Friday, December 28, 2018


BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com

BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For the week beginning Sunday December 30, 2018

JACOB FLEES TO PADAN-ARAM
Genesis 28

   After Rebekah and Jacob had successfully carried out their scheme to stop Isaac from passing down the promise and blessings of GOD to Esau (the wrong son), Esau became very bitter toward Jacob, and he planned to kill him after their father (Isaac) passed away. Word of Esau’s plan got back to Rebekah and she advised Jacob to flee to Padan-aram, 450 miles away, to live with her brother Laban, at least until Esau got over his anger.
    Afraid to tell her husband about what his favorite son, Esau, was planning, Rebekah instead, told Isaac that Jacob would be going to Padan-aram to find a wife, because she was concerned about him falling in love with one of the Canaanite women like his brother had done, and marrying one of them instead. Isaac, who shared those same concerns, wholeheartedly agreed with her. And so, off Jacob went to live with his uncle Laban, who he didn’t know at that time, would teach him a valuable, life-changing lesson on how it feels to be deceived, especially by a close relative.
    And so in Genesis 28, we see that Isaac has finally conceded in his own mind that he was wrong in trying to hand down his blessing to Esau. He knew all along, that, GOD had told he and Rebekah that Jacob would be the one who would carry the promise to the next generation, and become the origin of the twelve tribes of Israel.
    Here in the opening lines of this passage we see Isaac calling Jacob in, and, this time, he wittingly gives him the blessing that had been passed down to him by his father Abraham, just as he knew GOD would have it. He reiterates to Jacob “the blessings of the bearer of the Covenant Promise”, and then he admonishes him not to marry any of the Canaanite women. He re-enforces Rebekah’s suggestion that Jacob go at once to Padan-aram (although he still wasn’t aware of Esau’s threat on Jacob’s life) to his grandfather, Bethuel’s house, and choose a wife from among the daughters of his uncle Laban.
    After hearing that his father had now given “the pure and legitimate blessing” to Jacob, and how Isaac and Rebekah also thoroughly despised the local Canaanite women (remember Esau had already married two of them), Esau, in a somewhat foolish attempt to improve his relationship with his parents, goes to his uncle Ishmael’s family and chooses one of his daughters and marries her.
    And so here we see a “spiritually inept” Esau, instead of helping his situation and position with his parents, or GOD, has now made things even worse, on a spiritual level. Now, in addition to the two forbidden marriages he already had to his Hittite wives, who had given Isaac and Rebekah such a hard time, his new wife, whose name was Mahalath, comes directly from the line of the “un-chosen family” of his father’s nemesis, Ishmael.
   
JACOB’S DREAM AT BETHEL
Genesis 28:10-22

   We just witnessed in the last passage how Esau’s spiritual life was continuing on a downward spiral. However, here in verses 10-22, we’ll see Jacob’s spiritual nature began to rise and elevate to a, much needed, higher level. Just like his father Isaac had to learn, here we see Jacob about to learn that GOD resides in more than just one place, as he begins his 450-mile trip to Padan-aram.
    In the Hebrew, the word “Bethel” means “House of GOD”, and it is “a good place” to be for humans. However, sometimes, for example when our hearts are not right, it can equally be a hard place to abide in. In our minds, the house of GOD is a place where GOD is always near, and it is a place where we feel that GOD has always responded to us favorably. To Abraham, Hagar, and to Isaac, it was Beer-lahairoi, and to Moses it was Mount Sinai, and still to King David, it would be the pastures of Bethlehem, or even Jerusalem. 
    However, one can always gather from the lives of faithful men and women of GOD in Scripture, that, without a doubt, GOD is absolutely everywhere, all of the time. HE is near us, whether we want HIM to be or not, and, HE absolutely sees all, hears all, and knows all that we do. Every one of us must make an account for the deeds done in our lifetimes, and whether or not we believe that GOD exists, therefore, becomes totally irrelevant. And so the whole world, in that sense, becomes a “Bethel”, or, “the house of GOD”, WHO is the CREATOR of it all.
    In Genesis 28, verse 10, Jacob arrives at what he thought was “a good place” to set up camp for the night. As it turns out, this would be the place where Jacob has his, now famous, “Dream of the Stairway to Heaven”, and it is a vision that is based solely on the grace of GOD. Here GOD appears to Jacob for the purpose of assuring him that the promise of blessings, favor, and protection that was passed on to him by his father, Isaac, was indeed, legitimate.
    This dream would serve to ignite “a worshipful response and vow of loyalty” that can be vividly seen in Jacob’s “spiritual walk” from this point forward. In fact, Jacob, who had walked with a bit of a “spiritual limp” up until that time, would now walk away from this experience with a clear understanding of the constant presence of GOD. He would, from then on, have confidence, that, wherever he went, GOD would bless, protect, and keep him for the remainder of his life, as long as he adhered in obedience to HIM.
    Jacob acknowledged this life-changing event with the LORD, and then, proceeded to make a personal commitment of his own to GOD. Here he makes a vow that the GOD of his fathers would also be his GOD, and he placed a stone upright to commemorate the place where GOD had responded to him so gracefully. In addition, he vowed to give back to GOD, a tenth of everything that GOD blessed him with (Vs.20-22). It is a comforting feeling when we can come to rest in the thought that GOD is near to those who aspire to obey HIM, and HE is indeed with us, wherever in the world we may go.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
                                           LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website



Friday, December 21, 2018


BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com

BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For the week beginning Sunday December 23, 2018

JACOB STEALS ESAU’S BLESSING
Genesis 27

   Genesis 27 shows us how “parental favoritism” can literally tear a family apart and destroy the relationships of the siblings, potentially, forever. The parental favoritism of Isaac and Rebekah was exposed to us in Genesis 25:28. There we see that Isaac favored Esau, the oldest son, while Rebekah favored Jacob, the younger son. This attitude by the parents ultimately led to a fragmented relationship between Jacob and Esau that would last for the rest of their lives, and also would affect their families for generations to come.
    This chapter begins, where we see an aging Isaac, now, almost totally blind, call for Esau, his oldest and favorite son, as he feels that it is now time to pass on the blessings and promise of GOD to the next generation. And even though he was aware of GOD’s message to Rebekah (Genesis 25:23) that the Covenant promise would be passed on through the youngest son, Jacob, instead, he seemed to be dead set on following Hebrew tradition, and his own mind, rather than following the course that GOD has already set for him.
    In those days, the “oral blessings” of a father had the same force as a “written Will” has in today’s society, and that oral blessing would always stand up in court. Here Isaac shows us how important it is to pass down, not just a gift of material things, but also, it is more important to be able to pass down “a legacy of faith”, or, in other words, pass down the wisdom of “the importance of having an experiential relationship with GOD”.
    Nevertheless, Isaac’s sin of “favoritism” toward Esau had blinded him to the fact that Esau had exhibited a disregard for “spiritual things” throughout his entire adult life. He placed absolutely no value whatsoever on “spiritual reasoning”. He always made it perfectly clear that he was only interested in the moment, and, in satisfying his physical needs, whatever they might be, at the time (Genesis 25:29-34).
    Here in this passage, it seems as though Isaac is foolishly trying to force GOD’s hand toward Esau, when he had known since before the boys were born, that, “Hebrew tradition” would not prevail in this case, but rather, “GOD’s Will” would overcome his selfish  desires. And as I stated before, GOD’s Will, had already been made known to he and Rebekah, before she gave birth to the boys.
    And so, while Isaac was preparing to hand off his blessings to Esau, as GOD would have it, his plans were overheard by Rebekah, and she quickly began to hatch up a scheme of her own. However, Rebekah’s scheme, as crooked as it may seem on the surface, was more in line with GOD’s plan, than what her husband was trying to do.
    Rebekah, who by now was in “panic mode”, immediately ran to Jacob, her favorite son, and let him in on what his father was about to do. Then she instructed Jacob to go out to the flock and bring her two fine young goats. Jacob reluctantly replied, “He (Isaac) won’t be fooled that easily. Think how hairy Esau is and how smooth my skin is! What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me”.
    In verse 13 of this passage, we get a glimpse of how motivated and determined Rebekah is to successfully carry out her scheme. There she tells young Jacob, “Let the curse fall on me, dear son” (if they get caught in this scheme). Just go and do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats”. I guest she was saying in effect that, I’d rather see myself in Hell, than for you to miss out on this blessing from your father, my favorite son.
    Rebekah finally convinced Jacob to play along and he went out and retrieved the goats, and she prepared one of Isaac’s favorite meat dishes from them. Then she took Esau’s best clothes and dressed Jacob in them, and afterwards, she made a pair of gloves from the goatskin of the animals they had just killed. She also placed some of the goat’s hair around Jacob’s neck.   
      After Rebekah prepared the meal and added some fresh baked bread to the menu, she told Jacob to take it to his father and pretend to be Esau so that he (Jacob) might deceitfully intercept Esau’s blessing from a blind and unwitting Isaac. And so Jacob did as he was told, and carried the food to his father.
    Arriving in Isaac’s presence, Jacob is given another opportunity to change his mind, and not go through with this seemingly crooked scheme, but as fate would have it, he doesn’t. In verse 18b, Isaac asks him, “Who is it? Is it Esau or Jacob? Instead of telling the truth, Jacob claimed to be his older brother, Esau.
    Ironically, in verse 20, Jacob is met with another question from Isaac, in which the answer, on the surface, might sound like a lie, but here the young man answers with wisdom from GOD that he did not know he had. Here Isaac asks him, “How were you able to find it (the meat) so quickly my son?” And an unwitting Jacob responds, “Because the LORD your GOD put it in my path! He had no idea how right he was.
    By allowing Rebekah to overhear Isaac’s conversation with Esau, GOD was placing the blessing of Isaac directly in the path of Jacob. Deep in his heart, Isaac knew that he was supposed to pass down the blessing to Jacob, but because of his steadfast adherence to tradition, and his desire to do what he wanted to do, he was determined to pass it down to Esau, “his oldest and favorite son”.  
    In verse 21, unable to depend on his “sense of sight”, and still not convinced that the person standing before him was Esau, Isaac asks his son to come closer so that he might be able to use his “sense of touch” to make a determination. Isaac’s “sense of hearing”, was detecting what he thought may be the voice of Jacob, and he wanted to be sure that he wasn’t just being paranoid, because his conscience, probably by now, was convicting him because he was seeking to go against what he knew was GOD’s wishes (to anoint Jacob instead of Esau).
    Because of the goat’s hair that his mother had put on him, Jacob passed the touch test. Isaac accepted the food from him, and ate it. Still feeling a little leery, probably because the meat didn’t “taste” exactly like it should (wild game has a different taste from domesticated goat meat), Isaac decided to use the only other sense he had, his “sense of smell”, to try and make absolutely sure that it was Esau, and not Jacob.
    And so in verse 26 of this passage, Isaac asked his son to kiss him, that way he would be close enough to be able to see if he smelled like someone who had been out in the open fields, the way Esau always smelt. Jacob was able to pass the “smell test” because the animal skins that he was wearing emitted an outdoors smell like the animals of the wild. And so now Isaac was convinced, and he unwittingly blessed Jacob, who GOD had chosen, and thereby, had to later deny Esau, whom he had chosen.
    When Esau returned from his hunt with the wild game, Isaac had to break the bad news to him that Jacob had tricked him out of his blessing. Esau let out a loud cry, and as I said earlier, not being able to fully grasp the spiritual implications of what it all meant, he asked his father to give him the blessing too. Isaac regretfully had to explain to him that there can be only one blessing of this sort, and Jacob had received it, and “it was irrevocable”.
    By this time, Isaac, no doubt, had realized how GOD had usurped his foolish, selfish plan to do things his way. He knew that he had tried to tamper with GOD’s plan and failed miserably, literally destroying Esau in the process. And as a result of what happened, Esau hated Jacob, and he made a promise to himself that he would kill him as soon as their father, Isaac, had passed away.
    When Esau began to share his sentiments concerning Jacob with others, one of the people he told, passed the news on to Rebekak. As a result, Rebekah sent Jacob away to her uncle Laban’s house in Padan-aram (450 miles away), where she thought he would be safe. However, again, as the LORD would have it, now the stage was being set for Jacob to learn a hard lesson of his own, of what it feels like, to be deceived. Stay tuned.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 
                                           LARRY D. ALEXANDER- Official Website
  

Friday, December 14, 2018


BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com

BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For the week beginning Sunday December 16, 2018

ISAAC DECEIVES ABIMELECH
Genesis 26:1-11

   It has been said that “fear” mocks “faith”, and that “faith” laughs in victory later on. Here in Genesis 26, verses 1-11, we see just such a case being played out, as now, Isaac is faced with the same test of faith that was given by GOD to his father Abraham, some 90 years earlier.
    Here in this passage we see the many similarities that existed in the lives of Abraham and his son Isaac. First of all we see that a severe famine has struck the land where Isaac is living, just as it had once happened in Abraham’s time. And just like his father before him, Isaac moved to Gerar where the Abimelech ruled over the nation of the Philistines. It was there that the LORD appeared to Isaac and urged him not to go to Egypt, but rather, to stay in the land that HE had given to his father to live.
    In this passage GOD is officially passing on the promise of HIS Covenant with Abraham, from Abraham to Isaac, and at one and the same time, HE is showing Isaac that he doesn’t have to be in Beer Lahairoi to hear from HIM. Here GOD makes the same “conditional” promise to Isaac that HE made to his father about 100 years earlier. GOD tells him that “if he does what HE says (obeys HIM), and stays in this land (where HE put him), HE will be with him and bless him, because of HIS solemn promise to Abraham, who listened to HIM and obeyed all of HIS requirements, commands, regulations, and laws”.  
    The obvious idea in this passage is that, the descendants of those who are obedient to GOD, will be extended the same blessings and benefits as their ancestors, if they too, are willing to exercise, a like, genuine faith in HIM, and remain obedient to HIM.
    Faith in GOD casts away all fears, because “faith” and “fear” cannot co-exist together, not even for a moment. And when that faith is genuine and strong, we are able to overcome all spiritual, physical, and mental challenges. Remember, JESUS says that we only need to exercise “mustard seed faith” to move a mountain! And so, true faith will always seek to obey GOD’s words first.
    And so Isaac abided there in Gerar, but like his father before him, he feared the men of Gerar, even though GOD had given him HIS promise that the future life of a nation would begin with his own offspring. And if that were the case, he would not lose his life in Gerar, and he did not have to let his fear of man cause him to sin (lie and deceive) for protection. GOD’s promise meant that, through HIS protection, Isaac would not leave this life until all that GOD said concerning him was fulfilled.
    And so, by way of GOD’s intervention, as soon as Isaac arrived in Gerar, he was asked by the men of Gerar about his beautiful wife Rebekah. They wanted to know who she was to him. Fearing the men, more than HE believed GOD, Isaac lied and said that Rebekah was his sister, instead of telling the truth that she was his wife, thus, he put his marriage to her, and her chastity to him, in jeopardy. This could have had a disastrous result, as it could have forced Rebekah to commit adultery. And we see that, even the pagan Abimelech had established a law against adultery, and recognized it as a sin in his kingdom (v.10).
    As the providence of the LORD would have it, one day the Abimelech peered out his window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah. It was then that he knew that she was obviously his wife, and not his sister. And so he had Isaac brought before him and rebuked him harshly. Then, out of his fear and respect for the GOD of Isaac’s father, Abraham, the Abimelech publically proclaimed that anyone who harmed Isaac or Rebekah would be killed.
     Isaac’s temporary lapse in faith, because of his fear, made a mockery of the covenant promise of GOD. He thereby failed the same test that his father, Abraham, first, failed before him. He tried to justify sin with “human ingenuity” in an attempt to protect himself, instead of depending on GOD’s promise of protection. He thought it was alright with GOD if he deceived an unbeliever. However, the person who seeks to represent GOD, as HIS witness, must be able to do so, first and foremost, through their righteous actions and behavior, before the world. 

CONFLICT OVER WATER RIGHTS
Genesis 26:12-25

   Isaac remained in Gerar, and that same year, he raised bumper crops that produced up to 100 times the amount of the actual seeds that he planted. He became a lot richer and his wealth only continued to increase more and more. He, as a result, was able to acquire large flocks and herds of sheep and cattle. He also bought many more servants to help him with his work.
    However, it is a fact of life that, with the success of some, always comes, the envy and jealousy of others. And so, as soon as the people of Philistine heard of and saw Isaac’s success in their land, they begin to try and destroy or ruin everything he had worked for by filling in all of the wells that he had dug there for the physical survival of his family and his animals (v.15).
    Here in this passage we see the people of Gerar clearly violating the king’s evict that they “not do any harm to Isaac and Rebekah” (v.11). Strangely though, we see in verse 16 that, the Abimelech, instead of enforcing his own edict, asks Isaac to leave the area, because he had “become too rich and powerful for us”. And so we see that even the king, if not jealous himself, at least feared the sudden success of Isaac, and probably viewed it as a threat to his own lifestyle and throne.
    Isaac, at the request of the Abimelech, moved to the nearby valley area of Gerar and resided there. He re-opened the wells there that the Philistines had filled in with dirt after the death of Abraham, and he renamed the wells, the same names that his father had given them. In addition, Isaac’s shepherds began to dig new wells and they even found a new gushing spring there in the valley.
    However, the local Philistines came down to the valley and claimed the new gushing spring as their own, and they argued back and forward with Isaac’s shepherds. As a result, Isaac named his well there “Esek”, which means “dispute”, and he left it to the Philistines.
    Later on Isaac’s shepherds dug another well, and again, there was a fight over it, and once again Isaac named the well and ceded it over to Philistine shepherds also. He named that well “Sitnah”, which means “opposition”.
    Refusing to let the Philistines wear him down, Isaac dug yet a third well, and this time, they left him alone. Isaac named the third well “Rehoboth”, which means “room”, and he said, “at last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be able to thrive here”.
    Even though Isaac never fought back in a physical way, psychologically, he frustrated and wore out his opposition and caused them to give up themselves, over time. It is that same kind of strategy that we saw Martin Luther King used in the civil rights movement of the fifties and sixties here in the United States.
    Some time after his psychological victory over the Philistines, Isaac moved back to Beersheba where he grew up, and it was there that the LORD appeared to him a second time, on the very first night of his arrival. There GOD re-affirmed his promise to Isaac with these encouraging words;

“I AM the GOD of your father, Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I AM with you and will bless you. I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of MY promise to Abraham, MY servant”

    Here GOD is letting Isaac know that, wherever he goes, whether it be Beer Lahairoi, Gerar, or back at Beersheba, HE was with him, as long as he maintains his faith and trust in HIM, and obeys all of HIS precepts. Then Isaac built an altar to the LORD and worshiped HIM there. He set up camp there in Beersheba, and his servants dug yet another well.

A TREATY WITH ABIMELECH
Genesis 26:26-35

   After the conflicts over water rights had waned, the Abimelech saw an opportunity for a treaty to be reached between himself and Isaac. And so, he went to see Isaac, bringing with him, his adviser, Ahuzzath, and his army commander, the Phicol as witnesses. Isaac, who was a bit leery, asked him in so many words, if he had come in peace. The Abimelech replied, “We can plainly see that the LORD (of your father) is with you. So we decided we should have a treaty, a covenant between us. Swear that you will not harm us, just as we did not harm you. We always treated you well, and we sent you away in peace. And now look at how the LORD has blessed you!”
    And even though it seemed as if the Abimelech was taking credit for the LORD’s blessings upon him, Isaac accepted his offer of peace (he “prepared a table before himself in the presence of his enemies”) and they ate and drank in preparation for a treaty ceremony the next day.
    Early the next morning they each (Isaac and the Abimelech) took a solemn “oath of nonaggression” toward each other, and then Isaac sent them away. That same day Isaac’s servants came to him excited about a new gushing well they had just found. Encouraged by the peace agreement that he had just made with the Philistines, Isaac named the new well “Shibah”, which means “oath” or “seven” because they had made a treaty by solemn oath, just as his father Abraham had done when he named the place where they now lived, “Beersheba”.
    This chapter ends with a wonderful segue into the next chapter (chapter 27), as it highlights the disappointment of Isaac and Rebekah in their oldest son, Esau. Here it says that, when Esau was 40 years old he married, not one, but two Hittite women, Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon, a double whammy against the plan of GOD.
    These two women made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah, and it showed how unfit Esau was to inherit the blessings of Isaac, even though he was the eldest son, the traditional recipient of the bulk of the father’s inheritance. This short passage goes a long way in explaining why GOD would later allow the blessings of Isaac to bypass Esau, and be bestowed upon Jacob, even though Isaac would foolishly attempt to give it to Esau anyway (Vs.34-35).

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander





                                 

Saturday, December 8, 2018


BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com

BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For the week beginning Sunday December 9, 2018

THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM
Genesis 25:1-11

   Genesis 25, verses 1-11 chronicles the final days and death of Abraham the great patriarch of GOD’s chosen people. After the death of Sarah, Abraham was married again, this time to a woman named Keturah, who is indentified in the vertical genealogy in 1 Chronicles 1:32, as his concubine. She bore him six sons during the final 37 years of his life.
    The names of Abraham’s and Keturah’s six sons were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan (Arabic nations), and from Dedan came the Asshurites, Letushites, and Leummites, all future enemies of Israel, as well as were Midian’s sons, Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah.
    Before Abraham’s death, he awarded all of his sons, including Ishmael, gifts, and then sent them all off to live in the east, away from Isaac. However, he left everything else that he owned to Isaac, who was “the heir to the promise of GOD”, and as heir, Isaac was to stay put in the land of the Canaanites, which was designated by GOD as “The Promised Land”.
    After Abraham’s death, Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the “cave of Machpelah”, which Abraham had purchased from the Hittite, named Ephron (Genesis 23), as a burial place for, first, Sarah, and then ultimately, for the rest of his family. And GOD poured out rich blessings on Isaac, who settled near Beer-lahairoi, in the Negev, the place where GOD was known to have responded personally, to HIS faithful.

ISHMAEL’S DESCENDANTS
Genesis 25:12-18

   In verses 12-18 we find the history of the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham and Hagar, who was Sarah’s Egyptian servant. Here we find a horizontal genealogical list of his twelve sons from the oldest to the youngest; Nebaioth, kedar, Abdeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These twelve sons became the father of the twelve tribes that continued to bear their names long after they settled in the various places around the area from Havilah to Shur, between Beersheba and Egypt. And although they all settled very close together in the direction of Asshur, all of the brothers lived in hostility toward each other, and, toward the rest of the known world at that time. Ishmael, their patriarch died at the age of 137 and was buried with his ancestors.

THE BIRTHS OF JACOB AND ESAU
Genesis 25:19-26

    Here begins the history of the family of Isaac, the son of Abraham and Sarah. When Isaac was 40 years old he married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother. Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and they all lived in Padan-aram before she was brought to Beersheba by Abraham’s servant, Eliezer, 37 years before Abraham died.
    Rebekah is one of several women in Scripture who were unable to bear children until GOD miraculously intervened. Sarah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth, and the unnamed mother of Samson, were all mothers, who experienced humanly impossible births during their lifetimes. Rebekah’s case, however, was unique in that, her pregnancy yielded “twin boys”, named Jacob and Esau.
    Scripture tells us that there was strife between her two sons that began, even before they were born, and in fact, while they were still in the womb. This, now famous, conflict continued on throughout most of their lives, and even carried over into the lives of their descendants in future generations. In fact, much of the suffering of the Israelites, who were Jacob’s descendants, came at the hands of the Edomites, who were Esau’s descendants. These storied conflicts are prominently chronicled throughout the pages of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Joel (Joel 3:19).
    Here in Genesis 25, verses 19-34, we see the very origins of this conflict between two brothers who, even in their physical appearances, were strikingly different (v.25). The LORD had already foretold to Rebekah that she carried within her womb, two rival nations. HE also told her that the descendants of her firstborn son, Esau, would be the servants of her younger son, Jacob.
    In this story of Jacob and Esau, there is some confusion among many people today concerning the difference between “birthright” and “blessing”. However, according to biblical tradition, and, in Deuteronomy 21, verses 15-17, the birthright is determined by the “order” of the births of the sons within a given family. It is the right of the firstborn to receive a “double portion” of his father’s inheritance. This is something that is laid out in the “Law that was given to Moses by GOD HIMSELF”, and therefore, could not be altered by man.
    In this account of the early life of Jacob and Esau, we see that, because Jacob was able to recognize the value of “the spiritual” over “the physical”, where his brother Esau could not, he was able to gain Esau’s “birthright” away from him, by way of his own willingness to let it go, and not so much by Jacob’s trickery.
    This act of aggression by Jacob had absolutely nothing to do with Esau’s “blessing”, however, because the father, Isaac, still retained the right to “bless” his sons in any way he saw fit. That is why, later on, when Rebekah and Jacob deceived an aging and blind Isaac (Genesis 27), and stole Esau’s “blessing”, they took something from him that they had absolutely no right to, whatsoever.

ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT TO JACOB
Genesis 25:27-34

       As Isaac and Rebekah’s sons grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, while Jacob was more of a homebody, or, as we might say today, “a mama’s boy”. Isaac loved Esau in particular, because of the wild game that he would bring home, which he loved to eat. However, on the other hand, Rebekah favored Jacob, who enjoyed staying close to home and helping her with chores around the house.
    One day when Jacob was cooking some “red” stew, Esau arrived home tired and hungry after one of his hunts.  Here in verse 30 we see the origins of how Esau got his nickname “Edom”, which means “red”, as he requests from Jacob, a bowl of this aromatic, delicious looking red stew. Jacob then cunningly replies, “All right, but you must trade me your birthright for it”. Surprisingly, a hungry Esau replied, “Look! I’m dying of starvation! What good is my birthright to me now?” Jacob then insisted, “Well then, swear to me right now that it is mine”.
    Then Esau foolishly swears an oath to Jacob, agreeing to thereby sell all his “rights as firstborn” to his younger brother. He ate the “lentil stew” (and so the stew apparently didn’t even have any meat in it) and went on his way, totally indifferent to the fact and ramifications of what he had just done, all because he placed no value on spiritual things, as his younger brother Jacob did.
    When Esau ceded his birthright to his brother Jacob that day, we are shown a picture of someone, who was seemingly, totally indifferent (didn’t care one way or the other) to the far-reaching effects, and impact of his decision. He seemed to have no idea that he had given up the right to become the father of the Jewish nation, GOD’s chosen people.
    Jacob, on the other hand, whose name means, quite literally, “the supplanter”, or “one who replaces”, would go on to father the twelve sons, who would give birth to the twelve tribes of the coming nation of Israel. This marked the beginning of the rivalry, in earnest, and it would forever change, and quite literally destroy, the relationship of their families for generations to come.
    Rivalries brought on by jealousy and deceit, are as old as humanity itself. The tragic case of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:6-16) give us our earliest glimpse of the destruction that these things can have on family relationships. Many siblings since, have contemplated, and even carried out murder, or suicide, because of their feeling of being unequal to their brothers or sisters.
    We as parents must be able to address our children’s behavioral problems early, in a positive way that emphasizes their strengths, and moves their minds away from those habits and behavior that can one day bring harm to themselves and to others. Our goal must be to alter their negative behavior, while, at one and the same time, preserving their positive self image.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander








Friday, November 30, 2018


BOOK BY BOOK BIBLE STUDY
larrydalexanderbiblestudies.blogspot.com

BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For the week beginning Sunday December 2, 2018

ISAAC MARRIES REBEKAH
Genesis 24

   Genesis 24 shows how the providence of GOD is worked out in the lives of those who are faithful to him. Here we see chronicled, the special case of a man named Eliezer, a faithful servant of Abraham, and how he successfully answered the call of his superior when he was put to the task.   
    This lengthy passage can actually be simplified if it is broken down into four special and distinct segments, and we’ll entitle this first segment “the calling, “charge”, or “commission” of Eliezer (Vs.1-9), and any of those terms are applicable here. In this section Abraham charges Eliezer, the man in charge of all things concerning his household, with the even more special task, of finding a wife for his son Isaac, shortly after the death of Sarah. The aging patriarch wanted to ensure that Isaac wouldn’t end up marrying one of the local Canaanite women, after he had passed away.
    And so he commissioned Eliezer to go to his own (Abraham’s) homeland, to his brother Nahor’s house, back in Aram-naharaim, in the northern section of Padan Aram (Mesopotamia), located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, and choose a woman from among his relatives there. Abraham also made Eliezer swear a solemn oath that he would never take Isaac to Padan-aram, but instead, that he brings the young lady back there to Canaan, which was Isaac’s promised inheritance from GOD. And if by chance the woman refuses to come back to Canaan with him, then Eliezer would free from his oath.
    The second section of this chapter (Vs.10-27) reveals “the faith and trust” that Eliezer shows in the “GOD of Abraham” to lead and guide him into a position to make the right choice for his master’s son. After receiving his instructions from Abraham, Eliezer loaded ten camels with gifts that consisted of the best of everything that Abraham owned, and set out on this 450-mile journey.  
    When Eliezer arrived in Padan Aram where Nahor had settled, he rested by a well just outside the village of Aram-naharaim. There he prayed to the GOD of Abraham to help him accomplish his mission. He asked GOD to show him a sign by which he would ask the women who come to the well to draw water, to give him a drink. If the woman answers by saying “Yes, I will give you a drink, and I will water your camels too” (it would take considerable time and water to accommodate ten thirsty camels) let her be the one YOU have appointed to be Isaac’s wife. And the LORD honored his request, and that woman turned out to be a young virgin named Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, the son of Nahor, Abraham’s brother.
    In the third segment (Vs.28-60), we see the success of Eliezer’s mission as he and his entourage, are invited into the home of Laban and his father Bethuel, who quickly concluded that Eliezer’s mission was truly a commission from GOD. In those days it was not unusual to see the brother of a woman negotiating along with the living father concerning her marriage, and that is why here we see, both, Laban and Bethuel actively involved. And so they entrusted Rebekah into Eliezer’s hand, and she went willingly with them back to Beersheba.
    And finally, in section four (Vs.61-67) we see the mission of Eliezer winding down to a conclusion, as they wrap up their 900-mile journey to Padan Aram and back. This final segment opens up as we find a, now 40-year old Isaac, who had just returned home himself from Beer-lahairoi in the Negev, strolling through a field meditating, when he looked up and saw Eliezer’s caravan approaching from the east.
    When Rebekah looked and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted and asked Eliezer who Isaac was. He replied, “He is my master’s son”, and so Rebekah covered her face with her veil. Soon after they met they were married and moved into the tent of his deceased mother Sarah, and Isaac loved her very much, as she was a great comfort to him after the death of his mother whom he had missed very much. Abraham was 140 years old at that time, and he lived another 35 years, and he himself re-married before he died and passed the torch to Isaac at the ripe old age of 175.

A Sunday school lesson by,
Larry D. Alexander