Wayfinding Bible - Flipbook - Page 51
45
Genesis 29
PG 46
OBSERVATION POINT
EXPLORATION POINT
For Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, altars and other
memorial stones stood like historical markers,
identifying places where God had revealed himself to
them. Each altar reminded those who saw them that
God was interested in his people and involved in his
creation. In Israel, there were four or five such altars:
Beersheba, Bethel, Hebron, Moriah, and Shechem.
Over time, they would accumulate greater significance as God’s people gathered to worship and hear
stories of their history. God and history were woven
together at the altars.
In running from Esau, Jacob left everything behind:
the rights of the firstborn that he had secured by
trading some stew, and his father’s blessing that
he had stolen from Esau by using a false identity.
Jacob had tried to control his fortunes, but he lost
everything. Through the dream, God assured Jacob
that everything would turn out okay, that although
he had left everything behind, God would still be with
him—an incomparable blessing.
Rachel arrived with her father’s flock, for she
was a shepherd. 10 And because Rachel was his
cousin—the daughter of Laban, his mother’s
brother—and because the sheep and goats belonged to his uncle Laban, Jacob went over to
the well and moved the stone from its mouth
and watered his uncle’s flock. 11 Then Jacob
kissed Rachel, and he wept aloud. 12 He explained to Rachel that he was her cousin on
her father’s side—the son of her aunt Rebek
ah. So Rachel quickly ran and told her father,
Laban.
13
As soon as Laban heard that his nephew
Jacob had arrived, he ran out to meet him. He
embraced and kissed him and brought him
home. When Jacob had told him his story, 14 La
ban exclaimed, “You really are my own flesh
and blood!”
THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISRAEL
ABRAHAM
ISAAC
ZILPAH
JACOB
(Leah’s slave)
BILHAH
RACHEL (Laban’s
younger daughter)
LEAH (Laban’s
(Rachel’s slave)
older daughter)
7
5
1
3
9
11
GAD
DAN
REUBEN
LEVI
ISSACHAR
JOSEPH
8
ASHER
6
NAPHTALI
JEPHTHAH (?)
BARAK
SAMSON
ELIJAH (?)
Solid lines indicate direct descendants.
Dashed lines indicate generations between.
Dotted lines indicate marriage.
2
SIMEON
AARON
MOSES
ELI
JOHN THE
BAPTIST
4
JUDAH
DAVID
10
ZEBULUN
12
BENJAMIN
EPHRAIM
DINAH MANASSEH
(only daughter)
SAUL
JOSHUA
SOLOMON
ESTHER
GIDEON
PAUL
JESUS
SAMUEL
Gen 35:23-26
Jacob had twelve sons from four different wives.
God used the selfish competition between Leah
and Rachel to multiply Abraham’s family into the
source of a new people.
