Author: paduraru

Hebrew words:

• Yitskhaq (Isaac) — He laughs.
• Rivqah (Rebekah)
• ‘Esaw (Esau)
• Ya’aqov (Jacob) — Sounds like “he deceives,” or “he grasps the heel.”

Main thoughts:

• Isaac tends to value comfort and cuisine over principle. He is willing to compromise in order to avoid conflict.
• He is led more by his senses than by his mind; by impulses more than the Spirit.
• Although his father Abraham had conviction about marrying within the people of God, Isaac’s conviction in this area (like his son Esau’s) is weak.
• He is surrounded by relational conflict.
• In the end, he finally acknowledges God’s sovereign choice, relinquishing his right to determine who received the blessing. Hence the favorable verdict in Hebrews 11:20.

Further study:

• Passages used or referred to:
  • Genesis 17, 21, 22; 2 Chronicles 3:1 and 2 Samuel 24:16.
  • Genesis 24; 25:6; 25:20-21, 23, 26; 26:12-13; 27:1ff; 27:46; 28:1ff, 6-9
  • Hebrews 11:20
• Old Testament:
  • Genesis 17, 21, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 31, 32, 35, 46, 48, 49, 50
  • Exodus 2, 3, 4, 6, 32, 33; Leviticus 26; Numbers 32; Deuteronomy 1, 6, 9, 29, 30, 34; Joshua 24; 1 Kings 18; 2 Kings 13; 1 Chronicles 1, 16, 29; 2 Chronicles 30; Psalm 105; Jeremiah 33; Amos 7.
• New Testament:
  • Matthew 1, 8, 22; Mark 12; Luke 3, 13, 20; Acts 3, 7; Romans 9; Galatians 4; Hebrews 11; James 2.

Some things we learn about God:

• God’s marriage plan is based on spirituality, not Hollywood-style fantasy or romance.
• God expects us to wait patiently for his blessings — even if it takes 20 years!
• God may improve us husbands’ judgment through our wives. Sometimes a man will act more spiritually because of his wife!
• His purposes will prevail! It is not necessary to resort to short-cuts or compromises in order to receive God’s promises. Let him work things out; we need not take matters into our own hands.

Children’s devotional idea:

• Read the story of Genesis 27.
• Blindfold “Isaac” (the parent might play this role).
• One child pretends to be another’s sibling, using his/her clothes or other belongings in order to fool “Isaac.”
• Take turns with the role-play.
• Talk about deception (trying to trick parents, brothers, or sisters). Emphasize that God will take care of us, and we don’t need any tricks to receive his blessings.

Key verses:

• 24:67 — A sound marriage is based on inward spiritual principles, not outward appearance.
• 27:4 — In effect, Isaac attempts to bypass God’s plan.
• 27:20 — He (finally) accepts God’s plan.

R4E130904 – The Siblings of Jesus (New Testament Character Study) by Douglas Jacoby

You can download the full audiobook recording on qobuz or amazon or itunes.

Background

• Family of 10 or more:
  • Parents: Yosef, Maria[m]
  • Sons: Yeshua, Ya’akov, Yosef, Yehudah, Shim’on
  • Daughters: 3 or more, all unnamed (see Genesis 5)
• Not a wealthy family (Luke 2:24; see Leviticus 5:7).

• Imagine what this family must have been like!
  • The older sibling who always did what was right (!).
  • The loss of the father early on, making the same sibling the de facto family head.
  • Family “secret” — rumors surrounding the birth of Mary’s firstborn (Luke 2:7; Matthew 1:25)?
  • By far, the sibling about whom we know most is James (Ya’akov). Apart from these facts, nearly everything else is speculation.
• Please listen to the podcast on Jesus if you haven’t yet heard it.

Scriptural study

• Matthew 12:46, 13:53-58
  • v.55 — four brothers named
  • v.56 — sisters mentioned
  • Unbelief
    
• Mark 3:20-21,30-31 (also Luke 8:19-21) — Jesus’ family does not understand his mission. See also Luke 2:41-50.  
• Mark 6:1-5 — His hometown were offended by him, and his own family does not seem to have made things any better.
• John 2:12 — Jesus spends time with his family. 
• John 7:3-10 — There is tension and misunderstanding between his brothers and him.
• Matthew 28:10: “Tell my brothers.” See also John 20:17.
• 1 Corinthians 15:7 — James was an eyewitness of the resurrected Jesus. A skeptic is won over.
• Acts 1:14 — Jesus’ family is united in prayer.
• Galatians 1:19 — James is referred to as apostle (“missionary”?). See also 1 Corinthians 9:5.
• Galatians 2:9,12 — James is a major leader in the Jerusalem church. See also James 1:1 and Jude 1:1; both these letters are traditionally attributed to Ya’akov and Yehudah (James and Jude), Jesus’ siblings.
• Acts 15:13-21, 21:17ff — James is serving as some sort of president in the Jerusalem church.
• Hegesippus and Josephs reported James’ execution by the Sanhedrin in 62 AD.
• While traditions are strong that Jesus’ family became believers in Christ, not every family member is discussed.  We will have to be satisfied knowing that for the most part things turned out well.

Technical

• Josephus (37-100 AD), the Jewish historian and statesman (and adopted son of the emperor Vespasian, 69-79 AD), mentions the execution of James, as does Hegesippus (110-180 AD), whose work is known to us through the church historian Eusebius (263-339), who served at the court of Constantine.
• Many churchmen contest the terms “brothers” and “sisters,” claiming these words are open to different interpretations. These simple Greek words have been argued to refer to children of Joseph by a previous marriage, Mary’s sister’s children, or Joseph’s sister’s children. All these efforts seem designed to uphold the doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity, which is refuted by Matthew 1:25 and the other verses referencing her children.
• Desposyni is the technical term referring to alleged blood relatives of Jesus Christ. It was coined by Sextus Julius Africanus in the early 3rd century. Some argue that Jesus’ relatives held positions of honor in the early church (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Catholics, plus some Anglicans and Lutherans.

Lessons for us

• Stay connected to your family.
• While modern families tend to be small, ancient (and traditional) families strove to be large. We should view any reference to families in the scriptures through such a prism.
  • Families did not consist of father and mother, son and daughter; they were far larger. Moreover, extended families (grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins…) tended to live in the same village.
  • Families were thus more interactive. A lot of learning would have taken place among the siblings.
  • There were clearly defined expectations for sons and daughters.
  • An abundance of children (especially sons) provided security for parents, esp. in their old age (Psalm 127:3-5, 128:5-6).
• It may take a while to win them over, so pray and wait patiently.