The Open Word

Jacob, fleeing his brother's wrath, makes his way north to Padan-Aram to stay with his uncle Laban. On his way, he has his dream of a ladder to heaven, and a confirmation from Yahweh that he is the one through whom the Abrahamic Covenant will flow. Jacob, know as a conniver, meets his equal in Laban, a conniver himself, who tricks Jacob into marrying Leah over Rachel, who bore him four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.

In this session, we pick up the account of Jacob and Esau. Since Esau was the oldest, the blessing of the firstborn would normally belong to him. However, with Rebekah's help, Jacob was able to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. This subterfuge so enraged Esau that he vowed to kill Jacob after Isaac's death, which prompted Rebekah to send Jacob to Padan-Aram to her brother Laban.

Genesis 25–26 covers the life of Isaac and Rebekah. We read of the death of Abraham, the birth of Jacob and Esau, and Isaac's sojourn in Gerar. Interestingly, the life of Isaac is only recorded in three chapters in Genesis, which makes him the least known of the three Patriarchs. However, the Bible sees him as a man of faith, and the link between Abraham and Jacob.

Genesis 24 contains the account of Abraham obtaining a wife for his son Isaac. Unlike Ishmael, Abraham desired that Isaac have a son from their kindred, not from the land as was the case with Ishmael. As a result, he sends his oldest servant, who many believe to be Eliezer, back to where Abraham's brother, Nahor, lived to find a wife from his family.

In Genesis 24 we find a shift from Abraham as the main character to Isaac. Of all three of the patriarchs, we know the least about Isaac. Nevertheless, he was the bridge from Abraham to Jacob, and the conduit through which passed the Abrahamic blessing.

In Genesis 22 we find the account of Abraham's test of faith where he is told be Yahweh to offer Isaac on an altar as a sacrifice to Him. This was not because Yahweh did not know about Abraham's faith, but instead that Abraham would know of his faith. Of course, Yahweh spared Isaac, providing a lamb instead as a picture of Christ's substitutionary atonement for all humanity.

Genesis 20 records the background of the birth of Isaac. Due to a severe famine in the land, Abraham travels to Gerar where he encounters Abimelech, the king of Gerar. In order to cement a marriage alliance, Abimelech seeks to marry Sarah, as Abraham said she was his sister and not wife. God had to intervene, again, showing that even when we make a mess of things, He ensures things work out.

Genesis 18–19 records the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah along with the story of Lot and his family. Although Lot was what the Bible calls a righteous man, he is a prime example of what happens to oneself, and one's family, when exposed to a wicked culture.

In Genesis 17, when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him to reaffirm His covenant with Abraham. This reaffirmation concerned both the promise of a land, and the promise of an heir from the union of Abraham and Sarah. Additionally, the sign of circumcision was given to Abraham at this time, a ritual that every Jewish male had to have performed in order to be part of God's covenant people.

In Genesis 16, we find the account of the birth of Ishmael. Although Abraham is a man of faith, God's delay in providing an heir resulted in Abraham and Sarah taking things into their own hands. Using a legal option in that time, Sarah designated Hagar to have a child in her name. Ishmael was born when Abraham was about 86 years old, and is the father of the Arabic nations. The conflict between the descendants of Ishmael and Isaac continue to this day.