A Bible Study by
Charles W. Holt
email: cholt@gt.rr.com
LET’S MAKE A DEAL: The Story of Jacob
Part Two
If you think that what I have been talking about so far is way beyond reality, that it is in fact a wild ride into Fantasy Land, nice in theory but totally impractical in real life, let’s look at what might be justly called the coup de grace (a.k.a., a finishing stroke or decisive event). What happens next is truly the decisive event. The Bible says, "And he went to sleep."
AND HE WENT TO SLEEP
I might agree with someone’s objection to elevating this to a precedent setting event were it not for the fact that someone else, other than Jacob, has done it. "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Cor. 13:1 KJV). I could, for example, easily remind you of the night the "professional" fishermen were being tossed around on the stormy breast of the Sea of Galilee like a cork with a determined catfish on the end of the line. The boat was awash with waves, so much so that the "professional" guys cried, "boys, we’re going down as sure as our names are Peter, James, and John!"
But wait! Take a look at this bit of commentary describing that night of turbulence, terror, and near death on the Sea of Galilee.
"And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? . . . And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?" (Mk. 4:37-38,40 KJV).
These are the facts:
--It was a great storm of wind
--The waves beat into the ship
--So that the ship was now full
--Jesus is asleep on a pillow
--The disciples had no faith
Does this event stretch the bounds of reality for you? It does for me! Every time I read the story I wonder how Jesus could sleep with all the stuff happening. Jesus did not have a pillow of stones but the scene fits every criterion for our story of Jacob and how it is possible to sleep when one is "between a rock and a hard place."
But there is an example I like even better. It comes from one of the most familiar stories in the Book of Acts.
"And he [King Herod] killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also¡K
And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison; . . . And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two
soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison" (Acts 12:2-6 KJV).
And you know how the story ends with Peter¡¦s miraculous deliverance by the hand of an angel. And you also can see all the elements in this story that scream out the possibilities of sleeping, Jacob-like, in the hard place and Jesus-like through the disaster at sea. Peter lost no zzzz¡¦s the night before the day of his scheduled death at the executioner¡¦s sword. What might be our excuse for not following their examples? Fear? Lack of faith? For the disciples upon the stormy sea, it was a lack of faith.
I have a question and then I want to give a story to illustrate my point. Question: how much fight is in you when you are faced with what can be considered an impossible challenge? Here’s my story.
W.A. Criswell, longtime Pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas until he retired several years ago, told a story about an Evangelist who loved to hunt. The Evangelist went out and bought two top-notch setters. He kept them in his back yard, where he trained them. One morning, an ornery little vicious-looking bulldog came down the alley. He crawled under the fence and before long he and the two setters were at it tooth and nail. At first the Evangelist thought about putting his setters in the basement to avoid a confrontation, but then decided just to let the little bulldog learn a lesson. After a few moments of scuffling with the setters the bulldog decided he’d had enough and he squeezed back under the fence and went home to lick his sores.
The next morning the same thing happened . . . same time . . . same place. And the next morning, and the next. Each morning the bulldog showed up, crawled under the fence, got the stuffing beat out of him, and retreated back under the fence and down the alley.
About that time the Evangelist had to leave for several weeks to go and conduct a revival meeting. When he returned, he asked his wife about the bulldog and the setters. She replied, "You’ll never believe what happened. Every day that little bulldog came back in the back yard and fought with the two setters. He never missed a day. It has come to the point now that when our setters simply hear him coming down the alley and see him squeezing under the fence, they immediately start whining and run down into the basement. The bulldog comes into the backyard and struts around like he owns it."
Think ROCKY! (The movie.) Then think Ephesians 6 . . . "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand . . . that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore . . ." Then take a look at this example: "And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, of Kabzeel, who had done many acts, he slew two lionlike men of Moab: he went down also and slew a lion in the midst of a pit in time of snow" (2 Sam. 23:20 KJV).
Have you ever felt that you were fighting "the lion" in "a pit" when it was cold and snowy? Would a lush meadow in the springtime have been better? Yes, sometimes doing spiritual warfare is "the pits," when it is cold, but "sons of a valiant man" can prevail. Let me present one more example before we move on. Benaiah, just mentioned, was one of King David¡¦s mighty men. A man named Shammah was another. One day the enemy Philistines swarmed over a local pea patch and all the people fled in terror. But Shammah, "he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the LORD wrought a great victory" (2 Sam. 23:12 KJV). God’s priority, as expressed in the Bible, is that we are not only in the fight but that we win the fight.
The Denouement
By definition the denouement is "the final resolution or clarification of a dramatic or narrative plot." It’s where the, "resolution or clarification takes place." In our Hard Rock Motel analogy it is the revelation--what we see, what we hear, what we come to understand and know-- that gives meaning to the hard place. Hard places are revelation places. Chuck Colson told us his denouement. He said, "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." Here’s another example that has a similar outcome.
In 1993 Gerald Sittser, a professor at Whitworth College was driving home from a family outing. In the car were his mother, wife of 20 years and four children. A drunk driver swerved across the centerline and hit them head on. In an instant he lost his wife, his two-year-old daughter and his mother. In his book, A Grace Disguised, Sittser shares some insights from his painful journey: "The accident itself bewilders me today as much as it did three years ago. Much good has come out of it, but all the good in the world will never make the accident itself good. It remains a horrible, tragic and evil event to me. Yet the grief I feel is sweet as well as bitter. I still have a sorrowful soul; yet I wake up each morning joyful, eager for what the new day will bring. Never have I felt as much pain as I have in the last three years; yet never have I experienced as much pleasure in simply being alive ... never have I felt so broken; yet never have I felt so whole . . . Never have I been so aware of my weaknesses and vulnerability; yet never have I been so content and felt so strong ... Above all, I have become aware of the power of God¡¦s grace and my need for it. My soul has grown because it has been awakened to the goodness and love of God. God has been present in my life these past three years. God will continue to be present to the end of my life and through all eternity. God is growing my soul, making it bigger and filling it with himself. My life is being transformed."
"God is growing my soul, making it bigger and filling it with himself. My life is being transformed." This is God¡¦s intention when He arranges our stop at the Hard Rock Motel. It is a place of revelation and transformation.
As we return to the story of Jacob "on the rocks" we find this is exactly what God is all about in his life.
"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, 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; . . . And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 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" (28:12-13, 16,17 KJV).
What a concept! The rocky, hard place, "is the gate of heaven." That may take some getting use to because it so contrary to everything we want to believe. The rocky, hard place is "none other than the house of God." What a revelation it is to say from our rocky bed, "the LORD is in this place." Of course we, "knew it not" because we were too busy complaining about our circumstances; too occupied with trying to find a way to get out of this place.
In 1895 Andrew Murray was in England suffering from a terribly painful back, the result of an injury he had incurred years before. He was staying with some dear friends. One morning while he was eating his breakfast in his room, his hostess told him of a woman downstairs who was in great trouble and wanted to know if he had any advice for her. Andrew Murray handed her a paper he had been writing on and said, "Just give her this advice I’m writing down for myself. It may be that she’ll find it helpful." This is what was written:
In time of trouble, say, "First, He brought me here. It is by His will I am in this strait place; in that I will rest." Next, "He will keep me here in His love, and give me grace in this trial to behave as His child." Then say, "He will make the trial a blessing, teaching me lessons He intends me to learn, and working in me the grace He means to bestow." And last, say, "In His good time He can bring me out again. How, and when, He knows." Therefore say, "I am here (1 ) by God¡¦s appointment, (2) in His keeping, (3) under His training, (4) for His time."
In Jacob’s case his incredible dream and the revelation it contained were but the first steps on a long and torturous road of discovery. It would require 20 years but he will ultimately discover and admit his own severely flawed human nature. The greatest discovery, however, will be that of the character and nature of God.
However, we don’t have to wait 20 years. His overnight stay in the fields outside the city walls of Luz provides us with a confirming revelation of the nature and character of our God and Savior Jesus. Let’s step back and take another look at that figure sleeping on his bed of stones. Obviously exhausted from the extended days trek he, nevertheless, lies there as if on a featherbed. If we didn¡¦t know him we would think this is just another weary traveler. We might feel sympathy for him that he was denied access to the comforts of the nearby village. We might wonder who he is and where he is from, what is his business in these parts. Seeing the slumbering figure of the man lying there gives us no reason to feel anything good or bad about him. We have no judgment to make.
But we do know something about this man. We have traced his history from before his birth. We know his name--Jacob. We know that his name is a gauge of his nature, his character. He is a lying, scheming, deceiving, opportunist. He is a self-seeking wheeler-dealer. We know he has fled from his home because he has lied and deceived his father. In so doing, he has brought the threat of death from his older brother. Thus, in reality, he is fleeing for his life. In modern speech, he is a felon high-tailing it for the border with its promise of safety and security. He is not one with whom we would want to keep company. So we try to slip on by without revealing our presence, following our philosophy to, as it were, "let sleeping dogs lie." God knows all this too. Instead of slipping on by and letting sleeping dogs lie, He chooses instead to come to the man in a vision and lets him see things never before seen by a human being. Look at it one more time and discern what is missing!
"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, 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; . . . And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 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" (28:12-13, 16,17 KJV).
To borrow a phrase, "What is missing in this picture?" Well . . . let’s see. We see the ladder that reaches up to heaven. We see angels coming and going between earth and heaven. I suppose the most awesome sight is Jehovah God standing above it. He is not merely standing there; he is talking to the man. What we hear Jehovah God say is terribly impressive. Why, it’s more than that. Loaded as it is with promises of great things to come it is positively filled with hope for the future. This guy on the ground has just been given the key to the whole country. Wow! But it is what he doesn’t say to the man that really blows me away!
God is letting the man off the hook. He is letting him get away with murder. He’s obviously got his attention. He is listening! Now’s the time to ring his bell. That’s what I’d do. Wouldn’t you? Call him on the carpet. Read the riot act. Dress him down. Let him know he can’t get away with the stuff he has just pulled back home. Let him know that lying, cheating, double-dealing and swindling won’t cut it in the Kingdom. Don’t show him a ladder leading to heaven--wrong direction! Show him a ladder leading into hell with fiery-eyed demons ready to drag him down to the brimstone pit. Put the fear of God in the man!
God doesn’t mount the pulpit with eyes ablaze with indignation. He doesn’t begin a tirade that includes all Jacob¡¦s wrongs--his sins, failures. Not a word! Does this mean God sanctions his actions? His lies? "Be not deceived; God is not mocked" (Gal. 6:7 KJV). Every word and deed will be brought into judgment. We are accountable. Jacob is accountable. For every sin and transgression there is accountability. God loves the man. He said it: "Jacob have I loved" (Rm. 9:13). He, therefore, shows him a ladder that makes heaven accessible. Heaven is open to you, Jacob! You’re a rascal, but let’s talk! You have a lot of learning, a lot of growing, to do--let’s talk! If change is to take place, the lines of communication must be kept open.
How unlike me God is. I do not understand this action by the Lord. The more I read this story, the more I am puzzled by it. It punches holes in my theology. It skews the portrait of God that has been painted by my spiritual teachers--even my peers. "How far are you willing to take this?" one might ask. My answer: I am willing to take this to the limit that defines the breadth of God¡¦s love; to the limit that defines the length, and depth, and height of His love. I am willing to take it to the limit of that which would define "the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:18,19 KJV). Do I even understand that of which I write? I do not. A songwriter almost captures the greatness of it when he taught us to sing,
Could we with ink the ocean fill
And were the skies of parchment made.
Were every stalk on earth a quill
And every man a scribe by trade.
To write the love of God above
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole
Though stretched from sky to sky.
O, love of God! How rich, how pure
How measureless and strong
It shall forevermore endure
The saints and angels song.
What do I make of it all? I want to fall on my knees and cry HOLY! (Read Revelation chapter 5.) Period!
However, before going on to what I consider are more important matters I must, with due regard and esteem, doff my clerical hat to "the brethren" in John Calvin’s camp. Some, with shining eyes and broad smiles, are rubbing their hands gleefully in anticipation that I will now embrace their, "strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel" (Mt. 23:24) theological minutiae concerning election, predestination, et al. Sorry, guys, I have no need to explain "my position" in this matter. I am content to accept at absolute face value what I read about Jacob. I can’t explain it any more than you can. I too have read the theories of predestination (a.k.a. reprobation), with their twin towers of Babel--sublapsarianism and supralapsarianism. Confused? There is really no need to be confused. All one must do to understand and explain the various theories is to logically and honestly answer the age-old question: Which came first, the chicken or the egg? It’s that simple.
I take my stand with Brother James at the first Jerusalem council when he said, "Men and brethren hearken unto me: . . . Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:13,18 KJV, and see the context). Without the benefit of anyone¡¦s book-lined, floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall tomes on the subject in question let me simply say, "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (Rm. 11:33 KJV). Meanwhile, you will see my shadow disappearing around the corner as I put as much distance from your "frothing at the mouth" diatribes against all Christians who fail to parrot your doctrine. To paraphrase Governor Festus, "Much learning hath made the whole kit and caboodle of you mad" (Acts 26:24).
But wait, I see out of the corner of my eye the Armenian brethren looking incredulously, not believing what they are hearing. They are equally excited but in a more negative way. They are worried that I have "denied the faith" and am bordering upon going, "in the way of Cain¡K(perishing) in the gainsaying of Core" (Jude 1:11). It appears to them that I have forsaken their rock-solid truth that God has given to each of us a free will; that we make the choice to be a Christian rather than being chosen of God and, God forbid, we may even lose our salvation once we have chosen to embrace it! After all, our Calvinist brethren might accuse us of being Pelagianists, i.e., those who embrace the doctrine of Pelagian who denied original sin and affirmed the ability of human beings to be righteous by the exercise of free will. Whoa! How many Christians are even remotely concerned with Calvinism, Armenianism, Pelagianism, sublapsarianism, supralapsarianism, or the innumerable other isms that make up the vast store of religious/theological fodder that is shot from the big guns all in the name of "contending for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude 1:3 KNJ)? To answer in the vernacular of my grandma, "they are as scarce as hen’s teeth."
I will say as earnestly, and lovingly, to my Armenian brethren that you too will see my shadow disappearing around the corner as I put as much distance from your "frothing at the mouth" diatribes against all Christians who fail to parrot your doctrine. And, even risking repeating myself: To paraphrase Governor Festus, "Much learning hath made the whole kit and caboodle of you mad" (Acts 26:24). This whole theological mishmash sounds so disgustingly much like the church at Corinth (see 1 Cor. 3) that it should give every teacher and preacher pause. My personal response: include me out! Color me gone.
In an effort to end my not-to-brilliant but nonetheless deeply felt convictions on all this theological para-whimsy I will quote what another has written. "I always have believed that the truth [Calvinisn vs Arminianism] lies between two extremes, and therefore, I am inclined to say that the Calvinists are not all wrong, and yet, not 100% right, and neither are the Arminians. I follow basically what the Apostle Paul states in First Corinthians: "Ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as (ordinary) men? For while one saith, I am of John Calvin; and another, I am of Jacob Arminius; are ye not carnal?" And I say, Amen! Nuf said.
Jacob’s approximately 40-mile journey from his home in Padan-aram to his overnight stay outside Luz was a lonely trek. I see him slumping wearily down upon his bed of stones and imagine him shivering in the cold night air. His thoughts are upon the warmth of home, surrounded by people and things familiar. Instead, he lies upon the cold ground, with cold stones for a pillow in the cold night’s air. There’s nothing like a dark, cold night on a stony bed to intensify feelings of loneliness and homesickness. It is not a place one would naturally think of as being "the gate of Heaven." Here’s what I want to emphasize. It is into this physical, mental, and emotional state of Jacob’s that the Almighty God enters. It is at this cold and lonely place that God chooses to open Heaven and touch earth and by doing it reveal to mankind that communication between the two realms is not only possible but desirable. It has never been made this clear before.
God opens Heaven and creates a bright stairway that touches the earth. Angels are seen moving up and down the stairs. The Almighty God is seen above the stairs communicating with earth. The angels ascending and descending is within itself an announcement that there is much unseen activity between Heaven and earth that is going on at this moment. It is a lesson that says Heaven is not a closed place, forbidding inaccessible, and unapproachable. It says God is interested in where we are. He is interested in our life situation, our circumstances. He is interested in our cold, stony place. The place that hurts. The place that’s lonely. He has provided a ladder that makes Heaven and all it’s promise and blessing available.
It was in his Hard Rock Motel that Jacob had the most pleasant--and surprising!--dream. I can’t even begin to imagine any Christian who would not want such a dream. Oh, yes, we want the dream but how many are willing to take up Jacob’s pillow, lie down upon Jacob’s bed? Matthew Henry observes: "God’s time to visit his people with his comforts is when they are most destitute of other comforts, and other comforters; when afflictions in the way of duty (as these were) do abound, then shall consolations so much the more abound."
There’s more. I want you to see Jacob as Everyman--the Christian Everyman. That is, one who is representative of the entire world-wide Church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us see him as the type and representative of the whole Church.
1. Jacob is chosen.
2. God’s choice is not based upon Jacob’s goodness or his righteousness.
3. He is chosen for a mission, a purpose.
4. He is flawed, failing, determined to do his own thing his own way.
5. He lives according to his natural or flesh nature.
6. God disciplines him.
7. God gives His angels charge over him to guide and protect.
8. He sees that there is an open access between Heaven and earth.
9. God brings him to the place of profound change.
10. He comes to recognize the true nature of God.
11. He lives a rich, full, productive life that exactly fulfills God¡¦s destiny and purpose.
There’s more. I want you to see that the ladder is our Lord Jesus Christ. I want you to see that the foot of the ladder planted solidly upon the earth is a picture of His human nature. The top of the ladder that enters into Heaven is a picture of his Divine nature--His exalted nature. I want you to see that all the interchange and communion between Heaven and earth, since the fall of mankind in the Garden of Eden, has been and is by this ladder. Jesus is the way (Jn. 14:6). He is the one mediator between God and men (1 Tim. 2:5 and see Heb. 8:6; 12:24). All of God’s blessing flow through Him. All our service is done in, by and through Him. There is no other way of getting into heaven but by this ladder.
Let’s fast-forward through centuries and listen in on a conversation between Jesus and a man whose name is Nathaniel. The entire event is recorded in John 1:45-51. Philip wants to introduce his friend Nathaniel to Jesus. He goes to his house where he finds him outside enjoying the cool shade of his fig tree. Nathaniel, a seeker of truth, is an unusually devout worshipper of God. It appears that when his friend Philip approaches he is meditating upon Jacob¡¦s ladder-from-heaven vision. When Jesus first sees him He says, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile" (vs. 47 KJV). That statement is the Jacob connection. We will find later in our study why and how Jacob’s name was changed to Israel. Hence his progeny is known as the Israelites. Nathaniel was an Israelite "in whom is no guile." In other words, unlike his father Jacob, he was without craftiness and deceitfulness.
Nathaniel is mightily impressed by what Jesus knows and says about him. "Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? Thou shalt see greater things than these" (vs. 50 KJV). Then Jesus makes this revealing statement: "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" (vs. 51 KJV). It is this statement by Jesus that gives us the Jacob’s ladder connection and in so doing lifts it even higher than the Old Testament intention. Jesus clearly appropriates to Himself the significance, meaning and blessing the ladder implies. In this figurative way he establishes Himself as the Supreme Communicator of all blessing that flows between Heaven and earth. John testifies of this when he writes,
"And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (Jn. 1:16-28 KJV).
Look again at verse 16, as translated in the Amplified Bible. "For out of His fullness (abundance) we all received--all had a share and we were all supplied with--one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing, and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift."
The closing verses (28:16-22) that detail Jacob’s response to this magnificent visitation beckons us to a wider use than what we will presently give. I resist the temptation to open an entirely new section that will address them choosing only to highlight what I consider to be the points that are most applicable for us. Let’s visualize ourselves as strolling along a pleasant path that winds among flowering shrubs and fruit-laden trees whose sights and scents enliven our senses to make the journey one of pure pleasure. We will stop from time to time to examine some flower or fruit.
For example, our first stop is at an extraordinarily beautiful plant called Jacob’s Surprise. We learn its name derives from that moment when Jacob awakes from his sleep and says, "Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not" (vs.16). One of the things I sought to emphasize earlier in this chapter came under the heading of the possibilities that can be found in the meaning of the phrase, "the stones of that place." I pointed out that we all have a "that place" experience called the Hard Rock Motel. Here Jacob awakens to the fact that in his personal "that place" he acknowledges that, "Surely the LORD is in this place." What a discovery it is to "wake up" and realize that the Lord is in the place of hardships and trials. We discover that our Lord is not only the proprietor but also the architect of the Hard Rock Motel. He is not an absent landlord. The truth is that we sometimes meet with God where we little thought of meeting with Him. He is found in unexpected places. (Here I resist the temptation to elaborate further upon this fact. Just think, for one example, of Sarah’s maidservant Hagar as described in Genesis 16:7ff.)
The following comes via the Internet.
The man whispered, "God, speak to me."
And a Chickadee sang.
But the man did not hear.
So the man yelled, "God, speak to me!
And the thunder rolled across the sky.
But the man did not listen.
The man looked around and said, God, let me see you."
And a star shined brightly.
But the man did not notice.
And, the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle!"
And a life was born.
But, the man did not know.
So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me God, and let me know you are here!"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But, the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.
Don¡¦t miss out on a blessing because it isn’t packaged the way that you expect. (Author Unknown)
"Don’t miss out on a blessing because it isn’t packaged the way that you expect" . . . to which I will add, "He [Jesus] was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not" (Jn. 1:10,11 KJV and see Jn. 21:4). May our prayer be that of the Greeks who came to the Apostle Philip, saying, "Sir, we would see Jesus" (Jn. 12:21 KJV).
Don’t look for Him in flowers and trees.
Don’t look for him in birds and bees.
He is found--if you please--
While on one’s bent knees. (C.Holt)
But look! Here, lying close to the earth. We must stoop down upon the ground to get a closer look. We would miss it except for its beautiful flower shimmering and glittering in the morning sun’s rays. Bending close we detect a sweet fragrance. It is called Jacob’s Dazzle. Its name derives from the fact that when Jacob awoke and realized he had seen a vision of stunning splendor that, "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" (vs. 17 KJV). Jacob¡¦s first response is a mixture of reverence and wonder. There may even be a touch of dread intermingling with the sense of awesomeness he is feeling.
It is a personal conviction of mine that, to borrow and paraphrase a well-known phrase, "The glory, i.e., the sense of the awesomeness of God’s power and presence, has departed from our assemblies" (see 1 Sam. 4:21). All too often the emphasis is upon "feeling good," or "being happy." Reports of visions and visitations from the Lord are greeted with enthusiastic hand clapping and exhortations to enter into joy and victory of heightened emotions. Jacob "was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place!" When the Prophet Isaiah saw a vision of the glory of the Lord he said, "Woe is me! For I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa. 6:1-8). One day the angel Gabriel was told to speak to Daniel of the visions he had seen and didn’t understand. "So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: . . . Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright . . . And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king¡¦s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it" (Dan. 8:17,18,27 KJV). For further study I would encourage you to read Revelation 5:8, 5:14 and 19:4; 22:8.
One thing I know for an absolute certainty is that studies of the great revivals in America¡¦s past have a common denominator. That common denominator is the strong emphasis upon the awesomeness and wonder of the Almighty God characterized by a deep sense of humility and often with multitudes falling prostrate to the floor or ground under the influence of the manifest presence of God.
Leaving Jacob’s Dazzle we move further along the winding trail. Soon we discover another flower of great beauty. It is Jacob¡¦s Flower of Paradise. It derives its name from his awestruck wonder when he said, "this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (vs. 17 KJV). Nothing could more aptly illustrate the words of Jesus spoken to the women of Samaria that is found in John 4. During the course of their conversation she had come to understand that Jesus was a prophet. She said, "Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship" (vs. 20 KJV). How right she was! The two of them stood nearby the well Jacob had dug centuries before. It was "in this mountain" that he had worshiped. Jesus took the opportunity to say to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father . . . But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (vss. 21-24 KJV). In essence, Jesus is saying it is not "location, location, location" that is integral to worship. "Spirit" and "truth" are the two essential elements that, in God’s economy, constitute the heart of the kind of worship He seeks (Jn. 4:23). Spirit and truth worship needs no physical location, whether cathedral, temple, church, tabernacle, tent or shade tree. One may find God there. One may worship in "spirit" and worship in "truth" there. The Living New Testament says it best:
Jesus replied, "The time is coming, Ma’am, when we will no longer be concerned about whether to worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. For it’s not where we worship that counts, but how we worship--is our worship spiritual and real? Do we have the Holy Spirit’s help? For God is Spirit, and we must have His help to worship as we should" (4:21-23).
This is not, as some may mistakenly believe, a call to abolish local worship, nor the place of local worship. It is a call to freedom in worship, a kind of spiritual independence that transforms and elevates worship from dead forms, ceremonies, and ritual to reality within the human spirit that is transformed by the Holy Spirit. Our spirit becomes the sanctuary. The church then is neither in some "Jerusalem" nor for that matter in some "Samaria." Jesus said, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! Or, lo there! For, behold, the kingdom of God is within you" (Lk. 17:21 KJV). "The kingdom of God within you" is the essence of "spirit and truth" worship.
I find it interesting that Jacob, alone in a barren and desolate place, has his stairway to heaven vision while outside the city of Luz. It was not location but revelation that give importance to this place. It is the same today. This is exactly what happens to the woman at Jacob’s well. She, like Jacob, was outside the city. Jacob’s stairway vision came in the night. She met the Man who is the Stairway in broad daylight. Jacob, the sinner, was a recipient of God’s grace and covenant of promise. The woman, a sinner, was a recipient of the same grace. Jacob said, "The Lord is in this place and I knew it not." The woman reached the same conclusion and said, "is not this the Christ--the Anointed One?" (Jn. 4:29 KJV). Jacob saw the Lord at the top of the stairway and he said, "this is the gate of heaven." The woman, in bewilderment at what she was hearing, said, "someday our Messiah will come." When Jesus said, "I that speak unto thee am he," she saw the stairway open and an invitation to enter by Him who is the Way and the Door. These two events, although separated by centuries of time, teach the same principles. We learn that the house of God is any place that one finds grace revealed and God’s saving covenant is declared. Ours is declared in and secured by the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
From Pillow to Pillar
"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. And he called the name of that place Beth-el [meaning house of God]: but the name of that city was called Luz [meaning almond tree] at the first" (Gen. 28:18 KJV).
We have all done it. There’s something about human nature that must erect a memorial. It is most often to celebrate a triumph, sometimes a tragedy or defeat. In either case it is a place of remembrance. We see the grand memorials in some of the great Cathedrals of Europe. Cities erect statues or have granite walls memorializing brave soldiers who have died in war. We have very personal memorials throughout our homes. Family pictures, video clips, souvenirs of far away places serve to celebrate persons or places.
In a spiritual sense we have taken the trials, troubles, heartaches and disappointments that was our bed of sorrows and made each one a memorial. Recall the words of Hebrews 12:11 (KJV). "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." Each time we share the experience and the lessons learned we, as it were, anoint afresh the pillow-turned-pillar. It becomes a blessing as we share the victory. We remember where and when the Lord met us. We remember what He said to us. Your experience may sound like David’s. He said,
"For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness, as those that have been long dead. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. I remember the days
of old; I meditate on all thy works; I muse on the work of thy hands" (Ps. 143:3-5 KJV).
David’s secret to victory is to revisit his hall of memories. He meditates upon the things the Lord has done for him and upon all the works of God’s hand. This has been an earlier testimony of his, "O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar" (Ps. 42:6 KJV).
Seeing the ladder from heaven with angels ascending and descending, seeing and hearing the LORD at the top of the ladder affirming to him a covenant of grace is, what might be called today, a "mind blowing experience." It is a tremendously emotionally charged experience. However, for Jacob, it is not a life changing experience. This is to come later. It demonstrates clearly that one can have a genuinely electrifying emotional spiritual encounter without the effect of changing one¡¦s character. Let me talk about this for a few moments. In my book ELIJAH the Tishbite I touch upon this very point. Here is an extensive quote that says just what I want to say about how one may have an "electrifying emotional spiritual encounter without the effect of changing one’s character." I wrote:
Two chapters in Second Kings is reserved for the final accounting of the life and events of Elijah in Israel. In chapter one, we find him being his old no nonsense self. Time does not mellow the old man. Of course human nature changes very little despite the best efforts of those schooled, trained, and yes, are skilled in the art of psychology and counseling. I didn’t say, "not at all" lest anyone loses hope and fail to seek the help that is available for the change that is possible. It is possible to change--some. Is anyone open to taking a reality check right now? Think of yourself, your habits, beliefs, ways of relating and interacting with people, how you respond to various circumstances or situations. Now, honestly, how long have you been doing the same things, reacting in the same predictable ways that have, for the most part, characterized your life? The truth be told: you are probably much the same person you were twenty, thirty or . . . . years ago. Right? I think so. I am. Elijah was. To make my point, let me quote one of the most respected and highly regarded experts in the field. Dr. Albert Ellis says
Although several exponents of psychotherapy, including Eric Berne, John Rosen, Joseph Wolpe, and myself, have reported that they obtain up to 90- percent improvement in their psychotherapy cases, there is little indication that by "improvement" they mean a complete and irreversible removal of their patients¡¦ underlying disturbances. Symptomatically, these clients have significantly changed as a result of treatment; but changes in their basic philosophies of living seem to be less far-reaching. It is particularly often noted, by lay-people as well as professional observers, that most psychotherapy practitioners are themselves hardly the very best models of healthy behavior. Instead of being minimally anxious and hostile, as on theoretical grounds one might expect them to be if their own theories work well, they are frequently seriously emotionally disturbed, even after they have undergone lengthy psychoanalytic or other treatment. (Ellis, Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy. The Limitations of Psychotherapy and Its Clients. Carol Publishing Group, NY., 1994. p. 330).
The Scriptures that follow give us Jacob’s response to God’s promise. Like most other places in the Bible his answer is open to more than one interpretation. An interpretation many scholars follow says it shows Jacob’s deep humility and subsequent sincerity when he promises God that if, i.e., when, God gives protection, safety, food and clothing with a round trip ticket to family back home, THEN Jehovah will be his God and upon his successful return he will pay him ten percent of it all. Here’s the way it reads from verses 20 through 22 (KJV).
"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, so that I come again to my father¡¦s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 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."
I believe there is merit to this interpretation. It is quite possible that his vision was so chillingly real that he felt he would be a dead dog if he didn¡¦t respond to the Almighty in the way he felt was appropriate, i.e., with genuine humility and faith.
I must say, however, that, while it may be sincere, there is too much of the Jacob nature and characteristics that are surviving to believe he has just answered the altar call and sung, "All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I humbly give . . . I surrender all . . . " To me, it’s another one of Jacob’s classic "let’s make a deal" proposals. In other words, in Jacob’s deal he says, "if" and means if, not when. IF God gives protection, safety, food and clothing with a round trip ticket to family back home, THEN Jehovah will be his God and upon his successful return he will pay Him ten percent of it all.
It will be 20-years before Jacob returns to this very spot. It will include 20-years of cheating and being cheated. It will include a truly life-changing wrestling match that will forever alter the words and deeds of this man. Let me take a momentary 20-year leap to show where we are going. "So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Beth-el, he and all the people that were with him. And he built there an altar [note: this is what he promised in chapter 28], and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother" (Gen. 35:6,7 KJV). After twenty years of discipline it is no longer Beth-el [the house of God], it is now El-Beth-el [the God of the house], reflecting some of the change that has occurred in the man.
JACOB MEETS HIS MATCH
"Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east" (Gen. 29:1 KJV). This will be among his mother’s people in Haran where he meets Uncle Laban and all the family. First, however, he sees the young ladies near the waterwell who are doing women’s work, watering the flocks. The beauty and grace of one above all the others smites him. Her name is Rachel. It’s love at first sight. He introduces himself. He is delightfully surprised to learn she is part of the family he is seeking. And, "Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept" (vs. 11). She invites him to the house where he meets Uncle Laban and tells him his story. He is received with open arms. "And Laban said to him, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh. And he abode with him the space of a month" (vs. 14 KJV). Jacob pitches right in and pulls his share of the load for the first month. Then Laban approaches him and says, "Just because we are relatives is no reason for you to work for me without pay. How much do you want?" (vs.14, Living Bible). He asks for the hand of Rachel in marriage. They agree to the terms. "And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter" (vs. 18 KJV). Leah was the older sister. "And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man: abide with me" (vs. 19 KJV).
The seven years pass swiftly, "they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her" (vs. 20 KJV). When the time came for the wedding a great feast was given and a grand celebration lasted for days. Finally, on the evening of the final day of the feast Laban took his oldest daughter Leah to the nuptial tent. Later that night, it being pitch dark, Jacob went to her bed. As the morning sun sent a shaft of light into the tent Jacob rolled over and to his utter surprise he had not been in bed with Rachel but with Leah! He stormed from the tent, accosted Laban nearby. "What sort of trick is this?" Jacob raged at Laban. "I worked for seven years for Rachel. What do you mean by this trickery?" (vs. 25 Living Bible). Is there an echo from the past I hear in that statement? Remember earlier Isaac, trembling uncontrollably, said to his son Esau, "Your brother was here and tricked me and has carried away your blessing" (Gen. 27:35 Living Bible). Jacob the trickster has just lost the first round in a game that Uncle Laban knew all to well how to play. There would be more.
Jacob and Laban renegotiate the terms for getting Rachel. Of course Laban wins this round. He must work another seven years to obtain her hand. Laban said, "thou shalt serve me yet seven other years. And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also" (vs. 27,28 KJV). Unfortunately this created a great deal of tension and animosity between the two sisters. The Bible says Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. "And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren" (29:31 KJV). The Lord has a heart for the oppressed, misunderstood, or hated. The pull to open up a whole section of God¡¦s love and care for the oppressed is strong but I refuse at this time to pursue it. The many Scriptures I would use, however, would include: Job 34:28; Ps. 18.27, 22:24, 82:3 and the entire Psalm 102 that is said to be, "A prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD" (from the chapter heading in my Bible).
The months and years roll by as Jacob and his wives, and now his sons and daughters, seem content to live out the rest of their days in Haran. However, when Joseph was born, "Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country. Give me my wives and my children, for whom I have served thee, and let me go: for thou knowest my service which I have done thee" (30:26,27 KJV). Laban asks, "What do you want? What can I give you?" Jacob said, "You don¡¦t have to give me anything . . . er. . . uh . . . well, maybe "if thou wilt do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep thy flock. I will pass through all thy flock today, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire" (30:32 KJV). Hey, I can’t lose on this deal, Laban thinks. So they agree. Heh, heh, heh, Jacob chuckles under his breath.
Jacob, the schemer, wheeler-dealer, had a plan that was par excellence! It would be the quintessential, "steal you blind while you are looking right at me," scheme. If you want to read how he pulled it off you will find it in Genesis 30:35-42. It worked so incredibly well that the Bible says, "And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses" (vs. 43 KJV). Jacob is at the top of his game.
It didn’t take long for his in-laws to catch on. Jacob got wind of what Laban’s sons were saying. "Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s¡ and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory" (31:1 KJV). They were madder than hornets and it didn’t take long for Jacob to notice that Laban wasn’t feeling so keen about it either. "And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before" (vs. 2 KJV). "Soon Jacob noticed a considerable cooling in Laban’s attitude towards him" (Living Bible). This comes as no surprise. The fox has outfoxed the fox! But it is not over yet. The feelings are running high. Laban isn’t about to be outsmarted by his son-in-law. He keeps a close watch on his movements.
One day, however, while Laban and his sons were across the hills in another pasture Jacob packed up his family and all his possessions and headed toward Canaan and home. It was three days before Laban discovered they were missing. "Then, taking several men with him, he set out in hot pursuit and caught up with them seven days later, at Mount Gilead. That night God appeared to Laban in a dream" (30:23,24 Living Bible). God warned him to be very careful how he dealt with Jacob. And Laban listened. He was still mad but he managed to keep his cool when he finally caught up with Jacob. There was some bitter words exchanged. Jacob takes the offensive: "Twenty years I’ve been with you, and all that time I cared for your ewes and nanny goats so that they produced healthy offspring, and I never touched one ram of yours for food . . . I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day, and through the cold and sleepless nights . . . And you have reduced my wages ten times . . . you would have sent me off without a penny to my name. But God has seen your cruelty and my hard work, and that is why he appeared to you last night" (31:38-42 Living Bible). A classic example of the kettle calling the pot black.
Well, they chew on each other for a while but finally hammer out an agreement with each promising to respect the rights of the other. "Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place" (31:54-55). All¡¦s well that ends well. These events free Jacob to begin a journey that will ultimately have a personally transforming effect but also will impact all future generations.
REVIEW, REFLECT, REFOCUS
Our subject in this 19th chapter has been, "Let’s Make a Deal: The Story of Jacob." We still have at least one chapter left in this series before we finally dot the last "i" and cross the last "t." Before launching into those final matters I want to make a few personal observations and make a few applications.
Personal note: this has been an interesting and challenging chapter. I am personally satisfied in saying it contains some of the best material in the entire study. The writer of chapter 11 of the Book of Hebrews says of Abraham, "he went out not knowing where he was going." He was talking about Abraham’s physical journey into territory unknown. Mentally I have taken that journey each time I have opened my word processor, selected the portion of Scripture and began to "journey" into what was for me unknown territory. I have been surprised a time or two by things I’ve seen along the way.
Item One: "Jacob is a problem . . . my problem." I said that at the very beginning because as I anticipated the subject matter I was uncomfortable with the prospective material we would cover. In other words, I knew we would have to look at God¡¦s choice of Jacob over Esau and face questions of the foreknowledge of God that involve predestination, predetermination, absolute sovereignty, election, etc. Looking back, I don¡¦t think I gave as good a response to those issues as the subject deserves. However, I have come away with a better perspective and sense of contentment. And (with tongue in cheek) I am willing to let God be Himself in His entire majestic splendor and awesome sovereignty. (O, how generous of me!) As I have already stated, I’ll just bow down on my knees and cry HOLY!
Item Two: One of the discoveries on my journey was to get a glimpse of the greatness and the depth of God’s love for undeserving persons. This has been especially comforting to me. Jacob did nothing whatsoever to deserve God’s love. God loved him. He loved him with all his ugliness, meanness, deceit and his Herculean attempts to live (with a tip of the hat to ’ole blue eyes) his life, "my way." I really wondered about this. How could it be that God promised such rich blessing to a man who was totally absorbed with himself? Then I came across a comment by Watchman Nee. He says, "The whole blessing is presented to him, even while he is still his natural, contriving, crafty self. How is this possible? Surely only because God knew Himself. He had great confidence in what He himself would do. He knew that this Jacob, so committed to Him, could not escape His hands, and sooner or later would become His vessel unto honour, I will give it, God said. There was nothing for Jacob to do. How wonderful that God is a God of such confidence! He knows He can carry out His own plans . . . Oh that we might learn the undefeatedness of God!"
Item Three: I hope you will see that one of the major themes in this present study of Jacob has to do with God working in Jacob’s circumstances to bring change in the man. The New Testament word for this is DISCIPLINE (see Hebrews 12). God loved Jacob. God chose him to fulfill His purpose. This is not to say He was pleased with his attitudes and actions. He uses acts of discipline to temper him. Jacob is never totally changed. He is tempered. His flight from his home--his doting mother--in fear of his life, begins the discipline process. He is alone. Loneliness can do things to our mind. By the time he reaches Haran and learns that Rachel is part of his mother¡¦s family he breaks down and cries. Describing the event, Scripture says, "And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept" (Gen. 29:11 KJV). We are free to form our own reasons why he cried. But the fact that he did cry shows there was a tender side to this otherwise tough man. I believe that seeing Rachel stirred memories of home and touched a soft spot in his heart.
Item Four: Jacob had lots of rough edges. Do you know anyone like that? Coming to Uncle Laban’s house was an ideal place to smooth out some of those rough corners. "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend" (Pr. 27:17 KJV). Laban began to sharpen Jacob’s countenance as Jacob in turn did to Uncle Laban. We have seen they were quite a pair when it came to wheeling and dealing. Don’t miss the fact, however, that through all the shenanigans that went on between these two God was working to perfect His will in His man. Joseph, the son of Jacob, was nothing like his father. However, in God’s discipline, Joseph was, "sold for a servant: whose feet they hurt with fetters: he was laid in iron: until the time that his word came: the word of the LORD tried him" (Ps. 105:17-19 KJV). Sometimes our circumstances and the association¡¦s attendant to them "lay us in iron," and "the word of the Lord (his promises of health, peace, victory, or deliverance, etc.) try us."
Item Five: As tough as it is to see, i.e., believe, it took 20 grueling years before the Lord appeared to Jacob again and said, "Go home!"
"And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee . . . . I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred" (Gen. 31:3,13 KJV).
He originally left home on his own initiative . . . well more or less. His mother, you will remember, told him to leave and he had a few good incentives to listen to her. Twenty years later, the Lord tells him to go back home. The Lord was finished with him in Haran. This phase of his testing was over. Because he left at God¡¦s time, he left with God¡¦s protection. Laban nor anyone else could stop him.
We are safe in any quarter
When we move under God’s order. (C.Holt)
We all have experienced the "seasons" and the "places" of testing. They don’t last forever. "Weeping may endure for t he night . . . joy comes in the morning!" This trip home will be a watershed experience. We will pick up that part of the story in our next chapter.
