Genesis 35

I have to admit, I’m growing weary of Genesis. And it doesn’t seem to be getting any better.

Genesis 35:1, NIV Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.”

When times get tough, Jacob’s response always seems to flee the scene. And here, you see him doing it again. His sons just pillaged an entire town, murdering all of the men and kidnapping the women and children. Instead of rebuking this behavior, God conveniently “commands” Jacob to flee to Bethel.

Genesis 35:5, NIV Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them.

So…God is using terrorism to strike fear in the hearts of all the citizens of the towns around Jacob’s family. And this is okay, why?

For the second time, Jacob is re-named Israel. This chapter, like many others, is filled with repeated and/or contradictory information. The naming of Bethel and Jacob, that happens on more than one occasion, would lead you to believe that this is not a book written by one person, but cobbled together from multiple authors, each with their own agenda.

Rachel dies giving birth to Ben. With her last dying breath, she names her son Ben-Oni, which means “son of my sorrow”. However, Jacob—kind, caring Jacob—immediately renames him Benjamin, which means “son of my right hand.”

In keeping with the dysfunctionality of previous chapters, Jacob’s eldest son Reuben sleeps with the concubine Bilhah, and Isaac finally breathes his last breath.

This map is really showing Abraham's early journey, but you can see how Jacob is
back-tracking on a similar path, leaving Canaan to go to Paddan Aarm, near Haran.

Genesis 28

After Jacob’s deceit, Esau is not happy, and at the end of the last chapter he threatens to kill Jacob, just as soon as their father dies. Rebekah asks Isaac to send Jacob away, to keep him alive as well as out of the hands of a Hittite wife (remember the disdain for Esau’s Hittite wives).

Genesis 28: 6-9, NIV Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” and Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Issac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ismael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Poor Esau. He doesn’t seem to be the sharpest tool in the shed. He only now realizes that his family did not want him to marry Canaanite women? It strikes me that this is a concept that Rebekah would have drilled into him growing up. Interesting to note, that back in chapter 25, Mahalath is not mentioned in Ishmael’s geneaoloy, presumably because she is a daughter and not a son.

Some rabbis believe that Esau’s marriage to Mahalath reflected his desire to repent of his wayward deeds and act in accordance with Isaac and Rebekah’s wishes. Another view would be that Esau married the daughter of Ishmael, and conspired with his father-in-law (another jilted son in the clan of Abraham) to kill Isaac. This theory is based on the fact that Esau does not divorce his two Hittite wives when he marries Mahalath.

Jacob's Irreverence

Genesis 28:10-12, NIV Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.

I found the note to accompany Gen. 28:12 in my NIV Student Bible interesting, and will include it here:

28:12 A Stairway to Heaven

God’s grace: this is what Jacob found while traveling alone in the desert. Through his own greedy scheming he had won the family birthright and then, ironically, had had to run away from the family. Yet God came to him full of promises, not the reproaches he deserved. Jacob had not looked for God, but God looked for him. Jacob’s vision of a stairway to heaven looked forward to Jesus, who himself is the bridge between heaven and earth.

I find it interesting how so many aspects of the Old Testament are tied in to Jesus. And in my opinion, this verse is more a sign that the author held to the belief that the sky was solid, and Heaven was directly above the earth.

I have a hazy recollection of the Jacob and Esau storyline from childhood, and I truly thought that when God appeared, at the very least he would chastise Jacob for his deceptions. But there is no punishment, no mention of his behavior. In fact, he is rewarded. Compare that to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and particularly Lot’s wife, who made one tiny mistake. I can’t quite understand the reasoning for this story, as a myth or as “truth”.

At the end of the chapter Jacob anoints a rock (yes, you heard that right) with oil, and proclaims its future purpose as a pillar of God’s house. I’m curious to see if this rock makes a reappearance in future stories.

I will end with one of the craziest verses in an overall crazy chapter.

Genesis 28:20-22, NIV Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

I honestly don’t see how you can take this seriously. Jacob is essentially bribing God. Well, I will only follow you if you give me everything I want. It’s ridiculous and laughable. Jacob sets out requirements that have to be met before he will follow God, but Christians are expected to follow on blind faith?

New Words:

Paddan Aram – an early Aramean kingdom in Mesopotamia. In Aramaic, it means the field of Aram. I could not find any information about Paddan Aram outside of the Bible.

Genesis 27

Jacob lives up to his name as the deceiver in this chapter. With the help of his mother, Rebekah—who plays a pivotal role, Jacob is guaranteed his father’s blessing and inheritance.

We know that Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite, and that she did not love her other son, Esau. But in this chapter she stoops so low as to dupe her husband, Isaac, who becomes an innocent victim in this charade to make Jacob the chosen one.

Brothers do not fare well in Genesis: Cain and Abel, Isaac and Ishmael, Jacob and Esau. The women are either nameless or conniving and cruel. And so far, the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob earn God’s approval despite the schemes, deceptions, and lies. I guess God has a twisted sense of humor! These early stories in the biblical canon contain very little examples of anyone doing something out of the kindness of their heart. There always seem to be hidden motives and second-guessing. The stories and tales of the patriarchs seem to be the equivalent of the modern day soap opera!

As one of the founding fathers of Judaism, is Jacob supposed to be looked up to and admired? Why does stealing seem to be advocated in almost every chapter? Abraham steals from the Pharoah and Abimelech. All of Abraham’s people will eventually be told to steal from all the non-Jews that live in the Promised Land. Jacob steals from his own brother.

Isaac and Abimelech

Genesis 26

This chapter in Isaac’s life holds many parallels to Abraham’s time spent in Gerar, near King Abimelech. Like his father, Isaac lies about his relationship with Rebekah, claiming her as his sister. King Abimelech finds out, and orders that no harm shall come to him, despite his lies. Isaac continues to be blessed by God, and becomes very wealthy (isn’t he already wealthy as the sole heir to Abraham’s wealth?). The Philistines once again fill in all the wells that his father’s servants had dug during the time of Abraham. Isaac is definitely walking in his father’s footsteps. The parallels and dualities are uncanny, and could imply an ancient scholar who split one mythological tale into two separate components.

This chapter mainly consists of:

·      Another famine. However, in this instance, Isaac is specifically requested by God not to go to Egypt, as his father had done during a time of famine.

·      A reiteration of the Abrahamic Covenant from God (Gen 26:3 “For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham.”

·      Repetition of Abraham’s wrongdoing (Gen 26:7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.”

·      The Philistines fill the wells that were dug by Abraham’s servants. This also occurred in Genesis 21.

·      King Abimelech asks Isaac to move away, as he has become too powerful.

·      Isaac digs some more wells, and is opposed by other herdsman in the area.

·      Isaac receives a visit from King Abimelech at his new location, near his new well, and they sign a treaty together.

The moral of this passage seen through the eyes of religious Christians is that a person can choose to live by principle or providence. Walking by providence, as Issac did at the beginning, means a person will still arrive where God wants us to be, but without the joy of being an active participant. Living by principle, means walking joyfully, with God….to the same location.

According to the Jewish Midrash (Bereishit Rabba 64:3) this passage explains that an offering to God must stay in the temple courtyard. Thus, because Isaac was an offering to God—remember the whole sacrifice thing back in Genesis 22—he must stay within the boundaries of the Promised Land.

That still sounds quite a bit like pre-destination to me.

Is this the same King Abimelech?

The jury seems to be out on whether or not the King Abimelech in Genesis 26 is the same Abimelech found in Genesis 20 and 21. Judaism is known for its endless amount of midrash, or commentary, on the Bible and Jewish laws. In the case of Abimelech, even early scholars found the Abimelech dilemma compelling.

Esau’s Wives

At the very end of this chapter, we find out that Esau committed the sin of marrying two women. The polygamous relationship does not seem to be the focal point of his sin; rather, it is the ethnicity of his wives. They are both Hittite. And, according to Genesis 26:35, They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

We will be taking a closer look at Esau’s wives shortly.

Isaac's dysfunctional family

Genesis 25

Genesis 25 begins with another round of genealogy, in regards to the children Abraham has with a new wife, Keturah, who is also referred to as a concubine in this same chapter. It really has me wondering who Keturah is, this woman who is barely mentioned in the Bible, but manages to occupy the role of both concubine and wife to the same man.

Keturah is described by many rabbis as being a woman of virtue. In Judaism, it is explained that the name “Keturah” is based on her acts, which were “pleasant like frankincense”. Some rabbinical scholars hold the belief that Keturah and Hagar are the same person. http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/9293-keturah

Abraham did not treat Hagar and Ishmael very well. Likewise, he sends all of Keturah’s children away so that they would not live in the same vicinity of his precious son, Issac, who inherited everything. Abraham wants Isaac to be considered his rightful heir without being threatened by any of his half-brothers. This favoritism is apparently okay in the Abraham family tree.

The descendents of one of Abraham’s sons by Keturah, Midian, will feature in later stories. Joseph was sold by his brother to the Midianites, and the Israelites will attack the town of Midian in later years. There is no archaeological or historical record for a Midian tribe, all anecdotes in regards to Midianites comes from the Torah and Qur’an.

At the time of Abraham’s death, Isaac lived near Beer-Lahai-Roi. This is the same well where God found Hagar after she fled into the desert.

We learn the names of Ishmael’s twelve sons, who will supposedly become the twelve tribal rulers that God proclaimed they would be. There is a very different translation in the NIV compared to the JPS Torah to describe Ismael’s sons.

Genesis 25: 17-18, NIV Altogether, Ishmael lived 137 years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendents settled in the are from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.

Genesis 25:17-18, JPS These were the years of the life of Ishmael: 137 years; then he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his kin. They dwelt from Havilah, by Shur, which is close to Egypt, all the way to Asshur; they camped alongside their kinsmen.

Why is this important? Because today’s Jewish people are supposedly the descendants of Isaac, just like today’s Arab Muslims are supposedly the descendants of Ishmael. And, some people on this planet like to claim that these two ethnic groups will always be at war with each other, because the Bible says so. The Christian Bible is the book that uses the word hostility, while the Torah makes no such implication. Take, for example, this earlier verse:

Genesis 16:12, NIV “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

Genesis 16:12, JPS “He shall be a wild ass of a man; His hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he shall dwell alongside all of his kinsmen.”

Granted, in both translations, Ishmael is not portrayed as the nicest of folks, and is very different from the Ishmael found in the Qu’ran. But, it is only the Christian Bible that claims he and his descendants will be hostile towards their extended family.

Rebekah was from Northwest Mesopotamia, Abraham’s place of birth, and in this chapter we learn she was also associated with Arameans:

Genesis 25:19-20, NIV This is the account of Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham became the father of Isaac, and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

So apparently, Rebekah was from Ur, since Eliezer was sent to Abraham’s place of birth to find a wife for Isaac, the town of Nahor (Gen 24:10), and is also an Aramean. This is starting to get confusing!

According to more scientific, non-biblical sources, the Arameans (or Aramaean) were a confederacy of tribes that spoke a northern Semitic language (Aramaic) and, between the 11^th and 8^th century BCE, occupied Aram, a large area in northern Syria. Some of these tribes also conquered large regions in Mesopotamia during the same time period.

Isaac and Rebekah also struggled with infertility, like Isaac’s parents, and relied on God’s interference in order to have a child. Rebekah eventually became pregnant with twins, and readers once again have pre-destination thrown at them. Before Rebekah’s twins are even born, God dooms the elder one (Esau) in favor of the younger twin (Jacob).

Genesis 25:23, NIV The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

The boys were born, Esau and Jacob. Esau was named for his red hair, and Jacob for the fact that he was holding Esau’s heel when he emerged from the womb. The name Jacob literally means “heel holder”, and in later times also came to mean “supplanter”. Isaac favored Esau, and Rebekah favored Jacob. Once again, the choosing of favorites is perfectly fine! It’s nice to see that dysfunctional families have such a long, storied history.

This chapter ends with yet another confusing tale. Esau, the hunter, returns “from the open country”, starving. Jacob just so happens to be cooking some stew (I thought that would be a job for the slaves?). Instead of being a nice brother, and offering Esau a meal with no strings attached, Jacob decides to take advantage of the situation. He bribes Esau, demanding that he forego his birthright, before he will give him any food. Esau (did I mention that he was starving), consents. Jacob is a jerk.