Jacob sent to Laban
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Before:
Esau sells his birthright
There was a famine, Isaac moves and digs wells to find his land. God blesses him with the location that Abraham was previously.
Isaac tries to bless his son Esau, then his wife and his younger son Jacob steal the blessing.
At the end, after stealing the blessing. Rebekah, his mother. Sends Jacob to her brother.
Remember that we saw Esau being defrauded
Question:
How do you expect a person who you have done wrong to react toward you?
How do you expect God to react to your wrongdoing?
Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
This is right after Jacob tricked his father and stole the birthright.
How could Jacob’s father Isaac be so calm and even blessing him further?
Why was Isaac’s first instruction about his sons choice of wife?
When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.
Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
Although Jacob tricked his father, the consistent choices of Esau brought them more grief and hardship.
Q: Consider your own family. Your parents, siblings etc. How do you suppose your choices have either blessed or brought struggle to them?
Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram.
Q: At this point Esau already had two Cannanite wives. If you were in his shoes what would you say would be a proper response if you heard this?
Maybe divorce them?
He probably already knew his fathers thoughts on this matter.
Probably wondering what he could do to earn their favor.
What did he do?
So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
What was his way of trying to fix things?
To get another wife, that is not Canaanite.
Q: Would this be a good idea?
This would not change the fact that he already had 2 Cannanite wives.
Why would connection to Ishmael not be a good idea?
Esau still didnt understand that Ishamel and his descendants were a reminder of mans plans to force God’s will. Esau is not the literal unchosen son decides to also marry into the unchaste line of Ishmael.
His decisions are being made from a wordly thinking, he does not understand the covenant or the promise at all.
Jacob is marrying into his mothers side.
Esau thinks himself smart. He’ll marry into his fathers side, to a daughter of the firstborn son.
That will surely gain him favor in his fathers eyes.
A similar commandment for us today is this.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
Q: Have you been tempted to get in a relationship or marry a woman who isnt a believer?
Is it a good idea? Do you think you are free to do that?
Jacobs dream
Jacobs dream
Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep.
What what Jacob like
When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.
This was a very uncomfortable situation for Jabob. Notice that it seems that he didnt set up shelter. Not sure if he made a fire. He used a rock as a pillow.
Additionally, he was just blessed by God through his father with, land, descendants and blessing. But he is in the wilderness, where he hasnt been before.
Even thought he now has the inheritance as well, since his father is still alive he pretty much left empty handed.
He deceived his father, now has his brother trying to kill him. What does he has to show for it? A rock as a pillow.
Also remember that when
And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Jacob dreams, sees this ladder/stairway and angels going up and down it. Above it all, is who?
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
not that anyone has seen the Father except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.
Jacob recognized this individual as God.Who did Jacob see?
Then God tells him something that should sound familiar. God tells him the promise that was made to first to Abraham, his grandafther and then to Isaac.
Jacob’s response
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
Jacob didnt realize that location, the desolate location where he is sleeping on the ground. That is God’s location. Why didnt he notice, because he is spiritually blind.
How did he feel?
He was afraid.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Takeaway:
Jacob was in a place where he sinned. He coveted, he lied and he stole something that his brother had the right to. Now he was running for his life and in that place God met him. Did know interrogate him about his sin then and there? No, why because God was faithful to His promise.
You yourself have a promise that you can bank on.
You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.
“Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”