And this is the genealogy of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir. (Genesis 36:9) Genesis 36 is a chapter filled with names, recording the notable men among the descendants of Esau, the father of the Edomites, who became an important neighbor nation to Israel. Edom and the Edomites are mentioned some 130…
Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.” And so it…
Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.” (Genesis 34:30) Genesis…
Then Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” And he said, “These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” (Genesis 33:8-9) When Jacob was last in the presence of his brother Esau,…
Then Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you’: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have…
Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has acquired all this wealth.” And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. (Genesis 31:1-2) The last verse of Genesis 30…
Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys. (Genesis 30:43) The man was Jacob, who left his home with no money, traveled far to the east to the land of his mother’s family, and who by hard work earned a double dowry for marriage. After…
When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. (Genesis 29:31) Family life has its challenges, but the difficulties and complications multiply exponentially when people decide to ignore God’s way and God’s will, and they do what seems pleasing or what the culture promotes. From the beginning, God…
Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Genesis 28:12) The sins of Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob all combined to make a big mess, so big that Jacob had to flee…
Then Isaac trembled exceedingly, and said, “Who? Where is the one who hunted game and brought it to me? I ate all of it before you came, and I have blessed him—and indeed he shall be blessed.” (Genesis 27:33) What a mess! Before the twins Esau and Jacob were born, God announced (Genesis 25:23) that the…
And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them. Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of…
And the LORD said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23) God promised that through Isaac, Abraham would have descendants beyond counting. The promise was sure but didn’t come…