God Listened to Leah, and She Became Pregnant
and Bore Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah
30: 14-21

God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Issachar, Zebulun and Dinah DIG: What are mandrakes? What deal did Rachel make with Leah? What was the motivation for each wife? What did Jacob think? Why did Rachel probably end up being mad? What did the names of Leah’s son’s mean? Why was Dinah mentioned?

REFLECT: How does it feel to work and work to try to impress someone and they don’t give you the time of day? Are you doing that now? Where can you put your energies to better use?

Years later during the wheat harvest, Reuben, who was about seven years old at the time, went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, literally meaning love apples, which he brought to his mother Leah. Mandrakes are in the potato family. They grow in stony ground in Palestine and are very common. Their berries have white and reddish blossoms, and a yellow fruit similar to small apples that ripen in March and April. They emit a very distinctive odor. Mentioned in Song of Songs 7:13, the superstition was that they were an aphrodisiac, or an inducer of fertility. The Hebrew root of mandrake is the same as the Hebrew word for lover. Rachel was so desperate that she seemed to think they would solve her problem of barrenness. So when she saw the mandrakes, she said to Leah her sister: Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes (30:14).

But Leah said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?” She had no intention of improving her sister’s love life, in light of the fact that she was already his favorite. But Rachel made Leah an offer she couldn’t refuse and said: Very well, he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes (30:15). She obviously hoped that later, when she would be with Jacob, the mandrakes would enable her to become pregnant. These were desperate housewives.

So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, he found that he had been hired by Leah to sleep with her that night. Leah went out to meet him. You must sleep with me tonight, she said in a very businesslike manner: I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes. He didn’t say a word. Was he amused or flattered by this competition between his two wives? Was he saddened with the strife and competition? How did he feel about having children with the maidservants of his wives? Was he just trying to keep peace in the family? We don’t know, but he seems compliant. So he slept with her that night (30:16). The Hebrew word for hired is saphar, which is the root meaning of her next son’s name. The use of the word hired indicates that Ya’akov normally slept with Rachel, whom he really loved.

As a result, God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son (30:17). I am sure this infuriated Rachel to no end. Rachel got the mandrakes, but it was Leah who had another baby! Then Leah said that God has given me my hire, sechari, because I have given my maid to my husband (30:18a NKJ). Leah had hired Jacob with the mandrakes; now Leah thinks that Elohim has rewarded her for giving Zilpah to Jacob (30:9-13). The reward was a fifth son. So she named him Issachar, which means hire (30:18b). Jacob could not walk through a bedroom without finding a baby there.

Leah conceived again and bore Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov) a sixth son (30:19). Leah had four sons originally, two sons by her maidservant, and now two more sons. Then Leah said: God has given me a wonderful gift (30:20a). In Hebrew the word endowed me is cevadni, and the word dowry is zeved. Now my husband will dwell with me; in Hebrew it is yizbeleini, from the Hebrew zabal, which means to dwell or to honor, because I have borne him six sons. It was a word used for the marriage gift, so she named him Zebulun, which means dwelling or honor (30:20b).

So after bearing six sons, she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah (30:21). Therefore, the seven additional years Jacob agrees to serve Laban for Rachel parallel the seven children he fathers by Leah. In other words, Leah bears one child for each of the seven years that Ya’akov served for Rachel (30:25-36).⁴⁸²

After the first seven years, Leah will have several more daughters. We know this because when Joseph seemed lost to him, all his sons and daughters came to Ya’akov, but he refused to be comforted (37:35). Also, when Jacob went to Egypt, he took with him his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters, all his offspring (46:7, 46:15). But Dinah is the only one of Jacob’s daughters that is named because of her role in the events of Chapter 34. Dinah is the feminine form of the name Dan, also meaning judge.

Leah’s Servant Zilpah Bore Jacob a Son
and Leah Named Him Asher
30: 9-13

Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son and Leah Named him Asher DIG: How do you think the maidservants felt about all this? What do you think Jacob was feeling? Bliss? Sadness? Confusion? Does Ya’akov seem like the head of his household or a pawn in the hands of his two wives? Who is the decision maker here?

REFLECT: When have you competed in the wrong way? How can you escape such a vicious cycle? Has jealousy ever had a positive outcome for you? Is it healthy? What can you do instead? How can you ask the Lord to help you in that regard?

As if in competition, Rachel gave Jacob to Bilhah, her maidservant to sleep with so that Bilhah could bear children for her. Consequently, Bilhah bore two sons for Rachel. Leah, however, was not yet ready to accept defeat. Two could play at this game! When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and legally gave her to Ya’akov as a wife (30:9). That Jacob was one busy guy. He now has four women on his hands. Gentlemen, let me state the obvious. We were only created to love one.

Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Ya’akov a son (30:10). Then Leah said: What good fortune! In Hebrew that is bagad, or literally with fortune. So she named him Gad, meaning good fortune or fortune has come (30:11). The name Gad was associated with a pagan god of luck. But Leah, no doubt, used the word as merely an expression of her good fortune, in the form of a fifth son.⁴⁸¹ It was like calling him “Lucky.” It seems that Leah did not think of God in connection with the birth of this son, or her next one.

Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son (30:12). Then Leah had a sixth son and said: How happy I am! In Hebrew it is beashri, literally with my happiness. The women will call me happy or ishruni,  from the same root. So she named him Asher, meaning happy (30:13). All women will call Leah happy because of the child Asher whom she bears, but all generations will call Mary blessed because of the Child she will bear, a Child who will bring salvation to all the nations (Luke 1:50 and 55). But for now, Leah, who had not been worthy of marriage for so long, now had six sons. She was overjoyed.

Keeping score, these two sons are Jacob’s seventh and eighth children, four mothered by Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; two by Rachel’s maidservant Bilhah: Dan and Naphtali; and two more by Leah’s maidservant Zilpah: Gad and Asher. Advantage Leah.

Rachel’s Servant Bilhah Bore Jacob a Son
and Rachel Named Him Dan
30: 1-8

Rachel’s servant Bilhah bore Jacob a son and Rachel named him Dan DIG: How had barrenness continued to plague the line of  Terah? How did Rachel take advantage of the Code of Hammurabi? Was it socially acceptable? Who was the mother legally? Who was Rachel’s struggle really with?

REFLECT: When have you felt like Rachel, unproductive, outnumbered, passed over or disgraced? How do you regain your spiritual perspective? Where do you go?

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister (30:1a), who by now had four children. It was obvious that the problem was not with Ya’akov. In her culture, this amounted to great shame and disgrace for a woman. No mention had been made earlier that Leah was jealous of Rachel’s lovely and shapely body, which attracted Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov). Now, however, Rachel is jealous of Leah’s womb. But instead of praying, either directly or through her husband, as Rebekah had done, she said to Ya’akov her husband: Give me children or I’ll die (30:1b). This battle for Jacob’s affection between two sisters was a sad spectacle. It evolved into a childbearing contest. It is ironic that Rachel, who believed she would die if she didn’t bear any children, and who is not satisfied with adopted children, dies while trying to bear a second child (35:16-19).⁴⁷⁶

The problem of barrenness continued to plague the line of Terah. Abraham’s response to Sarah’s barrenness started with prayer but ended with Ishmael and a multitude of problems. Isaac’s response to Rebecca’s barrenness was prayer. However, Jacob’s response to Rachel’s barrenness was anger and frustration. No doubt Jacob himself had been deeply disappointed that Rachel had not been able to bear children. He said: Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having any children (30:2)? Ya’akov and Rachel loved each other dearly. But sometimes, when the cares of this world creep into a relationship, angry words and hurt feelings can result. We need to stay close to the Lord at all times, relying on Him, knowing that He loves us, believing that He knows what we need, and waiting on His timing. I know this is easier said than done, and we are all far from perfect, but if we stop relying on Him, scenes like this can become common place.

In 14:1 we were introduced to Amraphel king of Shinar, of Babylon. He is more commonly known today as Hammurabi. He lived eight hundred years before Moshe and developed a code of laws and ethics that became the standard from the Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea and from Persia to the Mediterranean Sea. In this Code of Hammurabi, it was normal for a barren woman to substitute her maidservant as a surrogate mother, so she could have children and raise a family. Rachel had taken all the shame she could handle and took advantage of this law from the Code of Hammurabi.

In desperation, Rachel decided to resort to the expedient that had been followed by Sarah long ago, that of having children through her maidservant. It was an accepted social custom of the day. In fact, it is quite possible that it was for this very purpose, as a guard against barrenness, that Laban gave each of his daughters a maidservant. Humanly speaking, it was understandable and perhaps somewhat justifiable. Spiritually, however, it can only be regarded as a testimony to their lack of faith in God’s promises.⁴⁷⁷ It caused dissension for Abraham, and it will cause dissension for Jacob.

Then she said: Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I, too, can build a family (30:3). By the Code of Hammurabi, Rachel would name the children and be the legal mother, not her maidservant. So legally, she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife (30:4a). But even though it was an acceptable practice in their day, it still had to be extremely difficult to give the man she loved to another woman. The fact that she gave him to her servant shows how desperate she was. Jacob raised no objection and slept with her and she became pregnant and bore him a son (30:4b-5). Each wife gave Jacob her maidservant in an effort to have more children than the other.⁴⁷⁸

Rachel, not Bilhah, names the boy because he was hers legally. Then Rachel said: God has judged me (NKJ). In this context, it signifies justice for someone in a hopeless position. He has listened to my prayer and has given me a son. Because of this she named him Dan, or yadin meaning he will judge (30:6). In one sense, the fact that he would provide justice was fulfilled by Samson who was from the tribe of Dan. But in another sense, the tribe of Dan was also judged later in their history because of their spiritual adultery.

Pleased with the quick success of this arrangement, Rachel continued to have Jacob lie with Bilhah, now regarded as an actual wife of Ya’akov, though only a second-class wife, more like a concubine. She was soon pregnant again.⁴⁷⁹ Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son (30:7).

Then Rachel said: I have had a great struggle with my sister Leah, and I have prevailed (NKJ). In Hebrew, a great struggle is niftalee. So she named him Naphtali, meaning I have been entangled in a desperate struggle (30:8). Rachel’s struggle with Leah had actually been a struggle with God and for His favor. For Rachel knew that it was God who had closed her womb and opened Leah’s.⁴⁸⁰ At the moment, she thought that she had prevailed. Advantage Rachel.

When the LORD Saw That Leah Was Not Loved,
He Opened Her Womb
29: 31-35

When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, He opened her womb DIG: Knowing that these twelve sons of Jacob become the twelve tribes of Isra’el, what significance do you see in their birth mothers? Their birth order? Their names?

REFLECT: Have you ever experienced the futility of trying to make somebody love you? Looking for love in all the wrong places? Then you’ll know how Leah felt. When in your misery has the LORD showed you the kindness He showed Leah in her misery?

Jacob’s marriages were troubled from the start. When ADONAI saw that Leah was not Ya’akov’s choice, He opened her womb. As the LORD chose the second born over the firstborn in Jacob’s and Esau’s cases, now He chooses the unloved Leah over the loved Rachel to be a mother first.⁴⁷⁴  As Ya’akov started serving his seven years of service for Rachel, Leah began having children in rapid succession, maybe within four years or less. But Rachel was barren (29:31). This of course caused tension between them. Leah was more fruitful, but Jacob loved Rachel more. Each wife wanted what the other had.

Each of Leah’s sons was named for her feelings at the time. Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, meaning see a son, for she said: It is because ADONAI has seen my misery. So the LORD has seen is the origin of the name Reuben. Then she hoped out loud: Surely now my husband will love me (29:32). Having babies degenerated into a competition between the two wives for Jacob’s affection.

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said: Because ADONAI heard, shamah, that I am not chosen, he gave me this one, too. So she named him Simeon, which means hearing (29:33).

Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said: Now at last my husband will become attached to me, yilabeh, meaning to join, because I have borne him three sons. So he was named Levi, meaning joined (29:34). Having born Ya’akov three sons, she hoped that this would ensure his permanent love for her. Your heart cannot help but go out to Leah. She seems so desperate for the love of her husband.

She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said: This time I will praise ADONAI. This was the consolation for the wife not chosen. The Hebrew word for praise is odeh from the root ydah, meaning to praise. So she named him Judah, meaning praise, or literally He will be praised, or let Him be praised. His name would be the only one of all her sons that does not reflect her personal feelings. Judah was simply an expression of praise to the LORD. Then she stopped having children (29:35).

Only ADONAI’s name is used here in connection with these children of Leah because the births of her last two sons were of such great importance. Levi would be the ancestor of the Levitical priests. Moses and Aaron were sons of Levites. Judah would be the seed son of all the sons of Jacob. His tribe, the tribe of Judah, would be the tribe of King David, and eventually of the Messiah who would come into the world. Therefore, two of the major institutions of the TaNaKh, the priesthood and the kingship, have their origin in an unwanted and unplanned marriage.⁴⁷⁵  Ya’akov might have favored Rachel, but ADONAI had mercy on Leah and allowed her to bear the seed son Judah.

Jacob’s Children
29:31 to 30:24

Whether Jacob realized it or not, marrying Leah was another lesson on the sovereignty of YHVH. It may not have been Jacob’s will to marry Leah, but it sure was God’s. He so designed the whole situation that His eternal plans would unfold. We can see this in two ways. First, the Bible mentions that upon his marriage to Leah, Laban ( in accordance with local customs) gave Leah her own maidservant, Zilpah, who would eventually become the mother of several tribes of Isra’el. Second, it was from Leah that two of the most important tribes of Isra’el came from: Judah and Levi. Judah was to be the seat of the political leadership in Isra’el and Levi was to provide the spiritual leadership.

The twelve sons of Jacob will become the twelve tribes of Isra’el. Each tribe has a translation of its name, and each name is associated with a quote from the mother. These twelve sons are listed in the Scriptures over a dozen times. Most of the time they are listed in a different order. As we have here, one way they are listed is the order of their birth. Another order is to put all of Leah’s son’s first, then Rachel’s son’s, and then the sons of the maidservants. But in addition to that, Joseph later will have two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, both of whom are adopted by Jacob. Because of the twins, Joseph will end up getting the double portion of the firstborn. Reuben was actually the firstborn, but like Esau, lost his position due to sin. When the tribes are listed there are fourteen to choose from, but twelve are always numbered. There is always a reason for the omission of one or more of the tribes in each list because the Holy Spirit teaches us a lesson each time.

To the nation of Isra’el these narratives were more than interesting stories. The rivalry that appears here explains much of the tribal rivalry that followed down through their history. But Genesis is clear: the LORD chose the despised mother, Leah, and exalted her to be the mother of the Seed son. Isaac preferred Esau, but ADONAI chose Jacob as the son of promise. Jacob preferred Rachel and her son Joseph, but the LORD chose Leah to bear Judah, through which the Messiah would come.⁴⁷²

From a human perspective we are amazed at the rancor and bitterness that divides this family. Yet it is through this dysfunctional family ADONAI used them to become the channel of His blessing to the world. From a divine perspective, God’s grace is working in the lives of some very improbable subjects. We should be grateful that our salvation rests on the grace of the LORD rather than on any human merit.⁴⁷³

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
29: 14b-30

Jacob married Leah and Rachel DIG: What was the reason for the dissension between Jacob’s wives? What were the consequences of Jacob’s favoritism of Rachel over Leah? What problems did Laban cause Jacob? How did Laban pull off of the deceptive switch? Why didn’t Ya’akov question who was in his tent on his wedding night?

REFLECT: When, like Ya’akov, have you had to suffer such delays in getting what you want? What did God want for you? Has favoritism hurt your family? If so, what does the Lord want you to do about it?

Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov) was hardworking and wanted to make himself useful, so he began to help with the family business, which was first and foremost handling the flocks. This kept him near Rachel and his love for her grew. He knew this was the woman ADONAI had chosen for him, and that she would fulfill every requirement to be the mother of the nation that God had promised. After Ya’akov had stayed with him for a whole month, Laban saw that Jacob was a valuable employee and he didn’t want to let him go. So Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be” (29:14-15).⁴⁶¹

We are now introduced to another daughter, Leah. Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, meaning a cow, and the name of the younger was Rachel, meaning a ewe lamb (29:16). Both daughters were apparently well beyond the age at which women usually married, and Laban may have become very concerned about finding a husband for Leah, the older sister. According to Laban’s later explanation (29:26), it was contrary to strong custom for the younger to be married before the older; and since Leah had been unable to find a husband, both she and Rachel had remained unmarried. Talk about pressure! Obviously, Laban should have explained this to Ya’akov at the time of his proposal, but he was full of guile. It was not clear why Leah was unable to find a husband; quite possibly it was because none of the eligible men of Haran were acceptable to her father.⁴⁶²

The Bible says that Leah had weak eyes, but the adjective rak is translated weak in only a few places (Genesis 33:12; Deuteronomy 20:8). More often it describes something that is tender (flocks, Genesis 18:7), gentle (a king’s reign, Second Samuel 3:39), soft (speech, Proverbs 15:1; Job 41:3), delicate (a woman, Deuteronomy 28:56; Isaiah 47:1), and young (an experienced young man, First Chronicles 22:5 and 29:1; Second Chronicles 13:7). That is, she had eyes that according to the Oriental standard of beauty, were a great blemish.⁴⁶³ Bright eyes, full of fire, are considered the height of beauty.

Jacob wasn’t interested in Laban’s wages; he was in love with Rachel who was lovely in form, and beautiful. He immediately proposed that he would work for him seven years in return for his younger daughter Rachel. Jacob had shown up empty-handed in Haran, and the seven years of service would pay for the bride price. It is unclear if Laban thought up the scheme of switching his daughters on the wedding night at this point, but it wouldn’t be a surprise. Laban said: It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Therefore, when he said: Stay here with me, and the deal was set (29:17-19). But Laban turned this joyous occasion into a nightmare.

So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but all the years seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. But when the seven years were up, Laban didn’t say anything at all to Ya’akov because he wanted to keep him working for as long as possible. Finally, Jacob had to remind Laban that he had kept his part of the bargain, and now he wanted his bride. He demanded: Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her (29:20-21). Laban indirectly ignores Jacob’s request, but instead makes plans for a wedding feast. Jacob assumes it is for his marriage to Rachel, but uncle Laban has a trick up his sleeve.

It was the custom to have a great wedding feast, lasting seven days, beginning with a banquet on the wedding night. So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a seven-day marriage feast (29:22). And at the banquet, Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah, meaning nearness of intimacy, as a wedding gift to his daughter as her maidservant (29:24). It seems that Jacob’s senses were dulled with the wine of the feast. Wine was served there, and the veil and the darkness of the wedding tent would surely not themselves be sufficient to camouflage both Leah and her voice. The wine most likely affected Jacob’s perception on his wedding night, just like wine affected Lot with his older and younger daughters. They, too, deceived their father, made him drunk, and had intercourse with him (19:30-38).⁴⁶⁴

But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah to the marriage tent and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her (29:23). Like a lamb to the slaughter, Ya’akov never questioned that it was really Rachel. He was totally duped.

What is left unsaid here speaks volumes. How does Laban pull this off? Where is Rachel while all this was going on? Whether she had simply been persuaded, or commanded, by her father to go along with this deceptive plan, or whether she had to be forcibly detained in the women’s quarters during the evening and long night, we do not know. In any event, it must have been very difficult for her. It certainly wasn’t easy for Leah either. How does she feel about being led to Jacob’s tent by her father? Does she feel used? Although she really wanted a husband, she knew Jacob loved Rachel and that he thought he was making love to her that night. The Bible does not tell us what the feelings were between the two sisters. No doubt Leah was jealous of Rachel, but there is no reason to think that she would want to hurt her sister. Even though she was being obedient to her father in going through with the deception, she knew it was wrong. Unless she wanted Ya’akov so badly herself that nothing else mattered, it was probably a difficult night for her as well.⁴⁶⁵

When morning came Jacob got a little surprise – there was Leah! Once the deception was discovered, he was obviously angry with both Laban and Leah. But after he cooled down he had to recognize the similarity of this situation to his deception of his father and brother. Just as Esau, the older brother, stood between Ya’akov and his blessing, here Leah, the older sister, stood between Jacob and his true love.⁴⁶⁶ Desperation clouded both decisions. Ya’akov believed that the end justified the means, and I am sure Laban and Leah felt the same way. In spite of her deception, Jacob realized that Leah had been in love with him all along. He was an honorable man and he didn’t want to hurt her any more. He did learn to love her, though he would always love Rachel more than Leah.

Because of this little mix-up, Jewish tradition dictates that the marriage contract, or the Ketubah, be signed before the wedding – not afterward. Jewish men check out that bride before they go down the aisle. Christian tradition says that it is bad luck to see the bride before the weeding. But Jewish men insist on seeing her! This accomplishes two things. First, it protects the husband from this kind of deception, and secondly, it protects the wife’s rights during the marriage and in case she is divorced or widowed. It is forbidden for Jewish couples to live together without a it. If the Ketubah is lost, a new one must be written. It has become traditional, since at least the fourteenth century, to decorate the Ketubah as artwork and hang it in the home as a keepsake.

This was not divine retribution of the ungodly. This was a loving heavenly Father using Laban’s guile for His glory. Later Jacob’s youngest son Joseph would say to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good” (50:20). That is what happened here; Laban intended to harm Jacob, but God intended it for good. The desire of ADONAI was to teach Ya’akov three lessons that he needed to learn and use for the rest of his life.

At his first opportunity, Jacob confronted Laban and said to him, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” Laban tried to rationalize his behavior by saying: It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one (29:25-26). The phrase: It is not our custom here, is translated you have done things that you should not have done elsewhere. Abimelech uses this phrase with Abraham after Abraham deceived him (20:9). Likewise, the sons of Ya’akov use this phrase after they hear about their sister’s rape (34:7). Tamar, daughter of David, attempted to discourage her half-brother Amnon from forcing himself on her by using this phrase. It is an expression that refers to serious violation of custom that threatens the very fabric of society, and is basically a rebuke.⁴⁶⁷

Laban tells Ya’akov that he hadn’t read the small print. This ancient custom still exists in the East. But Jacob was not informed of this in advance. In addition, he had served there for seven years and would have known of this custom. However, most likely, this was another lie by Laban. There can be no doubt that this was an Israelite in whom there was much guile (John 1:47 NKJ)! Then, since he was on a roll, he makes Jacob another offer. Finish Leah’s seven-day bridal week; then Iwill give you the youngest one also, in return for another seven years of work (29:27). Uncle Laban was certainly getting his money’s worth wasn’t he? But because Ya’akov was a man of character, and out of respect to Leah, he agreed.

Through this ordeal, ADONAI will teach Jacob three lessons. The first lesson was to learn humble submission. Because he had refused to submit to God, he must submit to serve a human master. The second lesson was to respect the rights of the firstborn. What Ya’akov had disregarded in connection with Esav, he must now concede concerning his wife Leah. The third lesson was to learn patience. Because he had refused to wait for the LORD’s timing for the fulfillment of His promise (25:23), he had to wait seven years before he could marry Rachel, and that he would have to serve another seven years after that.468

And Jacob did so. He finished the bridal week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his second wife (29:28). At about the age of eighty, he had received two wives in eight days. In addition, Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah, meaning terror, as a wedding gift to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant (29:29). She, like Zilpah, would play an important role in Jacob’s family life.

Even though the biblical record is accurate, ADONAI does not approve of polygamy. God didn’t approve of Satan’s lie and he didn’t approve of David’s sin. He judged them both for it. The Bible records several men who had more than one wife. King David had several wives and a harem, but it wasn’t the best thing for him and it wasn’t the best thing for Ya’akov, Leah or Rachel. Even though the Biblical record is accurate here, the Bible never records any man who had more than one wife who was happily married.⁴⁶⁹

Jacob lay with Rachel also and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years as the bride price for Rachel (29:30). Ya’akov was becoming like his mother and father, each of whom loved one son more than the other. Parental favoritism was replaced by marital favoritism.⁴⁷⁰ The former led to friction in Isaac’s family, and Jacob’s favoritism for Rachel will lead to family discord that will plague him for the rest of his life. In his old age, he favored Rachel’s son, Joseph, so much that Leah’s sons wanted to kill him, as we shall see (37:3-4, 18).⁴⁷¹

29:20 to 30 follow an antithetical structure. There is a parallelism, where the first letter is antithetical to the second letter, and so on.

A Jacob’s payment for a wife (29:20)

B Jacob’s marriage to Leah through deception (29:21-24)

C Jacob’s accusation against Laban (29:25)

C Laban’s defense (29:26)

B Jacob’s marriage to Rachel by negotiation (29:27-30a)

A Jacob’s payment for a wife (29:30b)

When Jacob Saw Rachel, Daughter of Laban,
He Kissed Her and Began to Weep Aloud
29: 1-14a

When Jacob saw Rachael, daughter of Laban, he kissed her and began to weep aloud DIG: Compare 24:10-32 with this passage. How do you account for the similarities in how Isaac and Jacob met their respective mates? How do you account for Jacob showing up at the exact well where the sheep of his relatives were being watered?

REFLECT: What do you think of love at first sight? How important are family ties and a common faith to you in your choice of a mate? What else matters to you in this regard?

Jacob may have lingered for a time at Bethel, reflecting on what the LORD had said to him there. But eventually Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov) lifted up his feet and continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples (29:1). There is a new spring in his step as a result of his encounter with ADONAI. It is the same for you and me today. God says to us: I will never leave you or forsake you. So we can say with confidence: ADONAI is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me (Hebrews 13:5b-6)? When we are reminded of His promises to us, do we not lift up our feet as we journey through this world? The rest of Jacob’s journey passed along in silence.

ADONAI had promised to be with Ya’akov (28:15), and as he continued on his journey to Padan Aram, the LORD guided him to the exact well where the sheep of his relatives were being watered. There he saw a well in the field outside of town, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large (29:2). Here we see the importance of water in that country. It is still a very important item because there is a shortage of water in many places. This well seems to be stored water rather than a well of flowing water. It needed to be protected; that is why at a certain time during the day the large stone was removed from the top of the well, and then everyone watered their sheep. Everyone got the water they needed, then the stone was put back to close the well.⁴⁵⁷

When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well (29:3). However, the sheep were watered in order of their arrival, and there were already some shepherds who had come early to “get in line.”

Being an experienced shepherd, Jacob thought it was strange that the shepherds and their sheep were laying around an unopened well in the middle of the day. Nevertheless, he greeted the shepherds warmly: My brothers, where are you from? We’re from Haran, they replied. He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?” (Evidently Laban was better known through his grandfather, Nahor, than through his father, Bethuel). “Yes, we know him,” they replied. Like when Eliezar was searching for a bride for his father, Jacob was amazed and grateful that those shepherds were from Haran and also knew his uncle Laban. Then Ya’akov asked them, “Is he well?” “Yes, he is,” they said, “and his daughter Rachel will be coming with the sheep” (29:4-6).

It is interesting that both Jacob and the shepherds still spoke the same language. The language of Haran was Aramaic, or Chaldee, and was evidently the language well known to Abraham, and therefore to Isaac and Ya’akov. The means by which these patriarchs communicated with the Canaanites, and even with the Egyptians, in the course of their travels, is never mentioned. Their languages were certainly quite different. Evidently they either spoke through interpreters or else they themselves were good linguists and had learned several languages. As far as the immediate family of Abraham was concerned, however, it is reasonable that they all had continued to speak Aramaic, as well as Hebrew.⁴⁵⁸

When he learned that Laban’s very own daughter Rachel would be coming soon, his heart skipped a beat. This might be his future wife! He was anxious to meet her, but it would be better if the shepherds were not around. Jacob quickly devised a plan. Look, he said, the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture. But the shepherds did not cooperate, saying: We can’t, until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep (29:7-8). It was their custom to wait until all the flocks had gathered, then the stone would be rolled away and the watering would begin.

However, while he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess (29:9). It was unusual for a woman to do this kind of work. Laban did have sons who tended his sheep (31:1), and two daughters. But evidently he had so many flocks and herds in different regions at this time that the whole family needed to help take care of them. Rachel means ewe lamb, and it was the ancient custom to give names of animals to children. It was significant that the meeting between Jacob and Rachel took place at a well, which was often associated with God’s blessing (16:13-14; 21:19-25, 33).

It was no accident that Ya’akov was to meet Rachel at that well. ADONAI doesn’t roll the dice. It was no accident that a caravan of Ishmaelites passed by on their way to Egypt as Joseph’s brothers were plotting his death. It was no accident that Pharaoh’s daughter went down to the river to bathe, and one of her attendants found the baby Moses in a basket among the reeds. It was no accident that Ruth gleaned the fields of Boaz. It was no accident that on a specific night, King Ahasuerus could not sleep so he had the record of his reign read to him, which contained an entry of how Mordecai had exposed a plot on the king’s very life, which not only led to the saving of Mordecai’s life, but the Jewish nation itself (see my commentary on Esther, to see link click Be – That Night the King Could Not Sleep). No, this was not an accident. Jacob had a divine appointment.

When Jacob saw Rachel, he fell hopelessly in love with her. It was love at first sight. It seems that Jacob behaved like a typical young man who had fallen in love and wanted to make a good impression on his newly found fair maiden! What would most ambitious young men do? Perhaps just as Jacob did – he showed off his strength to this young beauty by bypassing all of the other shepherds who were waiting as he gallantly rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 

And if that was not enough, Jacob decided to violate an unspoken Middle Eastern custom – he was so overcome with emotion that he proceeded to kiss her upon their first meeting. This was a kiss of personal greeting, but this was only practiced by relatives or close friends. If she was shocked by his kiss, she was probably even more shocked when he began to weep aloud! Ya’akov realized he was at the right place with the right person. But he managed to control his emotions long enough to tell her that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. Then it was Rachel’s turn to be emotional. When she learned who Ya’akov was, she ran and told her father (29:10-12). I think Jacob had a strong sense that this woman could be the wife God had chosen for him. He must have heard his own mother, Rebekah, share many times how she had come to the well near Haran and met Abraham’s chief servant, Eliezer. He was there to find a wife for Jacob’s father Isaac, and his mother Rebekah, of course, was the woman who appeared at the well.⁴⁵⁹ Ya’akov probably remained behind to tend to Rachel’s sheep while she was gone.

In this passage, Jacob’s show of affection is expressed by to Hebrew verbs that sound alike: vayashk, meaning kissed, and vayishak, meaning lifted up (the difference between them in the Hebrew is the vowels, which were not in the original text). These two verbs are identical with those employed in 27:27 where Isaac kissed (vayashk) Jacob, and 27:38 where Esau lifted up his voice (vayishak) in the fateful scene that brought about Jacob’s flight, which now ended with the encounter with Rachael. The use of these two verbs here acts to draw the curtain on that phase of Jacob’s life while raising the curtain on the next.

As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. Rebekah had left her family and Laban ninety-seven years earlier and he was anxious for news of her. I am sure they had quite a lot to talk about (24:50-60). He embraced him and, as is the common custom in the Near East, greeted him with a kiss and brought him to his home. There Ya’akov told him the whole family history over the previous ninety-seven years. At some length, Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood (29:13-14). This statement has been found in ancient adoption ceremonies and he seems genuinely delighted to welcome his relative into his house.⁴⁶⁰ So far . . . Rebekah’s plan seemed to be working very well.

Jacob in Haran
29:1 to 30:43

In the next three chapters of Genesis we find the record of Jacob’s twenty long years away from the land of Canaan and his home. Recall that he was probably around seventy-five years old when he left home, so that he was around ninety-five when he came back. However, in terms of normal aging and life spans today, these figures could probably be cut in half to correspond to equivalent life spans in our own time. Even so, he was still well enough along in years to be leaving home for the first time and to be looking for a wife. Many have treated this period of Jacob’s life as though it were a punishment for the treatment of his brother. However, those years were very happy and prosperous for the most part, with no more troubles and problems than are normally encountered by a believer seeking to follow ADONAI. He even spoke of it fondly on his deathbed. He did receive some rather unfair treatment at the hand of his uncle Laban. On the other hand, Laban did give Jacob a job, permitted him to marry his daughters, and made it possible for him to build up extensive wealth and holdings of his own.⁴⁵⁶

Jacob Saw a Stairway
with the Angels of God Ascending and Descending
28: 10-22

Jacob saw a stairway with the Angels of God ascending and descending DIG: What is so remarkable in ADONAI’s display of grace? Why does God meet Jacob unsolicited and without criticism?

REFLECT: Do you think God still speaks through dreams? What are the inherent dangers of relying on dreams for guidance? Do you believe, beyond any doubt, that the Lord will care for you?

Parashah 7: vaYetze (He went out) 28:10-32:2
(see my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key People include Jacob, Rachel, Laban, Leah, handmaids and sons. The main character of parashah vaYetze is Jacob. This portion begins as Jacob is busy packing his bags to flee from his angry brother, Esau; and closes with Jacob fleeing again, but this time from his angry father-in-law and uncle, Laban. Amid his journeys, we see Jacob pitted in a battle of wits with his father-in-law Laban in whom there is much guile.

The Scenes include Beersheba, Bethel, Haran, Galeed, and Mahanaim.

The Main Events include Jacob’s escape, his dream of angels ascending and descending on a stairway to heaven, God’s promise of family and land, Jacob’s response to build an altar and tithe, 20 years of work (7 for Leah, 7 for Rachel, and 6 for livestock), 11 sons born to him, livestock increase, dream warning Jacob to return home, a fast getaway while Laban chases, the family gods stolen by Rachel, the covenant between Jacob and Laban at Galeed, and angels greeting Jacob at Mahanaim.

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran with only a staff in his hand (28:10). He had spent most of his life in Beersheba (22:19, 26:33, 28:10). It was five hundred miles to Haran, and even though he probably had a camel or a donkey to ride on, it would take him weeks to get there. Bethel is twelve miles north of Jerusalem and Beersheba, which is thirty miles south of Jerusalem. So Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov) covered about forty miles his first day. Wow, he really wanted to get away from Esau in a hurry!

When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. It almost sounds like Jacob reached this certain place by chance. But nothing could be further from the truth. The LORD led him there, whether Ya’akov knew it or not. He called the place, Beit-El or Bethel, which means the house of God. Many years earlier his grandfather Abraham had built an altar to ADONAI there as an act of public worship (12:8). It is twelve hundred feet above sea level in the hills, and it is a bleak and desolate place. Yet this would become the high point in his spiritual life.

Taking one of the stones there, he put it near his head and lay down to sleep (28:11). He didn’t really use it as a pillow; the Hebrew literally reads near his head. The same terminology is used in 1 Samuel 26:7, where Saul fell asleep with his spear stuck in the ground near his head. What do you think Jacob was feeling? He was probably lonely and homesick. As far as we know, this was his first night away from home and Jacob thought he was all alone. How wrong he was. The point of the account is that God was present with him wherever he went, and chose this place to make Himself known to Jacob. The means He used was a stairway.

It was only when he was asleep, needy and helpless, that God revealed Himself.⁴⁵¹ He had a dream in which he saw a stairway (28:12a), asullam, which appears only here in the Hebrew text. Ya’akov trusted the promises of the LORD all his life. He worshiped ADONAI and prayed to Him regularly. But God had never actually appeared and spoken to him as He had to his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. But on this night Jacob would meet ADONAI as a theophany, in the form of a dream. A theophany is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. It was obvious that this was no ordinary staircase.

This stairway was resting on the earth, where Jacob was, with its top, literally head, reaching to heaven, where ADONAI was. So the dream pictures Ya’akov having access to heaven. And the angels of God were there with him (28:12b). In the book of Genesis, the phrase, the angels of God, is found in only two places, here and 32:1. What is significant in both instances is the timing. Here, the angels of God are mentioned as Jacob departs from the Land, and in 32:1 they are mentioned again as he is returning to the Land. These angels of God are pictured as ascending and descending on a stairway (28:12c).

Almost two thousand years in the future from Jacob’s day, a devout Israelite named Nathanael was meditating under a fig tree on God’s word. In those days it was impossible for everyone to have a copy of the Scriptures so they spent a lot of time memorizing it, and then meditating on it. The rabbis said that the best place to meditate and receive a blessing from the LORD was under a fig tree. In fact, some rabbis would teach under a fig tree because they said the Scriptures could be better understood there.

When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, He said to him: Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false. Nathanael wanted to know how Yeshua knew him. He answered: I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you. Then Nathanael said a very curious thing. He said: Rabbi, You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel (Yochanan 1:47-49). Nathanael did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God simply because He knew that he was mediating under a fig tree. Today, if someone said, “I saw in a vision that you were at Temple on Shabbat,” you wouldn’t think he was a prophet, because Temple is where you would expect to find the righteous of the TaNaKh on Shabbat.

So during the time of Christ you would have expected to find a Jew meditating under a fig tree. So what made Nathanael believe in Yeshua? It was the first statement: Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false. Jesus knew the exact chapter Nathanael was meditating on. It was Genesis 28. But if Nathanael was a true Israelite in whom there was nothing false, by implication, who was the Israelite in whom there was much guile (NKJ)? It was Laban, Jacob’s deceitful uncle (28:2-5). How can we be sure Yeshua knew Nathanael was meditating on Genesis 28? Jesus then said: You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51). This was the exact vision that Jacob had seen in his dream. In other words, Jesus claimed to be the stairway, the only means to get from earth to heaven: For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Yeshua the Messiah (First Timothy 2:5).

Then ADONAI reconfirms the provisions of God’s covenant with Jacob’s grandfather Abraham. There above it stood the LORD, and He said to Ya’akov, “I am ADONAI the God of your father, or descendant, Abraham and the God of Isaac” (28:13a). There were four aspects of the Covenant. First, I will give you, Jacob, and your descendants the land on which you are lying (28:13b). The mere mention of descendants means that Jacob will succeed in finding a wife.

Second, Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south (28:14a). He and his future wife will be very fruitful and will have so many descendants, that they will be as numerous as the dust of the earth. Third, he had the promise of Gentile blessing: All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring (28:14b).

Fourth, there are personal promises to Jacob. ADONAI’s presence: I am with you. El Shaddai’s protection: I will watch over you wherever you go. The LORD’s promise: I will bring you back to this land. And finally, God’s personal commitment: I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you (28:15). Notice that ADONAI did not say anything negative to him at all because Jacob was a righteous man (25:27). If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, the fact that He will not leave you until He has done what He has promised you is probably the most precious promise that you can get out of the Bible.

Ya’akov, the man, may not have understood the full implications of his remarkable dream, but he surely could understand that there was communication between man and God, and that the LORD would provide the means by which man could be restored to Him. Personally, he learned that beyond any doubt, ADONAI would care for him and that regardless of future circumstances, El Shaddai would lead him and fulfill all His promises.⁴⁵²

After ADONAI had finished speaking, Jacob awoke from his sleep, although it seemed to him to be much more than an dream. Jacob’s reaction was such that he believed that YHVH had actually appeared and spoken to him. When he ran away from home, he had had a limited view of the LORD. He thought that when he ran away from home, he was running away from God. But he found that he had not left God back home. Jacob exclaimed: Surely ADONAI is in this place, and I was not aware of it (28:16).⁴⁵³ He was afraid in the sense that he started to understand the power of Elohim. Jacob was growing in his faith because the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). He said: How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven (28:17).

This was Jacob’s first encounter with God. His was not a mature faith like Abraham’s, but nonetheless, it was a step in the right direction for Jacob. After all, Abraham had several lapses of faith before he became a mature believer. The LORD had taught him as he matured, and He would do the same with Ya’akov. He does the same with us.

Jacob established several motifs pertaining to Jewish worship here at Bethel. The most notable is the memorial. Early the next morning Ya’akov took the stone he had placed near his head and set it up, literally stood it up, as a pillar. He did not have an animal to sacrifice, but he did make a drink offering (Exodus 29:40-41; Leviticus 23:13 and 18) by pouring oil on top, literally the head, of it (28:18). This was the first use of a drink offering in the Scriptures. Later, under the Torah, the drink offering would always be made of wine and would symbolize joy. It would not be offered alone, but always in conjunction with the sweet-savor offerings (Numbers 15:1-13), especially the burnt offering and its accompanying meal offering. It was never to be offered with the sin or guilt offerings because there would be no joy for ADONAI in Messiah’s sufferings when He was made sin upon the cross (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Fb – The Five Offerings of the Tabernacle: Christ, Our Sacrificial Offering).

Setting up stones as a pillar also became important from this time on. Memorials are different from altars. They were set up to recall where God had dealt with man, so that people would learn about Him when they asked: What do these stones mean (Joshua 4:6)? Moses would set up twelve stone pillars (Exodus 24:4). Jacob called the place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz (28:19). Luz, its original name, meant separation, while Beit-El or Bethel (its new name), means the House of God. ADONAI calls us to be separate from the world, but in leaving the world we enter His house.⁴⁵⁴

Jacob’s vow was another motif. Then Ya’akov made a vow, the first recorded in Scripture, saying: since God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s house, then ADONAI will be my God. And this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house; in other words, this will be the place where Jacob will return to worship the LORD (28:20-22a). About twenty years later, the LORD would tell Jacob to return to Bethel (see Ih – Jacob’s Journey to Bethel).

Tithing was another motif. In addition to setting up stones as a pillar, Jacob responded to the appearance of ADONAI by making a vow of service to Him, saying: And of all that you give me, I will give you a tenth (28:22b). Like his grandfather Abraham, who had given tithes to Melchizedek (14:40), Jacob acknowledged that everything he had belonged to God. These were both voluntary gifts. God did not command them. Later, tithing would become an obligation under the Torah (Leviticus 27:30; Numbers 18:21-24). Today, believers should tithe and it should be done cheerfully and gratefully, not grudgingly or with a selfish attitude (Second Corinthians 9:7). The New Covenant contains no command for specified amounts or percentages of giving. We need to support those who feed us spiritually (Matthew 10:5-11; Luke 9:1-5; John 12:6 and 13:29; First Timothy 5:17-18), but after that the percentage we give will be determined by the love of our own hearts and the needs of others (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Do – When You Give to the Needy, Do Not Do It to be Honored by Others). We do not have to take on the yoke of the Torah.

It seems, then, the main reason for this dream was to encourage Jacob in his journey out of the Promised Land. It assured him that the LORD was to be with him in his time in Haran and that, by His sovereign grace, He would bring him back home to Canaan. Judging from what Jacob would experience in Haran, he would need all the encouragement he could get!

In Jacob’s dream, ADONAI came to earth. Indeed, the Bible often repeats this refrain. But God comes to other runaways as well. This is, in fact, the LORD’s defining purpose; He comes to rebellious people to be with them and to save them. When El Shaddai finally decided to become a Person to seek and save the lost, He was given the name: God with us (Mt 1:23). Jacob was forced to respond to ADONAI’s coming, and so are we.⁴⁵⁵

Esau Married the Daughter of Ishmael,
in Addition to the Wives He Already Had
28: 6-9

Esau married the daughter of Ishmael, in addition to the wives he already had DIG: Upon hearing of his father’s preferences for a suitable mate, what does Esau do here? Do two wrong wives make a third one right? What does the Bible continue to point out about Esav and his decisions? What does this tell us about the relationship between Ishmael and Isaac?

REFLECT: Do you renounce sin in your life when you find it? Or do you pacify it with symbolic gestures? How can you restore a relationship with a family member that was once strained?

Esau now makes another attempt to regain the blessing. Now Esav learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Padan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him not to marry a Canaanite woman, and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Padan Aram (28:6-7).

Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac (28:8). He consequently thought that by not marrying another Canaanite woman, he would win back his father’s favor and possibly the blessing. So he went to Ishmael, the son of Abraham, and married his daughter Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth, in addition to the wives he already had (28:9). This is the classic case of closing the barn door after the horse is gone. Although Esau did not marry any more women of Canaan, he was not willing to send away those he already had, in spite of their unsuitability and wickedness. Basically, he married his cousin because he thought it would please his father Isaac. She was a descendant of Avraham through Ishmael. But this just magnifies Esau’s lack of spiritual perception. The Ishmaelites were just as rejected as the Canaanites or the Philistines. Ironically, the rejected son of Isaac married into the rejected line of Ishmael. At any rate, he failed to impress his parents and the marriage goes unnoticed by his father and mother.

But however clueless Esau might have been about his birthright, it is interesting to note what this says to us about the relationship between Ishmael and Isaac. Marriages at that time only took place with the consent of both fathers. If the father was incapable or dead, the oldest son took his place. Ishmael had died at least fifteen years before Esau approached his family. Had Ishmael’s son Nebaioth been resentful about the fact that Isaac was the full heir, even though his father had been the firstborn, then he would not have given his sister to Esau. Instead, he trusted her completely to his cousin. It seems that Ishmael had experienced healing through the blessing of his twelve sons (to see link click Gi – The Twelve Sons of Ishmael).

All this only furnished further proof that Esav had absolutely no understanding of the blessing and what it meant. Once again, he was proven unfit to receive it. He tried to act godly in the futile hope that somehow or other it would be pleasing to ADONAI. There are many like that today. They will not do exactly what God requires, but something like it. They will not give up the world entirely and put the LORD first in their life, but merely rearrange the deck furniture on the Titanic! They will not renounce sin, but pacify it with symbolic gestures.

While Esau was occupied with the “honey-do’s” of his three wives, Jacob was off to Paddan Aram in search of a bride.

Haftarah Tol’dot: Mal’akhi (Malachi) 1:1-2:7
(see my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

Priests were charged with the calling to honor the name of ADONAI (Malachi 2:1-2). But Malachi tells us that they turned away from the path, caused many to fail in the Torah, and corrupted the covenant of Levi (Malachi 1:8), offering blemished sacrifices (Malachi 1:13; Leviticus 22:18-20). YHVH was so repulsed by this that He cursed the priestly privilege of bestowing the blessings of life and peace to the people (Malachi 2:2). The curse would affect the seed of the coming generations of Levi (Malachi 2:3). In fact, the covenant with Levi may not pass from this generation. High standards are required of priests (Malachi 2:4). Godly priests walk in awe of ADONAI-Tzva’ot (Malachi 2:5-6). They were supposed to be teachers and guardians of moral life, warning the people to live uprightly as messengers of righteousness (Malach 2:7). Omitted from the Haftarah reading are the next two verses, which judge that generation and threaten to halt the passing of the covenant to the sons of Levi (Malachi 2:8-9).

B’rit Chadashah suggested readings for Parashah Tol’dot:
Romans 9:6-16; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 11:20 and 12:14-17

Again, ADONAI uses a man’s name for his descendants. Tol’dot describes generations that follow. In the Toarh, Isaac’s generations are Jacob (who will live through his sons). In the Haftarah, Levi’s covenant describes the priests to come. Here Rabbi Sha’ul reviews that his countrymen according to the flesh, gave birth to Messiah according to the flesh (Romans 9:3 and 5). Not all of Abraham’s descendants, however, will inherit the seed of promise (Romans 9:7-8). Rather, Jacob is chosen – not on the basis of works (for he had not yet done good or evil), but solely on the basis of calling (Romans 9:11). God’s choice was made while the twins were in the womb! God called Jacob prior to his being born. The principle that the older shall serve the younger (Romans 9:12) sets the stage for YHVH’s plan of redemption. Isaac will pass on his birthright to Isra’el (Jacob), father of a nation. The Jewish people are the beneficiaries of this everlasting inheritance.

Then Isaac Sent Jacob to Laban,
the Brother of Rebekah
27:46 to 28:5

Then Isaac sent Jacob to Laban, the brother of Rebekah DIG: Why didn’t Isaac want Jacob marrying a Hittite woman? What did Rebekah really want? What did she get? What does El Shaddai mean? Why is it mentioned here again (see 17:1a)? What does the absence of any trace of Isaac in the remainder of the book of Genesis imply?

REFLECT: Do you have any sense that you are like Jacob, running from your past, and fearing revenge? Have you ever been protected from harm by a family member? In what way(s) have you been blessed by your family?

Then Rebekah, once again deceiving her husband for the sake of her son, said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land (as Esau had), from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living” (27:46). No doubt they were a source of grief to both Isaac and Rebekah (26:34-35), but she used this situation to trick Isaac in order to allow Jacob to get a wife from her own people. In that way she could get Jacob to flee with Isaac’s blessing, and at the same time, protect him from Esau. Humanly speaking, this was a brilliant plan. She got two birds with one stone. But the problem was that she outsmarted herself. By the time Jacob returned home again she will have died. Rebekah will never see her son again. In this sense, the resulting curse did fall on her (27:13). There are two curses in life. One is that you don’t get what you want. The other is that you get what you want.

So Isaac was persuaded by Rebekah’s logic and called for Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov), blessed him again and commanded him not to marry a Canaanite woman. This introduces the motif of Ya’akov taking a wife from Rebekah’s relatives in Mesopotamia. Jacob was around seventy-five years old. He received the same instructions as Abraham gave to his servant almost a hundred years earlier when Isaac himself was ready to marry.⁴⁴⁹ Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother (28:1-2).

Throughout the Bible we find that God does not want the godly to marry the ungodly. In Genesis 6 the result of the fallen angels, or sons of God, marrying the daughters of men resulted in the judgment of the Flood and only eight godly people left on the earth. Such intermarriage always leads to godlessness and ADONAI forbids it (Second Corinthians 6:14). If you are thinking about marrying an unbeliever, let me say this. If you cannot win him or her to Jesus before you get married, you will not win him or her to the Lord after you are married. Missionary dating does not work. You might say, “They will change,” and you are right. They will get worse after you say, “I do.”

Then, in order that neither Rebekah nor Jacob could have any more doubt that he fully desired and intended that Jacob should have the full blessing, Isaac repeated the blessing in terms much more like those which he himself had received from God (26:3-5).⁴⁵⁰ He said: May El Shaddai bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples (28:3). Isaac reiterated the blessing from God Almighty (17:1a). This name comes from the idea that all might and power is expressed in the term God or El. The word Almighty comes from a root word meaning strong, powerful or to do violence, especially in the sense of one who is so powerful, He is able to set aside the laws of nature. As El Shaddai, He is able; nothing is impossible for Him. He was wholly capable of fulfilling all the promises that He had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Isaac said to his son, “May He give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land that God gave to Abraham” (28:4).

Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way from Beersheba, and he went to Paddan Aram around the age of seventy-five to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Ya’akov and Esav (28:5). Isaac knew how El Shaddai had protected him, and he was confident that He would do the same for his son Jacob.

Except for his death (35:27-29), this is the last we hear of the life of Isaac in Genesis. It is remarkable that Isaac lived over fifty years after this and nothing is recorded of him. His life was generally much quieter than his father or his son. But it seems as though the utter silence of these fifty years was intended to remind us of the sin of Isaac after his deliberate attempt to avoid the blessing of his son Jacob.

Your Brother Esau Wants to Kill You,
Flee at Once to My Brother Laban in Haran
27: 41-45

Your brother Esau wants to kill you, flee at once at my brother Laban in Haran DIG: What was Rebekah afraid of? Were her fears justified? What was her plan? What would have happened to Esau if he would have killed his brother? When would she see Jacob again? Why?

REFLECT: When have you held a long-term grudge? If that person is a believer are you taking communion in an unworthy manner (First Corinthians 11:18)? Are you still holding on to it? How has it affected you? How has it affected those around you?

Esau’s complaints and tears had then turned into hatred for his brother. There was no genuine repentance in him. Therefore, he held a grudge against Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov) because of the blessing his father had given him. Then he made a resolution. Expecting his father to die soon, he said to himself: The days of mourning for my father are near (27:2), although Isaac would live for another forty-three years. Then, he vowed, I will kill my brother Jacob. To him, life was not worth living if he could not get rid of Jacob. His threatening words were overheard and brought to his mother’s attention. When Rebekah was told what her older son Esav had said, she once again took action (27:5-13). She sent for her younger son Ya’akov and said to him:Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you (27:41-42).

Here again, we see Rebekah quickly taking things into her own hands when she said: Now then, my son, do what I say to you: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran (27:43). This is a distance of four hundred and fifty miles, a very long distance by camel in those days. So she would have to lose Jacob to save him. She instructed: Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides (27:44). Knowing what a hothead Esav was, she assumed his anger would quickly pass away and Ya’akov could soon return.

When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him . . . indicates that she knew it would take time for the wound to heal. She was correct in assuming that eventually Esau would prosper materially and would be forgiving toward his brother Jacob (33:1-16). I’ll send for you to come back from there. But this will never happen because she will die before this could take place. Her fear was this: Why should I lose both of you in one day (27:45)? If Esav had killed his brother, he would have had to be executed according to God’s covenant with Noah. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of Elohim had God made man (Genesis 9:6, and also see Second Samuel 14:6-7).

Jacob’s Flight to Haran
27:41 to 28:22

Jacob’s grandfather Abraham had set out on a long journey; now Ya’akov makes his way through the wilderness alone. There, the similarity ends. Avraham traveled with the assurance that ADONAI was with him and was guiding him. Jacob had no such assurance as he started out. But Jacob does meet God at Bethel, and is assured of His continuing love and protection.⁴⁴⁸

After Isaac Finished Blessing Jacob,
His Brother Esau Came In
27: 30-40

After Isaac finished blessing Jacob, his brother Esau came in DIG: Which member of the family, Isaac, Rebekah, Esau or Jacob was wrong here? Who was most culpable? What could they have done differently? How did God show mercy to Esau instead of giving him what he deserved?

REFLECT: Does the family blessing apply to us today? Or was it just during Isaac’s lifetime? When did you make your life much more difficult by playing Holy Spirit? Do you have any spiritual regrets? Are there any you can address today? How can you be a blessing and also bless those in your family?

It was not a long wait until the truth came to light. In fact, the bottom line of this entire episode is this: And you may be sure that your sin will find you out (Numbers 32:23b). If only Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) had realized this at the beginning, perhaps he might have done something different. But God’s will would still have prevailed! The suspense continued as Esau arrived right on the heels of Jacob.⁴⁴²

Although he must have been bursting inside, Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov) made no response. After Isaac finished blessing him (blessing occurs seventeen times in the chapter) and Ya’akov had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting (27:30). This was a close call; if Esav had come in a moment sooner, Jacob would not have received the blessing and might have been killed.

Esau, too, prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.” His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” He answered: I, using ani he emphasized the person, am your son, your firstborn, Esau (27:31-32). The fact that Esau had sold his birthright, the fact that he was the firstborn had become meaningless.

Yitz’chak trembled violently. Literally, in the Hebrew it reads: Isaac trembled and great trembling most exceedingly. This is the turning point of the incident, the point where, for the first time, light breaks in on this dark scene. This was not anger; it was fear. It was the horror that was awakened in his soul as he now fully realized that he had been tampering with God’s plan and there was nothing he could do to change it. He had tried, but the LORD had stopped him.⁴⁴³ He blurted out: Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him. Finally, when Isaac said: and indeed he will be blessed, he recognized that the blessing he gave Ya’akov was indeed final (27:33). He knew then that ADONAI had been securing what He had declared before the sons were born. It was this, which the Ruach ha-Kodesh declares when He says: By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future (see the commentary on Hebrews, to see link click Cq – The Faith of Isaac).⁴⁴⁴  This would continue the pattern in Genesis, where the firstborn is passed over in favor of the younger brother.

Esau’s response is no surprise. When Esav heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry. There is a play on words in the Hebrew that is difficult to bring out in English. The closest we can come is this: And he cried a cry, a great one and a bitter one most exceedingly. So even though Esav did not care much for the spiritual ramifications and benefits of the patriarchal blessing, he did want its material blessings and promise of military superiority.

Many Gentiles mistakenly call Jacob “a deceiver” (the Bible calls Jacob tam, or blameless in 25:27) because he and his mother Rebekah plotted to have Isaac bless him rather than Esau. However, the two were merely trying to carry out God’s wishes, for ADONAI had told Rebekah, “the older will serve the younger” (25:22-23). It was really Esau who was “the deceiver” because he had already given up his birthright to Jacob for some lentil stew (see Gn – Then Jacob Gave Esau Some Lentil Stew and Esau Despised His Birthright). It was Esau who was deceiving his father when he said: “My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing (27:31b)

When Esau learned what had happened, he was devastated and said: Bless me – me too, my father (27:34)! You can just feel the anguish in his cry! This same painful cry and unfulfilled longing is being echoed today by many people who are searching for their family’s blessing, men and women whose parents, for whatever reason, have failed to bless them with words and actions of love and acceptance.⁴⁴⁵

Hardly knowing how to explain this to Esau, Isaac momentarily reverted to his emotional feeling for Esau and blamed Jacob saying: Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing (27:35).

Esav was confused and angry as he complained: Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times. Now Jacob’s name comes from the Hebrew root akav, meaning heel; it also has the meaning in verbal form to hold the heel, or to get before which is its usage in Jeremiah 9:4. It has the meaning of heel grabber, one who trips another by the heel, or overtakes and supplants him in the race. The meaning here is that twice Jacob overcame Esau, tripping him and overcomming him in the race. Esau just didn’t get it. The reason that he was deceived two times was not in the name, it was in the divine will of God. The first time, as Esav tells it, was when Ya’akov took his birthright, but that was a lie because he had sold his birthright to his younger brother. Secondly, as described by Esau, was when Jacob took away his blessing. This was also a lie because the one with the blessing was the one who would receive the birthright. In the end, ADONAI had elected Jacob over Esau (Romans 9:12-13; Malachi 1:2-3).

It is important to realize that the only two people who criticize Jacob in the Bible are Esau and Laban. These two are hardly honest witnesses. But most importantly, God Himself never condemns Jacob, and in fact he is called righteous (25:27). Whenever God speaks to him, it is always a message of blessing and of promise.

Then Esau makes a request: Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me? Isaac would bless him, but compared to the blessing he had given Ya’akov it was to be regarded as somewhat of a curse. Isaac prophesied: I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son (27:36-37)? In short, Jacob’s blessing was final.

Nonetheless, Esau said: Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father! Then Esav wept aloud (27:38). At this point, we do learn of a blessing for Esau, but it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit his blessing, he was rejected. He could bring about no change of mind, though he sought the blessing with tears (Hebrews 12:17). Esau is perhaps the saddest and most godless person in the Bible outside of Judas. They both had great light. They had every possible opportunity, as much as any person in their times, of knowing and following ADONAI. They knew His word, had heard His promises, had seen His miracles and they had fellowship with His people. Yet, with determined willingness they turned their backs on Him. Here, Esav bitterly regretted selling his birthright to Ya’akov, but he did not repent. He selfishly wanted God’s blessings, but he did not want God.⁴⁴⁶

In response to his pitiful cries, Esau did receive a blessing of sorts from his father Yitz’chak, but it was not the words of value and acceptance that he had longed to hear. He was blessed in the opposite way as Jacob when Isaac said: Your dwelling will be away from the earth’s richness, away from the dew of heaven above (27:39). Esau would not inherit the land. Then he speaks of Esau’s nation of Edom. You will live by the sword (Numbers 20:14-21), and you will serve your brother. The Edomites were first defeated by King Saul (First Samuel 14:47), and then subjugated by King David (Second Samuel 8:14). There was also a failed revolt under Solomon (First Kings 11: 14-22). Finally, they rebelled from Joram, but were re-subdued by Amaziah (Second Kings 14:7 and Second Chronicles 25:11-19). In the last part of Isaac’s blessing to Esau, he said: But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck (27:40). This happened under Jehoram (Second Chronicles 21:8-10), and then secondly, under Ahaz (Second Kings 16:6 and Second Chronicles 28:16-17). So the words of Isaac to his two sons were fulfilled.

What we have here, deeply hidden, is a beautiful foreshadowing of the gospel. Jacob found the acceptance of his father and received his blessing because he sheltered behind the name of his father’s firstborn beloved son, and was clothed with garments, which were a sweet-smelling aroma to his father. In like manner, we, as sinners, find acceptance before God and receive His blessing as we shelter behind the name of His beloved firstborn. We are clothed with garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10), which we receive from Him, thus coming before the Father on the merits of His Son who has given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice of God for a sweet-smelling aroma (Ephesians 5:2).⁴⁴⁷

Edom’s subsequent history was that when Isra’el went into the Babylonian captivity, the Edomites left their territory at Mount Seir in the Transjordan and moved into the southern part of Judah, where they became known as Edomeans. Later, these Edomeans were conquered by one of the descendants of the Maccabees, known as John Hyrcanos in 129 BC who forcibly converted them to Judaism. He then incorporated Edomea as a part of Judah. Eventually, these Edomeans produced the dynastic rule of the house of Herod.

Though ultimately ADONAI was faithful to His Word and accomplished His purposes through this family, they made their lives much more difficult by not exercising faith. First, Yitz’chak was punished by the deception he suffered, since he knew of the prophecy of 25:23. Therefore, his preference for Esau caused him to go contrary to God’s choice of Jacob. Second, Rebekah was punished because of her deception. Jacob would have to leave the land to keep from getting killed by Esau and she would never see him again. By the time he came back, she had died. Third, losing the patriarchal blessing, with all its material benefits as well punished Esau. And fourth, Jacob remained blessed by both his earthly father and his heavenly Father because the older was to serve the younger; but the deception by which he secured the blessing was never approved. Jacob had to pay for his sin by suffering a long life of hardships and struggles. He was not able to settle down in one place. He lived in Beersheba for sixty years, then in Haran for twenty years, the land of Canaan for fifty years, and then Egypt for seventeen years. And lastly, he, too, will be deceived two times, first by Laban and secondly by his own sons on two occasions. In this way the will of the LORD prevailed in spite of the actions of sinful men and women.

Jacob Went Close to Isaac Who said:
The Voice is Jacob’s, but the Hands are Esau’s
27: 18-29

Jacob went close to Isaac who said: the voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s DIG: Sin is sin, but who is more at fault here? What makes Isaac suspicious? How many times did Jacob lie? In what were Jacob’s lies similar or dissimilar to the lies of the Hebrew midwives (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ah – So God Was Kind to the Midwives). Did Jacob earn the blessing? Did he merit the blessing?

REFLECT: Does the family blessing apply to us today? Or was it just something for the ancients? Who have you been a blessing to lately? What does this account teach us about the way God carries out His plans? Do you think Jacob was deceitful or obedient to God? Why is it that God never condemns Jacob for his actions?

Jacob, no doubt with considerable hesitation, went to his father and said: My father (27:18). Already being suspicious, Isaac asked: Who is it? Then Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov) told his first lie when he said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn.” In Hebrew there are two ways of saying I. The first way is saying ani, and the second way is saying anochi. The difference is telling. When Jacob said I, he used anochi in place of ani. The word anochi when used with a predicate noun emphasizes the pronominal subject. However, the word ani is used to emphasize the predicate nominative, as will be the case later in 27:32, which emphasizes the person. So here, Ya’akov must lie, but he used anochi instead of ani so he didn’t have to emphasize the person.

But he quickly tried to draw attention away from himself, and to the issue at hand by saying: I have done as you told me. The sin lies in the deception of the father, not in the taking of the patriarchal blessing, but what Isaac and Esau were trying to do was even more sinful because they were trying to thwart the very purpose of God. Not wanting to draw attention to himself, he changed the subject: Please sit up and eat some of my venison so that you may give me your blessing (27:19).

Jacob had no easy task to perform before his father. Isaac asked his son suspiciously: How did you find it so quickly, my son? Then Jacob lied for a second time when he said: ADONAI your God gave me success. And when he uses the name of God, he makes it all the worse. Then Isaac said to Jacob still in doubt: Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not (27:20-21). Isaac conducted four tests to see if this was really his son. He used logic (27:21-22), then he used sound (27:22), he used words (27:24), and finally he used scent (27:27).⁴³⁸

Ya’akov went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said: The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau. He did not recognize him for who he really was, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esav; so he blessed him (27:22-23). So Isaac allowed his sense of touch more weight than his sense of hearing.

I am sure Jacob had hoped that Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) would not question him at all. But now all he could do was to be as persuasive as possible. Then his father asked him a direct question: Are you really my son Esau? Then Ya’akov lied the third time when he replied: I am (27:24). This time Jacob uses the word ani, so he will not arouse the suspicion that he did earlier when he used the word anochi.

Jacob’s actions demonstrated his immaturity in the LORD. In his zeal to follow God’s revealed will, he had sinned. He did the wrong thing for the right reason. In this regard, he wasn’t that much different than his grandfather Abraham. Abraham demonstrated a lack of faith four times; he stayed in Hebron when he should have gone to the Promised Land (11:31b), he left Palestine and went to Egypt (12:10-20), he listened to his wife instead of waiting on ADONAI, which resulted in the birth of Ishmael and untold problems (16:1-16), and he refused to trust the LORD for his and his wife’s safekeeping when he lied to Abimelech (20:1-18). However, He used those failures to build Abraham’s faith before his ultimate test on Mount Moriah (22:1-19). And the same was true for Ya’akov. God would use this failure to build Jacob’s faith before his ultimate test at Peniel (32:22-32).

Then finally assured in his own mind that it was really Esau, Isaac said: My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing. Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank (27:25). There were five parts to Abraham’s blessing. These continue to serve as a model for us today.

First, meaningful touch was part of the blessing. Then, trying one last time to remove any lingering doubts, his father Yitz’chak said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me” (27:26). So Ya’akov went to him and kissed him. For anyone, whether it is a child, a spouse or a friend, meaningful touch is an essential part of the blessing.

Secondly, the spoken message was part of the blessing. When Isaac caught the smell of Jacob’s clothes he blessed him and said to him: Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that ADONAI has blessed (27:27b). The rabbis teach that according to tradition, the garment that Yitz’chak smelled had belonged to Adam, and had passed from him to Nimrod, and then on to Esau. Just being physically present is not enough. For a child in search of the blessing, the major thing silence communicates is confusion. Children who are left to fill in the blanks when it comes to what their parents think about them will often fail the test when it comes to feeling valuable and secure. To see the blessing grow in the life of a child, spouse or friend, we need to verbalize our message. Good intentions aside, good words are necessary to provide genuine acceptance.⁴³⁹

Thirdly, meaningful words of value were part of the blessing. Meaningful words convey the thought that the person is valuable and has redeeming qualities. Isaac uses a word picture to describe his son’s value to him. He said: May God give you of heaven’s dew and of earth’s richness, an abundance of grain and new wine (27:28). In Eastern countries, where there is so little rain, the dew is the most important prerequisite for the growth of the fruits of the earth and is often mentioned as a source of blessing (Deuteronomy 33:13 and 28; Hosea 14:6; Zechariah 8:12).⁴⁴⁰  The rabbis have interpreted this symbolically. They believe that the heaven’s dew is Scripture, the earth’s richness is the Mishnah or the Oral Law (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Ei – The Oral Law), the abundance of grain is the Talmud, and the new wine is the Passover Haggadab.

Fourthly, meaningful goals were part of the blessing. May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. In Hebrew, the word bless literally means to bow the knee. Be lord over your brothers is a direct contradiction of what God had told Rebekah. And may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed (27:29). This blessing is thus connected with the Abrahamic Covenant of 12:3, which will now be carried on through Ya’akov and not Esav. Therefore, what we have here is divine intervention in spite of Yitz’chak and Jacob’s sin. Many are the plans of a man’s heart, but it is ADONAI’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). Isaac ends up blessing Jacob against his own will. We can encourage our children to set personal, spiritual and work-related goals. The picture of a promising future is very powerful. It can shape the way they think about themselves and give them purpose in life.

And lastly, an active commitment was part of the blessing. The LORD spoke directly to Abraham (12:1-3, 15:7-21, 17:1-8, 22:15-18), to Isaac (26:1-5,23-24) and to Ya’akov (35:9-12), confirming His active commitment to their family line. ADONAI provided for them, protected them, reaffirmed them and periodically reminded them of His faithfulness to them. His commitment to them was active, not passive. This is the example we have to bless our children, spouses, parents and friends.

Today, as in centuries past, orthodox Jewish homes bestow a special family blessing on their children. Each child in the family was given a general blessing as well as a special blessing for the firstborn. It has been an important part of providing a sense of acceptance for generations of children. But recently, it has also provided an important source of protection to those children.

All across our country, cults are holding out a counterfeit blessing to our children. Cult leaders have mastered the elements of the blessing. Providing a sense of family and offering (at least initially) the promise of personal attention, affection and affirmation is an important drawing card for many of these cults. Children who grow up without a sense of parental acceptance are especially susceptible to being drawn in. In fact, thousands are every year. However, the aroma, just like the smell of Esau, may draw them to the table, but after eating they are left hungrier than before.

If you are a parent, learning about the family blessing can help you provide your child or children with a protective tool. The best defense against a child’s longing for imaginary acceptance is to provide genuine acceptance. This is not a spiritual formula and there are no guarantees, but you can greatly reduce the likelihood that he or she will seek acceptance in the arms of a cult member or with someone in an immoral relationship. Genuine acceptance radiates from the concept of the blessing.

However, the blessing is not just an important tool for parents to use. The blessing is also of critical importance for anyone who desires to draw close to another person in an intimate relationship.⁴⁴¹

Rebekah Took the Best Clothes of Esau
and Put Them on Her Younger Son Jacob
27: 5-17

Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau and put them on her younger son Jacob DIG: What was Rebekah’s alternative? Did ADONAI need Rebekah’s help? Would God’s purposes have been thwarted if Rebekah and Jacob had kept their human hands off the situation? Why did Jacob follow his mother into this conspiracy? What were they trying to do? Who were they trying to please?

REFLECT: How far would you go if you really believed you were doing the LORD’s will? When have you taken matters into your own hands with disastrous results? Does the end justify the means?

Like her mother-in-law Sarah, listening to the visitors from within the tent (18:10), Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his favorite son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, she hatched her plan (27:5). Rebekah, indeed, had always been a woman of quick decision and action, as was evident from the time she immediately followed Abraham’s chief servant to marry Isaac. Probably, she and Jacob had had plenty of time to discuss this problem because he was over sixty years old at the time, and perhaps she had foreseen this development and already decided what she must do if the time should ever present itself.⁴³⁵

Rebekah said to her favorite son Jacob (Hebrew: Ya’akov), “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, “Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of ADONAI before I die” (27:6-7). A blessing in the presence of the LORD would be irrevocable, and if given to Esav, Jacob would never receive it.

Then Rebekah issued her order: My son, listen carefully and do what I tell you (27:8). Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it, then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies (27:9-10).

Many people point to this episode in Jacob’s life and label him a deceiver and a liar for the rest of his life, when in fact he lived a life of honesty and righteousness (Hebrew: tam, see 25:27). Most of us would not like a single moment of weakness to define our entire lives. The problem, of course, is that he did lie here, even associating God’s name with his lie (27:20). But why did the LORD not rebuke Ya’akov and withhold His blessing from him? Or, even after Isaac had blessed him, why did ADONAI later confirm the blessing (28:13-15)? Because the rebuke was solely for Esau, and the repentance was Isaac’s, not Jacob’s.

Jacob took matters into his own hands here knowing that God had told his mother that the older will serve the younger (25:23c) and is generally criticized for it; and he also took matters into his own hands trying to achieve the known will of God when he separated himself from Laban and went back to Bethel and is generally praised for it. For God had told him, “Return to the land of your father’s and to your relatives, and I will be with you” (31:3). His motivation was the same in both instances. He was trying to achieve the will of God.

Behind the scenes, however, ADONAI was causing His sovereign will to be accomplished despite the actions of fallen human beings. His plan was for Jacob to inherit the birthright. On the human level, this was impossible because Jacob was not the firstborn. But since it was in the LORD’s eternal plan for Jacob to receive the blessing, He sovereignly arranged for it to be so as we can see in the B’rit Chadashah (see the commentary on Romans Cq – The Explanation of Isra’el’s Past Paradox). It seems that the only way to understand this situation is to conclude that even though the way in which Jacob and Rebekah went about obtaining the blessing from Isaac was wrong, the sin of Isaac and Esau was greater.

The LORD does not approve of lying; Jacob and Rebekah knew this. They were sensitive and spiritual people, but they had decided that, as bad as deception might be in the sight of ADONAI, it had become necessary in this case in order to prevent a greater sin, that of conveying the most holy of God’s promises to a man who neither wanted it nor would honor it. This was as much of a lapse of faith as when Abraham went to Egypt in Chapter 12, and when Sarah suggested that they have a child through her handmaiden Hagar in Chapter 16. Rebekah had already received the revelation from the LORD that the older would serve the younger (25:23b). Here, then, Rebekah needed to trust that in ADONAI’s timing Ya’akov would receive the patriarchal blessing. But because of a lack of faith she felt that she needed to take matters into her own hands because it seemed that nothing could stop Isaac. Esau could have come back at any moment! We can only imagine how hopeless they felt. This was a desperate situation, but it wasn’t the first time that someone had lied to preserve God’s people.

The Hebrew midwives deliberately disobeyed Pharaoh and lied to him. Why? Because they feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do (Exodus 1:15-16 and 22). To do otherwise would have resulted in the deaths of countless Hebrew boys. Did the LORD punish these midwives for lying? No, Elohim was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, He gave them families of their own (Exodus 1:20-21). Jacob was an upright man (Hebrew: tam) and he lived his entire life that way and was blessed as a result.

Another example of ADONAI’s blessing on a lie was in the life of Rahab. She and her family and all that belonged to her were saved because she hid two Israelite spies and lied about it to the king of Jericho (Joshua 2:4-7 and 6:25). There are a number of other instances in the Bible in which godly men, in order to accomplish the will of God and to glorify Him, had to break another of His commandments. These are rare exceptions and can only be justified in very special and unusual circumstances as we have here with Isaac and the patriarchal blessing. Furthermore, the people in these examples never gain any financial advantage for themselves. In fact, Rahab and the Hebrew midwives risked their lives because of the lies they told.

Similarly, Jacob and Rebekah, in order to do what they thought was necessary to accomplish God’s will, were willing to risk the wrath and hatred of their own loved ones, and Jacob even to risk his life at the hands of his angry brother. Because Jacob was righteous, he only cared about the spiritual ramifications of the blessing.⁴³⁶

Nevertheless, Ya’akov had some doubts, and he said to his mother, “My brother Esau is a hairy man, and I’m a man with smooth skin” (27:11). Isaac might have lost his eyesight, but his sense of touch remained intact.

Because Jacob was a righteous man, and he knew that not honoring his father was a sin in the sight of God. He asked: What if my father touches me? I would appear to be mocking him because of his blindness and would bring down a curse upon myself rather than a blessing. But his mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall upon me. I take full responsibility, just do what I say; go and get them for me” (27:12-13). She was so confident that this was the LORD’s will that she believed the ends justified the means and did not fear the possibility of a curse. Jacob also believed it was God’s will for him to receive the birthright and it didn’t take much convincing for him to follow his mother’s lead. After all, hadn’t ADONAI told her, “the older will serve the younger”(25:23c)?

So Ya’akov went and got the two choice young goats and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. While the food was cooking Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob (27:14-15). It would appear that Rebekah had kept these specific clothes in her house for this very purpose. Esau’s wives had been a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah (26:35) and were probably living somewhere else. These clothes would smell like Esav and the outdoors. This was clearly a very tense situation.

Rebekah also covered Jacob’s hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins to provide the feeling of hairiness, so Esau’s clothes would provide the proper smell, and the goatskins would provide the proper feel. Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made (27:16-17). The flesh of a young goat tastes like venison, and Isaac would not know the difference. Then she got Jacob dressed up and turned the food over to her son Ya’akov. Rebekah really thought she could pull the wool over Isaac’s eyes.⁴³⁷

So all the senses were taken care of. Isaac was blind, so Rebekah didn’t have to worry about that. Jacob wore Esau’s clothing to take care of the sense of smell. She cooked the young goats because they tasted like venison and used the goatskins to make Jacob appear hairy. The only sense she could not cover was Isaac’s sense of hearing, and there was a point where this almost blew their cover (27:21-24).

Prepare Me the Kind of Tasty Food I Like
and Bring It to Me so that I May Give You My Blessing
27: 1-4

Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me so that I may give you my blessing DIG: What did Isaac know about God’s will concerning the son of promise? What was Isaac’s intent? Why didn’t Esau object if he had already sold his birthright to Jacob? Why didn’t Isaac tell Rebekah?

REFLECT: How effective is the father’s spiritual leadership in your family? Are you and your spouse on the same page? What can happen when you favor one child over another? What happens when we deliberately go against God’s will, as Isaac was apparently prepared to do?

There is one more area in which the sovereignty of God can be seen in this parashah. This is in the area of passing the blessing and the inheritance from Isaac to Jacob. There is, perhaps no greater contrast between the sovereignty of God and human dealings than in this part of the narrative. It is so easy to get stuck in the mire of the human mess we see here that it is easy to miss the workings of the Eternal One. Let us see if we can catch sight of the sovereign hand of ADONAI.

We have seen that Isaac was an outstanding man, a great man. Abimelech and the Philistines came to make a treaty with him because they feared him (26:26-33). He was a peace loving man, and he was also very powerful. However, Isaac was still human and here he reveals his weakness of the flesh. Esau had always been his favorite son, while Jacob had been the favorite of Rebekah. Esav was a mighty hunter who would go out and bring home venison and cook it just the way Isaac liked it. Now that Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) was very old he thought it was time to bless his favorite son. It was perfectly clear that he knew of the purposes of ADONAI concerning his younger son (25:3b), but his heart overruled his conscience. So he told Esav to go out and quickly bring back some wild game and he would give him the patriarchal blessing.⁴³²

Finally, we get to the end of Isaac’s life. He is on his deathbed. And, as customary before one dies, he is about to dispense appropriate blessings, which are really prophecies. This is what Jacob will do before he dies, and what Moshe will do before he dies. When Isaac was about one hundred and thirty five years old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called Esau, his older son. Rather than call both his sons to receive the blessing as was customary, he summoned only his favorite son and said to him, “My son.” Esav answered: Here I am (27:1).⁴³³

Yitz’chak reminisced: I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death (27:2). His half brother Ishmael had died fourteen years earlier, and they were fourteen years apart. Therefore, he probably thought that his day of death was close. However, he lived until he was a hundred and eighty, so he wasn’t as close to death as he assumed. If Isaac’s eyesight was failing, his appetite was not. He said: Now then, get your weapons, your quiver and bow, and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me (27:3). Esau was quite willing to go along with his father’s suggestion. It was expected to mark the giving of the patriarchal blessing with some kind of a feast. And since Yitz’chak had decided to bless Esau, it seemed appropriate that Esau’s hunting ability would provide the meat for the celebration.

Therefore, Isaac said: Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat so that I may give you my patriarchal blessing before I die (27:4). This was in clear violation of the revelation given to Rebekah (to see link click Gm – Two Nations, One Womb). There, ADONAI revealed that Jacob was the son of promise who would carry on the line – not Esau. After all, hadn’t Esau married two Canaanite women? Isaac most likely knew that Esav had already sold his birthright to Jacob, and whoever had the birthright was supposed to get the patriarchal blessing. Perhaps he was so angry at what he perceived to be Jacob’s deception that he just decided to bless his favorite son, and ignore God’s plan. But it seems that Isaac’s eyes were weak spiritually as well as physically. He did not have his Father’s eyes.

It is significant that Yitz’chak was not doing this with Rebekah’s knowledge. Which meant that he knew he was doing something against the wishes of the wife and God.  She only happened to overhear the conversation. This secretive nature of Isaac’s plans can only be explained by the assumption that he was ashamed of what he was doing, knowing that Rebekah would not approve, but hoping that he would get it accomplished before she could interfere.⁴³⁴ His sin set in motion a catastrophic series of events that would affect the entire family.

The Blessing of Jacob
27: 1-40

In the TaNaKh, the final patriarchal blessing was much more than a prayer for the future children. Rather, the blessing actually played an important role in determining the destiny of his descendants, as Jacob’s blessing of his children near the close of Genesis (Chapter 48-49). Therefore, the blessing was a right entrusted to the father in which he was guided by the grace of ADONAI to bestow spiritual and material possessions, all of which were irrevocable. Rather than a prayer, the final blessing was more like a prophecy, the fulfillment of which was ensured by God Himself.⁴²⁹

Nowhere, perhaps, is the real nature of the Bible clearer than in this chapter. The story is told in all its naked simplicity. When some people read these verses, many think Jacob stole Esau’s birthright. But at this point, the Bible clearly states that the LORD had chosen Jacob to be the Seed son, and Esau had already sold his birthright to his younger brother. If anyone was trying to steal the blessing, it was Esau. If anyone was fighting the will of God it was Isaac. Although it seems like the human actors are controlling the action, in the final analysis, we can see that ADONAI is working behind the scenes the entire time to bring about His will. The LORD had a plan for Jacob’s life, and that plan could not be hindered by the action of Esau or Isaac, nor could it be aided by the cleverness of Rebekah.⁴³⁰

Far too many families in our nation and in the congregations of God are paralyzed by conflict. We also have spiritually dysfunctional families. One of the most significant factors contributing to spiritual dysfunction is conflict. I am not talking about differences of opinion or disciplinary situations but of personality conflicts that have resulted from perceived or actual faults, shortcomings, injustices, or negligence. Brothers and sisters become estranged; children are disenfranchised or rebel; in-laws find fault, constantly driving wedges between relationships; wives nag; and husbands are aloof. How can a family grow together spiritually in the climate of such conflict? Only by overcoming it and resolving it. Many would say this is impossible. Conflicts run so deep and have existed for so long that they seem beyond any possible resolution. But ADONAI is a God who can resolve family conflicts.⁴³¹ Jesus says to us today: In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (John 16:33).

From 27:1 to 28:5 there is a parallelism, where the first letter is antithetical to the second letter.

A Isaac and Esau, the son of blessing (27:1-5)

B Rebekah sends Jacob to Isaac (27:6-17)

C Jacob appears before Isaac and receives the true blessing (27:18-29)

C Esau appears before Isaac and receives the empty blessing (27:30-40)

B Rebekah sends Jacob away from Esau (27:41-45)

A Isaac and Jacob, the son of blessing (27:46 to 28:5)

The Wives of Esau
26: 34-35

The wives of Esau DIG: Esau was not to marry a Canaanite woman. What did this show about his attitude toward his parents? About his attitude toward God? What was the fruit of it?

REFLECT: Why should it matter to the LORD whom we marry? What are the consequences of obedience or disobedience in this area of our lives?

When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath, daughter of Elon the Hittite. This was the same age that Isaac was when he married, but Esau takes two Hittite wives. Although they are Hittites, they have Semitic names, which means they have been in the Promised Land a very long time. By virtue of this they were given non-Hittite names. Nonetheless, they were a bitterness of spirit and a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah because these marriages showed Esau’s continuing unfaithfulness (26:34-35). And just as when he sold his birthright, which showed that he despised it, by marrying Hittites, he continued to show how unfit he was for God’s blessing.

Believers and unbelievers live in two opposing worlds. Therefore, Rabbi Sha’ul wrote: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers (Second Corinthians 6:14a). It would be like putting a donkey and an ox behind the plow together. They do not have the same nature, gait or strength. It would be impossible for a mismatched pair to plow effectively together (Deuteronomy 22:10). Likewise, Rabbi Sha’ul is saying that believers and unbelievers are two different breeds and cannot work together in the spiritual realm. For what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? It makes no sense at all because faith has nothing in common with unbelief. Therefore, Rabbi Sha’ul sums up his argument by saying: come out from them and be separate (Second Corinthians 6:14b-18).⁴²⁸

I am quite sure that, as good and caring parents, Isaac and Rebekah gave both of their sons ample warning about marrying unbelieving Canaanite women. Abraham was quite adamant about this with Isaac (24:3), and I am sure Isaac was just as adamant with his two sons. Abraham had married within his own family and so did Jacob (29:15-30). Now this may be a surprise to you, but sometimes children don’t do what their parents want them to do. And as children of God, sometimes we don’t do what our heavenly Father wants us to do! Jacob was righteous (to see link click Gn – Then Jacob Gave Esau Some Lentil Stew and Esau Despised His Birthright), but Esau was rebellious. And when we rebel against our heavenly Father we cause Him much grief. When Esau rebelled against ADONAI and his parents, they were grieved. Later the LORD would include a commandment about this topic in the Torah (see my commentary on Exodus Do – Honor Your Father and Your Mother). Sometimes, as parents, you can be a good example, say all the right things and do all the right things, but your child grows up and rebels. At that point, all you can do is pray for them and turn them over to God. Humanly, no one quite understands the pain of this, unless you have had a rebel child.

The Word of God says that children are to obey their parents as reflecting their obedience to ADONAI. It is the right thing to do. Honor your father and mother – which is the first commandment with a promise – that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth (Ephesians 6:1-3). But just as obedient children bring happiness and tranquility to a family, disobedient and rebellious children are a source of grief to their parents. This was the case with Esau. The next time we see him in Chapters 32 and 33, he will be very powerful and as far as material possessions go, he will have done very well for himself. But spiritually, he would still be in rebellion against the LORD.

Abimelech Came to Isaac and said:
Let Us Make a Treaty With You
26: 26-33

Abimelech came to Isaac and said: Let us make a treaty with you DIG: What seems to be the problem between Isaac and Abimelech? What kind of a victory did Isaac win? Why is that important? What do you learn about each man from the way they settle their dispute and reconcile?

REFLECT: How do you treat those who have been hostile towards you, but now want peace? Do you bring them into your spiritual family? Are even your enemies at peace with you? Can people see Christ in you?

While the well digging was underway at Beersheba, Isaac got a surprise visit from the Philistine king. Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces (26:26). Their approach to Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) clearly shows that they feared him. But now that he was out of their land, they decided it was wise to stay on good terms with him.

Isaac challenged them saying: Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away (26:27)? It never occurs to Isaac that maybe Abimelech had reasonable grounds for his behavior, given how Yitz’chak acted in Gerar (26:6-11). Nevertheless, Abimelech begins his conversation more diplomatically than Isaac when he says: We saw clearly that ADONAI was with you. The men of Gerar recognize God’s blessing on Isaac and they sought to join themselves to him.⁴²⁴ So they say: There ought to be a sworn agreement between us, between us and you. Then almost pleading they said: Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD (26:28-29). This is very similar to the treaty that Abraham and the earlier Abimelech had made at Beersheba nearly a century before. Now that Isaac was back in fellowship with God, those who formerly were his enemies sought him out and bear witness to the presence of the LORD in his life. Isaac did not win a great military victory, nor did he purchase their favor with his wealth. Instead, God sovereignly gave him the victory by moving the hearts of the idolatrous Philistines. For when a man’s ways are pleasing to ADONAI, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7).⁴²⁵

As long as Isaac was in or near Gerar, he did not experience much happiness. He was envied, thwarted, and opposed by the jealous Philistine settlers. He not only lacked happiness but also lacked power, for it was not until he returned to Beersheba that Abimelech came to him because he believed that God was with Isaac and blessing him. Thus for happiness, comfort and power with others, separation from the world is an absolute necessity. There is no greater mistake possible than to imagine that we can be one with the world and yet influence them for Christ. We can’t swim in the toilet and come up smelling like a rose. Lot found this out the hard way, and so it has been ever since. Separation from the world, paradoxical as it may seem, is the only true way of influencing the world for Messiah. We must be in the world but not of the world (Jn 17:13-19).⁴²⁶

Isaac agreed, then made a ceremonial feast for them and they ate and drank that night. The meal is not simply a courtesy extended by Yitz’chak to Abimelech as his guest. It is, rather, an important part of the covenant-making process. In a sense, the one offering the meals admits the other person to his family circle.⁴²⁷ Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace (26:30-31). As soon as they left, a new well was discovered with abundant water.

That day that the treaty was made, Isaac’s servants, who seem to be very skillful at finding water, came and told him about another well they had dug. Yitz’chak called it Shibah, which means to swear or oath, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba, the Well of the Oath (26:32-33). But that was the secondary source for the name. The primary source of the name Beersheba comes from Be’er Sheva, which literally means the Well of the Seven (21:22-34). The emphasis in Chapter 21 was the number seven, but here the emphasis is on the oath. The Hebrew word for swearing, oath and seven is often the same Hebrew root.

Before this chapter, Isaac was mentioned only in conjunction with Abraham; from this point on, he is only mentioned in conjunction with Jacob. This is the only chapter where the spotlight was on him. He lived one hundred and eighty years, so he lived the longest of the three patriarchs. But his life is the least eventful. Nevertheless, he is a type of Christ.