BEMA Episode Link: 14: Grappling with God, Part 2
Episode Length: 38:17
Published Date: Thu, 12 Jan 2017 01:00:00 -0800
Session 1
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings continue to look at the life of Jacob, covering Genesis 32–35.

Discussion Video for BEMA 14

Aleph Beta Academy

Subscribe to Aleph Beta Academy

BEMA listeners can use code friendsofbema for one month off of a monthly Premium membership.

Transcript for BEMA 14

Notes

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

  • Genesis 32-35
  • Jacob prepares to meet Esau.
    • Jacob is afraid that Esau will attack him so he puts Leah and her family in front, then Rachel and her family next, and he taks up the back. Quite cowardly in some ways.
  • Jacob wrestles with G-d.
    • Jacob actually wrestles with a man according the text.
    • The man changes Jacob’s name. Name changes typically come from someone who has authority over another.
    • Jacob says he wrestles with G-d only when he remembers back.
    • Has Jacob wrestled with G-d literally or has he figureatively wrestled with G-d in life?
    • Jacob asks for a blessing from a random person which says a lot about the power of words in this culture.
    • G-d chooses people who are willing to wrestle with him.
      • A major premise for BEMA.
  • Jacob meets Esau
    • It’s common for people to believe the turning point in Jacob’s story is when he wrestles with G-d.
      • However, Jacob decieves Esau when he says they’ll meet in Seir but instead, Jacob goes and settles in Sukkoth.
  • Dinah and the Shechemites
    • Dinah is raped and Jacob’s son’s setup a fake covenant with the people and kill them instead.
  • Jacob Returns to Bethel
    • Jacob builds an alter but does not call on the name of the Lord like his fathers did.
    • G-d changes his name in Genesis 35:10: hadn’t G-d already changed his name?
    • There are parallels in this story to Adam and Eve and Noah Leaving the Ark.
      • Be fruitful and increase in number
      • Tragedy will follow
  • The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac
    • As Rachel dies in childbirth, she names names her child Ben-Oni which means “son of my trouble” but Jacob instead names him Benjamin meaning “son of my right hand.”
      • When Jacob dies he ends up taking responsibility for the death of Rachel because of the oath that was made during the confrontation with Laban over stolen idols.
  • Why does G-d change his name twice?
    • Israel means Conquored G-d but it can just as easily mean G-d Conquored.
      • When G-d wrestled with Jacob, Jacob won.
      • Doed G-d end up winning the second time? Does G-d get ahold of Jacob’s life and change it?

Edit | Previous | Next