J. Genesis 27:39 – And Isaac his father answered and said unto him, Behold, thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and of the dew of heaven from above;
1. Thy dwelling shall be the fatness of the earth, and the dew of heaven…
§ Jacob has already received this blessing of the fat of the earth and the dew of heaven, how can Isaac give Esau the same blessing?
§ The “of” is a preposition which actually means “from” or away from. E. Bullinger, Companion Bible notes to verse 39
§ Moffett translation: Far from rich soil on earth shall you live, far from the dew of heaven on high…
K. Genesis 27:40 – And by thy sword shalt thou live, and shalt serve thy brother; and it shall come to pass when thou shalt have the dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke from off thy neck.
1. By the sword shalt thou live
§ Mathew 26:52 - Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.
§ A stunning rebuke for those who live as Esau
2. Shalt serve thy brother – prophetic in that it is told in the following passages:
§ 1 Samuel 14:47 – So Saul took the kingdom over Israel Moab Edom
§ 2 Samuel 8:14 – And he put garrisons in Edom Edom Edom
3. When thou shalt have dominion, that thou shalt break his yoke…
§ 2 Kings 8:20 – In his days Edom Judah
§ 2 Chronicles 21:8-10 - In his days the Edomites revolted from under the dominion of Judah Judah
4. Here we can explore the sowing and reaping principle or retribution with both Jacob and Esau and even Rebekah:
§ Job 4:8 – Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.
§ Psalm 126:5 – They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.
§ Hosea 10:12 – Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for [it is] time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
§ 2 Corinthians 9:6 – But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
§ Galatians 6:9 – And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
5. Jacob ended up being deceived himself by Laban as well as his only sons (using goat blood no less). Rebekah favoring her son to the detriment of her other son deprived her of his presence. Esau despising his birthright lost the blessing that went with it
6. Where else does this principle come to pass in scripture?
§ Pharoah
o Killed baby boys by drowning (Exodus 1:22 ) à Pharoah and army drowned in the Red Sea (Exodus 15:4)
§ King Saul
o Disobeys God’s command to destroy all of the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15:19 ) à Saul is killed by an Amalekite (2 Samuel 1:8)
§ King David
o Has Bathsheba’s husband killed à firstborn with Bathsheba dies
§ Adoni-bezek (Judges 1)
o Cuts all the thumbs and big toes off of 70 kings (Judges 1:7) à has his thumbs and big toes cut off (Judges 1:6)
§ Hezekiah
o Shows off all of his treasures (2 Kings 20:13 ) à treasures are carried away by Babylon 20:17 )
§ Haman
o Builds a gallows to hang Mordecci (Esther 5:14 )à Haman is hanged on the gallows he built (Esther 7:10 )
§ Paul
o Present (approvingly) at Stephen’s stoning (Acts 7:58 ) à Paul is later stoned in Antioch 14:19 )
§ Peter
o Denies Christ 3 times (Matthew 26:34) à Christ forgives 3 times (John 21:15 -17)
§ Many more examples
II. Jacob’s Exile (Genesis 27:41-46)
A. Genesis 27:41 – And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay my brother Jacob.
1. Maybe this is why God let Isaac live another 43 years, obviously both Isaac and Esau miscalculated the timing of Isaac’s death.
B. Genesis 27:42 – And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, [purposing] to kill thee.
C. Genesis 27:43 – Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran
D. Genesis 27:44 – And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother's fury turn away;
1. “A few days” is an idiom meaning a much longer time than it sounds and we see Jacob leaves for a significant number of years.
E. Genesis 27:45 – Until thy brother's anger turn away from thee, and he forget [that] which thou hast done to him: then I will send, and fetch thee from thence: why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?
1. “Thou hast done to him” Rebekah seems to be shifting blame entirely upon Jacob rather that stating “what we had done unto him”
2. She woud never send for Jacob, according to scripture she doesn’t see Jacob again as she would most likely die before his return.
3. If she would have believed God’s promise and let Him keep his promise this would have likely turned out differently, she ended up being deprived of her son the rest of her liefe because of her deceptive intervention.
F. Genesis 27:46 – And Rebekah said to Isaac, I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth: if Jacob take a wife of the daughters of Heth, such as these [which are] of the daughters of the land, what good shall my life do me?
1. “what good shall my life do me?” more appropriately translated as “what good would my life be to me?”
2. More confirmation that Rebekah wanted her family to take part in these blessings and promises from God.
Chapter 28
I. Jacob Leaves for Padan-Aram (Genesis 28:1-7)
A. Genesis 28:1 – And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan .
§ Isaac blessed Jacob, again? After he was just deceived? Obviously Jacob has come to understand and submit to the Will of God.
§ Blessed v. Charged, what is the difference? A gift and a command
o Blessed - ברך barak, verb, to bless, kneel
o Charged – צוה tsavah, verb, to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order
- 2 Corinthians 6:14 – Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
- Acts 2:38 -40 – Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, [even] as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
- Just as Isaac commands not to be “unequally yoked” with Canaanite women, Paul tells us we are not to be “unequally yoked” with unbelievers.
- Peter tells us to “repent and be baptized” because we have the promise and to be saved from this untoward or wicked generation.
B. Genesis 28:2 – Arise, go to Padanaram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother.
§ Padanaram – פדן Paddan, the plain of Syria
§ Compare this to Isaac’s marriage to Rebekah:
o Isaac didn’t go to Haran
o Abraham sent his servant to fetch the wife for his son whereas Isaac sends his son
o Initiated after the loss of Isaac’s Mother
o Initiated after the “loss” of Jacob’s brother Esau
§ This exile appears to be a consequence for Jacob’s actions, otherwise Isaac would have likely repeated the actions of his father and sent a servant to fetch a bride for Jacob. Likewise, as a result of sin we are separated from Our Heavenly Father just as Jacob was separated from his earthly father.
o Note that Esau took Canaanite wives when he was 40 years old, when Isaac was ~40 Abraham sent for his wife.
o The result of Esau taking a heathen wife could have been a result of Isaac’s negligence as a father to arrange the marriage as Abraham did.
§ Jacob was given a blessing of wealth yet he left in a state of solitary poverty.
C. Genesis 28:3 – And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
§ God Almighty – El Shaddai
o God – אל 'el, god, god-like one, mighty one
o Almighty - שדי Shadday, almighty, most powerful
§ Multitude – first occurance, קהל qahal, assembly, company, congregation, convocation
D. Genesis 28:4 – And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
§ Here Isaac is giving Jacob the blessing of Abraham, a distinct blessing from the blessing of Isaac which was given in the previous chapter.
o This blessing is what God promised to Abraham which was then transferred to Isaac.
§ So Jacob inherited both the blessing of Abraham and the blessing of Isaac (a double portion that is part of the birthright)
E. Genesis 28:5 – And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padanaram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.
§ Again Betheul is referred to as a Syrian here, but this is Syrian by geography only we know Bethuel is not of the Syrian people
§ According to the book of Jasher, Esau sent his son Eliphaz as an assassin, who took all of Jacob’s belongings but did not kill him.
F. Genesis 28:6 – When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob, and sent him away to Padanaram, to take him a wife from thence; and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan ;
G. Genesis 28:7 – And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Padanaram;
II. Esau Marries Daughters of Ishmael (28:8-9)
A. Genesis 28:8 – And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father;
§ Esau begins to see that his choices have not been pleasing to his parents.
§ Esau seeks atonement for his first ill-advised marriages by taking a wife that his father might approve
B. Genesis 28:9 – Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife.
§ Esau, trying to please his father does what he thinks would be acceptable, but the woman he now takes as a wife is from the son of the bondwoman
§ Esau is very concerned about pleasing his father, but not concerned with pleasing God
§ Mahalath – מחלת Machalath, "stringed instrument" (Second name Bashemath in 36:3)
§ Nebajoth – נביות Nĕbayowth, "heights" a son of Ishmael whose descendants were called the Nabateans with their capital at Petra
III. Jacob’s Journey to Haran
A. Genesis 28:10 – And Jacob went out from Beersheba Haran
§ About a 500 mile journey
§ Beersheba Sheba
§ Haran Mesopotamia in Padan-aram at the foot of Mount Masius Euphrates
B. Genesis 28:11 – And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put [them for] his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.
§ This place Jacob later names Bethel
§ Pillows – מראשות mĕra'ashah, at head place
§ This seems like an incredibly comfortable nights sleep
C. Genesis 28:12 – And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.
§ Dreamed – חלם chalam, to dream
§ Ladder – סלם cullam, ladder, “to pile up like terraces, a way cast up stairway”
o John 1:51 – And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
- Angels - ἄγγελος aggelos, a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God
o What is this ladder? According to Christ it is the Son of Man, bridging the gap between man and God
o Hereafter - ἄρτι arti, adverb, now at this time, at this very time, this moment
§ Heaven – שמים shamayim, heaven, heavens, sky
§ Angels – מלאך mal'ak, messenger, representative
§ Ascending – עלה `alah, to go up, ascend, climb
§ Descending – ירד yarad, to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down
§ Note that God’s tends to comfort when we are at our most vulnerable and miserable, here Jacob lie sleeping, exposed to the elements, alone and cold sleeping on the desert floor. And God comes to him.
D. Genesis 28:13 – And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I [am] the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
§ God blessing Jacob – confirming or ratifying the blessing of Abraham that was given earlier by Isaac
E. Genesis 28:14 – And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
§ The same blessing from… officially transferring the promises to Jacob
§ Up to this point we don’t see much of a relationship between God and Jacob
§ “All the families of the earth be blessed” - Only through Jesus Christ, the promised Seed
F. Genesis 28:15 – And, behold, I [am] with thee, and will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of.
§ “I am with thee” this had to be comforting to Jacob knowing that he now has a brother who is out to kill him.
§ This is the first occurance of the promise “I will not leave thee”
o Deuteronomy 31:6 – Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
o Joshua 1:5-8 – There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, [so] I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it [to] the right hand or [to] the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
o 1 Chronicles 28:20 – And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do [it]: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, [even] my God, [will be] with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
o Hebrews 13:5-6 – [Let your] conversation [be] without covetousness; [and be] content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord [is] my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
G. Genesis 28:16 – And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew [it] not.
§ LORD – יהוה Yĕhovah
§ God can give evidence of His presence to those He visits, note that this is the name used for the Covenant God.
H. Genesis 28:17 – And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of heaven.
§ House of God
o Judges 18:31 - And they set them up Micah's graven image, which he made, all the time that the house of God was in Shiloh .
- Appears to have been mobile
o 1 Chronicles 22:1 – Then David said, This [is] the house of the LORD God, and this [is] the altar of the burnt offering for Israel
§ Is the presence of God located in a particular place? Jacob seems to be convinced that this is a special place and not that God spoke to him.
o Psalm 139:7 – Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
o God just told Jacob that He will never leave him, yet he seems preoccupied with the location.
I. Genesis 28:18 – And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put [for] his pillows, and set it up [for] a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
§ Stone – Coronation stone? The Stone of Scone
o Rectangular block of yellow sandstone decorated with a Celtic cross, which has been associated with the crowning of Scottish kings since medieval times. Legend says it was Jacob's pillow in the Holy Land , and it was taken to Ireland village of Scone England Scotland Scotland
o No evidence that this actually is the same stone, but it sure is treated as if it were something special. Regardless, this stone would be no different than any other stone. We are not to assign any intrinsic value to such things.
§ Pillar – מצבה matstsebah, pillar, mastaba, stump
o Leviticus 26:1 – Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up [any] image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I [am] the LORD your God.
o Deuteronomy 16:22 – Neither shalt thou set thee up [any] image; which the LORD thy God hateth.
- Image - מצבה matstsebah
§ Rather than build an altar, in his hurry to get to his destination he set up a marker and consecrated it with oil.
J. Genesis 28:19 – And he called the name of that place Bethel
§ Bethel
o El - god, god-like one, mighty one
o This is also the location where Jeroboam set up a graven calf
- 1 Kings 12:32 - And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that [is] in Judah Bethel Bethel
- Knowing that this location held some spiritual significance, the wicked Jeroboam as a tool of the devil established a stronghold here.
§ Luz – “Almond tree”
K. Genesis 28:20 – And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
§ First recorded vow
§ Matthew 5:37 - But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.
§ After God makes these promises to Jacob asking him nothing in return, Jacob wants to place these very promises of God as conditions in order for Jacob to worship Him.
L. Genesis 28:21 – So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:
§ God promises the following:
o The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;
o thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth,
o and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south:
o and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
o And, behold, I [am] with thee, and
o will keep thee in all [places] whither thou goest, and
o will bring thee again into this land; for
o I will not leave thee, until I have done [that] which I have spoken to thee of.
§ Jacob replies with the following:
o If God will be with me, and
o will keep me in this way that I go, and
o will give me bread to eat, and – From Isaac’s blessing
o raiment to put on, So – Not given this blessing
o that I come again to my father's house in peace;
o then shall the LORD be my God:
§ Matthew 6:28 -33 – And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, [shall he] not much more [clothe] you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God
o The things Jacob asks for are things that God considers an afterthought for he gives these things to the least of His creation.
§ At first glance this seems like a lack of gratitude on Jacob’s part, but is that the case? Jacob seems to be repeating back what the Lord promised him in his dream, but added the food and clothing provisions. It sounds as if Jacob is making these demands but note that “if” in each statement can also be translated as a “since” there seems to be a sincere pondering and contemplation of what God is promising him. Jacob does still have much to learn about having a heart of gratitude even at his age. God will begin to teach him in the next chapter.
§ God does all of these things regardless of the state of Jacob’s heart, why? Because he had promised to Abraham.
M. Genesis 28:22 – And this stone, which I have set [for] a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.
§ Jacob pledges a tenth of all he has to God
o When we receive from God, we should learn from this example God has given us and give back in a way that honors Him.
o How would Jacob do this? Its not like he would put money in the offering. Likely, sacrifice livestock of this value.
§ What did God say he would give Jacob? All the land, North West
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