Up to the point where
Jacob steals his brother's blessing, everything has been going Jacob's way. But
now there is a turn in the road in Jacob's life. Now the tables are turned. Now
Jacob begins to reap the same things he has sown.
28:1-5 JACOB FLEES TO PADDAN-ARAM TO FIND A WIFE
Because Rebekah did
not want him to marry a Hittite (27:46).
Ge 27:46 Rebekah
said to Isaac, “I am tired of living because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob
takes a wife from the daughters of Heth, like these, from the daughters of the
land, what good will my life be to me?”
Note her despair! “Life
just isn’t worth living! If Jacob gets a wife like this, I’d just rather die!”
Notice in-law (and
out-law!) friction in Genesis.
Remember that Esau had
married two Hittite women, who brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah (26:34-35).
Be prepared to go “out
of your way” to marry the type of person God would have you marry. A godly,
faithful Christian, with a background, family and value system similar to your
own. Not just same religion, but same cultural and social and economic
background. Don’t settle for a Hittite!
“From the daughters of
Laban ...” In a sense this will be Jacob’s undoing. Laban will be the one who
deceives Jacob just as Jacob deceived Esau and Isaac. Jacob will spend fourteen
years of his life to get the woman he loves. Sowing and reaping.
Isaac confers the
patriarchal blessing of Abraham on Jacob.
28:6-9 ESAU TAKES AN ISHMAELITE WIFE
Similarity: As Jacob
will marry two of his first cousins on his mother’s side (Leah and Rachel, the
daughters of Jacob’s uncle Laban), Esau marries a first cousin on his father’s
side, a daughter of Isaac’s half-brother Ishmael, who was born to Abraham and
Hagar (Genesis 16:11).
And therein lies all
the difference in the world!
Esau does not marry a
Canaanite, because the daughters of Canaan displeased Isaac. But neither does
he marry within the covenant family of Abraham and Isaac!
Esau marries out of,
away from, the covenant family. His own choices and personality confirm the
choices and decisions God made before Esau was born. God said Esau would not be
the covenant heir; Esau by his own choice removes himself from the covenant
family.
Similarly, Jacob
marries within the covenant family. He obeys his parents. Through his
obedience he shows himself to be the heir of the covenant.
What if Jacob had not
obeyed his parents?
28:10-22 JACOB SEES THE VISION AT BETHEL
Distance from
Beersheba to Bethel: about 70 miles as the crow flies over mountain roads.
“Nearer, My God, to
Thee” -- “my rest a stone” (read stanzas two and three)
“Mansions Over the
Hilltop” -- “And like the prophet, my pillow a stone”
Ladder to heaven
Angels ascending and
descending
John 1:51 And He said
to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and
the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”
LAND - On which you
lie
SEED - Descendants as
the dust of the earth
BLESSING - Of all
nations in you and your seed
PRESENCE OF GOD --
Providence, protection, preservation
Heb 13:5 Make
sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with
what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever
forsake you,” 6 so that we confidently
say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”
“The house of God;” “the gate of heaven”
Name changed from Luz
to Bethel
JACOB’S VOW TO GOD
Think of the vow as a
commitment, a pledge.
Apply this text to
your own life.
Will God be with you?
Will He keep you on
the journey of life?
Will He give you food
to eat and garments to wear?
Will He bring you to
the Father’s house in safety?
Then ...
[1]The LORD will be my
God.
[2]I will set up a
stone as a witness.
[3]I will give a
tenth, a tithe, to the LORD of all that He gives me.
NT sets no percentage,
but the principle holds true.
“I gave My life for
thee; what hast thou given for Me?”
We give out of a sense
of what the Lord has given us.
Should we give more or
less sacrificially than what Jacob pledged to give? Well, has God given us more
or less?
Not a set quantity:
Mk 12:41 And
He sat down opposite the treasury, and began observing how the people were
putting money into the treasury; and many rich people were putting in large
sums. 42 A poor widow came and
put in two small copper coins, which amount to a cent. 43 Calling
His disciples to Him, He said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put
in more than all the contributors to the treasury; 44 for
they all put in out of their surplus, but she, out of her poverty, put in all
she owned, all she had to live on.”
Lk 19:8 Zaccheus
stopped and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give
to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will give back four
times as much.”
Mk 10:21 Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and
said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give
to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross,
and follow Me.”
Charitable giving
today averages 2 - 3 % of individual income.
Oddly enough, as
income increases, sometimes the percentage given as contributions decreases. In
many cases, those who have less are more generous with their little than others
are with their much more. Why is that?
---
“Back to Bethel”
1.
The Purpose of God
Jacob “lighted upon” a
certain place. 28:11
2.
The Portal of God
A ladder … earth to
heaven. 28:12
3.
The Pre-eminence of
God
The LORD stood above
it. 28:13
4.
The Person of God
I am the LORD, the God
of … 28:13
5.
The Promise or
Provision of God
Land, descendants, and
blessing. 28:13-14
6.
The Presence of God
I am with you. 28:15
7.
The Protection of God
I will keep you
wherever you go. 28:15
8.
The Perseverance of
God
I will not leave you
until … 28:15
9.
The Praise of God
The LORD will be my
God. 28:21
Expanded Lesson Outline – “Back to Bethel”
¨
The Purpose of God
On the one hand, Jacob
“happens upon (Heb., pagha’) a
certain place (lit., “the place” where God was to appear to him) ” and sleeps
on a stone, in a makeshift bed. Unsettled. Traveling. Future all unknown. On
the run from Esau in fear. On the other hand, God has a plan, which He unfolds.
God uses Jacob’s
circumstances to bring him to the place in which God can say, “East, west,
north, and south … it’s all yours.”
28:10-11
Distance from
Beersheba to Bethel: about 70 miles as the crow flies over mountain roads.
Lighted upon = chanced
or happened upon. Pagha’
Even today shepherds
often spend the night with stones under their heads. Common.
¨
The Portal of God
Ladder or stairway
connecting earth and heaven. Man could not attain to it by reaching up. God had
to reach down.
Contrast this ladder
or stairway to heaven with that of Babel.
Ziggurat uncovered in
Ur (Third Dynasty).
¨
The Pre-Eminence of
God
He stands above the
stairway. The angels carry out His will.
¨
The Person of God
“I am the LORD, the
God of Abraham and Isaac …”
God has a history, a
track record.
His character is the
basis of His covenant.
¨
The Promise /
Provision of God
Land – would take
hundreds of years.
Descendants – would
take hundreds of years.
Blessing – would be
fulfilled in the coming of Christ.
How could God bless
Jacob, who had cheated his brother and deceived his father?
One answer: God had to
work through imperfect people to bring the perfect One into the world. That
fact does not justify anyone for doing wrong.
Another answer: God’s
dealings with Jacob would involve two tracks or levels.
Track One: God’s
sovereign, redemptive purpose to bring the Savior would stand. Through Jacob He
would bring the Christ. Regardless of Jacob’s behavior.
Track Two: God would
also deal with Jacob at the personal level. He would reap what he had sown. He
would be cheated by Laban. Given Leah instead of Rachel.
¨
The Presence of God
“I am with you …”
¨
The Protection of God
¨
The Perseverance of
God
“… until I have done
what I have promised you.”
¨
The Praise of God
God’s promise to us
prompts our promise to Him.
Jacob is not
bargaining with God, but offering his thanks to God.
Can Jacob be sure that
God will give him food, and garments, and a safe return? Of course! Rom 8:32 What need we fear? Why? Matt 16
He gives to God
because God has given to him.
What shall we give
God, in light of His grace?
How does this passage
point to Christ? John 1:51
How can we apply this
passage to ourselves?
I am with you.
I will keep you.
I will bring you back
to this land.
I will not leave you.
Nearer, My God, to Thee
Stanza 4 in the
original:
Then, with my waking
thoughts bright with Thy praise,
Out of my stony
griefs, Bethel I’ll raise;
So, by my woes to be,
nearer, my God, to Thee,
Nearer, my God, to
Thee, nearer to Thee.
Mansion Over the Hilltop
Stanza 2
“And like the prophet,
my pillow a stone.”
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