Jacob, An Example of One Who Earnestly and Continually Sought God

Continuing a chronological Bible study by Skip Andrews:

(Genesis 32:1) And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

Jacob and his family and entourage had just left Laban and were returning to Canaan, and the angels of God met him, probably visibly, at least in a vision.  John Wesley wrote beautifully that the angels had invisibly attended Jacob all along, but now they appeared to him "to bid him welcome to Canaan again; a more honourable reception than ever any prince had that was met by the magistrates of a city".

(2) And when Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God's host"; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

The original word for "host" means "army" or "camp".  If Jacob was talking about the angels themselves, he probably meant they were God's army; if he was talking about the place because the angels were there, he probably meant that this was God's camp or God's house.  He called the place Mahanaim, which literally meant "two camps" or "double camp".  I'm sure he had his reason for calling it "two camps"; perhaps the armies of angels appeared in two camps on either side of him, or maybe in front and behind.  Jacob may have even meant that his own family and entourage made one camp and they were joined by God's camp.  Either way, Jacob certainly acknowledged that God was there with him in that place.

(3) And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother to the land of Seir, the country of Edom. (4) And he commanded them, saying, "This will you speak to my lord Esau, 'Your servant Jacob says this: "I have dwelt with Laban and stayed there until now. (5) And I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in your sight."'"

It seems as if Jacob had some apprehension about coming into his brother's country and meeting the brother who had once wanted to kill him.  He sent messengers to give a message to Esau, to announce his return.

(6) And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men with him." (7) Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed, and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two bands; (8) And he said, "If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape."

When Jacob heard that Esau was coming to meet him with four hundred men, he assumed his brother still meant to harm him.  He divided his people and possessions into two separate groups so that if Esau attacked one, there would still be one to escape.

(9) And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, the LORD who said to me, 'Return to your country and to your family, and I will deal well with you': (10) I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which You have shown Your servant; for with my staff I crossed over this Jordan, and now I have become two bands. (11) Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, lest he will come and attack me and the mother with the children. (12) And You said, 'I will surely do you good, and make your seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"

Jacob prayed to God, realizing he was not worthy of all the mercies God had shown him.  Being worthy or unworthy of truth seemed an odd idea to me, until I learned the original word more fully meant "trustworthiness, faithfulness, stability".  Although Jacob realized he was not worthy of all the goodness God had shown him, he did remind God that He was the One who told him to return home and He had said He would be with him.  Jacob originally crossed over that Jordan with only his staff, but now returned with two bands of people and possessions; that was certainly because of the goodness of God.  He prayed that God would deliver them from the hand of Esau, and he reminded God of His promise that his descendants would be as the sand of the sea, so surely God wouldn't let Esau kill those descendants!

I found it a little amusing that Jacob thought he must remind God what He had told him, like God might forget!  But actually, it's a very good model of a prayer.  He acknowledged God's goodness and mercies to him.  He was very humble and recognized that on his own he was not worthy of all the goodness the Lord had showered upon him.  He asked for God's help and clung to the Word of God with complete humility.

(13) And he lodged there that same night, and took of that which came to his hand as a present for Esau his brother: (14) Two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, (15) Thirty milk camels with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten foals.

Jacob lodged there at Mahanaim, the "two camps", and prepared a present or peace offering for Esau.  He took of those things which were in his possession or within his power to give, and gathered many animals as a present for his brother.

(16) And he delivered them to the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, "Pass over before me, and put some distance between successive droves."

It appears that Jacob divided the animals into three droves or herds (the number indicated in a subsequent verse), probably the sheep and goats in one, the cattle in another, and the donkeys in the last.  He told his servants to take the herds and to pass on ahead of him, putting distance between each herd.

(17) And he commanded the first one, saying, "When Esau my brother meets you and asks you, saying, 'Whose are you, and where are you going? And whose are these before you?' (18) Then you shall say, 'They are your servant Jacob's. It is a present sent to my lord Esau; and behold, he also is behind us.'"

Jacob told his servants that when they met Esau and he asked about them and their herds, they were to tell him that they belonged to his brother Jacob and that they were a present to Esau, and they were to tell him that Jacob was coming up behind them. 

(19) And so he commanded the second, the third, and all who followed the droves, saying, "In this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; (20) And moreover you say, 'Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us.'" For he said, "I will appease him with the present that goes before me, and afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me."

He instructed the rest of the servants with the rest of the herds to do the same, stressing they were to tell Esau that Jacob was coming from behind them.  He supposed that he would appease Esau with the presents, so that when he finally met up with his brother, his brother would be accepting of him.

(21) So the present went on over before him, but he himself lodged that night in the camp. (22) And he rose up that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford Jabbok. (23) And he took them and sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. (24a) And Jacob was left alone;

Jacob sent his servants with the herd presents on before him, and he stayed behind in the camp.  During the night he rose up and took his wives and their maids and his children and crossed over at a fordable place in the Jabbok, a stream east of the Jordan River.  Actually, he took his wives, servants, children, and all that he had with them over the brook, but he himself stayed behind alone.

(24b) ...and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

The second part of that verse has always been one of the strangest to me.  Who was the man who wrestled with Jacob all night long, and more importantly, why?  Hosea 12:4 tells us this was an angel, but why did he wrestle with Jacob?  Actually Hosea 12:4 may give some more insight in that it says Jacob wept and made supplication.  So far it sounds like a spiritual struggle.  He sent his family on ahead and he stayed behind and prayed in earnest.

(25) And when he saw that he did not prevail against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint as he wrestled with him.

Now it seems the wrestling was more than spiritual, but physical, as well.  There are all kinds of speculation as to what exactly the hollow of Jacob's thigh was, but something was physically put out of joint during this struggle.  Why was an angel trying to prevail against Jacob?  The original word, "yakol", means "to be able, can, could, may, might" or "endure".  I suppose the image here could still be one of a spiritual battle and Jacob fought all night long for what he wanted and didn't give up.  The angel saw that Jacob would not give up.  Depending on how animated Jacob got during his prayers that night, it is conceivable he could have dislocated something himself.  I am not trying to say that an angel of God didn't do it, but I am trying to make sense of why it happened.  I will refect on this more after I finish the rest of the description of the struggle.

(26) And he said, "Let me go, for the day breaks." And he said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." (27) And he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." (28) And he said, "Your name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for as a prince you have power with God and with men, and have prevailed."

The angel spoke as if Jacob had power to hold him.  I don't believe that is the case, and I don't think this was a spectre that couldn't be seen in the day, as some have speculated.  Angels of God often appeared in the daytime.  Perhaps the meaning is that day is breaking and the time had come for Jacob to rejoin his family.  But Jacob was not through praying; he wanted a blessing.  The angel of God, as a blessing, told Jacob that he would now be known as Israel, which literally meant "God prevails" or "he will rule as God".  Although the verse above said that the angel could not prevail against Jacob, it was actually God Who prevailed.  Jacob prevailed because he wanted the blessing of God more than anything.  His entire life Jacob sought the Lord.  From his very birth, he wanted to be first with God.  He wanted the birthright to get the spiritual blessings and promises of God.  I believe the lesson throughout the life of Jacob is that we should seek the Lord with all our hearts, minds, and strengths, for that is exactly what Jacob did and he prevailed with the ultimate blessing of God.

(29) And Jacob asked, and said, "Tell me your name, I pray." And he said, "Why is it that you ask about my name?" And He blessed him there.

Jacob wanted to know the name of the angelic being with whom he had struggled and received the blessing.  Perhaps he wanted confirmation that this was God Himself who had blessed him, but the angel declined his request.  It was unnecessary for Jacob to know his name, but sufficient that he had received God's blessing.

(30) And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, "for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

Even though he didn't get the name, it appears that Jacob was confident that he had just seen God.  He named the place Peniel, which literally meant "face of God" or "facing God".  Jacob acknowledged that his life had been preserved; he realized that in the presence of the God most high, he could have certainly been struck dead.  Jacob dared to wrestle with an angel of God and he lived; he understood the reality of this.

(31) And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he limped on his thigh.

Penuel is the same as Peniel, as the original word was either "penuel" or "peniyel".  As Jacob left Peniel, he indeed limped from his injury during his struggle with the angel.

(32) Therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sinew that shrank, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob's thigh in the sinew that shrank.

Even though a prominent mention was made here that until the day of this writing, the children of Israel did not eat this "sinew that shrank" because of the place on Jacob touched by the angel, still scholars do not know exactly what this place was.  It is pointed out that this practice was not founded on the law of Moses, but was a tradition, that Dr. John Gill writes was a subject of an entire chapter in the Jewish Mishnah, which is a collection of rabbinic traditions at the beginning of the third century after Christ, from what I have been able to gather.  This was an important event in the beginning of Israel that the Jewish people did not want to forget.  Jacob is the greatest example of one who continually and earnestly strived for the things of God.  All the scriptures that tell us how to contend for the faith can be summed up in the life and actions of Jacob.  To cite a few:

But if from there you shall seek the LORD thy God, you shall find Him, if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. - Deuteronomy 4:29

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. - Mark 12:30

Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say to you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. - Luke 13:24

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: - 2 Timothy 4:7

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write to you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. - Jude 1:3

Pray continually. - 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Laban's Final Deceit and Jacob's Flight From Haran

In my chronological Bible study, it is now time to get back to Jacob.

(1 Chronicles 2:1) These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun,

The last study recapped the life and descendants of Esau, and now I am going back to Esau's brother, Jacob, who will later be known as Israel.

(2) Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

All twelve sons of Jacob are listed in this passage in 1 Chronicles 2, although not all of them have been born yet in my study in Genesis.

(3) The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah; these three were born to him by the daughter of Shua, the Canaanitess. And Er, the firstborn of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and He slew him.

All I'm going to say about this passage is to question what it is doing here in this place in a chronological study!  As I have already begun a chronologically ordered study by Skip Andrews, I won't try to change course now, but I am pretty sure I will get back to the sons of Judah in Genesis, so I will not bother to study this now.  Now back to Genesis:

(Genesis 30:25) And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, "Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country."

In the study before the last one that was the recap of the life and descendants of Esau, Rachel had just borne a son, Joseph.  Apparently, Jacob's second seven years' servitude for Rachel (Gen. 29) had now expired.  Jacob asked Rachel and Leah's father, Laban, to let him go now to his own place in his own country.

(26) "Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you."

Jacob continued asking Laban to release him from service and to let him take his wives and children and go away from him, for Laban knew that he had fulfilled his service well.

(27) And Laban said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, stay, for I have learned by experience that the LORD has blessed me for your sake." (28) And he said, "Name me your wages, and I will give it."

Laban was not so eager to see Jacob go.  He could see that the Lord blessed Jacob, and he was therefore blessed because of Jacob.  He pleaded with Jacob to stay and offered to pay him whatever he wanted.

(29) And he said to him, "You know how I have served you and how your cattle was with me. (30) For it was little what you had before I came, and it is now increased to a great amount, and the LORD has blessed you since my coming; and now, when shall I provide for my own house also?"

Jacob expounded on the fact that the Lord had indeed blessed Laban since Jacob's coming, pointing out that he had little before Jacob came and he now had a great deal, but Jacob felt it was high time that he provide for his own family now.

(31) And he said, "What shall I give you?" And Jacob said, "You shall not give me anything; if you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: (32) I will pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown ones among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. (33) So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the sheep, will be considered stolen, if it is with me."

Laban persisted in wanting Jacob to name his fee for staying on with him.  Jacob devised a plan.  He would agree to take care of Laban's flocks, if he would allow Jacob to take the speckled and spotted ones (and brown sheep) and let him keep and take care of those for himself.  In this way, he could begin to increase and provide for his own family, as he cared for Laban's flocks.  It would be evident by the coloring which were of Laban's flocks and which were of Jacob's.

(34) And Laban said, "Oh, that it were according to your word!"

Laban thought that sounded like an excellent idea and agreed to it.

(35) And he removed that day the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, and every one that had some white in it, and all the brown among the sheep, and gave them into the hand of his sons. (36) And he set three days' journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban's flocks.

Laban SAID that he agreed to it, but then he removed all the streaked, speckled, and spotted (and brown sheep), and gave them to his own sons, and I am assuming set three days' journey between these and the rest of his flocks that Jacob would feed.  I don't see how he could set three days' journey between his flocks and Jacob's flocks if Jacob was to tend to them all himself, so I believe the meaning is that the ones he took out of his flocks he set three days' journey away from the rest so that Jacob would not find them.

(37) And Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the hazel and chestnut trees, and peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. (38) And he set the rods which he had peeled before the flocks in the gutters in the watering troughs when the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. (39) And the flocks conceived before the rods, and brought forth cattle streaked, speckled, and spotted.

By stripping away parts of the barks of the rods, Jacob made striped rods that he set before the flocks in the troughs and supposedly that made them conceive striped and streaked and speckled young.  It sounds odd and even seems like witchery until I get to the next chapter when Jacob tells his wives of Laban's deceit and God's plan to prosper Jacob in spite of it.  I have to believe that God probably told Jacob in a dream or vision to do this.

(40) And Jacob separated the lambs, and set the faces of the flocks toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; and he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban's flock.

As the flocks began to conceive streaked and speckled young, Jacob separated the flocks and positioned the solid colored of Laban's flocks facing toward the streaked and spotted, and in the same way looking at the striped rods would bring forth streaked young, so would looking at the streaked flocks.  Jacob kept his growing flocks separated from Laban's flocks.

(41) And it came to pass, whenever the stronger cattle conceived, that Jacob laid the rods before the eyes of the cattle in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. (42) But when the cattle were feeble, he did not put them in, so the feebler were Laban's and the stronger Jacob's. (43) And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

Jacob began to pick and choose the livestock he wanted to reproduce as streaked so that his flocks became stronger and thus were Laban's made weaker.  In this way, Jacob prospered exceedingly, and of course, it had to be by God's blessing, as there was no real magic in striped sticks.

(Genesis 31:1) And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, "Jacob has taken away all that was our father's, and of that which was our father's he has gotten all this glory." (2) And Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before. (3) And the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your family, and I will be with you."

Jacob began to hear the grumblings of Laban's sons that he had taken away all that was their father's to become great, and Laban began to treat him differently, as well.  It was then that the Lord told Jacob to return to the land of his fathers and that He would be with him.

(4) And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field to his flock, (5) And said to them, "I see your father's countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father has been with me."

Jacob called his wives out to the field of his flocks to tell them of the situation with their father.

(6) "And you know that with all my power I have served your father. (7) And your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me."

Jacob told his wives that he had served their father well, as they would well know, but that their father had deceived him and changed his wages more than once.  I don't think "ten" was meant literally, but it seemed to Jacob Laban was constantly changing what he had told him he would pay him.  Laban had deceived Jacob into 14 years' service instead of the seven Jacob had first agreed to for Rachel.  When Laban told Jacob he could have all the spotted and speckled of the flock, he then took those from the flocks and hid them three days' journey from Jacob.  As Jacob continued telling his wives of Laban's deceit and fraud, it sounds like there may have been more agreements than the reader of these accounts may have known, so maybe "ten" was a literal number after all.  As Jacob related these events to his wives, he told them that regardless of what Laban had tried to do to hurt him, God did not allow it.

(8) "If he said thus, 'The speckled shall be your wages', then all the cattle bore speckled; and if he said thus, 'The streaked shall be your wages', then all the cattle bore streaked. (9) Thus God has taken away the cattle of your father and given them to me."

Here it does seem like there may have been more agreements and changes to their agreements than we knew, but whatever Laban tried to do, Jacob recognized that it was God working in Jacob's favor against Laban's deceit, and it was in that way that Jacob had taken the flocks from Laban, from honest agreements on his part, not from any theft.

(10) "And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were streaked, speckled, and spotted. (11) And the angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, 'Jacob.' And I said, 'Here am I.' (12) And He said, 'Lift up your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the cattle are streaked, speckled, and spotted; for I have seen all that Laban does to you. (13) I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me; now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.'"

Indeed, Jacob had seen in a dream or vision that God had made the flocks streaked, speckled, and spotted, because He saw Laban's deceitful acts and plans.  He declared He was the same God who had appeared to Jacob at the place he called Bethel where he had had the dream of the ladder and where he had erected the stone and made the vow to God.  God now told Jacob to leave this land and return to the land of his family, and this Jacob relayed to his wives.

(14) And Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there still any portion or inheritance for us in our father's house? (15) Are we not counted by him as strangers? For he has sold us, and has quite devoured also our money. (16) For all the riches which God has taken from our father, that is ours and our children's; now then, whatever God has said to you, do it."

Rachel and Leah could see that they had been treated as things by their father, and that he had never intended to give them any inheritance.  Anything he made from his deals with Jacob, he had apparently kept and spent on himself.  The wives of Jacob felt that anything God had allowed their husband to take from their father they should have had coming as an inheritance anyway, so they were in full agreement that whatever God had told Jacob, they should do.

(17) Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; (18) And he carried away all his cattle and all his goods which he had gotten, his acquired cattle which he had gotten in Padan Aram, to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan.

Jacob took his family and all his acquired possessions and headed back to Canaan, the land of his father Isaac.

(19) And Laban went to shear his sheep, and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father's.

Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and this would have been an ideal time to steal away unbeknownst to him, but Rachel had taken some things that were her father's.  What they were exactly is pretty much a mystery, and any one of many Biblical scholars' guesses.  The original word for "images" here is "teraphim" which seems to mean, gathered from its mentions in other parts of the Bible, some sort of image or idol used in a household shrine or for worship.  There are three uses of "teraphim" in Judges and one in Hosea where the words "teraphim" and "image" are both used in the same sentence, so merely "image" doesn't appear to be its full meaning, so that sort of puts the quietus on the suggestion by some that these were just family images, like portraits of sorts, of family members that Rachel wanted for her own.  Indeed, the other uses of the word in scripture make it sound like it was a sort of superstitious talisman, perhaps used in sorcery.  Some suggest that Rachel stole them so that her father would not be able to consult them to know where they had gone, but I wouldn't think that after so many years with Jacob, Rachel would give any credence to such false idols.  She certainly doesn't treat them with respect as will be pointed out in a later scripture.  Based on what Rachel and Leah had said in verses 14-16 above, I think it is more likely that even if Laban considered them idols of worship with perhaps some power, Rachel may have stolen them simply because they may have had some value and she felt she was entitled to some inheritance.  That doesn't make it right to take something of her father's, but it does explain why she might want these idols.

(20) And Jacob stole away, unknown to Laban the Syrian, in that he did not tell him that he fled. (21) So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up and crossed the river, and headed toward the mount Gilead.

It does seem that for the time being, Jacob had stolen away with all his family and his possessions, unbeknownst to Laban, and had gotten a good distance away.

(22) And Laban was told on the third day that Jacob had fled. (23) And he took his brethren with him and pursued after him seven days' journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead.

Since it was three days before Laban knew Jacob was gone, it would seem he was tending his flocks that he originally separated and kept three days' journey from Jacob.  Otherwise, I would think he would have discovered Jacob was no longer tending his flocks as he may have felt they still had an agreement for Jacob to do.  When Laban found out Jacob and his family were gone, he pursued him with his brethren, which may have been his actual brothers, or may have been other relations or maybe just friends and/or neighbors.  Because Jacob had a three day head start, it took Laban seven days to catch up, but he eventually did.

(24) And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said to him, "Take heed that you not speak to Jacob either good or bad."

Probaby this vision of God came to Laban right before he actually overtook Jacob.  God warned Laban not to speak good or bad, probably meaning to keep the speech generic with no promises of good if he were to stay or no accusations of bad because of the stolen images, for examples.

(25) Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount; and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead.

It does appear that it was after the dream that Laban actually reached Jacob.  Jacob and his family were already in tents on the mount, and now Laban and his brethren pitched tents there, too.

(26) And Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my daughters like captives taken with the sword? (27) Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not tell me, that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with timbrel and with harp?"

Up to this point, Laban had been careful to say neither good nor bad, but simply asked Jacob why he felt the need to steal away secretly like a thief in the night.  Based on previous experiences, I don't believe Laban would have readily let them go and with celebration to boot, but he at least pretended that might have been his intention if Jacob had not stolen away secretly.

(28) "And have not allowed me to kiss my sons and my daughters. You have now done foolishly in so doing. (29) It is in the power of my hand to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Take heed that you not speak to Jacob either good or bad.' (30) And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father's house, yet why have you stolen my gods?"

Laban got a little close to speaking bad when he told Jacob he had acted foolishly and that it was within his right to do harm to Jacob, but he told Jacob of his dream of God telling him not to speak either good or bad to Jacob, so he returned to a generic comment and another question--why did he steal his gods?  Rather than "teraphim", the stolen items were called "elohiym" or "gods" by Laban, indicating he probably did use them for some sort of worship.

(31) And Jacob answered and said to Laban, "Because I was afraid, for I said perhaps you would take your daughters from me by force. (32) With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live; before our brethren, discern what is yours with me and take it with you." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

Jacob answered the first questions about why he had stolen away secretly.  He was afraid that Laban would not let them go and might take his daughters from him by force, perhaps changing his wages yet again.  As far as the stolen gods, Jacob had no idea that Rachel had taken them and was so confident that Laban would not find them with him or his company, that he told Laban to kill whoever had taken his gods and to take whatever he considered his.

(33) And Laban went into Jacob's tent, and into Leah's tent, and into the two maids' tents, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah's tent and entered into Rachel's tent. (34) Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel's furniture, and sat on them. And Laban searched all the tent but did not find them.

Laban looked diligently for his gods or images in the tents of Jacob, Leah, the maids, and now searched Rachel's tent.  Rachel was in her tent and had hidden the images in what sounds like the camel's saddle and sat upon the saddle.  Rachel's act of sitting upon "gods" would seem to be one of disrepect if she had any reverence for these false gods; that is why I don't think she revered them as idols of worship, but probably just for their monetary value, or maybe she just felt it was within her right to take something her father valued because he had taken away any inheritance from her, and maybe she didn't really value them at all.

(35) And she said to her father, "Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before you, for the custom of women is upon me." And he searched but did not find the images.

I always thought this was rather amusing.  Just in case Laban would decide to look under Rachel, she told her father she was having her period!  Laban searched everywhere else, and of course, did not find the images.

(36) And Jacob was angry and argued with Laban, and Jacob answered and said to Laban: "What is my trespass? What is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me? (37) Although you have searched all my stuff, what have you found of all your household stuff? Set it here before my brethren and your brethren, that they may judge between us both."

By now, Jacob was angry with Laban's intrusion and his apparent (to Jacob) false accusations.  He challenged Laban to put before them all his personal property he had found among Jacob's group and let their brethren judge between them.

(38) "These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried their young, and I have not eaten the rams of your flock. (39) That which was torn by beasts I did not bring to you, I bore the loss of it; you required it from my hand, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. (40) There I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night, and my sleep departed from my eyes. (41) Thus I have been in your house twenty years; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your cattle, and you have changed my wages ten times."

Jacob did not hold back and told Laban how he had served him for 20 years.  He told him how he had treated him more than fairly, absorbing any losses himself.  Day in and day out, no matter what the weather, and for as long as it took, even if he lost sleep, Jacob had served Laban well.  He pointed out that Laban had not treated Jacob as fairly, but had changed his wages ten times, whether that is literal or figurative, I don't really know.

(42) "Had not the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, been with me, surely you would have sent me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night."

Jacob continued his tirade to Laban.  He finished by saying if it hadn't been for God and the reverence and fear for Him that he undountedly learned from his father Isaac, that he knew Laban would have sent him away empty-handed.  It was God who had seen how Laban treated him as he described to Laban above, and it was God who rebuked Laban in the dream because of it.

(43) And Laban answered and said to Jacob, "These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that you see is mine; and what can I do this day to these my daughters or to their children whom they have borne?"

Laban didn't deny anything Jacob said, but he pointed out that these were his daughters and grandchildren, and his flocks, or at least young that came from his very flocks.  He saw all these as his own and would not do anything to hurt any of them.

(44) "Now therefore, come, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it be for a witness between you and me." (45) And Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. (46) And Jacob said to his brethren, "Gather stones"; and they took stones and made a heap, and they ate there on the heap. (47) And Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, but Jacob called it Galeed.

Laban asked that they come to a peaceful agreement, and Jacob set up a stone as a pillar to serve as a sign of their agreement.  They heaped stones around or beside it and then ate there at the heap.  Laban called the place Jegar Sahadutha, which literally meant "heap of the testimony" or "witness heap" in his Syrian language.  Jacob called the place Galeed, which literally meant the same, but was in his Hebrew language.

(48) And Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me this day." Therefore its name was called Galeed, (49) And Mizpah, for he said, "The LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another.

Laban proclaimed that the heap would serve as a witness to their covenant.  It was called Galeed by Jacob, as already cited, but it was also called Mizpah, which literally meant "watchtower", because the Lord would watch over them when they were absent from one another and see to it that they adhered to their covenant.

(50) If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters; no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me."

As a "for instance", Laban declared that if Jacob ever did anything to harm his daughters or if he took new wives, although no man might be there to see, God would see and would be a witness.  Laban appears to show a kindness and affection for his daughters, although up to this point, he had treated them more like property.

(51) And Laban said to Jacob, "Here is this heap and here is this pillar, which I have placed between you and me. (52) This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to you, and that you will not pass over this heap and this pillar to me, for harm. (53) The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." And Jacob swore by the fear of his father Isaac.

Actually, Jacob was the one who placed the pillar, but I suppose Laban was in agreement that it be set, and he and his brethren helped to pile the heap.  The heap wasn't really meant to be a boundary between them, but the meaning was that they would do no harm to one another.  It appears that Laban may have sworn by more than one god, the true God of Abraham, and the false gods of Terah.  I guess he thought he was covering all his bases, unless he realized the God of Abraham was the God of all, but regardless, Jacob swore by the one true God feared and revered by his father, Isaac.

(54) Then Jacob offered sacrifice on the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread; and they ate bread and stayed all night on the mount. (55) And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them; and Laban departed and returned to his place.

Jacob offered a sacrifice and it appears that Laban and his company stayed with Jacob's on the mount all night, and then Laban departed the next morning, after kissing and blessing his daughters and his granchildren.  The same Laban who had tracked them down, and by his own admission in so many words, probably had the intention of doing them harm, now kissed and blessed them and departed from them in peace, after his dream from God.

The Posterity of Esau

As I am following a chronological reading schedule of the Bible by Skip Andrews, I am skipping ahead a few chapters to begin this study in Genesis chapter 36.  Since Jacob and Esau were twins, their lives were parallel, so it's time to see what Esau has been up to:

(Genesis 36:1) Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

We were told in Genesis 25:30 that Esau was called Edom, which means "red", because of the red stew for which he traded his birthright.  However, if we back up to verse 25 in that same chapter, we were told that Esau was born red and hairy.  He was named Esau, which Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Definitions tells us means "hairy"; he is also called Edom, for the red part.

(2) Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite;

We were previously told that Esau had taken Canaanite wives which greatly grieved his parents (Gen. 26:34-35).  It is unclear if these wives are the same as the ones mentioned in that passage, or these are in addition to those wives.  It is very possible that Adah and Bashemath (from Gen. 26:34) are names for the same person as each is called the daughter of Elon the Hittite.  As for Aholibamah, she is said here to be the daughter of Anah and also the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; that is the way that should read, I believe.  Later in verse 24, we are told that Anah is the son of Zibeon, and we know "the child of" often means "descendant of" in the Bible, so Aholibamah is a descendant of both Anah and Zibeon.  I see no way of connecting Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite (from Gen. 26:34) to Aholibamah here, so they must be different wives.  

(3) And Bashemath Ishmael's daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

This is a continuation of verse 2, naming another of Esau's wives.  This definitely appears to be the same woman as Mahalath from Genesis 28:9 as both are called daughters of Ishmael and sisters of Nebajoth.

(4) And Adah bore Eliphaz to Esau, and Bashemath bore Reuel. (5) And Aholibamah bore Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah; these were the sons of Esau who were born to him in the land of Canaan.

Now Esau's children are mentioned.  Perhaps the wives listed above are the ones mentioned because they are the ones who gave Esau children, perhaps explaining why Judith from Genesis 26:34 is not mentioned.  Although I didn't personally read the ancient writings myself, Dr. John Gill wrote that Jerome and Jonathan in the early centuries after Christ (A.D. 200-400) said that this Eliphaz is the same friend of Job that came to visit him.  That Eliphaz was called a Temanite, and Tema was a son of Ishmael.  I suppose it could be true, but what stands out to me in my personal study is that I am supposed to be studying a chronological reading of the Bible and I was instructed to read Job before Abraham, and this is the second time Temanites have been mentioned, meaning at least the life of Abraham and perhaps those of his children, should have been read chronologically before Job, but it's too late for that now.  I certainly digress. The sons of Esau born to him in the land of Canaan were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.

(6) And Esau took his wives, and his sons, and his daughters, and all the persons of his house, and his cattle and all his animals, and all his substance which he had gotten in the land of Canaan, and went to a country away from the face of his brother Jacob.

Esau apparently had daughters, too, although those were not named.  He took his entire family and household and left the land of Canaan away from his brother Jacob.

(7) For their riches were too great for them to dwell together, and the land where they were strangers could not support them because of their cattle.  (8) So Esau dwelt in Mount Seir; Esau is Edom.

They were still sojourners and not possessors in the land of Canaan, so they still had the land's inhabitants to dwell among, and there was not room for both Jacob and Esau there, so Esau moved to Mt. Seir.  Again we are reminded that Esau is also called Edom, probably to explain why his descendants are called Edomites in the next verse.

(9) And these are the generations of Esau the father of the Edomites in Mount Seir: (10) These are the names of Esau's sons: Eliphaz the son of Adah the wife of Esau, and Reuel the son of Bashemath the wife of Esau.

Here begins a genealogy of Esau.  His sons are listed again, one might assume in a chronological order, with Eliphaz being his oldest son by his wife Adah, and Reuel his second son by his wife Bashemath. 

(11) And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz.

The firstborn son of Eliphaz was Teman, which may be more likely the namesake of the Temanites, which identifies the Eliphaz in Job.  It seems there is discrepancy among scholars as to whether the city of Teman was named for Tema, the son of Ishmael, or more likely for Teman, the grandson of Esau.

(12) And Timna was the concubine of Eliphaz, Esau's son, and she bore Amalek to Eliphaz; these were the sons of Adah, Esau's wife.

Amalek was the father of the Amalekites who were bitter enemies of the Jews.  As a son of Eliphaz's concubine, he is added to the list of "sons", or actually grandsons that were borne by Adah.

(13) And these are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah; these were the sons of Bashemath, Esau's wife.

The "sons", or more precisely grandsons that came from Esau's wife Bashemath, were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah, none of whom are mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, other than perhaps if they occur in a genealogy.

(14) And these were the sons of Aholibamah, Esau's wife, the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon; and she bore to Esau Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah.

Esau's sons by Aholibamah are listed again with no sons of theirs mentioned.

(15) These were dukes of the sons of Esau: the sons of Eliphaz the firstborn son of Esau, duke Teman, duke Omar, duke Zepho, duke Kenaz,

A duke was a captain or a governor, but could also be a head of family.  Sons and grandsons of Esau are listed as dukes or leaders of some sort.

(16) Duke Korah, duke Gatam, and duke Amalek; these were the dukes of Eliphaz in the land of Edom; these were the sons of Adah.

Korah is inserted here as a son of Adah.  There is a Korah who is a son of Aholibamah, but as he is mentioned later among her sons, I don't believe this is the same Korah, unless he was mistakenly mentioned twice.  1 Chronicles 1:36 lists these sons of Eliphaz and adds Timna.  Timna was also the name of Eliphaz's concubine, so perhaps Korah is another son of Timna who was also identified by his mother's name.   

(17) And these are the sons of Reuel, Esau's son: duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah; these are the dukes of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife. (18) And these are the sons of Aholibamah Esau's wife: duke Jeush, duke Jaalam, duke Korah; these were the dukes of Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, Esau's wife. (19) These are the sons of Esau, who is Edom, and these are their dukes.

The list of dukes from Esau's sons and grandsons continues.

(20) These are the sons of Seir the Horite, who inhabited the land: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, and Anah, (21) And Dishon, and Ezer, and Dishan; these are the dukes of the Horites, the children of Seir in the land of Edom.

Now we have a description of the original inhabitants of the land, the sons of Seir the Horite, first mentioned in Genesis 14:6.  Anah is listed as a son, but I believe he is the son of Zibeon as discovered above, but just as grandsons of Esau were called sons, all these are descendant sons of Seir, and also called dukes. 

(22) And the children of Lotan were Hori and Hemam; and Lotan's sister was Timna.

Seir's son Lotan's children are mentioned, probably to show the relationship of Timna, who became Eliphaz's concubine, and mother of his son Amalek, and possibly another son known by Timna or Korah.

(23) And the children of Shobal were these: Alvan, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam.

The sons of Shobal, the second son of Seir, are listed.

(24) And these are the children of Zibeon: both Ajah and Anah; this was the Anah who found the mules in the wilderness, as he fed the donkeys of Zibeon his father.

The third son of Seir is Zibeon and his sons are listed, including Anah, who was listed as the fourth "son" of Seir.  Anah is described to the reader who would know the story, although we have not been privy to it.  There is no consensus among historians as to what this story might be.  Some believe that Anah may have discovered breeding horses with donkeys produced mules, but I tend to believe the second story.  The word translated as "mules" is "yem" and also thought to mean "warm or hot springs", so he probably discovered hot springs.  In fact, the meaning is uncertain, as it is used only one time in all of scripture.  Readers of the day may have known what this Anah was famous for, but we just have to take their word for it.  It could be this Anah was being described to distinguish him from another Anah, and therein lies the problem of trying to decipher who all these people are who are only mentioned once or twice.   

(25) And the children of Anah were these: Dishon, and Aholibamah the daughter of Anah.

It appears this Dishon was named after his uncle who was mentioned in verse 21 as a son of Seir.  I suppose it's possible we also have an Anah named after his uncle Anah, and maybe Zibeon is a brother to one and a father to another.  Whew!  It's easy to get bogged down in the "weeds".  I believe the true intent of mentioning this genealogy of Seir and the original inhabitants of the land is to show how the Edomites married into this group of people.  Timna, Esau's son Eliphaz's concubine and the mother of Eliphaz's son Amalek, was a descendant of Seir, as was Aholibamah, who became Esau's wife.

(26) And these are the children of Dishon: Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

This appears to go back to the uncle Dishon, the son of Seir, and names his children.

(27) The children of Ezer are these: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Akan. (28) The children of Dishan are these: Uz and Aran.

The children of the last two sons of Seir are listed, none particularly noteworthy except perhaps Uz, for whom the land of Uz may have been named.

(29) These are the dukes of the Horites: duke Lotan, duke Shobal, duke Zibeon, duke Anah, (30) Duke Dishon, duke Ezer, and duke Dishan; these are the dukes of Hori, among their dukes in the land of Seir.

All the sons of Seir are listed as dukes.  Hori was Lotan's son and Seir's grandson.  It would seem the Horites were called so after him, in the land of Seir, the original inhabitant of the land.

(31) And these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.

Next we begin a list of kings who reigned in the land that would become known as the land of Edom, called so after Esau.  It is unclear whether these are kings who reigned before, during, or after the time it became known as Edom.  There are scholars who believe the dukes of Esau rose up to take over from the kings.  There are others, as I found when I read these accounts in 1 Chronicles 1 below, who believe these kings came from Esau.  I honestly do not know, nor can I tell from scripture, but obviously the Edomites came to power and had some dominion, as was prophesied by Isaac to his Esau in Genesis 27.  There has been much discussion among Biblical scholars as to how Moses, who supposedly wrote the first five books of the Bible, could have mentioned any possibility that there would ever be a king over Israel when they had no king in his lifetime.  I see no problem with this as Moses evidently wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  There are many prophetic pictures of the coming Christ found in these books written by him.

(32) And Bela the son of Beor reigned in Edom, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. (33) And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. (34) And Jobab died, and Husham of the land of Temani reigned in his place.

A succession of kings is begun, but I don't see any noteworthy names, except perhaps that the land of Temani may be so-called after Teman, the son of Eliphaz (Esau's son) above.  If that is so, then it does seem there is an influence of the family of Esau during the reign of kings in the land.

(35) And Husham died, and Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Avith.

Again we have an aside, a description of this Bedad that the original reader would have known, but one of someone of whom we have not been made aware.  It is possible that the Midian he attacked was Abraham's son by Keturah, and that would have been noteworthy to the early reader.

(36) And Hadad died, and Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. (37) And Samlah died, and Saul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his place. (38) And Saul died, and Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place.

The succession of kings who reigned in the land of Edom continues with no especially noteworthy names.

(39) And Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor died, and Hadar reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pau; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

Hadar appears to be the last of the kings in this land.  His wife seems to be a person of note because of the particular mention of her and her ancestors, but once again, we present-day readers don't really know who she is.  Dr. John Gill supposes that this monarchy was put to an end "by the united familes of Seir and Esau, and changed into dukedoms; of which there were seven of the race of Seir, and fourteen of the race of Esau, of whom an account is given in the preceding part of this chapter..."  I say "supposes" because I haven't found any other historical evidence for his assertion.  The other early commentaries I study are silent on this.

(40) And these are the names of the dukes that came of Esau, according to their families, after their places, by their names: duke Timnah, duke Alvah, duke Jetheth,

Dr. Gill continues his thought that after the monarchy ceased, the government in Edom was by dukes partly by the race of Seir and partly by the race of Esau.  He points out that neither Esau nor the sons of his first two wives are called dukes, only his sons by his last wife and his grandsons, which seems to show that the dukedoms were not immediate in the land, but may have occurred later when an end was put to the monarchy by "the joint influence of Seir and Esau".

I now turn to Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament which points out that "the names which follow are not a second list of Edomitish tribe-princes (viz., of those who continued the ancient constitution, with its hereditary aristocracy, after Hadar's death), but merely relate to the capital cities of the old phylarchs, is evident from the expression in the heading, 'After their places, by their names,' as compared with Gen 36:43, 'According to their habitations in the land of their possession.'"  In this statement, I don't know if this commentary is refuting the idea set forth by Dr. Gill or not.  K & D continues that since that is the intention of the list, it should come to no surprise that only two names in this list correspond to those given in Genesis 36:15-19.  "This proves nothing more than that only two of the capitals received their names from the princes who captured or founded them, viz., Timnah and Kenaz."  (Actually, I personally thought Teman was one, too, mentioned in verse 42 with Kenaz.)  I am relieved to know I don't have to research where all the these new dukes came from!  If I am interpreting this correctly, we formerly already read a list of some of the dukes that came initially from Esau's sons and grandsons, and now we have more who have names of cities corresponding to their names that have perhaps sprung up since the beginning of the dukedoms of Esau.  Perhaps we are being shown how the Edomites grew in the region.  I have to say I feel like I have spent a long time trapped in the weeds in this study by names that really don't have any more significance in the Bible.  It was important to the early reader and it is significant in that out of Esau grew a mighty people.  The lists of dukes from Esau continues:

(41) Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon,

As there appeared to be a son of Eliphaz, Esau's son, known by his mother's name, Timna, there appears to be a son known as Aholibamah, and evidently a place also known by that name.

(42) Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, (43) Duke Magdiel, duke Iram; these are the dukes of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession; Esau is the father of the Edomites.

It is important to note that as the posterity of Esau grew, his descendants came to take possession of the land of Seir.  In verses 6-8 above, Esau first went to Mount Seir, and by the time this chapter ended, many dukes have come from the line of Esau and they possess the land formerly held by Seir and a line of kings.

As this is a chronological Bible study, my reading now turns to 1 Chronicles 1:35 where the genealogy of Esau is recapped:

(1 Chronicles 1:35) The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. (36) The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and Timna and Amalek. (37) The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. (38) And the sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.

I find it interesting that in this genealogy in 1 Chronicles 1, which is a genealogy starting with Adam, that Seir is introduced in it along with Esau.  Seir was not of the race of Esau, but as Esau's family married into his, and Esau's descendants eventually overtook his land, I suppose he has an important role in the line of Esau.

(39) And the sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam; and Timna was Lotan's sister. (40) The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. And the sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah.

Alian was written as Alvan before.  The original name appears to be the same:  Alvan or Alyan, originally meaning "tall".

(41) The son of Anah was Dishon. And the sons of Dishon were Amram, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.

Amram appears to be the same as Hemdan in Genesis 36:26.  The original name was either "Chemdan" or "Chamran", probably depending on the handwriting on the particular early manuscript first read.

(42) The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran. (43) Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah;

Again I find it peculiar that a list of kings who reigned before and/or during the time the Edomites were growing and taking possession of the land, would be included in a genealogy that started with Adam and concluded with the families of the sons of Isaac.  The 1599 Geneva Bible Translation Notes supposes that these are kings who came from Esau, and although I was not sure about that when I was studying Esau's descendants in Genesis 36, it certainly does seem to fit now that they are included in a genealogy along with a description of Esau's descendants.  As I have supposed all along, at the very least, these genealogies of Esau show how his power and dominion grew, and show how he intermarried with the original inhabitants of the land.

(44) And when Bela was dead, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place; (45) And when Jobab was dead, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place; (46) And when Husham was dead, Hadad the son of Bedad, who attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place, and the name of his city was Avith. (47) And when Hadad was dead, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. (48) And when Samlah was dead, Shaul of Rehoboth by the river reigned in his place. (49) And when Shaul was dead, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. (50) And when Baal-Hanan was dead, Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was Pai; and his wife's name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab.

The list of kings continues pretty much as it did in Genesis 36, with a few variations in spellings.

(51) Hadad died also. And the dukes of Edom were duke Timnah, duke Aliah, duke Jetheth,

"Hadad died also."  Then begins a list of the dukes of Edom.  This makes it sound as if the monarchy ended and then the dukedoms of Edom began.  As I've said before, whether they are part of Esau's descendants or not, they played a part in making Edom what it was, and that is about as much as I am going to get out of this study! 

(52) Duke Aholibamah, duke Elah, duke Pinon, (53) Duke Kenaz, duke Teman, duke Mibzar, (54) Duke Magdiel, duke Iram. These are the dukes of Edom.

As I am happy to be finished with this cumbersome genealogy, I will reflect on the fact that genealogies were important in Biblical times.  All these descendants of Esau could trace their lineage back to Abraham, and that was of utmost importance to the people back then, as that made them a part of the blessings and promises that God made to Abraham and his descendants.

I Am Not Ashamed

This and most of my blog posts of late are my study notes from a chronological Bible study I am currently doing.  As I truly believe that all the world's problems could be solved by intimately knowing God and His plan for our salvation in Jesus, I write to share His Word with my personal thoughts, and also sharing some insights I receive from some of the great commentaries from centuries past.  I prefer the older teachings, because I truly believe in recent years we have lost our way.  We want to mold scripture into what we believe for our current culture.  We want to worship a god of our own devices.  There is only salvation in the one true God of the Bible, and I know when we truly seek Him, He will be found and He will reveal His truth to us.  This blog is my little way of saying I know this to be true and I am not ashamed to tell the world this is how I try to live privately and publicly.  I wish everyone would seek the true God of the Bible and discover what He said about Himself, and that is why I repost Bible scripture, even though it is out there in millions of places.  God's Word is life, and I truly wish it for everyone.

Picking up in the 30th chapter of Genesis:

(Genesis 30:1) And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, "Give me children, or else I die!" (2) And Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, "Am I in God's place, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?"

The beautiful Rachel who had the true love of her husband now envied her sister.  She made the unreasonable demand to her husband that he give her not just one child, but children, or she would fret herself to death.  Her ugly jealous demands made Jacob angry.  It was not his fault that she had had no children; it was, of course, God who had withheld children from her.

(3) And she said, "Behold my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear upon my knees, that I also may have children by her."

Perhaps Rachel was not being as unreasonable as it first sounded.  She surely knew it wasn't in Jacob's power to give her children of her own, but it was in his power to take her maid and give her children that way.  Bilhah would bear a child upon Rachel's knees which sounds like Rachel would be there in labor receiving the child immediately and taking it as her own. 

(4) And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid as wife, and Jacob went in to her. (5) And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. (6) And Rachel said, "God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and has given me a son." Therefore she called his name Dan.

Jacob agreed to take Bilhah as a wife, and she conceived and bore a son.  Rachel named the baby Dan, which literally meant "judge", because she felt God had judged her and her situation.  God had heard her plea for a child and gave her one through her maid.  She felt righteously judged by God in that He had blessed her with a child according to her plan.

(7) And Bilhah, Rachel's maid, conceived again, and bore Jacob a second son. (8) And Rachel said, "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed." And she called his name Naphtali.

Rachel's maid had another son, and Rachel named this one Naphtali, which meant "wrestling", because it represented the great wrestlings she felt she had had with her sister.  Obviously, there had not really been wrestling on the part of Leah; she just naturally bore children.  But with the envious human nature of Rachel, she saw herself in a contest with her sister, and she had prevailed.

(9) When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife.

So now it appears it has become a contest!  Leah, not content with the first four sons she bore to Jacob, witnessed what Rachel had done in giving her maid to Jacob, and it would seem decided she might have more children that way, too.  It might be argued that Leah simply did this as a natural next step because she had stopped bearing, but I don't think so.  With the great dramatic emotion Rachel first used to get Jacob to take her maid as wife, it doesn't seem that that was the routine way of doing things.  I am pretty sure we can assume that Leah has taken her place in this rivalry.

(10) And Zilpah Leah's maid bore Jacob a son. (11) And Leah said, "A troop comes", and she called his name Gad.

Leah's maid did bear Jacob a son, and she called his name Gad, meaning "troop" or "fortune".  She herself explained her choice of names by saying, "A troop comes".  It appears she meant her good fortune with a troop of children, whether she meant at the present, or that they would now come with Zilpah helping her.

(12) And Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. (13) And Leah said, "I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed." And she called his name Asher.

Zilpah, Leah's maid, bore Jacob another son, and Leah called his name Asher, which meant "happy" or "blessed".  She spoke of both meanings when she explained her choice of names.

(14) And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes." (15) And she said to her, "Is it a small matter that you have taken my husband? And would you take my son's mandrakes also?" And Rachel said, "Therefore he will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrakes."

Meanwhile, Jacob's firstborn son, Reuben, has grown, and was in the field one day during harvest and found some mandrakes, and Rachel asked for some.  Apparently, Leah still felt slighted, even after her maid had given Jacob more children.  As for Rachel, some scholars think the mandrake mentioned here was an aphrodisiac that would help with conception, so that may explain why she wanted them so.

(16) And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him and said, "You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son's mandrakes." And he lay with her that night.

Ironically, Jacob, who had taken his brother's birthright in exchange for food, was now himself traded for mandrakes. 

(17) And God hearkened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. (18) And Leah said, "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband." And she called his name Issachar.

God heard Leah's prayer and granted the desire of her heart, that she should have another child.  She called this son's name Issachar, which literally meant "there is recompense" or "he will bring a reward".  She decided herself that God had paid her for her mandrakes and rewarded her because she had given her maid to her husband.  Of course, God requested no such thing of her, but that was her reasoning.  However, it is true that God blessed her with another child.

(19) And Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. (20) And Leah said, "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons." And she called his name Zebulun.

Leah bore another son, her sixth, and Jacob's tenth.  She named this son Zebulun, which meant "habitation" or "dwelling", because she believed that surely her husband would live with her all the time, since she had borne him six sons.

(21) And afterwards she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.

After bearing Jacob six sons, Leah bore a daughter she named Dinah, meaning "judgment" or "justice".  She probably not only thought God had judged her favorably, but maybe decided He had even judged in her favor over Rachel, by giving her so many children.

(22) And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her and opened her womb. (23) And she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach." (24) And she called his name Joseph, and said, "The LORD shall add to me another son."

Then God remembered Rachel--not that He had ever forgotten her, but He now answered her prayer and gave her a son.  She considered her barrenness a reproach and a disgrace, but felt God had taken that away.  She named the child Joseph, which literally meant "Jehovah has added", because indeed the Lord had done just that.

This is not the end of this chapter, but as I am following a chronological Bible reading schedule by Skip Andrews, this is where the study ends for now.

God's Grace in the Origin of Israel and Christianity

Continuing my chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 29:1) Then Jacob went on his journey and came into the land of the people of the east. (2) And he looked and beheld a well in the field; and lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it, for out of that well they watered the flocks, and a large stone was on the well's mouth. (3) And there were all the flocks gathered; and they rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again in its place on the well's mouth.

Jacob continued on his way to Laban, his mother Rebekah's brother, as she and Isaac had directed him, to marry a woman from among his mother's people, and to flee from his brother Esau who wanted to kill him.  He came to the land east of Canaan and saw a well in the field where flocks of sheep lay.  He observed that there was a large stone at the well's mouth that the shepherds rolled away to water their flocks, and then rolled it back in place after watering.

(4) And Jacob said to them, "My brethren, where are you from?"; and they said, "We are from Haran." (5) And he said to them, "Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?"; and they said, "We know him." (6) And he said to them, "Is he well?"; And they said, "He is well; and look, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep".

Jacob spoke to the shepherds to ask where they were from.  They were from Haran which is where he was headed, so he asked if they knew Laban, his mother's brother.  They said they knew him and that he was well, and just look who happened to be coming to water her sheep, but Rachel, Laban's daughter.  Divine providence had brought Jacob to the very field and well where he would meet Laban's daughter; God was indeed with him as He had said He would be. 

(7) And he said, "Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them".

Is Jacob trying to get rid of the shepherds so that he may meet Rachel alone?  Here he is a stranger telling the local shepherds to go ahead and water the sheep and go feed them.

(8) And they said, "We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well's mouth; then we water the sheep".

Apparently, Jacob did not actually observe the shepherds rolling the stone from the well's mouth as described in verse 3.  That was just an explanation of the large stone in front of the well and why it was there.  The shepherds told Jacob they could not yet leave until all the flocks had come, at which time they would roll the stone one time and all the sheep would be watered.

(9) And while he yet spoke with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she kept them.

While Jacob was still talking to the shepherds, Rachel came to the well with her father's sheep, as she took care of them.  Interestingly, the name Rachel literally means "ewe", a female sheep.

(10) And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

Maybe Jacob's intention all along was to get the stone moved so that Rachel might water her sheep as soon as she got there.  The shepherds waited and were too slow, so Jacob apparently moved the stone himself, and watered Rachel's flock.  It may have been a chivalrous act directed toward Rachel, but the way the scripture keeps repeating "Laban his mother's brother", I'm sure it was out of respect to his mother's family, as well.

(11) And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept.

My first impulse was, wow, Jacob moves fast!  But then I remembered that in Biblical times, people often kissed on the cheek as a way of greeting a friend.  Jacob must be overcome by emotion at the realization that God has brought him directly to his mother's brother's daughter.

(12) And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebekah's son, and she ran and told her father.

Jacob explained to Rachel who he was, probably in explanation of his demonstration of love and emotion, and she ran to tell her father.

(13) And it came to pass, when Laban heard the report of Jacob his sister's son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. And he told Laban all these things.

Laban happily met and greeted his sister's son and brought him to his house.  Jacob told Laban all the things leading to his being there, probably about Esau and his vision that God would be with him, which surely brought him right to Rachel.

(14) And Laban said to him, "Surely you are my bone and my flesh." And he stayed with him for a month. (15) And Laban said to Jacob, "Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?"

Laban happily let his relative, his sister's son, live with him.  Apparently, after a month, and evidently, all the while with Jacob helping him out about his house and land, he told Jacob that he should be paid for all he did to help him.  He asked Jacob what he would like for his wages to be.

(16) And Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. (17) Leah was tender eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well favored. (18) And Jacob loved Rachel, and said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter."

Laban had two daughters, the younger of whom Jacob loved, so he told Laban he would work seven years for him in exchange for the hand of his daughter, Rachel.  Much has been speculated about the meaning of Leah's tender eyes that made her less desirable than Rachel.  The original word is "rak" meaning "tender, soft, delicate, weak".  The NIV translators and other of the newer Bible version translators translated the word as "weak", but it is most often used in scripture to mean "tender" and paired with "young" and "delicate".  At this point, I don't see any reason to believe her eyesight was weak, and besides it appears to be a more visual thing that is being compared here.  I think Leah's eyes may have been light-colored or small and delicate looking, while Rachel had more strong and striking features.

(19) And Laban said, "It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man; stay with me." (20) And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. (21) And Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her."

I believe Jacob's desire was honorable.  He had wanted no other pay from Laban but that he have Rachel as his wife.  Perhaps he had offered to work so long for her because he had no other money to give as a dowry, as was customary in those times.  He offered servitude for seven years which would have been worth a fair amount.  Perhaps Laban did just mean it was better that Rachel become his relative Jacob's wife rather than any other man's wife, but his words that he "give her" may indicate more.  Whatever his meaning, he appears to have agreed to have Jacob stay with him and work seven years for the hand of Rachel.  Because he loved Rachel so, those seven years seemed only a few days to Jacob.  Wow, I think of how impatient we are in this day and age; we require instant gratification.  Anyway, the end of seven years came, and Jacob asked for his wife.

(22) And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. (23) And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to Jacob; and he went in unto her.

So Laban made a feast, it would seem a celebratory marriage feast because Jacob was about to marry his daughter, Rachel.  In the evening, Laban brought Leah to Jacob, instead of Rachel, and it appears that Jacob did not realize that.  The custom was to keep the bride veiled up until and including the time she was brought into her husband's bed chamber as a sign of her purity.  It would have been dark when her veil was lifted and as Jacob had never been intimate with Rachel, it is conceivable that he could have been deceived in this manner.

(24) And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid.

Slaves or maid servants were customarily given to daughters upon their marriages, and were to be their personal property and not subject to their husbands.  Zilpah is Laban's marriage gift to his daughter, Leah.

(25) And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah; and he said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?" (26) And Laban said, "It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. (27) Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me yet another seven years."

Obviously Jacob was upset when he discovered it was Leah he had gone to bed with rather than his Rachel.  He asked Laban why he had done such a thing.  Laban's true character is revealed when he told Jacob that it wasn't right that a younger daughter should be married before the firstborn.  If he had had good and sincere intentions, he could have told Jacob that upfront, but as it is, he held Rachel as a prize just out of reach, and told Jacob he could have her if he worked another seven years.  This treatment of his daughters as property that can be bought and sold and given at his will was not proper and is later described in scripture in his daughters' complaint against him, in Genesis 31:15.  Fulfilling her week referred to the week of Leah's marriage feast.  After the first night, when Jacob discovered he had been deceived, he might have refused to keep Leah as his wife, but Laban encouraged him to go ahead with the marriage, by enticing him with the real desire of his heart, Rachel.  Ironically, Jacob the deceiver, the one who deceived his brother to get what he wanted, was now deceived by Laban who would now get 14 years of service to marry off both his daughters.

(28) And Jacob did so and fulfilled her week; and he gave him Rachel his daughter as wife also. (29) And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel to be her maid. (30) And he went in also unto Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah; and he served with Laban yet another seven years.

Jacob did fulfill the marriage feast week for Leah, and Laban gave him Rachel as his wife, also.  Laban also gave Rachel her own maid, Bilhah.  Jacob consummated his marriage to Rachel, and loved his Rachel more than Leah.  After all, he only wanted Rachel, but was tricked into taking Leah as his wife, as well.  Jacob served Laban another seven years as he had said he would.

(31) And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

It always bothered me a little that Leah was hated.  It is true, she was less loved than Rachel, and that is no one's fault.  Jacob loved Rachel; she was the one he wanted all along, so to have Leah forced upon him, as well, didn't make him instantly love her.  John Wesley pointed out something in scripture that explains this choice of words.  "Hate" was used in Luke 14:26, when Jesus said if any man came to Him and did not hate his mother, father, etc., he could not be a disciple of Jesus.  Obviously, I know that Jesus never taught us to hate anyone.  By studying another scripture where Jesus taught the same lesson, Matthew 10:37, we read about Jesus talking about one who loves his parents or his children more than Him, and was not worthy of Him.  It is the same case with Rachel and Leah; in the verse directly before this one, it simply stated that Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, and in the next verse God saw Leah was hated.  I believe Jesus summed it up well in Matthew 6:24 when He talked about how no one could serve two masters, as he would naturally love one and hate the other.  Although "hate" seems like a strong word to the reader, I believe it was meant to show a comparison to the love shown.  In all these cases, there is a comparison made between the one loved and the one "hated".  Adam Clarke's notes on Luke 14:26 added more examples of love and hate being used in other scriptures, with Deuteronomy 21:15-17 offering a unique example not yet touched upon in these study notes.  His conclusion was that it was no arbitrary interpretation of the word "hate" to determine that it simply meant to not love or like as much, and it didn't mean there was any burning hatred. 

Back to verse 31, even though I am sure there was no open hatred of Leah, it was obvious she was not preferred by Jacob, and even her father had to devise a trick to get her married, so she had every reason to feel unloved.  Therefore, the Lord loved and blessed her and opened her womb. 

(32) And Leah conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben, for she said, "Surely the LORD has looked on my affliction; now therefore, my husband will love me."

Leah conceived and bore a son, and called him Reuben, which literally meant "behold a son".  As the mother of his firstborn son, Leah felt that now her husband would love her.  She obviously felt terribly unloved, calling it an affliction, and felt that surely the Lord had blessed her by giving her this son.

(33) And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Because the LORD has heard that I was hated, He has therefore given me this son also." And she called his name Simeon.

Leah bore Jacob a second son and called his name Simeon, which literally meant "heard".  Proving once again that she considered her affliction being the fact she was unloved, Leah declared that the Lord had heard that she was hated and gave her another son.

(34) And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, "Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons." Therefore his name was called Levi.

Leah called her third son Levi, which literally meant "joined to" or "attached".  She supposed her husband would form a strong loving bond with her now that she was the mother of his three sons.

(35) And she conceived again and bore a son, and she said, "Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah, and stopped bearing.

Leah bore a fourth son and called his name "Judah", which meant "praised" or "celebrated".  Leah had surely thanked and praised the Lord when she was given sons before this, when she felt the Lord had seen she was unloved and had blessed her with sons.  But with four sons, she must have praised Him more than ever now.  Little did Leah know that from the line of this celebrated son would come the Messiah.  After bearing four sons, Leah stopped bearing children, at least for the time being.

Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament offers a beautiful insight into the story of Leah's first sons.  God blessed Leah with the first four sons while Rachel, the object of Jacob's love and desire, remained barren, at least for a time.  "By this it was made apparent once more, that the origin of Israel was to be a work not of nature, but of grace."  We have already seen that it was not a work of nature with regard to it being brought through the firstborn.  When I think about Leah, I can see a humble woman, lowly in spirit, but obviously a loving wife.  It seems that her husband's love was very important to her.  It doesn't appear that she was angry or resentful and nagged her husband about it.  She just did what she was called to do as a wife, and God blessed her.  Jesus later taught that the poor in spirit and those that mourn would be blessed and comforted.  The Apostle Paul wrote this in 1 Corinthians 12:24-25:

"For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another."

Rachel was the beautiful one who had the love of her husband and for that time had no other need, but God gave honor to Leah who lacked her husband's love.  What a beautiful demonstration of God's love and tender mercy for His children! 

John Nelson Darby took this a step further and likened it to Israel and the Gentiles.  Rachel was the one first loved, as Israel was God's chosen people, but Leah was given grace as are the Gentiles who actively seek after God.  I love this analogy!  I love seeing God's plan for our salvation in Jesus from the very beginning!

Do We Really Fear God Today?

Continuing my chronological Bible study:

(Genesis 28:1) And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and charged him, and said to him, "You shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan."

At the end of the last chapter, Rebekah had thought of a way to send Jacob away so that Esau would not kill him because of Jacob's deceit and trickery in stealing his blessing.  She told Isaac she just could not bear it if Jacob married a Canaanite woman.  Isaac therefore called Jacob and it appears that he willingly confirmed his blessing upon him, and told him that he was not to take a wife from among the Canaanite women.

(2) "Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother's father; and take you a wife from there of the daughters of Laban your mother's brother. (3) And God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may be a multitude of people; (4) And give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land in which you are a stranger, which God gave to Abraham." (5) And Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Padan Aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

Isaac told Jacob to go to Padan Aram to Laban in the house of Bethuel, Rebekah's father, and marry one of the daughters of Rebekah's brother, Laban.  Isaac blessed his son Jacob with the Abrahamic promise that had been passed from Abraham to Isaac and now to Jacob, that he would be fruitful and his descendants would be many, and that they would ultimately inherit the land of Canaan, the land in which they were only sojourners then.  Then Isaac did indeed send Jacob away to Padan Aram.

(6) When 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 obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Padan Aram, (8) And Esau seeing that the daughters of Canaan did not please his father Isaac, (9) Then 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.

Esau saw that his father had blessed Jacob and that he had sent him away to find a wife in order that he not take a wife from among the Canaanite women.  With that he realized that his father was not pleased with the Canaanite women as wives for his sons, as Esau had previously taken, so he took another wife.  This time he married the daughter of his father's brother, Ishmael.  Ishmael was now dead, so when Esau "went to Ishmael", it was as Jacob going to the house of Bethuel.  Esau went to the house of Ishmael, probably directly to Nebajoth, who was Ishamel's oldest son, and took Mahalath, Nebajoth's sister, to be his wife.  Esau may have been trying to please his father, but daughters of Ishmael would not have been the most favorable as Ishmael had been separated from the house of Abraham and was not included in the Abrahamic promise, another indication that Esau just didn't understand the spiritual importance of his birthright and the blessing of the firstborn in the line of Abraham.

(10) And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. (11) And he lighted upon a certain place and tarried there all night because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put it for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.  He apparently couldn't make it in one day, and happened upon a certain place casually, and not necessarily intentionally, and decided to stay there for the night as the sun was setting.  He took a stone for a pillow as he evidently didn't have other provisions.

(12) And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was 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. (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) And your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth, and you will spread abroad to the west and to the east, and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth will be blessed. (15) And, behold, I am with you and will keep you in all places wherever you go, and will bring you again to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you."

Jacob dreamed of a ladder that was set up on earth and reached to heaven with angels going up and down it.  The Lord stood above it and spoke to Jacob.  He confirmed His promise to Abraham now to Jacob.  The land on which Jacob lay that may have been accidental for him, was providential in that the Lord told him this very land would be given to him and his descendants.  As God had told Abraham, Jacob's descendants would be as the dust of the earth, too numerous to count, and they would spread in all directions.  As He had told Abraham, God told Jacob that through him and his descendants would all the families of the earth be blessed, which is a reference to the Messiah who would come from this line and in Whom all may be saved.  The Lord told Jacob He was with him and would be with him wherever he went, and that He would bring him back to this land.  The line of angels going up and down the ladder in Jacob's dream was a picture of the constant ministering spirits and line of communication that would always be between God and Jacob.  More than that, it is a picture of Jesus Christ Who would become the direct line from us to God.

(16) And Jacob awoke out of 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 dreadful is this place!  This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

Once again what was a casual nondescript place in Jacob's mind was a place where the Lord showed Himself to Jacob unexpectedly.  He realized that the Lord was certainly in that place and that apparently surprised him.  I left the original KJV words "afraid" and "dreadful" in my study.  Although I usually don't think of them as "fright" and "awful" as we have come to interpret those words, sometimes I think our modern translations diminish the intended meaning of the original words.  Jacob was afraid; he had fear.  Yes, I agree with the common idea that it was a reverential fear, but it was more than that.  I don't think we today quite understand that awestruck fear of knowing that you have just come in contact with the One who literally holds your life in His Hands.  How could we when we so flippantly disregard all the things He told us in His Word?  We keep Him only in church and bring Him out only when we really need something; we pretend that He shouldn't be a part of our daily public lives and decisions.  How preposterous!  Just think of how far our country has gone in rejecting God.  We've come to accept the idea that He doesn't belong in schools or in the public square because someone might be offended.  Would we care if we really feared God and saw Him as the Master of the Universe?  We actually kill millions of babies and call it a RIGHT!  Does anyone really think that God would approve of killing the most innocent because it is not convenient to let that child be born right now?  Does anyone think that God is going to bless a country that promotes and celebrates same-sex "marriage" as equality and a RIGHT even though He called it an abomination?  Do we think a country can survive without God's blessing?  Do we think God understands that the times have changed and we are such a wiser people now?  Suppose you had to confront God and ask Him face to face if it was okay to kill your baby and "marry" your lesbian lover.  Does that strike fear in your heart?  If it doesn't, it should!  I have to wonder if some of the people out there cheering on these horrible Godless acts ever really think about what God would say, or do they just try to ignore that.  Or have they really reached a point where they don't care?  Oh, they would care if God presented Himself as the awesome terror that He is!  He IS Someone to be dreaded!  He does hold your life in His hand; He holds our country in His hand; He holds the entire planet in His hand!  And God will not be mocked!  Oh, He is patient, oh-so patient that people forget that the things of God matter, but they do!  And there will come a time when EVERYONE will know that!

For it is written, "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. - Romans 14:11-12

And that is a reference to Isaiah 45:23 which says:

"I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."

Can you imagine that?  Just by the sheer force of His majesty, everyone will be on his knees before the Lord.  EVERYONE, not just believers, not just Christians, EVERYONE!  And everyone will give an account of just why they did what they did.  That ought to strike fear in us to our very cores.  But surely God will understand a changing culture.  Surely God will understand taking a baby's life until a time when it is more convenient.  After all you don't have time to properly love that child now.  Surely God will understand that there had to be separation of church and state and that is why we fought to keep prayer out of schools and references to Him out of the public square!  Surely God understands that it is because you are so loving and tolerant that you believe you should fight for same-sex marriage even though He called it an abomination.  I'm not suggesting that any of these things can't be forgiven by God, and He did give us Jesus as our Mediator so that our sinful selves can come into His presence.  But He is still the same God and we have to realize when we are sinning against Him and repent, which means change!  Yes, Jesus gives us grace so that we don't have to fear God, but only when we see our sin, see our need for Him to cover our sin, and REPENT!  A repentant heart is one that is truly sorry and seeks to change.  We know what is right.  Isaiah 45:24 goes on to say that after we all bow before the Lord, "and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed".  We will know He is God; we will bow before Him; and we will be ashamed.  I'm just imagining how we would act in this country if we had to be on our knees in the presence of God before every decision we made.  Or maybe just every night to explain why we did what we did.  Do you think we'd act a lot differently?  God gives us free will; it's true.  But that doesn't change what is right and true.  And if we truly had the fear of God as we should, we wouldn't dare do what we do in this day and age. 

(18) And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it. (19) And he called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of that city was called Luz at first.

Jacob took the stone he had used for a pillow and turned it into an upright erect position as a monument to God or as a reminder to him of the greatness of God and of his vision.  He called the place Bethel, which literally meant "house of God".  It had previously been called Luz, which was the word for a kind of nut, an almond or a hazel nut, which probably grew there. 

(20) And Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I am going, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, (21) So that I come again 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."

The wording of Jacob's vow sounds like he is making it a condition that IF God will be with him, then he Jacob will do...  I don't think that was Jacob's intention.  He has just heard from God and God has promised to be with him and keep him and bring him to this place again, so that was Jacob's way of saying that because the Lord was going to be with him, etc., so that he would come again, that the Lord was his God.  The little word translated as "if" by the KJV translators actually does also mean "when", "lo", or "verily", words all meaning Jacob was sure that God would do what He said in his vision.  This was more of a demonstrative statement rather than a conditional one.  The stone Jacob had set up would be God's house.  He may have meant that in the future he would make it God's house as later in scripture, it is said that he went to Bethel and made an altar to God (Gen. 35:3), but he may have meant that it would forever be a place where God had appeared to him and therefore was God's house, because everywhere that God is, is His house. 

Jacob did vow to give a tithe of 10% of all that the Lord gave him.  All blessings come from the Lord.  Ten represents the whole and 1/10 is given in acknowledgment of the Lord and His sovereign right to it all.  It is given in gratitude to Him and is used for the support of worship to Him, as in building an altar or church, or in providing a sacrifice, or in giving to the poor or needy, or for any need or service in which God may be glorified.  I personally believe the tithe is still relevant today, although the Apostle Paul said in the New Testament that it should be given according to how God has prospered, and as one feels led in his heart, so that he does not give begrudgingly, but cheerfully.  There is a lot of discussion today about whether or not the tithe is still required or if it is an Old Testament law that is not necessary today.  Today the law is written on our hearts, and I believe that is what Paul was saying in 1 Corinthians 16:2 and 2 Corinthians 9:7.  Since the tithe is only given as the Lord has given us, and not as a regular bill that is due whether or not we get paid, it is easy to give back.  It is all God's anyway, and by giving 1/10 back in acknowledgment and thanksgiving, I believe we are saying that we trust God with all of it.  I can say from personal experience that God can do amazing things with very little when I trust Him!  Can you imagine the good that would be done in the world today if everyone tithed only 10% to God instead of giving 20-30% to a corrupt government that forces people to give for ungodly things like abortions for the poor?