Sat, Feb 9th - 9:56AM

BIBLE STUDY - KNOW YOUR BIBLE

Why did Jacob’s (Israel’s) sons say to Hamor and Shechem that they could not give their sister to a man who was not circumcised?

When Jacob (Israel), his family and his livestock entered the land of Canaan at the end of their journey from Mesopotamia, he pitched his camp within sight of the city of Shechem. He purchased the plot of land where he camped from the sons of Hamor (Gen. 33: 18-20).

As time passed, Sheechem, son of Hamor, saw Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, and he fell in love with her. He violated her (Gen. 34: 1-2).

Both Shechem and his father went to the sons of Jacob asking for Dinah to be Shechem’s wife. But because their sister was violated by Shechem, they answered Shechem and his father deceitfully. They said: We can’t do such a thing; we can’t give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace (Gen. 34: 14).

The sons of Jacob promised their consent if all the male Shechemites had themselves circumcised. They also promised intermarriage of their daughters with the Shechemites and viceversa (Gen. 34: 14-23).

The men in the city agreed to be circumcised along with Shechem and his father. Three days after they were circumcised, while they were still healing and in pain, Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and killed all the men (Gen. 34: 24-25). The sons of Jacob plundered the Shechemites. They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses (Gen. 34-29).

Tue, Feb 5th - 1:35PM

BIBLE STUDY - KNOW YOUR BIBLE

What caused Esau to become friendly towards Jacob?

Jacob deceived his father, Isaac, by pretending to be Esau and so received the blessing that was promised to Esau (Gen. 27: 4). From that time Esau held a grudge against his brother and he promised to kill him (Gen. 27: 41). 

As Jacob left Mesopotamia to return to the land of Canaan, he was fearful of Esau. But Jacob prayed to God, 'Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted' (Gen. 32: 11-12).

Since God had a plan for Jacob's life, he had mercy on him. As Jacob encountered Esau, we read, But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept (Gen. 33: 4).

Sun, Feb 3rd - 5:08PM

BIBLE STUDY - KNOW YOUR BIBLE

When and why was Jacob’s name changed to Israel? 

  When Jacob was returning from Mesopotamia to his homeland, after his encounter with his uncle, Laban, he sent his wives, his maid servants, his children and all his livestock across the Jabokk ( a tributary of the River Jordan). (The Jabokk River is today called the Wadi Zerqa, flowing westward into the Jordan about 20 miles north of the Dead Sea) (Gen. 32: 1-23).

  Jacob was left alone. A man wrestled with him until daybreak.The man could not overpower Jacob so he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip and his hip became wrenched. The man said to Jacob, Let me go for it is daybreak (Gen. 32: 26). But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me’ (Gen. 32: 26).

 The man asked him, ‘What is your name’? ‘Jacob,’ he answered (Gen. 32: 27). Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome’ (Gen. 32: 28). Jacob asked the man for his name but he did not give his name to Jacob. However, the  man blessed Jacob (Gen. 32: 29).

Who was the man? God appeared to Jacob as a man. Jacob had struggled all his life to prevail, first with his brother, Esau, then with his uncle, Laban. Now, as he was about to enter Canaan, he was shown that it was with God that he must “wrestle”. It was God who held his future in his hands. God came to him in such a way that Jacob could wrestle with him and be successful. But God showed Jacob that he was all powerful by disabling him (God touched the socket of Jacob’s hip and his hip was wrenched).

Jacob acknowledged that the blessing must come from God. Jacob asked the man (God) to bless him and he did. 

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