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Genesis 24-31

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Cameron Horner is a pastor and teacher in North Carolina. At 18 he had a life changing accident that left him paralyzed from the chest down. Now, from a wheelchair, Cameron shares his story of God’s grace turning what should have been a tragedy into a testimony. Cameron functions through a nonprofit that he began after his injury, Cameron Horner Ministry. Cameron’s desire is to use his story to strengthen people’s faith in the return of Jesus and to stir a passion for God in people’s hearts.

Notes Outline

CHAPTER 24 - A BRIDE FOR ISAAC

CHAPTER 25 - DEATH OF ABRAHAM / BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU

CHAPTER 26 - GOD CONFIRMS THE COVENANT OF ISAAC

CHAPTER 27 - JACOB STEALS BLESSING FROM FATHER

CHAPTER 28 - JACOB'S DREAM

CHAPTER 29 - JACOB, LABEN, LEAH, & RACHEL

CHAPTER 30 - JACOB'S SONS BORN; ACCUMULATES FLOCKS

CHAPTER 31 - JACOB FLEES LABAN

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Notes Outline

CHAPTER 24 - A BRIDE FOR ISAAC

CHAPTER 25 - DEATH OF ABRAHAM / BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU

CHAPTER 26 - GOD CONFIRMS THE COVENANT OF ISAAC

CHAPTER 27 - JACOB STEALS BLESSING FROM FATHER

CHAPTER 28 - JACOB'S DREAM

CHAPTER 29 - JACOB, LABEN, LEAH, & RACHEL

CHAPTER 30 - JACOB'S SONS BORN; ACCUMULATES FLOCKS

CHAPTER 31 - JACOB FLEES LABAN

CHAPTER 24 - A BRIDE FOR ISAAC

1. Now Abraham was old, advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in every way. 2 Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, 3 and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live, 4 but you will go to my country and to my relatives, and take a wife for my son Isaac.” Genesis 24:1–4 (NAS)
  1. The first verses of this chapter start with what may seem like an awkward way to make an agreement, but this would have been a culturally common way of making firm agreements in Abraham’s day. The agreement? To find a wife for Isaac.
  2. This woman could not come from the tribes in the tribes in the land of Canaan where Abraham was now inhabiting, but she must come from the people of Abraham’s own family. This is interesting in light of the rest of the biblical narrative and the tribes that the Lord later dispossesses.
  3. Abraham’s chief servant agrees and travels to the land of his family, where, upon arrival, he makes an elaborate request of the Lord to confirm his search and efforts…
2. “Behold, I am standing by the spring, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water; now may it be that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar so that I may drink,’ and who answers, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels also’—may she be the one whom You have appointed for Your servant Isaac; and by this I will know that You have shown lovingkindness to my master.” Genesis 24:13–14 (NAS)
  1. Before he finished speaking a young woman, Rebekah, appears. Upon the servants request for a drink, Rebekah plays the requested part to a T!
  2. The servant’s jaw seems to drop as he watches, and after telling Rebekah of his task and placing a substantial amount of gold upon her, she takes him back to her family. There he is welcomed warmly, he explains his task and his confirmed sign, and after consulting with Rebekah about her wishes, the family’s blessing is given to the servant to take Rebekah back with him to Isaac.
    1. They blessed Rebekah and said to her, “May you, our sister, Become thousands of ten thousands, And may your descendants possess The gate of those who hate them.” Genesis 24:60 (NAS)
  3. The chapter closes with the meeting of Isaac and Rebekah. Isaac is out in the field taking a meditative walk, most likely thanking over his mother’s recent death, when the servant and Rebekah arrive on camels. Rebekah veils herself, and the servant explains all of the recent events to Isaac.
  4. Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and he took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death. Genesis 24:67 (NAS)
  5. (Ladies can you imagine having such a story to tell about finding your husband?)

CHAPTER 25 - DEATH OF ABRAHAM / BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU

1. These are all the years of Abraham’s life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five years. Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people. Genesis 25:7–8 (NAS)
  1. Abraham gave all his possessions over to his son Isaac before he died. After his death, Abraham is gathered by his people to the place where Sarah his wife was buried.
2. As the chapter progresses, we read a bit of the records of Ishmael, the account of his descendants and of 12 princes coming from him as foretold by God. We are also told of Ishmael’s death. Lastly we are given an interesting glimpse into the relational dynamics between Ishmael’s family and the other families of Abraham…
  1. They settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled in defiance of all his relatives. Genesis 25:18 (NAS)
  2. Deep rooted animosity can abe seen among these families as Ishmael is rejected as the promised son. These animosities are still in the families of the Arab nations towards their brother Isaac and his son Jacob.
3. Now these are the records of the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham became the father of Isaac; and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah… to be his wife. Genesis 25:19–20 (NAS)
4. After Isaac and Rebekah came together in marriage, Rebekah was barren. Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, and she conceived. There were twins in her womb, and they wrestle together in her womb. She cried out because of this and the Lord responded:
  1. Two nations are in your womb; And two peoples will be separated from your body; And one people shall be stronger than the other; And the older shall serve the younger.” Genesis 25:23 (NAS)
  2. The time came for these twins to be born, and the eldest, Esau, was born with much red hair, while Jacob came out second grabbing the heel of his brother; thus he is named Jacob, or one who grabs by the heal or supplants.
  3. When the boys grew up, Esau became a man of the field, and a skilled hunter while Jacob dweld in the tents. The chapter closes with the account of Jacob’s first act to supplant his way above his brother, convincing Esau to sell his birthright:
    1. Esau came in from the field completely famished and found his brother cooking a lentil stew. He asked for some of this stew to satisfy his hunger, to which Jacob replied that in order to have his stew, Esau must trade his birthright. Esau felt that his birthright was worth nothing in that moment since he was about to die from hunger, so he traded his right as the first born to his father’s blessing for a bowl of stew. The scriptures do not portray this favorably:
      1. so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright. Genesis 25:33–34 (NAS)
      2. Because of this, Esau lost the blessing of being in the lineage of the promised seed. This almost seems as though Esau considered the blessing of God as a small thing, and cared little to receive the land of promise and the return to Eden that had been promised. This is in contrast to the faith of Abraham that sojourned in the land of promise by faith (Hebrews 11).

CHAPTER 26 - GOD CONFIRMS THE COVENANT OF ISAAC

1. The Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. “Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants (seed) I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.” Genesis 26:2–5 (NAS)
  1. Here we see God continuing his story of redemption by confirming the Abrahamic covenant to the child of promise, Isaac. Now it is through Isaac that the nations of the earth will be blessed.
2. Then he went up from there to Beersheba. The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.” So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well. Genesis 26:23–25 (NAS)

CHAPTER 27 - JACOB STEALS BLESSING FROM FATHER

1. And he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and has taken away your blessing.” Then he said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me these two times? He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Genesis 27:35–36 (NAS)
  1. In this chapter, we come across the account of Jacob and his mother Rebekah developing a plan to steal the blessing of his father from Esau his brother. The name Jacob means heal grabber, or supplanter, it essentially is a reference to one who is deceptive or conniving.
  2. Jacob’s father Isaac has grown old and is weak in his eyes. As he nears death, he is preparing to bless his eldest son, Esau. He instructs Esau to go out hunting for game in order to fix a meal for his father. While Esau is out hunting, Rebekah, who favored Jacob, instructs Jacob to put on a hairy garment so as to feels more like his hairy older brother, and sends him in to deceive his father. Jacob pretends to be Esau, and once his father had finished eating a meal that Jacob had prepared for him from their own flock, Isaac blesses his son Jacob with the blessing meant for Esau.
  3. Later, Esau comes in with the meal prepared from the game he had hunted, prepared to receive the blessing from his father. Isaac is surprised and questions his son as to his true identity. After Isaac and Esau realize what happened, animosity is kindled in the heart of Esau and a murderous hatred for his younger brother is formed. The blessing to Jacob is final, and the proclamation of the father over Esau is not very positive.
    1. Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” So Esau lifted his voice and wept. Then Isaac his father answered and said to him, “Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, And away from the dew of heaven from above. “By your sword you shall live, And your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about when you become restless, That you will break his yoke from your neck.” Genesis 27:38–40 (NAS)
    2. So Esau bore a grudge against 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 near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” Genesis 27:41 (NAS)
  4. When Jacob learns of the plans of his brother, he flees to Haran, to his uncle Laban.

CHAPTER 28 - JACOB'S DREAM

1. The chapter starts out with Isaac again blessing Jacob, and instructing him not to marry any of the women from Canaan, but to Journey to his uncle Laben to take a wife from his house.
  1. So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Genesis 28:1 (NAS)
  2. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. “May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.” Genesis 28:3–4 (NAS)
    1. We see the blessing of Abraham again being passed down a chosen line.
  3. Upon hearing the desire of Jacob and Rebekah that their sons not marry people of the land, Esau takes it a step further and takes a wife of the house of Ishmael. We see an animosity in Esau that drives him on. This animosity actually builds throughout the generations, and the prophetic literature gives oracles against the descendants of Esau because of their hatred for their brother, Jacob and his descendants. The entire book of Obidiah is an Oracle against Esau’s descendants, Edom.
2. Next we come to an interesting juncture in the story line of the Bible. Jacob rests on his journey and as he sleeps, he has a dream of a ladder (stepped ramp, flight of steps) reaching to heaven, with Yahweh at the top of this structure. Yahweh confirms the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob and to his seed. After Jacob awakes, he makes some interesting statements about the location that he has just had this vision in.
  1. Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 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 took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top. He called the name of that place Bethel Genesis 28:16–19 (NAS)
  2. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father’s house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. “This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” Genesis 28:20–22 (NAS)
    1. God’s house later becomes the Jewish temple of God (to which tithe was paid to), and is considered the gates of heaven. Jewish expectation around the time of Jesus were that the messiah would rule from the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, thus the disciples would see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.
      1. Jesus answered and said to him, “Because I said to you that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” And He *said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:50–51 (NAS)
    2. But ironically, Bethel became a place of idol worship after the nation of Israel divided into the northern kingdom and southern kingdom. Clearly Jacob was mistaken about the location that Yahweh would choose to establish his house and to place his name. Perhaps, this location was even a place of Cananite worship that Jacob happened to stumble upon. Either way, God gave him a vision and communicated to him at this place.

CHAPTER 29 - JACOB, LABEN, LEAH, & RACHEL

1. Upon arrival in the land of his uncle Laban, Jacob first spots Rachel, Laban‘s daughter as she tends to the flocks. Jacob is welcomed into the family, and after a month or more of serving, Laban asks Jacob what he would like as payment for his services. Jacob desires nothing but to have Rachel as his wife. Laban agrees, but explains to Jacob that he must work for seven years in order to have Rachel as his wife.
  1. 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 29:20 (ESV)
    1. Aaww!
  2. After the seven years are up however, Laban acts deceptively towards Jacob.
  3. in the evening he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and he went in to her. 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?” Genesis 29:23, 25 (ESV)
    1. This act of deception should stand out. Jacob is the crafty deceptive one that has used cunning to get what he wanted. Now, the tables have been turned and he tastes his own medicine.
  4. Laban agrees to still give Rachel to Jacob, however he must work another seven years for her.
  5. At last, Jacob is given Rachel as his wife, but does not give as much love to Leah as he does to Rachel afterwards. Because of this, God blesses Leah and gives her children. But, just like Abraham’s and Isaac‘s wives, Sarah and Rebekah, Rachel is baron.

CHAPTER 30 - JACOB'S SONS BORN; ACCUMULATES FLOCKS

1. The first half of this chapter tells of the births of the sons of Jacob. Leah has sons born from her, and Rachel gives her handmaiden to Jacob so that she too can give Jacob sons. Then, God looks favorably on Rachel and she conceives children. These sons become the tribes of Israel.
2. The second half of the chapter begins the story of Jacob’s act of accumulating livestock for himself from the flocks of Laban. Jacob says to Laban that he will take the speckled and spotted among the flocks as his wages. Laban agrees, but again attempts to act deceptively towards Jacob. However, Jacob seems to know a thing or two about breeding habits and is able to produce strong speckled and spotted animals from the flock. A miraculous event seems to be occurring in this account, as Laban’s sheep and goats continue to bear speckled and spotted offspring.

CHAPTER 31 - JACOB FLEES LABAN

1. As Jacob continues to be blessed of the Lord and accumulates flocks from Laban, there begins to be animosity from Laban and his sons towards Jacob. For this reason, Jacob is instructed by the Lord to gathers all of his possessions and return to his father’s land, the land of Canaan promise to Abraham and Isaac. Rachel steals the idols of her father before leaving.
2. We see through the exchanges in this chapter that Laban has been treating Jacob cruelly throughout the 20 years there. As he fleas, Laban gathers some of his men and pursues Jacob.
3. On the way, the Lord comes to Laban in a dream warning him not to harm Jacob. When Laban reaches Jacob, his hands are tied, but desires to have his idols returned. After research, they are not able to locate the idols that Rachel had stolen, and Jacob rebuke Laban.
4. The exchange ends with Laban and Jacob forming a covenant of peace, setting up a pillar of stone as a witness to the covenant, and parting ways peacefully after a night.

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