Teach Me The Bible

Bible In A Year: Genesis (Chapters 15 - 36)

• Dr. David Klingler • Season 6 • Episode 13

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Genesis 15–36 traces God’s covenant faithfulness through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Though fear, doubt, and human schemes repeat across generations, God’s promise remains secure. From Isaac’s birth to the unfolding line of the promised Seed, this passage reveals a gospel-centered story of faith, grace, and God’s redemptive plan—calling us to live by faith, not by sight.

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Phil Porter:

You're listening to Teach Me the Bible podcast. Our mission is to help the people of God understand the Word of God. Join us each Monday and Thursday for new episode releases. Listen to our full library of content at teachmethebible.com or by downloading the Teach Me the Bible app from any app store. You're listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast. Welcome everybody to Teach Me the Bible Podcast. My name is Phil Porter. I'm here alongside Dr. David Klingler, and we are making our way through the Bible. And uh if you join us for some time now, you know up until this point a lot has already happened, and we're excited to venture off into the more of this. And actually, today we're actually gonna be covering bigger chunks of scripture. And so um be aware, you know, just focus in because it is a bigger chunk, and uh it's gonna be a great journey. So uh before we do that, if you want any resources uh beyond even this or book studies, you can go on to teachmethebible.com and receive those resources. Uh, there's we have so many things Bible studies podcast, and we also have study by book, and then you can ask questions. Um, there are so many ways for you to learn the Bible, and so just be aware of those resources for you. They're absolutely free. That's one of the things that we uh love to do or love to have available for people is all of those resources. Uh, but like I said, today we're gonna go through a bigger chunk this morning. And so, David, Genesis chapter 15.

Dr. David Klingler:

Yeah, chapter 15. So we're we're in the Abraham section. Well, at least he's not Abraham yet. His name hadn't been changed yet. But in remember back in chapter 12, uh the Lord had uh said to Abram, Go forth from your country, from your relatives to house to from your father's house, to a land which I will show you, and I'll make you a great nation, and I will bless you. And remember, we're tracking this blessing that's coming from from the seed, from from the Genesis 3 15 promise. Uh, and so uh we're watching Abram, who's going to his name is gonna be changed to Abraham here in a couple chapters, uh chapter 17. We're gonna watch his uh uh, you know, just walk along with him and watch the promise. He's received the promise, the promise of being made into a nation, and we're gonna track the promise of seed. In fact, uh in chapter 15, uh that's the question that that uh that Abram begins with says, After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, Do not fear Abram. I am a shield to you, your reward shall be very great. And Abram said, Well, Lord, um, what will you give me since I'm childless? I've been waiting here. I'm you know, I'm I'm waiting for the promise, and and uh nothing's happening. Um And the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus, and Abram said, Since you have given me no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir. Uh then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This man will not be your heir, but one shall come forth from your own body, and he shall be your heir. Now, this is where Abram starts to get himself in trouble, and we'll talk about this here in just a minute. And so the Lord took him outside and said, Now look toward the stars of the heaven, and count the stars if you're able to count them. And he said to him, So shall your seed or descendants be. And uh in uh the New American Standard translates, then he believed in the Lord, uh, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness. Now, uh this is a verse that's very repeated in the New Testament. Uh Paul repeats it, uh, James repeats it. Um and it seems to be in a bit of a contradiction with the way that the author of Hebrews uses it. Um the right the writer of Hebrews uh see uh says that uh Abraham or Abram believed God back in chapter 12 when he left his when he left his country. But here um people have understood this to say that this is where Abram believed in the Lord. Well, when you look at the uh the the verbiage here and and actually the uh the grammar, this is uh what we call a hiphilperfect. It's not something that you need to know. And when we're summarizing a bunch of chapters, it's probably a little more detailed than is necessary. But everywhere else that this this construction appears, said it would be translated more now he had believed, or something like that. It's something that had already happened. So now he had believed in the Lord, and it had been reckoned to him as righteousness. So so the way I understand this is he he had he had already believed the the the word of the Lord back in chapter 12 when he left his country and he's walking along the way. Um but uh here he's uh he's questioning the Lord. I haven't received this promise yet. Um what's going on? And and the Lord tells him, No, this man will not be your heir, one will come forth from your body. Uh then he uh or now he had believed in the Lord, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Uh and he said to him, I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees to give this land to you to possess. And he said, Oh Lord, how will I know that I will possess it? Okay, so so verse eight is a question, how will I know that I'll possess it? What happens after that is the answer to the question. Right? Here's how you'll know. Uh he brought these animals, he laid them out, and uh, and uh they do this uh you know this kind of ceremonial uh exercise where Abram is fallen asleep, and uh and so through this whole kind of scene, the Lord has revealed to him, verse 13, know for certain that your descendants, your seed, will be strangers in a land not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for 400 years. And so we know where the story's headed, right? This is already the introduction of uh of Israel being enslaved in Egypt. And so the Lord has already told them this is what's gonna happen. But I will judge that nation, whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessing uh possessions. And as for you, go your way to to uh to your fathers in peace. You know, you're gonna be buried at a good old age. Then in the fourth generation, 400 years, uh they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete. And so so we're we're already being introduced to uh Joseph gone down to Egypt, uh being enslaved, uh, generations passing, the the nation multiplying, and then Moses leading them out. So, so the the the b the story is already telling you what's coming, right? Now, uh remember back in chapter 15, um uh verse 4, the Lord said, But one shall come forth from your body. And uh so in the next chapter, uh Abram and Sarah, Sarai come up with this plan, right? A good plan, right? It's not so hot, right? Here's their plan. Uh well, you know, uh Sarah thinking, yeah, I'm old, you know, I I can't uh have children, I'm too old. So here's my here's my uh my maid servant, Hagar, who's an Egyptian, that's that's a problem in the story. Um go into her and have have a descendant. And for whatever reason, they agree to this and and they have Ishmael. Okay. Uh and so um this is a problem, right? So uh you know, the reason it's a problem is because of Genesis 224. One man, one woman, one flesh. And so a promise to Abram is a promise to Sarai. A promise to Abram is not a promise to Hagar, right? Because it's 2.24. One man, one woman, one flesh. Uh and so uh chapter 17 begins. Now Abram was ninety-nine years old, and the Lord appeared to him and said, I am God Almighty, walk before me and be blameless, and I will establish my covenant between me and between you. Now, he's already has faith, chapter twelve. He's believed in the Lord, he's trusting in the Lord, but but he's kind of taking this plan into his own hands here. Uh and the Lord says, Look, walk before me and be blameless, and I will multiply you exceedingly. Now, what is it? What does it look like to walk before me and be blamed? Would you just do it my way? Quit doing it your way, do it my way, right? Um you know, and Abram fell on his face and said, uh uh you know, and and talked uh and God talked with him and said, As for me, behold, my covenant is with you, the Lord says to Abram, and you shall be a father of a multitude of nations, and no longer shall your name be Abram or Av Ram, um Av his father, Ram, exalted father. Your name will no longer be exalted father, but your name shall be Av Ra, father of many nations, right? And that's for I will make you a father of many nations. So many of the the names in the Bible, they always mean uh they're they're really defined just right there in the in the context. Um and so you don't even have to know Hebrew, you know, and so but your name shall be Abraham, for I will make you a father of a multitude of nations, and I will multiply you exceedingly. So so then in chapter 17, they're given the the um you know this this promise the Lord uh gives to Abraham, and he says, This is my covenant, which will be between me and you, and it's the c it's circumcision, it's a sign of circumcision. So this is the uh this is the uh sign, uh a guarantee that the Lord is going to do it, and and this is the the sign is to be continued to be uh honored throughout uh all the generations of Israel. Um and uh and then the the Lord says uh you know to Abram, uh, and by the way, your you know, this you know, this child, this Ishmael son that you just had, he will not be your heir, but one will come forth from your uh from Sarah, your wife. Sarah, your wife, shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. Uh now and I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant. Now, the name Isaac means he laughed. When he heard this, Abram Abraham laughed at it. He said, This is ridiculous, you know. Oh women don't have kids, right? And so he laughed, and so the Lord said, uh in fact, uh in verse 18, Abraham Abraham is negotiating. Oh, oh, that Ishmael would live before you forever. I mean, what what ironic language that Ishmael would live before you forever. Well, no, no, no. Uh the promised seed is going to be the one who's going to cause you know life forever. But no, uh, your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name he laughs, Isaac, verse 19, and and he shall uh and I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant. And and of course the rest of the chapter, Abraham is negotiating back on behalf of Ishmael. Oh, but what about Ishmael? No, Isaac. But we like Ishmael. No, Isaac. It's just this back and forth, and and uh so it's really ironic. No.

Phil Porter:

Now, is this a part of the um you know two seeds?

Dr. David Klingler:

Uh yes, yeah. So so what's happening here and is you know, every scene you're watching this these two seeds play out. And Ishmael's gonna be on the wrong side of this equation, and Isaac's gonna be on the promised one. Then you're gonna have Jacob and Esau, and it's just gonna go right down the right down the line. And so you've had uh that's a good point. You've had uh uh Abel and Cain. Cain kills Abel, Seth is a replacement, and then you get these two lines going to the flood, the flood wipes them out, starts right back up, uh, and so the nations are are all you know basically being run by Satan. They're on Satan's side, but you're tracking this promise, and this promise has come down through this genealogy to Abram, and you know, it's it's you know, his wife is barren, and we're waiting, and then he has Ishmael. Now, Ishmael is going to be one of the nations, he's gonna be down there with uh is uh opposing uh the descendants of uh of um uh of uh of Isaac, and uh and so yes, the these are the these are the two sides. And so then we get to chapter 18. Chapter 18, the Lord appears uh to uh um uh to uh Abraham and to Sarai and repeats the promise and um and uh and you know then now Sarah's laughing at this whole thing. I mean, you know, it's a laugh, but uh you know, and so it's just irony. The Lord is going to do it. Uh and then the scene uh in chapter 18, it turns to um Sodom and Gomorrah. You say, well, wait a second, why why would it why would it do that? Well, remember um back in chapter 12, in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. Israel is being created as a nation, not only to bring forth the promised seed, to be a mediator of God's blessing. Uh he's going to interact with the nations through Israel, right? Uh through you, or in you all the families of the earth will be blessed. And so so he is, um, you know, so the actually this is what uh you know, the men rose up from there and they looked down to Sodom, and Abraham was walking off, and the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham what I'm about to do? And since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. And so, you know, I'm gonna work through Abraham. Am I gonna keep what I'm about to do in judging Sodom and Gomorrah from Abraham? And so, for I have chosen him that he may command his uh his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, in order that the Lord may bring uh uh upon Abraham uh what he has spoken to him. And so uh this is um um an interesting passage because Abraham now is uh a mediator. Uh he's he's negotiating on behalf of the of the righteous, right? And so the you know the Lord says, I'm gonna go down there and wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah, and Abraham says, Well, you wouldn't wipe out the righteous with the wicked, would you? Uh suppose there are fifty righteous in the city, you know, would would you you know destroy the righteous with the wicked? You know, far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked. And and uh the Lord says, Okay, I wouldn't do it. And then well w what if there's uh forty, five, or or forty, or thirty, or twenty, or maybe even ten. He negotiates all the way down to ten. Uh, and uh the the Lord said, I will not destroy it on account of the ten. And so so Abram is negotiating, Abraham is negotiating on behalf of the righteous. Now, uh what we find is that Lot's down there, right? And so uh he goes down, so that the angels go down, they deliver Lot the righteous, right? And uh, and you think, well, Lot, um, did you not read what he was doing? Well, remember back in chapter 12, uh it it uh right after this promise or this this statement is given to Abraham or Abram at this point in 12, 1 to 3, it said, So Abram walked according to the uh word of the Lord, went forth, is how they translated. He walked uh just as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot walked with him. And remember that to walk according to the word of the Lord, and so Lot's a believer. Uh Lot's already been delivered uh once in chapter 14, and now Lot's having to be delivered again. The problem is uh Lot has gone down to Sodom and Gomorrah, and he pretty much looks like uh exactly like them. So uh Abram goes uh or or the angels go down, they deliver Lot, they bring Lot out, uh, and uh and then uh we get this story of Lot and his two daughters, and they get him drunk, and this is where the nations of of Moab and Ammon come from. And so the reason all these stories are being told is is they're going to be relevant to Israel. Remember, the the story of Genesis is being told to Israel by Moses so that they will know who they are, why they are, why they exist, uh, where they're going, why they're going there, and what they're supposed to do when they get there. And so all of these stories are relevant for them to know that. Right? Then chapter 20, okay. So then Abram journeyed from there, uh went down to the land of Negev and settled uh there, and and um Abraham uh said of Sarai, his wife, She is my sister. You know, oh here we go again. You know, we're right back to the same thing. And so what's happening is we're walking with Abraham from chapter twelve, really to chapter twenty-two, as Abraham uh the man of faith, um, you know, he's a believer, becomes Abraham uh the man of conviction. His faith is being perfected. And that that's how James says it. Actually, James is is commenting on this section of scripture that that Abraham uh had believed God and it was reckoned to have his righteousness. He had believed God back in chapter 12. It was reaffirmed uh along the way. But there's a lot of points that Abraham's not doing so hot here, right? And and this is uh uh this is one of them. However, uh so Abraham is fearing the foreign king, not fearing the Lord. Same thing that happened back in uh in back back in chapter 12 with Pharaoh. Uh but uh Abimelech is going to um basically align himself with the God of Abraham uh and uh with uh with Abraham. And so um at the end of this story, Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife, uh, and they uh bore children, right? And so uh you're we're watching God work through Abraham relating to the nations, both in chapter 19 with Sodom and Gomorrah, and then in chapter 20 with this uh this king Abimelech, right? So uh chapter 21, the birth of Isaac, right? So uh now I uh Abraham and Sarah have had a son, Isaac. Chapter 21, Isaac is born. Chapter 22, Isaac is uh Abraham is told, sacrifice Isaac. You're gonna go and and you're gonna sacrifice Isaac. And so we're looking for one in the story to die for all. Uh, and so we're watching to see, is this the one? Okay, and the Lord intervenes uh right when Isaac, uh when Abraham is about to uh to carry out this uh this sacrifice. Actually, um Abraham said to his young men, so Abraham's going up, he's taken Isaac, he's got his uh his you know, kind of his workers with him. They're gone up to the mountain, uh, and Abraham said to his young men, to his uh his you know servants, stay here with the donkey. I and the the child, the lad, the begotten kid, uh, will go uh go up, go yonder, we will worship, that is to mean I will offer him as a sacrifice, and we will return to you. No, wait a second. We will go up, we will worship, and we will return. How are we going to return? Resurrection, right? And this is what the New Testament authors are commenting. On that that Abraham believed God, it was recognized as righteousness. And he knew what the plan was, right? That that you know, that the plan was for one to die and one to be raised. And so uh the writer of Hebrews is going to uh to comment on this. And so uh up Abraham goes, and Isaac saying, Hey, Lord, you know, hey, uh dad, where's the sacrifice? And the Lord will provide, the Lord will provide. Well, the Lord provides, he provides a uh a substitute. Actually, this is in verse 14. The Lord will provide. Uh, and uh so it was said of this day, in the mount uh of the Lord, it will be provided, looking forward. And the uh and the angel of the Lord called to Abram a second time, and uh and uh he said, By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this, uh this thing, and you have not withheld your son, your only son. Indeed, I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven and the sand which is on the seashore, and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies. They translate it their enemies, but it's really third person, masculine, singular. Uh remember, there's there's two teams looking for one to come and uh and conquer. So, so now you know that that Isaac is not the promised one, but the next chapter Sarah dies. So uh you know that he's the one that carries the seed. In other words, there's only one child in this story from Abraham and Sarah, and it's Isaac, and he's single, right? You know he's not the promised one, so he's got to carry the seed. He's single, so what do we do with that? Well, we got to get him married. Next chapter, go get him married. Um he marries Rebecca, uh, and then Abraham dies, chapter 25. So uh Abraham gets remarried, has other kids, but kicks them all out of the land, and so there's only one kid with the promise, you know, with the blessing, uh, and uh and the birthright with the the possession of the land and the promise of the blessing, and it's Isaac. And he's married. Here's the problem she's barren. And so, you know, or just it every scene, you're just you know, the plot kind of continues to thicken and opposition and develop, yeah.

Phil Porter:

Yeah.

Dr. David Klingler:

And so uh she's uh she's barren. Um uh but Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife. That that good. He prays to him behalf of the and uh she becomes pregnant and she has twins. And we're gonna watch this uh as you mentioned before, see the woman, see the serpent, gonna play out again. You're gonna have Esau and Jacob. Esau is the oldest, and Jacob is the youngest, and it is revealed to Rebecca by the Lord that two nations are in your womb, the Lord says to Rebecca, and two peoples shall be separated from your body. One shall be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger. And so you know who to watch, you know who the promise is going to be carried with, is gonna be carried with the the younger. And so um but but the story says, now Isaac loved Esau because he had a taste for game. Really? Um, but this is in verse 28, chapter 25, verse 28, but Rebekah loved Jacob. Well, why did Rebekah love Jacob? Because of the promise. Why did Isaac love Esau? Um, because he had a taste for game. Uh it kind of beckons back, or you know, kind of reflects back or or flashes back to uh to uh to Abraham. You know, he's he he's pleading the case for the wrong kid for Ishmael. Um but Isaac is the child of promise. And now uh Isaac is pleading the case for or or loves Esau. He's playing his intention is to bless Esau, the wrong kid. But Rebecca loved Jacob. And so um uh the the uh this uh as the story continues, um Jacob um you know Esau's coming in from the field and he's hungry and and Jacob uh had uh made some some swoop some soup, you know, some chili, Texas chili or something like that. Some red soup and and um said, Give me some of that uh for I'm famished. Um and Jacob said, Sell me your birthright first. And Esau said, I am about to die. What good is my birthright to me? Well, that's greatly ironic, isn't it? If if you're the carrier of the promise and you're about to die, there's nothing more important than your birthright, you know, the promise of seed, promise of resurrection, all that.

Phil Porter:

Can I ask a question before that? Um we previously we'd always talked about, you know, kind of the way of genealogy and things like that. When I look here and I see the descendants of Ishmael and then Isaac's sons, is this just helping us track the It is.

Dr. David Klingler:

That's gonna populate the nations, right? And so these are the peoples that are going to be around Israel, right? So the descendants of Ishmael, the descendants of uh of Esau, uh these are the peoples that are going to be around uh even uh the descendants of uh of Lot with uh with Moab and Ammon. So we're we're populating the nations around so that so that Israel, who's taking the land, they know where these people came from. Yeah, they're they're being oriented into the story. Okay. And so um so Esau sells Jacob his birthright, and thus Esau hated his birthright. Well, that's um that's a problem, right? So we're watching whenever there's the firstborn, the firstborn is the carrier of the promise. They're the carrier of the the birthright and the blessing. Um, and we're gonna watch as Jacob attains both the birthright and the blessing from Esau. Um and and so this is explaining how the promise was is now being carried by the younger, not the older.

Phil Porter:

The the younger will serve what was served the younger.

Dr. David Klingler:

Yep, exactly. Uh now there was a famine in the land, just like before. Um, and um and Isaac went and to uh Abimelech the king, and the Lord appeared to him and said, Don't go down to Egypt, but stay in the land, which I tell you. And so live in the land, and I will bless you. Go forth uh uh and uh for for you and for your your seed, I will give you these lands, and I will establish my oath, which I swore to your father Abraham, and I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heaven, I will give your descendants these land, and your descendants by your uh your descendants or by your seed, all the nations of the earth will be blessed. And so uh so he stays in the land, but uh he lived in Gerar in the middle of the place, ask him about his wife, and he he says, She is my sister. Here we go again, right? In other words, it's just this rehearsal of this same thing. So, so Abraham didn't fear the Lord, Abraham feared the peoples. Now you're going to watch Isaac do the same thing, and and so we're we're watching just kind of this repeated uh you're watching Abraham walk along the way until he becomes the man of faith. And now we're gonna watch Isaac do the same thing. You know, I we're you know, the this is the way the narrator says Isaac's just like his dad. Right. But in the end, he's gonna figure it out. You know, chapter 27, uh, just as Abraham was trying to bless the wrong kid, you know, what about Ishmael? Now Isaac, uh, his plan is to bless Esau. He's about to die, and and so he says, go out. You know, Isaac tells Esau, go out and and bring me in uh some uh a savory dish, uh uh some game of you know meat from the field, and and uh, and I will bless you before I die. Uh Isaac's about to die. And and Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to Esau, and Rebekah says, We we can't have this, right? This story in chapter 27 is actually not so much about Jacob and Esau as it is about Isaac and Rebecca. Isaac, remember, has aligned himself with the wrong kid with Esau, and uh Rebecca has aligned herself with the child of promise, that's Jacob, and so she uh tells Jacob what to do. Here's what you do go in there, cover yourself up, you know, put put on the uh um a uh you know animal skin so that you're hairy like your brother, and I'll make a dish, and you go in there and you act like you're Esau because your dad's gonna bless the wrong kid. And and uh and so uh you know, Jacob's concern, he says, Perhaps my father will feel me, and when I uh am uh seen to be a deceiver, I'll bring a curse upon me and not a blessing. And his mother said, Your curse will be on me. Obey my voice, do what I say. And so we're seeing the contrast of really Isaac's lack of walking by faith, walking by the promise. And Rebecca's operating according uh to the promise. And and so um, as the story goes, um, Isaac blesses Jacob, uh, and then Esau comes in and says, uh, hey, where's where's my blessing? Do you only have one blessing? Yep, that's it. You know, so there's only one birthright, only one blessing, and now Jacob has both. And so the story, uh, you know, and and so uh then Esau goes and marries uh Canaanite woman, and and now Isaac says to Jacob, we're not gonna do this. You know, so so now Isaac's coming around, right? Um, you need a wife. Uh, and and you're gonna get a wife from the right, you know, from the right family. You're not gonna go down to the Canaanites, you're not gonna go over there to team Satan and get a wife. Uh, and so so you've watched now um Abram become Abraham, the man of conviction and of promise. Um uh now you've watched Isaac walk down that trail, and now you're gonna watch Jacob. Uh and we got a lot of work to do with with Jacob. And so so uh Jacob, uh, you know, chapter uh chapter 20, uh, chapter 28, Jacob's gonna go get a wife. Now, uh, you know, he's uh Jacob called upon the name of the Lord uh or uh uh there at Bethel, or called the the place Bethel, uh, and Jacob made a vow. He said, If God be with me and keep me on this journey that I'm about to take, this journey to go get a wife, uh, and give me food to eat and garments to well wear, and I return to my father's house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. Um so this guy is not even a believer at this point. He's uh he's in it for the cash. He he wants the birthright, he wants the the quote blessing. Uh he thinks the blessing is the cash, and we're gonna learn, he's going to learn, and we're going to walk along with him as he learns that there's something bigger uh at play here in the the form of a blessing than than the the cash. The blessing is the promise, uh the promise of eternal life. So off Jacob goes, and uh and uh he uh uh he comes to uh this place and he sees um a wife. He he sees one that's beautiful to his eyes, and and uh her name is Rachel. And um, and uh so he he he loves Rachel, he wants Rachel, right? Um uh but Rachel is the younger of the two. And remember in this story, the older is you know, has preeminence, the older is to be valued, and so uh, you know, Laban's even gonna say, the Laban, the uncle is gonna say, no, no, no. Uh in our family, uh, we marry off the oldest first. But you know, he says, No, I want Rachel. And so he's operating according to what is good and right in his own eyes. He sees that she is good. He's not operating according to the promise. You're just walking right along the same, you're gonna go down the same trail with Jacob as you are with Abraham and Isaac. And so um, uh, and so uh there are two daughters here that come into the story. There's Leah, who's the older, uh, and Rachel was the younger. In chapter 29, verse 17, it says, And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face. Um, probably better, uh, Rachel was kind of common looking to the eyes. But but Rachel. So he's operating by what's good and right in his own eyes.

Phil Porter:

And I always thought about friends. Like Phoebe was common, but Rachel. That's what I always thought about when I read that.

Dr. David Klingler:

Side note, I know. Yeah, side note. Yeah, thanks for thanks for the yeah. For all you listeners, that came from Phil Porter. Phil Porter. Yeah, yeah, that's funny. But uh, but it but anyway, so so he serves uh um he serves Laban for seven years. Uh now here's the great irony, right? So, so it's you know, it's kind of the wedding night, the night to consummate the wedding. Uh, and um uh it's when uh it was dark in the tent he couldn't see that he gets Rachel. So you're gonna hear this theme's gonna be repeated all the way through. That um, you know, when um the reason that um that Isaac blessed the correct son, blessed Jacob and not Esau, is because he couldn't see. He was old and his eyes were weak, he couldn't see. Uh and now uh Jacob is going to get the correct wife, the older wife, the the firstborn, um, because it's dark and he couldn't see. He couldn't do what was good and right in his own eyes because he couldn't see. That the irony there coming out of Genesis chapter 3 is really uh is really something. Uh but uh but so now um uh he's gonna get a second wife. You're gonna, oh gosh. So this goes back to all the way back to Lamac, uh taking two wives. This is this is not a good thing. And and so just because it's in the Bible doesn't make it good. Uh actually the the narrator is showing you how um worldly um Jacob uh is is operating here. Uh he's he's operating just like a pagan. If the Lord be with me and bless me, then the Lord will be my God and putting all these conditions on it. Uh and he's taking two wives, and uh, and uh but Leah is his first wife. She's the firstborn, uh, and she's the Genesis 224 wife to Jacob. And so watch the sons that are coming from Leah. That's where the promise is, you know, because it's coming through the through the firstborn and the 224 wife. And so Leah conceived, and her firstborn was Reuben, and then Simeon, and then Levi, and then Judah. That's all at the end of chapter 29. And so Rachel sees that that uh Leah's having kids and she's barren, and so she comes up with this plan, uh, just like uh Sarah, Sarai did back with Hagar. Here, here's here's my maidservant. How about this? Right? So you're watching the same problems, the same errors repeated uh generation after generation. So Bilha, um, the maid of Rachel, brings forth Dan and Naphtali. And then Leah says, huh. Um let me get in on this. And so now here comes Zilpah, and and she uh that's Leah's maidservant, and she has Gad and Asher. Uh, and then Leah um again uh has uh Issachar and Zebulun, and then finally Rachel has Joseph, and then later Benjamin, and she's actually going to uh to die, and having uh uh having uh Benjamin. Um and so that's the twelve sons, the twelve, the twelve tribes uh of Israel. Now, what happens then? So now um he's had uh Jacob has had all these kids, and now he's going to return, and and the Lord's actually gonna bring him back. Uh the Lord's gonna appear to Jacob and say, return to the land of your fathers to the the to the relatives, and I will be with you. And remember, remember that vow you took. Uh it's time, you know, we got to get you back. And so so he starts heading back, and as he's heading back, he's this is where he wrestles with the Lord, uh, and uh he's going to encounter um he's going to encounter uh Esau on the way back, and he's afraid of Esau. Remember, just as um as uh um Abram feared Pharaoh, as Abram feared uh you know uh Abimelech, as uh Isaac feared uh the the people living in Jurar. Now he's fearing uh he's fearing Esau, he's fearing the the wrong one. And and the reason why he fears Esau, Esau was trying to kill him before, and so that's why he fled to go get a wife. Uh the reason why he's uh he fears Esau is because he's he's stole his blessing. He took all his stuff, right? And so what he does is he sends out this little entourage and says, here's what we'll do. Um I'll send out this entourage and uh and and I'll try to you know give him back some cash, right? Uh it's translated this way. Um you know, uh the the the company uh uh uh Jacob's group comes to meet uh Isa uh to meet uh to meet Esau. Actually, Jacob he doesn't go out in front, he sends other people out in front. And uh and so Esau says, What do you mean by all this company that which I've come uh which I have uh met? And and he said, uh to find favor, Jacob responds, to find favor in the eyes of my Lord. Isn't that interesting? He's he's he's done this to find favor in the eyes of my Lord, not in the Lord, capital L O R D, but in my Lord Esau. And Esau said, I have plenty, my brother. Let what you have be your own. And Jacob said, No, please, uh, if I have found favor in your eyes, take this present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God. Strong language. Yeah, what are you doing? Yeah, it's totally backwards. You since you have received me favorably, he's more concerned about being received by Esau than being received by the Lord. Then he says, Please take this gift of mine, verse 11, or uh literally, please take this barakah, this blessing of mine. He's trying to you know buy buy back, you know, favor. Um and uh and he urges him, he takes the the stuff, and then uh and so uh Jacob is uh is reconciled uh in some ways with Esau, but really Jacob is fearing all the wrong things, right? Uh and so you're you're seeing that Jacob's not there yet. This is how the narrator is saying we're not we're not there with Jacob yet. Now, uh there's one more uh uh child that is recorded as being uh born to uh to uh Leah, and that's Dinah. And this is in chapter 34. Dinah is a fee, it's the only girl that's recorded as being born. Well, is that the only girl? We we don't know. Uh, we know that Dinah was born uh to uh uh to Leah. Um but the reason why you need to know this story is because this is how Simeon and Levi are going to be eliminated from carrying the promise, carrying the blessing. Uh uh And so uh it's through uh Dinah is raped, and Simeon and Levi use circumcision, which is back in chapter 17, the sign of circumcision, to not bless the nations, but as a means by which to exact revenge on the nations. And so so that's how they are removed. Remember, we're tracking Leah's children. So uh Simeon and Levi are the second and third. Uh, and in chapter 35, you have Reuben, the firstborn, um he sleeps with his father's concubine, uh, and he's removed. And so uh we've watched Reuben, Simeon, and Levi all be removed from the carrier of the uh of the promise, the promise of seed, the promise of Messiah. Uh, and and that's where this scene ends. And so chapter chapter 36, uh you get this uh, you know, the here's the descendants of Esau, here's here's all the people that you're gonna see around the the um uh around the nations, uh the nation of Israel. Chapter 37. So the the problem is by the time we get to chapter 37, and we call chapter 37 through 50, and we'll cover that next time. But the chapters 37 through 50, we call this the the Joseph narratives, that's usually what they're called. Uh, but actually, this is how um uh how Jacob, Israel, his name has been changed to Israel now, how Israel, uh the the father, and the sons are all going to come to faith in the promise. We still have some work to do, and it's through uh through Joseph, through selling Joseph into slavery and the things that the events that happen after that. This is how they all come to faith.

Phil Porter:

Man, okay. So one thing I just keep remember reminding myself is Moses wrote all this.

Dr. David Klingler:

Moses wrote all of this so that Israel would know exactly their story, the the nation would know their story, who they are, why they exist, where they're going, why they're going there, and what they're supposed to do when they get there. So, so think about um you know, hearing the the Lord, uh the story of the Lord speaking to Abram, saying, Your descendants are gonna be down there for 400 years, and after 400 years, I'm gonna come down there and I'm going to rescue you. And Moses shows up and says, It's time to be rescued, here I am, right? And so this this is all just an amazing story. But Israel was to what to to watch Abraham to Isaac to Jacob, to watch their fathers, the patriarchs, and and and not make the same mistakes their fathers did. Don't fear the nations, right? Fear the Lord. Um walk by faith, don't walk by uh by sight. I mean, all of these things that uh don't make the mistakes your pat your fathers did. Uh do the acts of faith that your fathers did, and we're going to talk about that more when we get into the to the book of Leviticus. And uh and and so all of this was necessary reading. Uh it was necessary for the people of Israel to understand before they went into the promised land.

Phil Porter:

Yeah, I think what I'm encouraged is, you know, when I see, you know, Abraham uh and Jacob, especially too, just even the whole wives thing, you know, just trying to say, that's my sister. You know, it's just an it's just a man thing to do, you know, just just not thinking, not trusting, not not really 100% bought in. And um, yeah, it's just it's unique. Some of these details of this story as you're talking through and you're walking us through it, it's just unique.

Dr. David Klingler:

It is. And here's the other thing that I would add to that is uh and we often miss this is that the men in the story uh tend to walk, not walk by faith until you know they kind of basically get hit in the head with a log. Yeah. But the women in the story seem to get there a whole lot quicker. And a promise to Abram is a promise to Sarai, a promise to Isaac is a promise to Rebecca, or a promise to Jacob is a promise to Leah, right? And so uh this is Genesis 2.24, one man, one woman, one flesh. And you know, we we tend to push the man out there and say, you know, Abraham believed God has recognized him as righteousness. But there's a there's a uh a wife that goes along with this, and and both of them working together bring about this uh you know the promised seed.

Phil Porter:

So we're tracking the two seeds, and a promise to the male is a promise to the woman. Absolutely. Awesome. Well, we'll look forward to next time. We'll start in um chapter 38, correct? 37. 37. Okay, we'll start in 37, and we'll go through uh the life of Joseph, it seems like. So uh we will see you then. For more resources, visit teachmethebible.com or download our app from any app store. You can partner with Teach Me the Bible in helping the people of God understand the Word of God by subscribing and sharing with others. Thank you for listening to Teach Me the Bible Podcast.