Seder 25: An Alternate View of Genesis 27---Who is Being Deceived?

 The narrative of Genesis 25-27 raises lots of questions about Isaac and Rebekah and their sons.  For instance, does Rebekah share with Isaac the special revelation she receives about Jacob and Esau before their birth?  

If the answer is no, then this would be an example of the biblical motif of a parent "keeping a saying in mind" or "hiding it in one's heart." If Rebekah kept the revelation to herself, that could help explain why Isaac seems to want to act contrary to it in Chapter 27 in his desire to bless Esau above Jacob.

One standard way to interpret chapter 27 is to see Rebekah taking matters into her own hands to carry out what she is sure is God's will in securing the primary blessing for Jacob.  Isaac's poor eyesight is then viewed as a sign of a lack of spiritual insight in regard to his sons.  

I recently learned about an interestng alternate interpretation championed by David J. Zucker.  Zucker proposes that Isaac and Rebekah work together in Chapter 27 to deceive Jacob.  

In Zucker's reading Rebekah has shared the revelation of Genesis 25:23 with Isaac, and the two agree that Esau is not qualified to be spiritual leader of the next generation of the family.  Esau has shown this in the lack of value he places in the family birthright, as well as in his taking two Hittite wives (26:34), a course of action that greatly disappoints his parents (v 35).  The two had worked closely together in addressing their fertility problems, and they continue to work together.  Their twins have reached age 77, and they would like Jacob to go out in the world to prove himself, and in particular to take a wife from their clan back in Haran.  If Jacob appears to steal a blessing from Esau, Esau's anticipated reaction will force Jacob to go out on his own.  

If Rebekah and Isaac plan the deception together, they are counting on Jacob being willing to deceive Isaac for a chance at a better blessing.  And indeed, Jacob seems to be less worried about the ethics of tricking his father than about the possibility of getting caught (27:11-12).  Jacob says that he is a "smooth man," which can be taken in more than one way.  The word for "smooth"---chalaq---is elsewhere used for smooth or flattering speech (Pr 5:3; 26:28; Eze 12:24).  Jacob's intent is to deceive, whether or not he is actually doing so.  

I do not know whether Zucker's reading is correct, but I confess that I would like it to be.  I do not think it contradicts the biblical account in any way, and it fits well with a number of things in the text, including:

• the fact that the text does not mention any damage to the relationships among Isaac, Rebekah, and Jacob.  Isaac does not seem to get angry at either Rebekah or Jacob, for example, when the deception is revealed.
• the fact that Isaac seems to basically know that the one who has come to him for a blessing isn't Esau, but he goes ahead with the blessing anyway.
• the verses in Chapters 24-26 that imply a close relationship between Isaac and Rebekah.
• the blessing that Isaac gives to Jacob seems to be a better fit for a herdsman/farmer than for a hunter.  

Whoever was being deceived, the blessing Isaac gives to Jacob in chapter 27 is not the full covenant blessing.  Isaac conveys that to Jacob in Ge 28:1-4.  Perhaps he had planned to give that to Jacob all along, regardless of his intentions for the blessing of chapter 27.  

It is also notable that the blessing of chapter 27 has messianic implications.  Since Jacob only has one brother, the plural in verse 29 seems to look ahead to a descendant or descendants of Jacob.  Kevin Chen, for example, argues that this is a messianic prophecy.

Seder 23: Luke 12:22-34---Trusting God in the Midst of Uncertainty

 After Sarah's death, Abraham remarried and had several children with Keturah  Keturah was a concubine, a wife of lower status than Sarah, and Abraham gave gifts to her children but left the bulk of his estate to Isaac (Gen 25:1-6).  

Abraham was to be a father of many nations, and the nations that sprang from these children were among them.  Specifically, these were peoples in Arabia who were prominent in the spice trade, for example.  Isaiah 60:1-7 pictures these nations joining with Israel in the messianic era.  

King David, after he began to reign from Jerusalem, added more wives and children to his family, including four sons with Bathsheba (2 Sam 5:13-16).  2 Samuel 5:13-6:1 is a haftarah reading connected with Genesis 25:1-19 in an ancient Jewish lectionary.  

While Abraham and David could add to their families, there were lots of things that were beyond their control.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on April 20, 2024, Kyle Kettering observed that the very reason we should not worry about the future is that the future is uncertain.  We can't control it.  We should plan for the future, but not count on those plans, as James 4:13-15 counsels.  We should place our lives in God's hands, as the psalmist did in Psalm 71:1-3.  God will take care of us, as Jesus taught in Luke 12:22-34.  

Seder 20: Comparing Abraham and Job

 In her book Subversive Sequels in the Bible, Judy Klitsner identifies a number of parallels in the biblical narrative and places the parallel accounts in conversation with each other.  

One of her examples comes from Genesis 22, where God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac.  At the end of the chapter are listed some names of the children of Abraham's brother Nahor.  Three of these names also show up in the book of Job, but not in many other places:

• Uz is Nahor's first son (Ge 22:21), and Job lived "in the land of Uz" (Job 1:1).
• Buz is Nahor's second son, and Elihu in the book of Job is a "Buzite" (Job 32:6).
• Chesed is another son of Nahor (Ge 22:22), and in Job 1:!7, some Chaldeans (plural of Chesed) make a raid on Job's camels. 

There are also parallels between Abraham and Job themselves:

• Both feared God (Ge 22:12; Job 1:1).
• Both compare themselves to "dust and ashes" (Ge 18:27; Job 42:6).
• Both are old and contented when they die (Ge 25:8; Job 42:17).

Their narratives contrast two different ways to react to the prospect of a sudden loss.  Abraham responds to God's directive in uncomplaining obedience, while Job vocally questions God.  Their widely divergent responses have recently been discussed in Richard Middleton's book, Abraham's Silence;  The Binding of Isaac, the Suffering of Job, and How to Talk Back to God.  

Seder 24: Gen 25-26---Comparing Abraham and Isaac

 Chapters 25-26 of Genesis present a number of parallels between the lives of Abraham and Isaac, inviting the reader to compare the two.  Some of the comparisons are:

• Like Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah had fertility problems.  Unlike Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah did not resort to using a concubine.  
• Like Abraham, Isaac had to deal with famine.  Unlike Abraham, Isaac did not seek refuge in Egypt.
• Like Abraham, Isaac was wary of the people of surrounding cultures and did not trust them.  Like Abraham, Isaac claimed his wife was his sister because of this distrust.
• Like Abraham, Isaac was blessed with great wealth.
• As with Abraham, the leaders of Gerar were attracted to Isaac's wealth and sought a treaty with him.
• Isaac, like Abraham, had to cope with disputes over wells and water rights.
• Isaac, like Abraham, sought to have peace with those around him and distanced himself from conflict.

Seder 23: Gen 25:1-19---Abraham's Increase

 After Sarah's death, Abraham lived for another 38 years.  Through an additional wife, Keturah, he fathered six more sons.  Genesis 25 records more information about how Abraham became a father of many nations (Gen 17:4-6).  

The name Keturah is related to Hebrew words for "smoke" and "incense".  Historically her children are associated with the spice trade (Isa 60:6, e.g.).  

Gen 25 also shows how God's promises to Ishmael were carried out.  Ishmael was the father of 12 princes, as promised in Gen 17:20---see Gen 25:12-18.  They were known to be nomadic herders and merchants--see for example the biblical references to the tents and flocks of Kedar (Ps 120:5; Song 1:5; Isa 60:7; Ezek 27:21).  They seem to have had lots of interaction with the tribes that came from the sons of Keturah (e.g., Gen 37:25-28, 36).

Abraham continued to follow a policy of promoting peace by spreading his extended family out over a wide region.  Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury Abraham (Gen 25:9).  Later the Midianites from Jethro's family were friends of Israel.  On the other hand, other Midianites would later oppose Israel (Num 25; Judges 6).  

Only one of family lines descending from Abraham would lead to the Messiah---the line through Isaac---but God's plan is to bless all nations, and he has all of them in mind.  

Although the Bible tells us little about Keturah, she was important to Abraham.  In his sermon at Church of the Messiah on Aug 22, Kyle Kettering set aside time for men in the congregation to praise their wives. 

Seder 21: Psalm 112---An Acrostic Wisdom Psalm

 Psalm 112 is a wisdom psalm, like Psalm 1.  And like Psalm 111 right before it, it is an acrostic psalm, consisting of 22 phrases whose first letters go through all the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in order.

Psalm 112 says that an attitude of proper fear of God leads to a number of good things.  Such an attitude leads one to heed God's word (v 1) and to grow in  wisdom (Ps 111:10), resulting in blessings in the present and future.   As 1 Tim 4:8 says, "Godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." 

Some of the traditions surrounding Ps 112 involve Abraham and Sarah.  One midrash based on the acrostic nature of the psalm says that these two obeyed God "from aleph to tav" (we would say from A to Z).  And as a result they had mighty descendants (v 2).  In particular, Isaac prayed for Rebekah and she was able to conceive children (Gen 25:21).  And Isaac's son Jacob prevailed in wrestling with an angel (Gen 32).  

Ps 112 ascribes qualities usually attributed to God to people who fear God.  God's word reflects his character, and those who heed it become more like him.  For example, vv 3,9 say of those who fear God that "their righteousness endures forever."  They accumulate "treasure in heaven" for a lasting reward.

In Jesus' day "righteousness" (tzedekah in Hebrew)  was associated in particular with giving to the poor, a connection made in Ps 112:9.  Paul quotes this verse in 2 Cor 9:6-15, where he urges believers in Corinth to follow God's example of generosity and contribute to famine relief for those in Judea.  

With a firm foundation in God's word, those who fear God will not be shaken by hard times (vv 5-8).

Seder 20 Sermon: Five Questions About Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael

On Aug 1, 2020, Rob Wilson preached a sermon at Church of the Messiah addressing five questions raised by the Genesis account of the life of the patriarch Abraham.  

The first is the question of child sacrifice, which God does not allow (Deut 18:10).  Why, then, did God test Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen 22:2)?  Rob suggested that God wanted to teach something about the ultimate sacrifice that would later be made on the cross.  Also, Abraham had earlier resorted to human schemes to try to help carry out God's promises (Gen 16), but proved in Gen 22 that he had come to trust God enough to give up trying to do God's work for him.  

The second is the myth that hostility between Jews and Arabs goes all the way back to the days of Isaac and Ishmael.  Though there was antagonism between Sarah and Hagar (Gen 16:4-7; 21:9-10), Abraham remained close to Hagar and Ishmael, and we know that Isaac and Ishmael got together after Abraham's death to bury their father (Gen 25:9).  Hostility between Jews and Arabs dates back only to the founding of Islam in the seventh century AD.  

The third is the tendency to equate Arabs and Muslims.  But most Muslims are not Arabs, and some Arabs are not Muslims.  

The fourth is the question of how people hear from God.  Sometimes such communication is direct, other times more indirect---e.g., through human instruments.  In general, we should be slow to judge claims about whether a particular message comes from a divine source.

The fifth is the question of Abraham's striking silence in Gen 22.  The Bible does not tell us about Abraham asking any questions after God directs him to offer Isaac as a burnt offering.  Should Abraham be admired for his willingness to obey or questioned for his apparent lack of interaction with God in this situation?  This is another question that is difficult to answer, and people at Church of the Messiah have been contemplating it since Dr. Richard Middleton lectured on the subject in Dayton two years ago.