BEMA Episode Link: 12: A Mission Realized
Episode Length: 38:14
Published Date: Thu, 15 Dec 2016 01:00:00 -0800
Session 1
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings cover the life of Isaac as told in Genesis 24 and 26, where we begin to see the initial realization of God’s promise to Abraham.

Discussion Video for BEMA 12

History of male circumcision — Wikipedia

George DeJong, Under the Fig Tree

The Epic of Eden by Sandra L. Richter

Sandra Richter, Ph.D.

The Anchor Bible Dictionary, Volume I

Impact Campus Ministries

Transcript for BEMA 12

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

  • Genesis 24 and 26
  • Genesis 24
    • “Hand under the thigh” is an idiom for the groin and the organs located near it.
      • Historically, if someone were to make a promise or an oath, they would make that oath by holding onto the sign of the covenant. Avraham’s sign would have been his circumcision so it makea sense that Eliazer would place his hand there while making this specific oath.
    • Avraham sends Eliazer to the home of Nahor.
      • A family from Avarham’s own “stock.”
    • Senior Servant and its relationship to Avarahm
      • Responsible for the entire estate in its physicality.
      • Similar to Joseph and Pharoah
    • Why doesn’t Avraham let Yitz’chak go to Nahor’s household and choose his own wife?
      • G-d has called Avraham to leave his his father’s household and native land.
      • Nahor’s household have god worship problems of their own.
    • Eliazer’s prayer to water his camels Gen 24:12-13.
      • This is about extravegant hospitality.
      • Eliazer is asking G-d to provide something ridiculous (maybe so he can go back home wifeless?).
      • It would have been no big deal to offer water to Eliazer but to offer to water his camels as well would have been uncommon.
      • She would have had to walk down into this well and then back up.
      • Camels would have required at least 10 trips a pieces.
      • Essentially should would have offered to make 100 trips down into this well to water camels that were not her own.
    • Nahor’s family is made of a certain “stock”, the same “stuff” that Avarham is made of.
      • They have a kind of spiritual DNA
      • They have a kind of hospitality that is not normal for the people of that time.
      • Eliazer is saying, if there is a woman worthy of my master’s son, it’ll be a woman as dedicated to hospitality as my master is.
        • I’m looking for someone who is willing to go down into a cistern 100 times in order to water a camel.
        • Eliazer has been around a long time and knows his master as well as anyone else.
        • Eliazer doesn’t get any inheritance but he is as much a part of Avraham’s family as anyone else in the family.
      • Rivkah’s family provides the same hospitality as she does.
        • Puts this entire caravan up in their home and feeds their animals.
  • Genesis 26
    • Yitz’chak claims his wife is his sister with Abimelek in the same way Avraham does with Sarah in Egypt with Pharoah AND with Abimelek!
      • It could have been the same person or it’s also possible that this Abimelek is the son or grandson of the Abimelek that Avraham interacts with.
      • Abimelek means, “my father is king” so it would not be surprising for that name to be passed down in a line of kings.
      • This could also mean Avraham’s family has a reputation for playing this joke on people. (Reading a little more into the text here than normal.)
      • Ultimately, this is a story of humanity. How many of us repeat the sins of our parents?
    • Things we notice about Yitz’chak’s life and how it differs from Avraham’s.
      • It appears that Yitz’chak is redeeming the mistakes of his father.
        • Yitz’chak’s stories appear to happen in reverse order to Avraham’s.
      • Yitz’chak chooses to stay in the land instead of going into Egypt and he becomes weathly. Could we read from this that Avraham could have become just as wealthy if he had not gone down to Egypt?
      • Yitz’chak finds himself in a dispute with the herders of Gerar about well water. This story resembles the quarrel that Avraham had with Lot.
        • G-d promised to bless all nations through Avraham and his descendants and we are seeing that happen right in front of our eyes even inspite of the people being blessed.
          • “We don’t like your well so we’re going to fill it with dirt.” Yitz’chak redigs the well. “Oh that’s our well.” Yitz’chak gives the well to them, digs another, and it happens again.
            • Yitz’chak shows the people how hospitible and loving G-d is.
          • We don’t trust the story enough. We don’t believe that G-d will bless us maybe because it takes too long and it’s painful.
      • Yitz’chak then goes to Beersheba where G-d appears to him in a dream and promises to increase the number of his decendants for the sake of his servant Avraham. This is ultimately where Avraham’s story begins.

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