Bible Study Genesis Verse By Verse

[Beetow]

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● Gen 28:13a . . And behold, The Lord stood above it and said: I am Jehovah; deity
of Abraham your father, and the deity of Isaac;

On the page of Scripture, this is Jacob's very first close encounter with his father's
supreme being. Till now, The Lord had been merely data in Jacob's head;
something he picked up in home-school yeshiva.

Exactly why God chose to become personal with Jacob at just that moment in his
life is a mystery. But the moment came not around the dinner table at home with
family; but actually when Jacob stepped away from his family.

It was as if Jacob's own family-- the holiest family on earth at the time; the keepers
of the knowledge of the one true deity --was actually hindering Jacob's spiritual
progress; and if anything is to be learned at all from his experience, it's that his
own father, the spiritual head of the house, was the one to blame for it. It certainly
wasn't Rebecca; no, not when it was to her that God revealed the eldest of the two
lads would serve the younger: and I'm really curious why God didn't repeat His
edict to Isaac.

● Gen 28:13b-14 . . the ground on which you are lying I will assign to you and to
your offspring. Your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread
out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All the families of the
earth shall bless themselves by you and your descendants.

Those are essentially the very same promises that God originally made to Abraham.
The most important one, that of blessing to all nations, has been passed on down,
not to all the descendants of Abraham, but only to special ones; beginning with
Isaac, then Jacob, and eventually to Christ. (Gal 3:16)

Not all Hebrews are a blessing to all the families of the earth. Only those Hebrews
who inherited the patriarchy are a blessing because it is through them that
Messiah's line has existed. The other Hebrews really don't count for much in that
respect except that the nation, as a whole, is credited with safe-keeping the old
testament. (Rom 3:1-2)

● Gen 28:15 . . Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and
will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have
promised you.

Hardly any of those promises were fulfilled in Jacob's lifetime. So how could God
say: "I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you"

Well; I think it best to take it that God remained Jacob's protector even in the
grave, i.e. when God's people pass away, they don't become dead to Him; whereas
when the wicked die, they no longer make any difference; for example:

"As to whether the dead will be raised-- Moses proved this when he wrote about the
burning bush. Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, Moses wrote of The
Lord as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. So he is the
God of the living, not the dead. They are all alive to him." (Luke 20:37-38)

God has always been with Jacob, and never left him even once-- all these many
years; better than three-thousand of them by now. And all this whole time Jacob
has lived under God's providence because God promised He would protect Jacob
wherever he went; and in order for that promise to be meaningful, it has to include
the afterlife. (cf. Ps 139:7-10, Matt 16:18)

● Gen 28:16-17a . . Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: Surely The Lord is
present in this place, and I did not know it! Shaken, he said: How awesome is this
place!

Actually Jacob was very frightened. I believe that place gave him the creeps. It isn't
unusual for an encounter with God to unnerve people. Even the very best saints get
shook up by it. Daniel just about fainted when God talked with him. (Dan 10:17)
And Moses was very frightened when God descended upon Mt. Sinai. (Heb 12:18
21)

● Gen 28:17b . .This is none other than the house of God, and that is the gateway
to heaven.

The Hebrew word for "house" is somewhat ambiguous. It can indicate one's
dwelling, and it can indicate one's entire estate. For example; Pharaoh's house at
Gen 12:15 consisted of a palace while Abraham's house at Gen 14:14 consisted of
all that he owned and possessed. Jacob apparently assumed (probably correctly)
that the real estate where he met with God was a favorite of His in Canaan; i.e. He
had it staked out for Himself: and who's to argue with that?
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[Beetow]

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● Gen 28:18a . . Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he had put under
his head and set it up as a pillar

The Hebrew word for "pillar" basically means something stationed; viz: a column or
(memorial stone)by analogy, an idol. All over the Mojave Desert in California are
man-made stone monuments that mark the location of historical events and/or
sites. One of my favorites is the Foot And Walker pass where Butterfield stagecoach
passengers had to disembark and walk because the slope was too steep for horses
to pull the coach with them inside it.

Jacob's pillow stone became a souvenir of his very first close encounter with the
Bible's God. To set it up, he would need something to elevate it and make it
prominent. So he probably gathered more stones into a pile, like a cairn, and then
put his pillow block on the very top as the cap stone.

● Gen 28:18b . . and poured oil on the top of it.

The Bible doesn't say where Jacob got the idea to pour oil on his historical marker;
so we'll just have to take an educated guess at it. It's very likely, considering the
situation, that anointing the pillow stone with oil (probably an essential oil rather
than a petroleum based lubricant) dedicated it as a memorial to Jacob's contractual
bond between himself and God.

There's reported to be widespread evidence (I haven't seen it for myself) from the
ancient Near East, for the use of oil in international treaty relationships, and in
effectuating business contracts. The practice seems to have been a token of peace,
friendship, and assumed obligation. In Jacob's case, the anointing is connected with
the making of a vow that bound him to specific commitments.

● Gen 28:19 . . He named that site Bethel; but previously the name of the city had
been Luz.

Luz retained it's original name for a long time afterwards. On his way back home
after twenty years with Laban, the name hadn't yet been changed to Bethel (Gen
36:6). Precisely when the site's name was officially changed to Bethel is difficult to
ascertain.

The Hebrew word for "Bethel" basically means (what else?) house of God, i.e. His
abode.

● Gen 28:20-21 . . Jacob then made a vow, saying: If God remains with me, if He
protects me on this journey that I am making, and gives me bread to eat and
clothing to wear, and if I return safe to my father's house-- The Lord shall be my
God.

What's he saying? That Yahweh hadn't been his deity up to this point? Not
necessarily. It wasn't uncommon in those days for people to worship other celestial
beings right along with the supreme one.

For example: Jacob's uncle Laban (the very father of his beloved Rachel) was
notorious for polytheism. On the one hand, he recognized Jehovah's divinity (Gen
24:50 & 31:29) while on the other hand he harbored a collection of patron gods in
his home (Gen 31:19 and 31:30). In the ancient Semitic world; patron gods were
equivalent to Catholicism's patron saints-- objects of devotion venerated as special
guardians, protectors, and/or supporters; viz: alternative sources of providence.

Jacob knew about Abraham's deity and believed that He existed (Gen 27:20). But
that's merely an educated consent, and nothing personal. It's like knowing and
believing who the current President of the United States is. But so what? Has the
President ever come to your home for coffee or dinner? Have the two of you been
to a movie together or to a picnic? Where was he when you were sick, down and
out, and/or feeling helpless, hopeless, despondent and depressed? See what I'm
saying?

Lots of people glibly venerate the Bible's God. But very, very few can honestly say:
The Lord is my friend, He cares about me, He cares about my life, He protects me
and provides for me wherever I go. I am His, and He is mine. We are one; we are
together.

Jacob's vow reflects a personal decision of his own volition to make Jehovah the
sole object of his religious devotion to the exclusion of all the other options that
people commonly venerated in his day. So we could paraphrase Gen 28:20-21 to
read like this:

"If God remains with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making, and
gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safe to my father's
house-- then The Lord shall be my only patron."
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[Beetow]

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● Gen 28:22a . . And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall be God's
abode;

Jacob's pillow stone wasn't really meant to be a dwelling or a container as we
typically think of human habitat or animal cages. It was meant to be a sort of
monitoring device. An 8th century BC Aramaic treaty inscription from Sfire, in
Syria, terms each upright stone on which the treaty is inscribed as an abode of the
gods.

The Hebrew word for "God" is 'elohiym (el-o-heem') which is a plural word
pertaining to deities of every possible description: both the good and the bad, the
authentic and the artificial, the celestial and the terrestrial, the essential and the
superfluous, the visible and the invisible, the supreme and the subordinate.

The stone symbolized a divine presence monitoring fulfillment and/or
infractions of the terms of a treaty or a vow. So Jacob's pillar was not only the
custodian of his vow, but was also its regulatory agency taking note whether Jacob
and Jehovah keep their promises to each other. The very same thing turns up again
in Gen 31:44-52.

● Gen 28:22b . . and of all that You give me, I will set aside a tithe for You.

This is probably the very first Biblical instance of the so-called "faith promise".
Though coming from a wealthy family; and heir apparent to his father Isaac's
personal fortune, the fulfillment of this particular vow was contingent, not upon
what Jacob possessed already; but upon God's future providence.

Jacob didn't promise a set dollar figure, but promised a "tithe" which in English
Bibles is commonly translated a tenth; but in reality the Hebrew word 'asar (aw
sar') just means to apportion; which Webster's defines as: to divide and share out
according to a plan; especially to make a proportionate division or distribution of.

The value of a nondescript tithe therefore is left up to individual discretion. (cf.
2Cor 8:10-12 & 2Cor 9:7)

Jacob was under no obligation to reciprocate and compensate God for the promises.
Their fulfillment was dependent neither upon Jacob's generosity nor his piety.
Fulfillment was dependent solely upon God's own personal integrity.

So why should Jacob dedicate a tithe? Well; like I said, he didn't have to. Jacob's
response was totally spontaneous and voluntary. His tithe was motivated from a
sense of fair play rather than a response to God's edicts. In other words: Jacob
reciprocated God's generosity with some generosity of his own.

A faith that gives out of friendship, rather than obligation, is much better than a
religion that requires a mandatory tithe. And the gift should be given where the
giver feels whole-hearted about it; viz: they should have some say in where their
offering goes, and they should be able to feel quite satisfied about it rather than
feel as though their pockets were picked.

So; how was Jacob going to transfer some of his assets into God's account? There
was neither Temple nor synagogue in his day, and certainly no Aaronic priesthood.
Abraham did his business with Melchizedek but there is no record of either Isaac or
Jacob doing business with one of Mel's successors.

When all else fails, a very, very good way to give to God is by helping people less
fortunate than yourself; in other words: pay it forward.

"He who is generous to the poor makes a loan to The Lord: He will repay him his
due." (Prv 19:17)

There are lots of charities benefiting disadvantaged people. United Way lists quite
few to pick from; and just about every city has at least one gospel-oriented rescue
mission. For sure; those causes are a whole lot more satisfying than just mindlessly
tossing money into a basket passed around on a Sunday morning.
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● Gen 29:1 . . Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of the Easterners.

The geographic region in Turkey where Jacob went wasn't actually east by his
reckoning. It was just about dead north. But the people who populated that region
had roots in the east. Here's another version.

"Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the east."

Many of the peoples in and around Haran, although they lived northward from
Canaan, were actually descendants of early pioneers who migrated out west from
the world of Babylon; just as Abraham and his dad Terah had done many years
prior to Jacob's birth. (cf. Gen 11:1-2)

● Gen 29:2a . .There before his eyes was a well in the open.

The balance of Jacob's trip, from Luz to this well, is passed over in silence.
Apparently nothing of significance occurred along the way. If Jacob traveled at, say,
25 miles per day, it would have taken him about eighteen days to reach Haran.

If he stuck to the trade route, he could have stopped in Damascus and took in
some of the local sights and maybe stayed at a "motel" before pushing on. Food
wouldn't really be a problem because there surely were plenty of settlements
and/or vendors along the trade route.

Major highways, like the old US routes 66, and 101, always had lots of merchants
offering overnight accommodations, plus all the goods and services a traveler would
likely need to see them through. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if there existed in that
day food cart equivalents of McDonalds and Burger King.

● Gen 29:2b-3 . .Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for the flocks
were watered from that well. The stone on the mouth of the well was large. When
all the flocks were gathered there, the stone would be rolled from the mouth of the
well and the sheep watered; then the stone would be put back in its place on the
mouth of the well.

Apparently this well wasn't fed by an artesian source but was a variety that kept
itself filled by seepage out of a substrate aquifer. A well like that-- which is more
like a cistern --can become rancid very quickly by bird droppings, dead critters, and
debris if it's not kept covered. Although structuring the watering time created a
rush hour, it was sensible. That way the well wasn't left open for too long a time
and there was less chance of polluting it.

● Gen 29:4a . . Jacob said to them: My friends, where are you from?

Exactly what language Jacob spoke in his greeting isn't said; but during his era;
Akkadian was a common language in Mesopotamia where Laban lived.

I don't think this well is the very same one where Abraham's servant met Rebecca.
For one thing, it's out in the open, not actually connected with any specific town. If
it had been, then Jacob could have assumed the shepherds lived nearby and not
asked them where they were from.

This particular well was within walking distance of pasture land. Any grasses close
in to the towns were likely over-grazed. That's just one of the natural results of
progress and urban sprawl.

● Gen 29:4b-6a . . And they said: We are from Haran. He said to them: Do you
know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said: Yes, we do. He continued: Is he well?

Laban's location, and his state of affairs, would of course be Jacob's primary
concern. After all, he just traveled nearly 500 miles to find him. If the man was
dead or moved away, then the trip was all for nothing; and in those days, there
was no way to call ahead.
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