Genesis Chapter 28

Accepting the True God

28:1-2

This is actually a continuation of the ‘complaint’ from Rebekah to Isaac regarding the wicked Hittite women who were married to Esau. After the dramatic and heartrending situation regarding the Patriarchal Blessing being given to Jacob (at God’s direction) and Esau being furious at not being given the material blessing; Isaac has no doubt done some real soul searching, and realizes he must now follow God’s leading. How often do we suddenly realize that we should be following and obeying God, AFTER we have caused, or been a part of, some disaster? Isaac apparently now steps in and strongly commands Jacob regarding NOT marrying one of the foreign women; and instead to go to his, and Rebekah’s, ancestor’s household, to select a wife from his Uncle Laban’s family.

28:3-4

Jacob now willingly, and knowingly, pronounces the Patriarchal Blessing upon Jacob before the entire family. This would indicate that he is agreeing with God, and obeying Him by giving the blessings before his entire household, just as he should have done the first time. This would also be a way of ensuring that Esau clearly understands that the Blessing belongs to Jacob and cannot be changed. In addition, Isaac reminds Jacob that God promised all these blessings to Abraham, including the land, of which they are all only ‘sojourners’. This means they are temporarily living in the land. Remember, so are we! This is NOT our homeland either, Heaven is!

28:5

This must have been a painful and heartbreaking command to send Jacob away to the land of Padan-aram in Haran. Isaac remembered how his own father sent his servant to obtain a wife for him; yet Isaac had failed to do the same for his own sons. Now, in is old age, he must send the chosen son away to obtain his own wife in a foreign and hostile land. Both Isaac and Rebekah must have both been filled with sorrow regarding seeing Jacob leave their home. Remember our Father also chose to send His Son into a foreign and hostile land, leaving His home in Heaven, to seek us, as the “Bride of Christ”. As we study, look for other comparison’s to our own times and situations.

28:6-7

Esau finally sees and realizes that his father is willingly obeying God and blessing Jacob. He hears and sees the command to seek a wife that is ‘pure’ and of the correct lineage to be part of the line from which the Messiah is to come. He also sees that Jacob obeys his father and his mother and willingly leaves all his inheritance behind to seek the pure and proper wife to be part of the Messianic line. Keep in mind that the people of the land were very wicked. Although all the ‘giants’ of Noah’s time had been destroyed in the flood; it appears that Satan had once again corrupted the DNA of some of these people with his own evil demons.

28:8-9

Esau finally realizes that his Canaanite wives are not pleasing to his parents; he has caused his own misery. He finally realizes that God has chosen those directly related to Abraham as the correct wife for the chosen line. Rebekah, his own mother, was in the line of Abraham, as she was his nephew’s son’s daughter. So he takes it upon himself to go to his Uncle Ishmael and ask for his daughter Mahalath, to be his wife. Adding another wife to his already bigamous family, was certainly not in God’s Will. Esau didn’t realize that the chosen line of God was only his own father, not his uncle Ishmael. Once we have made a mess of things, do we try to sort out the mess on our own, or do we pray and seek God’s will. Our own ‘strategies’ will probably have the same results Esau’s did. They were of no value at all.

28:10-11

Jacob leaves Beersheba and begins his journey toward Haran. When the sun begins to set, he stays overnight at a certain place. This place appears to be near the city of Luz. Yet Jacob sleeps outside, as he lays down and puts his head on a large stone. It also appears that Jacob is traveling alone. We can imagine Jacob leaving the safety and security of his home and striking out on his own toward his mother’s relatives, whom he did not even know.

28:12

Jacobs mind must have been reeling with all the unknown evils of wicked and hostile people he would encounter; not to mention that he had never traveled outside his own land. Maps were unknown and he just had a general idea of which direction to go to try to reach his mother’s relatives. Can you imagine striking out on your own by camel; say, south of the border in an evil and treacherous land, trying to find your way to a vague destination, knowing there is evil everywhere? God obviously intervened with this dream of the heavenly Ladder, set on earth that reached to heaven; with angels ascending and descending on it. (The Ladder is a symbol or reflection of Jesus Himself as the ladder, or bridge, between Heaven and earth). God is graciously revealing to Jacob that He controls and provides communication and help from Heaven, through Himself and His angels, for those on earth. Without God’s dream intervention, Jacob would probably have had fearful nightmares, or been too frightened to even sleep! Ever been in that position yourself? Remember to pray!

28:13-14

This appearance of the Lord God in Jacob’s dream, a vision; which is a theophany; is God’s way of clearly revealing Himself to Jacob and assuring him that He is the God of Creation, the Almighty and Powerful God of Abraham and Isaac. God assures Jacob that He will give the very land he is lying on to his descendants. God goes on to personally tell Jacob that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the ground, and that his descendants would spread all over the world. Further, God tells Jacob that his Offspring shall be the source of all blessing for all peoples. This reference to his Offspring refers directly to the Messiah, Who will be the ultimate Blessing for all Believers for all eternity. Notice that this is the same blessing promised to both Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 12, 13, 22 and 26. God confirms to Jacob His promised Covenant with Abraham and Isaac. Also, see Acts 3:25-26; and Galatians 3: 8-9, 16.

28:15

God continues His revelation to Jacob by assuring and promising him that He would be with him wherever he goes; that He would watch over and care for him and bring him back safely to this land. The Creator God promises Jacob that He will never leave him until He has done all of what He has promised. All of this is to assure Jacob that he be provided for and will be protected by God Himself, from all the evil that lies around and before him. This revelation clearly shows Jacob that God is his God, not just the God of Abraham and Isaac.

28:16

Jacob immediately wakes up from this startling revelation from God. He declares that certainly God is in this place and he was totally unaware of it! Jacob receives a literal “wake up call” from God! Are we usually unaware of the Truth that God is with us; He is for us; Our Creator is our Protector, our Guide, our very source of life? Are we aware that our very life and breath are all a continuous gift from our loving God? Without God we would cease to exist! Yet, most of us wander through each day just giving lip service to God; a passing quick prayer, then ignoring our Creator and Savior. What should our entire focus be on? Ourselves, or our Savior and Lord? Practice closing your eyes and mentally focus on God as your Creator, Savior, all powerful Protector and the very center of your life and existence! In Heaven you won’t want to take your eyes off Him! Why not begin now, making your Lord, God, Creator and Savior the very focus of your existence? We all need a personal relationship with God.

28:17-18

Jacob humbly fears and reverences God, realizing he has been personally selected by God and blessed and given personal promises from the Almighty Powerful God of the Universe! Jacob acknowledges that this is the house of God and the ‘gateway to Heaven’. Jacob has a complete change of attitude and his mind and heart will be changed forever by God’s powerful intervention in his life. God has also intervened in a personal and powerful way for you in the past; have you forgotten? Do you need to remember God’s call on your life; how He rescued you from your sinful, miserable dying life; to a life of Hope, Mercy, Forgiveness, Love and wonderful blessings of Eternal Life!? Thank God, right now, for all He has done for you; just as Jacob openly declared his appreciation and thankfulness for God’s Blessings on him by setting up the stone as a monument, and pouring oil on it in dedication to his own commitment to following God for the rest of his life.

28:19

Jacob names the place that God revealed Himself to him, Bethel, meaning the House of God. In our day and age, the ‘house of God’ dwells within each Believer. Close your eyes and personally thank God for graciously dwelling within your very being.

28:20-22

Now Jacob makes a solemn vow and promise to God, that if, or since, He will be with him and keep him on the correct path, or way; and provide him with food and clothing and all that is necessary so that he could once again return to his father’s house in peace; then, the Lord, God of the Universe would be his God. Jacob continues by promising that the stone he set up as a monument, would be a sacred place to him; and of all that God would give him he would faithfully give a tenth back to God. The ‘tenth’ was the same amount given by Abraham, which appears to be the amount required by God of his chosen people. Notice all the seeming‘conditions’ Jacob places on his promise to follow God and that the Lord God would be ‘his’ God! Keep in mind that Jacob wants to return in ‘peace’ to his father’s house; he certainly had not left in ‘peace’, yet he wants God to rectify his mistakes! Don’t we do the very same thing?

Do we also promise to follow and obey God, IF….? Yet God clearly tells us He knows what we need and He requires us to …”Seek first the Kingdom of God…Then all this will be given to you.” See Matthew 6:24-34. All of us love God only because He first loved us! See I John 4:19. Jacob underestimates the most powerful and important promises and blessings from God: The promised Messiah! Jacob was focused on earthly concerns, just as Jesus’ disciples were focused on earthly wants and needs. Yet Jesus chastised his disciples for their focus on earthly things rather than Heavenly Eternal Values. See Matthew 16:13-17, 21-27. What IS most valuable? Ask yourself: what is your focus on? Heavenly values or earthly stuff?

If you are unsure of just how committed you are to Heavenly Values, and want the TRUTH about yourself; read Psalm 139. Do you HONESTLY want an ATTITUDE CHANGE FOR YOURSELF? Then focus on verses 1 – 10, 23-24. Pray these verses into your life, ask Jesus to reveal the Truth to you, and to make the necessary HEART AND ATTITUDE changes; do not attempt to deceive yourself. After all, you can’t fool God!