Scripture never flinches from recording the devastating consequences of sin, even within the covenant family. In Genesis 33, Jacob arrived safely in Canaan, but instead of completing his journey to Bethel to fulfill the solemn vow he had made twenty years earlier (Gen. 28:20–22), he purchased land and pitched his tent outside the pagan city… Continue reading An Outrage in Israel: The Defiling of Dinah and the Fury of Her Brothers (Gen. 34:1–31)
Category: Biblical Exposition
I Have Seen Your Face, as One Sees the Face of God: Grace and Reconciliation (Gen. 33:1–20)
Twenty years of dread, guilt, and lingering fear can make a brother’s face look like an executioner. As Jacob looks up and sees Esau approaching with four hundred men, everything in his past says he should expect vengeance. Yet, what unfolds on the dusty road of Canaan is one of the most astonishing scenes of… Continue reading I Have Seen Your Face, as One Sees the Face of God: Grace and Reconciliation (Gen. 33:1–20)
I Will Not Let You Go Unless You Bless Me: The Man Who Wrestled with God (Gen. 32:1–32)
Loved ones, having finally closed the door on twenty years of servitude under Laban, Jacob turns his face back toward the Promised Land. But escaping the threat behind him brings him face-to-face with an even greater terror ahead: his brother Esau, whom he cheated out of his birthright and blessing twenty years earlier. Genesis 32… Continue reading I Will Not Let You Go Unless You Bless Me: The Man Who Wrestled with God (Gen. 32:1–32)
The God of Bethel: A Patriarch’s Flight and a Covenant of Peace (Gen. 31:1–55)
Loved ones, twenty years in exile can feel like an eternity. For two decades, Jacob has served his uncle Laban in Haran, enduring heat by day, frost by night, altered wages, and constant manipulation. Yet through it all, Yahweh has been quietly fulfilling His promise made at Bethel: protecting Jacob, multiplying his family, and providing for… Continue reading The God of Bethel: A Patriarch’s Flight and a Covenant of Peace (Gen. 31:1–55)
The God of My Father Has Been with Me: Jacob’s Wily Wisdom (Gen. 30:25–43)
Loved ones, when you put two master manipulators in the same tent, conflict is inevitable. For fourteen long years, Jacob the Supplanter has been living under the thumb of an even greater deceiver: his uncle, Laban. Jacob has fulfilled his contractual obligations for his wives. He is older, he has a large family, and he… Continue reading The God of My Father Has Been with Me: Jacob’s Wily Wisdom (Gen. 30:25–43)
The Lord Opened Her Womb: A Household Built on Rivalry and Grace (Gen. 29:31–30:24)
Loved ones, when we look closely at the patriarchs of our faith, we are rarely presented with a picture of domestic tranquility. In fact, if you want an argument against the practice of polygamy, you need look no further than the tent of Jacob. Following Laban’s treacherous deception, Jacob is now married to two sisters.… Continue reading The Lord Opened Her Womb: A Household Built on Rivalry and Grace (Gen. 29:31–30:24)
The Deceiver Deceived: Seven Years for Leah, and Seven More for Rachel (Gen. 29:1–30)
Loved ones, one of the most sobering principles in Scripture is the law of the harvest: “Whatever one sows, that will he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). God is endlessly gracious to His covenant children, but He does not leave them undisciplined. If we insist on living by manipulation, deceit, and grabbing for control, God will… Continue reading The Deceiver Deceived: Seven Years for Leah, and Seven More for Rachel (Gen. 29:1–30)
A Ladder to Heaven: The Covenant Confirmed at Bethel (Gen. 28:1–22)
Loved ones, when we last saw Jacob, he was a deceitful son fleeing for his life. Having stolen his brother’s blessing, he shattered his family and was forced to leave behind the wealth, the comfort, and the mother he so dearly loved. As Genesis 28 opens, Jacob is a solitary fugitive. He has nothing but… Continue reading A Ladder to Heaven: The Covenant Confirmed at Bethel (Gen. 28:1–22)
The Voice Is Jacob’s Voice: Deception, Blessing, and Bitterness (Gen. 27:1–46)
Loved ones, if you ever need proof that the Bible is not a sanitized book of fairy tales, look no further than Genesis 27. This chapter is a masterclass in human dysfunction. We are invited into the private tent of the patriarchs to witness a family completely tearing itself apart. In this story, there are… Continue reading The Voice Is Jacob’s Voice: Deception, Blessing, and Bitterness (Gen. 27:1–46)
The Sins of the Father: Isaac’s Inheritance of Blessing and Failure (Gen. 26:1–35)
Loved ones, one of the most sobering realities of parenting is seeing your own flaws mirrored in your children. We pass down our eye color and our physical traits, but all too often, we also pass down our anxieties, our coping mechanisms, and our sins. Genesis 26 is the only chapter in the Bible dedicated… Continue reading The Sins of the Father: Isaac’s Inheritance of Blessing and Failure (Gen. 26:1–35)