Genesis 24-28
(I'm reading from The Message, so no verses!)
Chapter 24
# When God provides, He really provides! He knows our needs and requests even before we utter them.
# Laban and Bethuel (Rebekah's brother and father) kind of surrender her to the plan of God after hearing the story...but then Laban does this backflip (''O let her stay another few days..."). I think it shows that unless we fully embrace God's plans for us (as opposed to just going "O, well, it's God's will and there's nothing I can do to stop it, so blah, just go along with it"), we'll be liable to doing backflips back into our own human ways/thoughts/plans. Contrast Laban's attitude to Rebekah, who embraced God's plan and provision and was ready to go when she was called.
Chapter 25
# Abraham's little known 2nd wife comes into play!! I never even knew he had a 2nd wife until last night when I read this!!
# Also, we see an interaction between Ishmael and Issac here...didn't know that happened either. I thought Ishmael and Hagar got sent away?
# Esau and Jacob- Esau voluntarily gives up his birthright- some part of me reckons that that was his fault and he shouldn't have kicked up such a fuss later on when Jacob got the blessing.
Chapter 26
# Old Abimelech! I can't believe he falls for the same "this-is-my-sister-when-she's-really-my-wife!" trick again from Isaac!! (see Chapter 20 when Abraham does EXACTLY the same thing!) It's kinda funny...hehe.
# God uses Isaac's circumstances (quarrelling over wells) to get him into the position God wanted him to be in. Praise God that everything is under His control and that He is using circumstances for our good even when we can't see it. He's a faithful God.
# The way God works is a testimony to other people- His work in our lives is as much a witness as the things that we say- Abimelech realised the God was with Isaac.
Chapter 27
# I'm slightly astounded at the extent to which Rebekah plays favourites between her two sons...! I wonder why she was so determined to make Isaac give Jacob the blessing...possibly because she knew about Jacob and Esau's prior agreement? Either way, no one makes any mention of Esau's sale of his birthright anyway. I wonder why.
# I also find Jacob saying that God made it so he found the food so quickly particularly daring! If you're gonna lie and cheat...leave God out of it!
# Ohhh....I see, birthright and blessing seem to be 2 different things...(vs 36)
# I also don't understand why there's only one blessings. He could have blessed Esau with other things...??
Chapter 28
# Even though Jacob tricks Isaac, he still helps him get away from the vengeful Esau and blesses him AGAIN.
# Esau's reaction is funny. He feels guilty about having done all these things his parents have disapproved of, then goes and marries one of his cousins, a daughter of Ishmael when it says in Chapter 25 v 18 that that family really didn't get along with his family. Strange I say! I guess he was just trying to do his best to please them...in his own misguided way. How many times do we do the same thing...just try and do what we think is right then go stuffing it all up...better to go God's way.
# I love this bit- "God is in this place and I didn't know it"...I pray that I would always be aware that God is around and that His presence would be a reality in my life.
Chapter 24
# When God provides, He really provides! He knows our needs and requests even before we utter them.
# Laban and Bethuel (Rebekah's brother and father) kind of surrender her to the plan of God after hearing the story...but then Laban does this backflip (''O let her stay another few days..."). I think it shows that unless we fully embrace God's plans for us (as opposed to just going "O, well, it's God's will and there's nothing I can do to stop it, so blah, just go along with it"), we'll be liable to doing backflips back into our own human ways/thoughts/plans. Contrast Laban's attitude to Rebekah, who embraced God's plan and provision and was ready to go when she was called.
Chapter 25
# Abraham's little known 2nd wife comes into play!! I never even knew he had a 2nd wife until last night when I read this!!
# Also, we see an interaction between Ishmael and Issac here...didn't know that happened either. I thought Ishmael and Hagar got sent away?
# Esau and Jacob- Esau voluntarily gives up his birthright- some part of me reckons that that was his fault and he shouldn't have kicked up such a fuss later on when Jacob got the blessing.
Chapter 26
# Old Abimelech! I can't believe he falls for the same "this-is-my-sister-when-she's-really-my-wife!" trick again from Isaac!! (see Chapter 20 when Abraham does EXACTLY the same thing!) It's kinda funny...hehe.
# God uses Isaac's circumstances (quarrelling over wells) to get him into the position God wanted him to be in. Praise God that everything is under His control and that He is using circumstances for our good even when we can't see it. He's a faithful God.
# The way God works is a testimony to other people- His work in our lives is as much a witness as the things that we say- Abimelech realised the God was with Isaac.
Chapter 27
# I'm slightly astounded at the extent to which Rebekah plays favourites between her two sons...! I wonder why she was so determined to make Isaac give Jacob the blessing...possibly because she knew about Jacob and Esau's prior agreement? Either way, no one makes any mention of Esau's sale of his birthright anyway. I wonder why.
# I also find Jacob saying that God made it so he found the food so quickly particularly daring! If you're gonna lie and cheat...leave God out of it!
# Ohhh....I see, birthright and blessing seem to be 2 different things...(vs 36)
# I also don't understand why there's only one blessings. He could have blessed Esau with other things...??
Chapter 28
# Even though Jacob tricks Isaac, he still helps him get away from the vengeful Esau and blesses him AGAIN.
# Esau's reaction is funny. He feels guilty about having done all these things his parents have disapproved of, then goes and marries one of his cousins, a daughter of Ishmael when it says in Chapter 25 v 18 that that family really didn't get along with his family. Strange I say! I guess he was just trying to do his best to please them...in his own misguided way. How many times do we do the same thing...just try and do what we think is right then go stuffing it all up...better to go God's way.
# I love this bit- "God is in this place and I didn't know it"...I pray that I would always be aware that God is around and that His presence would be a reality in my life.
posted by Em at
7:35 am
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home