Jacob wants to send Joseph to check up on his brothers. Perhaps this is what happened before when Joseph was forced to bring back a bad report. Joseph is willing to do what his father says even though it must be an awkward situation to be sent by his father as a supervisor to his older brothers.But when Joseph’s brothers

Jacob has finally returned to the land of his fathers, the land promised him by God, the land of Canaan. Now, the writer of Genesis turns our attention away from Jacob to one of his sons, Joseph. Joseph is one of the only two children that Rachel had. Because of this he is specially loved by his father, but he

In the middle of this genealogy of the Edomites there is inserted the genealogy of the Horites, those Canaanites that were natives of Mount Seir. The Edomites intermarried with them and went even farther away from obedience to God and picked up many idolatrous practices. Esau has sold his birthright, lost his blessing, married pagan women, and intermixed his family

It’s easy to get bogged down in genealogies and difficult names in this chapter, but we must remember that all of Scripture is important and worthwhile - even the lists of names.Esau is called Edom (meaning red) here which reminds us of the foolish bargain he made to sell his birthright in exchange for some red stew. It also reminds

Jacob never stays long in one place, just like his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham. They are just travellers in the promised land, but one day their descendants will settle where they wander. Immediately after Rachel’s death, Jacob is here referred to as Israel, someone who has struggled with God and overcome, the covenant name God has given him.Jacob’s

Jacob has travelled to Bethel and worshiped God just as he promised he would do if God brought him safely back to Canaan. God has appeared to Jacob in a vision promising him many descendants and the land of Canaan as an inheritance. However, these promises are not going to be immediately fulfiled, and for now Jacob and his family

When Jacob and his family safely get to Bethel, he builds an altar probably thanking God for His mercies to him and asking for His continued blessing. God appears to Jacob here at Bethel a second time. He confirms that He has changed his name to Israel.Then God renews the covenant with him. God is God Almighty, able to keep

Jacob’s family have put themselves in danger through their slaughter and plunder of the men and city of Shechem. It is probably with great relief that Jacob hears the command of God to move on away from this place where such terrible things have happened. In Genesis 28:20-22, Jacob makes a vow to God at Bethel when he sees the

The time has come for Dinah’s brothers to carry out their revenge. They have waited until they can be sure of victory, and then Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah’s brothers, carry out their terrible plan, killing all the men of Shechem, especially Hamor and Shechem his son with whom they pretended to be friendly.If the Shechemites had chosen to

Hamor, the ruler of Shechem, has proposed to the Israelites that they intermarry and become as one tribe. Jacob’s sons have answered deceitfully that they will agree to this on one condition - the Shechemites must be circumcised. Hamor and Shechem agree to this, thinking it is nothing more than a cultural and religious tradition - something essentially meaningless, that