The murderous conspiracy against Joseph by this brothers is accompanied by an array of seemingly chance events and encounters. Someone once wrote that “coincidence is God working in disguise.” And […]

Chapter 37 launches the final “book” of Genesis. Each major section or book of Genesis is introduced by the Hebrew word “toledoth” which means “generations” (2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10, […]

Chapter 35 of Genesis concludes by drawing the curtain on the account of Jacob’s life. Though he will not die for years to come, the narrative focus now shifts toward […]

Jacob’s misguided decision to settle his family in Shechem within the precincts of a Canaanite town led to tragic consequences. By failing to lead his family to Bethel Jacob placed […]

Chapter 34 picks up around ten years after Jacob parted ways with Esau and settled his family in Shechem, a pilgrimage which should have carried on to Bethel. Dinah was […]

The last section ended with the dawn rising after Jacob’s night of wrestling with the God-man (32:31). Having been chastened and renamed, Jacob was now ready to face his brother […]

We’re taking a break from Genesis this week. We are going to look at a passage in Romans that points us to the hope that we can have through the […]

The events described in this passage represent yet another turning point in the life of Jacob. His determination to be reconciled to his brother and subsequent encounter with God are […]

This account of Jacob’s story offers more confirmation of the great lessons we have already drawn from these chapters describing Jacob’s sojourn in Paddan Aram. Chiefly, what is revealed is […]

This passage acts as the second “bookend” holding together twenty years of history in the life of Jacob and his family. At God’s command Jacob will embark on the 300-mile journey from Haran back to Canaan, the land of his fathers. Over the course of two decades, in the convoluted household of Laban, God was […]