in Genesis 20 and lied to Abimelech. Abimelech is not a name, it is a title given to the king of Gerar. Even though we know that Abraham and Isaac were righteous men of the covenant promise, they were not excused from being sinful. It just goes to show that the iniquities of our fathers can easily be passed on to the next generation either consciously or unconsciously. In Numbers 14:18, we hear how the sins can visit the iniquity of the fathers to the children to the third and fourth generation. This is the reality that we face each day. We live in a world plagued by sin. Our flesh will always have its way in our lives. That is why we need to constantly abide in the Lord so we can have an outpouring of God’s grace and mercy and live in the Spirit rather than in the flesh.

REFLECTION

  • What iniquities of your ancestors were passed on to you and your family?

GENESIS 26 THE COVENANT PROMISE REITERATED TO ISAAC

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January 16

GENESIS 26

Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”– Genesis 26:1-5

GENESIS 26 THE COVENANT PROMISE REITERATED TO ISAAC

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Just as there was famine in the land during Abraham’s time

In Isaac’s time, that famine was also repeated in his days

So, Isaac went to Gerar and went to the king of the Philistines

The Lord appeared to Isaac and cautioned him not to go to Egypt

Isaac was instructed by God to go and live where he will lead him

If he follows the Lord, he will be blessed with the offspring and land

The covenant promise made with his father will be done in his time

The Lord reminded him of Abraham’s obedience which he also asked of him.

What an interesting repeat of history this was. In Abraham’s time, there was also famine in the land in Negev as Genesis12:10 relates. The move of Abraham from Haran was when he was 75 years old. Isaac was 60 years old when Esau and Jacob were born stated in Genesis 25:26 and in verse 27, the two boys grew up. It seems like when Isaac was moving to Gerar, he must have been the same age as Abraham moved out of Haran. The Lord also spoke to Abraham in Genesis 12 and was given instruction to go to where he will take him. It was also at this time that the Lord made a covenant promise with Abraham that he will bring him to a promised land and will be blessed with a great name and nation. It doesn’t look like this was a coincidence. This was God’s plan from the beginning to continue on with his promise to Abraham. God reiterated that promise to Isaac as well.

REFLECTION

  • What trait of God was truly clear in this account? Why did he repeat his promise?

GENESIS 25 ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT OVER FOOD

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January 15

GENESIS 25

27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. – Genesis 25:27-34

GENESIS 25 ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT OVER FOOD

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Esau and Jacob were vastly different from each other

One was gifted with hunting and the other with resting

Esau is concerned with things that will satisfy his flesh

While Jacob chose the quieter life of dwelling in tents

Because Esau’s character is ruled by his own cravings

He gave up his birthright over what will satisfy him.

The account of the character differences between Jacob and Esau is a good warning for us all Christians to take heed of. It wasn’t any of their traits that made God choose Jacob over Esau. We know that even in their mother’s womb, God already chose Jacob who will rule over his brother. Deuteronomy 21:17 tells us that the firstborn, the son will be given a double portion of all that the father owns for he is the firstfruits of his strength. In Chronicles 5: 1-2, we similarly see how God chose Joseph who wasn’t the firstborn as the one who will be ruling over his brothers. Isn’t it interesting that God can change and divert from traditions and Jewish laws and choose whomever he prefers to have a bigger portion of blessing and favor? After all, he is the one who sees the big picture of his plan.

We witness here how carnal and foolish Esau was to choose food (flesh) over his birthright (spirit). We humans sometimes focus on material or earthly over spiritual things.

REFLECTION

  • Do you think Jacob did the right thing to steal Esau’s birthright? Why or why not?

GENESIS 25 THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU

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January 14

GENESIS 25

19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the Lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, 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, and two peoples from within you

shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.” 24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. – Genesis 25:19-26

GENESIS 25 THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

When Isaac took Rebekah as his wife, he was forty years old

Rebekah couldn’t get pregnant so Isaac prayed and pleaded God

Then the Lord God heard Isaac, so Rebekah became pregnant

It was a difficult conception since she felt two babies in her womb

The Lord told her that there were two nations divided inside her

When they were born, Jacob’s hand was holding Esau’s heel.

It is amazing how God answered Isaac’s prayer. It seems like Sarah’s barrenness was a repeat to Rebekah. She was a lot younger than when Rebekah conceived Isaac. I think that the Lord delayed the many offspring coming from Abraham to Isaac because they will be the lineage of royalty where kings will spring from and his heir of the covenant promise would come from. It may seem that God was biased towards Jacob, but that is his choice, since he alone knows what the plan was for man’s salvation. What is interesting here is that God gave Rebekah a glimpse of the two fighting nations inside her womb. This must have been the reason why Jacob will be Rebekah’s favorite. She knew.

REFLECTION

  • Why do you think God said “the older shall serve the younger” to Rebekah?

GENESIS 25 GOD’S FULFILLMENT OF HIS PROMISE FOR ISHMAEL

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January 13

GENESIS 25

12 These are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s servant, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, named in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael; and Kedar, Adbeel,

Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah.

16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages and by their encampments, twelve princes according to their tribes. 17 (These are the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people.)

18 They settled from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria. He settledover against all his kinsmen. – Genesis 25:12-18

GENESIS 25 GOD’S FULFILLMENT OF HIS PROMISE FOR ISHMAEL

A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA

Despite Ishmael’s not growing up in Abraham’s sight as they were banished

God continued to fulfill his promise to Hagar that he will also be blessed

Ishmael bore twelve children namely Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,

Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Ketur, Naphish and Kedemah

Ishmael also lived long years of one hundred and thirty-seven years

He lived and died amongst his people in Havilah and Shur.

There were only a few accounts in the bible on Ishmael. In Genesis 16, we hear that Hagar bore Ishmael when Abraham was 86 years old. In Genesis 17 God promised Abraham that Ishmael will be blessed and fruitful and will multiply exceedingly and become the father of twelve princes and become a great nation. In Genesis 21, Hagar, Ishmael’s mother was banished by her mistress Sarah in the wilderness but God reassured Hagar that Ishmael will also be blessed. He grew up and lived there and became an archer. Ishmael lived in the wilderness of Paran and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Although Ishmael was blessed, he was not part of the covenant promise between Abraham and the Lord. It was in Isaac that God’s promise was to be fulfilled where kings will come from and the lineage of his only begotten Son would come from.

REFLECTION

  • How was it that even though Ishmael was the firstborn son of Abraham, the covenant promise wasn’t fulfilled in him?