Jacob’s Exile We just finished act one, the first main part of the Yaaqov story. Where we had lots of deceit. Now we are going to follow the deceiver into exile and see where it leads him. The first thing that happens to Yaaqov in his exile is he ends up alone in a field, so he falls asleep, as one does…

Looking Back at the Journey Today we come to the end of Ecclesiastes. Over the past weeks, we’ve walked with Qoheleth—the Teacher—on his quest for meaning. And what a journey it’s been. We began with the declaration: “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity” (1:2). Life under the sun is fleeting, elusive,…

Parting of the Brothers Let's take our third and final step into this first part of the Yaaqov story. You can feel the tension has built to a climactic point here. The double deception. Now Jacob appears to be walking away with the blessing, the deceptive plan that he and his mother worked. But it's…

Introduction Life is short. That’s a truth we can’t escape. If you’re young, life feels long—like you’ve got all the time in the world. If you’re older, you know how fast the years go by. One day you’re full of energy and possibility, and then suddenly you’re looking back wondering where it all went.…

Isaac Blesses Jacob So Yaaqov just walked into the tent with the tasty food that my father loves. 18 When he came to his father, he said, “My father.” And he answered, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob replied to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit…

Rebekah’s Plan to Deceive Isaac We just finished walking through This story, and it was the story of how the son of Avraham imitates the deception of his father, Avraham, in deceiving foreign kings, and potentially bringing curse and disaster on the nations instead of blessing. And so remember, in our…

Yitskhaq’s Conflict With Abimelech 15 Now all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are too powerful for us.” 17 And Isaac departed from there and…

Introduction Ephesians 6:18-20 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the…

Isaac Deceives Abimelech The literary design of this unit has been carefully crafted to invite the reader into a meditation on how the children repeat the story of their parents, and how God’s choice of this family means that God’s justice and mercy will also repeat through the generations. 1 There was…

Introduction Life is full of risk. Every decision you make involves some level of uncertainty. The job you take, the investments you make, the people you trust, the ministry you step into—all of it has a cost. Some of us are risk-takers by nature. Others want to avoid risk at all costs. But here in Ecclesiastes…

Jacob Tricks Esau 27 When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a peaceful man, living in tents. 28 Now Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished;…

The Birth of Esau and Jacob The Literary Design of the Yaaqov Story The Jacob story goes from Genesis 25:19 - 37:1 It goes from chapter 25, verse 19. So do you remember how the seven-day narrative in Genesis 1 and 2, the chapter divisions that came much later, they're kind of amiss 'cause the seventh…

Introduction There is an old saying: “As goes the leader, so goes the people.” History is full of examples of nations flourishing under wise leadership—and collapsing under foolish rule. It is one of the leading themes in Parts of the Bible. Koheleth (the Teacher) gives us a picture of what happens when…

Jacob: Introduction Jacob is actually not how anybody in his family would've ever pronounced his name. In Hebrew, this figure's name is Yaaqov Yaaqov. Yaaqov, grandson of Avraham, takes up this third section of the Genesis scroll, though interestingly, he is actually the character who receives the most…

Introduction – A Wake-Up Call You Can’t Ignore My wife always teases me. I fall asleep hard for about 3 hours. You can drive a truck through our house and I wouldn’t hear it. But there are some “wake-up calls” that you can’t ignore — the smoke detector going off, your child screaming “Dad!” in the middle…

Not Chosen But Blessed Let's think through the cycle. The Eden's been planted. The wife, the ezer, has been provided. And so what I'm expecting is maybe something that's disappointing, some sort of mistake or tragedy that's going to lead to division, strife. 1 Now Abraham took another wife, whose name…

Introduction Let me ask you: have you ever been in such a rush to finish something that you skipped over a basic precaution and paid the price for it later? Maybe you were putting together a piece of furniture, ignored the instructions, and ended up with five extra screws and a shelf upside down. Or…

Isaac’s Marriage to Rebekah This is the last stop before Abraham is sent the the grave. Today we are going to be with Rivqah. Remember here name is the sounds of the work “blessing” in Hebrew, with the letters mixed up. And we're gonna follow her on her Abraham-like journey to the land of the new Eden.…

Introduction: The Danger of Small Things Small things can cause big problems. A single spark can start a forest fire. One missed detail can derail a mission. And, as Ecclesiastes 10 opens, a few dead flies can ruin a whole bottle of expensive perfume. This isn’t just about hygiene—it’s about how a little…