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Jacob Tricks Esau 27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished;…

The Birth of Esau and Jacob The Literary Design of the Yaaqov Story The Jacob story goes from Genesis 25:19 - 37:1 It goes from chapter 25, verse 19. So do you remember how the seven-day narrative in Genesis 1 and 2, the chapter divisions that came much later, they're kind of amiss 'cause the seventh…

Introduction There is an old saying: “As goes the leader, so goes the people.” History is full of examples of nations flourishing under wise leadership—and collapsing under foolish rule. It is one of the leading themes in Parts of the Bible. Koheleth (the Teacher) gives us a picture of what happens when…

Jacob: Introduction Jacob is actually not how anybody in his family would've ever pronounced his name. In Hebrew, this figure's name is Yaaqov Yaaqov. Yaaqov, grandson of Avraham, takes up this third section of the Genesis scroll, though interestingly, he is actually the character who receives the most…

Introduction – A Wake-Up Call You Can’t Ignore My wife always teases me. I fall asleep hard for about 3 hours. You can drive a truck through our house and I wouldn’t hear it. But there are some “wake-up calls” that you can’t ignore — the smoke detector going off, your child screaming “Dad!” in the middle…

Not Chosen But Blessed Let's think through the cycle. The Eden's been planted. The wife, the ezer, has been provided. And so what I'm expecting is maybe something that's disappointing, some sort of mistake or tragedy that's going to lead to division, strife. 1 Now Abraham took another wife, whose name…

Introduction Let me ask you: have you ever been in such a rush to finish something that you skipped over a basic precaution and paid the price for it later? Maybe you were putting together a piece of furniture, ignored the instructions, and ended up with five extra screws and a shelf upside down. Or…

Isaac’s Marriage to Rebekah This is the last stop before Abraham is sent the the grave. Today we are going to be with Rivqah. Remember here name is the sounds of the work “blessing” in Hebrew, with the letters mixed up. And we're gonna follow her on her Abraham-like journey to the land of the new Eden.…

Introduction: The Danger of Small Things Small things can cause big problems. A single spark can start a forest fire. One missed detail can derail a mission. And, as Ecclesiastes 10 opens, a few dead flies can ruin a whole bottle of expensive perfume. This isn’t just about hygiene—it’s about how a little…

Sarah’s Tomb as a Mini Eden This story is designed with three major sections. There's a little opener, there's a long dialogue in the center, and then there's a little concluder. The dialogue itself has three parts, with a little fourth part that concludes the dialogue. 1 Now Sarah lived 127 years; these…