Genesis 28:1-22 Jacob Flees to Laban
“So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. “Do not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” he commanded. “Go at once to Paddan-aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel, and take a wife from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples. And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”
So Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Esau Marries Mahalath
Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife there, commanding him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and gone to Paddan-aram. And seeing that his father Isaac disapproved of the Canaanite women, Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had.
Jacob’s Ladder
Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you now lie. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
When Jacob woke up, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven!”
The Stone of Bethel
Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, and he called that place Bethel, (House of God) though previously the city had been named Luz.
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”
For being his father’s favorite, Esau certainly hasn’t exerted himself to try to please his father. Remember those Hittite wives Esau has married? It’s not only Rebekah who is fed up with these women; Isaac is also tired of their wrangling. When Rebekah suggests that Jacob return to her brother Laban in Haran to find a wife, Isaac thinks it’s a great idea. Surely someone from Rebekah’s family will behave better. In a belated attempt to appease Isaac, Esau takes a wife from Ishmael’s family in addition to the two Hittites, not precisely a recipe for peace. What those Hittite ladies may have said or done to this new rival can only be imagined!
Until now, Jacob has never encountered the One True Living God for himself. While Jacob may have heard stories from his father Isaac, it’s likely that he may have dismissed them as myths. Now Jacob is fleeing his brother Esau’s wrath after tricking their father into giving him the blessing that was to be Esau’s. Exhausted, Jacob finds a safe place to sleep and lies down, using a stone for a pillow. And then God shows up. God makes Himself known to Jacob in a dream, identifying as the God of Abraham and Isaac and promising to bless Jacob and to be with him wherever he goes. God even promises that all the families of the earth will be blessed through Jacob and his offspring.
Jacob may be a self-centered manipulator, but he recognizes that he is in a holy place and calls it Bethel, meaning “the House of God.” Jacob vows that if God will keep His promises, Jacob will serve him as his God and will give God one tenth of everything he has. This is the second mention of tithing in the Book of Genesis.
Why Jacob? For that matter, why Abraham or Isaac? The more closely we examine these men, the more repellent they appear; yet, God has chosen them to use and to demonstrate His glory. Jacob is on his way to Haran, where he will meet Uncle Laban, someone far trickier than he is. God is preparing a series of tests and learning experiences for Jacob that will totally change Jacob’s life.
What can we learn from Jacob? God will show up anytime we are open and receptive, and God doesn’t wait until we are cleaned up to show up. That night when Jacob has the dream, he isn’t looking for God, but God IS looking for him. Once Jacob meets God, he has peace that he is going the right way and that God will be with him.
Even though Jacob has left his family to save himself from his brother’s wrath, God is still guiding him. It’s impossible to guide a stationary object; you must be in motion for God to guide you. Even if you start out by heading in a wrong direction, if you will listen to God, God will still direct you and give you His peace.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to watch for Your appearing and to listen to Your leading in the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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