Book of Genesis Chapter 28 Commentary by Pastor
Ron Beckham
Audio Bible Study - Genesis 28:1-5
Verse 1. “So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, ‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan.’”
Isaac was still full of repressed anger at the moment he spoke the words of this verse. He LIKED his other son, Esau, and now he had evidence as to why he preferred Esau to this son, this Jacob, who first stood and then bowed before him at the moment. The preceding chapter was a chronicle of the deceit committed by Isaac's wife, Rebekah and this younger twin, Jacob. They had tricked this blind, older man, into giving the blessing to Jacob instead of to Esau, as Isaac would have preferred.
Isaac may or may not have known that Rebekah was part of the plot to fool him, but she did give him an "out" at the end of Chapter 27. She observed to Isaac, "I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth" who were married to Esau. Neither of the parents wanted to live with more daughters-in-law that they did not like, and so, in this verse and the next one, we find Isaac agreeing with her and charging Jacob to go back to their extended family in Syria and obtain a wife. Her intention was to keep Jacob safe, and maybe, just maybe, in the bargain, she would gain an acceptable daughter-in-law.
Verse 2. “Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother's brother.”
In this verse, Isaac is continuing to speak to his younger son, Jacob, and even though Isaac's words seem calm, he was still very angry at this son who had deceived him into giving the blessing to him, instead of to his twin brother, Esau. Isaac's wife, Rebekah, had continued to deceive her husband to this moment, having pointed out to Isaac that they both disliked Esau's wives and didn't want any more such women in their household (Genesis 27:46). She hoped Isaac would send Jacob away to safety.
Unspoken was her awareness that the older twin, Esau, had sworn to kill Jacob, her favorite son (Genesis 27:41-42). Her intention had less to do with wives and more to do with protecting Jacob from being killed, a man who was weaker physically than his brother. Her husband, the boy's father, may have been somewhat aware of the deception, and if so, he played along, now sending Jacob back to the last stopping-place of Abraham, when he brought this part of the family from Syria ("Paddan-aram") to Canaan, on the Mediterranean Coast. He may have thought that Jacob would be eaten by wild beasts or killed by robbers, and then he could give the blessing to Esau. This was a deceitful family.
Verse 3. “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.”
Time had passed and Isaac was able to reflect. He still didn't like Jacob, but was now aware that it was God who had caused the blessing to belong to Jacob, rather than to Esau. It's interesting that God had even worked through the trickery that Isaac had seen in Jacob. This father had also listened to his wife, Rebecca's suggestion (Genesis 27:46) that Jacob should be sent back to their extended family in Syria. Rebecca's real intention was to save Jacob from the murderous intent of his brother, Esau, and this "wife" for Jacob would save one son from death and the other from committing murder.
And so God's blessing through Isaac began with words we all need for our lives: "May God Almighty bless you." Even though we may not found nations and "peoples" and descendants like Jacob, nevertheless God's blessings can be ours in abundance. Even what we seem to lack can become blessings because our Lord is "God Almighty." And He really does love you and me. He proved it by giving us God the Son, who was to die in our place, blessing us not only in this world, but also for all eternity.
Verse 4. “May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.”
We tend to value what we do not have. Isaac, who was speaking the words of this verse, was the chieftain of a band of nomads. He and his group had no permanent home in the land that had been given by God to the family of Abraham and then his son. Isaac saw that the promise which had been extended to him was now passing to Jacob and he hoped his son would do a better job than he did. Maybe this SON could "possess the land" and he may have felt like a failure that he didn't possess it.
The blessing to Abraham, by the way, was both physical and spiritual. The physical part of it is glimpsed in Genesis 13:14-16, which contains these words: "all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever." In spite of arguments to the contrary, the people of Israel (which was to become Jacob's new name), really do own that land. The spiritual part included the line that would lead to Jesus Christ, described in Matthew 1:1 as "the son of David, the son of Abraham."
Verse 5. “Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.”
We saw in Chapter 24 that Abraham did not want his son, Isaac, to marry a Canaanite girl, and so he sent his trusted servant off to Syria to find a wife from his extended family. The servant prayed and was successful, bringing Rebekah back with him, the woman who was to be Isaac's wife for many decades. The fruit of their marriage included the twin sons, Esau and Jacob who were born to Rebekah somewhat late in life.
Isaac and Rebekah had some bumpy moments as all marriages do, but both of these marital partners would have agreed that their union was largely a success. Even though each of them had been born and raised hundreds of miles away from one another, they had much in common. Their cultural and familial backgrounds were very similar and they would have agreed on manners and other customs as to what was considered appropriate and what was not.
Father, thank You for creating marriage, through which you have brought humanity into this world. You offer so much through families that is good, including protection and love. Help us to love and nurture one another as You have intended. Bless the traditional family, which includes a husband and wife. Bring love to this world in Christ Jesus and love to families around the world through Him. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study – Genesis 28:6-10
Verse 6. “Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he charged him, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,’”
Even though the encampment led by Isaac, the father of Jacob and Esau, consisted of hundreds of individuals, it was still a small community; very different from the growing cities of the time. This was a rural, nomadic group and they had few forms of entertainment compared to ours. There would have been forms of competition such as games, but a chief type of entertainment was that everyone liked to gossip. Esau had now learned "through the grapevine" that his brother, Jacob, was being sent by his father to far-off "Paddan-aram" (The city of Haran, in Syria).
Esau was able to hear about much of the interaction between his father, mother and his brother, Jacob, and he filled in the rest by continuing to listen to the gossip that was rampant in the community. All these rumors were especially interesting to him for two reasons: 1) It was about his immediate family, and 2) It was well-known to all who listened to the local gossip that Esau intended to kill his brother, Jacob. And Esau would have now seen that killing him would be more difficult if Jacob traveled far away from Canaan.
Verse 7. “and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram.”
Continuing the context from Verse 6, we can see that Jacob was very different in personality than his twin brother. Esau was a self-sufficient man's man who assumed he would be admired and he also expected others to respond favorably to his whims. Even though both of these twins were over 40 years of age (Genesis 26:34-35), Jacob remained responsive to his parents and was willing to at least outwardly conform to their wishes.
It's also true, of course, that Jacob was motivated by a fear for his life (Genesis 27:41). But we will see that Jacob had a heart that was growing in responsiveness to the Lord, whereas Esau seem to have little inclination to place his trust in Him. This is a big difference because we we do not cease to exist when we die and there will be a point for us when all that will matter is our faith in the Lord or its lack. Esau was skilled in the ways of this world, but disinterested about thoughts of eternity.
Verse 8. “So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac;”
Esau finally understood that his parents did not like his wives. It took him awhile - years actually. He was so used to being the favorite of his father that he had grown up to become a man who did what he wanted to do when he wanted to do it. Esau was used to his decisions being approved of and being applauded by his father - the new understanding he gained about his parent's attitude toward his wives was a surprise to him.
This observation by Esau was likely the closest he had ever come to understanding the needs of others in his whole life. As it is true to some extent for us all, everything he saw and heard was filtered through his own limitations. He was aware that he had parents, of course, but it had not previously occurred to him that they might have needs and expectations different from his own. We must all discover that other people don't see things just like we do - it will change our lives for the better.
Verse 9. “and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth.”
Esau, son of Isaac, had assumed all of his life that he could do whatever he wanted and others would be pleased with his decisions. He now had gained a little insight into the reality that his parents didn't agree with everything he did. We all need to understand that more of something bad does not somehow make our previous decisions good. Polygamy is not the Scriptural view of marriage. To marry yet another woman would not please his parents any more than it would satisfy God.
When you discover that others do not approve of you or your lifestyle, don't do what Esau did. He acted in what was, for him a logical manner, but his logic was based on a false premise. More wives, like this daughter of his uncle Ishmael, would not please his parents. And he did not seem to care what God thought. He should have prayed about his next step, just like we need to. When something goes wrong (or right), take it to the Lord. You'll be glad you did.
Verse 10. “Then Jacob departed from Beersheba and went toward Haran.”
Decades before, Jacob's father, Isaac, had settled this large encampment in the area of Beersheba (Genesis 26:23,33). They would have moved a number of times to avoid ruining the land through overgrazing, but they had obviously returned often and were there at the moment of Jacob's departure. Jacob was being forced to leave, seemingly to seek a wife, but actually he was departing in shame because he had deceived his father - and because of his action, his brother wanted to kill him.
Jacob would have felt guilt about his action, but could also have rationalized what he did by at least somewhat blaming it all on his mother who ordered him to do it (Genesis 27:13 & context). He would have also felt uncertainty about his departure because he had not known any place other than this encampment of tents in which he grew up. Now he was leaving and it seems he took little with him except personal items. He was not sent with bridal gifts like the servant of his grandfather, Abraham, had carried to Haran to seek a wife for Isaac (Genesis 24). The two situations were similar but they also differed greatly - and Jacob knew it.
Lord, please give us Your perspective, true insight into the needs and feelings of others. Help us to look to You for our understanding and not just rely on what we think is humanly best. Bless us, Holy Spirit, and help us to see situations, see people, as they really are. Especially help us to trust in You, Lord. Thank You. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - Genesis 28:11-15
Verse 11. “He came to a certain place and spent the night there, because the sun had set; and he took one of the stones of the place and put it under his head, and lay down in that place.”
The "he" of this verse is Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, twin brother of Esau. His grandfather was Abraham, son of Nahor, and Jacob had potentially become rich through the soon-to-be received inheritance of everything that belonged to his father. There was just one "catch" - he, through his mother's connivance, had obtained this blessing through trickery. Jacob was the younger twin by minutes and in the custom of that society, everybody knew that his slightly older twin, Esau, should have been the inheritor.
But he wasn't. And when all this came to light, as our secret thoughts and our behavior often does come to light, Esau started telling people that after their father died, he was going to kill his brother! Jacob and his mother were frightened because Esau was a "follow-through" person. If he said something, he meant it. Jacob had a death sentence on his head. Rebekah had accomplished a little more desperate trickery and now Jacob had been sent by Isaac to the family in Haran, obstensibly to find a wife. Jacob had been walking, or perhaps riding a camel on the road to Damascus, and now it was night; his head was resting uneasily on a smooth stone instead of a comfortable down pillow, and he was thinking about all of these things as he tried to go to sleep.
Verse 12. “He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.”
Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, whose name was soon to be changed to Israel, was now fully asleep and he began to dream. And that's not unusual for any of us, except that within this verse (and in others like it) we can ask the question: "How does God speak to us?" We know from many places in Scripture that He speaks through His Word, the Bible, giving us faith through it (Romans 10:17). He speaks to us by His Holy Spirit (John 14:26). And we can see in this context in Genesis 28 that He does speak to people in dreams.
Jacob saw a "ladder... set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it." This incident is quoted in John 1:51, where the "ladder" in this verse is revealed to be symbolic of Jesus Christ, or as He referred to this incident as recorded by John, "the angels of God (are) ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." You cannot earn your way to heaven, work your way to it, or climb up to it because you have to get there by God's way of doing things, not by some method of your own. His way is that we will have faith in the "Son of Man," Jesus Christ.
Verse 13. “And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants.”
It's interesting about the many times in Scripture we see a record of God "speaking" to someone or other, and you might wonder, "Why doesn't He speak to me?" And the answer is this: He is speaking to you right this minute. For those who might think that they are interested in the Bible just because they want to be, note that God is drawing you to prayerfully consider the written Word of God and He wants you to discover His Word even more than you do. As you read and as you ask Him for help, you will discover more-and-more that He speaks to our hearts through those words. And to those who trust in God the Son, He gives His Holy Spirit, who comes inside our very being and enables us to understand.
The words of this verse were first received by Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, and he was hearing them in a dream. And yes, as discussed in Verse 12, God does reach out to us in dreams. As it is true for those who encounter the Lord, Jacob was hearing words that came from outside of his expectations, from eternity. He identified Himself as the very same Lord, the God who spoke to Jacob's father and grandfather. There is only one God and it is He who is speaking to your heart right now. The Lord now reminded Jacob that the land of Canaan, which was to be called Israel, was to be entrusted to him and his descendants.
Verse 14. “Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”
That Jacob's descendants would "be like the dust of the earth" was an extraordinary statement because if you look carefully at the ground, you'll see that the particles of dust number at least in the billions. And yes, there have been millions of people who have descended from Jacob, but billions? It seems to be too many until you consider Galatians 3:29, where it says, "if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed (descendants), and heirs according to the promise."
Abraham was Jacob's grandfather, and the promise was to extend into the future through him. Yes the millions of Jews who have existed and do exist today, certainly do have the promise offered to them, but there is even more because of the billions of others who also are included in that promise. As Paul, in the power of the Holy Spirit, observed in Galatians 3:26, "you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." Sons, daughters, people who lived 5,000 years ago, today, in the future, and those even in countries where His Name has never been heard - all can reach out to the Lord, pray and be saved because of His promise in Christ Jesus.
Verse 15. “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
The words of this verse were extremely important for Jacob to hear. He was on his way to Syria, ostensibly to obtain a wife from his mother Rebekah's family in that place; but the real reason was because his twin brother, Esau, had sworn to kill him. And Jacob knew that Esau was the kind of man who could and would do it! But now Jacob had heard the reassuring words, "Behold, I am with you" and knew that they were from God. That's the real nature of faith isn't it? It's more than just hoping things will turn out well, more than optimism. It's about KNOWING something God has revealed to your heart that you otherwise could not know.
And God continued, I "will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land..." Jacob was now receiving God's promise that he would not be killed by robbers, wild animals or his brother, during the two hundred mile trip he had embarked upon. Instead, God was with him and would bring him back to the very land of Canaan he was departing from. The land called "Canaan" would be his, just as it was to his father and grandfather, but even more important, God was with him. And note that when God says, "I am with you and will keep you wherever you go," He is speaking not only to Jacob, but He is also reassuring you and me. He is with those who place their trust, their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Dear Lord, we confess our sins and place our trust in You. Please be with us, just as You were with Jacob and let us be within Your will all the days of our lives. We love You, Lord. Thank You for Your love for us. Fill us with Your Holy Spirit and give us the peace of God. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Audio Bible Study - Genesis 28:16-22
Verses 16-17. “Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’”
Jacob now came fully awake after his extraordinary dream, which was likely more poignant, more real than any dream he had ever experienced in his life! He was beginning to understand that God is holy, He is just, He is more powerful than anyone, anything - anywhere! He is God and there is no other. As Moses told Pharoah, "There is no one like the Lord our God" (Exodus 8:10). Isaiah wrote these words from God: "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts; I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6). And Jacob was beginning to understand that He who is God loves ordinary people like Jacob, like you and like me.
The Lord later would continue to Isaiah, "Do not fear, nor be afraid" (Isaiah 44:8). But Isaiah, Jacob and many more in Scripture and throughout history, have been afraid anyway. God loves us, God saves those who entrust themselves to the Lord and He is simply - good! But to be in the Presence of such raw power tends to rock those who encounter Him. And here we see the key difference between the twin brothers, Jacob and Esau. Jacob had faith, not a lot up to this point, but even more than belief, He saw that God will SAVE those who have faith in the Lord. Esau, his brother, on the other hand, was merely puzzled by the things of God. Jacob encountered Almighty God and trusted in Him, recognizing that the place on earth where He met God had become "awesome" by the Lord's touch. Ordinary places and people become the "house of God" and the "gate of heaven" is open to those who trust in Him.
Verse 18. “So Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on its top.”
It was early on the following morning when Jacob awoke from sleep. In his excitement he got up immediately, took the smooth stone that had been his pillow for the night, and placed it upright into somewhat the form of a pillar. He poured precious oil on it because this place had become holy to him - the Lord had appeared to him while he slept with his head on that very stone during the previous night. It is interesting to consider the methods we use in order to give praise to God. And it's also interesting to note that God tends to accept our outward religious observances, no matter how small they are, if our faith in the Lord is real.
We might be baptized in a certain manner, pray with our hands placed just so, take communion in just such a way, worship on a specific day at just the right time, and so on. We wear acceptable clothes, listen to the proper music, and much more. What God really wants is our hearts lifted in faith to Him, and that is the reason why Jacob's action in this verse was accepted by the Lord. It was done in faith, believing that God would accept both him and what he did. And that is the way it is with our Lord. He is likely to accept our form of worship if it comes out of a sincere, grateful heart.
Verse 19. “He called the name of that place Bethel; however, previously the name of the city had been Luz.”
"Bethel" meant "house of God." The place where Jacob was at the moment had abundant springs of water, it was fertile, and it had begun to be settled by people in about 3200 BC. It had already become what might be called a "city" in the time of Abraham. The site is now occupied by a village called "Beitin." Abraham had built an altar there after his return from Egypt (Genesis 13:3). Previously the place had been called "Luz," which meant "almond tree."
It's interesting that the name given by Abraham to what was likely almost exactly the same place did not survive his visit there - It continued to be called "Luz." But it did survive after Jacob's subsequent renaming of it. The most important reason humanity gives a place a name is in remembrance of an encounter with the Lord. The natural aspects of a place, such as "almond tree," no matter how nice the name may seem to be, are far less important.
Verses 20-22. “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I return to my father's house in safety, then the Lord will be my God. This stone, which I have set up as a pillar, will be God's house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.”
Notice that Jacob's words were sincere, but his faith was still tentative at the moment of these verses. And that is true of many who express faith in the Lord, but their focus remains more on the things of this world than on the Lord Himself. "If God will be with me" tends all too often to mean, "If God will do things my way..." And we want traveling mercies, "food to eat and garments to wear," along with a safe return to a protected life. And then, and far too often, only then, will we establish a place of worship and give back to some worthy cause, a small portion of what He gave us in the first place.
Actually that's kind of backward thinking because the Lord intends that we will first dedicate ourselves and everything we have to Him, confess our sins and surrender to the Lord. After that we should also give up our right to have a happy outcome from an earthly perspective. He gave us life. He has given us the right to choose. If we have any strength it is from Him. He gave us a certain level of intelligence. He has given us - everything! We are merely the caretakers, the users of our own bodies, for they were carefully fashioned for our use, but for HIS purposes in life. We belong to Him. We always did, all of our lives, and we always will. Even the lost, those who do not trust in the Lord, have a purpose because they show God's justice, His holiness, and it is possible they may yet turn to the Lord. But Jacob did have some faith, and so must you and I.
Oh, dear Lord, we trust in You now. Thank You for giving us life. We confess our sins and place our faith in You, knowing that You love us. We surrender all, Lord, and praise Your Holy Name. In Jesus Name. Amen.
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