Sorry for the delayed message. I am a couple days back-logged. This should have been Friday's post, but it's here now:
Even Abraham only lived 175yrs. It seems like the ages of people are decreasing from the beginning of Genesis.
Ishamel (Hagar's son) lived 137yrs. I still wonder if the decrease in age is due to the sin problem? Something I need to dig into further.
The desire of Isaac's heart was that he would have children. He simply prayed to the Lord and his prayers were answered. Rebekah conceived and had twins- Jacob and Esau, after 20 yrs of marriage! Could you imagine being married for 20 yrs and then having children? I guess our concept of age/time isn't the same as it was back in Genesis-time. I think it is interesting how the Bible clearly shows how Isaac loved one son (Esau) and Rebekah loved the other (Jacob). I'm sure both sons knew that too. I could just imagine the tension in this family. Whatever was going on, it was enough to push Jacob to demand that Esau sell his birthright. Instead of making his own food, Esau gave in and sold his birthright to Jacob- just because he wanted a pot of stew! I bet after he finished eating and left empty handed without a birthright, Esau was wishing he had learned to make his own stew.
So, here's a familiar story- like father like son- Isaac tells Abimelech that Rebekah was his sister, instead of his wife, for fear that he would be killed after settling in Gerar (the land which the Lord told him to go to). Wouldn't you think that since the Lord told him to go there, that he would be safe and not fear being killed? I feel like this would be a good point for Isaac to be God-smacked. Issac is human though, just like us. Most of the time, we don't think about what we have done until after the injury and we end up in an "I should have known better" moment. Thank goodness for God's mercy and forgiveness!
I had the same question about lifespan and here's what I found: "Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not content with man forever, for he is mortal, his days will be a hundred and twenty years'" (Genesis 6:3). Then He sent the Flood. And this from askmoses.com: "Rabbi Meir Leibush (Malbim) explains this as follows: Until the Flood, the earth's axis had no tilt relative to the sun. As a result of the flood, the earth's axis tilted in relation to the sun. Thus, the earth's climate changed drastically, resulting in a weakening of the human constitution and ability to withstand these constant changes in weather."
ReplyDeleteThe whole situation with Jacob and Esau is pretty sad. Even more sad is that Esau married 2 Hittite woman (the first mention os polygamy?), rather than choosing a wife from his own people as Abraham had made sure to do for Isaac. As a result, "They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah." (Genesis 26:35) :(
Hmm, I too was curious about the age thing. Interesting theory Kristen. My thought (no proof) was that the population had grown enough that the need for such long lives no longer existed.
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