Jacob Is on His Way to Padan Aram to Find a Wife for Himself Genesis 28:6–9
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__________________________________________________ GENESIS INTRODUCTION: • Jacob is on his way to Padan Aram to find a wife for himself Genesis 28:6–9 (NKJV) 6 Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Padan Aram to take himself a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram. 8 Also Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac. 9 So Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife in addition to the wives he had. • Vs. 6 says Esau “saw” but the Hebrew meaning is Esau “understood” • Isaac blesses Jacob and tells him not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan but go to the land of Padan Haram (the land Abraham’s birth) • In Vs. 8 Esau is starting to put 2 and 2 together... I took 2 wives from the Canaanites, that upset my father, I didn’t get the blessing • I’ll go to my Ishmael, my grandfather’s son Ishmael and marry one of his daughters (Mahalath, the sister of Nebajoth who is also called Basemath in Genesis 36:2-3) in addition to his other 2 wives • So you have Esau (symbolic of life in the flesh) going to Ishmael’s daughter (symbolic of the work of the flesh) trying to repair the situation • In historical terms, this shows an alliance between the Edomites and the Ishmaelites (which usually took place through marriage) • Another reason why the Arabs are not descendants of Ishmael as Islam teaches Genesis 28:10–12 (NKJV) 10 Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. 12 Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. • This is the beginning of Jacob’s own journey with God • He encounters the LORD in a “certain” place THROUGH THE BIBLE / GENESIS © 2019 Holland Davis __________________________________________________ GENESIS • The fact that the place is nameless suggests that Jacob did not recognize this place as a “holy place” but a profane place, a common place • But in fact, Genesis 12:8 refers to the area around Bethel as the place where Abraham built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD • While Jacob is sleeping, he receives a dream and in the dream is a ladder set up on earth that reaches to heaven • The word used for heaven is “samayim” and it is used to designate the physical heavens and the heavens as the place where God dwells • The ancient Jews described the heavens as a tent or curtain that is stretched out having windows and thus behind the tent or the curtain of the heavens is where God dwells • When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, as Jesus emerges Mark’s account says the “heavens tore open” and the Spirit descended upon Jesus like a dove • Revelation 16 speaks about the heavens being rolled up like a scroll • Thus in his dream Jacob’s attention is focused on this ladder (or steps) from earth to heaven where the angels of God were ascending and descending and at the top of the ladder in heaven is the LORD (Jesus) Genesis 28:13–15 (NKJV) 13 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: “I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. 14 Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 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 spoken to you.” • Jesus identifies Himself as “ANI” (I AM) “YHWH” (Hashem) “ELOHIM” (God) • That’s pretty much the whole deal... the eternally existent One, the Covenant Maker and the Creator God of Power • Jesus confirms Jacob as the heir to the divine promises made to Abraham and Isaac • Jesus says... the land you are sleeping on will be given to you and your descendants THROUGH THE BIBLE / GENESIS © 2019 Holland Davis __________________________________________________ GENESIS • So there is the promise of land, the promise of becoming a great nation, the promise of Messiah (the nations will be blessed through you) and the promise of His Presence... I AM with you • It’s an interesting thought to consider God said He would bless Jacob when he was in the womb and all the manipulations by his mother only served to cause problems between Jacob and Esau • It didn’t do anything to fulfill God’s promise to Jacob Genesis 28:16–22 (NKJV) 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 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!” 18 Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 21 so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God. 22 And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.” • Now I want to call attention to Jacob’s reaction to this visitation by the LORD • When the LORD appeared to Abraham and Isaac, neither of them reacted like Jacob at the LORD’s sudden revelation of Himself • But Jacob responds emotionally • He awakes from his sleep and says the LORD is surely in the place and I did not know it • In other words, I didn’t know this was a “holy place” • He makes a pillar out of his pillow and pours oil on top of it • The Hebrew word for pillar is “matsevah” and it was often used in pagan worship to represent a false god and thus in the Torah, “matsevot” are considered idolatrous • But Jacob is using it as a witness, since his head was lying on the stone when he received the dream from the LORD • Notice what he says... This place is awesome, God is in this place, this is the gate to heaven and he memorializes it by calling the place Bethel THROUGH THE BIBLE / GENESIS © 2019 Holland Davis __________________________________________________ GENESIS (House of God previously known as Luz or “almond tree” because the area was) • Now this reaction reveals how Jacob saw himself • He used his brother’s hunger to get him to sell his birthright • He went along with his mother’s plan to deceive his dad into giving him the blessing • He’s now on the run because his brother wants to kill him • No doubt, Jacob is thinking about what he’s done and how wrecked his family is and so Jacob is surprised that God would visit him (like many of us are) • Then Jacob makes a vow... now listen to this vow • If God is with me, if God guides me, if God feeds me, if God clothes me and if God brings me back to my father’s house in peace... then the LORD will be my God and I’ll start tithing • Notice where the focus of the vow is? It’s on me and what I get out of it! • Jacob is making a deal with God • Paul declares that God loved Jacob and hated Esau and so many people have a problem with God hating Esau... but I actually have a problem with God loving Jacob • Jacob is a terrible person and yet God loved Jacob • That is the beauty of God’s love and grace... it’s not based on my merits as a person... it’s based on God’s decision to love me in spite of all my short comings Genesis 29:1–12 (NKJV) 29 So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. 2 And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth. 3 Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth.