Primary Bible Passages: Genesis 28 - 36

Key Verse: Genesis 32:28

Memory Verse: Psalm 135:4

Preparatory Daily Bible Readings:

• Monday: Genesis 28-30
• Tuesday: Genesis 31-33
• Wednesday: Genesis 34-36
• Thursday: John 1:45-51; I Timothy 2:5; Ephesians 4:8-10
• Friday: Hebrews 1:13-14; Psalm 34:7; Psalm 91:11; Luke 15:10
• Saturday: Romans 8:28; Psalm 115:3; Genesis 50:20
• Sunday: Genesis 47:9; Job 4:8; Proverbs 22:8; Hosea 8:7; Galatians 6:7-8; Numbers 32:23; II Corinthians 9:7; Psalm 135:4

I. JACOB’S LADDER. (Genesis 28)

A. Due to Esau’s anger and death threat against his brother, Jacob fled to Padanaram, the place where his maternal kinsmen lived. (Genesis 27:41-28:5)

1. Neither Isaac nor Rebekah wanted either of their sons to marry the heathenistic Canaanites, although shallow, sensuous, rebellious Esau had earlier married two Hittite women. (Genesis 26:34-35) Later Esau married other Canaanite women, whose offspring were ever a source of opposition and grief to Jacob and his Jewish nation. (Genesis 36)

Though the immediate need for Isaac’s departure for Padanaram was escape for his life, the long-term need was a wife who believed in Jehovah, the one God of the universe. It was to accomplish this latter purpose that Isaac sent Jacob away. (Genesis 28:1-2)

The events surrounding the birthright and the sending away of Jacob with the full blessing of Isaac and Rebekah caused Esau to see his mistake in failing to value spiritual things as evidenced in his marriages to Hittite women. He responded by seeking out a daughter of Ishmael to wife, (Genesis 28:8-9) a move which further magnified his blindness to truth. Ishmael had already been cast out, making his offspring unsuitable candidates for a proper marriage.

2. Isaac had not been the tower of Godly strength which he should have been, and he had catered to Esau in spite of Esau’s lack of good character and appreciation for spiritual things. It was of God that Jacob receive the birthright and the blessing, (Genesis 25:23) yet Isaac had planned to give the blessing to Esau. (Genesis 27:1-4)

After the events relating to the blessing, Isaac no longer appeared in a mood to further delay or thwart God’s purposes. In sending Jacob away, Isaac clearly affirmed and passed on to him the promises which God had made to Abraham. (Genesis 28:3-4)

3. Padan-aram literally means "the table-land of Aram" and generally encompassed the land of Syria. From Beer-sheba, where Jacob had lived his early life, to Haran, (Genesis 28:10) the city of his relatives, was 500 miles.

B. Travelling alone, Jacob came to Bethel, known then as Luz. (Genesis 28:19) At this place, God appeared to him in a dream.

1. When he stopped for the night in this bleak land in the mountains of Ephraim, he slept with his head on one of the large sheets of bare rock common to the area.

2. God appeared in a dream. Jacob saw a ladder extending from where he was on earth into heaven and into the presence of God at its top. "The angels of God" were "ascending and descending on it." (Genesis 28:12-13) From where He was, God spoke to Jacob and unconditionally promised him and his seed the land of Canaan, an innumerable lineage, blessings to all peoples of the earth through him (a promise of the coming Messiah), his personal return to the land, and God’s continuing presence and protection in his life. (Genesis 28:13-15).

3. This was a marvelous revelation indeed!

a. It provides insight into the relationship between heaven and earth. There is intense interest in heaven as to what is occurring on earth, and though it is not perceivable to the natural eye, there is constant and enormous spiritual activity routinely occurring by the forces of heaven on behalf of earth.

b. This vision reveals much regarding angels. Hosts of angels work at the direction of God as ministering spirits on behalf of the people of God. (Hebrews 1:13-14) Jacob’s vision shows them "ascending and descending." (Genesis 28:12) Their flow was primarily from heaven to earth, a revelation that their work is mainly on earth on behalf of men. (Psalm 91:11; Psalm 34:7; Luke 15:10)

c. This vision speaks prophetically of Jesus Christ, who is the exclusive ladder or bridge between heaven and earth. In Christ, God came down to man that He might bring man to heaven.

The context of John 1:45-51 indicates that Nathanael had been meditating on Jacob’s vision when Jesus came to him. In verse 51, Jesus claimed Himself to be the means by which one can go from earth to heaven. He is the one Mediator between God and man. (I Timothy 2:5) Jesus Christ actually became man, entered the earthly sphere to redeem man. After His crucifixion and decent into Hades, Jesus rose from the dead and opened the way henceforth into the presence of God. (Ephesians 4:8-10)

C. In response to the occurrence at Bethel, Jacob voluntarily promised God the tithe. (Genesis 28:16-22)

1. Jacob awoke from the vision filled with awe. He had been in the very presence of God in a miraculous way. He named the place Bethel meaning "house of God."

2. Jacob has been falsely accused of bargaining with God for material gain. His vow to tithe was made out of love and a heart of gratitude for what God was doing in his life. God’s promise to bless him was unconditional, the law requiring tithing would not be imposed for hundreds of years, and Jacob had no possessions at the time of this vow. His was a purely voluntary promise to give one-tenth of everything to God. It was truly a "faith promise offering." All service and giving to God by believers of any age should be voluntary and joyful. (II Corinthians 9:7)

II. JACOB’S FAMILY. (Genesis 29-30)

A. After the vision at Bethel, Jacob continued on his way and came to Haran where he met and married two of the daughters of Laban, his uncle. (Genesis 29:1-30)

1. At Haran, Jacob first encountered beautiful Rachel, whom he instantly loved and sought to marry. His uncle and her father, Laban, promised her to Jacob for seven years of service. (Genesis 29:18-20)

2. On the wedding night, at the end of the seven years, instead of Rachel, Laban gave Jacob Leah, his unattractive first-born daughtter. Jacob was angry but to no avail. To get Rachel, he had to serve Laban another seven years. (Genesis 29:26-28)

B. Having fulfilled his contract with Laban for his two wives, Jacob determined to return to Canaan, but Laban made another offer which kept Jacob in Syria for six more years. (Genesis 30:25-43)

1. During his first 14 years of service, all the profit from Jacob’s labors, above living expenses, went to Laban. Jacob’s most effective management, because of God’s hand upon him, had made Laban rich. Laban’s statement in Genesis 30:27 is an acknowledgement of a profound truth to which most mortals are blind. He said, "I have learned by experience that God hath blessed me for thy sake." Every man would do well to identify persons upon whom the hand of the Lord is and attach himself as closely as possible to them. Furthermore, lessons "learned by experience" are the most effective and lasting ones men learn. Laban wanted to keep Jacob and thus offered to pay him for further services. (Genesis 30:28-31)

2. Jacob agreed to continue working for Laban providing all future livestock of mixed colors be given to him. Jacob took nothing from Laban, but was solely dependent upon the increase from the herds as payment for his services. He wanted no gift; he would not be indebted to Laban. Furthermore, the arrangement was highly favorable to Laban. Pure breeding strains of goats, sheep, and cattle produce solid color offspring except on rare occasions. Laban quickly agreed and placed his herds of mixed colors under the care of his sons. He separated them from the solid color herds on which he personally kept an eye by a three day journey, apparently to ensure that Jacob would not breed mixed color animals to solid color animals and thus enhance the likelihood of mixed color offspring. (Genesis 30:31-36) Instead of a deceitful business deal on his part to cheat Laban, this agreement was a great testimony of faith on Jacob’s part. Only God could make it work to his advantage.

3. The results were sensational, clearly demonstrating the providence of God, who is able to cause unlimited benefits, even of a material and genetic nature, for those whom He chooses. Consider Romans 8:28 and Psalm 115:3. An extremely disproportionate percentage of the livestock began producing offspring of mixed colors. (Genesis 30:37-43) In harmony with good animal husbandry practices, Jacob employed a method to stimulate and speed up breeding and bred stronger animals to stronger animals, a practices which should have worked to the advantage of Laban. Miraculously the pure bred animals produced mostly mixed colored offspring and the stronger stock was most prolific. Jacob’s herds swelled while Laban’s dwindled. Laban changed the wage system ten times, but to no avail. Most of the animals always produced favorably to Jacob. During the six years of this service, God literally gave the majority of Laban’s wealth to Jacob. (Genesis 31:7-8) Jacob knew and acknowledged that his prosperity at Laban’s expense was the doing of the Lord. (Genesis 31:9-13) Laban had every intention of taking advantage of Jacob and God knew it. God turned Laban’s evil to Jacob’s good. (Genesis 31:12) Consider Genesis 50:20.

C. Serious hostilities grew between Jacob and his family and the family of Laban. (Genesis 31:1-2) God ordered Jacob to return to Canaan. (Genesis 31:3,13)

1. During the 20 years Jacob was in Padan-aram, (Genesis 31:38) his wives and concubines had given birth to eleven sons and a daughter. (Genesis 29:31-30:24)

2. When Laban went to shear his sheep, Jacob took his family along with his great herds of livestock and other wealth and secretly "stole away" for Canaan. (Genesis 31:17-21) Three days later when Laban learned of Jacob’s departure, he pursued with great hostility, (Genesis 31:36) and would have exercised force against Jacob had not God intervened in a vision with a personal warning that he should not harm Jacob. (Genesis 31:23-24,29)

3. Jacob and Laban made a covenant of peace and formalized it with a marker. (Genesis 31:44-54) The next morning they separated permanently from each other. (Genesis 31:55)

III. JACOB BECAME ISRAEL, A PRINCE WITH GOD.

A. As Jacob set his face toward Canaan, "the angels of God met him." (Genesis 32:1-2)

1. What a timely reminder of the help of God which had been announced so clearly at Bethel! Jacob had just left Laban, a type of the world; he was about to meet Esau, a type of the flesh. He was surely in need of divine help. He soon learned that Esau was coming to meet him with a band of 400 armed men. He was not aware that Esau had softened his heart. Twenty years earlier, the last thing that Jacob had heard was that Esau planned to kill him.

2. He named the place of this angelic appearance Mahanaim which means "double camp" or "two hosts." With this name, Jacob was acknowledging his recognition of not only his small earthly host and power, but of the mighty heavenly host which was his true protection.

3. As tokens of peace and evidence that he was not coming to take property, Jacob sent five separate herds or flocks of livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and asses) ahead to Esau, a total of 580 animals.

B. Having done everything he could in preparation for the coming meeting with Esau, Jacob went to God in prayer at which time he came into the very presence of God. (Genesis 32:24-32)

1. Jacob’s faith in the promises of God was firm. He was at the Jabbok River, which flows from the east into the Jordan about half way between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. God had promise Canaan to him; he had no intentions of turning back as evidenced by his sending all that he had across to the south side of the Jabbok. (Genesis 32:22-23)

2. Alone in the dark on the north bank of the Jabbok, Jacob was encountered by a man who wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. (Genesis 32:24) The "man" is called "the angel" in Hosea 12:4. Jacob said, "I have seen God face to face." (Genesis 32:30) God appeared to Jacob in a very tangible form. Jacob was contemplating a meeting with Esau; a meeting with God was a far greater need in his life.

3. The wrestling was an endeavor on God’s part to break down Jacob’s opposition, to bring him to the end of himself, to take from him all self-trust, all confidence in his own cleverness and resource, to make him know that Esau is to be overcome and Canaan obtained not by craft or flattery, but by divine grace and power. It was a literal struggle which left Jacob with a physical injury, a slight dislocation of his hip joint. (Genesis 32:25) To Jacob, God was very real. Every child of God needs to reach this point with God.

4. As Jacob clung to God, God said to him, "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel;" (Genesis 32:28) no more "heel-catcher" or"supplanter," but "he will rule as God." Since the word is derived from two words, sarah meaning "prevail as a prince" and el meaning "the Almighty God," it has been rendered "A Prince with God." By the new name Israel, which Jacob received that night, his descendants have been known for more than 37 centuries. Even though it differs with the view of many toward Jacob, the name Israel is God’s permanent testimony to this man’s character and power.

C. The meeting with Esau went well, ending in a joyous reunion and peace. (Genesis 33:1-17)

1. Esau returned to Seir which he had made his home. (Genesis 33:16)

2. Israel moved on to Shechem where he lived for several years. (Genesis 33:18-34:31) There he bought his first parcel of land in Canaan and erected an altar which he called Elelohe-Israel. (Genesis 33:20) This word means "God is the God of Israel." At Bethel, he had named the altar Bethel (Genesis 28:17) meaning "God’s house." The altar at Mahanaim meant "God’s host," and he named the place where he wrestled with God, Peniel (Genesis 32:30) meaning "God’s face."

D. Even though Jacob, by faith, reached the honored status of "A Prince with God," the sins of his uncouth, deceitful, and often godless approach to achieving his goals, however noble and righteous, brought him many evil consequences and a life of much heartache and grief.

1. He was not willing to submit himself and wait on God as a servant. God humbled him to the role of servant for many years under Laban. (Genesis 29:18-28 and Genesis 30:28-31)

2. He used deceit to achieve his objectives. In Laban he met a deceiver who constantly sought to take advantage of him, substituting Leah for Rachel, changing his wages ten times, and seeking to take advantage of him in every way. (Genesis 29:21-25 and Genesis 31:7,12)

3. His trickery against Esau haunted him for 20 years and was a source of untold fear and anguish. (Genesis 32-33)

4. Once in Shechem, two of his sons, who had made many of his habits their own, tricked the local populace and took advantage of the situation to execute the men. (Genesis 34) His worry, dread, and fear are obvious in Genesis 34:30.

5. Jacob best summarized the sentiments of his daily life when he said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been..." (Genesis 47:9)

6. Jacob’s life of misery and trouble should be a sober warning that even though one may be a child of God and of great faith, he will still suffer consequences for sinful living. (Job 4:8; Proverbs 22:8; Hosea 8:7; Galatians 6:7-8; Numbers 32:23)

2. Strong, James, Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, New York: Abingdon Press, 1958, reference 6307.

3. Morris, page 446.

4. Thomas, W.H. Griffith, D.D., Genesis, a Devotional Commentary, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1953, pages 261- 262.

5. Morris, pages 449-450.

6. Strong, reference 1008.

7. Entzminger, Louis, STUDIES IN GENESIS, Fort Worth: The Manny Co., 1946, page 104.

8. Morris, pages 452-453.

9. Ibid., pages 473-480.

10. Strong, reference 4266.

11. Thomas, page 292.

12. Morris, page 497.

13. Thomas, pages 300-301.

14. Ibid., page 302.

15. Morris, pages 500-501.

16. Strong, reference 3290.

17. Ibid., reference 3478.

18. Ibid., reference 8280.

19. Ibid., reference 410.

20. Morris, page 501.

21. Reese, Edward, The Chronological Bible, Nashville: E.E. Gaddy & Associates, 1977, page 91.

22. Morris, page 501.

23. Strong, reference 415.

24. Thomas, pages 292-293.

Isaac realized that the time had come for him to bestow the family blessing, headship and control of the family. In spite of the fact that Esau had sold his birthright as the firstborn, still Isaac was intent on bestowing the blessing upon Esau. Rebekah, realizing what was about to happen, dressed Jacob up disguised as Esau, and sent him in to Isaac. He impersonated Esau and received the blessing.

When Esau arrived later and realized what had been done, he vowed to kill Jacob. In fear for his life, Jacob fled to Padan-aram, the Syrian home of his maternal kinsmen. Isaac and Rebekah hoped that while he was there that not only would the wrath of Esau abate, but that Jacob would also find a wife among his kinsmen. In time, both these hopes were realized.

On his journey, Jacob came to Bethel where he spent the night. As he slept with his head on one of the large, flat rocks in that place, he dreamed of a ladder reaching down from the presence of God in heaven. On it was a great host of angels ascending and descending. From where God was, He spoke to Jacob and renewed his Abrahamic covenant to him. God promised to unconditionally bless and preserve him, to give him and his offspring the land of Canaan, and to send the Messiah through him. This dream was a marvelous revelation. Among other things, it confirmed the mighty protective power of God through His guardian angels. Their primary role is on earth as ministering spirits to the people of God. Every saint of God should rejoice, secure in the knowledge of God’s limitless protection. This ladder vision also speaks prophetically of Jesus Christ as the exclusive ladder or means to heaven. Jacob trembled as he awoke from the dream. He realized that God was in this place, and he named it "Bethel" meaning house of God. He also promised to give the Lord a tithe (10%) of all his future material prosperity. Jacob not only further established the principle of tithing; his was also clearly a faith promise unto the Lord.

In Syria, Jacob found his kinfolks at Haran. He immediately met and fell in love with Rachel, who was one of the daughters of his uncle, Laban. She was beautiful and charming; but in her father, Jacob met his match. He had a propensity for being deceitful and self-serving; Laban was more so. Jacob wanted to marry Rachel, and Laban was eager for him to do so, but not without a high price. Though family ties were important to Laban, money was more important. He promised Rachel to Jacob in exchange for seven years of hard work.

Jacob agreed; and because his love for Rachel was so strong, the seven years passed quickly and the wedding night came. It was not until the morning after that Jacob realized how severely he had been tricked. He had not received Rachel; he had been given Leah, Laban’s other daughter. She was not as attractive and desirable to Jacob as Rachel, and Jacob fumed but was in no position to stand up to Laban who offered Rachel for seven more years of hard labor.

By the time Jacob fulfilled his 14-year contract with Laban, several children had been born to Jacob’s wives and their mistresses, with whom he also co-habitated. Jacob determined that it was time for him to return to Canaan where he could begin to establish himself materially. Laban proposed that he stay and work for him. Jacob, who had no material wealth, decided to do so.

Jacob proposed a very unusual business arrangement, one which highly favored Laban and to which he promptly agreed. Laban had recognized the blessings of God upon Jacob. Under Jacob’s management, Laban’s herds and flocks had greatly multiplied. Jacob was an astute and extremely wise husbandman and breeder. At the beginning of the agreement, all of Laban’s solid color livestock were separated from his mixed color livestock. The mixed color stock was moved a three day journey from the rest. Jacob would have no contact with these. He would manage only the pure-bred, solid color livestock, which consisted of sheep, goats, camels, cattle, and asses. From the point of the agreement forward, all mixed color offspring from the solid color livestock would be Jacob’s. This would be his only pay. The arrangement favored Laban because the number of solid color offspring to pure-bred, solid color livestock is always substantially larger than mixed color offspring. As Jacob’s flocks and herds of mixed color animals grew, Laban’s flocks and herds of solid color animals should have grown even more.

Such was not the case. Through the strange providence of God, more mixed color offspring were born. Jacob, being the great animal husbandry expert that he was, devised a means of speeding up sexual activity among the animals, a move which should have benefited Laban. The result was more mixed color animals and fewer solids. Jacob bred stronger animals to stronger animals. The results were the same. Jacob found himself the owner of more and stronger animals while Laban found himself with fewer and weaker animals.

Laban changed the terms. Still Jacob always prevailed. After six years, Jacob had become very wealthy while the fortunes of Laban suffered greatly. Laban and his sons became increasingly hostile and negative toward Jacob.

Jacob realized that he must flee or become a servant to Laban. The family was in favor of a quiet escape to Canaan. While Laban was three days away checking on his other livestock, Jacob stole away toward Canaan. When Laban heard, he pursued and overtook Jacob in the rugged canyon country east of the Sea of Galilee. Had it not been for a warning from God, Laban would have done Jacob harm. As it turned out, Laban and Jacob established a boundary and treaty. They basically agreed to leave each other alone as long as each stayed on his side of the boundary.

As Jacob moved southward toward Canaan, he found himself in great distress. Laban was behind him; he couldn’t go back. He sent messengers ahead to Esau. They returned to report that Esau was marching toward him with 400 armed men. Jacob was wealthy, but weak. With him were mostly women and children and slow-moving flocks and herds. He was no military match for anybody. As he moved forward, "the angels of God met him." What a revelation it was to Jacob! He saw the host of God. There was his host, which was puny, nothing; then there was God’s host, which was mighty, sufficient to meet any situation. Jacob named that place "Mahanaim" which means two hosts. Let every believer get hold of this truth. We are more than conquerors; not through our own puny power, but in the strength of Him who saved us and who lives within us.

The next day, Jacob was to face Esau. The last thing he had heard from Esau 20 years earlier was that Esau was going to kill him. As Jacob waited in the night at a place beside the Jabbok River called Peniel, the Lord came in a very tangible form and wrestled with him. God was breaking Jacob, taking away self. To prevail, Jacob, like every man, must lean on God; not self. Real victory is not in craft, cleverness, and human resources; it comes only as one claims the divine grace and power of God. Jacob clung to God begging for His blessing. As morning began to break, God blessed him and changed his name from Jacob (supplanter) to Israel (A Prince with God). Since that day, his offspring have been known as Israelites and their land is called Israel.

The next day, Jacob met Esau in a joyous reunion. Afterwards he settled in Canaan where he became extremely prosperous. Jacob is a great testimony of the goodness, grace, and transforming power of God. Let no man underestimate God’s power to change lives for the better!

2. Discuss the significance of Bethel.

3. Discuss the attitude of heaven toward the activities of man as revealed in Jacob’s vision of the ladder to heaven.

4. Discuss guardian angels.

5. In what spiritual sense is there a ladder to heaven for man?

6. Discuss Jacob’s vow after the ladder vision.

7. How was Jacob tricked by Laban regarding Rachel?

8. Explain Jacob’s servitude in Padan-aram.

9. Explain how God gave Laban’s wealth to Jacob.

10. Explain how Jacob’s offer to work for Laban was an act of faith and favorable to Laban.

11. Discuss Jacob’s animal husbandry practices.

12. Discuss how Jacob avoided harm from Laban.

13. Of what two aspects of life are Laban and Esau representative?

14. Discuss the significance of Mahanaim.

15. Who wrestled with Jacob?

16. What was God’s purpose in the encounter with Jacob?

17. Explain the significance of the name change from Jacob to Israel.

18. How was Jacob’s day to day conduct seriously flawed?

19. How was Jacob’s daily life affected by his evil conduct?