When Jacob was running away from Esau—his brother, he arrived at a place called Bethel—the house of God.

There the LORD appeared to him in a dream and made a promise, saying—

I am the LORD—God of your Fathers.

20 years later, the LORD appears to Jacob yet in a another dream.

And he tells him to return to that place, where he first met him—to Bethel—the land of his fathers.

Devotional

Genesis 31

Deuteronomy 31:6

Exodus 23:20-21

Judges 18:24

Leviticus 19:32

Psalm 55:22

God's promise to bless Jacob bore much fruit, so much that, his wives and uncle, Laban, benefited from that blessing abundantly.

Devotional

Genesis 30

John 15

Song of Solomon 7:13

Jeremiah 24:1

Luke 1:48

1 Samuel 1:5

Genesis 1:8

Psalm 127:3

Psalm 1:3

1 Samuel 1:6

Isaiah 4:1

1 Timothy 5:8

Isaiah 14:29

Jacob 'toils and tills' his way through a well, when he rolls over a large stone covering the mouth of a well of water—where does he get the strength to do that? Later on, he 'toils and tills' his way through his deceitful uncle, Laban—where does he get the ability and resilience to work 14 years for a woman?

Most certainly, the God of Bethel was with him all the way.

Jacob was invited to enter the temple of God. He saw the Messiah—the Son of Man, and angels were ascending and descending on him. As if that wasn't enough, he heard the voice of God speak to him—above the Son of Man. Jacob was frightened at that awesome and dreadful scene, and from that moment, he repented—making a vow to only serve the LORD Almighty who appeared to in a dream.

Devotional

Genesis 28

John 1:51

Jacob is a prophet, God in a dream reveals to him the son of God

By pouring oil on the stone he is acting like a priest

Genesis 12:7–8 God had appeared to Abraham near this place

Blessing

Genesis 1:22

Genesis 26:35—they were bitterness of Spirit

Dreams

Numbers 12:6

Ezekiel 1:1

Daniel 2:1 & 3

Daniel 7:13_14

Numbers 12:6

Job 33:15–18

Gate or Door

Matthew 7:13–14

John 10:9

John 14:6

Ephesians 2:18

Hebrews 9:8

Revelation 4:1

Holy place

Exodus 3:5

Joshua 5:15

Anointing

Leviticus 8:10

Numbers 7:1

Stone

Isaiah 28:16

1 Peter 2:4

Genesis 49:24

You've often read Genesis 27 from the blind-eyes of Isaac, but how does the narrative actually look like from the actively watching Rebekah?

Devotional

Genesis 27

Genesis 25:12—34

Genesis 48:13—20

Genesis 49:3—4

1 Chronicles 5:1—2

1 Kings 1:5

Numbers 20:18—21

2 Chronicles 21:8—10

1 Corinthians 2:14

Hebrews 5:14-6:3

Romans 9:13

Hebrews 12:16—17

Hebrews 11:20

Jesus once said, to love him is to listen and keep his word.

Where or to who do you turn to when faced with challenges, vulnerability, need or crisis?

Abraham listened and kept God's voice—Yahweh's charge, his commandments, his statutes and his Torah or laws. Will Isaac navigate through the example set by his father? 

Will he listen to God's voice and keep what it commands? 

Perhaps his adversary—the Satan, the Philistines, will succeed in frustrating his efforts to possess the land God had promised to his father, himself and his seed?

Will he obey?

Devotional

Genesis 26

Genesis 12

Genesis 20

Genesis 22:16—18

Deuteronomy 6

John 14

John 14:15

John 14:21

John 14:23

John 15:10—14

1 John 5:3

2 John 6

Psalm 119

Psalm 34

Revelation 1:3

The Wells of Abraham

Esek—Contention

Sitnah—Hatred or Adversary or Satan

Rehoboth—the LORD has made room

Beersheba—The well of the Oath or Seven

Charge or Mismeret, Commandments or Mitzvah, Statutes or Huqqah and Law or Torah, all four words make their first-time appearance in Genesis 26

Esau’s marriages were a spirit of grief to his parents

What did the LORD reveal to Rebekah? And why did she love Isaac more than Esau?

Devotional

Genesis 25

Genesis 38:27

1 Samuel 1:5

1 Chronicles 1:32

2 Samuel 5:13

Obadiah 18

Jeremiah 31:11

Isaiah 41:8

Psalm 135:4

Deuteronomy 32:9

Numbers 24:19

Numbers 24:17

Abraham and Isaac had lost the love of their lives—Sarah. There was no comfort for Isaac in his father's riches. Abraham called his oldest servant who was in his house, made an unusual oath to find Isaac a wife in Aram or Mesopotamia—among his relatives. And he sent him on a journey of many weeks, carrying 10 camels. When he stopped by a well of water to speak to the God of his master—in his heart, outside the city of Nahor, a beautiful virgin came out at evening to draw water. The Angel of the LORD had made a way for the servant. He quickly engaged her and the conversation was full of God's loyal love and faithfulness, to such an extent Isaac's grief was comforted.

Devotional

Genesis 24

John 4

Judges 6:11-23

Psalm 105:1—2

Psalm 145:8

Psalm 119:105

Psalm 136

Khesed—God is overflowing with Loyal Love

Exodus 34:6

Ruth 3:10

Genesis 32:10

Numbers 14:19

Emet—God is overflowing with Faithfulness—Truth—Trustworthy—Trust—To Believe—To Have Faith

Genesis 15:6

Exodus 17:12

Exodus 18:21

Exodus 14:31

1 King 3:6

2 Samuel 7:16

Romans 15:8—9

Joshua 24:2

Genesis 11:26

Sarah dies at a good old age. Abraham becomes the first man to recorded to weep. The Hittites call his an elohim nasi—a mighty prince of God—a ruler of God. Later he acquires his first piece of land, which the LORD promised him—and is a burial site for his wife, the cave of Machpelah, in the land of Canaan.

Devotional 

Genesis 23

2 Samuel 24:18-25

1 Corinthians 15

Romans 8

1 Thessolonians 4

Matthew 24

The LORD’s Land

Leviticus 25:23

The LORD tests Abraham, asking him to offer Isaac—his only son, on mount Moriah.

Will he pass the test?

Devotional

Genesis 22

John 1

John 3

Matthew 4

Hebrews 6:13

Hebrews 11

James 1:12—13

Tempt

Exodus 16:4

Exodus 20:20

Deuteronomy 8:2

Deuteronomy 8:16

Deuteronomy 13:3

Judges 2:22

Judges 3:4

Abrahams’s alters

1. Land of Canaan—Sichem—Plan of Moreh—Genesis 12:6-7

2. The mountain east of Beth-el, which is on the west and AI on the east—and called on the Name of the LORD—Genesis 12:8-9

3. Hebron—Plain of Mamre—perhaps by the trees of Mamre—Genesis 13:18

4. Beersheba—planted a grove and called the Name of the LORD—

5. Land of Moriah—one of the mountains—Genesis 22:9