Genesis 28
Pastor Mark Hudson
Rebekah is portrayed a bundle of energy. When we first meet her in Gen 24, she is busy in 18ff. She has been working overtime to secure Jacob’s position as the possessor of the birthright. So, in 27:46, she arranges (more correctly ‘manipulates’) for her husband to send Jacob, her favorite, away so he could have a chance at living. He leaves for the place of her birth to Laban. So Isaac sends him back to get a wife (unlike his father who sent a servant to find him a wife) and continues to bless Jacob in v. 3-4.
Esau, in vs. 6-9, clearly proves that Esau had little to no interest in following the God of Israel. God did not force Esau to reject God or His ways. Esau had no interest or use for God. In fact, Esau may have born a grudge against his father for v 8 records, “So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, Esau when to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael . . . .”
Jacob leaves on this long journey back to Haran. He probably had some camels and maybe a few men but no riches. Jacob does not know how long he will be gone but I imagine that he had no idea he would be gone for two decades. In verses 10ff, we see repeated words: stone, place, and God. Jacob is surrounded, in the narrative by sheep, wives, trouble, travel, deceiption, etc. In 10ff, Jacob sees a ladder with angels ascending and descending on it. Then the Lord appears to repeat His Messianic blessing (birthright) to Jacob. As Jacob is leaving the promised land, God blesses Esau and tells Esau that He will bring him back to the land.
Jacob thinks the place is sacred so he changed the name from Luz to Bethel or house of God. Then he vows to God that if God will be with him and return him to Isaac’s home, “then the Lord shall by my God . . . I will give a full tenth to You” v. 22. God is beginning to weigh heavily on Jacob but this is preliminary cracking of Jacob’s hard shell. It is hard to say when Jacob is converting but this is at least a good start. If you peek ahead to Gen 32:31, this may just be the time when the Holy Spirit changes Jacob. This does not mean the Holy Spirit has not been working or He is done in chapter 32 because Jacob is like us, he does not yield to God easily.
Jacob meets God leaving the promised land to haran in this chapter and then he meets God again in chapter 32 as he is returning to the promised land. So there is something about the ‘place’ Jacob leaves and returns. Like his grandfather and his sons are learning, there is something special about this land. God is giving it to His people which will only be accomplished by Joshua.
Little does Jacob know, at this point, that his departure will radically change his life. He leaves his father’s house with nothing but becomes a large family (Gen 32:10). Jacob and his mother, Rebekah, may have contemplated a short hiatus away from the family. I seriously doubt either thought Jacob would be gone for 20 years. Of course, God ordained these events, but He works through the sin and rebellion of stubborn people. God accomplishes His will but we often find He works through people who are less than stellar models of godly character.
An obvious observation is the many times God is talking to Jacob or Jacob is talking/praying to God. His mother and father pray before Jacob is born in chapter 25. His father blesses Jacob in 27:27ff. Again in v. 3ff, Isaac blesses Jacob and this begins a lifetime of conversation with God. This is the central part of the promise: for God to be our God. His nearness in the life and the next is the sweetness of life. The land was certainly a big part of the blessing as was the progeny. But to know, love, and obey this great God is treasure enough. A Christian is captivated by the beauty of Christ and longs to love Him in a deeper sense and to grow lower in humility. This is not an attempt to earn God’s favor by going to church but simply loving God.
It seems to me that we, like Jacob, take years to understand what we are doing here. It takes us years, even decades, to understand that Christ has done it all for us. We cannot add one thing to the cross. We are commanded to trust in God, in what He did through Christ. Yet, we find it hard to comprehend that simple truth. There is something inside of us that can’t accept grace. In that impulse, we are rejecting God by rejecting what God has provided for us.
We ought to repent and believe the gospel. Or we ought to keep repenting and keep believing the gospel. This is a lifelong quest to simplify our faith and get to the core of what it is to be and live like a Christian. On one hand it is not that difficult to believe in the gospel but on the other hand, it is a challenge to unlearn all the ‘junk’ we try to add on to the gospel. We need the help of the Holy Spirit to grasp and accept what the Scripture says.
Dear holy Father, You are so so good to us during the many years of our lives. While we cannot see our future, You do not live in time. You see it all at once; the beginning and end of our lives. Everything that happens to us, every person we know, all is part of Your eternal plan. Admittedly, this is almost impossible for finite creatures to perceive. Remind us and calm us with the truth of the gospel. Correct us when we try to “help” You or when we think we know something and take off with that truth leaving You behind. By Your Spirit, lead us to be consistent followers of Jesus Christ in whose name we pray. Amen.