Tag: Isaac

Living with Tricksters

Posted on by jovial_cynic

…and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife.
Genesis 25:20 (NASB)

Some translations say “Syrian” instead of “Aramean” in Genesis 25:20, but the Hebrew scholars say that “Aramean” is intended for a very tricky reason.

For starters, we’re going to discover that Rebekah will have twins – Jacob and Esau.

If you know the story, you’ll draw parallels between the worldly Esau and Laben, the one who later tricks Jacob. But then, Rebekah herself is a trickster, and brings Jacob into deception as well.

So the first thing the rabbis note is that Rebekah is being clearly linked to both Bethuel and Laben, so that Esau’s wickedness has a source: he will be like his uncle and his grandfather.

Perhaps this is a teaching about the deep-rooted nature of familial wickedness.

But another clue is in the word “Aramean.”

In Hebrew, it is Arami (אֲרַמִּי):
– Aleph-Resh-Mem-Yod.

This word is a jumble of Ramai (רַמַּאי):
– Resh-Mem-Aleph-Yod

Ramai means… trickster; a cheat.

When we stare at the verse, it becomes clear what the message is: “Look! Rebekah is from a family of tricksters; she’s from a town of tricksters.”

This is going to be a story of God’s people interacting with tricksters. We’ll see it play out in the twins in an ironic way.

Repairing the Harm

Posted on by jovial_cynic

After the death of Abraham, God blessed his son Isaac. And Isaac settled near Beer-lahai-roi. This is the line of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s slave, bore to Abraham.
Genesis 25:11-12 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

After Abraham dies, Isaac moves to the place that is sacred due to Hagar, Ishmael’s mother.

It’s fascinating that Torah immediately goes into Ishmael’s genealogy here, as though it wants to remind us that Ishmael is blessed by God. God sees him, so we should see him.

When Sarah demanded that Hagar and Ishmael be kicked out of Abraham’s house, Isaac was only a child, barely weened. He couldn’t be rightly accused of harboring ill-will against his half-brother, or for being directly responsible for his exile.

Isaac isn’t to blame, but Hagar and Ishmael were kicked out because of Isaac.

When Isaac makes his home near the Sacred Well, I wonder if this teaches us how we are meant to make amends, even for harms we did not cause, but were caused because of us.

“Am I my brother’s keeper?”

It’s an odd question; Isaac isn’t the oldest. But Isaac is living out the special blessing, so it’s like he is the older brother, imbued with carrying the Messiah forward.

When you carry the torch, you are meant to light the way for others.

The rabbis say that Ishmael’s presence at Abraham’s funeral points to Ishmael’s repentance, as though he had done something wrong.

I think Isaac is the one who bridges the gap in this story. I think it tells us to bridge that gap as well, even for harms we didn’t cause.

Seeking Treasure

Posted on by jovial_cynic
When you think of the story of Abraham’s servant seeking a bride for Isaac, we tend to focus on Rebekah’s overwhelming service, which involved repeatedly drawing from a well in order to water 10 camels.

That’s special, but I don’t think “service” is the point.

Rebekah later becomes the mother of Jacob & Esau, and if you know the story (we’ll cover in greater detail later), you’ll know that Rebekah is a bit… tricky. I think we can even say she’s a little manipulative and self-serving in the story. That’s built into her character.

It seems odd that we should see her as being this almost angelic servant here in her introduction. I’ve heard multiple sermons outlining how much work she did out of the “goodness of her heart” to water the camels, but I’ve never heard a good explanation for why she did it. What was it about her, other than “just being a good person with a servant’s heart?”

Translation is part of the problem. In Genesis 24:10, most translations indicate the servant took SOME of Abraham’s goods with him. But the literal read, captured here by the NKJV, is “ALL OF HIS MASTER’S GOODS.”

He brought 10 camels and LOADED them.

Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed, for all his master’s goods were in his hand. And he arose and went to Mesopotamia, to the city of Nahor.
Genesis 24:10 (NKJV)

When Rebekah shows up, she doesn’t just see some man with 10 thirsty camels. She sees… TREASURE! She’s a GOLD DIGGER!

But… aren’t we all? If somebody rolled up with a caravan of 10 Lamborghinis and asked for help filling up car #1, wouldn’t you be quick to offer to fill up the other 9 cars, too? Because… what if they like that you helped? What if they give you a big tip?

If the image is of God extending an invitation to us to join God’s household, doesn’t God “tempt” us with treasures as well?

If God’s treasures are heavenly promises – love, joy, peace, rest… are you not tempted? Wouldn’t you edge closer to water the camels, too?

God of Heaven and Earth

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Abraham said to his servant, the oldest of his household who was in charge of all that he owned, “Please place your hand under my thigh, and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I live.
Genesis 24:2-3 (NASB)

For the first time in Scripture, we see this phrase: “the God of heaven and the God of earth.”

The rabbis note that Abraham says this while in the Promised Land, but never says it while in Egypt or in Haran. Perhaps it’s a statement about the Holy Land. It is specially designated as God’s special place.

But there is a hint of divine parable in the phrase. In Genesis 1, God “created the heavens and the earth,” so we understand that God made them… together. To be together, like a man and his wife.

This chapter is about marriage and covenant, and how God establishes a union over an impossible distance.

A Reversal

Posted on by jovial_cynic
Genesis 24 introduces the union of Isaac and Rebekah, and in the chapter, very little is said about Isaac.

The focus sits squarely on Rebekah: she is the one who serves; she is the one who is praised; she leaves her father’s house, just like Abraham. But of Isaac, we read that he is comforted in his grief after his mother’s death.

What a fascinating reversal.

All Things

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Abraham was now old, advanced in years, and יהוה had blessed Abraham in all things.
Genesis 24:1 (The Contemporary Torah, JPS 2006)

I sometimes wonder if the Hebrew gematria (the system for finding numeric values of words based on the letters) is merely a helpful aid for memorizing scripture, or if it is also a part of the story.

ברך את אברהם בכל [THE LORD HAD] BLESSED ABRAHAM IN ALL THINGS — The numerical value of the word בכל is equal to that of בן (a son) — suggesting that God had blessed Abraham with a son and since he had a son he had to find him a wife.
Rashi on Genesis 24:1

For Abe to be blessed with “all things” and “a son” is fascinating.

Abraham Came to Mourn

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Sarah died in Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan; and Abraham came in to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Genesis 23:2 (NASB)

In the Hebrew, it’s וַיָּבֹא֙ (vayavo) which means movement from one place to another. It appears that the text tells us Sarah’s location because Abraham was not there when she died.

So where was he?

Perhaps the Binding of Isaac in the previous chapter isn’t merely a story about a man who is asked to sacrifice his son, but also a story about a man who loses his wife while being obedient to God.

A son loses his mother in the same way.

What is the cost of obedience?

Abraham. Abraham!

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Genesis 22:1 (NASB)

When God first called out to Abraham in Genesis 22, the text seems to show that Abraham responds immediately. He doesn’t know what God is about to say, but from Genesis 12 to now, God’s call has led to something positive. Blessing after blessing.

But the next time God calls Abraham, God says Abraham’s name twice.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Genesis 22:11 (NASB)

The text doesn’t explain it, but maybe God’s command to sacrifice Isaac is heavy to Abraham.

I can see Abraham not wanting to listen to God again after this. Would you? So maybe God has to say it twice.

Abraham’s Thoughts

Posted on by jovial_cynic
When we read about Abraham heading up the mountain to sacrifice his son, we aren’t given clues about Abraham’s internal thoughts, unlike when he pleads for Sodom and Gomorrah and when he pleads for Ishmael.

Abraham is silent.

I find this remarkable, not because of what it says about Abraham or about the text, but because of what it does to the reader.

With Abraham’s silence, you are forced to read it through your own experiences. The feelings that bubble up aren’t Abraham’s.

They are yours.

Do you see piousness and unquestioning obedience?

Do you see silent tears and brokenness? Hopelessness?

Do you see smoldering anger at the unfairness and injustice of it?

You are projecting. And perhaps you are supposed to.

I once heard that Torah is a mirror. What you see in it is a reflection of who you are. It reveals you.

But also, perhaps it asks you to feel and wonder. And learn.

The Special Altar

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.
Genesis 22:9 (NASB)

The rabbis point out that the word for “altar” here is in the definitive form. It is not an altar (as some translations render it), but it is the altar. The word “built” also means “re-built,” using the same stones.

According to rabbinical tradition, this is a specific and special altar, upon which Adam, Abel, and Noah have all sacrificed. And it points forward to the Temple.