Day 21

I have not shared in the last couple of days because I have been down with Covid. I am so grateful for the healing process, and if there is anything I appreciate more, it is sound health! I did keep up with reading the bible but couldn’t bring myself to type. Though still healing, I am glad to be back. So let’s get right into it.

I was taken aback that Isaac, having two sons, only planned on blessing one. Tradition? And that was going to be his favourite son, Esau. Meanwhile, Deborah made sure her own favourite got all the blessings. Of course, Jacob was game. If both parents did not have favourites, perhaps they could have thought this through properly. This caused Esau to hate his brother and want to kill him (27:41).

27:34–38 — I felt sorry for Esau here. He cried and begged. It also seems that he regretted selling his birthright to Jacob. Selling his birthright was a bad sense of judgment on Esau’s part, but the deception from Rebekah and Jacob in today’s reading is all on them.

Chapter 27:42–46 — Rebekah knew Esau was planning to kill Jacob, then she asked Jacob to go meet her brother Laban in Haran. She had finished this plan with Jacob; she then complained about the Hittite women Esau married to Isaac. This then makes Isaac (28: 1–2) command Jacob not to marry a Canaanite woman. So it seems Jacob is simply going to get a wife, but in reality, she wanted him to hide from Esau. Rebekah! 😃 It was easy to get Isaac on her side because he also wasn’t pleased that Esau married those women, as we saw in 26:35.

Despite Jacob’s mess-ups and deceitful nature, God still confirmed his covenant with Abraham through him. The more I study, the more I understand God’s character. He is not looking for perfection. I don’t have to be perfect to be used by God; by extension, I should not judge others’ mistakes and question why God is using them or blessing them.

28:20–22 — Jacob makes a vow to God and promises to give God a tenth of all He blesses him with.

In chapter 29, we see more deceits. It seems like deception runs in their blood — Rebekah, her brother Laban, and Jacob. Let’s just say Jacob met his match in Laban. What stopped Laban from telling him that it was their tradition to marry the older daughter first? Instead, he made Jacob believe he was getting married to Rachel, that Jacob had to spend another seven years working for Laban to get the woman he wanted.

See what God did for Leah? Seeing she wasn’t loved, He enabled her to have kids. Leah had four sons in this chapter, while Rachel had none. What caught my attention, though, is when Leah had her 3rd, she said, ‘now my husband would love me because I have borne him three sons. Leah longed for Jacob’s love. I can only imagine how left out she felt knowing that Jacob loved her sister more. This shows if someone doesn’t love a person, there is not much the person can do to make that person love them more.

I have also noted the patterns between Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel. Despite their husband’s love for them, the three couldn’t conceive early enough. Sarah gave birth to Isaac at 100 years, Isaac had to intercede on Rebekah’s behalf. Now Rachel is unable to conceive.