Genesis 18-25

Note: I have transferred the following notes from Pressing On, an MSN blog I started at the beginning of 2008, my first attempt at my Bible Reading Blog. As you can see, my intention was just to jot down things I hadn't noticed in previous reading or comments and questions I had about the text. As I progressed into the readings, I somehow couldn't resist outlining the text, which, of course, is why more than a year later I'm trying to finish Isaiah! I don't know what happened to Genesis 1-17, but I plan to fill in that gap as time permits.

Genesis 18
I didn't realize before that when Abraham was "bargaining" with God about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he was talking to Him face to face! I had read that one of the men was probably the Son come in the flesh (in the NSRV, it refers to Him as LORD), but hadn't realized that while the two angels went on ahead, He stayed back to talk to Abraham. Note that three messengers came to Abraham and Sarah, but only two angels went on to Sodom. The LORD "went his way."

Genesis 19
Ruth was a descendant of Lot by his oldest daughter.

Genesis 21:8-14
Sarah demanded that Ishmael be sent away after she saw Ishmael and Isaac playing together. She felt threatened by the situation. God seemed to agree with her, somehow, and instructed Abraham to do as Sarah wanted, promising that he would take care of Ishmael. How difficult it must have been for Abraham to obey! This was a son he had loved for 16-17 years. (He was 86 when Ishmael was born, 100 when Isaac was born, and this was after Isaac was weaned -- at maybe 2 years old?)

Genesis 21:15
Was Ishmael already weak from lack of water? He was a teenager at the time, yet the NRSV refers to him as a child, whom she could "cast" under a bush.

Genesis 21:17 and 22:15
The angel of God spoke to Hagar, in 21, and to Abraham, in 22, from heaven this time, instead of as a human messenger, like they appeared when the promise was made.

Genesis 23:13-16, then 24:2
Two oaths, or promises: The first, between Abraham and Ephron about the purchase of the cave of Machpaleh for Sarah's burial place – a covenant made in public to ensure its compliance. The next oath, or promise, in just a few verses, in chapter 24, was made very privately, and involved Abraham's servant putting his hand on the inside of Abraham's thigh as he made the promise concerning obtaining a wife for Isaac. God was also called in as a witness to this promise: "I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and earth...."

Genesis 24
A story of family, and the influence of wealth.

1. The servant's faith that God would help him find a wife for Rebekah;
2. Rebekah's helpfulness, in line with the servant's prayer;
3. Rebekah very forthcoming about her family after the servant gave her the gold nosering and 2 bracelets;
4. Her brother Laban's generosity -- also when he realized that the servant represented someone of great wealth;
5. Rebekah's family's desire to hold onto her a little longer, indicating their affection for her, yet they gave her the choice;
6. Rebekah's willingness to leave her family for the promise, maybe, of a new and exciting life elsewhere -- also the attraction of wealth, maybe;
7. The servant's generosity, even after the agreement was made, a sign of gratitude;
8. The sweet meeting of Isaac and Rebekah, and the satisfying conclusion: "She became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death."

Question: Where was Bethuel, Rebekah's father, in this story?