I wonder if Rachel’s grave is still marked by Jacob’s pillar?

Remember when Jacob fled from his home so that he could stay with his mother, Rebekah’s, kinsmen? He met his kinsman, Laban, and he fell in love with Rachel. He worked fourteen years for the honor of being her husband – after he’d been tricked into marrying Leah, Rachel’s homely sister.

Rachel was barren at first, but, she finally gave birth to Joseph, and she died while giving birth to Benjamin.

Jacob favored Joseph and Benjamin because of his deep love for Rachel. When Rachel died, Jacob set up a pillar over her grave:

Genesis 35:19-20English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), ²⁰ and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel’s tomb, which is there to this day.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could find this pillar now, a few thousand years later, and actually see where Rachel was buried?

Was the land of Gerar evil, like Sodom and Gomorrah?

In Chapter 26 of Genesis, it’s mentioned that there was a famine in the land and that the Lord told Isaac to settle down in Gerar. He took his wife, Rebekah, with him, but, told the people that she was his sister. When he was caught in a passionate moment with Rebekah it was revealed that Rebekah was his wife. King Abimelech issued an order – no one could molest Isaac or Rebekah. If they did, they’d be put to death.

My question is, was molesting one another, both male and female, a common practice in this land?

Later, Issac was told to leave since he’d gained so much wealth. Abimelech felt Isaac had become too powerful to stay. Later Abimelech and his men found Isaac, wanting to make a treaty with him. They knew the Lord was with Isaac, so, since they had not molested Isaac or his wife, he wanted peace between them – he did not want Isaac doing them any harm. Since the molestation issue was mentioned again, I still wondered about this land and all that occurred there. They feared Isaac, since the Lord was with him. But, I wondered how life was in Gerar during this time? How evil was it? The Lord had told Isaac to stay in that land, so, perhaps Isaac was there to fulfill some kind of purpose for the Lord (other than escaping the famine.)

Please, share your thoughts!

~Cecelia Dowdy~

Isn’t it hard to imagine that Esau came out of Rebekah’s womb, covered with hair?

Infants are usually smooth-skinned, perhaps a bit wrinkled, with sometimes hair on their head, maybe some eyebrows. I’ve just never seen a hairy baby before. Also, just the thought of Jacob grasping Esau’s heel, coming out of the womb – just sounds so awesome – a hairy baby coming out, with his brother grasping his heel.

Also, Esau despised his birthright. He sold his birthright to his brother for some lentil stew?

Jacob probably knew that Esau despised his birthright, so, he took advantage of that fact by asking his brother to sell it to him in exchange for the stew.

Was it the Lord’s will for Jacob to do this?

Why couldn’t Jacob simply shared, given his brother something to eat without mentioning the birthright?

On a different note, anybody have a good recipe for lentil stew? I also wonder what was used to season the lentil stew. I wonder how lentil stew tasted when it was made during old testament times. I wonder if we ate it, if we’d think it was good.

~Cecelia Dowdy~

21Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

Does the Lord arrange marriages?

Whenever I think about arranged marriages, I cringe. I recall in college I had a conversation with some students in the library. When we were discussing arranged marriage, I wanted to shut my ears and not listen! I always figured: What do my parents know about finding a mate for me? How can someone arrange a marriage – at times when their children are still babies.

However, there is a HUGE difference between marriages arranged by God and marriages arranged my men. But, is it possible that parents can arrange marriage(s) feeling that they are being led by God?

Isaac had recently lost his mother, Sarah, and Abraham sent his oldest servant to find a mate for Isaac. His servant said a special prayer to God, asking for a specific sign to indicate whom Isaac’s bride should be. When Rebekah showed up, she responded to the servant just as he’d requested of the Lord – showing that she was the bride for Isaac.

Rebekah’s and Isaac’s marriage was obviously arranged by God. However, this happened in the Old Testament. I’ve noticed that people seemed to be closer to God during the Old Testament times – saying a prayer, speaking directly to God and then physically hearing God’s voice in response. I know, personally, I don’t have such a close relationship with God, where I can physically hear his voice. Other Christians may differ in their opinion, but, I’m just speaking about my own experience.

Have you ever asked the Lord to show you a sign – showing you whom your future mate should be? Do you feel that your mate was chosen by God? If you are single, do you ask God to help you find your future mate?

Genesis 24:63-67

⁶³ And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming. ⁶⁴ Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel; ⁶⁵ for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?”

The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.

⁶⁶ And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done. ⁶⁷ Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?

I’ve always wondered about this. The obvious answer was to test Abraham’s faith, however, if the Lord were to test my faith this way, I doubt I’d pass the test. I think about my nine-year-old son, so young, innocent, trusting, and I think about the love I have for him in my heart. If the Lord asked me to sacrfice my son…I don’t think I could do it. Actually, I know I couldn’t do it.

Someone mentioned to me that Abraham’s “sacrifice” was symbolic – it was symbolic of the Lord sacrificing his son, Jesus, for all humankind. I do understand and see the symbolism in the example, but, I still struggle to understand God’s reasoning in asking this of Abraham. In addition to being symbolic, someone mentioned to me that Abraham is the father if the Jewish nation, and testing is faith was done for this reason?

Why do you think God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son? Do you remember studying about this in Sunday school when you were a kid? Please, share your thoughts!

Abraham’s Faith Confirmed

Genesis 22:1-2, 9-12

Now it came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

² Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

⁹ Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰ And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

¹¹ But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

So he said, “Here I am.”

¹² And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”