Bible: Beginning to End - Genesis 29-38: Jacob and His Descendants & Esau's Descendants and Joseph's Dreams

Episode Date: July 17, 2020

*For copyright reasons, I had to combine these episodes into one episode. Genesis 29-33 (Read) Genesis 34-38 (Read) Important Links for the Podcast  Click Here for our YouTube Channel Discuss each episode on Reddit Contact Us Visit our Website          On Instagram @biblebeginningtoend     On Twitter: @biblebeginning1      Via email: [e-mail] Supporting the Show Financial contribution is never required, but if you'd like to support the show, here are a couple of ways: Be a listener and share the show with your friends! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to become a monthly supporter via Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠* ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to make a one-time contribution via Paypal⁠⁠.* *Note that the Bible Beginning to End podcast is not a registered 501(c)3 or charitable organization. Therefore, any monetary support provided is not tax deductible. 10% of any profits made from this podcast via ad revenues or listener support will be donated to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Asha's Refuge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, a Christ-centered nonprofit that "exists to assist the most disadvantaged refugees/asylees in achieving a successful resettlement in the Memphis, TN area.". Episode Timestamps 00:00 - Intro 1   00:55 - Ad Break 1:21 - Genesis 29   8:32 - Genesis 30     15:20 - Genesis 31     25:32 - Genesis 32    32:08 - Genesis 33  34:54 - Outro 1  36:14 - Intro 2  37:11 - Genesis 34  43:33 - Genesis 35  49:29 - Genesis 36  56:15 - Genesis 37  1:03:44 - Genesis 38  1:09:30 - Outro 2 Bible Verse Copyright Statement Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. To purchase an NLT, please visit https://amzn.to/3wUpUef

Hello and welcome back to Bible beginning to end, where we are reading through the scriptures together as one complete story. Let's remind ourselves where we left off last week. We read about Abraham and Sarah's death, and then we continued to read about Abraham's descendants and how God's promises and covenant will continue to be fulfilled through Abraham's line. So we saw his son Isaac, and then we read about Abraham's descendants, and how God's promises and covenant will continue to be fulfilled through Abraham's line. Isaac's children, Jacob and Esau. We saw a lot of deceit and trickery, but we ultimately saw Jacob receive the blessing from Isaac, and it will be through Jacob that God's promises will continue to be fulfilled. So we finished off last week with chapter 28 in Genesis, and today we are going to start with chapter 29. As always, I'll be reading through,

and the most important thing to do is really just listen to the story and allow God to guide you and help you interpret these scriptures and really gain understanding and meaning from them with very little commentary. As always, I will ask some questions along the way just to get your mind going and thinking as we meditate on these scriptures. But let's get started with Genesis 29. Jacob arrives at Padanarum. Then Jacob hurried on, finally arriving in the land of the east. He saw a well in the distance. Three flocks of sheep and goats lay in an open field beside it, waiting to be watered.

But a heavy stone covered the mouth of the well. It was the custom there to wait for all the flocks to arrive before removing the stone and watering the animals. Afterward, the stone would be placed back over the mouth of the well. Jacob went over to the shepherds and asked, Where are you from, my friends? We are from Huron, they answered. Do you know a man there named Laban? The grandson of Nahor, he asked.

Yes, we do, they replied. Is he doing well, Jacob asked. Yes, he's well, they answered. Look, here comes his daughter, Rachel, with the flock now. Jacob said, Look, it's still broad daylight, too early to round up the animals. Why don't you water the sheep and goats

so they can get back out to pasture? We can't water the animals until all the flocks have arrived, they replied. Then the shepherds moved the stone from the mouth of the well, and we water all the sheep and goats. Jacob was still talking with them

when Rachel arrived with her father's flock, for she was a shepherd. And because Rachel was his cousin, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother. And because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Labon, Jacob went over to the well and moved the stone from its mouth and watered his uncle's flock. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud. He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on her father's side, the son of her aunt Rebecca. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father Laban. As soon as Laban heard

that his nephew Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He embraced. He embraced. He embraced. and kissed him and brought him home. When Jacob had told him his story, Labon exclaimed, You really are, my own flesh and blood. Pause and reflect on this section. We see a beautiful reunion of family. Ask yourself, how are these people reacting to seeing each other? What is the tone of this passage?

Also, we see another well show up in the scriptures. We haven't talked about this much, but it might be an interesting task to go back in the chapters that we've read so far and see every time a well shows up and what that might symbolize and what the Lord might be communicating through wells and water as a symbol in the scriptures. The next section is Jacob marries Leah and Rachel. After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month, Labon said to him, You shouldn't work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be. Now, Labon had two daughters.

The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel. There was no sparkle in Leah's eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face. Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, I will work for you for seven years if you'll give me Rachel your younger daughter as my wife. Agreed, Labon replied. I'd rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me. So Jacob worked for seven years to pay for Rachel, but his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.

Finally the time came for him to marry her. I have fulfilled my agreement, Jacob said to Labon. Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her. So Labon invited everyone in the first. in the neighborhood to prepare a wedding feast. But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. Labon had given Leah a servant, Zilpa, to be her maid. But when Jacob woke up in the morning, it was Leah. What have you done to me? Jacob raged at Laban. I worked seven years for Rachel. Why have you tricked me? It's not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter, ahead of the firstborn, Labon replied, but wait until the bridal week is over, then we'll give you Rachel too, provided you promised to work another seven years for me. So Jacob agreed to work seven more

years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel too. Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilha to be her maid, so Jacob slept with Rachel too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years. So I want you to pull you to and reflect on this story. We have Jacob being deceived by Le Bonn. Take LeBond's deceit toward Jacob and compare that to the way Jacob deceived Isaac when he stole Esau's blessing. And you also may want to ask yourself how you reconcile these stories where men are marrying multiple women and there's a lot of deceit going on. are we seeing these things as facts presented?

Is God approving of these actions and this deceit? Or are we seeing a picture of how sin has affected the world? And then finally make a prediction. Jacob has these two wives. He's been deceived. And he loves one of them, Rachel, much more than the other. How do you think that dynamic is going to play out in future chapters? The next section is Jacob's many children.

When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Rubin, for she said, The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me. I also want you to compare the way the Lord noticed Leah and blessed her to the way he noticed Hagar when Hagar says the Lord is the one who sees me. Verse 33. She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son.

She named him Simeon, for she said, The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son. Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi, for she said, surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons. Once again, Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, now I will praise the Lord, and then she stopped having children. That's the end of chapter 29, and we've seen Leah have child after child after child, and Rachel cannot have children. So how do you think Rachel is going to react to this?

Genesis 30. When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, give me children, or I'll die. Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. Am I God? he asked. He's the one who has kept you from having children. Then Rachel told him, take my maid, Billa, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family too. So Rachel gave her servant, Billa, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. Billa became pregnant and presented him with a son. Rachel named him Dan, for she said, God has vindicated me. He has heard my request and given me a son.

Then Billa became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. Rachel named him, Naftali, for she said, I have struggled hard with my sister, and I'm winning. Let's pause here, because where have we seen a story of a woman who couldn't get pregnant, giving her servant to her husband and saying, have a child with my servant for me. And in that story, how did it turn out? What did it show about the people involved in the situation? Were they trusting the Lord or were they taking matters into their own hands?

Verse 9. Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant Zilpa and gave her to Jacob as a wife. soon Zilpa presented him with a son. Leah named him Gad, for she said, how fortunate I am. Then Zilpa gave Jacob a second son, and Leah named him Asher, for she said, What joy is mine? Now the other women will celebrate with me. One day, during the wheat harvest, Rubin found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought

them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, please give me some of your son's mandrakes. But Leah angrily replied, wasn't it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son's mandrakes too? Rachel answered, I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.

So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. You must come and sleep with me tonight, she said. I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found. So that night he slept with Leah, and God answered Leah's prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.

She named him Isakar, for she said, God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife. Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. She named him Zebulun, for she said, God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons. Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. Then God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son.

God has removed my disgrace, she said, and she named him Joseph, for she said, may the Lord add yet another son to my family. So pause and reflect on what's going on here. How has sin and jealousy and competition affected this family? And then ask yourself, despite all that sin and conflict and conflict. competition, does God still provide? Is God still able to use these people despite the ways they try to work everything out on their own? The next section is Jacob's wealth increases. Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to LeBahn, please release me so I can go home to my own

country. Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you. Please listen to me, Le Bonn replied. I have become wealthy, for the Lord has blessed me because of you. Tell me how much I owe you, whatever it is, I'll pay it. Jacob replied, you know how hard I've worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The Lord has blessed you through everything I've done. But now what about me? When can I start providing for my own family? What wages do you want? Labon asked again. Jacob replied, don't give me anything. Just do this one thing and I'll continue to tend and watch over your

flocks. Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me, as my wages, you'll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you. All right, Labon replied. It will be as you say. But that very day, Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, who took them a three days journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of LeBahn's flock. So pause and ask yourself, how does what LeBon's doing here remind us of what he did when Jacob wanted to marry Rachel?

How does it remind us of what Jacob himself did to Esau? Verse 37, Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plain. trees and peeled off strips of bark marking white streaks on them. Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they made it. And when they mated in front of the white streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. Jacob separated those lambs from Labon's flock, and at mating time he turned the flock to face Labon's animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing LeBon's.

Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of the branches. But he didn't do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Leban, and the stronger ones were Jacobs. As a result, Jacob became very wealthy with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys. So pause and ask yourself, despite

LeBond's deceit again, did God provide for Jacob? And how did God provide for Jacob? Genesis 31, Jacob flees from LeBon. But Jacob soon learned that LeBon's sons were grumbling about him. Jacob has robbed our father of everything, they said. He has gained all his wealth at our father's expense, and Jacob began to notice a change in LeBon's attitude towards. him. Then the Lord said to Jacob, Return to the land of your father and grandfather, and to your relatives there, and I will be

with you. So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. He said to them, I have noticed that your father's attitude toward me has changed, but the God of my father has been with me. You know how hard I have worked for your father, but he has cheated me,

changing my wages ten times, but God has not allowed him to do me any harm. For if he said, the speckled animals will be your wages, the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, the striped animals will be your wages, then the whole flock produced striped young. In this way, God has taken your father's animals and given them to me. One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted. Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, Jacob, and I replied, yes, here I am. The angel said, look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock.

For I have seen how Lebon has treated you. I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth. Rachel and Leah responded, that's fine with us. We won't inherit any of our father's wealth anyway. He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us. All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you. So Jacob put his wives and children on camels,

and he drove all his livestock in front of him. He packed all the belongings he had acquired in Padinarum and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father Isaac lived. At the time they left, Le Bonn was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father's household idols and took them with her. Jacob outwitted Le Bon, the Armenian, for they set out secretly and never told Leban they were leaving. So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River, heading for the hill country of Gilead. So pause and reflect on how God saw Jacob.

How God provided for Jacob. How God sought justice. And make a prediction, do you think LeBahn is going to sit back and let this happen? Or do you think he's going to try to get revenge or follow after Jacob? Well, the next section is called LeBon pursues Jacob. So let's see what happens. Three days later, LeBahn was told that Jacob had fled. So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in high.

hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead. But the previous night, God had appeared to Lebon the Armion in a dream and told him, I'm warning you, leave Jacob alone. Lebon caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacobs. What do you mean by deceiving me like this? Lebon demanded, how dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war? Why did you? Why did you? you slip away secretly, why did you deceive me? And why didn't you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps. Why didn't you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them goodbye? You have

acted very foolishly. I could destroy you. But the god of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, leave Jacob alone. I can understand your feeling that you must go, and you are intense longing for your father's home. But why have you stolen my gods? Pause here because we see a picture of LeBahn feeling deceived and how does he react. But back when he was deceiving Jacob, did he have any issue with what he was doing? What is the show about his character? And he seems to be very preoccupied with the fact that Jacob has stolen his gods, lowercase G. So is LeBahn a man of faith? Is Leban a man who worships God? Clearly, God has spoken to Leban. Does LeBon seem to be taking what God said seriously? What does LeBon's obsession with these gods say about who he is? Okay, let's hear

Jacob's response in verse 31. I rushed away because I was afraid, Jacob answered. I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. But as for your gods, see if you can't find them, and let the person who has taken them die. And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back. But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols. Labon went first into Jacob's tent to search there, then into Leia's, and then the tents of the two servant wives. But he found nothing. Finally he went into Rachel's tent. But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle. And now she was sitting on them, when Labon had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them? She said to her father, please sir, forgive me if I don't get up for you.

I'm having my monthly period. So Le Bonn continued his search, but he couldn't find the household idols. Then Jacob became very angry and challenged Lebon. What's my crime? He demanded. What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal? You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you. Set it out here in front of us before our relatives for all to see. Let them judge between us. For 20 years, I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time, your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years, I never used a single ram of yours for food.

If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself. You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night. I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. Yes, for 20 years I slaved in your house. I worked for 14 years earning your two daughters and then six more years for your flock.

And you changed my wages ten times. In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side, the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac, you would have sent me away empty-handed. but God has seen your abuse and my hard work. This is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you. So reflect on what Jacob's response is here. Do you think it's a fair summary of what happened while he was living with Laban? And then as always, I'm going to ask you to reflect on how God was there for Jacob,

how God saw Jacob's need and provided. The next section is Jacob's Treaty with Laban. Then Laban replied to Jacob, These women are my daughters. These children are my grandchildren. And these flock are my flocks. In fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children?

So come, let's make a covenant, you and I. And it will be a witness to our commitment. So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. Then he told his family members, gather some stones. So they gathered some stones. stones and piled them in a heap, then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal. To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jagar Sahadutha, which means witness pile in Aramaic, and Jacob called it Galid, which means witness pile in Hebrew. Then Laban declared,

this pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today. This explains why it was called Glead, witness pile. But it was also called Mizpah, which means watchtower. For LeBahn said, May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other's sight. If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it, even if no one else does.

He is a witness to this covenant between us. See this pile of stones, LeBon continued, and see this monument I have set between us? They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me. I call on the God of our ancestors, the God of your grandfather, Abraham,

and the God of my grandfather Nahor, to serve as a judge between us. So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary, line. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain. Laban got up early the next morning and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home. So you can reflect on this treaty that Laban and Jacob made and ask yourself if you think it's fair,

if you think it is a satisfying conclusion to this conflict. Genesis 32. Jacob returns home. As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him. When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, This is God's camp. So he named the place Mahanaim.

I want you to pause after just this first verse. Because Jacob has just gone through a lot of strife and struggle to get where he is right now. So what kind of reassurance and comfort do you think he gets from seeing an angel of the Lord come to meet him. The next section is Jacob sends gifts to Esau. Before we jump into this, remember the history and the conflict between Jacob and Esau. Verse 3.

Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother Esau, who was living in the region of Sayer, in the land of Edom. He told them, give this message to my master, Esau, humble greetings from your servant, Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Labon. And now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me. Just listening to that message that Jacob sends, how is he posturing himself before Esau?

Verse 6. After delivering the message, the messenger returned to Jacob and reported, we met your brother Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you with an army of 400. men. Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household along with the flocks and herds and camels into two groups. He thought, if Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape. So pause and reflect on Esau's response. What did the Lord say about these two brothers? He said that they would be in conflict with each other. Who was the brother who did the deceiving and who was the brother, whose life was ruined by his brother's actions.

Do you think Esau is still bitter? Do you think Esau is still holding on to that contempt? Let's see how this plays out. Verse 9. Then Jacob prayed, O God of my grandfather, Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac, O Lord, you told me, return to your own land and to your relatives, and you promised me I will treat you kindly. I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me your servant.

When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps. Oh, Lord, please rescue me from the hands of my brother Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me along with my wives and children, but you promised me. I will surely treat you kindly, and I will more. multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore. Too many to count. Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions

to present to his brother Esau. 200 female goats. 20 male goats. 200 ewes. 20 rams. 30 female camels and they're young. 40 cows. 10 bulls. 20 female donkeys and 10 male donkeys. He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds. He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group. When my brother Esau meets you, he will ask, whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals? You must reply, they belong to your servant, Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us. Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsman and to all who followed

behind the herds. You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. And be sure to say, look, your servant Jacob is right behind us. Jacob thought, I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me. So the gifts were sent on ahead while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp. So pause and ask yourself, do you think Jacob's plan is going to work? Do you think Esau will be appeased by gifts and kind words? The next section is Jacob wrestles with God. During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his 11 sons and crossed the Jabic River with them.

After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions. This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob's hip and wrenched it out of its socket. Then the man said, let me go, for the dawn is breaking. But Jacob said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. What is your name, the man asked? He replied, Jacob. Your name will no longer be Jacob, the man.

told him from now on you will be called Israel because you have fought with God and with men and have won please tell me your name Jacob said why do you want to know my name the man replied then he blessed Jacob there Jacob named the place peniel which means face of God for he said I have seen God face to face yet my life has been spared the sun was rising as Jacob left penile and he was limping because of the injury to his hip even today the people of Israel don't eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob's hip. Pause and reflect on this story of Jacob wrestling with God.

What does it show us about persistence? And then God changes Jacob's name to Israel. We've seen many examples of people in the Bible having their name changed. Sarai to Sarah, Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel. What does changing your name symbolize? Why do you think it's such an important moment in these people's lives? Our final chapter today is called Jacob and Esau make peace. Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men,

So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck and kissed him, and they both wept. Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, who are these people with you? These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant, Jacob replied. Then the servant wives came forward with their children and bowed before him.

Next came Leah with her children and they bowed before him. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed before him. And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came? Esau asked. Jacob replied, They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship. My brother, I have plenty, Esau answered. Keep what you have for yourself.

But Jacob insisted, no. If I have found favor with you, please accept this gift from me. And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God. Please take this gift I have brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough. And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally accepted the gift. Well, Esau said, let's be going.

I will lead the way. But Jacob replied, you can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the animals could die. Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at Sayer.

All right, Esau said, but at least let me assign some of my men to guide and protect you. Jacob responded, That's not necessary. It's enough that you've received me warmly. my lord, so Esau turned around and started back to Sayer that same day. Jacob, on the other hand, traveled on to Sakath. There he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was named Sakath, which means shelters.

Later, having traveled all the way from Padinarum, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town. Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hayes, the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of silver, and there he built an altar and named it El Elohe Israel. So Esau and Jacob have been through a lot together. What does this story right here tell us about forgiveness? How did Jacob treat Esau?

The Lord had said that the older son will serve the younger son, but Jacob continually presents himself as your servant. Do we see any bitterness from Esau anymore? Do we see any anger? Again, what does this show us about forgiveness? And then the final thing that Jacob does in this section is build an altar to the Lord. What does that show about who Jacob is putting first?

Does Jacob recognize where his blessings come from? I hope you enjoyed today's section. Jacob and Esau have had a complicated and long story over the past couple of weeks. And as we continue next time, we will hear more about them and their descendants and continue to see God's promises be fulfilled. So I hope you will tune in next time, and I will talk to you in the next one. Hello and welcome back to another episode of Bible beginning to end. I'm glad you're joining us again this week.

Let's take a moment to reflect on where we left off last week. We talked a lot about Jacob's journey. We talked about his reconciliation with his brother Esau. And we learned a bit about his descendants. Today we're going to be continuing Jacob's story. and see what God has in store for Jacob's life and future. As always, I will be reading from the New Living Translation. You can read along, online, or in your own Bible.

As we're reading, I'll be asking questions along the way to get your mind thinking and meditating on this scripture as a complete story. But I will be offering very little commentary as I want God and the Holy Spirit to speak through the scriptures. Remember, Jacob has just moved to Shechem, and we're going to be starting today in Genesis 34, which is called Revenge Against Shechem. So let's see what happens. One day, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. But when the local prince, Shechem, son of Hamor, the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her. But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words.

He said to his father, Hamor, get me this young girl, I want to marry her. So let's pause and reflect on what's already happened at the very beginning of this chapter. What horrible deed has Shechem done? And how is he trying to use any means necessary to get what he wants? And then if you were Dinah's family members, how might you react to this? How do you predict Jacob and his sons are going to act when they find this out? Verse 5 Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah.

But since his sons were out in the field hurting his livestock, he said nothing until they returned. Hamor Shekam's father came to discuss the matter with Jacob. Meanwhile, Jacob's sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been wrong. raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob's family, something that should never be done. Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons. My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter, he said. Please let him marry her. In fact, let's arrange other marriages too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons. And you may live

among us. The land is open to you. Settle here and trade with us, and feel free to buy property in the area. Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah's father and brothers. Please be kind to me, and let me marry her, he begged. I will give you whatever you ask. No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it. Just give me the girl as my wife. But since Shechem had defiled their sister Dinah, Jacob's sons responded deceitfully to Shechem and his father Hamor. They said to them, we couldn't possibly allow this because you're not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you. But here is a solution.

If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, then we will give you our daughters, and we'll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people. but if you don't agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way. So pause here and ask yourself, what do you think about Dinah's brother's response here? Do you think that they're scheming, or do you think that they would actually allow their sister to marry this man? You can go back to the text and see what the verses say about their brother's plan to kind of help you with this answer. Verse 18. Hamer and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal.

Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request for he wanted Jacob's daughter desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, and he went with his father Hamor to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate. These men are our friends, they said. Let's invite them to live among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours, but they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all our men are circumcised just as they are. But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually become ours.

Come, let's agree to their terms and let them settle here among us. So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised. but three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah's full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition, then they slaughtered every male there,

including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem's house and returned to their camp. Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob's sons arrived, finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. They seized all the flocks in herds and donkeys, everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses.

They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives. Afterward, Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, You have ruined me. You've made me stink. among all the people of this land, among all the Canaanites and Parasites. We are so few that they will join forces to crush us. I will be ruined and my entire household will be wiped out. But why should we let them treat our sister like a prostitute? They retorted angrily.

So pause and reflect on how Jacob reacted to his sons. Was there a better way they could have handled this injustice? We see them being fiercely loyal to their sister, and rightfully so because she has had a grave injustice done against her. But how did her brothers handle this injustice? And how might that affect their lives in the future? And reflect on what God might be teaching us through this story. Can you think of other ways they might have been able to protect their sister and protect their family? Chapter 35. Jacob's return to Bethel. Then God said to Jacob, get ready and move to Bethel and settle there.

Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau. So Jacob told everyone in his household, get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone. So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob's family.

So pause and reflect on Jacob's actions here. When he gets this call from God, what is his first line of action? He goes to his family, and he asks, them to get rid of what? And getting rid of these pagan idols, why is that so important? Why is purifying themselves so important? How is this showing their allegiance to God?

Verse 6. Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz, also called Bethel in Canaan. Jacob built an altar there and named the place L. Bethel, which means God of Bethel, because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother Esau. Soon after this, Rebecca's old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel.

Ever since, the tree has been called Alunbucketh, which means oak of weeping. Now that Jacob had returned from Padanarum, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, saying, your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on, your name will be Israel. So God renamed him, Israel. So pause and reflect on this covenant between Jacob and God. We've already heard God say that Jacob's name will be Israel, but here it's being confirmed again.

What is the significance of that name change? Verse 11. Then God said, I am El Shaddai, God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great. nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants, and I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you. Then God went

up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. And Jacob named the place Bethel, which means how of God because God had spoken to him there. The next section is The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac. Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath, but Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense.

After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, Don't be afraid, you have another son. Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath, she named the baby Benani, which means son of my sorrow. The baby's father, however, called him Benjamin, which means son of my right hand. So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath, that is, Bethlehem. So pause because here we have the first mention of Bethlehem. What do we know is going to happen in Bethlehem one day?

Verse 20, Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel's grave, and it can be seen there to this day. Then Jacob traveled on and camped beyond Mygdahl Edder. While he was living there, Rubin had intercourse with Bilha, his father's concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob. The sons of Leah were Rubin, Jacob's oldest son, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issaqar, and Zebulin. The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilha, Rachel's servant, were Dan,

and Naftali. The sons of Zilpa, Leah's servant, were Gad and Asher. These are the names of the sons who were born to Jacob at Padinarum. So Jacob returned to his father, Isaac, in memory, which is near Kiryoth Arba, now called Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had both lived as foreigners. Isaac lived for 180 years, then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death, and his sons, Esau, and Jacob buried him. So pause here because we see another descendant of Abraham passing away. We saw Abraham pass away, and now we've seen Isaac pass away. But God is continuing his covenant through Abraham's line. So even though Isaac has passed away, God's promises still remain through Jacob.

The next chapter is chapter 36, the descendants of Esau. As we read through this list of descendants, reflect on how important family line was during this time. Reflect on how when each specific name is mentioned that they have a specific and important story in our history. And also reflect on the fact that God, knows us all by name, and each name is important to him and represents our unique stories. So chapter 36. This is the account of the descendants of Esau, also known as Edom. Esau married two young women from Canaan, Adda, the daughter of Elon, the Hittite, and Ahoybama, the daughter of Anna, and granddaughter of Zibyan, the Hivite. He also married his

cousin, Basemath, who was the daughter of Ishmael, and the sister of Nebeth. Ata gave birth to a son named Elaphaz for Esau. Basemath gave birth to a son named Rule. O'Halabama gave birth to sons named Jush, Jolam, and Cora. All these sons were born to Esau in the land of Canaan. Esau took his wives, his children, and his entire household, along with his livestock and cattle, all the wealth he had acquired in the land of Canaan, and moved away from his brother Jacob.

There was not enough land to support them both because of all the livestock and possessions they had acquired. So Esau, also known as Edom, settled in the hill country of Sayer. This is the account of Esau's descendants, the Edomites, who lived in the hill country of Sayer. These are the names of Esau's sons, Elifaz, the son of Esau's wife, Adda, and Rule the son of Esau's wife, Basemath. The descendants of Elaphaz were Taman, Omar, Zafo, Godham, and Kianaz. Timna, the concubine of Esau's son, Elifaz, gave birth to a son named Amalek. These are the descendants of Esau's wife Ada. The descendants of rule were Nathan, Zara, Shama, and Mizza.

These are the descendants of Esau's wife, Basemath. Esau also had sons through Ahole Obama, the daughter of Anna, and granddaughter of Zibian. Their names were Jush, Jalam, and Cora. These are the descendants of Esau who became the leaders of various clans. The descendants of Esau's oldest son, Elaphaz, became the leaders of the clans of Tamon, Omar, Zepho, Kinaz, Korah, Godham, and Amalek. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edith. who descended from Elaphaz. All these were descendants of Esau's wife, Ada.

The descendants of Esau's son, Rule, became the leaders of the clans of Nathan, Zara, Shama, and Mizza. These are the clan leaders in the land of Edom who descended from rule. All these were descendants of Esau's wife, Basemath. The descendants of Esau and his wife, O'Halabama, became the leaders of the clans of Jush, Jolam, and Cora. These are the clan leaders who descended from Esau's wife, Aholybama, the daughter of Anna. These are the clans descended from Esau, also known as Edom, identified by their clan leaders.

These are the names of the tribes that descended from Sayre, the Horite. They lived in the land of Edom. Lothan, Shobal, Zibyan, Anna, Dishan, Ezr, and Dishan. These were the Horite-Eyte-Rite. clan leaders, the descendants of Sayre, who lived in the land of Edom. The descendants of Lothon were Hori and Hymom. Lothon's sister was named Timna. The descendants of Shobal were Alvin, Monahoth, Ebel, Shifo, and Onam. The descendants of Zibyan were Ayah and Anna. This was the Anna who discovered the hot springs in the wilderness while they were grazing his father's

donkeys. The descendants of Anna were his son, Dishan, and his daughter, O'Holibama. The descendants of Dishin were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithron, and Kieran. The descendants of Ezerr were Bilhan, Zavin, and Akhan. The descendants of Dishan were us and Aaron. So these were the leaders of the Horite clans, Lothan, Shobal, Zibian, Anna, Dishin, Ezr, Dishan. The Horite clans are named after their clan leaders who lived in the land of Sayre. The next section is rulers of Edom. These are the kings who ruled in the land of Edom before any king ruled over the Israelites. Bella, son of Bayor, who ruled in Edom from his city of Dinhabah. When Bila died, Jobob's son of Zira from Basra became king in his place. When Jobob died, Husham from the land of the Teminites became king in his place.

When Husham died, Haddad, son of Bedad became king in his place and ruled from the city of Avith. He was the one who defeated the Midianites in the land of Moab. When Hadad died, Samla from the city of Masraqa became king in his place. When Samla died, Shul from the city of Rehoboth on the river became king in his place. When Shul died, Balhanan, son of Akbor, became king in his place. When Bal Hanan's son of Akbor died, Hadad became king in his place, and ruled from the city of Powell. His wife was Mehetab, the daughter of Matred, and granddaughter of Mezahab. These are the names of the leaders of the clans descended from Esau, who lived in the places named for them. Timna,

Alva, Jethetheth, Aholibama, Ilha, Pinnon, Kynaz, Temen, Mibza, Magdiel, and Iram. These are the leaders of the clans of Edom listed according to their settlement in the land they occupied. They all descended from Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites. So let's pause and honestly take a deep breath. I need a deep breath just from reading all of those names that are very difficult to pronounce and forgive me because I know I mispronounce probably 95% of them. But reflect on why it's important to know this history. Why do you think it's important to understand our Christian history, even this many years later. How does it fit in to the full story of Jesus

and the entire story of the Bible? So hopefully we can breathe a little sigh of relief because sometimes those long lists of names can be a little weary to read through. But that's okay, because they still give us an insight into how God sees us and how God knows us and understands us and how everything is designed in his plan. So let's hop in to Genesis 37 called Joseph's Dreams.

So Jacob settled again in the land of Canaan where his father had lived as a foreigner. This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was 17 years old, he often tended his father's flock. He worked for his half-brothers, the sons of his father's wives, Bilha and Zilpa. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. Let's pause there because remember when Isaac and Rebecca had Jacob and Esau? How did they show favoritism towards their children?

And what kind of trouble did that cause between the two brothers? So let's make a prediction and see if family history will keep repeating itself. the rest of verse three. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph, a beautiful robe, but his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn't say a kind word to him. One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever.

Listen to this dream, he said. we were out in the field tying up bundles of grain suddenly my bundle stood up and your bundles all gathered around and bowed low before mine his brothers responded so you think you will be our king do you do you actually think you will reign over us and they hated him all the more because of his dreams and the way he talked about them soon joseph had another dream and again he told him his brothers about it. Listen, I have had another dream, he said. The sun, moon, and 11 stars bowed low before me. This time, he told the dream to his father as well as to his brothers, but his father scolded him, what kind of dream is that? He asked, will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow to the ground before you? But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant. So let's pause. here and compare how Jacob and Joseph's brothers react to Joseph's dreams.

How does Jacob react in a way that is different from Joseph's brothers? And then how are their reactions similar? And how might these differences give us a little insight into what might happen next? Verse 12. Soon after this, Joseph's brothers went to pasture their father's flocks at Sheckham. When they had been gone for some time, Jacob said to Joseph, your brothers are pasturing the sheep at Shechem. Get ready and I will send you to them. I'm ready to go, Joseph replied.

Go and see how your brothers and the flocks are getting along, Jacob said. Then come back and bring me a report. So Jacob sent him on his way and Joseph traveled to Shechem from their home in the valley of Hebron. When he arrived there, a man from the area noticed him wandering around the countryside. What are you looking for? he asked. I'm looking for my brothers, Joseph replied. Do you know where they are pasturing their sheep? Yes, the man told him.

They have moved on from here. But I heard them say, let's go to Dothan. So Joseph followed his brothers to Dothan and found them there. The next section is called Joseph sold into slavery. When Joseph's brothers saw him coming, they recognized him in the distance. As he approached, they made plans to kill him. Here comes the dreamer, they said. Come on, let's kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns.

We can tell our father a wild animal has eaten him. Then we'll see what becomes of his dreams. But when Ruben heard of their scheme, he came to Joseph's rescue. Let's not kill him, he said. Why should we shed any blood? Let's just throw him into this empty cistern here in the wilderness. Then he'll die without our laying a hand on him. Ruben was secretly planning to rescue Joseph and return him to his father.

So when Joseph arrived, his brothers ripped off the beautiful robe he was wearing. Then they grabbed him and threw him into the cistern. Now the cistern was empty. There was no water in it. Then, just as they were sitting down to eat, they looked up and saw a caravan of camels in the distance coming toward them. It was a group of Ishmaelite traders taking a load of gum, balm, and aromatic resin from Gilead down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, what will we gain by killing our brother? We'd have to cover up the crime.

Instead of hurting him, let's sell him to those Ishmaelite traitors. After all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood. And his brothers agreed. So when the Ishmaelites, who were Midianite traitors came by, Joseph's brothers pulled him out of the cistern and sold him to them for 20 pieces of silver, and the traitors took him to Egypt. Sometime later, Ruben returned to get Joseph out of the cistern. When he discovered that Joseph was missing, he tore his clothes in grief. Then he went back to his brothers and lamented, the boy is gone. What will I do now?

Then the brothers killed a young goat and dipped Joseph's robe in its blood. They sent the beautiful robe to their father with a message. Look at what we found. Doesn't this robe belong to your son? Their father recognized it immediately. Yes, he said, It is my son's robe. A wild animal must have eaten him.

Joseph has clearly been torn to pieces. Then Jacob tore his clothes and dressed himself in burlap. He mourned deeply for his son for a long time. His family all tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. I will go to my grave mourning for my son, he would say. And then he would weep. Meanwhile, the Midianite traders arrived in Egypt, where they sold Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.

Potiphar was captain of the palace guard. So let's pause here and ask ourselves what this story teaches us about jealousy. How is this another story about family dysfunction, favoritism, violence? what does Ruben's part in this story show us about taking action when we feel led to take action versus waiting until it's too late. And then at the very end we see that Joseph has arrived in Egypt and who is he working for? Potiphar. And who is Potiphar an officer of?

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. So make a prediction about what you think. think will happen to Joseph. They wouldn't mention the king if that wasn't significant. Genesis 38, our last chapter of the day. Judah, Tamar, and the birth of Judah's offspring. About this time, Judah left home and moved to Adulam, where he stayed with a man named Hira. There he saw a Canaanite woman, the daughter of Shua, and he married her. When he slept with her, she became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and he named the boy Er. Then she became pregnant again and gave birth to another son, and she named him Onan.

And when she gave birth to a third son, she named him Sheila. At the time of Sheila's birth, they were living in Kazib. In the course of time, Judah arranged for his first-born son, Er, to marry a young woman named Tamar. But Err was a wicked man in the Lord's sight. So the Lord took his life. Then Judah said to Er's brother Onan, Go and marry Tamar as our law requires of the brother of a man who has died. You must produce an heir for your brother. But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir,

so whenever he had intercourse with his brother's wife, he spilled the seaman on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother. But the Lord considered it evil for Onan to deny a child to his dead brother, so the Lord took Onan's life too. Then Judah said to Tamar, his daughter-in-law, Go back to your parents' home and remain a widow until my son Sheila is old enough to marry you. But Judah didn't really intend to do this, because he was afraid Sheila would also die like his two brothers.

So Tamar went back to live in her father's home. Some years later, Judah's wife died. After the time of morning was over, Judah and his friend Hira, the Adulamite, went up to Timna To supervise the shearing of his sheep, someone told Tamar, look, your father-in-law is going up to Timna to shear his sheep. Tamar was aware that Sheila had grown up, but no arrangements had been made for her to come and marry him. So she changed out of her widow's clothing and covered herself with a veil to disguise herself.

Then she sat beside the road at the entrance at the village of Inayim, which is on the road to Timna. Judah noticed her and thought she was a prostitute since she was covered with her face. So he stopped and propositioned her. Let me have sex with you, he said, not realizing that she was his own daughter-in-law. How much will you pay to have sex with me? Tamar asked. I'll send you a young goat from my flock, Judah promised.

But what will you give me to guarantee that you will send the goat? She asked. What kind of guarantee do you want? he replied. She answered, Leave me your identification seal and its cord and the walking stick you are carrying. So Judah gave them to her. Then he had intercourse with her, and she became pregnant.

Afterwards, she went back home, took off her veil, and put on her widow's clothing as usual. Later, Judah asked his friend Hira, the Adulamite, to take the young goat to the woman and to pick up the things he had given her as his guarantee. But Hira couldn't find her. So he asked the men who lived there, where can I find the shrine prostitute who was sitting beside the road at the entrance of Anayam? We've never had a shrine prostitute here, they replied. So Hira returned to Judah and told him,

I couldn't find her anywhere. And the men of the village claim they never had a shrine prostitute there. Then let her keep the things I gave her, Judah said. I sent the young goat as we agreed, but you couldn't find her. We'd be the laughing stock of the village if we went back again to look for her. About three months later, Judah was told, Tamar, your daughter-in-law, has acted like a prostitute, and now because of this, she's pregnant.

Bring her out and let her be burned, Judah did. demanded. But as they were taking her out to kill her, she sent this message to her father-in-law. The man who owns these things made me pregnant look closely, whose seal and cord and walking stick are these. Judah recognized them immediately and said, She is more righteous than I am, because I didn't arrange for her to marry my son Sheila. And Judah never slept with Tamar again. When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins. While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand.

The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child's wrist, announcing, This one came out first. But then he pulled his hand back, and out came his brother. What? The midwife exclaimed. How did you break out first? So he was named Perez. Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zara. So pause here because this is a bit of a strange story, and it even might seem,

out of place, but I want you to reflect and see if you can think of reasons why this story might come right after Joseph was sold into slavery. And then also reflecting on the story as a whole, what are we learning from this? What are we learning about hypocrisy? Was Judah willing to sleep with a prostitute? Was Judah also immediately willing to have his daughter-in-law murdered because she was acting like a prostitute. How does this section show Tamar taking control when her family did not live up to their promises and uphold the law?

And then what do you think is going to happen with her twins? It's very interesting we have that scene of the firstborn twin starting to come, but then retreating back, and then Perez is actually the one who's born first. very interesting. So that's where we're going to end today, because next week we're going to pick right up with Joseph's story.

We're going to see what happens with Joseph after he's sold into slavery in Egypt. So you can be thinking on that and considering what you think might happen and see where the story goes from there. I hope you enjoyed the sections we read today, continue to reflect on them, and see what God is teaching you through. these five chapters today, and I hope you will join us next week as we continue in Genesis. We are getting close to the end of Genesis, and soon we'll be transitioning into Exodus, so that gives us something to look forward to. And I'll talk to you in the next one.