Standing Strong |
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Toldot— Generations
Genesis 25:19– 28:9 Malachi 1:1– 2:7 Matthew 1:1– 21 Hebrews 11:1– 40 |
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One of the messages I received from this week’s parasha is the sins of the father going on to the next generation. Abraham had lied to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, saying that Sarah was his sister. He was afraid that the Philistines would look upon his beautiful wife and kill him in order to have her. In Chapter 26 we see Isaac doing the same thing with the exact same king. What must have King Abimelech have thought of this tribe of people, to have this happen twice in his lifetime - ?
In-law problems are nothing new. In Chapter 26 verse 34-35 we see that the wives of Esau are referred to as a grief of mind to both Isaac and |
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Rebekah. This is part of the reason later for Isaac and Rebekah sending Jacob away to find a wife, from not the daughters of Canaan, but from the family of Bethuel.
I also noticed something for the first time when reading this parasha this year. When Jacob is told by Rebekah, his mother, to kill a couple of goat kids to make a savory stew for Isaac and thus get Isaac’s blessing, Jacob argues with her. He didn’t just gladly go along with this scheme. He states the flaw in his mothers reasoning and says, “I shall seem a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing.” But his mother replies to let the curse be upon her and commands him to obey her voice and do as she says.
Jacob, who was raised by his mother mostly in the tents while his brother was hunting, was following the command of his mother. We can all find fault with Jacob in this but we seldom think about the pressure he was under in trying to do the right thing yet still honor his mother. I am not saying that it was not wrong to lie to Isaac and claim to be his brother. He clearly carries out the deception, answering his father with lies as his father is confused as to who is bringing him the stew. I merely point out the difficulties of the situation.
It is hard to deny your mother or father and do the right thing as G-d commands, when they are telling you to do otherwise..
It is during the time when his mother is afraid of Jacob due to Esau’s wrath that she and Isaac send Jacob away to seek a wife in a far off place while his brother calms down. Esau even takes another wife from the family of Ishmael, Isaac’s half-brother, when he sees the Canaanite women are not pleasing to his father.
The pressure to please our earthly parents is heavy on many of us. The question that must be put forward is, “Are we equally pressured to do what pleases our father in heaven?”
Selah. |
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Isaiah 11:6 2 Thessalonians 2:15 |