law because the law had not yet been given. He could are writing your obituary and preparing your "last will

law because the law had not yet been given. He could are writing your obituary and preparing your "last will

Genesis 25 the first verse of the New Testament (Matt. 1:1), Abraham's name is joined with the names of David and Jesus Christ! God promised Abraham that through him all the world would be blessed (Gen. 12:1–3), and He has kept that promise. The problem is that the church is not telling the whole world that Jesus is indeed "the Savior of the world'' (John 4:42). We are keeping the good news to ourselves when we ought to be doing everything we can to let the whole world know.

between these six new sons and his son Isaac, for Isaac was God's choice to carry on the covenant line. Keturah's sons received gifts, but Isaac received the inheritance and the blessings of the covenant.

All who have trusted Jesus Christ are "as Isaac was, the children of promise'' (Gal. 4:28). This means that we have a share in Abraham's will! What did he leave us?

To begin with, Abraham left us a clear witness of salvation through faith. Paul cited his example in Romans 4:1–5, relating it to Abraham's experience in Genesis 15. Abraham could not have been saved by keeping the law because the law had not yet been given. He could not have been saved by the ritual of circumcision because God declared him to be righteous long before Abraham was circumcised. Like everybody else who has ever been saved, Abraham was saved by faith and by faith alone. (See Heb. 11 and Gal. 3.)

There can be only one Abraham and Sarah in God's great plan of redemption, but you and I have our tasks to perform in the will of God (Eph. 2:10). Today, you are writing your obituary and preparing your "last will and testament'' as far as your spiritual heritage is concerned. Today you are getting ready for the last stage of life's journey.

Are you making good preparations? Are you living by faith? If you live by faith, then you will, like Abraham, BE OBEDIENT.

But Abraham also leaves us the example of a faithful life. James used Abraham to illustrate the importance of proving our faith by our works (James 2:14–26). Wherever Abraham went, he pitched his tent and built his altar, and he let the people of the land know that he was a worshipper of the true and living God. When he offered Isaac on the altar, Abraham proved his faith in God and his love for God. He was not saved by works, but he proved his faith by his works.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX Genesis 25—26 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON—ALMOST I saac was the son of a famous father (Abraham) and the father of a famous son (Jacob), and for those reasons he is sometimes considered a lightweight among the patriarchs. Compared to the exploits of Abraham and Jacob, Isaac's life does seem conventional and commonplace. Although he lived longer than either Abraham or Jacob, only six chapters are devoted to Isaac's life in the Genesis record, and only one verse in Hebrews 11 (v. 9).

From Abraham, we learn how to walk by faith. True, he had his occasional lapses of faith, but the general manner of his life evidenced faith in God's Word. "By faith Abraham … obeyed'' (Heb. 11:8). "The pith, the essence of faith,'' said Charles Spurgeon, "lies in this: a casting oneself on the promises.''

The late composer-conductor Leonard Bernstein said to an interviewer, "I believe in everything, in anything that anybody believes in, because I believe in people. In other words, I believe in belief. I believe in faith'' (Maestro: Encounters With Conductors of Today, by Helena Matheopoulos, Harper & Row, 1982, 7).

Isaac was a quiet, meditative man (Gen. 24:63), who would rather pack up and leave than confront his enemies. During his long life, he didn't travel far from home. Abraham had made the long journey from Haran to Canaan, and had even visited Egypt, and Jacob went to Haran to get a wife, but Isaac spent his entire adult life moving around in the land of Canaan. If there had been an ancient Middle East equivalent to our contemporary "jet set," Isaac wouldn't have joined it.

But "faith in faith'' is not the same as faith in God, because it has no foundation. It is building on the sand (Matt. 7:24–27). True faith is our obedient response to the Word of God. God speaks, we hear Him and believe, and we do what He tells us to do. Abraham and Sarah held on to God's promises and God rewarded their faith.

However, there are more Isaacs in this world than there are Abrahams or Jacobs, and these people make important contributions to society and to the church, even if they don't see their names in lights or even in the church bulletin. Furthermore, Isaac was a living part of the divine plan that eventually produced the Jewish nation, gave us the Bible, and brought Jesus Christ into the world, and that's nothing to be ashamed of.

Abraham gave the world the gift of the Jewish nation; and it is through the Jews that we have the knowledge of the true God plus the Word of God and the salvation of God (John 4:22). It is beyond my understanding how anybody could be anti-Semitic when the Jews have given so much to the world and have suffered so much in this world. It is unfortunate that the Jewish people thought their relationship to Abraham saved them (Matt. 3:7–12; John 8:33–59), but they are no different from unsaved Gentiles who think they are going to heaven because their parents or grandparents were Christians (1:11–13).

Isaac wasn't a failure; he was just different. After all, the people in each generation have to find themselves and be themselves and not spend their lives slavishly trying to imitate their ancestors. "Men are

Finally, because of Abraham, we have a Savior. In

Genesis 25 on their priceless spiritual heritage and, like Ishmael and Esau, live for the world and the flesh instead of for the Lord!

born equal," wrote psychiatrist Erich Fromm in Escape from Freedom, "but they are also born different." Discovering our uniqueness and using it to the glory of God is the challenge that makes life what it is. Why be a cheap imitation when you can be a valuable original?

He prayed to his father's God (25:19–34) Genesis is a record of ten successive "generations."1 Generations come and go, but the Lord remains and never changes. "Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations" (Ps. 90:1 nkjv).

No generation stands alone, because each new generation is bound to previous generations whether we like it or not. Isaac was bound to Abraham and Sarah by ties that couldn't be ignored or easily broken. Let's look at some of those ties and discover what they teach us about our own life of faith today.

A devoted home (vv. 19–20). When Isaac was forty years old, God selected Rebekah to be his wife (chap. 24; 25:20), and we have every reason to believe that they were both devoted to the Lord and to each other. The record indicates that Rebekah was the more aggressive of the two when it came to family matters, but perhaps that's just the kind of wife Isaac needed. Whatever mistakes Isaac may have made as a husband and father, this much is true: As a young man, he willingly put himself on the altar to obey his father and to please the Lord (chap. 22; Rom. 12:1–2).

He received his father's inheritance (25:1–18) Abraham recognized his other children by giving them gifts and sending them away, thereby making sure they couldn't supplant Isaac as the rightful heir. Along with his father's immense wealth (13:2; 23:6), Isaac also inherited the covenant blessings that God had given Abraham and Sarah (12:1–3; 13:14–18; 15:1–6). Isaac had parents who believed God and, in spite of occasional mistakes, tried to please Him.

A disappointed home (v. 21). Isaac and Rebekah waited twenty years for a family, but no children came. The entire book of Genesis emphasizes the sovereignty of God and the wisdom of His "delays." Abraham and Sarah had to wait twenty-five years for Isaac to be born; Jacob had to labor fourteen years to obtain his two wives; and Joseph had to wait over twenty years before he was reconciled to his brothers. Our times are in His hands (Ps. 31:15), and His timing is never wrong.

Abraham's firstborn son Ishmael (chap. 16) wasn't chosen to be the child of promise and the heir of the covenant blessings. God promised to bless Ishmael and make him a great nation, and He kept His promise (17:20–21; 25:12–16); "but my covenant will I establish with Isaac" (17:21 kjv; see also Rom. 9:6–13). Ishmael was on hand for his father's funeral (Gen. 25:9), but he wasn't included in the reading of his father's will.

Like Abraham, Isaac was a man of prayer, so he interceded with the Lord on behalf of his barren wife. Isaac had every right to ask God for children because of the covenant promises the Lord had made to his father and mother, promises Isaac had heard repeated in the family circle and that he believed. If Rebekah remained barren, how could Abraham's seed multiply as the dust of the earth and the stars of the heavens? How could Abraham's seed become a blessing to the whole world (Gen. 12:1–3; 13:16; 15:5; 17:6)?

Ishmael pictures the "natural" or unsaved person (1 Cor. 2:14), who is outside the faith and hostile to the things of God. But Isaac pictures those who have trusted Jesus Christ and experienced the miraculous new birth by the power of God (1 Peter 1:22–23). "Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise" (Gal. 4:28). Ishmael was born a slave, but Isaac was born free (4:21–31; 5:1–2); and Ishmael was born poor, but Isaac was born rich. Every believer in Jesus Christ shares all the blessings of the Spirit in Christ (Eph. 1:3) and is part of Christ's glorious inheritance (vv. 11, 18).

It has well been said that the purpose of prayer is not to get our will done in heaven but to get God's will done on earth. Even though every Jewish couple wanted children, Isaac wasn't praying selfishly. He was concerned about God's plan for fulfilling His covenant and blessing the whole world through the promised Messiah (3:15; 12:1–3). True prayer means being concerned about God's will, not our own wants, and claiming God's promises in the Word. The Lord answered Isaac's prayer and enabled Rebekah to conceive.

From the moment of birth, we're all dependent on the older generation to care for us until we can care for ourselves. We're also indebted to previous generations for guarding and handing down to us the knowledge, skills, traditions, and culture that are extremely important to daily life. Imagine what life would be like if each new generation had to devise the alphabet, invent printing, discover electricity, or design the wheel!

V. ISAAC AND REBEKAH (25:12—28:22)

A distressed home (vv. 22–23). One problem soon led to another, because Rebekah's pregnancy was a difficult one: The babies in her womb were struggling with each other. The Hebrew word means "to crush or oppress," suggesting that the fetal movements were not normal. Since Rebekah wondered if the Lord was trying to say something to her, she went to inquire. Isaac was fortunate to have a wife who not only knew how

The most important part of Isaac's legacy wasn't the great material wealth his father had left him. Isaac's most important legacy was the spiritual wealth from his father and mother: knowing and trusting the true and living God and being a part of the covenant blessings that God had graciously bestowed upon Abraham and Sarah and their descendants. How tragic it is when the children of devout Christian believers turn their backs

Genesis 25—26 sounds like the words aqeb ("heel") and aqab ("watch from behind" or "overtake"), his name became a nickname: "he grasps the heel" or "he deceives." Before birth, Jacob and Esau had contended, and at birth, Jacob grasped his brother's heel. This latter action was interpreted to mean that Jacob would trip up his brother and take advantage of him. The prediction proved true.

to pray but who also wanted to understand God's will for herself and her children.

In salvation history, the conception and birth of children is a divinely ordained event that has significant consequences. This was true of the birth of Isaac (chaps. 18, 21), the twelve sons of Jacob (29:30— 30:24), Moses (Ex. 1), Samuel (1 Sam. 1—2), David (Ruth 4:17–22), and our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 4:4–5). Conception, birth, and death are divine appointments, not human accidents, a part of God's wise and loving plan for His own people (Ps. 116:15; 139:13–16). Imagine Rebekah's surprise when she learned that the two children would struggle with each other all their lives! Each child would produce a nation, and these two nations (Edom and Israel) would compete, but the younger would master the older. Just as God had chosen Isaac, the second-born, and not Ishmael, the firstborn, so He choose Jacob, the second-born, and not Esau, the firstborn. That the younger son should rule the elder was contrary to human tradition and logic, but the sovereign God made the choice (Rom. 9:10–12),2 and God never makes a mistake.

The fact that God had already determined to give the covenant blessings to Jacob didn't absolve anybody in the family from their obligations to the Lord. They were all responsible for their actions, because divine sovereignty doesn't destroy human responsibility. In fact, knowing that we're the chosen of God means we have a greater responsibility to do His will.

He faced his father's temptations (26:1–11) True faith is always tested, either by temptations within us or trials around us (James 1:1–18), because a faith that can't be tested can't be trusted. God tests us to bring out the best in us, but Satan tempts us to bring out the worst in us. In one form or another, each new generation must experience the same tests as previous generations, if only to discover that the enemy doesn't change and that human nature doesn't improve. Abraham is mentioned eight times in this chapter, and you find the word "father" six times. Isaac was very much his father's son. Abraham Lincoln was right: "We cannot escape history."4

A divided home (vv. 24–28). Esau probably means "hairy." He also had the nickname "Edom," which means "red," referring to his red hair and the red lentil soup Jacob sold him (vv. 25, 30). The twin boys not only looked different but they also were different in personality. Esau was a robust outdoorsman, who was a successful hunter, while Jacob was a "home boy." You would think that Isaac would have favored Jacob, since both of them enjoyed domestic pursuits, but Jacob was Rebekah's favorite. Rebekah was a hands-on mother who knew what was going on in the home and could contrive ways to get what she thought was best.

The temptation to run (vv. 1–6). When Abraham arrived in Canaan, he found a famine in the land and faced his first serious test of faith (12:10—13:4). His solution was to abandon the place God had chosen for him, the place of obedience, and to run to Egypt, thus establishing a bad example for his descendants who were prone to imitate him.5 The safest place in the world is in the will of God, for the will of God will never lead us where His grace can't provide for us. Unbelief asks, "How can I get out of this," while faith asks, "What can I get out of this?"

It's unfortunate when homes are divided because parents and children put their own personal desires ahead of the will of God. Isaac enjoyed eating the tasty game that Esau brought home, a fact that would be important in later family history (chap. 27). Isaac, the quiet man, fulfilled his dreams in Esau, the courageous man, and apparently ignored the fact that his elder son was also a worldly man.3 Did Isaac know that Esau had forfeited his birthright? The record doesn't tell us. But he did know that God had chosen the younger son over the elder son.

When Isaac faced the problem of a famine, he decided to go to Gerar, the capital city of the Philistines, and get help from Abimelech.6 Isaac and Rebekah were probably living at Beer-lahai-roi at that time (25:11), which means they traveled about seventy-five miles northeast to get to Gerar. Even after arriving in Gerar, Isaac and Rebekah may have been tempted to go south to Egypt, though God had warned them not to consider that possibility.

A friend of mine kept a card under the glass on his office desk that read: "Faith is living without scheming." Jacob could have used that card. Before his birth, he had been divinely chosen to receive the birthright and the blessing; thus there was no need for him to scheme and take advantage of his brother. It's likely that Jacob had already seen plenty of evidence that Esau didn't care about spiritual things, an attitude that made Esau unfit to receive the blessing and accomplish God's will. Perhaps Jacob and his mother had even discussed the matter.

God permitted Isaac to remain in Philistia and promised to bless him. God had promised Abraham that his descendants would be greatly multiplied and one day would possess all those lands. Thus Isaac had a right to be there as long as God approved. (See 12:2–3; 13:16; 15:5; 17:3–8; 22:15–18.) God blessed Isaac for Abraham's sake (25:5; see also v. 24), just as He has blessed believers today for the sake of Jesus Christ.

The name "Jacob" comes from a Hebrew word (yaaqob) that means "may God protect," but because it

We can never successfully run away from trials, because God sees to it that His children learn the lessons

Genesis 26 somebody who claimed to be a believer and yet deliberately lied to his unbelieving neighbors? Because God is always faithful to His covenant and keeps His promises (2 Tim. 2:11–13), and the only condition God attached to His promise of blessing was that Isaac remain in the land and not go to Egypt.

of faith regardless of where they go. We can never grow in faith by running from difficulty, because "tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character …" (Rom. 5:3–4 nkjv). Like David, we may wish we had "wings like a dove" so we could "fly away and be at rest" (Ps. 55:6 nkjv), but if we did, we'd always be doves when God wants us to "mount up with wings as eagles" (Isa. 40:31).

God also blessed Isaac because of Abraham's life and faith (Gen. 26:5), just as He blesses us for the sake of Jesus Christ. We'll never know until we get to heaven how many of our blessings have been "dividends" from the spiritual investments made by godly friends and family who have gone before.

The temptation to lie (vv. 7–11). Isaac could flee from famine, but when he put himself into a situation that offered no escape, he had to turn to deception to protect himself. Abraham committed this same sin twice, once in Egypt (Gen. 12:14–20) and once in Philistia (chap. 20). Remember, faith is living without scheming, and telling lies seems to be one of humanity's favorite ways to escape responsibility.

The conflict (vv. 14–17). In spite of his material blessings, Isaac still suffered because of his lie, because the blessings he received brought burdens and battles to his life. Seeing his great wealth, the Philistines envied him and decided he was a threat to their safety. (A similar situation would occur when the Jews multiplied in Egypt. See Ex. 1:8ff.) "The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it" (Prov. 10:22 nkjv). Had Isaac not lied about his wife, God would not have disciplined him but would have given him peace with his neighbors (Prov. 16:7). Because of his sin, however, Isaac's material blessings caused him trouble.

Isaac was asked about the woman who was with him and, like his father Abraham before him, he said she was his sister.7 But when Abimelech saw Isaac caressing Rebekah, he knew she was his wife.8 Why did Isaac lie? Because he was afraid his pagan host would kill him in order to obtain his beautiful wife. His lie was evidence of his unbelief, for if he had claimed the covenant promise when he prayed for children (25:21), why couldn't he claim that same covenant promise to protect himself and his wife?

The Philistines tried to get Isaac to leave their land and settle elsewhere, and to encourage this they stopped up Abraham's wells and deprived Isaac's flocks and herds of the water they desperately needed. Water was a precious commodity in the Near East, and adequate wells were necessary if you were to succeed in the land. The crisis came when the king commanded Isaac to move away, and Isaac obeyed.

The English poet John Dryden wrote, "Truth is the foundation of all knowledge and the cement of all societies." When people don't keep their word, the foundations of society begin to shake and things start to fall apart. Happy homes, lasting friendships, thriving businesses, stable governments, and effective churches all depend on truth for their success. The American preacher Phillips Brooks said, "Truth is always strong, no matter how weak it looks; and falsehood is always weak, no matter how strong it looks." Truth is cement; falsehood is whitewash.

The search (vv. 18–22). No matter where Isaac journeyed, the enemy followed him and confiscated his father's wells and also the new wells that Isaac's servants dug. To find a well of "springing water" (v. 19) was a special blessing, for it guaranteed fresh water at all times, but the Philistines took that well too. The names of the new wells that Isaac's men dug reveal the problems that he had with his neighbors, for Esek means "contention," and Sitnah means "hatred." But Rehoboth means "enlargement" because Isaac finally found a place where he was left alone and had room enough for his camp and his flocks and herds.

When he found himself in difficulty, Isaac was tempted to run and to lie, and we face this same temptation today. Isaac succumbed to the temptation and was found out. It's a sad day when unconverted people like Abimelech publicly expose God's servants for telling lies. What an embarrassment to the cause of truth!

He dug again his father's wells (26:12–33) Isaac inherited flocks and herds from his father, who had lived a nomadic life, but now the wealthy heir settled down and became a farmer, remaining in Gerar "a long time" (v. 8).

Whenever Abraham had a problem with people, he boldly confronted them and got the matter settled, whether it was his nephew Lot (13:5–18), the invading kings (chap. 14), Hagar and Ishmael (21:9ff.), or the Philistines (vv. 22ff.). But Isaac was a retiring man who wanted to avoid confrontation. Since he was a pilgrim, he could move his camp and be a peacemaker.

The blessing (vv. 12–14). Isaac and his neighbors had access to the same soil, and they depended on the same sunshine and rain, but Isaac's harvests were greater than theirs, and his flocks and herds multiplied more abundantly. The secret? God kept His promise and blessed Isaac in all that he did (vv. 3–5). God would give a similar blessing to Jacob years later (chap. 31).

In every difficult situation of life, it requires discernment to know whether God wants us to be confronters like Abraham or peacemakers like Isaac, for God can bless and use both approaches. "If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men" (Rom. 12:18 nkjv). Sometimes it isn't possible, but at least we should try, and we must depend on the

But Isaac was a deceiver! How could the Lord bless

Genesis 26 his pagan neighbors. (For a contrasting situation, see 1 Cor. 6:1–8.)

wisdom from above that is "pure" and "peaceable" (James 3:17).

Isaac and the leaders were able to reach an agreement. To seal the treaty, Isaac hosted a feast, for in that culture, to eat with others was to forge strong links of friendship and mutual support. That same day, Isaac's servants found one of Abraham's wells (Gen. 21:25–31) and opened it, and Isaac gave it the original name, Beersheba. "The well of the oath" now referred to Isaac's treaty as well as Abraham's.

Looking at Isaac's experience from a spiritual point of view, we can learn an important lesson. In the Bible, wells sometimes symbolize blessings from the hand of the Lord (Gen. 16:14; 21:19; 49:22; Ex. 15:27; Num. 21:16–18; Prov. 5:15; 16:22; 18:4; Song 4:15; Isa. 12:3; John 4:14).9 The church keeps looking for something new, when all we need is to dig again the old wells of spiritual life that God's people have depended on from the beginning—the Word of God, prayer, worship, faith, the power of the Spirit, sacrifice, and service—wells that we've allowed the enemy to fill up. Whenever there's been a revival of spiritual power in the history of the church, it's been because somebody has dug again the old wells so that God's life-giving Spirit can be free to work.

More conflict (vv. 34–35). Isaac was at peace with his neighbors, but he had war at home. His worldly son Esau had married two heathen wives who caused grief to Isaac and Rebekah. (Later, just to provoke his parents, he married a third heathen wife. See 29:8–9.) In view of Esau's sinful lifestyle, we wonder that Isaac wanted to give him the patriarchal blessing (chap. 27).

The assurance (vv. 23–25). Beersheba was a very special place for Isaac, because there his father had entered into a covenant with the Philistine leaders (21:22ff.). "Beersheba" means "the well of the oath." The Lord comes to us with His assuring Word just when we need encouragement (see Acts 18:9–11; 23:11; 27:23–24; 2 Tim. 2:19). No matter who is against us, God is with us and for us (see Gen. 28:15; 31:3; Rom. 8:31–39), and there's no need for us to be afraid. In response to God's gracious word of promise, Isaac built an altar and worshipped the Lord. He was ready to meet his adversaries.

All of us would like to find our "Rehoboth" (enlargement) where we have plenty of room and no contention, but Isaac's Rehoboth was found only after he endured conflict. It's through difficulties that God enlarges us for the larger places He prepares for us. "Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress" (Ps. 4:1). When the troubles of our hearts are enlarged and we trust God, then the Lord can enlarge us (25:17) and bring us "into a large place" (18:19). If we want "room," we have to suffer, because that's the only way we can grow and feel at home in the larger place God gives us when we're ready for it.

Like his father Abraham, Isaac was identified by his tent and altar (Gen. 26:25; see 12:7–8; 13:3–4, 18). Isaac was wealthy enough to be able to build himself a fine house, but his tent identified him as a pilgrim and stranger in the land (Heb. 11:8–10, 13–16). A fugitive is fleeing from home; a vagabond has no home; a stranger is away from home; but a pilgrim is heading home. The tent identified Isaac as a pilgrim, and the altar announced that he worshipped Jehovah and was heading to the heavenly kingdom.

Notes

1 The ten different generations are noted in Genesis 2:4; 5:1; 6:9; 10:1; 11:10; 11:27; 25:12, 19; 36:1; 37:2. 2 That God has the sovereign right to choose as He pleases, nobody can successfully dispute. His thoughts are far above our thoughts and His ways "past finding out" (Rom. 11:33–36). In fact, Paul made it clear that God's choice of Jacob was an act of pure grace and wasn't based on any merit in Jacob (9:10–12). Those who are troubled by Malachi 1:2–3 ("I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau," kjv) must see "love" and "hate" as relative terms (as in Gen. 29:31–33, Deut. 21:15–17; Luke 14:26). Neither Jacob nor Esau deserved God's grace any more than we today deserve it (Eph. 2:8–9). That God chose scheming Jacob is as much a mystery as that He chose murderous Saul of Tarsus. 3 The writer of Hebrews 12:16 called Esau a "profane person" (kjv), which the niv translates "godless." The Greek word means "accessible to anyone," the opposite of sacred or sanctified. The Latin profanus, which gives us the English word "profane," means "outside the temple, common, ordinary." Esau had no godly desires or standards; he was accessible to anyone or anything. A successful man of the world, he ignored God's will and "did his own thing." The fact that he married two Hittite women is proof that he wasn't interested in the things of God (Gen. 26:34–35). 4 Lincoln's message to Congress, December 1, 1862. 5 Whenever they were in trouble, the Jews clamored to go back to Egypt (Ex. 16:1–3; 17:1–4; Num. 11; 14). During the declining days of the kingdom, instead of trusting God, the

Like Isaac, all who have trusted Jesus Christ are strangers in this world and pilgrims heading for a better world (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). The body we live in is our "tent"; one day it will be taken down and we'll go to the heavenly city (2 Cor. 5:1–8). Life here is brief and temporary, because this tent is fragile, but our glorified body will be ours for eternity (Phil. 3:20–21; 1 John 3:1–3). But while we're here on earth, let's be sure we build the altar and give our witness that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world.

The agreement (vv. 26–33). Isaac's strategy paid off, because the Philistine leaders came to him to settle the matter of the property rights (see 21:22ff.). Fortified by God's promises, Isaac was much bolder in his approach, and he confronted the Philistines with their misdeeds. It's worth noting that Isaac's conduct during this conflict had made a great impression on them, and they could tell that the Lord was richly blessing him. More important than possessing his wells was the privilege Isaac had of sharing his witness with

Genesis 27

Lot, Gideon, Samson, King Saul, King Solomon, Demas, and a host of others. Let's add Isaac to that list. If ever a man was blessed with a great beginning, it was Isaac. Yet he ended his life under a cloud. Consider some of his sins.

rulers of Judah often turned to Egypt for help (Isa. 30:1–2; 31:1; Jer. 42:13ff.; Hos. 7:11). 6 This journey probably took place during the twenty years that Isaac and Rebekah were childless, and was almost a century after Abraham and Sarah had visited Gerar (Gen. 20). "Abimelech" could have been a namesake for the king Abraham met, or perhaps it was a royal title. 7 Isaac's was the greater sin, because he knew what had twice happened to his father, and Rebekah was not his sister. Abraham told a half-truth while Isaac blatantly lied. 8 The word translated "sporting with" (kjv) or "caressing" (niv) comes from the same Hebrew root as the name "Isaac," which means "to laugh" or "to play" (see Gen. 17:17; 18:12–13, 15; and 21:6). While we commend them for their love, Isaac and Rebekah were engaging in expressions of affection that were better kept in the privacy of their chamber. 9 The Hebrew word for "well" is be'er, which explains why there are places in the Holy Land called Beersheba ("well of the oath," Gen. 21:30–31) and Beer-lahai-roi ("the well of the living one who sees me," 16:14).

He put himself ahead of the Lord. Isaac was sure he was going to die,1 and yet his greatest desire was to enjoy a good meal at the hand of his favorite son and cook, Esau (25:28).2 When Isaac's father Abraham prepared for death, his concern was to get a bride for his son and maintain the covenant promise. When King David came to the end of his life, he made arrangements for the building of the temple, and Paul's burden before his martyrdom was that Timothy be faithful to preach the Word and guard the faith.

Someone has well said, "The end of life reveals the ends of life." When sideshow promoter P.T. Barnum was dying, he asked, "What were today's receipts?" Napoleon cried out on his death bed, "Army! Head of the army!" Naturalist Henry David Thoreau said only two words: "Moose … Indian." But Isaac, the man who meditated and prayed in the fields at evening (24:63), and who petitioned God on behalf of his wife (25:21), wanted only one thing: a savory meal of venison. Instead of seeking to heal the family feud that he and his wife had caused by their selfish favoritism, Isaac perpetuated the feud and destroyed his own family.

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN Genesis 27—28 A MASTERPIECE IN PIECES P

He disobeyed God's command. Before the boys were born, God had told Isaac and Rebekah that Jacob, the younger son, was to receive the covenant blessing (vv. 19–23); yet Isaac planned to give the blessing to Esau. Surely Isaac knew that Esau had despised his birthright and sold it to Jacob and that Esau had disqualified himself by marrying heathen women. Had Isaac forgotten that his father had sent a servant five hundred miles to Haran to get him a suitable wife? Did Isaac really think he could fool God and give the blessing to worldly, unbelieving Esau?

hilosopher George Santayana called the human family "one of nature's masterpieces." If that's true, then many of these masterpieces have become nothing but pieces because they forgot the Master. Genesis 27 describes such a family.

Had I been alive during patriarchal times, I probably would have predicted great success for Isaac and Rebekah. After all, Isaac was a dedicated man who had put himself on the altar in obedience to the Lord (chap. 22; Rom. 12:1–2). He trusted God to choose his wife for him (Gen. 24), and the wife God sent, Jacob loved (v. 67). Both Isaac and Rebekah knew how to pray and seek the mind of the Lord for their home (25:19–23). What more could a married couple want?

He lived by his feelings. Isaac was blind and apparently bedfast (27:19, 31), a condition you would think would make him trust God and seek His help. Instead, Isaac rejected the way of faith and depended on his own senses: taste (vv. 4, 9, 25), touch (v. 21), hearing (v. 22), and smell (v. 27). He took the "scientific approach," and it failed him. "There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless, the Lord's counsel—that will stand" (Prov. 19:21 nkjv).

But in spite of these advantages, the family selfdestructed rather quickly when Isaac became old. Why? Because the members of the family substituted scheming for believing so they could each have their own way. As we look at the scenes in this tragedy, let's study each of the family members and see what they contributed to the problem or to the answer.

A character in Ernest Hemingway's novel Death in the Afternoon is probably expressing Hemingway's own convictions when he says, "I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after." Most people today would endorse that philosophy and make their decisions solely on the basis of how they feel, not what God says in His Word. "If it feels good, it is good!"

Isaac: decline (27:1–4) During the twenty-three years he was president of Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Dr. William Culbertson frequently asked at the close of his public prayers, "Lord, help us to end well." God answered his prayer, and Dr. Culbertson did end his race in victory, but that isn't true of every believer.

Isaac was a declining believer, living by the natural instead of the supernatural, and trusting his own senses instead of believing and obeying the Word of God. He was blind and bedfast and claimed to be dying, but he

A good beginning doesn't guarantee a good ending. That's one of the repeated lessons taught in Scripture, and it's tragically confirmed in the lives of people like

Genesis 27 had to help God out because it was for a good cause. But there's no place for deception in the life of the believer, for Satan is the deceiver (2 Cor. 11:3), but Jesus Christ is the truth (John 14:6). "Blessed is the man … in whose spirit is no deceit" (Ps. 32:2).

still had a good appetite. With a father like that leading the home, is it any wonder that the family fell apart?

Rebekah: deception (27:5–17) Sir Walter Scott wrote in his poem "Marmion": "O what a tangled web we weave / When first we practice to deceive." Remember, faith is living without scheming, and faith means obeying God no matter how we feel, what we think, or what might happen. The obedience of faith was the secret of Abraham's life (Heb. 11:8), but the absence of obedient faith brought trouble to the home of Isaac and Rebekah.

Jacob: defense (27:18–29) In cooperating with the scheme, Jacob was only obeying his mother, but he could have refused and suggested that they just face the situation honestly and confront Isaac. But once Jacob donned Esau's clothes and took the savory meal in his hands, the die was cast and he had to play the part successfully. See how one lie led to another, for deception can be defended only by more deception. Jacob was weaving the tangled web.

Eavesdropping (v. 5). When Isaac sent for Esau to come to his tent, Rebekah noticed it and stayed close by to learn what was happening. Later, when Esau revealed that he planned to kill his brother, Rebekah also heard that (v. 42), so she must have been adept at eavesdropping and keeping abreast of family affairs.

He lied about his name (vv. 18–19). Did Isaac ask for identification because he was hard of hearing? Probably not (v. 22); it's likely he was starting to get suspicious because he didn't expect Esau to return so quickly from the hunt (v. 20). Furthermore, the voice he heard didn't sound like the voice of Esau. That's when Jacob told his first lie: He claimed to be Esau.

However, it's tragic when a husband and wife, once so dedicated to the Lord and each other, have excommunicated each other and no longer discuss God's Word or pray together.

He lied about the food and the Lord (vv. 19–20). He claimed to have obeyed his father's wishes (lie #2), and he called the goat's meat "my game" (lie #3). He even gave credit to the Lord for helping him find it so quickly (lie #4). He not only lied about himself, but he also lied about the Lord! To use the Lord to cover up sin is a step toward blasphemy.

Scheming (vv. 6–10). Knowing that Jacob was chosen to receive the covenant blessing, Rebekah immediately took matters into her own hands to make sure her favorite son got what the Lord had promised him. Had she and Jacob talked with Isaac while Esau was out hunting, perhaps he would have seen the light and agreed with them. Instead, however, Rebekah chose to control Jacob and deceive her husband.

He lied again about his identity and about his love (vv. 21–27). Unwilling to trust his ears, Isaac felt Jacob's hands and mistook goatskin for human hair, and Jacob assured him again that he indeed was Esau (lie #5). How tragic it is to see a son so dishonor his father! After Isaac had eaten the meal, he asked Jacob to kiss him, and that kiss was the sixth lie, for it was hypocritical (Luke 22:48). How could Jacob claim to love his father when he was in the act of deceiving him? Since the smell of the garments finally convinced Isaac that Esau was there, the stage was now set for the giving of the blessing.

The New Testament commentary on this scene is James 3:13–18. Isaac was depending on his own physical senses, but Rebekah was depending on the wisdom of the world. However, the world's wisdom always leads to trouble. "For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there" (James 3:16 nkjv). So quickly did Rebekah outline her plan that we suspect she must have thought it through well in advance. She knew that Esau was her husband's favorite son and that her husband was not the spiritual man that he once was. Rebekah even had a recipe ready, and she must have been an excellent cook to be able to make goats taste like venison!

Isaac blessed Jacob with natural and material wealth, so important to people who belong to the land, but he added political authority with reference to his own people and other nations (Gen. 27:29). Isaac reaffirmed the word God gave about the boys (25:23), and in using plural nouns ("brothers" and "sons"), he looked beyond Jacob's day to the time when Abraham's seed would multiply. During the reigns of David and Solomon, other nations were subjected to the rule of Israel. He assured him not only of God's blessing, but also of God's protection, and he quoted the Lord's original promise to Abraham (12:3).

Vowing (vv. 11–17). Jacob's concern wasn't "Is it right?" but "Is it safe?" He was worried about the eleventh commandment: "Thou shalt not get caught." But Rebekah planned to use the skins of the goats as well as the meat and make smooth-skinned Jacob feel like hairy-skinned Esau. She also dressed Jacob in Esau's garments so he would smell like his outdoorsman brother. "My son, let the curse fall on me" was her word of encouragement to Jacob (v. 13), but little did she know what she was saying. For after Jacob left for Haran, she never saw her favorite son again.

The deed was done. Isaac couldn't revoke the blessing, and nobody in the family could alter the consequences.

Isaac's philosophy was "If it feels good, it is good," but Rebekah's philosophy was "The end justifies the means." She couldn't trust God to fulfill His plan; she

Esau: despair (27:30–40; Heb. 12:16–17) Jacob had a close call and almost met Esau returning

Genesis 27—28 murder and kill Esau. The "few days" turned out to be twenty years, and she never saw Jacob again on earth.

from the hunt. What lie would Jacob have told to explain why he was wearing Esau's clothes? It didn't take long for Isaac and Esau to discover the conspiracy, but each man responded differently.

To secure a suitable wife for Jacob (27:46— 28:9). Since Esau's two heathen wives (26:34–35) were an aggravation in the home, Rebekah used this as an excuse to discuss Jacob's future with her husband. Now that Jacob had the covenant blessing, it was important that he marry the right woman and not one of the pagans in Canaan.

Isaac trembled greatly (v. 30–33). One Hebrew scholar translates this verse: "he trembled a trembling, a great, unto excess."3 Why was Isaac so agitated? Because he knew that the Lord had overruled his own selfish plan so that his favorite son did not receive the blessing. Isaac had lied to Abimelech in Gerar (chap. 26), and he had tried to lie to God by disobeying the Word (25:23), but now his own lies had caught up with him.

Isaac agreed and called Jacob to tell him their decision. When the summons came, Jacob may have expected his father to scold him for what he'd done, but Isaac didn't do that. The old man had been caught in his own net and knew that God's plans were better than his. Not only did Isaac speak kindly to his son, but also he gave him an extra blessing as he left to go on his long journey to Haran. This time it was "the blessing of Abraham" that was important, the fulfillment of God's promise to bless all the earth through Jacob's descendents (Gal. 3:14).

Esau wept and begged for a blessing (vv. 34–40). The man who despised his birthright and married two pagan women now wept and cried out for his father to bless him. It wasn't his fault, of course; it was his crafty brother's fault.4 When in doubt, always blame somebody else.

Hebrews 12:16–17 is God's commentary on the event. Esau tried to repent, but his own heart was too hard, and he couldn't change his father's mind. Esau's tears were not tears of repentance for being an ungodly man; they were tears of regret because he had lost the covenant blessing. Esau wanted the blessing but he didn't want to be the kind of man whom God could bless! We may forget our decisions, but our decisions don't forget us.

Esau's response to this news was further evidence that he despised everything spiritual, for he went out and took another wife. Because Jacob was looking for a wife among his uncle Laban's children, Esau chose a wife from the family of his uncle Ishmael. Perhaps he thought that this would qualify him to receive some kind of blessing from God, but it only added to the irritation in the home.

Isaac's "blessing" (Gen. 27:39–40) put Esau "away from" the blessings of land and sky that had been given to Jacob. Instead of ruling, Esau would live by his sword. The Edomites who descended from Esau (Edom) built their nation at Mount Seir (36:5–8) at the southern end of the Dead Sea, and were constant enemies of the Jews. During David's reign, the Edomites were subject to Israel, but when Joram was king of Judah, the Edomites rebelled and won their freedom (2 Kings 8:20–22).

Jacob: dedication (28:10–22) Jacob the "home boy" is now without a home and is starting on a 500-mile trek to Haran. He was fleeing from an angry brother and facing an unknown future, and all he had to depend on was his father's blessing. From now on, the home boy would have to become a pilgrim and walk by faith. It was a three-day journey to Bethel, and those first three days of his adventure must have been very difficult. Would Esau follow him and try to kill him? Would he have enough food to keep him going? (See 32:10.)When he decided to spend the night at Bethel,5 he had no idea that God would meet him there; and from that night on, Bethel was a very special place to Jacob (35:1ff.).

Isaac, Rebekah, and Jacob: departure (27:41— 28:9) Finally, the believing family members got together and made some wise decisions. However, there's still some deception in the air, because Jacob left home for more than one reason.

A significant dream (vv. 11–12). Jacob slept on the earth with a stone for his "head piece" (vv. 11, 18), a common practice in the Near East. The stone was probably more a protection than a pillow. As he slept, he had a dream in which he saw a ladder or stairway6 with angels going up and down between heaven and earth. Jacob discovered that he wasn't alone but that God was with him! The God of Abraham and Isaac was watching over him and His angels were there to guard and serve him.7

To protect Jacob's life (vv. 40–45). "Don't get mad, get even" is a popular philosophy, especially among politicians, but Esau practiced both: He carried a hateful grudge against his brother and planned to kill him. After all, if Esau couldn't enjoy the blessing, neither would Jacob. The man who was destined to live by his sword would start by using it first at home.

Always close to the family grapevine, Rebekah heard the threat and moved into action. Her plan was to send Jacob to Haran to live with her brother Laban and then send for him when it was safe for him to return home. Her question "Why should I be deprived of both of you in one day?" (v. 45) implies that she expected somebody, perhaps God, to avenge Jacob's

A significant declaration (vv. 13–15). Jacob saw the Lord above Him and then heard Him speak. The Lord didn't rebuke Jacob for participating in Rebekah's scheme; instead, He spoke words of promise and assurance to him. The same God who had cared for his father and grandfather pledged to care for him and to

Genesis 28 deceive their father (37:29–35). During the years he worked for Laban, Jacob endured many trials, both as a shepherd and as the husband of four wives and the father of many children (31:36ff.). The thing that kept him going when the going was tough was his faith in the promises of God. God promised to be with Him, and that's what Jacob depended on (31:42; 49:24–25).

give him the very land on which he was lying. He would also multiply his descendents and fulfill the promise to bring blessing through them to all the world.

The Lord promised to be present with Jacob in whatever circumstances lay before him. In those days, people had the idea that when you left home, you left your god behind you. But the Lord of all the earth promised to go with Jacob, protect him, and one day bring him back home. No matter what happened, He would accomplish His will in and through Jacob. The promise of God's presence with His people is repeated often in Scripture (Deut. 31:6–8; Josh. 1:5; 1 Sam. 12:22; 1 Chron. 28:20; Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5). Indeed, "the God of Jacob is our fortress" (Ps. 46:7, 11). God would appear to Jacob at least five more times in the years ahead, but this first meeting was a significant one. He learned that God was interested in him and was at work in his life. From that night on, as long as he trusted the Lord and obeyed His will, he had nothing to fear.

And the Lord didn't fail him, nor will He fail us."The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge" (Ps. 46:7).

Notes

1 We can't be certain how old Isaac was at this time. If the events in chapter 27 occurred shortly after Esau's marriages (26:34–45), then Isaac was only one hundred years old. Since he died at one hundred and eighty (35:28–29), it seems strange he should feel the end was so near, unless he was just pretending so he could give Esau the blessing as soon as possible. However, if we work our way back from Jacob's age when he went to Egypt (47:9), Isaac would have been one hundred and thirty-seven in Genesis 37, with forty-three more years left to live. But this would mean that Jacob was seventy-seven when he went to Haran to get a wife, which seems a bit old. The time line in Scripture isn't that precise, and we don't know how old Jacob was when each of his twelve sons was born. 2 It's been suggested that the father's sharing a meal with the son to be blessed was a part of the ceremony. However, we read nothing about Isaac inviting Jacob to eat with him, even when he thought Jacob was Esau. 3 Leupold, H.C., Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1953), vol. 2, 752. 4 It's too bad that Christians in general have adopted Esau's prejudiced view of Jacob and characterized him as a crafty deceiver who was always trying to swindle somebody. Jacob was wrong in deceiving his father, but he was right in believing God's Word and knowing that the covenant blessing was his. He didn't steal the birthright; he bought it. He was a diligent man who worked hard for fourteen years to get his wives and another six years to acquire his flocks and herds, and it was Laban who defrauded Jacob, not Jacob who robbed Laban. He was not a perfect man, but Jacob was a man of faith who became "Israel, a prince with God." Many times in Scripture God deigned to call Himself "the God of Jacob" and "the God of Israel." At no time do we find God rebuking Jacob for cheating somebody. Quite the contrary, throughout Jacob's life, God fulfilled the basic meaning of his name, "God will protect," but Esau used Jacob's nickname, "he grasps the heel." 5 It was Jacob who gave Luz the name "Bethel," which means "house of God." The new name is used in Genesis 12:8 and 13:3 because by the time Moses wrote Genesis, Bethel was the name his readers knew best. Unfortunately, Bethel became an idolatrous shrine in later years (1 Kings 12:26—13:10), and the prophets denounced it (Amos 3:14; 4:4; 5:5–6; 7:13; Hos. 4:15; 5:8; 10:5). King Josiah destroyed the shrine (2 Kings 23:15). 6 Did Jacob see a "ladder" or a "staircase"? The Hebrew word is found only here in the Old Testament so we have no other contexts for comparison. The word probably comes from a root that means "to cast up," as in building a ramp or a

A significant decision (vv. 16–22). On awakening, Jacob's first response was one of fear and surprise. God was in that place, and he didn't know it! But "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7), so Jacob's response was the right one. He discovered that he could find God in unlikely places and that any place is "the house of God" (Bethel) because God is there. He would be away from his father's house for at least twenty years, but the Lord would be his "dwelling place" no matter where he went (Ps. 90:1).

His next act was to worship the God who had appeared to him. He turned the headpiece into a pillar to memorialize the great experience that had been his that night. By pouring oil on the stone, he consecrated it to the Lord. He didn't use the stone as an altar or make a sacrifice; he simply set it apart as a memorial. In later Hebrew liturgy, the pouring out of liquid was symbolic of pouring one's life out in devotion to the Lord (Ex. 29:38–41; see also Phil. 2:17; 2 Cor. 12:15).

But most important, Jacob dedicated himself to the Lord that morning and claimed the promises that God had made to him (Gen. 28:13–15). The "if" found in many translations of verse 20 can also be read "since." Jacob wasn't making a bargain with God; he was affirming his faith in God. Since God had promised to care for him, be with him, and bring him back home safely, then Jacob would affirm his faith in God and would seek to worship and honor Him alone.

Jacob didn't have an easy life in the years that followed, for though God forgave his sins and was with him in his journeys, Jacob suffered the consequences of his sins. God in His grace forgives us, but God in His righteous government sees to it that we reap what we sow.

Jacob had deceived Isaac, but his father-in-law Laban lied to Jacob and deceived him. Jacob used a kid to deceive his father, and Jacob's sons used a kid to

Genesis 29

We see the providence of God in this meeting. Jacob could have borrowed words from Isaac's servant: "I being in the way, the Lord led me" (24:27). Unbelievers might call this event "a fortunate coincidence," but believers would see in it the gracious leading of the hand of God. In the life of the trusting Christian, there are no accidents, only appointments.

mound. However, there were ladders in that day, and there are Hebrew words for staircases that could have been used. The dream is symbolic, since angels don't have to walk up and down ladders. So whether what Jacob saw was a ladder or a staircase doesn't really affect the meaning of the dream. 7 Jesus applied this image to Himself (John 1:51), for He is the Mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5) and the "living link" between God and His people on earth.

But we also see in this event the beginning of some positive changes in the character of Jacob. For one thing, look at his boldness as he confronted the shepherds, moved the stone, and introduced himself to Rachel. And look at his honesty as he told his story to Laban, Rachel's father (29:18). How much family history is covered by "all these things" isn't revealed in the text, but Jacob certainly had to explain why he was there and what plans he had for the future. Remembering the wealth his sister Rebekah received from Isaac, Laban may have hoped that Jacob would be just as generous.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT Genesis 29—31 DISCIPLINES AND DECISIONS L

VI. JACOB AND HIS FAMILY (29:1—38:30) The building of the Hebrew nation ife isn't easy, and what life does to us depends a great deal on what life finds in us. Jacob could have easily left his family problems behind, but he had to take along his biggest problem—himself. During the next twenty years (31:41), Jacob would experience many painful trials in Laban's household, but in the end, he would become God's man to accomplish God's will.

The agreement (vv. 14–20). During his first month in Laban's house, Jacob did his share of the work and was happy for every opportunity to be with Rachel. What Jacob didn't realize was that Laban was a master schemer who would control his life for the next twenty years. In the excitement of that moment of decision, which involved accepting a job and being engaged to a beautiful woman, Jacob failed to notice that Laban made no promise that he would give Rachel to Jacob at the end of the seven years. He only agreed to give him Rachel for his wife.

However, don't read these chapters as an ancient story about one man's family. This is a contemporary story about all of us who are making important decisions on the road of life, decisions that determine character and destiny.

Marriage: finding your mate (29:1–30) Jesus made it clear that not everybody is supposed to get married (Matt. 19:1–12). But with Jacob, marriage wasn't an option; it was an obligation. The success of the covenant promises God gave to Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; 28:1–4) depended on Jacob's finding a wife and with her building a family that would eventually become the people of Israel, the nation that would bring the promised Redeemer into the world.

Once again we see growth in Jacob's character as he patiently served Laban for seven difficult years. Shepherding isn't an easy vocation, and seven years is a long time, but Jacob's love for Rachel took the burden out of the work and caused the time to pass quickly. It's been well said that happiness consists of having someone to love, something to do, and something to look forward to; and Jacob had all three.

The deception (vv. 21–30). The man who deceived his father was deceived by his father-in-law, and the man who passed himself off as the firstborn son now receives Laban's firstborn daughter to be his wife.1 It's an inescapable law of life that we eventually reap what we sow (Gal. 6:7–8). God in His grace forgives our sins when we confess them (1 John 1:9), but God in His government allows us to suffer the painful consequences of those sins. This disappointment was just the beginning of the harvest for Jacob.

The meeting (vv. 1–13). Fortified by the gracious promises that God had given him at Bethel (27:10–22), Jacob made the long journey to Paddan Aram. The episode at the well reminds us of the experience of Abraham's servant when he was seeking a wife for Isaac (24:10ff.), a story that Jacob had certainly heard many times. However, there's no record that Jacob prayed as did his grandfather's servant, but perhaps he had prayed for God's guidance all during his long journey.

Eastern women were kept fairly secluded, and there was no such thing as "dating" in that culture, but surely Jacob had gotten to know Rachel and Leah fairly well during those seven years. Why, then, was he so easily deceived? Granted, the bridal chamber was dark and the bride was veiled (Gen. 24:65), and perhaps she didn't speak above a whisper, but in the intimacy of the marriage bed, how could Jacob not know who the woman was?

I get the impression that when Jacob saw Rachel, it was love at first sight. If so, it explains why he tried to get the shepherds to water their flocks and leave, because he wanted Rachel all to himself at their first meeting. The stone that covered the well was large and heavy (29:2), but Jacob was able to move it so he could water Rachel's flock. When he introduced himself, she ran to tell Laban the news. In the ancient East, family ties were very strong, and visiting relatives, including those you'd never met before, would be entertained in the home of their own flesh and blood.

Had Jacob celebrated too much? Perhaps.2 Or maybe he was intoxicated by his passionate love (Prov.

Genesis 29

Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. … Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward" (Ps. 127:1, 3 nkjv).

5:19). Was Leah a willing partner in the subterfuge or did her unprincipled father force her to obey him? And where was Rachel during the drama? We can imagine several possible scenarios but can be sure of none of them.

The Jews looked upon parenthood as a stewardship before God, and this was especially true in the case of Jacob, whose descendants would multiply "as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore" (Gen. 22:17). God would honor him by making him the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, but the fact that four different women were involved in building his family would create for Jacob one problem after another. The man who had grown up in a divided and competitive home (25:28) would himself create a divided and competitive family.

Had Leah so desired, she could easily have revealed the plot, but that would have embarrassed Laban before his guests and probably led to Jacob's being banished from the home without his beloved Rachel. Then for the rest of her life, Leah would have had to live with a disappointed sister and an angry father, who would devise some means to get even with his elder daughter. No, revealing the scheme just wasn't worth it.

I feel that Leah was a willing accomplice, happy to get a hard-working husband like Jacob, who would inherit Isaac's wealth and enjoy the covenant blessings of Abraham. Certainly she knew that Rachel would also be part of the bargain, but was willing to risk whatever problems might ensue. Leah may have "borrowed" some of her sister's garments and even learned to imitate some of her personal mannerisms. If so, she was treating Jacob just the way he had treated his father when he pretended to be Esau.

Leah's children (29:31–35; 30:17–21). The word "hated" in verse 31 doesn't imply active abuse on Jacob's part; it simply means he loved Rachel more than he loved Leah and gave Rachel more attention and affection. (See Deut. 21:15–17 and our Lord's words in Matt. 6:24 and Luke 14:26.) The fact that Leah bore Jacob six sons and a daughter indicates that he fulfilled his marital duties toward her, but she knew his heart belonged to her sister.

But imagine the groom waking up on the first morning of his festive week and discovering that he was married to the wrong woman! Among Semitic peoples, for seven days after their marriage, the bride and groom were treated like a king and queen, but Jacob must have felt more like the court jester. Laban had made a fool of him, but there was nothing Jacob could do about it, for the father in the household was in supreme control. His unscrupulous father-in-law had married off two daughters to a potentially wealthy man and had secured another seven years' service from his son-in-law as a bonus!

The Lord also knew this, so He blessed Leah with conception. It's paradoxical that while Jacob was working fourteen years to pay for two wives, only one of those wives was bearing children. Jacob knew that children were a blessing from the Lord (Gen. 30:1–2), for it was God who gave Isaac to Abraham and Sarah and who also gave Jacob and Esau to Isaac and Rebekah (see Ps. 139:13–16).

Leah named her firstborn Reuben, which means "see—a son!" In the Hebrew language, the name sounds like "he [God] has seen my affliction." Since every Jewish father wanted sons (127:4–5), Leah was certain that this baby would cause her husband to love her. However, she was wrong. Simeon means "one who hears" and suggests that Leah had been talking to God about her misery. Years later, Jacob would replace Reuben and Simeon with Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh (Gen. 48:1–6). They were replaced because Reuben was guilty of sexual sin (35:22; 49:3–4; 1 Chron. 5:1–2) and Simeon had participated in the massacre of the Shechemites (Gen. 34:24–31; 49:5–7). Levi was the name she gave her third son, and it means "attached," for Leah was still hoping that Jacob would love her for the sons she had borne him. It must have been painful for her to have to give herself to a husband who was only doing his duty and not sharing his affection. But the birth of her fourth son seemed to bring a new joy to her life, for she called him Judah, which comes from the Hebrew word meaning "praise." Instead of complaining to the Lord about her unresponsive husband, she was now praising the Lord for His blessings. "This time I will praise the Lord" (29:35).4

Jacob protested the way Laban had treated him and Rachel, but he meekly accepted his lot and went back to work for another seven years. Little by little, Jacob was learning to submit to God's loving hand of discipline and was growing in faith and character. At the end of Leah's marriage week, Jacob married Rachel, the woman he loved, and had another week to live like a king. But from then on, he would endure thirteen years of hardship and conflict, not only because of his in-laws, but also because of his own wives and their maids.3

Laban must have congratulated himself on the success of his scheme, not realizing that the Lord was ruling and overruling in the entire event. "There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30). As Jacob's son Joseph would say many years later, "You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20 nkjv). Christians today would quote Romans 8:28.

Parenthood: building your family (29:31—30:24) The Song of Solomon reminds us that the Jewish people never minimized the personal joys of marriage, but they also emphasized the responsibility of having children and building a God-fearing family. "Unless the

After a period of barrenness, Leah was enabled by God to bear two more sons: Issachar, which means

Genesis 29—31

Vocation: establishing your livelihood (30:25–43) The time had come for Jacob to move his large family to his own homeland and be on his own. He now had eleven sons and one daughter,7 and he had more than fulfilled his part of the bargain. He had earned the right to freedom. It was time to stop working for Laban and start building his own future security.

"reward, wages" and Zebulon, which probably means "honor" (30:14–21). In those days, the fruit of the mandrake plant was called a "love apple" and was considered to be a powerful love potion. When Rachel saw Reuben's mandrakes, she wanted them for her own use and was willing to give Leah a night with Jacob as "payment" for the plants. Perhaps Rachel thought that by eating the mandrake fruit she would become fertile.

But crafty Laban wasn't about to lose his son-in-law, especially when he knew that Jacob's presence had brought to him the blessing of God (vv. 27–30).8 Meanwhile, Laban wasn't interested in Jacob's God; he was interested only in the blessings he received because of Jacob's God. Laban surely knew of the promises God had made to Abraham and his descendants (12:3), and he wanted to get the most out of them.

We see in this episode another evidence of Jacob's spiritual growth, for not only did Laban tell him what to do, but also Jacob's own wives made agreements that he knew nothing about until he came home weary from caring for the flocks. Rachel and Leah treated Jacob like a servant and used him as a pawn in their family bargaining, and he patiently bore with it.

This time, however, Jacob was prepared for his father-in-law, because the Lord had talked to Jacob in a dream and told him exactly what to do (31:1–13). All Jacob wanted for his wages was the privilege of building his own flock of sheep and goats from the speckled and spotted animals in Laban's flocks, animals that were considered inferior anyway. These would be separated three days' journey from Laban's flock so that Laban could investigate at any time and immediately know whether Jacob was robbing him.

Bilhah's children (vv. 1–8). That Jacob could become angry with his favorite wife shouldn't surprise us. Even the most loving couples have their occasional disagreements, and, after all, she was blaming him for something over which he had no control. But what Rachel needed wasn't a lecture on theology or gynecology. She needed the kind understanding of her husband and the encouragement that only his love could provide.

In offering her maid Bilhah to become a surrogate mother (see chap. 16), Rachel was exercising her rights under the law of the land and agreeing that Bilhah should became Jacob's wife.5 The phrase "bear upon my knees" (30: 3) refers to the legal adoption of any children begotten by Jacob and borne by Bilhah (see 50:23). The Lord answered Rachel's prayers (30:6), for Bilhah conceived and gave birth to a son, whom Rachel claimed as her own and named Dan, which comes from a Hebrew word meaning "vindication, judgment." She called Bilhah's second son Naphtali ("my struggle") because of the wrestlings she had experienced over the blessings enjoyed by her more fruitful sister. With the birth of Naphtali, Bilhah ceased conceiving.

Jacob's peeled sticks belonged in the same category as Rachel's mandrakes: They were both superstitious practices that had nothing to do with what actually happened. It was God who controlled the genetic structure of the animals and multiplied the spotted and striped sheep and goats, thus increasing Jacob's wealth very quickly. At Bethel, God promised to bless Jacob, and He kept His promise (28:13–15), and since Laban had agreed to Jacob's terms, he could do nothing about the results. All of those animals belonged to Jacob.

During the next six years, Jacob became a very wealthy man because of his faith and the blessing of the Lord. Now he was ready to strike out on his own, return to his own land and people, and fulfill whatever purposes God had planned for him. When he had arrived in Padan Aram twenty years before, all he had was his staff (32:10). But he had worked hard, suffered much, and trusted God. Now he had a large family and owned extensive flocks of healthy sheep and goats, as well as camels and donkeys and servants to care for all the animals.

Zilpah (vv. 9–13). Leah's temporary barrenness (compare v. 9 with vv. 14–21) motivated her to give Jacob a fourth wife, her maid Zilpah, and, like Rachel, to claim Zilpah's children as her own. She named the first boy Gad ("luck has come")6 and the second one Asher ("blessed, happy").

Rachel (vv. 22–24). At long last, Rachel conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named Joseph. The mandrakes had nothing to do with this pregnancy; it was God who blessed her in answer to her prayers. The Hebrew word qsaf means "take away," and yosef means "to add." God had taken away her reproach of being childless and had added to her blessings. Her prayer "May the Lord add to me another son" (v. 24) was answered in the birth of Benjamin ("son of my right hand"), but the delivery led to her death (35:16–20). It was Joseph whom God would use to save the entire family during the time of terrible famine.

Freedom: reclaiming your roots (31:1–55) Jacob had been away from home twenty years, and it was time he returned to his roots. His father Isaac and his brother Esau were still alive, and Jacob had some "unfinished business" to settle with both of them.

Escape (vv. 1–21). How did the Lord tell Jacob that it was time to leave? The same way He leads His people today: through the inner witness in the heart, the outward circumstances of life, and the truth of His Word.

Six years before, God had put the desire in Jacob's

Genesis 31

Padan Aram. Imagine this clever schemer asking Jacob, "Why did you run off secretly and deceive me?" (31:27). Deceive him indeed! Laban had spent twenty years deceiving Jacob! But for all his blustering, Laban was helpless to harm Jacob because the Lord had warned him to be careful (vv. 24, 29). God had promised to protect Jacob and He kept His promise.

heart to return to his own country (30:25), and that desire had never left him. While not every longing in the human heart is necessarily the voice of God (Jer. 17:9), and we must carefully exercise discernment, the Lord often begins to speak to us in that way.

Along with the desire within us, God also directs us as He did Jacob through the circumstances around us (Gen. 31:1–2). Toward the end of those six critical years, Jacob noticed that his in-laws weren't as friendly toward him as before, largely because of the increase in his wealth. Circumstances aren't always the finger of God pointing out His way (Acts 27:1–15), but they can be significant indicators of God's will. When God wants to move us, He occasionally makes us uncomfortable and "stirs up its nest" (Deut. 32:11).

But the thing that angered Laban most was the fact that somebody had stolen his household gods, and he was sure the guilty person was in Jacob's family. He was right; it was Rachel who did the deed (v. 19), but Jacob didn't know it. The fact that Laban was distressed shows that his faith was in idols and not in the true God whom Jacob served.9 By pretending to be unclean because of her monthly period, Rachel escaped detection and further trouble with her father.

The third and most important way God leads us is through His Word. God had already spoken to Jacob in a dream (Gen. 31:10–13), but Jacob remained in Padan Aram to acquire his wealth. Then God said to him, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you" (v. 3). As the story of Jacob unfolds, you will discover that God spoke to him at every important crisis in his life: leaving home (28:12–15), returning home (31:1–13), meeting Esau (32:24ff.), visiting Bethel (35:1ff.), and moving to Egypt (46:1–4). God leads us in the paths of righteousness if we're willing to follow (Ps. 23:3).

Watching his devious father-in-law arrogantly search through all the family's personal possessions made Jacob angry, and rightly so, and feelings were now released from his heart that had been buried there for twenty years. Jacob spoke openly of Laban's underhanded practices, how he had deceived Jacob, given him the hardest work, and changed his wages many times. God had blessed Laban because of Jacob, but Laban had never thanked either the Lord or Jacob, nor had he repaid Jacob for the animals he replaced at his own expense.

But Jacob took time to share his thinking with Rachel and Leah, for after all, he was asking them to leave their people and home and go with him to another land and people. Even though the Word of God is our primary source of wisdom in making decisions (119:105), it's good for us to consult with others and weigh their counsel, particularly those closest to us. Both Rachel and Leah agreed that their father hadn't been fair with Jacob or loving toward them, and that it was time to make a new beginning. Not only had he treated their husband like a common slave, but also he had used up their own dowries (Gen. 31:14–15). But instead of facing Laban honestly and trusting the Lord to keep His promises and work things out, Jacob fled with his family like a criminal escaping justice. This was an act of fear and unbelief, not an act of faith; for "whoever believes will not act hastily" (Isa. 28:16 nkjv). In fact, Jacob later admitted to Laban that he had departed secretly and quickly because he was afraid (Gen. 31:31). It isn't enough to know and do the will of God; we must also do His will in the way He wants it done, the way that will glorify Him the most.

But the most important thing in Jacob's speech was the way he gave honor to the Lord: "Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac,10 had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night" (v. 42 nkjv). What a testimony from a man who was inclined to give in to others and do what he was told!

Truce (vv. 43–55). God's warning in the dream and Jacob's forceful defense told Laban that he was beaten, but the old deceiver put on a brave front just the same and tried to make everybody think he was a peacemaker. Both families gathered stones and ate a meal together on those stones as a symbol of the agreement they had reached. Eating a meal together is an Eastern custom when creating a binding agreement (26:26–33).

The pile of stones was to stand as a witness to the agreement they had made, but it was also to be a "watchtower" (Mizpah) or boundary marker that neither Jacob nor Laban was allowed to cross. Actually, their "agreement" wasn't a declaration of peace; it was only a truce that could be broken if either party violated the terms.

Confrontation (vv. 22–42). Since a three-days' journey lay between Laban's settlement and that of Jacob (30:36), it took that long for the word to get to Laban that his son-in-law had bolted, and by the time Laban got the news, Jacob was far away. It took a week for Laban to catch up with the fleeing family, and Jacob and Laban finally met in the hill country of Gilead.

It's too bad the so-called "Mizpah benediction" is still found in many Christian hymnals (31:49), because what Laban said to Jacob wasn't a benediction at all (vv. 48–49). To paraphrase, he said: "We're separating from one another, but God is watching both of us. If you mistreat my daughters, I won't know it but God will. So, be careful!" Laban didn't see the God of Abraham and Isaac as a gracious Lord who had brought them

Laban tried to get the upper hand immediately by rebuking Jacob for the way he had stolen away from

Genesis 31—32 her faith in Jehovah wasn't that strong. It's possible that Laban used these idols for divination (30:27), and Rachel stole them in order to keep him from knowing too much. Later, Jacob commanded everybody in the family to give up their idols, and he buried them (35:1–4). 10 The title "Fear of Isaac" is used only here and in verse 53. The Hebrew word simply means "terror, dread," and therefore "the God that Isaac feared." It suggests that others ought to fear Him as well. (See Gen. 15:1; 27:33; 28:17.)

together but as a heavenly Judge who would keep them both from harming each other. In spite of their oaths, Jacob and Laban didn't trust each other, so they had to trust the Lord to keep them from harming each other. Mizpah was a monument to suspicion and fear, not to love and trust.

Jacob closed the day by offering sacrifices to the Lord and inviting his relatives to share in the sacrificial meal. He wanted the God of his fathers to be honored before this pagan family that had caused him so much grief. The next morning, Laban said his farewells and returned home, and a long and difficult chapter in Jacob's life came to a close, a chapter in which God was with him from beginning to end (vv. 5, 24, 29, 42). But a new chapter would soon open in which his own brother Esau would play a prominent part.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE Genesis 32—34 CATCHING UP WITH YESTERDAY T he slogan of the "Ingsoc Party" in George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-Four was "Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past."

Life isn't easy, but if we submit to God's disciplines and let Him guide us in our decisions, we can endure the difficulties triumphantly and develop the kind of character that glorifies God. We can conquer by claiming promises like 1 Peter 5:10: "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (nkjv).

That clever slogan may work for politicians who have the authority to rewrite history books, but nobody can change history itself. Two decades before, Jacob had fled from Esau to Laban, and now he was fleeing Laban only to be confronted by Esau! After twenty years, Jacob's past was catching up with him, and he was afraid. It's strange how we convince ourselves that we can escape the past and not reap what we've sown. We try to forget our sins, but our sins don't forget us. What Jacob did to his father and brother was forgiven by God, but neither time nor geography could change the consequences of those acts.

The God of Jacob never fails.

Notes

1 Jacob called Rachel "my wife" because engagement was as binding as marriage and could be broken only by divorce. Mary and Joseph were considered husband and wife even though they had not consummated the marriage (Luke 2:5; see also Deut. 22:22–24). 2 The Hebrew word for "feast" in verse 22 means "a drinking feast" and comes from a root that means "to drink." 3 The law of Moses prohibits a man from marrying sisters (Lev. 18:18). 4 Leah was honored to be the mother of Levi, the founder of the priestly tribe, and Judah, the founder of the kingly tribe—the tribe of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 5 The Hebrew word can also be translated "concubine," but even a concubine had legal rights, though her status was that of a secondary wife (Gen. 25:6; 2 Sam. 5:13; 15:16; 16:21). The law of Moses recognized the relationship (Ex. 21:7–11; Deut. 21:10–14). The children of concubines were considered legitimate, but the concubines themselves had little or nothing to say about the managing of the household. 6 Gad can also be translated either "good luck [fortune]" as in the niv, or "a troop" as in the kjv. However, it's difficult to see the connection between "a troop" and the birth of a baby. 7 The writer of Genesis 37:35 mentioned "daughters," but the word can also refer to daughters-in-law. 8 Jacob's favorite son Joseph would have the same experience of God's blessing in far away Egypt (39:1–6). 9 Why did Rachel steal her father's household idols? Archeological evidence indicates that the person possessing such gods was guaranteed the family inheritance, but Rachel was leaving home and would have no inheritance coming. Rachel was deeply hurt because of the way her father had treated her, and this was her way of retaliating, and it's likely

As you study Jacob's actions during this crisis time in his life, you see illustrated the conflicts all of us occasionally experience between faith and fear, trusting God and scheming, asking God for help and then acting as though we don't even know God. A crisis doesn't make a man; it shows what a man is made of.

Beholding (32:1–8) Greatly relieved that Laban had left him and that "Mizpah" stood between them, Jacob headed toward Bethel, the destination God had appointed for him (31:3, 13; 28:15; 35:1). But Jacob knew that eventually he had to meet Esau because, in traveling to Bethel, he would come near Mount Seir, where Esau lived (33:16).

Preparation. "A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city" (Prov. 18:19 nkjv). Anticipating a difficult reunion with Esau, Jacob took the wise approach and sent messengers ahead to inform his brother that he was coming. But instead of committing the whole matter to the Lord, who had protected him from Laban, Jacob adopted a condescending attitude that wasn't befitting to the man God had chosen to carry on the Abrahamic covenant. Sending the messengers was a good idea, but calling Esau "my lord" and himself "your servant," and trying to impress Esau with his wealth, was only evidence that Jacob wasn't trusting God to care for him.

Genesis 32 child who cried out, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:24 nkjv). Every statement in this prayer indicates that Jacob had a profound knowledge of God's ways and God's character, and yet he was praying in desperation and not in confidence. Note the arguments he presented to God as to why the Lord should deliver him from Esau.

Protection. Imagine Jacob's surprise when he saw an army of angels before him! "This is God's host [army]!" he exclaimed, and he called the place "Mahanaim," which means "the two camps," Jacob's camp and God's camp. Twenty years before, Jacob had seen the angels at Bethel and learned that God was with Him (28:10–12). But now he discovered that God's angelic troops were there to protect him and fight for him. So there was no reason to be afraid. "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Rom. 8:31). Angelology is a popular subject today, and secular stores display dozens of books about angels, not all of them biblical in content. You can even attend seminars and learn how to contact angels and get their assistance in solving your problems. Angels are real beings, and they do minister to God's people (Ps. 34:7; 46:7, 11; Heb. 1:13–14), but it's God who commands them, not mere humans. One day in heaven we'll find out how much they've helped the family of God in times of difficulty and danger. Meanwhile, however, we'll have to let God tell His heavenly hosts what to do.

God's covenant (v. 9a). God in His grace had called Abraham and made a covenant with him (12:1–3), and that covenant was affirmed both to Isaac and to Jacob. It was on the basis of that covenant that Jacob asked God for the help he desperately needed. God's people today approach the throne of grace through Jesus Christ on the basis of the new covenant that He made through His own blood (Heb. 8:6–13; 12:22–24). God's command (v. 9b). Jacob certainly was happy to get out from under Laban's control, but it was God's idea that he leave Padan Aram and return to his own land (31:13). Jacob forgot that God's commandment always involves God's enablement, for the will of God will never lead us where the power of God can't protect us and provide for us. But Jacob's imagination ran ahead of his theology, and he was sure Esau was coming to destroy him.

Plotting. As Jacob and his family, servants, flocks, and herds traveled slowly southwest toward Bethel, the messengers were moving rapidly to Mount Seir. By the time Jacob reached the Jabbock, a tributary of the Jordan, the messengers had returned with an ominous message: Esau and four hundred men were coming to meet Jacob. Expecting the worst, Jacob jumped to the conclusion that his brother had come to take vengeance on him and his family. A guilty conscience often makes us see the darkest possible picture.

God's care (v. 10). As Jacob reviewed the past twenty years, he reminded God of the wonderful way He had cared for him. In every trial and burden that came to Jacob, God had been faithful and kind to care for him. When Jacob arrived at Laban's home, all he owned was his pilgrim staff, and now, by the blessing of God, he was a wealthy man. Why would God care for him for twenty years and then allow him to be murdered by his brother?

When faith is crowded out by fear, we're prone to start scheming and trusting our own resources. A lady said to evangelist D. L. Moody, "I've found a wonderful verse to help me overcome fear," and she quoted Psalm 56:3: "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." "I can give you a better promise," said Moody, and he quoted Isaiah 12:2: "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid."

God's purposes (v. 11). Jacob wasn't thinking only of himself, but he had his family and God's great plan in mind as well. Jacob's sons would multiply and become the nation of Israel, and through Israel, God would bring blessing to all humankind. The Savior would come from the tribe of Judah and die for the sins of the world, and Paul would come from the tribe of Benjamin and carry the gospel to the Gentiles. Was this eternal purpose destined to fail because of the anger of one man?

Believers who are walking by faith need not fear the enemy or whatever bad news may come their way. "He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord" (Ps. 112:7). But Jacob was "greatly afraid and distressed" (Gen. 32:7) and therefore reverted to his old policy of scheming.

God's promise (v. 12). Jacob reminded the Lord of the promises He had made to him at Bethel (28:12–15), especially that He would do him good and multiply his descendants. God told Jacob that He would be with him and bring him back to Bethel, and that He would accomplish His purposes in and through him. If God allowed Esau and his men to kill Jacob and his family, none of those promises would be fulfilled.

Instead of remembering the encouraging vision of God's angelic army, Jacob divided his camp into two bands so that if one group was attacked, the other group could escape. It was a poor strategy against four hundred men, and Jacob would have been better off to maintain the original two bands—his company and God's army of angels—and trust the Lord to see him through.

While we don't want to imitate Jacob's fear, unbelief, scheming, and his proneness to jump to conclusions, we would do well to pray the way he prayed. He claimed God's promises, remembered God's goodness, and rested completely on God's character and covenant. No matter what circumstances we may face or what fears

Praying (32:9–12) Jacob's prayer is one of the great prayers recorded in Scripture, and yet it was prayed by a man whose faith was very weak. He was like the father of the demonized

Genesis 32 we can't escape into other people's hearts and minds and be distracted; we have to live with ourselves and face ourselves. Twenty years before, Jacob had met the Lord when he was alone at Bethel, and now God graciously came to him again in his hour of need (vv. 28, 30; Hos. 12:2–6). God meets us at whatever level He finds us in order to lift us to where He wants us to be. To Abraham the pilgrim, God came as a traveler (Gen. 18), and to Joshua the general, He came as a soldier (Josh. 5:13–15). Jacob had spent most of his adult life wrestling with people—Esau, Isaac, Laban, and even his wives—so God came to him as a wrestler. "With the pure You will show Yourself pure; and with the devious You will show Yourself shrewd" (Ps. 18:26 nkjv).

may grip our hearts, we can trust God to be faithful to His character and His Word. "I will trust and not be afraid."

Appeasing (32:13–21) You would think that a prayer with that kind of solid theological content would have brought God's peace to Jacob's heart, but it didn't, and in his restlessness, he decided to act. "I will pacify him," he said (v. 20) and put together an expensive gift.

Sir Robert Walpole, England's first prime minister, said of Parliament, "All those men have their price." Many people of the world follow that philosophy ("Every man has his price"), the very philosophy Jacob was following as he put together his gift of five hundred and eighty valuable animals. He divided them into separate herds and commanded the herdsmen to keep a space between each herd so that Esau couldn't help but be impressed with his brother's generosity.

At Bethel, God had promised to bless Jacob, and from a material point of view, the promise was fulfilled, for Jacob was now a very wealthy man. But there's much more to the blessing of God than flocks, herds, and servants; there's also the matter of godly character and spiritual influence. During that "dark night of the soul," Jacob discovered that he'd spent his life fighting God and resisting His will, and that the only way to victory was through surrender. As A. W. Tozer said, "The Lord cannot fully bless a man until He has first conquered him."2 God conquered Jacob by weakening him.

Even more, each of the herdsmen was to make the same speech to Esau: "They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau" (v. 18). With words like "your servant" and "my lord," Jacob was back to groveling again and ignoring the fact that God had made him lord over his relatives, including Esau (27:29). Jacob discreetly planned to follow behind the last drove, hoping that the combined impact of the gift would prepare Esau to forgive him and welcome him when they finally met.

Jacob met himself (vv. 27–32). More than anything else, Jacob wanted the blessing of the Lord on his life, and for this holy desire, he's to be commended. But before we can begin to be like the Lord, we have to face ourselves and admit what we are in ourselves. That's why the Lord asked him, "What is your name?" As far as the Genesis record is concerned, the last time Jacob was asked that question, he told a lie! His father asked, "Who are you, my son?" and Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn" (27:18–19 nkjv).

We've already learned that faith is living without scheming. But before we criticize Jacob, we need to examine our own hearts to see if we've ever been guilty of praying piously and then depending on our own schemes and resources. It's true that "faith without works is dead" (James 2:20), but Jacob's gift wasn't a work of faith because God didn't command it. The old wives' saying "The Lord helps those who help themselves" is totally unbiblical. True faith is based on God's Word (Rom. 10:17), and whatever we do that isn't motivated by faith is sin (14:23), no matter how successful it may appear.1

The Lord didn't ask the question in order to get information, because He certainly knew Jacob's name and that Jacob had the reputation of being a schemer and a deceiver. "What is your name?" meant, "Are you going to continue living up to your name, deceiving yourself and others, or will you admit what you are and let Me change you?" In the Bible, receiving a new name signifies making a new beginning (17:4–5, 15; Num. 13:16; John 1:40–42), and this was Jacob's opportunity to make a fresh start in life.

The real problem wasn't Esau; it was Jacob. Therefore, God was now going to solve that problem.

Wrestling (32:22–32) It was dangerous to ford the river at night, but Jacob would rather hazard the crossing than risk losing his loved ones; so he moved his family to what he hoped was a safe place. Having forgotten about God's army, he wanted something between his family and his brother's army. Jacob devised his own "two camps."

The new name God gave him was "Israel," from a Hebrew word that means "to struggle," but scholars aren't agreed on what the name signifies. Some translate it "one who wrestles with God" or "God strives" or "let God rule." The explanation in Genesis 32:28 is that Jacob had gained power because he prevailed. He lost the battle but won the victory! By seeking God's blessing and finally being weakened and forced to yield, he had become a "God-empowered prince." Like Paul, who had his own battle to fight, Jacob

Now Jacob was left alone, and when we're alone and at the end of our resources, then God can come to us and do something in us and for us. Note the three encounters Jacob experienced that difficult night.

Jacob met the Lord (vv. 22–26). British essayist Walter Savage Landor called solitude "the audiencechamber of God," and he was right. When we're alone,

Genesis 32—34 limped, his brother would have noticed it and asked the cause, and that would have been Jacob's golden opportunity to tell him what God had done for him. You don't see Esau bowing! Instead, he ran to his brother, fell on his neck, and kissed him.

became strong only when he became weak (2 Cor. 12:1–10). G. Campbell Morgan called Jacob's experience "the crippling that crowns" and interpreted "Israel" to mean "a God-mastered man."3 I'm inclined to agree with him. When God rules our lives, then He can trust us with His power, for only those who are under His authority have the right to exercise His authority. While at home, Jacob had served himself and created problems, and for twenty years he served Laban and created further problems, but now he would serve God and become a part of the answer.

By pleading instead of witnessing (vv. 8–15). The fact that Esau ran to his brother, embraced him, kissed him, and wept is evidence that a change had taken place in his heart. Jacob was given an open door to talk with Esau about the past and get family matters straightened out, for, after all, God's army was hovering near and Jacob didn't have to be afraid. But instead of confessing his sins and giving witness to God's grace in his life, Jacob spent the time begging Esau to accept the gifts he had sent.

Once again Jacob gave a special name to a significant place,4 this time Peniel [Penuel, Gen. 32:31], which means "the face of God." He thought that seeing God's face would bring death, but it actually brought him new life. It was the dawning of a new day for Israel/Jacob (v. 31): He had a new name; he had a new walk (he was limping); and he had a new relationship with God that would help him face and solve any problem, if only he would exercise faith. The great test was about to come, for Esau had arrived on the scene.

Jacob said, "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God" (v. 10). Jacob had seen God face-to-face, but he said nothing to Esau about it! "God has been gracious to me," he added (v. 11), but he didn't tell his brother the facts and give God the glory. He didn't tell Esau that he had a new name, probably because he wasn't living up to it at that time. He was made a prince, but he was acting like a pauper.5

Now Jacob was ready for the third encounter: to meet Esau.

By promising but not performing (vv. 12–17a). Esau did the gracious thing and offered to accompany his brother south to his home in Mount Seir, but Jacob had no desire to spend more time with Esau than was necessary. Like his farewell with Laban, Jacob's meeting with Esau was a truce, not a true reconciliation. But Jacob gave the impression that his destination was indeed Mount Seir (v. 14), and he offered every excuse he could think of to convince Esau to go before him and let him proceed at his own pace. The repetition of the phrase "my lord" in this paragraph may indicate Jacob's respect and courtesy, but it also suggests that Jacob was groveling again. One thing was sure: Jacob was deceiving again.

Failing (33:1–16) Jacob had lifted up his eyes and seen the angels (32:1–2), and he had even seen God face-to-face (v. 30), but when he saw Esau and his four hundred men, he seemed to lose everything he had gained in his struggle with himself and with the Lord. It's one thing to be blessed on the mountaintop with God and quite something else to carry that blessing down into the valley. Jacob failed himself, his family, and his God in several ways.

By scheming instead of trusting (vv. 1–2). The "prince with God" stopped reigning and started scheming. Like too many of God's people today, he failed to live up to his new position in the Lord. By putting Rachel (his favorite wife) and Joseph (his favorite son) behind the other family members, he created a new problem in the home, and it's no wonder Joseph's brothers hated him in later years. You certainly knew where you stood in Jacob's household!

Esau started back to Mount Seir, traveling south, while Jacob moved northwest to Succoth and then further on to Shechem. There's no record that Jacob ever visited his brother in Mount Seir. It's likely that after they met at Isaac's funeral, they never saw each other again (35:27–29).

By bowing instead of limping (vv. 3–7). When Eastern peoples met in ancient days, they bowed often and exchanged traditional greetings ("Salaam" or "Shalom"), but there was more than tradition involved in the way Jacob and his family greeted Esau. Jacob was now a "prince with God," but he wasn't acting like it. "I have seen servants on horses, while princes walk on the ground like servants," said Solomon (Eccl. 10:7 nkjv), and Jacob was exhibit A of this tragedy. After all, the elder (Esau) was supposed to serve the younger (Gen. 27:29), so why should the younger brother bow?

Delaying (33:17b—34:31) God's command was that Jacob return to Bethel (31:13) and then to his home where Isaac still lived, which was Hebron (35:27). Instead, he tarried first at Succoth and then settled near Shechem. At Succoth, the pilgrim who was supposed to live in a tent (Heb. 11:9–16) built a house for himself and sheds for his flocks and herds. (The word "succoth" means "booths.") When he moved near Shechem, Jacob purchased a piece of property and became a "resident alien" in the land. He was settling down in the land.

Jacob's strength was in his limp, for it was a constant reminder that God had conquered him and he could trust the Lord to see him through. Had Jacob

It's obvious that Jacob wasn't in a hurry to obey God and return the Bethel. We commend him for

Genesis 34

The Canaanites saw this policy as an opportunity to absorb Israel and gradually possess their wealth and their people, but Jacob's sons used it as a means to weaken the men and get them ready for slaughter. Never suspecting the danger, the men of the city submitted to the surgery.

erecting an altar and giving public witness of his faith in the Lord, but sacrifice is no substitute for obedience (1 Sam. 15:22). The name he gave the altar ("God, the God of Israel") indicates that he claimed his new name "Israel," but he certainly wasn't living up to all that his name implied. Because he tarried in that part of the land, his daughter Dinah was raped and two of his sons became murderers. It was an expensive detour.

Vengeance (vv. 25–31). At a time when the males in Shechem were in too much pain to defend themselves, Simeon and Levi, two of Dinah's full brothers, rallied some men from Jacob's camp and attacked the Shechemites, killing Hamor and his son and all the males in the city. Then they looted the city and took captive the women and children. It was an evil thing to do, and when Jacob heard about it, he was both angry and frightened. But during his lifetime, since he had done his share of scheming and fooled his father, he couldn't rebuke his sons without incriminating himself.

Carelessness (34:1). Was Dinah naive, rebellious, or just plain ignorant of the ways of the world? Why was it so important that she get to know the women of the land, and why didn't her mother advise her and somebody dependable accompany her on her sightseeing trip? (Her brothers were out in the field with the flocks.) For that matter, why was Jacob tarrying in this pagan neighborhood and deliberately endangering his family? He should have been at Bethel leading them closer to the Lord.

Simeon and Levi certainly went too far by slaughtering the Canaanites and looting their city in order to avenge their sister, and Jacob never forgot it (49:5–7). By their deception and ruthless destruction, they ruined Jacob's testimony before the people of the land. What good was it for Jacob to build an altar and worship the true God before his pagan neighbors if his children were going to act like pagans? But it's sad to see that Jacob's greatest concern wasn't the vindication of purity or even his witness in the land, but rather his own safety. Had Jacob and his family been in Bethel where they belonged, this tragedy might not have occurred.

The name of the Lord isn't mentioned once in this chapter, and the wisdom of the Lord is surely absent as well. When we disobey the Lord, we put ourselves and our loved ones in danger. Consider what happened to Abraham in Egypt (12:10–20) and Gerar (20:1ff.), Lot in Sodom (19:1ff.), Isaac in Gerar (26:6–16), Samson in Philistia (Judg. 14; 16), Elimelech and Naomi in Moab (Ruth 1), and Peter in the high priest's courtyard (Luke 22:54ff.).

Defilement (vv. 2–5). Three times in the narrative the word "defiled" is used to describe Shechem's wicked deed (vv. 5, 13, 27).6 The young prince claimed that he did it because he loved her and wanted her for his wife, but committing violent rape and keeping the girl confined in a house (v. 26) was a strange way to declare his love.

But true to His promise (28:15), God wasn't finished with Jacob. There were still heartaches and joys to come, but the God of Jacob would prove Himself faithful through it all.

But his actions and words bore witness only to the fact that God's people and the people of Canaan had different standards of conduct. To the Jews, sexual activity that violated the law of God brought defilement to the victim and judgment to the guilty party. In later years, the Mosaic law with its penalties sought to protect people by declaring sexual misconduct both a sin and a crime (see Lev. 18). The silence of Jacob when he heard the tragic news (Gen. 34:5) showed neither indifference nor cowardice on his part. Since his sons were in the field with the sheep and cattle and he could do nothing without their help, he was wise to wait.

Notes

1 Some commentators have tried to exonerate Jacob by saying that his gift was not a bribe but only an attempt to make restitution and share his blessings with his brother. But Jacob's own statement "I will pacify him" (v. 20) makes it clear that the gift was a kind of propitiation to appease Esau's anger. 2 A.W. Tozer, The Divine Conquest (Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1950), 53. 3 G. Campbell Morgan, The Westminster Pulpit (London: Pickering & Inglis), vol. 7, 323. 4 Luz became Bethel, "the house of God" (28:19); Mahanaim means "the two armies" (32:1–2); and "Succoth" means "booths" (33:16–17). 5 Even if Jacob wasn't at his best, Esau still took what he said at face value and accepted the gifts as an expression of love and good will. Jacob talked about grace, but it was Esau who manifested grace. Sometimes the people of the world put God's people to shame (Gen. 12:10–20; 20; 26:6–16). 6 The Hebrew word used in verse 2 means "to humble" ("violated her"), while the word used in verses 5, 13, and 27 means "to make unclean." Many people who have been sexually abused confess to feeling "dirty" because of what happened to them.

Deception (vv. 6–24). When Jacob's sons were told what had happened, they were grieved that their sister had been violated and angry at the man who did it. Both responses were normal and right. Instead of immediately declaring war, they pretended to seek peace with their neighbors and offered to do business together and even to intermarry. All that the men of Shechem had to do was agree to be circumcised. Of course, it would take more than circumcision to make Jews out of Canaanites since no covenant conditions were involved.

Genesis 35 know what the Lord wants us to do, we start to do it, and then we stop. When we don't continue to obey God and accomplish His will, even what we've done starts to die. What Jesus said to the church in Sardis, He says to us, "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect [having been fulfilled] before God" (Rev. 3:2 nkjv).

CHAPTER THIRTY Genesis 35—36 YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN M oving from Genesis 34 to Genesis 35 is like going from a desert to a garden or from an emergency room to a wedding reception. The atmosphere in Genesis 35 is one of faith and obedience, and the emphasis is on cleansing and renewal. God is mentioned ten times in chapter 35, and He used His name El Shaddai, which means "God Almighty, the all-sufficient One." Best of all, in chapter 35 you see God's pilgrims making progress and arriving at the place of God's appointment.

Jacob instructed his household (vv. 2–4). It's refreshing to see Jacob take command of the situation and boldly bear witness to what God said to him and what God did for him. These instructions applied not only to Jacob's wives and children but also to the servants he had employed in Padan Aram. Since Jacob owned great flocks and herds, he must have needed many men to help care for them.

However, Jacob's new step of faith didn't prevent him from experiencing new problems and trials. During this period of renewal, Jacob buried both his father and his favorite wife, and to add burden to bereavement, his firstborn son committed a terrible sin. Being a victorious Christian doesn't mean escaping the difficulties of life and enjoying only carefree days. Rather, it means walking with God by faith, knowing that He is with us, and trusting Him to help us for our good and His glory no matter what difficulties He permits to come our way. The maturing Christian doesn't pray, "How can I get out of this?" but "What can I get out of this?"

Jacob called for a time of cleansing for everybody, and the first thing they had to do was get rid of their idols. Rachel had stolen her father's household idols (31:19, 34–35), and Jacob knew that other false gods were hidden in the camp. Worshipping the gods of the pagan nations was always a temptation to the Israelites. Moses had to warn them about idolatry before they entered the land (Deut. 7), and Joshua had to challenge the Israelites to abandon their idols after they had conquered the land (Josh. 24:14, 23–24). Even Samuel faced this problem in his day (1 Sam. 7:2–4), and the prophets often rebuked the nation for building the high places where they served false gods.

Let's note the new things that came into Jacob's life.

The second instruction was "purify yourselves and change your clothes" (Gen. 35:2). Most people today are accustomed to indoor plumbing, fragrant soap, and ample wardrobes, so we forget that the ancient nomadic people in Bible lands had none of these conveniences. For that matter, our modern hygienic practices and facilities were totally unknown even in Western civilization during most of its history. What we call necessities would have been considered luxuries by our ancestors.

A new start (35:1–15) The good news of the gospel is that we don't have to stay the way we are. No matter how many times we've failed the Lord, we can go home again if we truly repent and obey. It happened to Abraham (13:1–4), Isaac (26:17), David (2 Sam. 12), Jonah (Jonah 3:1–3), and Peter (John 21:15–19), and now it's happening to Jacob.

But in Scripture, washing the body and changing clothes symbolize making a new beginning. Like dirt, sin is defiling and must be washed away (Ps. 51:2, 7; Isa. 1:16; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 John 1:9). Our old garments typify the old life with its failures (Isa. 64:6), but God in His mercy gives us "new garments" so we can make a fresh beginning (Gen. 3:21; Isa. 61:10; Zech. 3:11–5; Luke 15:22; Rev. 3:18). Before God gave the law at Mount Sinai, He ordered the people to wash and change clothes, for they were about to enter into a solemn covenant with God (Ex. 19:9–15).2

God spoke to Jacob (v. 1). For several years, Jacob had lingered thirty miles away from Bethel and had paid dearly for his disobedience.1 But now the Lord spoke to him and told him to move to Bethel and settle down there. Jacob already knew that Bethel was God's appointed place for him and his family (31:113), but he had been slow to obey. "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works" (Rev. 2:5 nkjv).

Jacob had built an altar on the property he had bought near Shechem and had called it "God the God of Israel" (Gen. 33:20). But God wasn't pleased with this altar because He wanted him worshipping back at Bethel, "the house of God." The Lord reminded Jacob of his desperate situation over twenty years ago and how He had delivered him and blessed him. At Bethel, Jacob had made some vows to the Lord, and now it was time to fulfill them.

All the people obeyed Jacob's commands and gave him their idols and the jewelry that were identified with pagan gods (see also Ex. 32:3; Judg. 8:24–27; Hos. 2:13). Jacob buried all of it under "the oak at Shechem" (Gen. 35:4), which was apparently a wellknown tree and might have been the one referred to in 12:6. God protected Jacob and his household (v. 5). After the murderous assault on the Shechemites by

Many of the problems in the Christian life and in local churches result from incomplete obedience. We

Genesis 35 the altar as the sacrifice was burning (Ex. 29:40–41; Num. 6:17; 15:5–10, 24; 29:22–38). It was a symbol of dedication, the worshipper's life poured out for the Lord (2 Sam. 23:16; Phil. 2:17).

Simeon and Levi, Jacob was afraid the people of the land would attack him (34:30), but God kept His promise (28:15) and cared for Jacob and his people as they moved toward Bethel (Ps. 105:7–15). This same "terror of God" went before Israel as they journeyed to Canaan, and prepared the way for their conquest of the land (Ex. 15:14–16; Deut. 2:24–25; Josh. 2:8–14). When God's people are doing God's will in God's way, they can depend on God's provision and protection (Isa. 41:10, 14; 44:2, 8; 43:1–5). When we fear God, we need fear no one else.

Jacob's restoration was now complete. He was back in the place of God's choosing; he had offered himself and his sacrifices to the Lord; the Lord had spoken to him; and the covenant promises had been reaffirmed. He had come from the house of Laban to the house of God, and though he still had much to learn about his walk with the Lord, Jacob was starting to be "Israel" and live like a prince instead of a pauper.

Jacob worshipped God (vv. 6–8). God had promised to bring Jacob safely back to Bethel (28:15), and He kept His promise, as He always does (Josh. 21:45; 23:14; 1 Kings 8:56). Jacob kept his part of the agreement by building an altar and leading his household in worshipping the Lord. Once again, Jacob gave a new name to an old place. "Luz" he had renamed "Bethel, the house of God" (28:19); and now "Bethel" he expanded to become "the God of Bethel." It wasn't the place that was important but the God of the place and what He had done for Jacob.

A new son (35:16–20) Now we move from the voice of God to a baby's cry and a mother's last words.

Birth (vv. 16–17). When Jacob's beloved Rachel learned that she was pregnant, it must have given both of them great joy. She had borne Jacob only one son, Joseph ("adding"); and in naming him, she had expressed her desire for another son (30:22–24). God answered her prayers and gave her a boy. Jacob now had twelve sons, the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

The Jewish people considered many places to be special because of what God had done for them there, places like Bethel, Mount Sinai, Jerusalem, the Jordan River, and Gilgal. Perhaps all of us have places that are especially meaningful to us because of spiritual experiences we had there, but a "holy site" must never take the place of the Holy God. To visit a special location and try to recapture old blessings is to live in the past. Let's ask God for new blessings and a new revelation of Himself!

Death (vv. 18a, 19). Rachel had said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die" (30:1). Now she would bear that second son, but in so doing would lay down her own life for the life of the child. We shouldn't interpret her death as a judgment from God either because of her rash statement or because she stole her father's idols.4 Life is a mosaic of lights and shadows, joys and sorrows, and the same baby that brought Rachel and her husband joy also brought tears.

We don't know when Rebekah's maid Deborah (24:59) became a part of Jacob's household, but her presence in the camp suggests that Jacob's mother was now dead. Deborah had stayed with Isaac until Jacob drew near to Hebron, and then she went to be with the boy she had helped to raise years before. Was she the one who broke the news to Jacob that Rebekah was dead? Jacob's tender treatment of this elderly servant is an example for all of us to follow.

Faith (v. 18b). Ben-oni means "son of my sorrow" or "son of my trouble," not a very favorable name for a man to carry through life, reminding him that his birth had helped cause his mother's death. Sorrow would overshadow his every birthday. But Jacob was always ready to rename something, so he called his new son Benjamin, which means "son of my right hand," that is, a son to be honored.5 The first king of Israel came from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Sam. 9) and the apostle Paul was also a Benjamite (Phil. 3:5).

God appeared to Jacob (vv. 9–15). In his first Bethel experience, Jacob had seen God and the angels in a dream (28:12), but now the Lord appeared to him in some special way and blessed him. God reaffirmed Jacob's new name "Israel" and His own name "God Almighty" (El-Shaddai; 17:1; 28:3; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25).3 He also reaffirmed the promises concerning the multiplying of Jacob's descendants and their possessing the land, assuring Jacob that nations and kings would be among his descendants. At that time, Jacob had only eleven sons, but God would give him one more son and abundantly bless all of them and increase their number.

Love (v. 20). More than twenty years before, Jacob had set up a pillar at Bethel to commemorate his meeting with God. Now he set up a pillar to memorialize his beloved wife Rachel. It was located "on the way to Ephrath," another name for Bethlehem. (Ephrath means "fruitful," and "Bethlehem" means "house of bread.") Tradition places Rachel's tomb about a mile north of Bethlehem, on the road to Jerusalem, but Jeremiah said it was near Ramah, five miles north of Jerusalem (Jer. 31:15).

Were it not for the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the town would be remembered primarily for the death of Rachel. Because He came, we have "tiding of great joy" instead of tears of sorrow. Matthew connected Jeremiah's reference to Rachel with Herod's murder of the innocent children in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:18). The

As he had done years before at Bethel, Jacob set up a pillar and dedicated it to the Lord (28:18). He not only poured oil on the pillar, but he also poured out a drink offering of wine. The drink offering was a supplement to the regular sacrifices and was poured out on

Genesis 35—36 birth of Jesus brought joy ("Benjamin") and also sorrow (Ben-oni).

was one hundred and eighty years old. He lived the longest of all the patriarchs and yet less is recorded about his life than about his father, his sons, and his grandson Joseph.6

A new sorrow (35:21–22) The death of a dear wife is at least a normal human experience with no guilt attached, but what Reuben did was abnormal and stained with guilt and shame.

We trust that Isaac and Jacob experienced a complete reconciliation and that the old patriarch died "full of years" as did his father (25:8). Esau came from Mount Seir to pay his respects to his father and to assist Isaac in burying him in the cave of Machpelah (49:29–32). Esau was a man of the world and not a child of the covenant, but he was still Isaac's son and Jacob's brother, and he had every right to be there. Death is a human experience that brings human pain to our hearts, and caring for the dead is a responsibility for all the family—believers and unbelievers.

Reuben was Jacob's firstborn and therefore the oldest of his sons (29:31–32); he was most likely in his twenties. The childhood episode with the mandrakes may or may not indicate anything about his nature (30:14–15). Bilhah was Rachel's maid and had borne Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali (vv. 1–8). Perhaps the recent death of Rachel left Bilhah desiring to be back with Jacob again, and this was Reuben's opportunity to act. Since the text doesn't indicate that Reuben raped his father's wife, we assume she cooperated in the deed.

But Isaac's death changed Jacob's status: He was now the head of the family and the heir of the covenant blessings. He not only acquired Isaac's great wealth, but he also inherited all that was involved in the Abrahamic covenant. His God would be known as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But Reuben's sin involved much more than the satisfying of a lustful appetite. For a son to take a father's wife in this manner was a declaration that he was now the head of the family. When Abner took King Saul's concubine, Saul's son and heir Ishbosheth protested because it meant Abner was usurping the crown (2 Sam. 3:6–11). When David succeeded Saul as king, he was given Saul's wives as his own (1 Sam. 12:8). Rebellious Absalom declared himself ruler by taking his father's concubines (2 Sam. 16:20–23), and Adonijah's request to have Abishag as his wife was the same as challenging Solomon's rights to the throne (1 Kings 2:13–25). It would appear, then, that Reuben's purpose was to take over the leadership of the family, which made his deed only that much more vile. Like the younger son in our Lord's parable, Reuben couldn't wait to get his inheritance (Luke 15:11–24). He had to have it now.

There's quite a contrast between the record of Jacob's family in 35:23–26, listing four wives and twelve sons, and the long list of people who belonged to Esau, recorded in chapter 36.

There are six lists of names, including sons (vv. 1–14, 20–28), chiefs (vv. 15–19, 29–30, 40–43), and kings (vv. 31–39); and there appears to be duplication. (Compare vv. 10–14 with 15–19, and 20–28 with 29–30.) Esau had his share of material blessings,7 but Jacob possessed the covenant blessings from the Lord.

Genesis 36 is a long chapter containing many names, but it's the end of the story as far as Esau is concerned! The Edomites are named in the Old Testament only because they're a part of the story of Israel. "Esau" and "Edom," the avowed enemies of the Jews, are mentioned over two hundred times in the Bible, but "Jacob" and "Israel" are found over two thousand times! Esau's son Eliphaz was the father of Amalek, and the Amalekites were also Israel's enemies (Ex. 17:8–16; Num. 14:39–45; Deut. 25:1719; 1 Sam. 15).

Jacob did nothing immediately, but surely his heart was broken by what his son had done. Reuben showed some character in protecting Joseph from death, but he wasn't able to save him from slavery (Gen. 37:20–30). Though Reuben was the firstborn, his brothers didn't seem to respect his leadership. In his old age, Jacob exposed Reuben's sin and deprived him of the rights of the firstborn, giving them to Joseph (48:1–14; 49:3–4; 1 Chron. 5:1–2). Those who teach that our dedication to the Lord automatically protects us from troubles and tears need to read this chapter carefully. Certainly God had forgiven Jacob, and certainly Jacob was walking with the Lord in faith and obedience. Nevertheless, he still had his share of trials. If we obey the Lord only for what we get out of it, and not because He is worthy of our love and obedience, then our hearts and motives are wrong. We become the kind of people Satan accused Job of being (Job 1:6—2:10).

Genesis 37 takes up the story, not of Esau, but of Jacob! "These are the generations of Jacob" (v. 2) is the tenth occasion for a "generation" statement in Genesis, and it introduces the story of Jacob's favorite son, Joseph. With all their weaknesses and faults, the sons of Jacob will carry on the work of God on earth and fulfill the covenant promises God made to Abraham.

Notes

1 If Jacob was seventy-seven years old when he left home, and since he remained twenty years with Laban, this means he was ninety-seven when he started for Bethel. Isaac was sixty years older than Jacob. Thus he was one hundred and fifty-seven when Jacob returned and still had twenty-three more years to live (35:28). Isaac's death is recorded in verses 27–29, but the sequence of events in the biblical record is not always chronological. (See note 6.)

A new standing (35:23—36:43) More than twenty years before, Isaac thought he was going to die (24:1–4), but death didn't come until he

Genesis 37

Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and its song "Any Dream Will Do."

2 Paul used the image of clothing to teach "newness of life" for the Christian believer (Rom. 13:11–14; 1 Cor. 6:9–11; Eph. 4:17–32; Col. 3:8–17) as well as the new body we will receive when Christ returns (2 Cor. 5:1–5). 3 Hebrew scholars traditionally have interpreted El-Shaddai to mean "God Almighty" or "God All-Sufficient," relating it to the Hebrew word for "breast." Thus He is the God who nourishes and provides, who sustains and enables. Recent studies have suggested "the God of the mountain" (strength, stability) or "God my destroyer" (power against the enemy). 4 Some translate Ben-oni to mean "son of my sin," that is, stealing Laban's idols. The name has also been translated "son of the south" since Benjamin was the only son of Jacob not born in Padan Aram. He was also the only son named by his father. 5 Prophetic students see in these two names the two aspects of our Lord's life and ministry, His suffering (Ben-oni) and His glory (Benjamin). (See Luke 24:26 and 1 Peter 5:1.) 6 The events in chapters 37—40 occurred while Isaac was alive, even though his death is recorded here. If Jacob was one hundred and thirty years old when he went to Egypt (47:9) and Joseph was thirty-nine (41:46 [thirty years old] plus seven years of plenty and two years of famine [45:11]), then Jacob was ninety-one when Joseph was born. If Joseph was seventeen when he was taken to Egypt (37:2), then Jacob would have been in Canaan eleven years and was one hundred and eight years old. His father Isaac would have been one hundred and sixty-eight years old (25:26) and therefore still alive when Joseph was sold. Isaac would have died twelve years later, one year before Joseph was elevated to being second ruler in Egypt. 7 Jacob and Esau's separating from each other (vv. 6–8) reminds us of what happened to Abraham and Lot (13:5–11).

But Genesis 37—50 is much more than a piece of dramatic literature, for when you penetrate deeper, you discover a story abounding with profound theological implications. The hand of God is evident in every scene, ruling and overruling the decisions people make, and in the end, God builds a hero, saves a family, and creates a nation that will bring blessing to the whole world. Behind this story is the heart of the covenantmaking God, who always keeps His promises.

For the Christian believer, there's a third level to the story, for Joseph is one of the richest illustrations of Jesus Christ found in the Old Testament. Joseph is like Jesus in that he was beloved by his father and obedient to his will; hated and rejected by his own brethren and sold as a slave; falsely accused and unjustly punished; finally elevated from the place of suffering to a powerful throne, thus saving his people from death. The major difference, of course, is that Joseph was only reported to be dead, while Jesus Christ did give His life on the cross and was raised from the dead in order to save us.2

Genesis 37 unfolds the destructive dynamics of a family that knew the true and living God and yet sinned against Him and each other by what they said and did. The presence of Joseph in the home didn't create problems so much as reveal them. Consider the destructive forces at work in this family, forces that God in His grace overruled for their good. Where sin abounded, grace abounded more (Rom. 5:20).3

Hatred (37:1–4) "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" (Ps. 133:1) But Jacob's family didn't enjoy the blessings of unity because from its inception the home was divided. Jacob's first two wives were rivals, and the addition of two concubines didn't diminish the tension. When you have in a home one father, four different mothers, and twelve sons, you have the ingredients for multiple problems. Unfortunately, Jacob came from a divided home and brought the infection with him. Why did the brothers hate Joseph so much?

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE Genesis 37 ENTER THE HERO T he statement "These are the generations of Jacob" (v. 2) informs us that we're moving into a new section of the book of Genesis, which will be devoted to Jacob, whom we've already met while reading about "the generations of Isaac" (25:19). But the chief actor in the "Jacob" section of Genesis will be Joseph, who is mentioned twice as many times as is his father in the next fourteen chapters.1 Jacob won't be ignored, but it's Joseph who will occupy center stage.

Joseph had integrity (v. 2). The sons of Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali, and the sons of Zilpah were Gad and Asher, and Joseph apparently was their assistant or apprentice, learning how to care for the sheep. Nobody knew it at the time, but Joseph was destined for greater things, and yet he got his start as a servant (Matt. 25:21).

The history of Joseph can be read on at least three different levels. If we read it simply as literature, we discover a fascinating story involving a doting father, a pampered son, some jealous brothers, a conniving wife, and an international food crisis. It's no wonder that for centuries creative artists have turned to this story for inspiration. In 1742, Henry Fielding patterned the hero of Joseph Andrews after the biblical Joseph, and the next year, Handel produced his oratorio Joseph. Over a period of sixteen years, the German novelist Thomas Mann wrote four novels based on the life of Joseph. In our own day, we have the rock cantata Joseph and the

It wasn't easy for Joseph to work alongside his halfbrothers because their way of life was different from his. Were the boys robbing their father? Were they getting too involved with the ways of the people of the land? We don't know what evil things the men were doing, but whatever their sin was, Joseph felt that their father needed to know about it. Joseph also knew what the other brothers were doing and reported that to Jacob.

Genesis 37

John 2:9). Hatred in the heart is the moral equivalent of murder (Matt. 5:21–26). "Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him" (1 John 3:15).

Did Joseph have the right to inform on his brothers? We've always held him in high esteem for his character, but in his youth, was he nothing but a teenage tattletale? He certainly had no authority over his brothers and wasn't accountable for their behavior, and he was in the fields to work with them, not to spy on them.

Envy (37:5–11) The author of a fourteenth-century preacher's manual wrote that envy was "the most precious daughter of the devil because it follows his footsteps by hindering good and promoting evil."4 The author might have added that Envy has a sister named Malice, and the two usually work together (Titus 3:3; 1 Peter 2:1). Envy causes inward pain when we see others succeed, and malice produces inward satisfaction when we see others fail. Envy and malice usually generate slander and unwarranted criticism, and when these two sins hide behind the veil of religious zeal and self-righteousness, the poison they produce is even more deadly.

Subsequent events proved that, young as he was, Joseph did have common sense and discernment. Thus whatever his brothers were doing must have been terribly wicked or Joseph wouldn't have mentioned it to his father. Perhaps Jacob suspected that his sons were doing evil things and asked Joseph what he knew. The boy certainly wasn't going to lie to his father, and when Jacob talked to his sons about their behavior, the men immediately knew who the informer was.

Joseph was the favorite son (vv. 3–4). Having experienced the sad consequences of favoritism in his boyhood home (25:28) and during his years with Laban (29:30), Jacob should have had more sense than to single out Joseph and pamper him. But Joseph was the son of his favorite wife, Rachel, and the human heart sometimes plays tricks with the mind and makes people do strange things. As Pascal wrote in his Pensees, "The heart has its reasons which reason cannot know." However, it still wasn't the wisest way to run the home.

British wit Max Beerbohm said, "People who insist on telling their dreams are among the terrors of the breakfast table." Should Joseph have told his dreams to the family, or was this just another evidence of his adolescent immaturity? The two dreams couldn't help but irritate the family and make things worse for him. After all, how could Joseph ever become a ruler, and why would his brothers bow down to him? The whole thing was preposterous. When Joseph reported the second dream, even his father became upset and rebuked him;5 but privately, Jacob pondered the dreams. After all, Jacob had received messages from God in dreams (Gen. 28:12ff.; 31:1–13); so perhaps it was the Lord who was speaking to Joseph.

We can't be sure what the famous "coat of many colours" (37:3) really looked like, although "richly ornamented robe" (niv) is probably as good a translation as any. Apart from verses 23 and 32, the only other place the Hebrew word is found in the Old Testament is in 2 Samuel 13:18 describing the garment of a king's daughter. Joseph's "coat" reached to the ankles and had long sleeves. It was the rich garment of a ruler and not what the well-dressed shepherd needed out in the fields.

Perhaps Joseph might have been more diplomatic in the way he reported his dreams, but surely he was right in sharing them with the family. This wasn't "adolescent enthusiasm"; it was the will of God. Had the brothers paid attention to these two dreams, they might have been better prepared for what happened to them twenty years later. If Jacob had grasped the significance of the dreams, he might have had the faith to believe that Joseph was still alive and that he would see him again. Of course, since we know the end of the story, it's easy for us to criticize.

However, Jacob had something more important than fashion in mind when he gave Joseph this special coat. It was probably his way of letting the family know that Joseph had been chosen to be his heir. Reuben had forfeited his firstborn status because of his sin with Bilhah (35:22), and his next son, Simeon, had been involved with Levi in slaughtering the men of Shechem. Furthermore, Jacob's first four sons had Leah as their mother, and Jacob hadn't intended to marry Leah. The full intent of his heart was to marry Rachel, but Laban had tricked him. Jacob might have reasoned, "In God's sight, Rachel was my first wife, and Joseph was her firstborn. Therefore, Joseph has the right to be treated as the firstborn."

Does God speak to us in dreams today? Or do we get our guidance only from the Spirit of God using the Word of God as we pray and seek God's will? In the Old Testament, you find a good number of divine communications through dreams, both to believers and unbelievers, but this doesn't seem to be the norm for New Testament Christians today. God communicated through dreams when He directed Joseph, the husband of Mary (Matt. 1:20–25; 2:12–13, 19–22), but there's no evidence that anybody else in the gospels or the book of Acts ever received divine guidance through dreams.6

If this is the way the brothers viewed the scenario, then it's no surprise that they hated Joseph. Jacob knew their true feelings and even brought it up when he was on his deathbed. "The archers have sorely grieved him [Joseph], and shot at him, and hated him" (49:23).

Hatred is a terrible sin because it generates other sins, "Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers over all wrong" (Prov. 10:12). "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness" (1

When people claim that God has sent them dreams for their instruction and guidance, or the instruction of others, we need to be careful, for dreams can be selfinduced or even influenced by Satan (Jer. 23:25–28).

Genesis 37

Missionaries have told us about people they've met whose first interest in Christ and the Bible came through dreams, but it was the Word of God that finally brought them to the Savior. Certainly God is sovereign and can use dreams to accomplish His will if no other means is available, but His normal way to communicate is through the Spirit teaching the Word (John 14:25–26; 16:12–15).

he got there, he learned that his brothers had moved thirteen miles north to Dothan, which meant another day's journey. When he came into their range of vision, they immediately recognized him afar off (he was wearing his special garment) and began to make their plans.

The combination of hatred and envy is lethal. It simmers in the heart and waits for the spark that will set off the explosion. The brothers didn't have to be tempted in order to decide to harm Joseph. All they needed was the opportunity, and it wasn't long in coming. Their derisive statement, "Here comes that dreamer!" (v. 19) could be translated, "Here comes the dream expert!" In this situation, Joseph's dreams got him into trouble, but thirteen years later, other people's dreams would get him out of trouble. "How unsearchable are his [God's] judgments, and his ways past finding out!" (Rom. 11:33).

In the future, Joseph would be involved in interpreting other men's dreams (Gen. 40—41), but there's no indication that he understood his own two dreams at that time. As he waited in prison, no doubt the meaning of the dreams became clearer and encouraged him (Ps. 105:16–23). Understanding God's plan helped give him direction in his dealings with his brothers.

The immediate result of Joseph's sharing his dreams was that his brothers hated him even more and also envied him in their hearts.7 He was his father's favorite, chosen to receive the blessings of the firstborn, wearing a special garment, and now the recipient of strange dreams. Why should he be so special? What would happen next?

Which brother first suggested that they kill him?8 It wasn't Reuben, because his counsel was that they throw Joseph into a dry cistern. Reuben planned to come back and rescue his brother, but even if he succeeded, how could he take Joseph back home? Jacob would surely learn the truth about his sons, and his reaction would have created more problems in the family. That Reuben protected Joseph from death is commendable, especially since Reuben was the firstborn son whom Joseph replaced (1 Chron. 5:1).

Violence (37:12–18) Envy is one of the works of the flesh that comes out of the sinful heart of man (Mark 7:22; Gal. 5:21). Because of their envy, Joseph's brothers sold him to the merchants. (See Matt. 27:18 and Mark 15:10 for a parallel to Christ's sufferings.) Their growing hatred was the equivalent of murder (Matt. 5:21–26), and though they didn't actually kill Joseph with their hands, some of them had done the deed many times in their hearts.

Indifference (vv. 23–28). It must have given them great pleasure to strip Joseph of his special robe and then drop him into the empty cistern. Cisterns were usually quite deep and had long narrow openings that would be too high for a prisoner to reach. In order to get out, you'd need somebody to lower a rope and pull you up (Jer. 38).

Questions (vv. 12–17). As we read this section, several questions come to mind. First, why were Jacob's sons pasturing their flocks fifty miles from home when there was surely good grassland available closer to Hebron? Possible answer: They didn't want anybody from the family spying on them. Second question: Why did they return to the dangerous area near Shechem when Jacob's family had such a bad reputation among the citizens there (34:30)? Suggested answer: The brothers were involved with the people of the land in ways they didn't want Jacob to know about.

It's difficult to understand how the men could sit down and calmly eat a meal while their brother was suffering and begging them to set him free (Gen. 42:21). However, hearts that have been hardened by hatred and poisoned by thoughts of murder aren't likely to pay much attention to the cries of their victim. But then, think of what our Lord's own nation did to Him! All of us are potentially capable of doing what Joseph's brothers did, for "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jer. 17:9)

But there's a third question that's even more puzzling: Knowing that his sons hated Joseph, why did Jacob send him out to visit them alone and wearing the special garment that had aggravated them so much? One of Jacob's trusted servants could have performed the same task faster (Joseph got lost) and perhaps just as efficiently. The answer is that the providential hand of God was working to accomplish His divine purposes for Jacob and his family, and ultimately for the whole world. "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for a servant" (Ps. 105:17). God had ordained that Joseph would go to Egypt, and this was the way He accomplished it.

Just then, the men spied a Midianite9 merchant train moving across the plain, and this gave Judah an idea. They could sell their brother as a slave and at the same time get rid of him and make some money. Since anybody taken to Egypt and sold for a slave wasn't likely to win his freedom and come back again, there was no danger that their plot would ever be discovered. They forgot that God was watching and was still in control. Jacob had inherited the covenant blessings and this made him a very special person in the eyes of God. The Lord had His divine purposes to fulfill, and "There is no wisdom or understanding or counsel against the Lord" (Prov. 21:30 nkjv).

Conspiracy (vv. 18–24). It took Joseph perhaps three days to get from Hebron to Shechem, but when

Starting with Cain's murder of Abel, "man's

Genesis 37 inhumanity to man"10 is painfully recorded in both biblical and secular history. We're made in the image of God, and we belong to the same human family, and yet we can't seem to get along with one another. Everything from family feuds over lottery winnings to civil wars blamed on ancient injuries gives evidence that the world desperately needs a Savior who can make hearts new.

officers. Potiphar is called "captain of the guard" (37:36), which suggests he was head of Pharaoh's personal bodyguard and in charge of official executions. But the important thing wasn't that Joseph was connected with such a powerful man in Egypt. The important thing was that "the Lord was with Joseph and he prospered" (39:2).

The workings of God's providence are indeed awesome, and this ought to be a great source of encouragement to us in the difficult circumstances of life. "He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: 'What have you done?'" (Dan. 4:35). Jacob and Joseph never read Romans 8:28, but they experienced the truth of it and saw what the hand of God can do. If the promises worked for them, they will work for us today,for God and His Word have not changed.

Deception (37:29–36) Reuben was absent when his brothers sold Joseph, perhaps taking care of some problem with the sheep. Maybe he absented himself deliberately so they wouldn't suspect his hidden plan. When he visited the cistern, he was shocked to find that Joseph was gone. Thus he hurried back to the camp to find out what had happened. Certainly his attitude and actions made it clear to his brothers that his sympathies were with Joseph, for he tore his clothes like a man in mourning.

"He who covers his sins will not prosper" (Prov. 28:13 nkjv) is God's unchanging law, but people still think they can defy it and escape the consequences. Among Jacob's sons, one sin led to another as the men fabricated the evidence that would deceive their father into thinking that Joseph was dead, killed by a wild beast. Jacob would have no problem identifying the special robe, and he would have no way to test the blood. As tragic and treacherous as this deception was, Jacob was reaping what he himself had sown. Years before, he had killed a kid in order to deceive his father (Gen. 27:1–17), and now his own sons were following in his footsteps.

Notes

1 Thus far in Genesis, Joseph has been mentioned only five times (30:24–25; 33:2, 7; 35:24). In the next fourteen chapters, Jacob/Israel will be named sixty-two times and Joseph one hundred and thirty-three times. 2 While it's true that we have no New Testament authorization for calling Joseph a "type" of Jesus Christ, yet there are so many parallels between Jesus and Joseph that the evidence can't be ignored. The fact that some people have carried this to an extreme shouldn't prevent us from honestly examining the text and looking for our Lord (Luke 24:27; John 5:39). Only two places in the New Testament mention Joseph: Stephen's address (Acts 7:9–16; Heb. 11:21–22). 3 As Romans 6:1–2 makes clear, Romans 5:20 isn't an excuse for sin because those who sin suffered for what they do, even if God does overrule their disobedience for ultimate good, Joseph's brothers suffered more for their sins than Joseph did from their hatred or the consequences of their evil deeds. 4 Fasciculus Morum: A Fourteenth-Century Preacher's Handbook, translated by Siegfried Wenzel (University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1989), 149. 5 When Jacob mentioned "your mother" (v. 10), he was referring to Leah, who had become the mother in the home since the death of Rachel. 6 We aren't expressly told that Pilate's wife's dream about Jesus (Matt. 27:19) was sent by God in order to communicate some truth through her to her husband. 7 Since Rachel had envied Leah (30:1), Jacob knew something about the effects of this sin in a home. 8 From the way Joseph later treated Simeon in Egypt (42:24), it may be that Simeon was the ringleader. We know he had a murderous streak in him (34:25). 9 The words "Ishmaelite" and "Midianite" were used interchangeably (Judg. 3:22–24). Mer-chants were called "Ishmaelites" because many Ishmaelites were engaged in trading. 10 Poet Robert Burns uses this telling phrase in the seventh stanza of his poem "Man Was Made to Mourn." 11 H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Genesis (Grand Rapids: Baker

H. C. Leupold has translated 37:32, "And they sent the long-sleeved cloak and had it brought to their father."11 Unwilling to confront their father personally, the brothers sent a servant to Jacob to show him the "evidence" and tell him the lie that they had concocted. This was a brutal way to treat their father, but "the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel" (Prov. 12:10 nkjv).

Prone to jump to conclusions (Gen. 32:6–8), Jacob accepted the evidence, believed the story, and concluded that Joseph indeed was dead. He went into deep mourning, and twenty years later was still grieving over the death of Joseph (42:36). His family tried to comfort him12 but to no avail. His favorite son was dead, and Jacob would carry his grief with him to the grave.

Years later, Jacob would lament, "All these things are against me" (v. 36), when actually all these things were working for him (Rom. 8:28). This doesn't mean that God approved of or engineered the brothers' hatred and deception, or that they weren't responsible for what they did. It does mean that our God is so great that He can work out His purposes even when people are doing their worst. The greatest example of this is Calvary (Acts 3:12–26). Years later, Joseph would say, "You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good" (Gen. 50:20 nkjv).

God providentially brought Joseph safely to Egypt and saw to it that he was sold to one of Pharaoh's chief

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