Genesis 26-29: The Apple (Isaac) Doesn't Fall Far from the Tree (Abraham)
Genesis 26
This chapter is almost taken directly from previous stories told about Abraham. This time it is Isaac who is the star. We see the same lie of calling his wife his sister, the same famine, the same well digging, etc. Why is it that Isaac seems to be living his father's life all over? Could it be an unimaginative myth-maker? Let's take a look.
The chapter opens with the telling of another famine. It even goes so far as to say that it was like in the time of Abraham. And like Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines in the land of Gerar.
Here we are told that the Lord appeared unto Isaac and told him to travel into this land. Odd that Isaac was already in the land that the Lord told him to go to.
The Lord told Isaac that he would give Isaac all of these countries as he had promised Abraham. He told Isaac that he would multiply his seeds as the stars of the heaven, much as he had told Abraham. The Lord told Isaac that this was because Abraham had obeyed his voice and kept his charge, his commandments, laws and statutes.
In verse 7 we are told that the men of Gerar asked Isaac about his wife and he told them that she was his sister. Exactly the same lie that Abraham had told on two seperate occasions. And for the same reasons.
Abimelech, having fallen for Abraham's lie, fell for Isaac's, as well.... but not for long. He saw them "sporting" together and called Isaac to him. Abimelech told Isaac that surely Rebekah was his wife and asked him why he had lied to them.
Isaac told him that it was because he was afraid that he would be killed for the beauty of his wife.
Abimelech then brought the same accusations to Isaac that he had brought to his father saying, "What is this that thou hast done to us?" He said to Isaac that he coud have brought guiltiness upon them. Abimelech then told his people that anyone who touched Isaac or his wife would be put to death.
Here we see a slight variation on the Abraham story. Abimelech and the King of Egypt both rewarded Abraham for lying to them. This time we see that the Lord rewarded Isaac, and not Abimelech. He became great in his possessions.
Abimelech and his people had filled in the wells that Abraham and his servants had dug. Abimelech also sent Isaac away saying that Isaac had become mightier than them.
So Isaac pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar and set about re-digging the wells that Abraham had dug, and called them after the names that Abraham had called them.
Isaac dug a well which had springing water. The herdsmen of Gerar fought with Isaac's herdmen and so Isaac called the well Esek. They dug another well which was also fought over and so Isaac called it Sitnah. He dug another well which was not fought over so he called it Rehoboth. He said that now the Lord had made room for them and they shall be fruitful in the land. And Isaac went up from there to Beer-sheba.
That night the Lord visited Isaac again and basically told him exactly the same thing that he had told him earlier in the chapter. That he would be with him, bless him, and multiply his seed. All for Abraham's sake.
So Isaac built an altar there and called upon the Lord's name. He pitched his tent there and his servants dug another well.
Abimelech came to visit Isaac there with his friend Ahuzzath, and Phichol, the chief of his army. Isaac asked him why he had come when he hated him so much and had sent him away. Abimelech and the others said that they had seen that the Lord was certainly with Isaac and they wanted to make an oath with him. They wanted an oath of non-aggression between them and Isaac. Isaac agreed and they made a feast where they ate and drank.
They rose up in the morning and swore to the oath and Isaac sent the visitors away, and they departed from him in peace.
That same day, Isaac's servants came to him and told him about the well which they had digged and told him that they had found water. Isaac called it Shebah, and therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day. Unto this day.... odd choice of words.
The chapter concludes by telling us that Esau took to wife two Hittite women named Judith and Bashemath. This grieved Isaac and Rebekah greatly.
Conclusion
This chapter is almost exactly a retelling of earlier stories about Abraham. Such similar occurences are retold that it makes one wonder if this was not at one time a single story that was confused into two or more through oral tellings. And by the time that it was finally put to paper, or papyrus, that the one story had evolved into two seperate tales.
Can this be proven? No, but neither can any of the Bible be proven in any way.
Isaac gets rewarded for lying just as his fathrer was rewarded for it. They both became rich in livestock and lands right after they told lies as to the nature of their relationship with their wives. Children who read these stories or are told them in Sunday Schools may get the idea that there is great reward for dishonesty.
The bulk of this chapter in body is the telling of the re-digging of the wells once dug by Abraham and his men. Abimelech actually punished Isaac in some way for the lie he had told by filling in these wells. This forced Isaac to re-dig them.
Isaac had trouble with the herdsmen of Gerar.... just as his father had had problems with the same people over the same wells.
Isaac made a pact with Abimelech just as Abraham had done.
The similarities are too striking to just dismiss. You could change the names, and the stories are still the the same. How are we expected to believe fairy tales?
Toward the end of the chapter we are told that the name of the city is Beer-sheba, 'unto this day'. Nothing can be proven by this but we have to assume that this is written at a time far removed from when the actual events took place. As most of the early books of the Bible were this one was supposedly handed down through oral tradition. How are we to believe that no particulars were lost or changed through the retellings? I think that it would be safer to assume that some had been lost or passed down improperly as opposed to the alternative.
Chapter 27
In this chapter we see yet more deception for gain. Jacob, much as his father and his grandfather did before him, deceived another for his own personal gain. Jacob had already stolen his brother Esau's birthright from him as payment for saving his life. Now we see that with the help of his mother Rebekah that he also steals his father's blessing. Let's take a look.
The chapter opens by telling us that Isaac had grown old and had become blind. He called to him his oldest son, Esau and spoke to him. He told Esau to go out into the fields and hunt down some venison for him in order to make him some savoury meat. Then he would bless Esau.
Rebekah overheard her husband speaking to her son and decided to play the deceiver. She called Jacob, who was her favorite son, to her and told him what had happened between Isaac and Esau. She told him to go into the flock and bring two young goats so she could make the savoury meat and Jacob could bring it to Isaac in hope that he would confuse Jacob for Esau and give his blessing to him instead.
Jacob was afraid, however, and said that his brother Esau was a hairy man and he was smooth. He said that his father would surely call him close to feel him and would curse him when he discovered that he was trying to deceive him.
Rebekah assured him that she would take care of it and that if there was a curse that it would be on her and not him.
So Jacob went to get the kids and Rebekah made everything ready. Before sending Jacob in she put the skins of the young goats on him so he would be hairy as his brother was. She gave Jacob the savoury meat that she had prepared and sent him in to his father.
Jacob went in and said to his father, "Here I am." His father asked who it was and Jacob lied to his father and said that it was his oldest son, Esau. He told his father that he had done as he had been asked bringing him the savoury meat so that he could receive his blessing.
Isaac asked his son how he had accomplished the hunt so fast to which Jacob replied, "Because the Lord God brought it to me."
Isaac was apparently a little suspicious still because he saked his son to come closer so that he may feel if he was Esau or not. Jacob went closer and allowed his father to feel him.
Isaac bought it, saying, "The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau." He asked Jacob one more time if he was Esau to which Jacob answered, "I am."
Isaac then asked for the savoury meat to be brought to him so that he may bless his son. Jacob brought the meat and Isaac ate of it. He also drank wine that Jacob had brought for him.
When the meal was done Isaac asked his son to come close and kiss him. Jacob did and the smell of the skins convinced his father for they smelled of the fields.
Isaac then blessed Jacob, saying that God should grant him the dew of heaven and the fatness of the earth. That he should receive plenty of corn and wine. Isaac said that people should serve him, and nations should bow down to him. He said that he should be the lord over his brethren, and that his mother's sons shall bow down to him. Lastly, Isaac said that those that cursed him should be cursed and blessed be those that bless him.
Shortly after this Jacob had departed and Esau returned from the task that his father had sent him on. He made ready the savoury meat and brought it into his father and said to him, "Let my father rise, and eat of his son's venison that thy soul may bless me."
Isaac, in some shock, said, "Who art thou?" Esau, answered, "I am thy son, thy firstborn Esau."
Isaac was very disturbed and asked who it was that had brought to him the venison and received his blessing.
Esau, hearing the words of his father, cried aloud and said to his father, "Bless me, even me also, O my father."
Isaac told Esau that his brother had come and taken away his blessing. Esau said that Jacob was a proper name for him for he had now stolen his blessing much as he had taken away his birthright. He asked his father if he had not reserved a blessing for him.
Isaac told Esau that he had made Jacob his lord and explained all that he had blessed Jacob with. He asked Esau what he could give him.
Esau asked if there was but one blessing that he could give him. Even one. And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
Isaac answered him and said that his dwelling would be the fatness of the earth and of the dew of the heaven from above. He told Esau that he would live by the sword and serve his brother but it would come to pass that he would gain dominion and break his brother's yoke from off his neck.
Esau's hate for his brother was full and he said that the time for mourning of his father was at hand but afterward he would kill his brother Jacob.
Someone overheard Esau saying this last part and it was relayed to Rebekah, who called for Jacob to come to her. She told Jacob that his brother was planning to kill him. She told him that he should go visit Laban, her brother, in Haran. She told him to stay there for a few days until the rage of his brother could abate. She said that she didn't want to be deprived of both of them in the same day.
The chapter concludes with Rebekah telling Isaac that her life would be meaningless and not worth living if Jacob took a daughter of Heth to marry. This ends chapter 27.
Conclusion
Another perfect example of how people of the Bible further their cause through deception and lies. It seems that Rebekah learned welll from the lives of her husband and father-in-law and wanted her favorite son to be just like them. And a good job he did, too.
While Jacob had some trepidations at first, he walked into his role and played it perfectly. When asked questions by Isaac, Jacob handled him perfectly. There must have been some theater involved in having Isaac feel the animal skin on Jacob. Jacob had to have "acted" in such a way that Isaac believed it.
Where is God in this chapter? Isn't an all-powerful God in charge of who gets blessings and who doesn't? Just because a man deems it, does God have to accept his whims? Would God allow this type of gain through the use of deception and dishonesty? Apparently those who accept the Bible as truth feel that God would.
I, personally, do not.
Chapter 28
This chapter is the continuation of the deception that we saw in the last chapter. Rebekah sends Jacob away to save him from the anger of his brother. Esau, hearing the lie, is led to further actions. And Jacob creates another altar. Let's take a look.
The chapter opens with Isaac calling for Jacob and telling him that he should go to the land of his mother's brethren and take a wife there. Isaac again asked that God bless Jacob and multiply his seed. He said that God should grant to Jacob the land which he had promised to Abraham. And then Isaac sent Jacob away.
Esau saw that Jacob went away to get a wife from Padan-aram, and that the women of Canaan did not please his father. Becaue of this, Esau went to his Uncle Ishmael and took one of his daughters to wife.
Jacob, went out from Beer-sheba and went towards Haran. On his way he stopped at a place to rest for the night and slept outside among the stones.
Jacob dreamt and saw a ladder on the earth and the top reached up to heaven. He saw the angels of God going up and down on this ladder. He saw the Lord standing above it, and the Lord spoke to him.
The Lord said to him, "I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereupon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed:" The Lord told Jacob that his seed would number as the dust of the earth, and that it would spread in all directions. He said that in Jacob's seed, all of the families of the earth would be blessed.
The Lord told Jacob that he would be with him and keep him in all places that he went. He said that he would bring Jacob into this land again and would not leave him until he had done all of the things that he had spoken.
Jacob awoke and said that this was surely the house of the Lord. He was afraid and said that this place was dreadful and that it surely must be the house of God and the gate to heaven.
Jacob rose up early in the morning and took the stone that he had used as a pillow and set it up as a pillar, and then poured oil on top of it. He called the name of this place Beth-el, but the name of the city was Luz before it.
And that day Jacob vowed a vow saying that if God should be with him and keep him in the the way that he goes, and give him bread to eat, and clothes to wear, and that if he could return to his father's house in peace then the Lord would be his God. He vowed that the stone that he had set up as a pillar would be God's house, and that all that God gave him, he would return one-tenth to him.
This concludes chapter 28.
Conclusion
Here we see that God decides that Jacob is acting just as he would want him to, and so rewards him with the promise of greatness. Apparently God had grown accustomed to people being dishonest and deceitful. And not just accustomed it would seem, but also proud for it was these actions that were rewarded.
Rebekah, in a further attempt to deceive Isaac and protect Jacob, informed Isaac that it would greatly displease her if Jacob were to take a wife from the women of Canaan in the last chapter. But we also saw that she told Isaac this in an attempt to get Jacob out of harm's way. The imminent danger was Esau, who was greatly enraged at the stealing of his birthright and then his blessing.
As a result of Rebekah's deception, Isaac did send Jacob away. And what is more, Esau, upon seeing this, did not take a Canaanite wife himself, but rather a daughter of his uncle Ishmael.
Jacob, on his way to Haran to see his uncle, stopped at a city called Luz and decided to sleep outside using a stone for a pillow. Why he didn't go into the city and sleep at a stranger's house remains unknown to us.
And as is so common to dealings with God in the Bible, God came to Jacob in a dream. And the same oath that was given to Abraham and to Isaac was given to Jacob in this dream. The land would be his and his seed would be multiplied greatly.
In God's speech to Jacob, he called Abraham the father of Jacob. Surely God knew that Abraham was Isaac's grandfather, and that this is just another example of poor myth-making.
As Abraham set up an altar at Hebron, and Isaac had set one up at Beer-sheba, Jacob set up his own altar at Beth-el. Beth-el, which takes it's name from the direct Hebrew translation which is 'House of God,' was previously known as Luz and was a city. We have no mention of such a place before, but Jacob apparently had the social standing to just walk in and change the name.
The last thing of mention that I would raise is the fact that after all of this, Jacob set a condition on his belief in the Lord as his God. He set the standards that God must meet for him to believe. Would a God of such power give his blessing and pledge undying faith to a man that sets up conditions for him to live up to? Since when was it that God had to prove his worth before men were to believe?
Chapter 29
This chapter has the end of Jacob's journey to Haran and also has him falling prey to a deception not unlike the one that he had used on his father. We also see his marriage with not one but two of his cousins. Let's take a look.
The chapter opens by telling us that Jacob came upon a group of men tending their three flocks by a well. A large stone covered the well and would be rolled away to water the flocks.
Jacob asked the men where they were from. When they told him that they were from Haran, he asked them if they knew Laban. They told him that they indeed did. He asked if Laban was well, and they said that he was and that his daughter Rachel would be bringing their flock to water soon.
Jacob told the men that it was still before high day and that they should water their flocks and be about their business. They responded by saying that it was not done that way, and they waited until all of the flocks were there before rolling away the stone.
As Jacob was speaking with the men, Rachel came upon the well with her flock. Jacob saw her approach and rolled away the stone so her sheep could drink.
Jacob went to Rachel and kissed her and he wept. He told her that he was her father's brother, and she ran off to her house to spread the good news.
When Laban had heard of Jacob at the well, he ran out to him and bid him come with them to their house. Laban heard all that Jacob had to tell.
Laban said to Jacob that he was surely of his flesh and bone and that Jacob should reside with him for a month.
Laban said that Jacob was family and should not work for free. He asked Jacob what kind of wage he wanted.
Verses 16 and 17 tell us that Laban had two daughters. Leah was the older and was tender-eyed. Rachel was younger but very beautiful and well-favored.
Jacob loved Rachel and told Laban that he would stay with him for seven years of service if he could have Rachel for his wife when it was finished. Laban said that it would be better to give her to him than to another and agreed.
Jacob stayed and worked the seven years though it passed like just a few days for his love for Rachel was so strong.
At the end of the seven years Jacob went to Laban and told him that it was done. He asked for the hand of Rachel.
That night, Laban threw a big party with all of the men of the area in attendance. Later, he brought his daughter Leah to Jacob's quarters and she went in to him. They then consumated their marriage.
In the morning, Jacob realized that it was Leah that lie with him and not Rachel as he had been promised. He went to Laban and asked him why he had done this thing to him.
Laban replied that it was not their custom to have the younger daughter married before the elder. He told Jacob that he should fulfill the week with Leah and work for him for another seven years and then he would have Rachel, as well.
Jacob fulfilled Leah's week and took Rachel to wife.
Jacob, seeming not to have minded being deceived, set about working the other seven years. He loved Rachel more than he loved Leah.
Verse 31 tells that because Leah was hated, that the Lord opened up her womb so she could conceive while Rachel remained barren.
She bore a son and named him Reuben. She was sure that her husband would love her now. She then bore three more sons, Simeon, Levi and Judah. The chapter concludes by telling us that she left off child bearing.
Conclusion
Here we see that turnabout is fairplay as Jacob is now on the other side of a deception. God only puts in a small appearance towards the end of the chapter, and, as usual, he punishes the innocent.
Jacob is deceived by his mother's brother. Rebekah, having deceived her husband Isaac in the previous two chapters, apparently learned this skill from her family. Laban pulled off a deception that was worthy of being from the line of Abraham. Laban deceived Jacob into working for 14 years for the daughter he loved.
We also see another case of polygamy and bigamy. Jacob was wedded to both Leah and Rachel. No one seemed to have any problem with this whatsoever. It is almost like it was a completely accepted thing.
Then we have the issue of Leah producing sons while Rachel remained barren. Rachel did absolutely nothing wrong in this chapter and yet she is punished by remaining barren. Maybe this was somehow a punishment of Jacob for hating his first wife, but you would think a God of all-power would be a little more discriminating in who is being punished here. It certainly was not Rachel's fault that Leah was hated.
The last thing of mention here is the case of the barren womb being used yet again. We saw it with Abraham and Sarah, and again with Isaac and Rebekah. Now we see it with Jacob and Rachel. The case that this is the same story being told over and over again grows stronger.
That's all for now...1.17.98
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