Here, we continue our study in Genesis.
27:41Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."
42When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. 43Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. 45When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?"
46Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."
28:1So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 3May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." 5Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman," 7and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8Esau then realised how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.
At the end of our previous study, after Jacob had deceitfully took the blessing meant for Esau, Esau wept bitterly. After despising the birthright most of his life, in the end, he desired the birthright blessing. But did Esau weep with repentance for despising the birthright and the blessing all his life in favor of living after worldly pleasures? Or did he weep, without repentance, simply because someone else got what he himself wanted? We find out in this passage that his weeping was without repentance, for he says: "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob" (27:41). Rather than regret his past indifference to the inheritance that God had set aside for the seed of Abraham, Esau vows to kill the one whom God had chosen to receive the inheritance. Esau is fighting against God: always a foolish thing to do.
Rebekah was understandably worried when she heard of Esau's vow: "When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, `Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?'" (27:42-45). In my opinion, of all the people in this lamentable episode, Rebekah is the one who ends up suffering the most. As a result of her scheming, she loses her favorite son Jacob, never to see him again. Little did she know when she sent Jacob to her brother Laban, that he would not return for many years. Rebekah must have forgotten that her brother Laban was as much a schemer as she was (as we shall see in the coming issues).
Not wanting to alarm Isaac, Rebekah fabricates a reason for Jacob to leave the promised land: "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living." (27:46). Isaac agrees that Jacob should not marry a Canaanite, and plays into Rebekah's scheme: "So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: `Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.'" (28:1-2). I believe that here we see God working in the situation. Clearly, God did not want any of the patriarchs to marry Canaanites. He put it on Abraham's heart to send Eliezer to Haran to get a bride for Isaac. Here, Esau's threatenings were used by God to get Jacob away from Canaan, so that he would not make the same mistake that Esau did in marrying a Canaanite. In addition, God will use this journey of Jacob's to establish a stronger relationship with him, as we shall see in the next section. God is sovereign. God is subtle. God many times influences situations to fulfill His purposes with none of the participants being aware that He is at work. In hindsight, we can look back at many events of our lives, and see the hand of God directing the events. And God uses the strangest tools sometimes. Here, God uses a vengeful son, a deceitful mother, and an unsuspecting father.
Before sending Jacob off, Isaac reiterates Jacob's blessing: "May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May He give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham" (28:3-4). Isaac restates the blessing to reassure Jacob that, indeed, this blessing is meant for him. Isaac had previously given the blessing to him thinking he was speaking to Esau. Isaac has since realized that it is God's will that Jacob receive the "blessing given to Abraham" (vs. 4).
Esau, upon hearing that his father Isaac did not want Jacob to marry a Canaanite, attempts to garner the favor of Isaac: "Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had" (28:8-9). Again, Esau is typical of the worldly. They live much of their lives in indifference to doing what is right in God's sight, instead doing what is right in their own eyes and beneficial to themselves. But once in awhile, they realize that they must at some point in time seek the favor of God. So, they will perform half-hearted works of righteousness--usually too-little-too-late, as Esau's is here--in order to seek God's favor, as if God could be bought off with an occasional gift to charity, or a day of service in the food line, or helping an elderly lady across the street. Not that these things are bad, but they cannot be used to buy God's favor. God desires a consistent walk of obedience, a constant seeking of His face, and most important, we must "offer right sacrifices and trust in the Lord" (Ps. 4:5). Our "right sacrifice" is the sacrifice that Christ offered in our stead. To please God, we must accept this precious gift of God, the sacrifice of His Son.
10Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13There above it stood the LORD, and He said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
16When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."
18Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God 22and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
So, "Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran" (vs. 10). From a typological point of view, Jacob is us. Where Abraham is primarily known for his great faith, and Isaac for his submissive obedience, Jacob is primarily known for his conniving, his "heel-catcher" tendencies. And like us, God by His grace chose Jacob anyway. As A. W. Pink put it: "In Abraham we see the truth of Divine sovereignty, and the life of faith; in Isaac Divine sonship, and the life of submission; in Jacob Divine grace, and the life of conflict."[Footnote #1] By God's grace, He chose Jacob; by God's grace, He chose us. Did Jacob do anything to deserve God's favor? Apparently not. Have we done anything to deserve God's favor? Certainly not. This is the mystery of Divine election. Paul teaches concerning Jacob: "Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad--in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by Him who calls--she was told, `The older will serve the younger.' Just as it is written: `Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.'" (Rom. 9:10-13). We do not know exactly why God chose Jacob; we do not know exactly why God chose us. Oh yes, we have this illusion that it was we ourselves who responded to the call of God, and we pat ourselves on the back for this. And then we read Christ's words: "You did not choose me, but I chose you" (John 15:16); and more of Paul's teaching: "For He chose us in Him before the creation of the world" (Eph. 1:4). So we realize that since He chose us "before the creation of the world", we don't have a whole lot to pat ourselves on the back about. We should instead get on our knees and humbly thank and praise God for choosing us in spite of our many flaws.
"When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep" (vs. 11). Jacob, probably fearful that Esau may follow him and carry out his vow of murder, went as far as he could on his journey before nightfall. He did not have the leisure of imposing on the hospitality of settlers or nomads, but rather was compelled by the darkness to stop in the middle of nowhere, taking a stone for his pillow. His anxiety concerning Esau's threat, his weariness from the journey, his guilty feelings concerning his conniving to get Esau's blessing, and the discomfort of having to sleep in the night air, all must have put Jacob in the restless state perfect for dreaming. This state of mind was also perfect for the work of God to be done. Jacob was at his end. He had lost all. He schemed for the blessing, but now he was certainly not enjoying the fruits of the blessing as he lie upon the stone pillow. Recall that Jacob was somewhat of a homebody, "a quiet man, staying among the tents" (Gen. 25:27). He certainly did not enjoy the excitement of sleeping in the wilderness. He was far away from his family, his dear mother, presumably for the first time. He was ready to meet God. He had nothing to distract him there in the wilderness. He had nothing of his own to lean upon. He was ready to listen to what God had to say. God brings many of us to our end, to get us to turn to Him, that we may be able to hear what He has to say.
To Jacob, to get his attention, God sent a dream: "He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it" (vs. 12). Fortunately, we do not have to use Freudian speculation to determine the meaning of this dream. Christ Himself told us when He spoke to Nathaniel for the first time: "I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (John 1:51). Christ, by His own interpretation, is the stairway upon which the "angels of God were ascending and descending." In other words, Christ is the mediator between man and God, through whom our prayers "ascend" to heaven, and through whom the protection and blessings of the angels "descend" down to us. And it is through Christ that we will also "ascend" to heaven. Clearly, this dream was appropriate to Jacob's situation. He needed a mediator. He needed the forgiveness that comes through Christ the mediator, forgiveness for his life of guile and deceit. He also, there in the desert, needed the guidance and protection that comes through the mediator from God.
After the dream, the Lord Himself spoke directly to Jacob from heaven: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you" (vss. 13-15). God in His grace wanted Jacob to know that Isaac's blessing was truly meant for him. Notice that God's blessing was not contingent on anything Jacob did, but given completely by His grace. The blessing here that God gives Jacob is truly all encompassing. It speaks of God's place, His authority to give such blessings ("I am the LORD"), God's promise ("I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying..."), God's presence ("I am with you"), God's protection ("I. . .will watch over you wherever you go"), and God's persistence ("I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you"). Jacob needed this blessing, especially given the long testings that would await him at Laban's.
Jacob's dream changed his whole outlook on life: "When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, `Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.' He was afraid and said, `How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven'" (vss. 16-17). The presence of God awed Jacob, especially experiencing His presence in the state of mind he was in, in the middle of the vast wilderness, on a night full of stars. Quite possibly, this was the first time that Jacob was truly aware of God's presence. Jacob's sin and deceit had dulled his spiritual sense. Yes, Jacob had an intellectual knowledge of God. His father and grandfather spoke of God's presence and God's goodness to them, but these references to God had not hit home to Jacob. We must seek to know God personally, not just intellectually. We must seek to sharpen our spiritual sense so that we are always aware of God's presence. Jacob's dream had certainly awoken his spiritual sense, so that in the seemingly God-forsaken wilderness, Jacob saw the "house of God" and the "gate of heaven". By the world's standards, the place was a wasteland; for Jacob, God's presence made it beautiful.
Jacob responded to the blessing of God with worship: "Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it" (vs. 18). He called the place "Bethel", meaning "house of God". This name was retained when God's people later gained control of the land.
"Then Jacob made a vow, saying, `If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.'" (vss. 20-22). Jacob's vow, in my opinion, cheapens the blessing of God. Did not God say unconditionally that He would be with Jacob, that He would watch over Jacob wherever he went, that He would bring Jacob back to the promised land? Jacob's vow seems to me to be a way for him to "get a piece of the action", so to speak. Jacob will give his tenth, and so be able to pat himself on the back for bringing about the fulfillment of God's promise. His vow, in effect, denies the unconditional grace of God, and implies that God needs something from him in return for fulfilling His promises. Worse still, Jacob's vow implies that Jacob would not worship God if He did not keep him well-fed and clothed. Jacob here is putting a condition of his own prosperity on his love for God. We should not rashly make vows to God. Many times, our vows deny the grace of God, and imply that we think that God needs something from us. Also, they suggest that we know more about what God should do for us than He does. Worship God unconditionally, and accept and seek His will for you, rather than defining your own future through vows.
Yes, Lord, we seek Your perfect will for our lives. Guide us and be with us. Help us by Your Spirit to always have an awareness of Your presence in our lives. Help us to recognize Your work in our lives, and may we work with You, not against You, in fulfilling Your purpose. In the name of Christ, who is our mediator, the medium through whom we receive all blessings from heaven, we pray these things, Amen.
Footnotes:
1. A. W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis, pg. 247.