A Bible Study by
Charles W. Holt
email: cholt@gt.rr.com
Let’s Make a Deal: The story of Jacob.
Part One of Two
Jacob is a problem.
Perhaps, I rather should say, Jacob is my problem.
Don’t ask me to explain any of that. Notwithstanding my patently negative beginning,this entire study will be built around my feeble effort to deal with how Jacob is a problem to me and--as I have learned--to others. I will talk about how he is a problem but don¡¦t lift your expectations too high in anticipation of solutions to the deeper issues. I will attempt to convey simple principles. I will leave the complexities of doctrinal issues found in Jacob¡¦s story with scholars and philosophers who thrive on getting the proverbial "blood out of the turnip," if you know what I mean.
Up until the time I actually sat in front of my computer screen to type these words I spent three to four weeks reading and researching all I could find about the man in an exhaustive effort to write the first sentence. So, after weeks of personal thought and finding out what others think, I come to my first sentence: Jacob is a problem. Brilliant. Well, not really but it is a beginning. I think of Charlie Brown’s Snoopy. I see him perched atop his house. His posture lets me know that he is in deep concentration. He leans forward, fingers poised, intently staring at the blank sheet of paper in his typewriter. His goal, as always, is to write the great American novel. At last, his first sentence appears. "It was a dark and stormy night," he writes. I have been told that it is not unusual for some of the truly great American novelists to spend an entire day staring at a blank page in their typewriter before they typed in the first sentence. I remember the classic proverb, "every journey begins with the first step." I am not at all encouraged by any of it. But I persist. I stare at the white screen of my computer. It’s my empty sheet. I think of borrowing Snoopy’s line. I write, "It was a dark and stormy night as Jacob sat pondering his mother’s incredible plan to snatch the family’s wealth from his twin brother. It would be both daring and bold. Would it succeed?" That results in another wadded piece of paper torn from the typewriter. Mine, like Snoopy’s, would result in another rejection slip. Let’s move on.
I admit what you have probably already discovered, that all this is simply a flight of fantasy. You know how it works. We get into a tight spot and don¡¦t know what to say so we will use wit, sarcasm, or even humor to deflect stinging realities we don’t want to admit to. Now you know what I’ve been doing¡ stalling. We need to get down to business on a very serious subject. "And this we will do if God permits" (Heb. 6:3). (Now that has a certain spiritual ring to it doesn’t it?) Holt proverb: When you don’t know what to say, hide behind a Scripture.
This study will emphasize major highlights of Jacob’s life from chapter 27 through 33 of Genesis. His story actually ends down in Egypt, but we won’t go that far except to say, "And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into his bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people" (Gen. 49:33 NKJV). He was about 180 years old. Just to bring a little perspective to the story, Abraham lived until Isaac was 75-years old, and lived to celebrate his grandson Jacob¡¦s fifteenth birthday.
In order to set the proper scene for what will unfold in the seven chapters composing this study we need to go back for a snippet of information found in chapter 25 regarding the birth of the twins Esau and Jacob. They were born in response to the desperate prayer of Isaac on behalf of his wife Rebekah. Her pregnancy was a difficult one. It proved so troublesome that she went to the Lord about it. He assured her that the struggle she was feeling inside her womb was because, "two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger" (vs. 23 NKJV). Jacob was 60-years old when the twins were born. Here is a bit of very revealing biography:
"So the boys grew. And Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob" (Gen. 25:27,
28 NKJV).
Much has been written and even more has been said based upon those two verses. As plain as the nose on your face you can see that it is a family divided. Daddy loves the oldest boy, Esau. Momma loves the youngest, Jacob. Favoritism, and the many problems its generates, plays a key role that ultimately affects the course of Hebrew history.
Our daunting task is to make sense out of all the twists and turns the story of Jacob takes and above all to arrive at a general agreement on how the spiritual principles found here are relevant to each of us. There are several. They are not all of the warm fuzzy, "it makes me feel so good," variety that so many expect from today’s pulpits. Be prepared to confront issues that may be contrary to your present theology. I will not inject anything that is designed to deliberately create controversy. Some controversial issues may be raised but not in order to provoke a debate.
For me, and for untold others, the difficulty begins with the words, "the older shall serve the younger" (Gen. 25:23). This announcement says that custom, tradition, and "family law" will be suspended--even reversed--with the birth of these twins. Custom and tradition of that period would demand the "rights of the first-born." The first-born son always came in for a greater share--we might say, "the lion¡¦s share"--of the family¡¦s wealth, privileges and responsibilities. The first-born would be elevated as leader of the clan. To be denied this right was no small matter--indeed, it was tragic. We will see how this plays out as we proceed.
The six-word announcement--"the older shall serve the younger"--is clear and troubling. The reason Esau will serve Jacob is given in Romans 9:10-13. It says,
"And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), it was said to her, "The older shall serve the younger." As it is written, "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated" (NKJV).
Verse 12 repeats the words we have already seen in Genesis 25:23 but now is added, "As it is written, ¡¦Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." The "it is written" quote comes from Malachi 1:2,3. The Apostle Paul drops a theological bomb, almost casually it seems to me, when he explains all this, saying, "that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls¡K" (Rm. 9:11 NKJV). Believe me when I tell you that churches have split and friendships have ended over these volatile issues found in Romans 11. I will go no further with it. I only mention it because it is an underlying current that will run throughout this present study. We will not deal with the "love-hate-election" issues here. Their relevance, however, will become apparent the further we go.
There are things we know for certain about Jacob. If you would say something like, "When I think of Jacob I think of a liar, deceiver, opportunist, schemer, one who is crafty, uses his wits to outsmart an opponent." If you would say that, you would be correct. Jacob was all these things unashamedly, undeniably, for the greater part of his life.
What an incredible character! It is time to let you in on my little secret. Promise not to tell (at least not until you talk with your best friend). Beside what I have already said about having difficulty beginning this study, the main reason lies right here. The thing that bothers me the most about Jacob is that his nature reveals so much about human nature--my nature. To uncover Jacob--to expose his character traits--is to uncover me. When I look into the mirror, I see Jacob. Now that’s tough to admit, but true. That’s one of the major reasons why Jacob is a problem to me.
I must agree with the great Chinese Christian and author, Watchman Nee, when he says, "Those who do not know themselves do not know Jacob. We need to be aware how the flesh always takes care of itself, cheating others to do so--and being cheated--if we are going to understand this man. For with all God’s dealings with him in Laban’s home, still Jacob was largely unchanged. Cheating, scheming, planning, were still in his character." [My note: the name Laban is introduced here. He eventually became Jacob’s father-in-law. We will meet him much later in the story.]
I have laid down a few tracks to guide us toward our destination. Hopefully we will reach our intended goal of having our belief systems tested, tried, and in the end, found to be sound. Anything we find broken is repairable.
Let’s go back to the beginning by entering the labor room where we find Rebekah at the point of delivery. Twins are to be born. Esau is the first. He comes out red and hairy (Esau means hairy). Jacob¡¦s birth follows so quickly that on his way out he grabs hold of Esau’s heel. The name Jacob means, supplanter, deceitful. Literally, "One Who Takes the Heel." Clutching his brother’s heel is an omen of things to come. The boys grow to be healthy young men. I have entitled this study, "Let’s Make a Deal: The Story of Jacob." Jacob’s first deal sets the stage for fulfilling the prophecy, "the elder shall serve the younger."
Esau was the outdoors type, a man of the field, a hunter. You would never get this guy to sit down to play Monopoly. Jacob was the opposite. He and his Momma could play Monopoly by the hour. He was a homebody. Esau knew how to hunt and, like any good outdoorsman, he knew how to cook the catch. "And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob" (25:28 NKJV). Esau’s culinary skills played an important role the day Dad decided to give his last will and testament to Esau. He called Esau in and said, "take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die" (27:3,4 NKJV). Jacob knew how to cook but didn’t know how to hunt. This creates the ideal situation for the first, "Let’s make a deal." Here’s how it happens
One day Jacob cooked up a big pot of red beans and rice so savory that it had everyone’s mouth watering. Just about that time Esau came home from a serious hunting trip. He was so drop-dead tired and hungry he could think of only one thing--getting a big bowl of Jacob’s mouth-watering red beans and rice. Esau said, "Give me some of your red beans and rice." Jacob said, "Let’s make a deal. I’ll give you some of my red beans and rice if you will sell me your birthright as of right now." Esau said, "Man, I am so hungry I’m about to die. What does a stupid birthright mean to me if I’m gonna die!" "Then Jacob said, Swear to me as of this day. So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob" (Gen. 25:33 NKJV). Esau ate and drank, got up and went on his way. "Thus Esau despised his birthright" (25:33 NKJV). A passage from the New Testament book of Hebrews uses this Old Testament event to prompt a solemn caution to believers. We are warned not to be a "profane [meaning godless] person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears" (Heb. 12:16,17 NKJV).
Did you catch the spiritual thread that is woven into this little slice of the story? You see--and this is very important--we are talking about a series of actual, historical, events. The entire range of human emotions known to mankind drives these events. We are driven by these same emotions in our daily interactions with others. At the same time another force is driving them--and us. It is a spiritual force. It has its source in God. Its driving principle is faith, trust, and obedience. These two forces collide in us as they did in Jacob and Esau. The Apostle Paul describes the struggle as, "the flesh (lusting) against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish" (Gal. 5:17 NKJV). There is within each one of us a natural force and a spiritual force. This is another underlying factor here and we will see how it weaves in and out of this story as we move along.
Without saying it explicitly, Esau was not in covenant relationship with Jehovah. He was not a man of faith. Hebrews tells us he was "profane," i.e., godless. This helps explain why he so carelessly--callously--disregarded his birthright with its privileges, responsibilities and promises for future generations. Esau despised the birthright because he did not grasp the spiritual connection. There was value in it if there was faith to apprehend it. He didn’t possess that faith. This fact is made apparent when Esau’s history is traced through the centuries under the name of Edom and the Edomites.
The name Edom was given to Esau when he sold his birthright to Jacob for his meal of red beans and rice. "There was never any meat, except the forbidden fruit, so dear bought, as this broth of Jacob" [Bishop Hall]. Eventually, the land given to Esau was called "the country of Edom," (Gen. 32:3) and his descendants were called Edomites. The hatred Esau harbored for his brother Jacob was inherited by and perpetuated in his posterity. With the fire of anger boiling in his belly, he set out on a course of rebellion against historic family values. We are told that, "When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah" (Gen. 26:34,35 NKJV). They were a grief of mind because these three women were Canaanites. Later we read, "Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham¡¦s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had" (28:8,9 NKJV). This marriage appears to be a feeble attempt to gain the approval of both Rebekah and Isaac because it was "within the family."
The Edomites emphatically refused to let the Israelites pass through their land on their way to Canaan (Nu. 20:18-21). For a period of nearly 400 years they seem to pass from the pages of history. Later they are attacked and defeated by King Saul (1 Sam. 14:47) and by King David (2 Sam. 8:13,14). When Jehoshaphat was King, the Edomites attempted to invade Israel, but were defeated (2 Chron. 20:22). Centuries later they were subdued by the Maccabees and forced to conform to Jewish laws and rites. Thus they became incorporated with the Jewish nation. It is a telling commentary to note that the Edomites were idolaters (2 Chron. 25:14,15,20). This ultimately reflects the faithless attitude of their founding father, Esau.
Take a quick trip mentally back to previous lessons. Revisit Abraham. Remember the covenant God made with him and the promises that flow out of that covenant. Recall Genesis 12:3, "in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (NKJV). In Abraham was held a promise made way back in the Garden of Eden that there would come from Eve One Who would bruise Satan. The Lord told the serpent, and the woman, there would be war between his seed and her Seed. "He (i.e., Christ, the Seed of the woman) shall bruise your (Satan’s) head, and you (Satan) shall bruise His (Christ’s heel, i.e., crucify him)" (Gen. 3:15). Genesis 3:15 is the first promise God made that Jesus would come into the world to die as Redeemer of mankind. This, and scores of others in the Old Testament, are known as the Messianic promises. This is the manner in which the "royal lineage" is intended to unfold: Adam; Abel, Seth (sons of Adam and Eve); Shem (son of Noah); Abraham, Isaac (son of Abraham); and then Esau. [Adam-Abel-Seth-Shem-Abraham-Isaac-Esau--Jesus.] Esau, as Isaac’s firstborn, would be in the direct line of the Abrahamic promise to bless all the families of the earth. But Esau "despised" the birthright because of his lack of faith and effectively cut himself out of the royal line that ultimately culminated in the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We must admit, however reluctantly, that God¡¦s purpose for Esau and Jacob will prevail regardless of how "unfair" or seemingly "unjust" it may appear to our own rational and, as we may boast, "logical," conclusions. (The Apostle Paul argues and answers this question in Romans chapter nine.) What we want to consider next is the sequence of events that led Jacob down the long and torturous road to take his place as son Number One in the family (and history’s) hierarchy. We will be looking at a man who makes all the wrong moves, breaks all the rules, yet finds himself slap-dab in the big middle of God’s amazing grace and mercy. For this we may gladly say, "Amen and thanks be to God because we stand where he stood!"
Pretend for a moment that we are viewing these events through the lens of our video camera. Our camera has the ability to zoom in for a close-up shot to focus and isolate a very small area. It also has the ability to zoom out to get what is known as a wide-angle shot. This is also called the panoramic view. It gives the broader picture. Zooming out, we see Isaac and Esau huddled together in an intensely animated conversation. Their heads bob and weave. Fingers puncture the air as their hands rise, fall, twist, and turn. Suddenly, Esau leaves the house with quiver and arrows in hand. He disappears over a distant knoll apparently on another hunting trip. His fast pace and long strides tell us he is in an unusual hurry.
What Isaac and Esau do not see, but we can, is Rebekah standing just around the corner listening to the entire conversation. She has long suspected something was afoot between these two but at last it is confirmed. She listens as Isaac says to Esau,
. . . take your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die (Gen. 27:3,4 NKJV).
Although she had long suspected it she can’t believe it is about to happen. Isaac is about to pull off an end-around maneuver against the revealed will of God. He knows God’s will in this matter--"the elder shall serve the younger"--but he seems determined to totally disregard it by favoring Esau above Jacob. Isaac says he wants it to happen "before I die." What do you mean, Isaac, "before I die!?" You will live for another 40-years! [Note: Isaac died at age 180. See Gen. 35:28,29.]
Isaac is determined to pull off a scheme that will favor his favorite son. His sensual appetites totally dominate him even as Esau¡¦s did, allowing Jacob to wrest the birthright from him. Like father, like son. Now it will be Rebekah¡¦s turn to put into high gear her own scheme that has the same purpose to favor her favorite son. We are about to witness the other side of the coin: like mother, like son. This is indeed a family split right down the middle. It will prove to be a valuable lesson based upon the theory that, "the end justifies the means." Rebekah will try to solve God¡¦s problem of getting Jacob to the head of the class before Isaac botches the whole process. She is about to open the door to a lot more than she bargained for. It is all done with the most sincere, fervent, loving, devoted, unselfish, "if I don’t do this now God’s plan for my son will be lost forever and I just want to be used of God," motive and intentions. Remember the story of Uzzah who reached out his hand to "steady the Ark" when the oxen stumbled and the Ark of the Covenant was about to topple and he died in the process? (See 1 Chronicles 13:9,10.) His was also a sincere gesture to help God solve a problem. Sometimes our determined, "I’m going to do that even if it kills me," turns out exactly as we declare it.
Do you suppose God could have worked everything out without the misguided, albeit sincere, planning, plotting, and deceiving efforts of both Rebekah and Isaac? There is no way for us to accurately answer the question. Surely the Lord would have done something. Unfortunately, He did not have a chance to unveil His plan to save the situation and thus spare lots of folk a lot of heartache. Can you think of a time you have tried to "help God out?" Charles H. Spurgeon, one of the greatest preachers of two centuries ago and still one of the most quoted today, writes:
"Do right if heaven itself should grieve. If the skies should not be propped except by a lie, let them fall. Come what may, you never must in any degree or in any shape depart from the honest, the true, the right, the Christ-like, that which God commands, that which alone God will approve" (Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Vol. 61. p. 379).
In keeping with the title of our study, "Let’s Make a Deal," Rebekah is now ready to make her deal. Her deal will involve her son. After secretly hearing what Isaac says, she calls Jacob.
"So Rebekah spoke to Jacob her son, saying, ¡¦Indeed I heard your father speak to Esau your brother . . . Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you . . ." (27:6-8 NKJV) or, "son, here’s the deal."
She tells him to get a couple of the finest kid goats from the flock and bring them to her to make a savory dish she knows Isaac loves. With Momma’s special dish in hand, Jacob will go in to his father to receive the blessing of the first-born. Jacob is, however, worried, and for a good reason. But Momma is persuasive.
"And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Look, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth-skinned man. Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be a deceiver to him; and I shall bring a curse on myself and not a blessing. But his mother said to him, Let your curse be on me, my son; only
obey my voice, and go, get them for me" (27:11-13 NKJV).
Despite his misgivings, Jacob becomes a participant in the plot. Is it any wonder that he has a problem with honesty? She has taught him to lie and cheat. Following his mother’s maneuver to insure that "the will of the Lord be done," he uses stolen clothes: "Then Rebekah took the choice clothes of her elder son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son" (vs. 15). (This indicates preplanning.) He lies to his father when asked, "Who are you, my son?" Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me" (vs. 18,19). He lies the second time when a suspicious Isaac asks, "Are you really my son Esau?" He said, "I am" (vs. 24). Amazingly, he even seems to pass the buck of responsibility onto the Lord when Isaac asks, "How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?" And he said, "Because the LORD your God brought it to me" (vs. 20). Oh, how we love to blame others and make them responsible for our actions. If caught, Jacob could shrug his shoulders and say, "I was just doing what Momma told me." Or, in today’s lingo, "I just felt led of the Lord." Holt proverb #2: "When you can’t explain your actions say, "the Lord brought it to me" or, "the Lord told me."
Here’s a pretty good piece that touches on the subject of "Who’s to Blame?" It is the Psychiatric Folk Song by Anna Russell.
I went to my psychiatrist to be psychoanalyzed
To find out why I killed the cat and blacked my husband’s eyes.
He laid me on a downy couch to see what he could find,
And here’s what he dredged up, from my subconscious mind.
When I was one, my mummy hid my dolly in a trunk
And so it follows, naturally, that I am always drunk.
When I was two, I saw my father kiss the maid one day, And that is why I suffer from kleptomania.
At three I had a feeling of ambivalence towards my brothers.
And so it follows, naturally, I poisoned all my lovers.
But I am happy now I have learned the lessons this has taught:
Everything I do that’s wrong, is someone else’s fault!
Rebekah capitalizes on Isaac’s near-blindness and his appetite for "savory dishes" to deceive him. It works. But at a cost. We can only begin to imagine the rage Esau felt when he realizes his brother has again outwitted him in the matter of the father’s blessing. Remember it was equivalent to a last will and testament but even more so in this Biblical setting. Not only must he deal with Jacob’s deceptive tactics but also with the coup de theatre that has been dealt by his own mother. His passion was so enflamed that he announced his intention of killing his brother at an opportune time. This creates a new problem, one that Rebekah may not have thought out before putting her plan into motion. Jacob, therefore, must be sent to her brother Laban back home until things cool off. First, she explains the need for this to Jacob (27:42-45). "It will only be for a few days," she says reassuringly. Those "few days" would stretch into 20-years before he returns. He would never see his mother alive again. Jacob was about 77-years old when he went down to his mother’s kin in Haran.
A dramatic shift is about to take place. From this point on things will never be the same for Jacob--or the whole family, for that matter. He is about to make a major physical move. Ultimately this physical move will involve a spiritual change in him. He goes to Haran one way and returns another (not physically but emotionally and spiritually).
Before making this turn let me bring again to the forefront something we considered in an earlier lesson. It comes from the story of Isaac. We were blessed in the assurance that the God of Isaac is the God of our inheritance. That our inheritance is something already settled and secured in Christ. God has given it, like Abraham¡¦s gift to Isaac, to us through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. We did nothing to earn the blessings of Heaven’s riches. Paul reminds us that, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace," and that, "In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, . . . (and) you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory" (Eph. 1:7,11,13,14 NKJV).
I mention this fact now because it is a strong foundation for what we will build upon. We are about to see how the discipline of God worked in Jacob and, by extension and application, how God¡¦s discipline works in us. "It is only through knowing God first as the God of Isaac that we can move on to know Him as the God of Jacob" (Nee). Without knowing first of the assurance of our spiritual inheritance in Christ already accomplished as we abide in Christ, it could be devastating to an uncertain faith. The testimony of every believer should echo the words of Paul when he says, "I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day" (2 Tim. 1:12 NKJV). The matter of personal salvation and security in that salvation experience is one of the greatest problems among many Christians today. It is strange to me that what should be a source of the greatest comfort to the believer is actually one of the hottest debated issues in theology.
From this point Jacob’s story will serve to bring to light a number of comparisons and contrasts that lie within the Christian’s life. For example:
--Jacob¡¦s story will illustrate matters of discipline in the school of the Holy Spirit.
--Jacob’s story will draw our attention to the Spirit’s inward working upon us to form Christ within (see Galatians 4:19).
--Jacob’s story will make plain our own extreme weakness and uselessness.
--Jacob’s story reminds us of how, though triumphant in many areas, we live to fall again.
--Jacob’s story reminds us of how deficient and inadequate we are within ourselves.
Virtually all the statements above (perhaps all of them) have a negative edge. Some are of the opinion that Sprit-filled people should never entertain negative thoughts. While I’ll be the first to say, "more power to you!" I don’t hesitate to say there is no Biblical basis for such a statement. Like most other things, there are always two sides to the story. This is true Scripturally. The problem occurs when we want to emphasize one above the other as if to say, "there are no negatives for the Christian, all is positive," or, "there is some positives but mostly negatives as one tries to live the Christian life." The sooner one realizes that these two ideas run simultaneous in the Christian’s life, that they are indeed parallel experiences throughout the Bible and integral to the Christian’s life, the stronger (happier, more peaceful) that life will be.
Consider these powerful (extreme?) words in Scripture.
1. "God, which always causeth us in triumph" (2 Cor. 2:14).
2. "Sin shall not have dominion over you" (Rm. 6:14).
3. "To me to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21).
4. "I can do all things through Christ" (Phil. 4:13).
On the other hand, by comparison and contrast:
1. "I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling" (1 Cor. 2:3).
2. "Sinners; of whom I am chief " (1 Tim. 1:15).
3. "Had the sentence of death in ourselves" (1 Cor. 1:9).
4. "The blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us for all sin" (1 Jn. 1:9).
5. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves" (1 Jn. 1:8).
6. "We also are weak in him" (2 Cor. 13:4).
7. "When I am weak, then am I strong" (2 Cor. 12:10).
8. "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities" (2 Cor. 12:9).
These verses (and others that could be chosen) illustrate the fact that we may have what appear at times to be contradictory emotions and beliefs about who and what we, and the Christian life, is about. Have you ever thought of making a distinction between who and what you are that comprises your personality--what the Bible describes as the "old man" and his sinfulness--then comparing that with who and what you are as a result of a new birth--what the Bible describes as the "new man" who is perfect in Christ Jesus? God, as our Creator, has created us with natural strength. By grace, through a new birth, we receive spiritual strength. Ninety percent of the time Jacob was operating out of his natural strength. Jacob¡¦s spiritual strength (dormant but not dead) arose phenix-like out of the ashes of his own "dead works" (see Heb. 6:1; 9:14) steeped in selfishness and self-serving schemes, came at the point of the wrestling match at the brook Jabbok just before he was to meet Brother Esau. The question that is difficult to face (and perhaps even more difficult to answer) is how much of our work for the Lord is being done by our own natural strength?
One thing that should be clear to us is the fact that we have both the Isaac life and the Jacob life in us. The Isaac life that is rooted and grounded confidently in Christ. The Jacob life that is keenly aware of weakness, failure, frailties and struggles to overcome. It is not enough to know the God of Jacob without knowing the God of Isaac; we must see our own weaknesses but at the same time we must know Christ¡¦s strength and our security in Him.
Jacob’s journey to change began the day he hit the road for Haran leaving his mother and father (and a brother bent on killing him), striking out for totally unfamiliar territory to meet aunts, uncles and cousins he had probably never seen before. By nightfall of the first day he was alone in a vast wilderness. "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed . . . " (Gen. 28:10-12 NKJV). And what a dream it was! Here he meets a heavenly visitor and says, "Let’s make a deal!" Jacob has much to learn. And, so do we.
When things get rough, remember: it’s
the rubbing that brings out the shine.
(Anonymous)
Jacob is about to learn by experience what this means and from his experience we gain insights about our own encounters with life’s abrasives.
Chapter 28 opens with the impression that Isaac has finally seen the light. He appears to accept the will of God for Jacob and, acting in the role he should have taken years earlier, he gives guidance and pronounces his unconditional blessing upon his younger son.
"Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him: You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and take yourself a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother" (vs. 1,2 NKJV).
Isaac is squarely on track when he commands, "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan." This is a major move to insure that the Abrahamic covenant of blessing and prosperity will be cemented and perpetuated through his union with "a wife from" the family of folks back home who are not contaminated by the "Canaan connection." "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran" (vs. 10 NKJV). It’s the beginning of a journey that will profoundly shape the future of this man.
As evening of the first day falls, Jacob finds himself near the city of Luz. He knows they close the city gates at sundown therefore he is content to stay the night in the open field. "And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep" (vs. 10 NKJV). I immediately picture this as the original Hard Rock Motel. This could easily be the origination of the well-known phrase, "against a rock and a hard place." We have all experienced a night or two there. It turns out that the Hard Rock Motel is the vestibule of Heaven. Jacob has a front row seat to an incredible sight.
"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. And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, . . . (28:12,13 KJV).
Behold the ladder set up on earth.
Behold the angels of God moving up and down
Behold the LORD above it all
Behold, WHAT A SIGHT THIS IS!
Jacob’s overnight stay at the Hard Rock Motel turns out to be the source of a great revelation. We should not be surprised to find a stop is called for at this place. There is a Divine Itinerary that dictates our steps and stops in our own "walking by faith" journey which includes a stay at the Hard Rock Motel. Our Divine Travel Agent builds these stops into our "faith travelogue" for the same purpose as Jacob¡¦s. They provide an opportunity for us to discover a realm of life, and activity within that life, that is not visible to the natural senses--and to be profoundly affected by it.
In order to make an important point, I am going to stretch to the limit what is known as the use of analogy and metaphor. [The religious pseudo-intellectuals cry and gnash their teeth at this method of Biblical interpretation. But, hey, it’s my story and I can handle it any way I choose as long as I stay inside the lines of reason.] Picture this . . . Jacob is one really mixed up person. He doesn’t have his "head on straight," if you know what I mean. At this point in his life, having just left home, alone with his thoughts that must be swirling like a newly disturbed beehive, he lays his head on a rock. He lays his head on a rock!
Now, let your imagination take wings. Leap into the light of reverie and see that rock upon which he lays his head in a way that you have never seen it before. Let that rock be the Rock of Ages. Let that Rock be Jesus. Is there any better place to lay one’s head down, i.e., lay down all the troubling thoughts, mixed emotions, worries, fears . . . list them all-- is there any better place to lay them all down than on the Rock Christ Jesus? How else could one possibly go to sleep with his head on a rock unless it’s a special Rock?
[Note: in defense of my use of metaphor to describe this rock I will remind everyone that this is the language Paul uses. Moses led the Israelites from Egypt and into the Sinai wilderness. They hungered and thirsted. God provided them with food and drink. Paul treats it as a metaphor and spiritualizes it. He says, they "did all eat the same spiritual meat; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ" (1 Cor. 10:4 KJV)].
Here’s the metaphor: Jesus is the Rock. This means that when we find ourselves at a "between a rock and a hard place" experience we can transform that experience from "between a rock," to "reclining on a Rock", resting on a Rock. That Rock is Jesus. While we are at it, let’s throw in David’s prayer: "Hear my cry, O God; attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I" (Ps. 61:1,2 NKJV). To be led by the Holy Spirit to the "rock that is higher than I" means we come to the place of comfort, rest, peace. Lying down on that Rock is to place all our anxious thoughts and confusion upon Him. It is putting us in a place of receiving a new revelation of a stairway that is open to the heavens.
I discovered that the Authorized Version (KJV) says, "and he took the stones of that place, and put them for pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep." This is one of the beauties of the King James Version. It lends itself to such picturesque speech. Seeing it that way opened a new opportunity to mine the gold from this sentence that may only be found in a metaphorical sense. Let’s see what he did then make some practical and spiritual applications. He . . .
1. Took stones of that place
2. Put them for pillows
3. Lay down in that place
4. Went to sleep
HE TOOK THE STONES OF THAT PLACE
Where is "that place?" You and I have been there. It is a hard place because it is a stony place. There is no green grass, soft and moist to, lie upon. There is no smell of flowers wafting on the wings of the evening¡¦s gentle breezes. The most readily available resource is rocks and more rocks. It is a desolate place. For Jacob, it was a lonely place. It was an isolated place. He was traveling light. He was all by himself. It was a place of dashed hopes and dreams. A short time earlier he had thought he was getting wealth and power. He gets isolation and separation from his family. In that place you desire comfort but comfort is denied. In that place you desire companionship but companionship is denied. In that place you could use a friendly voice, an understanding voice, but friendly and understanding do not exist here. Rocks exist here, and plenty of them. What to do? Here is one man’s discovery.
A man named Victor Frankl, a Jewish psychologist, discovered a great truth in the midst of a Jewish concentration camp during WW II. While seeking to survive the horror of this imprisonment Frankl began observing his fellow prisoners in the hope of discovering what coping mechanism would help him endure this horrendous existence. What Frankl discovered was this . . . Those individuals who could not accept what was happening to them, who could not make their present suffering fit with their faith, who could not find it’s meaning in their worldview . . . they despaired, lost hope, and eventually gave up and died. But those individuals that could find a meaning from their faith, were then able to find hope for a future beyond their present suffering, and so could accept what they were enduring as a part of their existence, and they survived.
Who, in Frankl’s experience, lost hope, despaired and eventually gave up?
--Those individuals who could not accept what was happening to them.
--Those individuals who could not make their present suffering fit with their faith.
--Those individuals who could not find its meaning in their worldview.
HE "TOOK THE STONES" OF THAT PLACE
Jacob does something. He accepts the place where he is. He accepts the circumstances he finds himself in. He accepts the resources he has available to him. Frankl did this. Like Jacob, he couldn’t change the place, couldn’t leave the Nazi death camp, but he could rearrange things within the circumstances. He dealt with the problem by looking to find a new way to handle the problem. He had a choice of either feeling sorry for himself and cursing the miserable situation or he could find a way to turn his liabilities into assets, "in that place." If life dumps one onto a stony place and the only resources in that place appear to be an overabundance of stones, doesn¡¦t it make sense to ask, "What can I make out of these stones?" The first step is to "take the stones of that place." Don¡¦t try to deny them, hide them, or try to run away from them. Take them, embrace them, own them.
AND PUT THEM FOR PILLOWS
Jacob took the stones, "and put them for pillows." Not everyone can do this. (Oops! Is that a contradiction of what I have just said? I don’t intend it to be. Let me explain.) The opportunity, the potential, is available to everyone. But not everyone can do this because how one views the stones will determine what use is made of them. Stones can be used as missiles to hurl at others in what is well known as "the blame game." Stones can be used as ballast to weigh one down to sink beneath the waters of self-pity and failure.
However, stones can be used to create a strong foundation to support a new building. Or, stones may become part of the actual building. Stones can never be converted into a downy-soft featherbed. Life is never that easy. But they may become a pillow for a weary mind and body if it is believed they can be. Victor Frankl, further describing his experience in the Nazi death camp said, "They striped me naked. They took everything -- my wedding ring, watch. I stood there naked and all of a sudden realized at that moment that although they could take everything away from me -- my wife, my family, my possessions -- they could not take away my freedom to choose how I was going to respond." The freedom to choose how we will respond to any situation, any problem or difficulty, is a God-given gift. It is freely available to every one of us. We are free to choose to see stones--rocks--and that only. We are free to respond either negatively or positively to our bed of stones.
Here is one of my favorite stories. It¡¦s a short story I’ve heard many times called, "The Window." There have been several versions but they all ultimately have the same message. It is a story that tells of two men who were roommates in a hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up for an hour every afternoon to drain fluid from his lungs while the other man had to lay flat on his back. The men would talk for hours. They discussed their families, their jobs, their military service and just about everything else. The man who could sit up looked forward immensely to the hour every afternoon when he could prop himself up and look out the window by his bed. Each afternoon he would describe what he saw to the other gentleman. He talked about how the window overlooked a beautiful park with a lovely lake. He talked about the swans swimming on the lake and the young children playing at the water’s edge. He described the beautiful trees and flowers that adorned the lake.
The man on the other side of the room would close his eyes and imagine the picturesque scene. After several days of having the beautiful scenes described to him, however, he began to wonder, "Why should he have all the pleasure of seeing everything while I never get to see anything? It just isn’t fair." Late one night the gentleman by the window began to choke and cough because of the fluid on his lungs. While the second man watched his roommate struggle and grope for the call button, he never used his own button to call for help. In less that five minutes the man was dead. The next morning the nurses came in and found the lifeless body of the man by the window. Soon the body was moved and as soon as it was appropriate, the other man asked to be moved to the bed by the window. The nurse was happy to comply with his wishes and the man was moved and made comfortable. Slowly and painfully the man propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look. Finally, he would have the joy of seeing it all himself. He strained to look out the window beside the bed. As he did so, he saw nothing but a brick wall.
What do you see when you look out your Hard Rock Motel’s window? Here’s something to ponder. The deserts of New Mexico, Arizona and California have a unique beauty if one wants to see it. I’ve seen that beauty and nothing compares to it. Both the hummingbird and the vulture fly over these deserts. All the vultures see is rotting meat, because that is what they look for. They thrive on that diet. But hummingbirds ignore the smelly flesh of dead animals. Instead, they look for the colorful blossoms of desert plants. The vultures live on what was. They live on the past. They fill themselves with what is dead and gone. But hummingbirds live on what is. They seek new life. They fill themselves with freshness and life. Each bird finds what it is looking for. We all do.
AND LAY DOWN IN THAT PLACE
Jacob made pillows out of his stones and "lay down in that place." Yes, in that place. The hard place. The hurting place. We would not naturally choose a moment¡¦s stay in the Hard Rock Motel let alone an extended period. It is chosen for us perhaps by some foolish mistake or blunder on our part or for unknown reasons. What ever may be the cause, we are there. Like it or not, our choice or not, our fault or not, we are presented with a challenge of being in "that place." There are many options and we take advantage of most of them growing angry and resentful. Jacob did the unheard-of thing when he "lay down in that place." It’s the option we need to consider now.
Remember Chuck Colson, one of the infamous Watergate figures? He was one of President Nixon¡¦s chief counsels. One of the "President’s Men," so to speak. While it was not called the Hard Rock Motel it was equal to it when he found himself behind razor wire and the confines of a Federal Prison for several months for his part in the Watergate break-in. And he had to "lay down in that place." He had to lay down his good name, his social standing, his pride and ego. He had to lay down his reasoning and arguments. Chuck Colson summarizes his experience this way in his book, Loving God: "The real legacy of my life was my biggest failure -- that I was an ex-convict. My greatest humiliation -- being sent to prison -- was the beginning of God¡¦s greatest use of my life; He chose the one experience in which I could not glory for His glory."
His transforming Hard Rock Motel experience is now legendary. As the founder and leader of Prison Fellowship he has been instrumental in effecting a powerful influence for Christ in the lives of literally hundreds of men and women behind prison walls around the world. Jacob received his transforming revelation the night that he spent resting his head on his stony pillows. Colson did the same. When they first manufactured golf balls, they made the covers smooth. Then they discovered that after a ball had been roughed up one could get more distance out of it. So they started manufacturing them with dimpled covers. So it is with life; it takes some rough spots to make us go the farthest. Jacob had been "roughed up." Colson was "roughed up" too. We ultimately learn how much distance the Lord got out of Jacob. Colson is still going the distance.
(continued in study #2)
