THE PLAN
Every Monday I will post the reading for the week ahead. It will be about 10 chapters a week. You might want to read a chapter or two a day, and catch up at weekends. If there is a verse that especially spoke to you, a question that you have, or a thought that struck you, please share it with your fellow travellers by making a comment.
17 comments:
I'm really loving David Suchet, listened and read my old RSV Bible together this morning---joy of retirement!! I'm glad to be continually reminded of what sneeky lives these OT great characters lived---just like us! Points so much to our need of a Holy Saviour.Hadn't realised the 12 sons of Jacob had more than 2 mothers. Look forward to Mon am so far----don't know how Lamentations will be!!
"Do not be afraid, for I am with you." Genesis 26:24
Precious words that send us on to Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23 and Matthew 28:20 and all the way to Revelation 21:3. The LORD our God is the God who is with His people. Whatever today holds, you are not alone in it, He is with you. Doesn't that change everything?
Wonderful Words of comfort and assurance, thank you.
The Lord has really spoken to me through chp 28v16. So often I don't realise His Presence until later, and even then miss it,
''Surely the Lord is in this place,and I was not aware of it''.
Amen
Just think it is worth tucking verses like 28:4 in the back of our minds for when we get to the Exodus and the conquest of the land. We wince at God's people driving out the Canaanites, but it is important to see it as part of a story that goes back to the Lord promising to judge the nations (see 15:16) and give the land back to His people.
I'm struck by God's unstoppable covenant blessing, even to his tricky people - the speckled sheep section particularly made me think that! Wondering if Laban's trickiness with Jacob over his daughters was some kind of justice from God over the snatching of Esau's birthright? (At least Jacob saw the birthright as something of value though!)
In Genesis 22, by the time the angel intervenes, Abraham has bound his son, placed him on the altar and raised his knife to kill his son. I have often wondered about the impact on their subsequent relationship! But the events of the chapter feel so important because they have so much resonance with what follows centuries later. Isaac could not have escaped the fact that the ram caught by its horns in the thicket was his substitute, in the absence of which he would have been killed. Remind us of anyone? And Isaac would have realised the truth of Abraham’s words in v8 (“God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son”). Remind us of another time he provided a lamb? I think it was Tim Keller who observed that just as God says to Abraham in 22:12, “Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son…” so we can say to God, “Now I know that you love me, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son…”
In Genesis 23, why does Abraham refuse to take any land in which to bury Sarah as a gift - why does he insist on buying it?
I had the same thought, the author seems to make a big point of it - I wonder if it's significant in that it is the first bit of Canaan that belongs to God's people (v18 - their permanent possession), almost like a kind of down payment to what is coming?
Struck by 22v5 when Ab says to servants stay here while I and the boy go over there. WE will worship and then WE will come back to you. Assuming there's not something in the Hebrew that I don't know, seems that Ab was always confident that somehow Isaac would return with him. But yes, always wondered about how Isaac viewed Ab after this!
Yes the faith of Abraham shown here is amazing. Hebrews 11:17-19 is a brilliant commentary on this bit of Genesis, which itself I find amazing - that God helps us interpret and understand his word with other parts of his word directly, awesome! The Abraham/Isaac relationship must have been challenged afterwards indeed! Since I've had the blessing of a son myself I find that this passage is quite difficult to read, has a stronger emotional impact I guess, but this helps with connecting with and appreciating God's sacrifice in giving up his Son. Somehow easier to relate to the Abraham/Isaac situation than God/Jesus situation even though the God/Jesus one is obviously the one that saves. Helpful to look at this!
The cheat notes in my Bible help here a bit - apparently having bought the field with money conveyed a more solid legal status to Abraham's ownership of it, so he has a strong claim to be allowed to bury his dead in it. Had it been just a gift there might have been some difficulty down the line in terms of legal ownership apparently.
I've never noticed before that in Gen 26:34/35 it says that Esau married two Hittite women and these wives made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah. I guess married couples and in-laws have always had issues at times, but this maybe explains a bit why Rebekah was keen to side with Jacob and connived to get him the blessing. I'd always thought she was pretty harsh to her elder son, and she was definitely devious, but perhaps this suggests that she had some built up grievance with Esau's wives which maybe influenced her decision to act in this way. Minor point but just something that caught my eye!
Good spot. Given how often the importance of not marrying foreign wives is stressed, could it that Rebekah's plan to divert the blessing to Jacob was in part motivated by the fear that the line of blessing would end up compromised and polluted. Did she have an eye on the bigger promises of God.
Struck again by 22:14. The mountain is called "The Lord will provide." Praise Him that He did. Love seeing how His ancient promises are wonderfully fulfilled. At great cost. Reminds me again that He is the one God worth trusting.
Why do I still doubt at times that He will provide, when I know from life experience,as well as from His Word, that He does?
I'm really enjoying reading the comments from 3 yrs ago. Today I read them before I read the Genesis chapters &they helped me look for points I'd not noticed before.David Suchet(Bible Gateway) read along with me, which helps this poor reader so much.
3 yrs ago I love Tim Keller's comment(quoted) on chp 22 v 12, that now we can say of God ''You have not withheld from me Your Son, Your only Son''.
God is a God who wants to be friends with Abraham.
Why?
Abraham is a horrible bloke, who uses his wife's body to get material gain for himself.
Isaac tries to do a similar thing at Gerar, but, seemingly, out of fear.
Jacob is a deceiver - a proper confidence trickster.
All are polygamous; none bother even to keep the law of Moses (yes, I know it's not yet written); all lie.
God not only chooses these people, but He decides to name Himself after them.
'I am the God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob...this is My name for ever.'
Why on earth would God choose to name himself after this bunch of swindlers? What quality do they have that He is so keen on?
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