Jacob Sent to Laban
28:1 Then Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 God Almighty1 bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!” 5 Thus Isaac sent Jacob away. And he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.
Esau Marries an Ishmaelite
6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, and that as he blessed him he directed him, “You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So when Esau saw that the Canaanite women did not please Isaac his father, 9 Esau went to Ishmael and took as his wife, besides the wives he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.
Jacob’s Dream
10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder2 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 it3 and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”
18 So early in the morning Jacob took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19 He called the name of that place Bethel,4 but the name of the city was Luz at the first. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, 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 up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”
Footnotes
[1] 28:3
Hebrew El Shaddai
[2] 28:12Or a flight of steps
[3] 28:13Or beside him
[4] 28:19Bethel means the house of God (ESV)
Category: Scripture
Isaac Blesses Jacob
27:1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see, he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son”; and he answered, “Here I am.” 2 He said, “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.”
5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”
14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
18 So he went in to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me; now sit up and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” 20 But Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have found it so quickly, my son?” He answered, “Because the LORD your God granted me success.” 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, to know whether you are really my son Esau or not.” 22 So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, who felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands. So he blessed him. 24 He said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He answered, “I am.” 25 Then he said, “Bring it near to me, that I may eat of my son’s game and bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank.
26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near and kiss me, my son.” 27 So he came near and kissed him. And Isaac smelled the smell of his garments and blessed him and said,
“See, the smell of my son
is as the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed!
28 May God give you of the dew of heaven
and of the fatness of the earth
and plenty of grain and wine.
29 Let peoples serve you,
and nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. 31 He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” 32 His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” 33 Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” 34 As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” 35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob?1 For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” 37 Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” 38 Esau said to his father, “Have you but one blessing, my father? Bless me, even me also, O my father.” And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.
39 Then Isaac his father answered and said to him:
“Behold, away from2 the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be,
and away from3 the dew of heaven on high.
40 By your sword you shall live,
and you shall serve your brother;
but when you grow restless
you shall break his yoke from your neck.”41 Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” 42 But the words of Esau her older son were told to Rebekah. So she sent and called Jacob her younger son and said to him, “Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. 43 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran 44 and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away—45 until your brother’s anger turns away from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?”
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women.4 If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?”
Footnotes
[1] 27:36
Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
[2] 27:39Or Behold, of
[3] 27:39Or and of
[4] 27:46Hebrew daughters of Heth (ESV)
The Birth of Esau and Jacob
19 These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham fathered Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Aramean of Paddan-aram, the sister of Laban the Aramean, to be his wife. 21 And Isaac prayed to the LORD for his wife, because she was barren. And the LORD granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 The children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why is this happening to me?”1 So she went to inquire of the LORD. 23 And the LORD said to her,
“Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you2 shall be divided;
the one shall be stronger than the other,
the older shall serve the younger.”24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob.3 Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents. 28 Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
Esau Sells His Birthright
29 Once when Jacob was cooking stew, Esau came in from the field, and he was exhausted. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am exhausted!” (Therefore his name was called Edom.4) 31 Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright now.” 32 Esau said, “I am about to die; of what use is a birthright to me?” 33 Jacob said, “Swear to me now.” So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.
Footnotes
[1] 25:22
Or why do I live?
[2] 25:23Or from birth
[3] 25:26Jacob means He takes by the heel, or He cheats
[4] 25:30Edom sounds like the Hebrew for red (ESV)
Categories
Going Deeper
Rebekah (11.18.23)
I am thankful for the work of Pastor J. Foster and his synopsis of Rebekah’s testimony in Scripture. I am happy to share with you how his work on this topic and pray it blesses you as much as it blesses me. May God grow our faith and devotion to Him as a result of our time in His good word.
The biblical story about Rebekah begins with the request by Abraham to his oldest servant: “You shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac” (Genesis 24:4). Upon hearing this, the servant had a very logical concern: “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land” (v. 5). Abraham reassured him that God would send His angel before him, making it possible for Isaac to marry a wife from there (v. 7).
The Providence of God
When Abraham’s servant arrived at a well just outside the city of Abraham’s brother in Mesopotamia, he prayed to God. “Please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham. Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master” (Genesis 24:12-14).
Before the servant of Abraham had finished speaking, Rebekah, the daughter of Isaac’s first cousin, had arrived at the well. When Abraham’s servant asked her for a drink, she gave the requested response: “Drink, my lord.” Then she said, “I will draw water for your camels also, until they have finished drinking” (verses 18-19).
This act of kindness was the sign to the servant of Abraham that God had indeed answered his prayer and had shown kindness to Abraham in directing him to the chosen wife for Isaac.
This miraculous story of what happened at the well was repeated to Rebekah’s family. It provided the needed sign to Bethuel, Rebekah’s father, and Laban, Rebekah’s brother, that the proposed marriage of Rebekah and Isaac was of God’s doing. That is why they were willing to let her go with Abraham’s servant to be Isaac’s wife, “as the Lord has spoken” (verses 50-51).
The next morning the servant of Abraham wanted to leave immediately with Rebekah! But, for a young bride preparing to become married and leave her family, this was considered a hasty send-off. Rebekah’s family asked him to let her stay a few days. So, in concern for Rebekah, the family said: “We will call the young woman and ask her personally” (verse 57).
The Strong Faith of a Young Girl
Rebekah was given a choice in the matter: “Then they called Rebekah and said to her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ and she said, ‘I will go’” (verse 58). Rebekah had a choice—she could have said no! But this was a decisive answer in the affirmative.
How many women would be truly willing to give up their family, friends and country and go to live far away in a foreign land to marry a man they had never met? It would take a very special woman, one who had faith in God, to be willing to do so.
The blessing that Rebekah’s family prayed over her when she left was a prophetic blessing inspired of the Holy Spirit, to prove Gods predetermined plan to work his promise through her children. “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them” (verse 60).
This was the continuance of the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 22:17: “Blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.”
So Rebekah, her nurse Deborah (Genesis 35:8) and her maids (Genesis 24:59, 61) went with Abraham’s servant and his men.
Marriage and Family
When Rebekah first saw Isaac, she took a veil and covered herself (verse 65). The veil was an essential part of the female dress. In country places it is often thrust aside, but on the appearance of a stranger, it is drawn over the face, as to conceal all but the eyes. For a bride it was a token of her reverence and subjection to her husband.
Rebekah covered herself out of respect for her husband to be.
Isaac and Rebekah were happily married for many years, yet were without children because Rebekah was found to be barren. This must have been a true hardship for Rebekah, not only because of the shame that is was in that culture to not be able to have children but also because she had been told that she would be the mother of thousands of ten thousands.
This is a huge test in our faith when what we believe should be ours doesn’t happen we can in our flesh become bitter or impatient an sometimes even upset at God. But God’s time and ways is not our time and ways. We must remain faithful and full of faith for God to carry out his perfect plan. Isaac is diligent in this time to pray and as he prayed to God for his wife God heard his prayer and in God’s time, Rebekah became pregnant.
Two boys, two nations, two God determined outcomes.
The Bible says that Isaac was 60 years old when Rebekah bore his sons (Genesis 25:26), which meant that Rebekah was not exactly young either. There is always concern whether a pregnancy is going well or not. During her pregnancy, she felt struggling going on in her womb and was concerned about it. She said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So Rebekah “went to inquire of the LORD” (verse 22).
Rebekah had a personal relationship with God, and He responded to her saying, “Two nations are in your womb, two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people shall be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger” (verse 23).
This was a very personal answer from the Lord of the universe to Rebekah. She never forgot it.
Isaac and Rebekah’s firstborn son came out red and hairy. They called him Esau (“hairy”).
The second son took hold of his brother’s heel with his hand. They called him Jacob (“supplanter”).
As the boys grew, the differences between the two became apparent. Esau was a skillful hunter and a man of the field. Isaac loved Esau his firstborn because he ate of his game. Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. Rebekah loved Jacob. This situation led to some very interesting family dynamics!
Rebekah’s influences
Isaac and Rebekah prospered in their lives and were blessed by God. God reiterated to them the promises He had given to Abraham and told them to stay in the land of Canaan (Gerar). God would take care of them and bless them and their descendants (Genesis 26:2-6, 12-13).
Isaac and Rebekah believed God’s promises. They lived lives of faith, as strangers and pilgrims in the land. They were even given honor by Abimelech, king of the Philistines (verse 11).
Then trouble from Esau arose. Esau took two women as his wives. “And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah” (Genesis 26:34-35). In this matter, Isaac and Rebekah were of the same mind and opinion. Abraham had not wanted a Canaanite wife for his son Isaac, and Isaac and Rebekah did not want Canaanite wives for their sons. Canaanites believed in different gods.
Now time passed. Isaac became old and his eyesight dim, and he wanted to confer his blessing on his oldest son, Esau. Rebekah knew this was about to happen, and so she went and told Jacob what Isaac planned to do. Rebekah conceived a daring plan to deceive Isaac that Jacob was Esau.
One might ask: Why did Rebekah resort to deceiving her husband in order for the blessing to come upon Jacob? She knew that Isaac’s mind was set on conferring the greater blessing of national prominence on his firstborn, Esau. She probably remembered what God had once told her, that the elder would serve the younger.
So, instead of inquiring of God at this time, she motivated her son Jacob to deceive Isaac and grab the blessing. It was not the right thing to do—to deceive. Sometimes the human mind comes up with a quick plan of human devising to try to achieve our ends.
Esau was furious with Jacob for taking his birthright and wanted to kill him. So Rebekah encouraged Jacob to flee back to her family to escape any death attempts from Esau.
Rebekah approached Isaac with the following words: “I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?” (Genesis 27:46).
Isaac heeded Rebekah and told Jacob to go to Rebekah’s family in Padan Aram to take a wife of the daughters of Laban, Jacob’s uncle. Isaac then conferred upon Jacob the inherited blessings God had promised Abraham. Then Jacob obeyed his parents and departed (Genesis 28:1-2).
Rebekah’s faith
When we consider that Rebekah loved and preferred Jacob over Esau, we must remember that the Bible says that God loved and preferred Jacob as well. Jacob was given the birthright and the blessing because it was the will of God for him to have them. The will of God always stands, no matter what actions people choose to take of their own devising. Jacob valued the birthright. He repented of his ways of cunning trading and supplanting his brother. He became an overcomer, a prevailer and a prince with God. His name was changed to Israel. God showed mercy on him.
But what can we learn about Rebekah, the mother of Esau and Jacob? She was selected by God for Isaac. She was a beautiful woman of faith, who was willing to come and live in the Promised Land, and she believed in the promises of God. She had courage and daring and ability. Isaac loved her, and they had a good marriage.
Both she and her husband disapproved of Esau marrying pagan Canaanite women. Both she and her husband believed in the promises of Abraham being passed on to their descendants. Both she and her husband enjoyed the blessings of God in their lives and lived in peace and prosperity.
Rebekah was a matriarch in Israel and was buried in the cave of Machpelah (Genesis 49:31). She became the mother of thousands of ten thousands. Her elder son did serve the younger. Rebekah believed these things because God had told her so.
I pray that the faith of Rebekah is a great encouragement to us. I pray that we see the Sovereign hand of God moving His perfect plan through His chosen people. I pray that we value our heritage in Christ that traces back to faith-filled people like Rebekah.
May we soldier on in faith, no matter what obstacle stands before us.
By His grace and for His glory
Joshua “Shepherd” Kirstine
Soldiers For Jesus MC
Chaplain Council
SFJbible.com
5 Now Rebekah was listening when Isaac spoke to his son Esau. So when Esau went to the field to hunt for game and bring it, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “I heard your father speak to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me game and prepare for me delicious food, that I may eat it and bless you before the LORD before I die.’ 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice as I command you. 9 Go to the flock and bring me two good young goats, so that I may prepare from them delicious food for your father, such as he loves. 10 And you shall bring it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.” 11 But Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “Behold, my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. 12 Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”
14 So he went and took them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared delicious food, such as his father loved. 15 Then Rebekah took the best garments of Esau her older son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob her younger son. 16 And the skins of the young goats she put on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. 17 And she put the delicious food and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob.
(ESV)