Eden to Eternity Vol. 1, Genesis 22-30
Genesis 1/66 | Author(s): Anonymous contributors | Old Testament | Pentateuch/Torah | 4000-1800 B.C. (estimated)
Happy birthday, Jesus! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!
Genesis Chapters 22-30 Summary:
22. THE SACRIFICE OF ISAAC
"After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, 'Abraham! Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains aI will tell you about.'' (Genesis 22:1-2, CSB)
Displaying perfect faithfulness, Abraham prepared for the journey and, with his son, headed to the mountains, awaiting God's next set of instructions.
Isaac expressed curiosity when asking where their sacrificial lamb was. "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham responded (22:8).
Just before Abraham completed the sacrifice, an angel representing the Lord spoke in verse 12: "For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me." A ram appeared nearby and was used as the burnt offering in place of Isaac. He called the mountaintop Yahweh-Yireh to acknowledge the Lord's provision.
Due to his working faith, God recognized their covenant.
"This is the Lord's declaration: 'Because you have done this thing and have not withhled your only son, I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the city gates of their enemies. And all the nations of the earth will find blessing by your offspring because you have obeyed my command.'" (22:15-18).
23. SARAH'S BURIAL
Sarah lived beyond the age of 100 years old. Abraham and Ephron, a Hethite man, agreed that Abraham could claim a desirable field and accompanying cave to lay his wife to rest.
24. A WIFE FOR ISAAC
Nearing his final days, Abraham asked his servant to swear that they would acquire a wife for Isaac in Abraham's land and not from Canaan. So he went. The servant prayed that Isaac's wife would appear to him when watering the ten camels he brought into the land. From the line of Abraham, a woman named Rebekah approached him and offered the man and his camels a drink of water. He adorned her with a gold ring and gold bracelets. He praised God for fulfilling his prayer.
After inviting the servant to stay with her family, Rebekah returned home to recount this experience. Her brother, Laban, asked the servant about his intentions. He told Laban about Abraham's request and the prayer, and ultimately, the men of the family accepted that they could not intervene with what God had brought to fruition.
"This is from the Lord; we have no choice in the matter" (24:50).
In the morning, Abraham's servant and Rebekah headed to Isaac.
The chapter ends by sharing the delight Isaac found in his new wife, Rebekah, and how her presence consoled and comforted Isaac from the grief he felt from his mother's passing.
25. ABRAHAM'S OTHER WIFE AND SONS, ABRAHAM'S DEATH, THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU, AND ESAU SELLS HIS BIRTHRIGHT
Abraham remarried and had many sons, who then had sons of their own. They relocated away from Isaac. Abraham was 175 years old when he died. He was buried next to Sarah. Abraham's first son, Ishmael, had sons of his own before he also passed away.
Isaac and Rebekah became pregnant with children of their own. The Lord acknowledged the activity in her womb and said, "Two nations are in your womb; two people will come from you and be separated. One will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger" (25:23).
When it was time to deliver, Esau was the first of the two, with Jacob holding onto his heel. As God said, the two would be very different.
One day, Jacob convinced Esau to sell him his birthright.
For context, a birthright, biblically speaking, refers to the eldest son possessing his father's wealth, property, or authority.
26. THE PROMISE REAFFIRMED TO ISAAC, THE LORD APPEARS TO ISAAC, COVENANT WITH ABIMELECH, AND ESAU'S WIVES
Isaac traveled to King Abimelech to discuss the ongoing famine. God advised Isaac not to reside in Egypt to receive the promise He kept with Abraham.
Isaac became prosperous in Gerar, which made others jealous. Moving from place to place in hopes of seeking comfort in his environment, he eventually settled in Beer-Sheba. God repeated the oath he had with Isaac's family. Abimelech noticed the relationship he had with the Lord and asked if they could form an oath of their own to avoid conflict.
27. THE STOLEN BLESSING
Before Isaac's death, he wanted to bless his son, Esau. Rebekah had different plans. Slightly favoring Jacob, she told him that while Esau was out following their father's guidance of hunting for his last meal to receive a blessing, he should instead sneak in and be blessed by their father. Due to poor sight and some scheming on Rebekah and Jacob's part, Isaac fell for this deceit and gave Jacob Esau's blessing of richness, abundance, and honor.
Esau grew angry and resented his brother, whom he now had to serve. Jacob caught wind of Esau's plan to murder him and fled to his uncle, Laban.
28. JACOB'S DEPARTURE & JACOB AT BETHEL
Before leaving, Isaac told Jacob to refrain from marrying a Canaanite woman. He was to marry one of his mother's family. Jacob again received a blessing from his father. Esau overheard his father's words and felt enticed to marry a woman his father would not approve of, a Canaanite of Ishmael's lineage.
On his journey, Jacob had a prophetic dream of God saying that the land he was resting on would not only be his but would also be where his family would continue to flourish.
Genesis 28:15 recounts the Lord telling Jacob,
"'Look, I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go. I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.'"
Jacob was thrilled when he awoke and renamed the land Bethel to signify that God was in this place (28:19).
29. JACOB MEETS RACHEL
Jacob arrived in the land of his mother's brother, Laban. When he saw Laban's daughter, Rachel, he was emotional and disclosed that they were relatives. Laban heard this news and went to greet him. Jacob offered to work for seven years in return for Rachel.
"So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her" (29:20).
But when this period was completed, Laban's second daughter, Leah, was handed over to Jacob. Laban told Jacob he could have Rachel, but he would have to work another seven years.
Jacob had a preference for Rachel. Due to this discrepancy, God blessed Leah with sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. All of whose names have a spiritual reference to God hearing Leah's suffering. Rachel could not yet bear sons for Jacob.
30.
Similar to what we have seen before, Rachel ordered Jacob to sleep with their servant to fill the void. They received Dan and Naphtali. To keep the competition going, Leah gave her servant to Jacob, from whom they conceived Gad and Asher. Leah then had Issachar and Zebulun and a daughter, Dinah. God then gave Rachel the ability to conceive Joseph.
Jacob, now with a growing family, requests to be free of Laban. They agree that there are no lingering debts between one another after Jacob claims all of the "speckled or spotted" sheep, goats, or "dark-colored" lambs (30:35). Jacob ends up raising the strongest of this livestock, becoming prosperous.
The Daily Grace's Reflection Questions:
In your own words, record how the events of Abraham's potential sacrifice of Isaac signify the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus. How did Jesus follow through in ways Abraham and Isaac were not required? How does Jesus's sacrifice make us part of the family of God?
After 127 years on earth, Sarah dies and is buried in the future promised land. What lessons can you learn from her life, both good and bad? How does her burial location point to God's continued faithfulness?
A central theme we see in the story of Rebekah is obedience. Abraham's servant, Rebekah, and even Isaac display obedience as they embrace God's plan. In what ways does your life display obedience to God? Would others say you are an obedient follower of Christ? How can you continue to grow in obedience?
I imagine God seeing Abraham act faithfully before calling off the sacrifice of Isaac. I have never believed that God truly ever wanted Abraham to offer his son - the son he and Sarah waited their entire lives to receive. The son was a crucial component of their covenant, which would eventually lead to Jesus. Regardless, with slight foreshadowing, the author was intentional when including, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering" in Genesis 22:8. This task represents God giving His son to us as the ultimate sacrifice. Unlike Isaac, Jesus knew what awaited. Similar to God presenting the ram, God would also present our Savior. He knew what had to be done to heal the descendants of Abraham, whom God favored, honored, and made as numerous as the stars. It is finished. We are now a temple for the Holy Spirit to dwell in!
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price."
Sarah is yet another example of God's wondrous plan and miraculous works. She wanted a son of her own and believed that God would deliver, but when He shared His timeframe with her, she laughed and questioned the rationality. Something I need to remind myself of is that God does what He says He will do, and His works surpass my sense of logic and reasoning. Secondly, Sarah is relatable when she wants to fulfill her heart's desires so much that she takes matters into her own hands rather than waiting on God. And what ended up as a result of this interference? She was unhappy with the reality she altered for herself! Laban said it perfectly in 24:50: "This is from the Lord; we have no choice in the matter," and thank the good Lord for His righteous authority! My free will may frustrate me, but it can't deter God's planned programming!
I would be thrilled to say that I am exceptionally obedient, but this is the area I have to put the most work into. I have faith in God and believe in God's character in my life. But I still scramble and overthink when things get gritty before allowing my faith to work. I am not quite sure why this persists since I know that the best things in my life are the things that I surrendered and handed over to God. When I ease up, God steps in. But when I am holding onto something tight, I feel God standing by, waiting for me to release it. This is an area that takes great practice and prayer!
Mark 9:24 says, "I do believe; help my unbelief!"
A recurring theme I have noticed throughout Genesis is the presence of family turmoil. Abraham is placed in the middle of Sarah and Hagar, Esau and Jacob constantly butt heads, Jacob is in a similar position to his parents with Leah and Rachel, and let's not forget conniving Uncle Laban! But God can weave through the chaos in these relationships to redirect them for His good. Similarly, death and loss tend to bring love and life, as we see Isaac find comfort in healing in his marriage with Rebekah after losing his mother. We all originate from eccentric families that undergo trials, but the promises of God are active and everlasting.
"God's promises are solely and fully dependent on Him. We neither need to manipulate to receive His promises nor should we try to run from them... No matter how many plans we make; God's plan will always prevail" (Eden to Eternity Vol. I, 2022, p. 60).
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References
Daniels, K., Dickerson, T., Dickson, K., Hess, A., & Turner, S. (2022). Eden to Eternity (Vol. 1). The Daily Grace Co.
Genesis Bible Timeline. Bible Hub. (n.d.). https://biblehub.com/timeline/genesis/1.htm
Myers, R., & Williams, A. B. (2020). She Reads Truth Bible. Holman Bible Publishers.
