Moving from here to the end of Genesis, you may want to have one of these printed. Some like super simple, some like more complex. Check these out.
Click here to print this one: (This is the one I use), but they are all good.
Day: January 21, 2021
Genesis 27-29
So yesterday Jacob took Esau’s birthright. Yes, it is a big deal, but not nearly as big a deal as what happens today. There are so many details to this story so we will talk about a few and in 10 years when I do the read-through again, we will catch the rest.
- Esau marries a Hittite! Not just one but two! We know this is not good because his grandfather, Abraham, made such efforts to make sure Isaac did not marry outside the culture!
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- Oh My! Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”
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- So we read what might be a familiar story to some, the deception that Jacob and his mom concocted. Jacob was too scared to pull this off, and he should be! But his “mommy” says “I will take full responsibility”. Unfortunately, her consequence is going to be that she will never see him again!
- What makes Jacob’s deception so bad was he referenced God’s help in hunting and cooking this meal so quickly! Oh the humanity!!
- Let’s read the blessing. Now just like I teach my students: words are like toothpaste, once it is out you cannot put it back in the tube! So once Jacob is blessed….it is done.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew
and earth’s richness—
an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.”
This blessing was going to be given to Jacob regardless of human involvement. Go back to Genesis 25:
23 The Lord said to her, (Rebekah)
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”
Rebekah, just like Sarai, took God’s plan into her own hands. God’s plan ALWAYS comes out in the end, but taking it away from God always has a consequence. Not only will she not see Jacob ever again and have to live with her daughters-in-law, the Hittites, but her son (the one she loved) now has consequences too.
- He will never see his mom again
- His brother wants to kill him
- He goes from being the deceiver to being deceived by Laban (Ch 28)
So here is the question of the day for anyone who wants to write their answer in the comments.
Why was losing the blessing a bigger deal than the birthright??
In Chapter 28, before sending Jacob to Paddam Aram (which is Haran….is this place familiar?? It was where Abraham stopped for a while when he left his hometown).
Isaac tells Jacob exactly where to go as he flees Esau’s plan to kill him Here is the version in my head:
“Get your suitcase son…go to my old stomping grounds…find my father in law’s house. You never met him, his name was Bethuel. He’s dead, so don’t worry about that. Your mother, who planned this whole deception has a money-hungry brother, Laban, who lives there, he’s a piece of work but don’t worry about that either, he will find you a wife. Pack quicker son…you know your brother is a good hunter! Anyway, remember God’s covenant, so make lots of babies…maybe 12 sons and a daughter sounds like a good number. You will be a foreigner in this land. One day your descendants will own this land! Get a good night’s rest…if you can’t find a pillow, use a rock” Now go on…I have to deal with Esau…evidently he is dating a new girl, an Ishmaelite this time!
Jacob’s dream at Bethel. (Beth meaning house and El means God)
Bethel is the 2nd most repeated location in the Old Testament. (Jerusalem being numero uno). In the comments, I will put extra information about Bethel that you can skip if not interested.
The Dream!
Jacob has heard of God. He is the “God of Abraham and the God of Isaac”, however, that is where it stops (for now). Abraham retells the covenant to Jacob but God comes to Jacob directly and confirms the Covenant in a dream. He uses imagery that will make sense to Jacob ( the stairs to a ziggurat like in Babel). In this vision, Jacob sees something similar to a ladder or a stairway which signifies a connection between God and man. In this instance, it was God who provided the means necessary to link Himself to man as opposed to the men of Babel in Genesis 11 who tried to reach heaven by their own actions, aside from the help of God.
Jacob Meets the Family!
I think the story is pretty clear (and I am sure you are about to kill me this is so long) So let me just clear up the ending. So obviously Laban used “it is not our custom to give the younger daughter before the older” as an excuse. The Bible described Leah as “weak eyes”. Leah in Hebrew means “weary” but the Hebrew word can also be translated to “Cow” so draw your own conclusions!
So the deceiver gets deceived! In verse 29:25 It says’ “why have you deceived me” I like to say “why have you Jacobed me!” Anyway, it’s important to know that the wedding headdresses of this time were very modest and ornate. He really did not know (and maybe the wine did not help) 
In the end, he marries the love ❤️ of his life Rachel. Today’s read ends with the birth of several of Jacob’s children. I will start here tomorrow since this is Mucho Importante!
Reading the Bible - 2021 