Genesis - 62 - Gen. 25:19-34 THE BET AV AND THE FIRSTBORN

Esau is not the man for the job.  Yes, he is the first born.  But, just because he is the first born, theבְּכוֹר Bekor H1060, he has tasks and responsibilities even before his dad passes away.  He becomes a teammate with his dad.  They together work to help the family with all its needs, they stand together to protect the family, they make sure all are safe and healthy, and the first born and the dad do all they can to make sure the family stays together.  Esau, however, is seemingly focused only on hunting, the outdoors, adventure, fun, and not the day to day family business.  It must’ve been a big job to stay home and take care of the massive holdings that Isaac was blessed with as we read.

Now Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the LORD blessed him, and the man became rich, and continued to grow richer until he became very wealthy; for he had possessions of flocks and herds and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him. (Gen 26:12-14)

In this lesson we will delve into this more.  I bring up Ken Baily’s book, “Jacob and the Prodigal.”  Ken is an awesome Biblical scholar with many books and articles he has written.  One I highly recommend is, “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels.”  Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead us into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context.

But, in his book, “Jacob and the Prodigal,” he shows us amazing connections between the parable of Jesus and the story involving Jacob and Esau.  For example, here are 15 connections between these two.

• In both stories there are three major players: a father and two sons
• The blessing/inheritance is a critical part of both stories.
• In both stories the younger son seeks advantages from the father using dishonorable methods and succeeds
• In both stories the younger son is estranged from both the father and the older brother.
• In both stories the younger son goes to a far country.
• The older son remains at home in both stories.
• The younger son becomes a herder in the far country in both stories.
• In both stories the younger son decides to return home, but is afraid of how he will be received.
• Both younger sons show no remorse.
• In both stories there is a divine visitation – the man who wrestles with Jacob and the father who symbolizes God.
• In both stories the younger son receives the three-fold welcome of running, falling on the neck and kissing (In all of scripture this trilogy only appears in Gen 33:4 and Luke 15:20!)
• In both stories the older brother is angry about the return of the younger.
• In both stories the younger son is reconciled to the family.
• In both stories there is a concern that the younger son return in peace (Gen 28:21; Lk 15:27)
• Each story is critical for the community that remembers and tells the story.

For us we will consider this parable and other sources to study two major concepts.  The first is the first born, or the Bekor, and the Bet Av, the house of the father.  One great resource is Ray Vander Laan's  lessons from Israel and the Middle East.  Here is a "free" video where Ray focuses on the concept of the Bet Av - the father's house (pronounced bate av).  Here's the link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm7S101cyJM

As we study these we will gain a deeper and more expansive understanding of the Jacob and Esau story.  We will perhaps even gain a deeper appreciation of why Rebecca did what she did to have Jacob deceive Isaac to get the blessing of the first born. 

Rev. Ferret - who is this guy?  What's his background?  Why should I listen to him?  Check his background at this link - https://www.dropbox.com/s/ortnret3oxcicu4/BackgrndTeacher%20mar%2025%202020.pdf?dl=0