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| Genesis 28 August 10, 2004 Reading through the Bible in one Year: Daniel 1-6 Weekly Memory Verse: Romans 8:1 Good Evening Brothers and Sisters, I am seriously considering going through the 40 days of purpose in this study at the same time that my church is going through the study. I am considering going through the 40 days, then weekly I will set up a time where we can meet face to face at Starbucks or some other local coffee shop where we can discuss the studies. This will start September 25th. If you wish to follow along, you will need to purchase the book "The 40 days of purpose" by Rick Warren, or you can visit my church on the kick-off day and you will receive a complementary copy free. Genesis 28:1-9 (NASB95) Genesis 27:27-29 (NASB95) Notice the blessing in verse three and four, the blessing in the last chapter that was deceitfully received pales in comparison to this one. The stolen blessing covered prosperity and power, this blessing covers the blessings of God Almighty, along with prosperity, the promise of becoming a great nation, and a continuance of Abraham's blessing. All the games of the last chapter have proven to be useless in light of this chapter. God used the deceitfulness and the results of the deception in the last chapter to move Jacob into the land where he needed to go. Although God does not allow sin or cause people to sin, He will use the result of sin to direct a persons life. Could it be that Isaac jumped on the band wagon with Rebekah in order to be rid of Jacob? After the deception in the previous chapter Jacob could not have been in good standing with his father. Esau found out that the Canaanites were not considered to be ok for Jacob to marry, he made it a point to marry another wife. This wife was not of the Canaanites, but rather was of the line of Ishmael, Hagar's child who was ran off by Sarah. By attempting to come into compliance with his fathers wishes, he married another woman. It's like he was trying to bring himself into compliance with the family standards. The problem was that his life did not have the divine guidance that Jacob's did, therefore all the effort that he put forth was from fleshly motives. Genesis 28:10-22 (NASB95) Jacob was on his journey toward Haran where he was supposed to take a daughter from Laban's family. He was walking in the will of God at this time, he was moving in the direction that God had called him. It may be significant that Jacob was not called until he left home and was moving on a faith journey that he was directed to follow by his father. Jacob did not wait, contemplate the journey, and then move on a later date, he left immediately going to another land to find a wife among a small group of people. Notice that God did not meet with him until he had fully left for the journey, God waited until he had traveled quite a distance, then God revealed His will. It would be twenty years before Jacob returned home, and God gave him a dream to hang onto. Jacob was on a journey, and God had made it clear that wherever that he went, the ladder from heaven would reach him. God let it be known that wherever he went, God would be with him and protect him. One of the ancient ideas is that angels were dispatched to protect certain nations. It is possible that the ladder represented angels who were finished with their protection of him who were being replaced by fresh angels. One other note on the rock, the reference to the rock under his head may be better translated that he stacked rocks around his head, possibly to protect himself from wild animals. If that were the case, it would mean that Jacob was traveling alone, without any support or anyone to aid him in his journey. This is quite a contrast to the way that Abraham and Isaac traveled. They traveled with huge companies of slaves, Jacob seems to be traveling alone. This could indicate that even though Isaac sent him away with blessings, he certainly did not want Jacob to reach his destination. Notice also that the promise of Abraham is mentioned again, his offspring was promised to be like the dust of the earth. And through his descendants, the entire earth would be blessed. This could be taken literal when you consider the position that the Jews will take in the latter days. I believe that this phrase is also Messianic, looking forward to the coming of the Messiah. When Jesus died and rose from the dead, he made it possible for everyone to get to heaven. In essence, He blessed every family on earth. In verse 13, "the Lord stood above it" could also be translated "beside him", giving the idea that the Lord was standing beside him just as He did with Abraham. I don't think that God changed his method with Jacob, I can see God standing next to him explaining the meaning of the vision. We serve a personal God, He does not stand aloof and give orders to us, he comes next to us and walks with us through life. Jacob also continued the tradition of building altars to God by setting up a pillar to mark the spot where God had spoken with him. This is something that we forget to do today. How often do we set a marker when God speaks to us? I have heard it said that at the time we accept Jesus as Lord, we should write it down in order to drive a stake in the ground. In this way we set up a pillar so that when the devil comes against us, we can stand firm on our ground and point to the pillar which represents the time that God saved us. Also imagine the power that would be in setting up a pillar when God gives us a goal to accomplish, it has the same effect, we have something which we can point to when we get discouraged. Last remark, Jacob vowed to give one tenth to the Lord of everything that the Lord gave him. This took place way before the law was given, so tithing is not being under the law. Tithing is being under the divine guidance of God in our finances. True worship involves not only acknowledging God and His power in our lives, it includes demonstrating our love and faith in Him by giving back some of the blessings that He has given us. Questions for thought: 1. What do we learn from Esau's actions in this chapter? 2. Jacob walked out in faith, when did God honor his step of faith? Father, as we study about Jacob's vision and his reaction to his meeting with You, give us the same passion to keep Your word alive in our hearts. In Him, Joe Turner. |
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