Genesis chapter 28

After reading chapter 28:

*Because Rebekah did not want Jacob to marry a Hittite woman, Isaac sent Jacob, with his blessing, to Laban to chose a wife from among his cousins. When Esau heard about this, he realized his parents didn't like Canaanite women, so he took another wife. This time it was his cousin Mahalath, the daughter of Ishmael.

*On his journey, Jacob stopped for the night to sleep. He had a vivid dream of angels going up and down a stairway to heaven ( the sky ). Yahweh, whom no one has ever seen, stood at the top and spoke, renewing the promises he had made to Abraham and Isaac of giving the land to his descendants and blessing the earth through them.

*When Jacob awoke, he thought the dream must have been real because people took dreams very seriously back then. Not like today, when we know dreams are just our own random subconscious thoughts. He believed that spot was the gateway to heaven and named it Beth-el which means house of God. Then he made a vow that if God helped him accomplish his goal and return safely, the stone pillar he set up would be God's house (as if a God needs a house) and he would give him a tenth of everything he owned. The question is: What would God do with all that stuff?

Genesis chapter 27

After reading chapter 27:

*Isaac was getting old and growing blind. He wanted to settle his estate. So, he called his favorite son Esau and asked him to go hunt and cook some wild game for him, just the way he liked it. Then he would give Esau the all important blessing. Rebekah was listening and told Jacob all about it. She suggested they trick Isaac into thinking Jacob was Esau, so he could get the blessing instead. Jacob didn't want to be caught impersonating his brother and get a curse instead of a blessing. Rebekah said if that happened, the curse would fall on her. (More likely, being a smart woman, she knew that curses had no power.)

*So, Jacob and Rebekah prepared some meat. Jacob dressed up in Esau's clothes and tied goat skins on his body to make himself hairy like Esau. Jacob manages to convince Isaac he is Esau, even though he is a little unsure. All that rich, goaty smell finally convinced him. He blesses Jacob. Not only that, he says Jacob, who he thinks is Esau, will be lord over his brothers, too.

*As soon as Jacob leaves, Esau enters and tries to receive the blessing. Isaac figures out what happened and is very upset, because once those words are out of your mouth you can't take them back. Esau is understandably upset and begs for any blessing left over. What's left is pretty pitiful, because there is a magical blessing meter that measures how how many blessings can be given by one person. Apparently Isaac's blessing meant Jacob will be well fed, protected from curses, and have power over others. Esau will lose the outdoor life he loves, live by the sword, and will serve his brother, all because of some words spoken by a feeble old man.

*After Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac and Esau, Rebekah wanted Jacob to go to her brother Laban because she was afraid Esau would kill him. To accomplish this task, she manipulated Isaac by telling him Hittite women were disgusting and she did not want Jacob to marry one.

Genesis chapter 24

After reading chapter 24:

*Abraham is getting old, so he makes his chief servant swear he will see Isaac gets a wife from among Abraham's relatives, not the Canaanites. Isaac is not to go back to Abraham's homeland himself because he must maintain a presence in Canaan to insure that God's promise to give him the land is not annulled. The servant swears the oath while putting his hand under Abraham's "thigh." The study bible politely informs us that thigh is an euphamism for the organ of procreation.

* So, the servant takes his camels and travels to the land of Abraham's relatives in Mesopotamia. He prays to Yahweh, Abraham's God, for success in finding a wife for Isaac. In spite of the forced circumcision, Abraham's God must not be the servant's god. The servant asks God to show him who  will marry Isaac by having one of the girls who is coming to draw water from the well offer him and his camels a drink.

*He had immediate results.  A beautiful virgin offered him and his camel some water. The servant gave her some gold jewelry.  She came from the right family, and they had room for him to stay with them. Then the servant bowed down and worshipped Abraham's God for such speedy service.

*The girl ran home to tell her family. Her brother, who had seen the gold, went to fetch Abraham's servant and provide everything he needed. Before he ate,  the servant insisted on telling the whole story of why he was there and how he had prayed when he got to the well. Rebekah's brother and father are sure it must be Yahweh's doing, so they say sure, take her away. The servant then showers them with gifts.

*The next morning, Abraham's servant is ready to leave. The  family is not in a hurry, but they decide to ask Rebekah what she wants to do. She's willing to go, so they send her off with blessings. When they get back, Isaac and Rebekah are married, and Isaac is comforted after the death of his mother.

Genesis chapter 22, part 3

At the end of the chapter we have an update on Abraham's brother Nahor who was married to their niece Milcah. Nahor and Milcah had eight sons. Nahor had four more sons by his concubine, making a total of twelve sons. Ishmael was said to become the father of twelve rulers. (Gen. 17:20) and we know there will be 12 sons born  to Jacob in the future. They will become the twelve tribes of Israel. Number patterns are fun.

One of Nahor's sons, Bethuel, became the father of Rebekah, who will marry Isaac in chapter 24. So, Isaac will marry his cousin's daughter, who also happens to be another cousin's (Milcah's) granddaughter. But, hey, his father was married to his half  sister, so what's the big deal? We will call this story "All in the Family."