For we do not know what to pray for as we ought but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26 ESV)
This is the Sons of Liberty flag from Colonial times...
Genesis 27:1-29
•Jacob has used his skills to talk his big brother Esau out of his birthright and now Jacob wants to go after Esau’s blessing.
•Remember the trouble that Abraham got himself into by trying to do things his way?
•He brought Lot with him against God’s orders and Lot was nothing but trouble.
•He was told he would have a son so he suggested his servant Eliezer but is told “not him”.
•He told his wife he would have a son and his wife gave him Hagar to mother a son and Abraham because the father of the Muslims.
•Finally, the Abraham family is told that a son would be born to Sarah and she laughs and doubts and the son is named, “laughter”.
•Remember the trouble that Abraham got himself into by trying to do things his way?
•He brought Lot with him against God’s orders and Lot was nothing but trouble.
•He was told he would have a son so he suggested his servant Eliezer but is told “not him”.
•He told his wife he would have a son and his wife gave him Hagar to mother a son and Abraham because the father of the Muslims.
•Finally, the Abraham family is told that a son would be born to Sarah and she laughs and doubts and the son is named, “laughter”.
The Deceiver
•Remember that Rebekah is told that the older would serve the younger so when she hears Isaac tell Esau to go hunt some food she decides to “help” God fulfill his promise.
•She and Jacob go all in with their deception and lie, stealing the hairy man’s clothes and putting goat skins on Jacob so that his smooth arms will feel a little hairier.
•Rebekah tells Jacob that she would take the fall for this rouse when he gets worried that it might fail and he would be cursed instead.
•When Jacob gets in the room his first lie is when asked how he got the food back to his dad so fast: “Because the Lord your God granted me success.”
•Jacob then continues on with his deception by answering that he was Esau after Isaac questions him again.
•Finally Jacob receives his blessing.
•She and Jacob go all in with their deception and lie, stealing the hairy man’s clothes and putting goat skins on Jacob so that his smooth arms will feel a little hairier.
•Rebekah tells Jacob that she would take the fall for this rouse when he gets worried that it might fail and he would be cursed instead.
•When Jacob gets in the room his first lie is when asked how he got the food back to his dad so fast: “Because the Lord your God granted me success.”
•Jacob then continues on with his deception by answering that he was Esau after Isaac questions him again.
•Finally Jacob receives his blessing.
Genesis 27:30-46
•Okay, Esau despised his birthright and gave it to his brother so now he decides that he will work hard and keep his blessing.
•He worked so hard to keep his blessing that he actually caught some game this time (unlike during the birthright incident) but he was not faster than Jacob who only had to grab some sheep from the back yard.
•Oral blessings given on the deathbed had binding legal ramifications in the ancient middle east and since Isaac had taken the blessing that was transferred from Abraham to him and given it to his younger son Jacob, Jacob was now the one who was blessed and not Esau.
•Esau, despite his whining and crying would only receive a parody of the blessing that Jacob had already received- Esau wouldn’t live in the best land, and neither would his descendants. Esau would constantly be at war, and so would his descendants. Esau would always be a second class citizen to his brother, so would their descendants.
•He worked so hard to keep his blessing that he actually caught some game this time (unlike during the birthright incident) but he was not faster than Jacob who only had to grab some sheep from the back yard.
•Oral blessings given on the deathbed had binding legal ramifications in the ancient middle east and since Isaac had taken the blessing that was transferred from Abraham to him and given it to his younger son Jacob, Jacob was now the one who was blessed and not Esau.
•Esau, despite his whining and crying would only receive a parody of the blessing that Jacob had already received- Esau wouldn’t live in the best land, and neither would his descendants. Esau would constantly be at war, and so would his descendants. Esau would always be a second class citizen to his brother, so would their descendants.
Genesis 28:1-5; Genesis 28:10-22
•Much like Abraham did not want Isaac to take a bride from the immoral and wicked Canaanites, Jacob was not to take a bride from those evil people either.
•Isaac then sends Jacob away back to Haran where Rebekah is originally from.
•As he is travelling he stops because the sun is setting and he decides to get some rest. How did he ever rest sleeping on a stone, though? Wouldn’t he have felt better just sleeping right on the ground?
•I know that the Bible says that there is a ladder that goes from Heaven to Earth but what is actually meant here is the stairway of an ancient temple called a ziggurat.
•People would walk up and down the stairs to the top where there was a shrine to the local deity. The angels are the ones walking up and down, and God Almighty is standing in the shrine.
•Isaac then sends Jacob away back to Haran where Rebekah is originally from.
•As he is travelling he stops because the sun is setting and he decides to get some rest. How did he ever rest sleeping on a stone, though? Wouldn’t he have felt better just sleeping right on the ground?
•I know that the Bible says that there is a ladder that goes from Heaven to Earth but what is actually meant here is the stairway of an ancient temple called a ziggurat.
•People would walk up and down the stairs to the top where there was a shrine to the local deity. The angels are the ones walking up and down, and God Almighty is standing in the shrine.
Jacob's dream
•A ziggurat looked like this (this one is still standing in Ur):
•The difference here is that the shrines housed “gods” who were local only and as soon as you left their territory they forgot about you but not our God! The brings us to the target verse:
•“A oto, Ja jestem z tobą i strzec cię będę gdziekolwiek pójdziesz, i przywrócę cię do tej ziemi; bo nie opuszczę cię, aż uczynię com ci rzekł.” (Rodzaju 28:15 Polish)
•“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15 ESV)
•The name of the place is changed to Bethel (which means “house of God”) and the stone that Jacob was laying on becomes an altar.
•The difference here is that the shrines housed “gods” who were local only and as soon as you left their territory they forgot about you but not our God! The brings us to the target verse:
•“A oto, Ja jestem z tobą i strzec cię będę gdziekolwiek pójdziesz, i przywrócę cię do tej ziemi; bo nie opuszczę cię, aż uczynię com ci rzekł.” (Rodzaju 28:15 Polish)
•“Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Genesis 28:15 ESV)
•The name of the place is changed to Bethel (which means “house of God”) and the stone that Jacob was laying on becomes an altar.