and to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. I gave Esau Mount Seir to possess, but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt. and to Isaac I gave Jacob and EsauThis phrase highlights God's sovereign choice and the continuation of His covenant promises through Isaac's lineage. The Hebrew root for "gave" (נָתַן, natan) implies a deliberate and purposeful act of bestowal. In the context of Genesis, God’s giving of Jacob and Esau to Isaac signifies the unfolding of His divine plan. Isaac, as the child of promise, receives not just sons but the carriers of two distinct nations. This reflects God's providence and His intricate design in history, where He orchestrates events to fulfill His promises to Abraham. I assigned the hill country of Seir to Esau
The phrase "I assigned" (נָתַן, natan) again emphasizes God's active role in determining the destinies of nations and individuals. The "hill country of Seir" refers to the region that became the territory of the Edomites, descendants of Esau. Historically, Seir is a mountainous region south of the Dead Sea. This allocation underscores God's justice and fairness, as Esau, though not the child of promise, is still provided for by God. It also sets the stage for the later interactions between Israel and Edom, highlighting the complex relationships between the descendants of Jacob and Esau. but Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt
The conjunction "but" introduces a contrast between the destinies of Esau and Jacob. While Esau receives a land inheritance immediately, Jacob's journey takes a different path. The phrase "went down to Egypt" is laden with historical and theological significance. It marks the beginning of a pivotal chapter in Israel's history, where Jacob's family becomes a nation in the crucible of Egyptian bondage. This movement to Egypt, though initially a refuge during famine, sets the stage for the Exodus, a defining moment of deliverance and identity for the Israelites. Theologically, it illustrates God's mysterious ways, where apparent setbacks are woven into His redemptive plan. The descent into Egypt is a reminder of God's faithfulness to His promises, as He uses even adverse circumstances to fulfill His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Persons / Places / Events 1. IsaacThe son of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac is a patriarch in the lineage of the Israelites. He is the father of Jacob and Esau, representing the continuation of God's covenant with Abraham. 2. JacobAlso known as Israel, Jacob is the younger son of Isaac and Rebekah. He is the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, and his journey to Egypt marks a significant event in the history of the Israelites. 3. EsauThe elder twin brother of Jacob, Esau is the ancestor of the Edomites. He was given the hill country of Seir as his inheritance, which signifies God's provision and plan for different nations. 4. SeirA mountainous region assigned to Esau and his descendants, the Edomites. It represents the fulfillment of God's promise to Esau, despite his separation from the covenant line. 5. EgyptThe land where Jacob and his sons went during a famine, leading to the eventual enslavement of the Israelites. This event sets the stage for the Exodus and God's deliverance of His people. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty in Family DynamicsGod orchestrates His plans through family lines, even amidst human conflict and imperfection. Trust in His overarching plan for your family. Inheritance and Divine ProvisionJust as God provided Seir for Esau, He provides for all His creation. Recognize and be grateful for God's provision in your life. The Role of Egypt in God's PlanEgypt was both a place of refuge and bondage for the Israelites. Reflect on how God uses both blessings and trials to shape His people. Faithfulness Across GenerationsGod's promises to Abraham were fulfilled through Isaac, Jacob, and beyond. Consider how your faithfulness can impact future generations. God's Distinct Plans for IndividualsEsau and Jacob had different paths, yet both were under God's care. Embrace the unique path God has for you, without comparison to others. Bible Study Questions 1. How does the account of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau illustrate God's sovereignty in family relationships, and how can this understanding impact your family dynamics today? 2. In what ways can you see God's provision in your life, similar to how He provided the land of Seir for Esau? 3. Reflect on a time when a challenging situation, like the Israelites' journey to Egypt, was used by God for a greater purpose in your life. 4. How can you ensure that your faithfulness to God positively influences future generations, as seen in the lineage from Abraham to Jacob? 5. What steps can you take to embrace the unique path God has for you, avoiding the pitfalls of comparison with others' journeys? Connections to Other Scriptures Genesis 25-36These chapters provide the background of Isaac, Jacob, and Esau, detailing their family dynamics and God's promises to them. Deuteronomy 2:5This verse highlights God's command to the Israelites not to contend with the Edomites for the land of Seir, as it was given to Esau. Genesis 46This chapter describes Jacob's journey to Egypt, emphasizing God's sovereignty in using circumstances to fulfill His purposes. People Aaron, Amorites, Balaam, Balak, Beor, Canaanites, Egyptians, Eleazar, Esau, Girgashite, Girgashites, Hamor, Hittites, Hivite, Hivites, Isaac, Israelites, Jacob, Jebusites, Joseph, Joshua, Nachor, Nahor, Nun, Perizzites, Phinehas, Seir, Serah, Terah, ZipporPlaces Canaan, Egypt, Euphrates River, Gaash, Gibeah, Jericho, Jordan River, Moab, Red Sea, Seir, Shechem, Timnath-serahTopics Assigned, Egypt, Esau, Heritage, Hill, Isaac, Jacob, Mount, Possess, Seir, Se'ir, SonsDictionary of Bible Themes Joshua 24:3 5665 children, attitudes to Joshua 24:2-3 5076 Abraham, life of Library February the Tenth Registering a Verdict
"The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey." --JOSHUA xxiv. 22-28. Here was a definite decision. Our peril is that we spend our life in wavering and we never decide. We are like a jury which is always hearing evidence and never gives a verdict. We do much thinking, but we never make up our minds. We let our eyes wander over many things, but we make no choice. Life has no crisis, no culmination. Now people who never decide spend their days in hoping to do so. But this kind of life …
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling YearA Summary of Israel's Faithlessness and God's Patience
'And an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. 2. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? 3. Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision B. At Jacob's Well, and at Sychar. ^D John IV. 5-42. ^d 5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob's well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob's well, while the real Sychar, now called 'Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel Meditations for Household Piety.
1. If thou be called to the government of a family, thou must not hold it sufficient to serve God and live uprightly in thy own person, unless thou cause all under thy charge to do the same with thee. For the performance of this duty God was so well pleased with Abraham, that he would not hide from him his counsel: "For," saith God, "I know him that he will command his sons and his household after him that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Promise to the Patriarchs.
A great epoch is, in Genesis, ushered in with the history of the time of the Patriarchs. Luther says: "This is the third period in which Holy Scripture begins the history of the Church with a new family." In a befitting manner, the representation is opened in Gen. xii. 1-3 by an account of the first revelation of God, given to Abraham at Haran, in which the way is opened up for all that follows, and in which the dispensations of God are brought before us in a rapid survey. Abraham is to forsake …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God And for Your Fearlessness against them Hold this Sure Sign -- Whenever There Is...
43. And for your fearlessness against them hold this sure sign--whenever there is any apparition, be not prostrate with fear, but whatsoever it be, first boldly ask, Who art thou? And from whence comest thou? And if it should be a vision of holy ones they will assure you, and change your fear into joy. But if the vision should be from the devil, immediately it becomes feeble, beholding your firm purpose of mind. For merely to ask, Who art thou [1083] ? and whence comest thou? is a proof of coolness. …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting The First Commandment
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.' Exod 20: 3. Why is the commandment in the second person singular, Thou? Why does not God say, You shall have no other gods? Because the commandment concerns every one, and God would have each one take it as spoken to him by name. Though we are forward to take privileges to ourselves, yet we are apt to shift off duties from ourselves to others; therefore the commandment is in the second person, Thou and Thou, that every one may know that it is spoken to him, …
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments Moses and his Writings
[Illustration: (drop cap W) Clay letter tablet of Moses' time.] We now begin to understand a little of the very beginning of God's Book--of the times in which it was written, the materials used by its first author, and the different kinds of writing from which he had to choose; but we must go a step farther. How much did Moses know about the history of his forefathers, Abraham and Jacob, and of all the old nations and kings mentioned in Genesis, before God called him to the great work of writing …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making "The Carnal Mind is Enmity against God for it is not Subject to the Law of God, Neither Indeed Can Be. So Then they that Are
Rom. viii. s 7, 8.--"The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is not the least of man's evils, that he knows not how evil he is, therefore the Searcher of the heart of man gives the most perfect account of it, Jer. xvii. 12. "The heart is deceitful above all things," as well as "desperately wicked," two things superlative and excessive in it, bordering upon an infiniteness, such …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Gen. xxxi. 11
Of no less importance and significance is the passage Gen. xxxi. 11 seq. According to ver. 11, the Angel of God, [Hebrew: mlaK halhiM] appears toJacob in a dream. In ver. 13, the same person calls himself the God of Bethel, with reference to the event recorded in chap. xxviii. 11-22. It cannot be supposed that in chap xxviii. the mediation of a common angel took place, who, however, had not been expressly mentioned; for Jehovah is there contrasted with the angels. In ver. 12, we read: "And behold …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament Manner of Covenanting.
Previous to an examination of the manner of engaging in the exercise of Covenanting, the consideration of God's procedure towards his people while performing the service seems to claim regard. Of the manner in which the great Supreme as God acts, as well as of Himself, our knowledge is limited. Yet though even of the effects on creatures of His doings we know little, we have reason to rejoice that, in His word He has informed us, and in His providence illustrated by that word, he has given us to …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting Joshua
The book of Joshua is the natural complement of the Pentateuch. Moses is dead, but the people are on the verge of the promised land, and the story of early Israel would be incomplete, did it not record the conquest of that land and her establishment upon it. The divine purpose moves restlessly on, until it is accomplished; so "after the death of Moses, Jehovah spake to Joshua," i. 1. The book falls naturally into three divisions: (a) the conquest of Canaan (i.-xii.), (b) the settlement of the …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links Joshua 24:4 NIVJoshua 24:4 NLTJoshua 24:4 ESVJoshua 24:4 NASBJoshua 24:4 KJV
Joshua 24:4 Commentaries
Bible Hub |
