Category: Genesis

Were Rebekah and Jacob Justified in Deceiving Isaac?

~ Alastair Roberts ~ 4 Comments

Having read Jordan’s Primeval Saints I find that he interprets the life of Jacob through a different lens from a more recent reformation reading. Specifically in the story of Jacob “stealing” the birthright, Jordan posits that Rebekah and Jacob are righteously deceiving Isaac in order for him to “regain sight” and be restored. Because the promise to Jacob had already been given, Rebekah and Jacob were acting righteously, even in lying. Jordan says that because Isaac has turned into a Tyrant, the only way to restore him is through deception. Curious to hear your thoughts on this passage which may/may not be often misunderstood. What is going on and are we to condemn Jacob/Rebekah for what they did or see it as an act of faith?

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Why is Lot Called ‘Righteous’ Even Though He Offered His Daughters to the Men of Sodom?

~ Alastair Roberts ~ 3 Comments

How are we to interpret Lot’s offering of his two virgin daughters to the men of Sodom when they surround his house and demand that he brings out his guests so that they may have sex with them in Genesis 19? Was it such an unthinkable breach of hospitaility to let his guests be molested in this way that he desperately resorted to a lesser of two evils? Or was the offer simply a stalling tactic as he knew that the men of Sodom would not accept it anyway? How does 2 Peter 2:7 control our interpretation of the passage and of Lot’s life in general?

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