Verses 1 - 5
So you’re Jacob. You’ve just wrangled the biggest deal of your life - by cheating your brother first of the birthright then of the patriarchal blessing. But far from celebrating, Jacob now has a death threat against his life and is going to be sent away on a journey hundreds of miles away (550) - not even sure if he will make it alive.
Not exactly what he bargained for, I guess. Maybe Jacob assumed that he’d immediately take over the family fortunes. As we’ll see, God will do His will - and Jacob and all of us through him, will be blessed - but what a difficult time he will have to go through to get there.
Verses 6 - 9
The attitude of Essau expressed in chapters 25 through 27 continues. He married Canaanite women against the wishes of his parents - showing a rebellious attitude towards the covenant. Now when he learns that Jacob has gone the same way as Isaac to find a wife what does he do? He thumbs his nose at the covenant again by purposefully going out and finding a wife from Ishmael’s sons - knowing full well that God’s promise was to go with Isaac, not with Ishmael.
It’s an outward action that shows an inward attitude. Even though we model and teach our kids the way of the Lord, once they reach a certain age they will go their own way - and if that is rejecting the faith then that is their choice.
And it doesn’t stop with the attitude towards mom and dad - but towards Jacob as well. At least for a while.
Verses 10 - 17
The text almost seems to indicate that Jacob was alone - a far different picture than when Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac.
At the end of the day Jacob collapses - and uses a rock as a pillow. The place will be called Bethel.
So then he dreams - and this is the first time we see God directly talking to Jacob about his future. He promised to bless Abraham, then Isaac, now Jacob.
The ladder - it could represent the continuing relationship between God in heaven and man on earth. The angels bring man’s needs up to God then bring God’s assistance back down to earth (Keil & Delitzsch). In a way, God is showing Jacob a portal between dimensions. Whether it’s a ladder or a portal isn’t important, but what it means - that God is in the affairs of men - standing above the ladder, making and carrying out promises.
Also God promises to be with Jacob until "I have done what I promised you." It’ll take years for Jacob to return - years that’ll be real tough - but an important breaking of Jacob’s pride and reliance on himself.
In a way, Jacob’s journey is the same journey God takes us on. God promises never to leave or forsake us in Jesus - but there is much work to do on our character and God allows many trials and tribulations into our lives to first show us our real fleshly character, then break that flesh - changing us into His image. The tendency is for us to lose heart and feel totally alone and abandoned - but as with Jacob, God will not leave us until He is finished working His life into our lives.
Verses 16 - 19
"God was here and I didn’t know it" Jacob says. Not only that but it is a "a gate of heaven." It’s a place to get to God.
I like the parallel to our lives: We are going along, feeling low and alone and deserted - but we discover that the very place where we fall down exhausted and at our wits end is a place where God already was - preparing the way for us, reaching down from heaven to help us.
Psalms 139:7-12
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths , you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
God is already in your darkest place - bringing His light and his right hand to hold on to you. You just didn’t know it. So - look for His presence at Bethel.
Verses 18 - 22
So Jacob gives his life to the Lord - and I think this is the beginning of God saying "okay - now let’s go to work on you." Jacob doesn’t know it yet, but the flesh is going to be burned out of him and he will become a changed person after the experience he is about to go through.
Chapter 29
Verses 1 - 12
So once again we have the whole "watering the sheep" way of finding a wife. It’s not as unusual as it sounds as the watering hole was the gathering place - and likely Jacob would have gone there to get his thirst quenched too, perhaps. And it seems he is wondering if his uncle on his mom’s side is still around.
To Jacob’s joy he spies his cousin Rachael and really thinks she’s foxy.
Sometimes guys will do incredible things when they see a girl they really like. They’ll show off how strong they are - so Jacob single-handedly lifts the rock off the well - to impress Rachael, no doubt.
Then he kisses her - I’m sure it was a respectful kiss - though the text doesn’t tell us. Then he does something very unmanly - he cries! In fact it says he weeps aloud.
It’s likely that he is crying with both joy and relief. Here he’s just traveled 550 miles, doesn’t know if he’s going to make it - has a very emotional/spiritual experience with God - and here he comes on the scene and bammo he finds this beautiful woman who is of the family that he is seeking.
Sometimes when God answers prayer we can hardly believe it ourselves - and we kind of let go of the pressure that’s been building up.
Verses 13 - 14
Laban greets Jacob warmly - but as we find out, Laban is an absolute master at negotiation and slight of hand.
Verses 15 - 20
So Jacob thinks he’s getting quite a deal - and perhaps his love for Rachael blinded him to the deal he was making - 7 years service to Laban. Earlier Jacob turned the tables on Essau - reversing the younger for the older.
But as we’re going to see here, Laban uses that same trick on Jacob - switching the older Leah for the younger Rachael. Perhaps God is showing Jacob how the tactics of the flesh will not work in relationship with God. You can’t get your way in God’s kingdom by your own wits - only by God’s divine intervention and mercy.
Leah had "weak" eyes - an alternate form there is "delicate." Eyes were considered a part of beauty in those days - so it could be that although Leah had some features that were attractive, they paled in comparison to Rachael in Jacob’s opinion.
Verses 21 - 24
So Laban hatches this plot and has to wait 7 years for it to be completed. That’s patience! And we don’t know if Leah was in on the plot or not but certainly Jacob, the master manipulator, knew nothing about it all that time.
I’ve always wondered why Jacob couldn’t just have looked at Leah and known it wasn’t Rachael. One explanation is that brides were veiled during the wedding festivities, which often involved much drinking. So a drunk Jacob and a veiled bride might account for his inability to know who he was sleeping with until morning.
Verses 25 - 30
Jacob now realizes that he’s been outsmarted. Jacob means "deceiver" but now the tables are turned and Jacob is hopping mad.
But Jacob loves Rachael so much that he agrees to spend another 7 years of service to pay the bride-price to Laban. It may also be that in his stubborn pride he will do anything to get what he wants and not let Laban take it away from him.
The same favoritism that had plagued Isaac’s family now is passed down to Jacob - he favors Rachael over Leah.
Verses 31 - 35
Rachael was barren - this is a re-occurring theme. Jacob wanted Rachael no matter what - but God intended for him to have Leah. I’m sure he spent a lot more intimate time with Rachael but God did not allow her to have children. Leah, however, had four sons - one of which would produce the Messiah.
Even though we might try mighty hard to get our way, God will always get His way. If only Jacob had humbled himself and not fought the Lord.
Conclusions
God is working to break Jacob and get him to depend on Yahweh. He does it in several ways:
- Stealing the blessing resulted in being outcast
- Being alone and afraid was step one to the breaking of self will
- Giving in to the lust of the eyes instead of praying for the will of God got him hoodwinked by Laban
- Even the master manipulator will be outmastered by God - you cannot rely on your own schemes
- Fruit comes by giving in to God’s will instead of fighting to get your own way despite what God is doing (serving another 7 years for Rachael)
- You can fight God, and make a whole lot of heartache for yourself - or let yourself be broken.
What did God attack in Jacob?
1. Took away family, personal safety, well-being, control (…more)
2. That’s the first step - bring you to a place where you can really think about who you are and what you are.
3. At Bethel Jacob began to call on the Lord - perhaps that’s where he was saved.
4. Then at Haran - the old tricks of the flesh that he used to rely on don’t work anymore - the first step towards breaking the flesh and relying on God for character transformation.
Operating in the Flesh vs in the Spirit
1. Jacob was alone vs in fellowship on the way (like Eliezer)
2. He mistook emotion for guidance (by the well)
3. His plan was opposed to God (God wanted Leah, Jacob wanted Rachael)
4. he was easily fooled
5. He was easily tricked
6. It was a harder road to hoe.
Next week: God shows Jacob his own self mirrored in his family and Laban - and we see the beginning of a new man being born.
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