Bible Journaling - Genesis 27 & 28

"Bless you!" These words flow so easily form our lips, but what does it really mean? Isaac knew and understood the value of a blessing. He knew it was more than mere words. Perhaps because he grew up in Abraham's house, a man who was repeatedly blessed by God. He had an eyewitness account of what a man looked like who had been blessed, versus one who did not carry that blessing. He, himself, was a blessing. Ishmael, his half-brother, was not. When we read Genesis 26 and 27, we encounter one blessing after another. We read a story of deception and betrayal. But we also read a blessing that stands as firm as if God Himself had spoken it. We look at this today when we pick up the story of the twin brothers who could not get along. Of course we also need to figure out how to journal this in illustrations.

Chapter 27 starts at the bottom of the previous page already and that is where we will start our journaling journey as well.

Chapter 28 has a short overflow onto the next pages and we will need to devote attention to this as well.

Genesis 28 look like this in the Inspire Praise Bible.

I prepare the pages with a coating of Zellen Clear Gesso.

When the gesso is dry, the pages look like this.

I use Mont Marte Duo Markers and Metallic pens to colour the illustration.

I continue to develop the illustration with the Duo Markers.

When it comes to the picture at the bottom, I incorporate the use of more pens and colours.

My pages now look like this.

As already stated, we need to page back first, in order to start the chapter at the beginning.

We encounter a very sad tale of deception and favouritism at the start of chapter 27. Both parents had their individual favourites, but sadly, this had spilled into their relationships and the household had become one of contention and strife. We already know that the two brothers did not see eye to eye, but now we see that the mother was willing and able to deceive her husband and cheat her other son out of his birthright. Rebekah hatches a plan to make sure that Jacob would receive the bloodline blessing that was promised to Abraham's descendants. This blessing was not Isaac's to give, but was directed by God, yet Rebekah would do everything in her power to ensure that Jacob stood first in line to receive it. When the twins were born, God had indicated that the younger Joseph would lord it over Esau one day and Rebekah would not hesitate to make this a reality. How terribly sad, though, for as we have seen time and again already in the our short journey through Genesis, God did not need or require people's intervention to make His promises come true. He would do what He said out to do regardless of what people planned or did. For the purposes of the journaling, I opr to focus on the meal that Jacob had prepared for Isaac. I draw a lump of meat over a spit on an open fire. I start the drawing in pencil.

I then use Derwent Inktense pencils to colour and pain the illustration.

That effectively concludes these two pages in my Bible.

I turn the page to devote my attention to the two main pages dealing with these two chapters in Genesis. They now look like this.

Jacob and Rebekah's scheme to deceive Isaac had worked, and we see that Isaac now blesses Jacob with the blessing intended for Esau. It is important to note that Jacob's descendants are blessed to rule over those of Esau's. Esau would go on to marry a daughter of Ishmael's and he would become an ancestor of the Edomites. Once again, we see ingredients being added to the festering cesspool of the Middle East conflict. I decide not to focus on the contents of Isaac's words, but rather on the fact that he pronounced one blessing and that his words to Esau were ominous enough to almost constitute a curse. I write the words 'bless' and 'curse' across the page, pointing in different directions. This is an early indication that the two brothers's paths would be splitting in the near future. I also draw a bloodied dagger in a thought bubble to indicate Esau's murderous thoughts towards Jacob, after the deception is discovered.

I use brightly coloured fountain pens and Inktense pencils to colour the word 'bless' with. I start by erasing the pencil lines before colouring the letters.

I then colour the word 'curse' in shades of grey, using a fountain pen and Mont Marte Adult Colouring Duo Markers.

I then add even more colour and happy notes to word and space surrounding 'bless.'

The dagger is coloured with a combination of Fountain pen, Metallic pens and Inktense pencil.

When I am done with chapter 27, the pages look like this.

We now see that Rebekah hatches a scheme to get Jacob safely out of Esau's reach. Upon her insistence, Isaac sends Jacob away to Rebekah's family to go find himself a wife. When Esau realizes how little his parents like his Hittite wives, he goes off to find himself a wife from his father's half-brother's family. He marries Ishmael's daughter, Mahalath. I decide to simply draw a parchment roll as a 'marriage certificate' to illustrate all of these past and upcoming marriages. I use a ProMarker and paint the parchment with Derewent Inktence pencil.

While I am waiting for the parchment to dry, I continue on to the next section in the passage. This is where Jacob dreams of a ladder with angels climbing up and down it. It is significant, because in this dream God tells Jacob that he is God's chosen one to carry the Abrahamic blessing. I draw a cloud to represent heaven. Then I add a ladder and draw the earth at the bottom of the ladder.

I then add an angel on the ladder and another waiting on the cloud. Jacob is drawn to lie sleeping at the foot of the ladder. I use Inkense pencils in this illustration.

When the paint is dry, I use a fountain pen to write the following in the parchment: Certificate of Marriage - Esau and Mahalath. I also found a transparent sticker of a feather and a bottle of ink. I stick this in my Bible next to the parchment.

When I am done, my page looks like this.

I now turn the page to the last section in the chapter. This is where Jacob wakes up and realizes that he had fallen asleep in a place 'occupied' by God. He renames the place Bethel (house of God) and decrees that it shall be a place where God would be worshiped. I find a sticker with a window that seems to belong in a church, with some praying hands in front of the window and cross. This sticker seem to summarize the intent of Jacob's sentiment and I find it fitting to paste it in next to this passage.

Looking back at where we started with this journal entry.

The main pages in the journal entry.

You can watch a short compilation video of the steps above on YouTube:
https://youtu.be/ibQmcdUB5LM

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2005,2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois, 60188. All rights reserved.

Inspire PRAISE South Africa edition copyright 2017 by Christian Art Publishers, PO Box 1599, Vereeniging, 1930, RSA. All rights reserved.

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