Jacob Part 1

- Supplanter

When last we visited Isaac and Rebecca, they had twin sons.

Jacob and Esau.

We learned that Esau was swindled out of his birthright by his brother Jacob for a bowl of soup, or stew.

We also learned that God hated Esau for despising his birthright.

Now we turn to the life of his deceptive brother Jacob.

The name Jacob means Supplanter,

Supplanter means = someone or something taking the place of another, as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like

In fact when Isaac explains to Esau what happened, he calls him out on the intention of the deal Jacob made with him.

Genesis 27:35–36 (CSB)

35 But he replied, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

36 So he said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me twice now. He took my birthright, and look, now he has taken my blessing.” Then he asked, “Haven’t you saved a blessing for me?”

- What Goes Around Comes Around

So, there is happened that Jacob, swindled his brother Esau out of his birthright using some conniving salesmanship.

Now, when Esau finds out, his natural reaction is to kill his brother Jacob.

to which, mommy Rebekah comes to his rescue.

Genesis 27:41–45 (CSB)

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. And Esau determined in his heart, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42 When the words of her older son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she summoned her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Listen, your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you. 43 So now, my son, listen to me. Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran, 44 and stay with him for a few days until your brother’s anger subsides—45 until your brother’s rage turns away from you and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send for you and bring you back from there. Why should I lose you both in one day?”

In the story leading up to this, we find that in fact it was Jacob’s Mother Rebekah that conspired along with him to trick Isaac

Into giving the blessing to Jacob instead of Esau.

Making her hands just as guilty as Jacob’s.

So Jacob flees for his life, to the land of Mesopotamia, the land of his grandfather Abraham.

It is important to remember that Rebekah was also taken as a wife for Isaac there from Abrahams people.

She was living there with her family, including her brother Laban.

It is to her Laban in fact that they send Jacob to, in order to find a wife as well.

- The Miraculous Does Happen

On his way there, in the wilderness, Jacob has a strange dream that has come to known as “Jacob’s Ladder”

Has anyone ever heard that term used before?

This is where it comes from.

Genesis 28:10–13 (CSB)

10 Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11 He reached a certain place and spent the night there because the sun had set. He took one of the stones from the place, put it there at his head, and lay down in that place. 12 And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching the sky, and God’s angels were going up and down on it. 13 The Lord was standing there beside him, saying, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your offspring the land on which you are lying.

This event is echoed in the gospel of John’s recording of when Jesus called Nathanael to be a disciple,

Nathanael asked Jesus, “How do you know me?”

John 1:48–51 (CSB)

48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” Jesus answered. 49 “Rabbi,” Nathanael replied, “You are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus responded to him, “Do you believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than this.” 51 Then he said, “Truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

Brothers and sisters, of Anna First, and all those watching,

If you are in the will of God, there should be no surprise to you when you see the miraculous hand of God moving in your life.

Nay, you should expect it, so says Jesus in this account in the gospel of John.

Tell about when Chano was choking, and I prayed and immediately it was opened up.

Marvin praying for the leg to grow out, but the pant leg grew out too.

Woman with complete kidney failure, healed when Yadi & I showed up and prayed.

Miracles don’t just happen when you are in the will of God, they should be common place, when you are in the will of God,

- 7 Years For Rachel

Back to Jacob’s journey.

Jacob, finds his uncle, and begins working for him,

He soon realizes that his estate is being blessing so much because of Jacob.

He ask Jacob what it will take to keep him on.

Jacob says, I’ll work for you for seven years, in return for your daughter Rachel, whom he loved.

Laban quickly agrees, saying its bette that she should marry someone close instead of another.

But after the seven years is up, Jacob asks for payment.

Laban has a big party, and gives him his daughter.

Only the next morning, after the night is over, and the marriage veil comes off, he finds, just as he swindled his brother Esau out of his birthright,

Laban, his uncle, has just swindled him by passing of his oldest daughter Leah to Jacob as Rachel.

Jacob learned a valuable life lesson there.

As the saying goes, “What goes around, comes around.”

Understandably, Jacob is furious at having been hoodwinked by his dubious uncle Laban and confront him the same day.

Laban says, its not the custom to marry off the younger one before the older one.

Genesis 29:26–28 (CSB)

26 Laban answered, “It is not the custom in our country to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. 27 Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.”

28 And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife.

And the story goes on to tell us that each daughter recieved a hand-maiden as was the custom in those days to those who could afford to.

- Game of Son’s

And as mentioned several times before in scripture, we enter into yet again another occurence

of a fierce sibling rivalry, this time between the two married sisters of Jacob.

The older lest loved wife, Leah, begins having sons born to her, which scripture tells us is because God noticed she was unloved, and filled her desire to produce son’s for her husband.

Which made her barren sister Rachel furious with life itself for not as of yet being able to produce any children.

So, she gives her hand-maiden to Jacob so that she may produce a child in her stead.

The hand-off is so successful that older sister Leah, decides to out do her younger sisters cleverness, and also gives her hand-maiden to Jacob.

Between these four women are born a total of twelve sons and a daughter, to Jacob.

- Twelve Sons of Jacob

These twelve sons are, by the order of their birth;

Reuben,

Simeon,

Levi,

Judah,

Dan,

Naphtali,

Gad,

Asher,

Issachar,

Zebulun,

Joseph,

Benjamin

These are the twelve Sons of Jacob between four different wives.

Ten of these eventually become part the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

- Time to Leave Laban’s House

After these sons are born to Jacob, he starts to feel like the tide is turning at his Uncle Laban’s house.

God was with Jacob, just as He promised and everything Jacob touched began to produce.

This was great for Laban until Jacob had to change the agreement between them in order to feed his own large family now.

In this agreement, it was obvious that the house of Jacob began prospering way more that the house of Laban.

Laban wasn’t the only one that noticed.

Laban’s son’s, Rachel and Leah’s brothers were becoming very envious and resentful because of the scales beginning to tip toward Jacob’s house.

God told Jacob, basically, “It’s time to get out of there and go home.”

He tells his wives what he thinks and what God told him,

They agree, it’s time to go, because even they were resentful towards their father for having

more or less sold them to Jacob without any lasting benefit to them.

You see, in that culture, their was usually a dowry paid for the bride, and that was held incase something happened and the bride lost her husband,

But in their cases, their shister dad, traded them away for 14 years hard labor.

Laban recieved labor from Jacob, Jacob received them, but the sisters got nothing.

So they said.

Genesis 31:14–15 (CSB)

14 Then Rachel and Leah answered him, “Do we have any portion or inheritance in our father’s family? 15 Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? For he has sold us and has certainly spent our purchase price.

So, they split!

Only they took off in secret, when Laban was occupied so they didn’t have to deal with him.

This greatly displeased their father Laban and he set out after them.

But just before catching up with them, God showed up in a dream to Laban at night, and warned him.

You better watch what you think you’re going to do to them.

Genesis 31:24 (CSB)

24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night. “Watch yourself!” God warned him. “Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

I remember once when we were little, around 12 or thirteen years old.

My younger brother Nico and I were at the corner store in our neighborhood playing video games.

They were brand new at the time, and we would go around scrounging for quarters to play like little drug addicts, lol

My Dad hated the fact that these games cost a quarter a game.

One day, while we were together at this store playing the game, an older kid in the hood, a bully, you know the kind,

Big and intimidating etc. anyway, he pushed my brother Nico, for some reason having to do with the video game,

My Dad was visiting my uncle a half a block down the street.

When we arrived earlier than he expected, he asked us why and we told him about the older kid.

Well, my Dad grabbed us immediately and walked us right back to the store,

Walking in, he made us point the bully out,

Needless to say, When I try to imagine what was said to Laban by God went similar to the way my Dad assure this young man, that he would be sipping through a straw the rest of his life

If he were to ever touch one of us again, etc.

We don’t call God our “strong tower” for nothing.

Proverbs 18:10 (CSB)

10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected.

- Where are the Teraphim?

Laban catches up to them and asks for an explanation.

To which he and Jacob finally have it out, with words,

Each one clearing the air so-to-speak.

In this exchange, Laban accuses Jacob of stealing his “Teraphim.”

Teraphim is a Hebrew word lacking a full concise definition, the Bible transliterates the word,

Which in this context means, little household gods.

Laban says,

Genesis 31:29–30 (CSB)

29 I could do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Watch yourself! Don’t say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 30 Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s family—but why have you stolen my gods?”

Here Laban betrays his true agenda for having pursued them so hotly,

Yes, Im sure he was angered by the secret jetting, but what he really wanted more than his daughters or grand-daughters was his precious “Teraphim”

The little household gods.

Genesis 31:34–35 (CSB)

34 Now Rachel had taken Laban’s household idols, put them in the saddlebag of the camel, and sat on them. Laban searched the whole tent but found nothing.

35 She said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I am having my period.” So Laban searched, but could not find the household idols.

Now this was a difficult pill to swallow for anyone reading the Bible.

Why was he so worried about these little hand-made pieces of wood, etc?

Or why Rachel would’ve risked death had she been caught to steal these little gods,

Especially after her husband saying that his only God, Yaweh, told them to leave town.

Couldn’t he just make more?

Couldn’t she make more?

There were probably a dozen pagan god makers on every street corner back then.

- The Nuzi Tablets

But in 1925-1933 in a dusty town in Iraq, called Kirkuk, the Nuzi Tablets were discovered.

These Nuzi tablets detail life between 1500-1300 BC. right around the time of Jacob and Laban.

It turns out that a possible reason he was looking for these little gods, is because they served as sort of like a “Title and Deed” to property.

In other words, who ever possessed a certain figurine were the owners of what ever property was ascribed to that idol.

This would explain not only why this greedy uncle Laban went so far after them, but

Also why Rachel risked stealing them.

After her father Laban’s death, she Jacob could claim her and Leah’s inheritance instead of her brothers taking it all.

The Nuzi Tablets also describe what amounts the ability to be promoted from merely a wife to a sister.

This way, a woman was also the sister, what ever inheritance the husband had coming, could also pass to the wife/sister.

This would explain why both Abraham and Isaac passed their wives off as their sisters instead,

if they had indeed been elevated to the position of sisterhood.

(https://storiesofourboys.com/2018/11/09/what-the-nuzi-tablets-from-1450-1350-bc-tell-us-about-the-bible/)

With Laban and Jacob, neither one willing to trust the other any longer.

They made an agreement and parted company in peace.

- God Will Sustain You

God protected Jacob, and Jacob was being obedient to God’s leading.

Brothers and Sisters, God will not leave us as orphans,

If HE sends you, He will sustain you.

If He is leaning on your heart right now, don’t wait, open yourself to Him,

And let Him, He will never leave you nor forsake you.

Ever Amen!