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Genesis Chapter Twenty-eight
Preface
This rather short chapter (22 verses) is most notable for the account of Jacob’s dream at Bethel (vss. 13-15) in which God reaffirms to Jacob His promises to Abraham, that of ownership to the land of Canaan for him and his descendants who would proliferate as the dust of the earth and who would either be a blessing or a curse to others, depending on how others treated them (Genesis 15:18-21; 17:2-8).
BETHEL (“house of God”) 1. A town in the southern part of Israel, evidently in the vicinity of Ziklag. Probably Bethel, Bethul and Bethuel (q.v.) are names by which it was known (Josh 19:4; 1 Sam 30:27; 1 Chr 4:30). Its site is not currently identified. 2. A town on the border between Benjamin and Ephraim, about ten miles N of Jerusalem and S of Shiloh (Jud 21:19), near Ai (Gen 12:8). Originally called Luz (q.v.; Gen 28:19; Josh 18:13), it was visited by Abram early in his sojourn in the Promised Land (Gen 12:8). Later he stopped here on his return from Egypt and the Negeb (Gen 13:3). Jacob had his dream here while on his way to Padan-aram (Gen 28:19). Upon Jacob’s return from Padan-aram, he built an altar here and called the place El-bethel (q.v.; Gen 35:6-7). . . . (Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, 1975, William Culbertson, D.D., President Emeritus and Chancellor, Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, IL.) Genesis 28:1-4 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. May God Almighty bless you, And make you fruitful and multiply you, That you may be an assembly of peoples; And give you the blessing of Abraham, To you and your descendants with you, That you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham.”
The marriage between Esau and two Hittite women (Judith daughter of Beeri and Basemath daughter of Elon—Genesis 26:34) were always a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 26:35). Now, in addition to Rebekah wishing to protect the life of Jacob by sending him to her brother Laban in Haran, she further intended that he find a bride among the daughters of Laban, his mother’s brother.
God never intended for His children to marry outside of the family of God. For a child of God to be married to an unbeliever most often only results in spiritual harm to the believer. Two passages in the New Testament shed more light on this matter.
A wife is bound by law as long as her husband lives; but if her husband dies, she is at liberty to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 7:39)
Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? (2 Corinthians 6:14, 15)
Although there are many occasions where a believer attempts to marry an unbeliever thinking that such a union will facilitate the unbeliever coming to the Lord, this is usually never the case. Yes, there may be exceptions; but, they are few. Most normally it is the unbeliever that drags down the believer spiritually.
With the encouragement of his wife Rebekah, Isaac prohibits Jacob from taking a wife from the daughters of Canaan, and with a further reiteration of his blessing, he sends Jacob on to Padan-aram. Genesis 28:5-9 So Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau. Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram. 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.
Jacob was obedient to his father and went on to Padan-aram. But Esau had taken notice of the charge that Isaac had given Jacob regarding marriage. Furthermore, he learned that his marriages to the Hittite women were displeasing to his father; therefore, he married again from the line of Abraham in order to please his father. Unfortunately, two “wrongs” don’t make a “right.” Multiple marriages were never intended by God even though many of His children involved themselves in this practice during the time of the patriarchs. Genesis 28:10-22 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, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
At Bethel Jacob experienced a dream, much like the vision his father Abraham had experienced in his life (Genesis 17:1-22), in which God confirmed personally to Jacob the covenant that He had made with Abraham. Up until this time, Jacob only knew of his part in the covenant promises of God second-hand through what he was told by his parents. Jacob saw a ladder (or staircase) connecting earth to heaven, which indicates that there is a close and continuous connection between the two.
Upon the ladder Jacob saw angels ascending and descending. It is clear in the Bible that angels constantly minister to those upon the earth, especially those who are children of God. The concept of a “guardian angel,” which many have been taught from childhood, is not far from the truth. If you are a child of God, note the following passages and take great comfort.
The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. (Psalms 34:7)
Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. (Psalms 91:9-12)
Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 18:10)
But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool?” Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? (Hebrews 1:13, 14)
The truth is that not only does God see all that believers think and do, but His angels are also always around about them, observing and learning about the grace of God and its application to the redeemed. This should be an added incentive for the child of God to conduct his life in accordance with God’s Word.
When Christ was speaking to Nathanael and a few other disciples in John 1:51, He said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Whether or not Christ was speaking of an event that would be their experience in their day, or speaking prophetically regarding their future experience with Him in His coming kingdom upon earth, this writer cannot tell. But assuredly there is a well traveled pathway from heaven to earth on which God’s angels continuously travel back and forth in ministering to God’s children.
Next Jacob seems to be bargaining with God. He was actually bargaining for “less” than God had promised (v. 14). His faith was not strong enough to take God at His Word, so he had to make his tithe conditional on God’s performance of His part of the agreement. Another interpretation, however, is that the “if” is simply an inherent part of all Hebrew oaths and that Jacob was binding himself to give a tenth unconditionally (see Num. 21:2; Judg. 11:30, 31; 1 Sam. 1:11 for similar Hebrew oaths.). (Believer’s Bible Commentary, by William MacDonald, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990) |