Day 11 Genesis Chapter 32-34 Supplemental Notes

Genesis Chapter 32
Jacob had an angelic welcome on his return journey from his 20 years with Laban (see Jacob and Laban), a friendly, undefeatable force (that was also there when he had left i.e. Genesis 28:12) that may have encouraged Jacob to send word to his brother Esau that he was coming home.

"Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him; and when Jacob saw them he said, "This is God's army!" So he called the name of that place Mahanaim.And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, instructing them, "Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: Thus says your servant Jacob, 'I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; and I have oxen, asses, flocks, menservants, and maidservants; and I have sent to tell my lord, in order that I may find favor in your sight.'" (Genesis 32:1-5 RSV)

The response was alarming. Jacob did the only two things that he could - disperse his group as much as possible, and pray.

"And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him."Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies, thinking, "If Esau comes to the one company and destroys it, then the company which is left will escape." (Genesis 32:6-8 RSV)"Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he come and slay us all, the mothers with the children." (Genesis 32:11 RSV)

While awaiting the encounter with his brother Esau, Jacob spent the night (almost) alone at the point that the attack would come, near the ford of the Jabbok River. He didn't get any sleep that night, not only because of apprehension of what the morning would bring, but because of one of the defining moments of Bible History and Prophecy that occurred there that night - Jacob's name change to Israel.

"And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob's thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking."But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me."And he said to him, "What is your name?"And he said, "Jacob."Then he said, "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed."Then Jacob asked him, "Tell me, I pray, your name."But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him.So Jacob called the name of the place Penuel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." (Genesis 32:24-30 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 33When morning came, Jacob found himself standing alone against a force of 400 men. After again checking to see that he had done all that he could do for the safety of his family, he walked, alone, straight at the approaching army - very likely while thinking "I'm going to need Your help in a few seconds Lord...".

"And Jacob lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, Esau was coming, and four hundred men with him. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two maids. And he put the maids with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. He himself went on before them, bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother." (Genesis 33:1-3 RSV

Esau had either become more peaceful with age (which seems unlikely since he travelled with 400 troops) or he realized that The Lord was with Jacob and that an attack on Jacob would result in his own annihilation.

"But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept." (Genesis 33:4 RSV)

Esau then invited Jacob to join him in his territory, in Seir (see the Fact Finder question below), but Jacob was no fool. Perhaps the invitation was genuine, but perhaps it was not. When the opportunity came, Jacob proceeded instead across the Jordan into "Israel."

"So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.But Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built himself a house, and made booths for his cattle; therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. And Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in The Land Of Canaan, on his way from Padan Aram; and he camped before the city. And from the sons of Hamor, Shechem's father, he bought for a hundred pieces of money the piece of land on which he had pitched his tent. There he erected an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel." (Genesis 33:16-20 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 34Of all of the recorded Children of Jacob, there was only one named daughter, Dinah. When their sister was treated wrongly, Jacob's sons responded with lethal force, despite Jacob's concern that it would trigger a war with the Canaanite people of the land who greatly outnumbered the Israelites.

"Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land; and when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humbled her." (Genesis 31:1-2 RSV)"The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard of it; and the men were indignant and very angry, because he had wrought folly in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done." (Genesis 34:7 RSV)"They slew Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem's house, and went away. And the sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled; they took their flocks and their herds, their asses, and whatever was in the city and in the field; all their wealth, all their little ones and their wives, all that was in the houses, they captured and made their prey." (Genesis 34:26-29 RSV)

Day 10 Genesis Chapter 29-31 Supplemental Notes

Genesis Chapter 29
Upon Jacob's arrival in "the land of the people of the east," he encountered some shepherds from Haran who knew Jacob's relatives there.

"He said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?"They said, "We know him."He said to them, "Is it well with him?"They said, "It is well; and see, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep!" (Genesis 29:5-6 RSV)And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman, and that he was Rebekah's son; and she ran and told her father. When Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister's son, he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house." (Genesis 29:12-13 RSV)

Jacob "was in love with Rachel" and asked to marry her. Her father Laban consented, in a manner not uncommon of the time.

"Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to any other man; stay with me." So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her." (Genesis 29:19-20 RSV)

When the time came for the marriage, Laban resorted to a wedding night switch that resulted in Jacob marrying Rachel's older sister Leah (pronounced in Hebrew as lay-ah) instead. When Jacob protested, he was also given Rachel in marriage, plus two concubines, Zilpah and Bilhah.

"And in the morning, behold, it was Leah; and Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?"Laban said, "It is not so done in our country, to give the younger before the first-born. Complete the week of this one, and we will give you the other also in return for serving me another seven years."Jacob did so, and completed her week; then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to wife. Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid. So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years." (Genesis 29:25-30 RSV)

The firstborn son of Jacob was Leah's son Reuben. Simeon, Levi and Judah were also born to Leah thereafter.Genesis Chapter 30Jacob's family continued to grow, with eventually eleven sons (see Children of Jacob) and one daughter, Dinah, born to the four women - Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah. Of all of the sons of Jacob, only Benjamin was born in the land of Israel - all the rest were born in what is today Syria.The relationship between Jacob and Laban became more businesslike and competitive. Jacob arrived with almost nothing but when the time came for him to leave, thanks to an unconventional breeding program, it was Laban who owned almost nothing.

"But that day Laban removed the he-goats that were striped and spotted, and all the she-goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had white on it, and every lamb that was black, and put them in charge of his sons; and he set a distance of three days' journey between himself and Jacob; and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flock.Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane, and peeled white streaks in them, exposing the white of the rods. He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the runnels, that is, the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink. And since they bred when they came to drink, the flocks bred in front of the rods and so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban's flock. Whenever the stronger of the flock were breeding Jacob laid the rods in the runnels before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the rods, but for the feebler of the flock he did not lay them there; so the feebler were Laban's, and the stronger Jacob's.Thus the man grew exceedingly rich, and had large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and asses." (Genesis 30:35-43 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 31The transfer of wealth from Laban to Jacob naturally resulted in resentment toward Jacob - but it was actually The Lord that made it happen.

"Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our father's; and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth." And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then The Lord said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.""So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was, and said to them, "I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all my strength; yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not permit him to harm me. If he said, 'The spotted shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, 'The striped shall be your wages,' then all the flock bore striped. Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me." (Genesis 31:1-9 RSV)

Nevertheless, Jacob knew that it was time to return home. Fearing that Laban and his sons would prevent him from taking his wives and flocks, they fled.

"So Jacob arose, and set his sons and his wives on camels; and he drove away all his cattle, all his livestock which he had gained, the cattle in his possession which he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac." (Genesis 31:17-18 RSV)

Day 9 Genesis Chapter 26-28 Supplemental Notes

Genesis Chapter 26
Of the three patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the least is recorded about Isaac, not because he was any less important or righteous (see Isaac's Faith And Obedience), but because he lived in a more settled time between that of Abraham's coming to the new land from Iraq (see On His Own Two Feet and Settlers and Invaders From Iraq) and that of the establishment of the tribes of Israel, the Children of Jacob, who found themselves in Egypt in the centuries before the Exodus. Nevertheless, Isaac knew times of good and bad.As happened in the time of his father Abraham ("there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham," Genesis 26:1 RSV), famine forced Isaac to relocate for a while - and like his father Abraham (Genesis 20:11; see also Abimelech), Isaac was forced into a ruse regarding his wife.

"So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.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 for the sake of Rebekah [see also A Servant's Journey]"; because she was fair to look upon.When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah his wife. 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.'"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." (Genesis 26:6-10 RSV)

Upon leaving Gerar, Isaac retraced his father Abraham's return route and experienced some of the same property conflicts that Abraham did in his time.

"So Isaac departed from there, and encamped in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the names which his father had given them.But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of springing water, 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. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also; so he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and over that they did not quarrel; so he called its name Rehoboth [see Esek, Sitnah, Rehoboth], saying, "For now The Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land." (Genesis 17:17-22 RSV)

Nevertheless, again like his father Abraham, the more militarily powerful people of the land realized that The Lord was with Isaac and that The Lord would defend Isaac with overwhelming force (see also "Strong Is He Who Has Come Down") if he were threatened.

"They said, "We see plainly that The Lord [see also YHVH, Adonai, Jehovah, LORD] is with you; so we say, let there be an oath between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 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." So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank." (Genesis 26:28-30 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 27When Isaac became elderly and aware that his death could happen any time, he decided that it was time to pass on the family blessing to the eldest son, according to custom. As stated earlier however, the parents of Jacob and Esau were playing favorites, so Rebekah formulated an elaborate masquerade in which Jacob, not Esau, would receive the blessing from the nearly-blind Isaac.

"Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your first-born. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that you may bless me." (Genesis 27:19 RSV)

Jacob had just received the blessing when Esau returned and discovered what Jacob had done. Isaac too became extremely upset.

"As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also prepared savory food, and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, "Let my father arise, and eat of his son's game, that you may bless me."His father Isaac said to him, "Who are you?"He answered, "I am your son, your first-born, Esau."Then Isaac trembled violently, and said, "Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? - yes, and he shall be blessed."When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!"But he said, "Your brother came with guile, and he has taken away your blessing." (Genesis 27:30-35 RSV)

Jacob had now bested Esau twice; first for the eldest son's birthright that Esau foolishly sold for a mere bowl of stew (Genesis 25:29-34) and then the eldest son's blessing which was apparently irrevocable despite the deceptive means that Jacob, at the instigation of his mother Rebekah (Genesis 27:5-10) had obtained it. Esau's response was a plan to kill his brother for vengeance, but perhaps also as a means to then claim the birthright and blessing from a dead brother (and as the surviving head of the family, would not prosecute himself for the crime of fratricide). Rebekah was told of the plan however and made Jacob flee to her brother Laban for "a few days" stay that would last many years (see Jacob and Laban).

"Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob."But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah; so she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself by planning to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran, and stay with him a while, until your brother's fury turns away; until your brother's anger turns away, and he forgets what you have done to him; then I will send, and fetch you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?" (Genesis 27:41-45 RSV)

Rebekah facilitated Jacob's move to Haran under the guise that he not marry any of the local women.

"Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women such as these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?" (Genesis 27:46 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 28Isaac's anger at the deception subsided; he then approved of the plan to have Jacob marry within the clan.

"Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, "You shall not marry one of the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram [see Padan Aram] to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take as wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother." (Genesis 28:1-2 RSV)

Esau also took notice of the marriage preference, so he found a wife from his cousins, the children of Ishmael (notice how the conflict between Isaac and Ishmael perpetuated through their sons Jacob and Esau).

"So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, Esau went to Ishmael and took to wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth." (Genesis 28:8-9 RSV)

Meanwhile, Jacob was on route north to his uncle Laban. One night, he experienced his famous "stairway to heaven" dream.

"Jacob left Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place, and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!" (Genesis 28:10-12 RSV)

It was more than just a vision; it was an assurance that The Lord was with Jacob, not merely for his sake, but for a far greater purpose in time, including a family line that led directly to Jesus Christ through Jacob's (yet unborn) son Judah.

"And behold, The Lord stood above it and said, "I am The Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves." (Genesis 28:13-14 RSV)

Jacob renamed the place Bethel, which means house of God, again merely a foreshadow of a far greater House of God to come upon all the earth (see Mansions).

"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." So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone which he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of the city was Luz at the first." (Genesis 28:16-19 RSV)

Day 8 Genesis Chapter 23-25 Supplemental Notes

Genesis Chapter 23
Abraham and Sarah (see Abram and Sarai) both lived very long lives. The first to die was Sarah.

"Sarah lived a hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah. And Sarah died at Kiriath-arba, that is, Hebron, in The Land Of Canaan; and Abraham went in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her." (Genesis 23:1-2 RSV)

Upon Sarah's death, Abraham purchased what became a family burial tomb at Hebron (see the Fact Finder question below).

"Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land. And he said to them, "If you are willing that I should bury my dead out of my sight, hear me, and entreat for me Ephron the son of Zohar, that he may give me the cave of Machpelah, which he owns; it is at the end of his field. For the full price let him give it to me in your presence as a possession for a burying place." (Genesis 23:7-9 RSV)"So the field of Ephron in Machpelah, which was to the east of Mamre, the field with the cave which was in it and all the trees that were in the field, throughout its whole area, was made over to Abraham as a possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who went in at the gate of his city.After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah east of Mamre, that is, Hebron, in the land of Canaan. The field and the cave that is in it were made over to Abraham as a possession for a burying place by the Hittites." (Genesis 23:17-20 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 24Apparently sensing his own mortality after his wife's death, Abraham attended to another important family matter - a wife for his son Isaac, who would be chosen from his own kin back in Iraq (see Settlers and Invaders From Iraq).

"Now Abraham was old, well advanced in years; and The Lord had blessed Abraham in all things. And Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his house, who had charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by The Lord, the God of heaven and of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac." (Genesis 24:1-4 RSV)

The Servant's Journey was successful. Upon their return, Isaac and Rebekah were married.

"Now Isaac had come from Beerlahairoi, and was dwelling in the Negeb. And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there were camels coming. And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she alighted from the camel, and said to the servant, "Who is the man yonder, walking in the field to meet us?"The servant said, "It is my master." So she took her veil and covered herself.And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. Then Isaac brought her into the tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death." (Genesis 24:62-67 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 25After Sarah's death, Abraham married Keturah. From that marriage came at least six children, including Midian, from whom in later years descended Jethro, the father-in-law of Moses (see The Education Of Moses). Abraham also had other children through Concubines, while maintaining Isaac as his primary heir.

"Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan.
The sons of Dedan were Asshurim, Letushim, and Leummim.
The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
All these were the children of Keturah.Abraham gave all he had to Isaac. But to the sons of his concubines Abraham gave gifts, and while he was still living he sent them away from his son Isaac, eastward to the east country." (Genesis 25:1-6 RSV)

When Abraham died, he was buried with Sarah by his sons Isaac and Ishmael.

"These are the days of the years of Abraham's life, a hundred and seventy-five years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field which Abraham purchased from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried, with Sarah his wife." (Genesis 25:7-10 RSV)

Ishmael's descendants settled through the Middle East from Egypt to Iraq.

"These are the years of the life of Ishmael, a hundred and thirty-seven years; he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his kindred. They dwelt from Havilah to Shur, which is opposite Egypt in the direction of Assyria; he settled over against all his people." (Genesis 25:17-18 RSV)

The struggle between Jacob (who The Lord renamed as Israel) and Esau, the fraternal twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah, began before they were even born and continued through their lives; even their parents were involved in their conflict i.e. "Isaac loved Esau ... but Rebekah loved Jacob."

"And Isaac prayed to The Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and The Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. The children struggled together within her; and she said, "If it is thus, why do I live?" So she went to inquire of The Lord.And The Lord said to her, "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples, born of you, shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the elder shall serve the younger."When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came forth red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came forth, and his hand had taken hold of Esau's heel; so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.When the boys grew up, Esau was a skilful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. Isaac loved Esau, because he ate of his game; but Rebekah loved Jacob." (Genesis 25:21-28 RSV)

Day 7 Genesis Chapter 19-22 Supplemental Notes

 

Genesis Chapter 19
While The Lord remained with Abraham (see "Jehovah" and Abraham), the two angels, who appeared as men, arrived at Sodom.

"The two angels came to Sodom [see Sodomites] in the evening; and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth, and said, "My lords, turn aside, I pray you, to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise up early and go on your way."They said, "No; we will spend the night in the street."But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house; and they called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them." (Genesis 19:1-5 RSV)

Lot's response seems bizarre. It may have merely been a diversionary tactic, with Lot knowing that the Sodomite men were not interested in women, a fact made immediately evident from their refusal of Lot's daughters.

"Lot went out of the door to the men, shut the door after him, and said, "I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known man; let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please; only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof." (Genesis 19:6-8 RSV)

The two angels of course didn't need Lot's protection from the Sodomite mob. Quite the contrary, the angels were there to rescue Lot and his family - to literally drag them out of Sodom.

"Then the men said to Lot, "Have you any one else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or any one you have in the city, bring them out of the place; for we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before The Lord, and The Lord has sent us to destroy it."So Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, "Up, get out of this place; for The Lord is about to destroy the city." But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be jesting.When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city." But he lingered; so the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, The Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him forth and set him outside the city." (Genesis 19:12-16 RSV)

Lot and his wife, and their two unmarried daughters without their betrothed husbands ("his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters") escaped Sodom just before the destruction, although Lot's wife didn't make it all the way to safety because she "looked back, and she became a pillar of salt."

"The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar. Then The Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire [see Fire and Brimstone] from The Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground. But Lot's wife behind him looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." (Genesis 19:23-26 RSV)

The next morning, from the highlands of Hebron, Abraham looked down upon the plain and saw only that "the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace"

"And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before The Lord; and he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and beheld, and lo, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace." (Genesis 19:27-28 RSV)

Another bizarre incident regarding Lot's daughters then followed; without Lot's knowledge, both became with child by their father.

"Now Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the hills with his two daughters, for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar; so he dwelt in a cave with his two daughters. And the first-born said to the younger, "Our father is old, and there is not a man on earth to come in to us after the manner of all the earth. Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will lie with him, that we may preserve offspring through our father." (Genesis 19:30-32 RSV)"Thus both the daughters of Lot were with child by their father. The first-born bore a son, and called his name Moab; he is the father of the Moabites to this day. The younger also bore a son, and called his name Ben-ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites to this day." (Genesis 19:36-38 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 20Abraham then left Hebron, temporarily, and went to Gerar where Abraham and Sarah were forced into a ruse to keep the men of Gerar from killing Abraham in order to take his wife. The Lord however intervened to prevent adultery.

"From there Abraham journeyed toward the territory of the Negeb, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur; and he sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, "She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken; for she is a man's wife." (Genesis 20:1-3 RSV)

Abraham then explained why he did what he did, and why he had been doing it since Abraham and Sarah left their homeland in what is today Iraq (see On His Own Two Feet and Settlers and Invaders From Iraq).

"And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What were you thinking of, that you did this thing?"Abraham said, "I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife. Besides she is indeed my sister, the daughter of my father but not the daughter of my mother; and she became my wife. And when God caused me to wander from my father's house, I said to her, 'This is the kindness you must do me: at every place to which we come, say of me, He is my brother.'" (Genesis 20:10-13 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 21The birth of Isaac happened exactly as The Lord promised.

"The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and The Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac." (Genesis 21:1-3 RSV)

While it was the first child for Sarah, Abraham already had a son through Hagar. From that day on, the conflict between Isaac, and his descendants, and Ishmael, and his descendants, began.

"And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac." (Genesis 21:8-10 RSV)

Hagar and Ishmael were sent away into the desert wilderness, but The Lord did not abandon Ishmael - because he was a son of Abraham. Despite his being "a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every man's hand against him" (Genesis 16:12 RSV), The Lord blessed him and his descendants with territory and wealth.

"And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation." Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. And God was with the lad, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow." (Genesis 21:17-20 RSV)

By that time also, Abraham was becoming well-known as a man of God. Kings and military men sought peace with Abraham because they realized that to fight Abraham was to fight The Lord. The town of Beersheba (which in Hebrew means "well of seven") was given that name from Abraham's making a peace treaty there.

"At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do; now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but as I have dealt loyally with you, you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned."And Abraham said, "I will swear."When Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water which Abimelech's servants had seized, Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today." So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, "What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set apart?" He said, "These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that you may be a witness for me that I dug this well." Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba; because there both of them swore an oath." (Genesis 21:22-31 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 22The greatest test of Abraham's obedience came in the form of a command to see if Abraham would be willing to perform a sacrifice, a sacrifice that God Himself would later actually carry out with His own Son, near the very same place at Mount Moriah of Jerusalem.

"After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you." (Genesis 22:1-2 RSV)

But it was merely a test to see if Abraham's obedience to The Lord was total and unconditional (see also Isaac's Faith And Obedience).

"When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of The Lord called to him from heaven, and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." (Genesis 22:9-12 RSV)

Day 6 Genesis Chapter 16-18 Supplemental Notes

 

Genesis Chapter 16
When Abraham's wife Sarah did not have children of her own, she resorted to surrogate motherhood, a practice that is as ancient as it is modern.

"Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar; and Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, The Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my maid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai." (Genesis 16:1-2 RSV)

After Hagar was with child, she became contemptuous of Sarah. Although both were then the wives of Abraham, in the Biblical sense, Hagar was still the servant of Sarah.

"So, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my maid to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May The Lord judge between you and me!"But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her." (Genesis 16:3-6 RSV)

Hagar fled, but The Lord intervened and told her to return with the assurance that her descendants, as children of Abraham, would prosper and be very numerous (i.e. many of the Arab people of today are descended through Abraham and Hagar's son Ishmael; see Abraham Wasn't A Jew).

"The angel of The Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her." The angel of The Lord also said to her, "I will so greatly multiply your descendants that they cannot be numbered for multitude." And the angel of The Lord said to her, "Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ishmael [see also Isaac and Ishmael]; because The Lord has given heed to your affliction. He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." (Genesis 16:9-12 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 17Genesis chapter 17 provides an account of two well-known events of Bible History - Abram's and Sarai's name changes to Abraham and Sarah (see Abram and Sarai), and the covenant of circumcision (see the Fact Finder question below regarding how true Christianity is the fulfillment of physical circumcision).

"When Abram was ninety-nine years old The Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly."Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to Him, "Behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations." (Genesis 17:1-5 RSV)

Circumcision was instituted merely as a symbol of faith and righteousness (e.g. "For through the Spirit, by faith, we wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love," Galatians 5:5-6 RSV).

"And God said to Abraham, "As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your descendants after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. He that is eight days old among you shall be circumcised; every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house, or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, both he that is born in your house and he that is bought with your money, shall be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant." (Genesis 17:9-14 RSV)

Sarai's name change to Sarah also brought a glad announcement - Sarah would herself become a mother.

"And God said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her; I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." (Genesis 17:15-16 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 18By this time, Abraham had settled in Hebron. One day, three visitors arrived - The Lord and two angels (see also "Jehovah" and Abraham).

"And The Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him." (Genesis 18:1-2 RSV)

After again stating that Sarah would herself become a mother ("at the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son," Genesis 18:14 RSV), The Lord then revealed to Abraham that the cities of Sodom (see Sodomites) and Gomorrah were about to be destroyed, if no good could be found there. Abraham, perhaps thinking of his nephew Lot who had made the poor choice to live there (see the notes for Genesis 13), attempted to bargain with The Lord, progressively asking that the city be spared if even ten righteous people could be found there (Lot was righteous i.e. "he rescued righteous Lot," 2 Peter 2:7 RSV).

"Then Abraham drew near, and said, "Wilt thou indeed destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; wilt thou then destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? ... Then he said, "Oh let not The Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there." He answered, "For the sake of ten I will not destroy it." (Genesis 18:23-24,32 RSV)

 

 

Day 5 Genesis Chapter 13-15 Supplemental Notes

 

Genesis Chapter 13
"So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into The Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first; and there Abram called on The Name of The Lord." (Genesis 13:1-4 RSV)Abraham's time in Egypt had been profitable; the family group came out with far more than they had when they went in. But their prosperity soon caused conflict within the family.

"And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites dwelt in the land." (Genesis 13:5-7 RSV)

The obvious solution was for them to part company in order to freely range over more of the land before them. Abraham gave his nephew Lot first choice. Unfortunately, for Lot, although then well-watered, he chose the area of the soon to be incinerated city of Sodom (see also Sodomites and Where Is "Sodom" Today?).

"Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen; for we are kinsmen. Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left."And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw that The Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of The Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar; this was before The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan valley, and Lot journeyed east; thus they separated from each other. Abram dwelt in The Land Of Canaan, while Lot dwelt among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against The Lord." (Genesis 13:8-13 RSV)

Abraham then made his choice - Hebron (see The Tombs Of Hebron).

"So Abram moved his tent, and came and dwelt by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron; and there he built an altar to The Lord." (Genesis 13:18 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 14Lot's arrival in Sodom was at a time when the local kings were at war in the area of the Valley of Siddim.

"In the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of Goiim, these kings made war with Bera king of Sodom, Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar). And all these joined forces in the Valley of Siddim (that is, The Salt Sea)." (Genesis 14:1-3 RSV)

Unfortunately for Lot, again, he was captured at Sodom when the city fell to the opposing forces.

"Then the king of Sodom, the king of Gomorrah, the king of Admah, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (that is, Zoar) went out, and they joined battle in the Valley of Siddim with Chedorlaomer king of Elam, Tidal king of Goiim, Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar, four kings against five. Now the Valley of Siddim was full of Bitumen pits; and as the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, some fell into them, and the rest fled to the mountain. So the enemy took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their provisions, and went their way; they also took Lot, the son of Abram's brother, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed." (Genesis 14:8-12 RSV)

Abraham by then had become a "king" in the local sense, with both the autonomy and the manpower to make war (see Abraham At War).

"Then one who had escaped came, and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner; these were allies of Abram. When Abram heard that his kinsman had been taken captive, he led forth his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen of them, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. And he divided his forces against them by night, he and his servants, and routed them and pursued them to Hobah, north of Damascus. Then he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his kinsman Lot with his goods, and the women and the people." (Genesis 14:13-16 RSV)

Upon his return from battle, Abraham gave thanks to The Lord (see "Jehovah" and Abraham) at Jerusalem (see the Fact Finder question below).

"After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said, "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!" And Abram gave him a tenth of everything." (Genesis 14:17-20 RSV)

Genesis Chapter 15The Lord then announced to childless Abraham and Sarah that they would not only become parents, but "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your descendants be."

"After these things the word of The Lord came to Abram in a vision, "Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great." But Abram said, "O Lord God, what wilt thou give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?" And Abram said, "Behold, thou hast given me no offspring; and a slave born in my house will be my heir." And behold, the word of The Lord came to him, "This man shall not be your heir; your own son shall be your heir." And he brought him outside and said, "Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them." Then he said to him, "So shall your descendants be." And he believed The Lord; and he reckoned it to him as righteousness." (Genesis 15:1-6 RSV)

The Lord also provided to Abraham a prophecy about the Exodus, not only long before Abraham's Israelite descendants had entered Egypt, but before they were ever born.

"Then The Lord said to Abram, "Know of a surety that your descendants will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs, and will be slaves there, and they will be oppressed for four hundred years; but I will bring judgment on the nation which they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions." (Genesis 15:13-14 RSV)
 

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