01/07/08: Genesis 27-29
Chapter 27:
If Issac's blessing was for Esau, how can Jacob "steal" it just by being there and lying? The blessing was meant for Esau. God knows that.
Ted: That is a question that people have posed for centuries. First of all, i think it was predestined (by God) for Jacob to deceive his brother, because it was predestined for God's chosen nation of the world to be Israel. One might wonder how that can be, if God is not a deceiver. In a nutshell, this basically has to do with my believe that this entire universe and earth were made IMPERFECT, by God, on purpose, from the beginning. God knew that evil HAD to be a part of all of this, because only in that way could "the elect" (those who will go on into the new Creation after this one is destroyed) know that even the slightest bit of evil is bad and be willing to be rid of every last remnant of it.
But more to the point, I guess, is this: are the words of Issac's blessing more important than the intent?
Ted: Well, evidently, Isaacs words were of UTMOST importance. Once they were spoken, they could not be rescinded.
Chapter 28:
Why would Issac still bless Jacob after he had stolen his brother's blessing?
Ted: I think Isaac may have blessed Jacob again there because of 27:46, where Esau's hittite wives were a source of grief for Rebekkah and Isaac.
Chapter 29:
What were wells of the time like? They cover this one with a rock. They water all of these sheep from it. Is it like a later well, a deep shaft with a covering and a bucket on a rope?
Ted: I'm not sure. I guess that logic would seem to dictate that they were a hole in the ground and they used a bucket to dip down into it.
Why did Laban give Leah to Jacob? Why did Jacob lay with her first, and ask questions later?
Ted: I think Laban knew that Leah was not nearly as beautiful as Rachel and would have a harder time getting a husband. So, since she was the eldest, he deceived Jacob (which, really, is an example of "what goes around, comes around"). Now it doesn't say, but I suspect that at the big feast, Jacob got smashed. Inside the tent, it was dark, so he wouldn't have seen that it was Leah he was lying with.
Didn't they have marriage ceremonies?
Ted: I don't know if they necessarily had a formal ceremony. i think the feast sort of was the celebration of the marriage union. I think that until God gave all the law to moses (centuries later), marriage was not a formal ceremony.
If Issac's blessing was for Esau, how can Jacob "steal" it just by being there and lying? The blessing was meant for Esau. God knows that.
Ted: That is a question that people have posed for centuries. First of all, i think it was predestined (by God) for Jacob to deceive his brother, because it was predestined for God's chosen nation of the world to be Israel. One might wonder how that can be, if God is not a deceiver. In a nutshell, this basically has to do with my believe that this entire universe and earth were made IMPERFECT, by God, on purpose, from the beginning. God knew that evil HAD to be a part of all of this, because only in that way could "the elect" (those who will go on into the new Creation after this one is destroyed) know that even the slightest bit of evil is bad and be willing to be rid of every last remnant of it.
But more to the point, I guess, is this: are the words of Issac's blessing more important than the intent?
Ted: Well, evidently, Isaacs words were of UTMOST importance. Once they were spoken, they could not be rescinded.
Chapter 28:
Why would Issac still bless Jacob after he had stolen his brother's blessing?
Ted: I think Isaac may have blessed Jacob again there because of 27:46, where Esau's hittite wives were a source of grief for Rebekkah and Isaac.
Chapter 29:
What were wells of the time like? They cover this one with a rock. They water all of these sheep from it. Is it like a later well, a deep shaft with a covering and a bucket on a rope?
Ted: I'm not sure. I guess that logic would seem to dictate that they were a hole in the ground and they used a bucket to dip down into it.
Why did Laban give Leah to Jacob? Why did Jacob lay with her first, and ask questions later?
Ted: I think Laban knew that Leah was not nearly as beautiful as Rachel and would have a harder time getting a husband. So, since she was the eldest, he deceived Jacob (which, really, is an example of "what goes around, comes around"). Now it doesn't say, but I suspect that at the big feast, Jacob got smashed. Inside the tent, it was dark, so he wouldn't have seen that it was Leah he was lying with.
Didn't they have marriage ceremonies?
Ted: I don't know if they necessarily had a formal ceremony. i think the feast sort of was the celebration of the marriage union. I think that until God gave all the law to moses (centuries later), marriage was not a formal ceremony.
