The threat of Esau’s wrath was like a phantom hound pursuing Jacob as he fled. Exhausted, he risked stopping to sleep for the night with nothing but a rock for a pillow. During his fitful rest, he saw a vision of angels walking up and down a stairway, which connected heaven to earth. God stood at the top and said, “I am God, beloved by Abraham and Isaac. The land where you now lie will be given to your descendants. They will be as innumerable as the dust of the earth. Because of the promises I made to your father and grandfather, and by my great love for humanity, it will be through your line that all the people of the world will be blessed. And by this same love, I declare that I will always be with you, and will protect you wherever you go, and will bring you again to this land as I fulfill every promise I have made to you.”
When Jacob woke up, he thought, “This place where I have slept is sacred. I will name it ‘Bethel,’ the house of God. ” He then took the rock he had rested on and set it up as a pillar to mark the spot where he had received this vision. In his heart, Jacob promised, “You will be my God too because of the promises you have made to me. And to show you my love, I will give back to you one-tenth of all I receive, for ultimately everything good comes from you.” With these words, Jacob codified the tradition of sacrifice begun in the days of Cain and Abel. Then he continued on his journey to his uncle’s house without fear.
When Jacob woke up, he thought, “This place where I have slept is sacred. I will name it ‘Bethel,’ the house of God. ” He then took the rock he had rested on and set it up as a pillar to mark the spot where he had received this vision. In his heart, Jacob promised, “You will be my God too because of the promises you have made to me. And to show you my love, I will give back to you one-tenth of all I receive, for ultimately everything good comes from you.” With these words, Jacob codified the tradition of sacrifice begun in the days of Cain and Abel. Then he continued on his journey to his uncle’s house without fear.
Sometime later, Jacob arrived at a well which was covered by a large rock. The shepherds who gathered around it would wait for everyone to be gathered before they would roll the stone away and water their flocks. Jacob approached them and asked, “Where are you from?”
“Harran,” they replied.
“Do you know a man named Laban, and is he well?” he asked.
“Yes, in fact, his daughter Rachel is coming here now with his sheep.”
When Jacob saw Rachel approaching, he was immediately struck by her beauty. Crying that his long journey was finally over, he introduced himself as the son of Rebekah, her aunt. Then he rolled the stone away from the well himself and watered Laban’s sheep for her. She hurried back to her father, and older sister Leah, to tell them everything that had happened.
Laban warmly received Jacob, who quickly offered his services as a shepherd, so that he might earn his keep. Because God was with him, his efforts did not go unnoticed. After a month of working in exchange for food and shelter, Laban said to him, “It doesn’t seem fair that you work for me and yet are not paid. Come, let us determine how you ought to be compensated for your labor.”
Jacob immediately replied, “I know that what I desire is worth a great price, so I will commit to working for you for seven years without any other payment if you would only let me marry Rachel.” Laban agreed to these terms, and so Jacob labored joyfully for seven years, with the promise of his beloved making the years pass as though they were days. During that time, no word came from his mother that it was safe for him to return and in his heart, Jacob knew he would not see her again as she had likely died in her old age.
When the time came for them to be married, Laban brought his daughter to Jacob, her face covered with a bridal veil. But in the morning, when Jacob awoke, he discovered that it was Leah, not Rachel, who he had married. Jacob confronted Laban, saying, “We agreed that if I worked for you for seven years, I would marry Rachel. Why have you deceived me?”
Laban shrewdly answered, “It is not the custom of my people to allow a younger daughter to be married before her older sister. That would be improper. But I don’t want you to be upset. I will let you marry Rachel right now, but only if you are willing to work for me for another seven years, as you did for Leah.” Jacob felt he had no choice but to agree to these terms, so he married Rachel, and continued in his indentured servitude.
From the beginning, it was clear to all that Jacob only loved Rachel. So God looked upon Leah’s loveless marriage with compassion and eventually blessed her with children. When her first son was born, she said, “Behold! A son! I name him Reuben. Now, perhaps, Jacob will love me.” When her second son was born, she said, “God has heard that I am not loved, and given me another son, so I name him Simeon. When her third son was born, she said, “Perhaps this child will cause Jacob to become attached to me, so I name him Levi. When her fourth son was born, she said, “I praise God for giving me another son, so I name him Judah.”
When Rachel, who had no children of her own, saw her sister’s growing family, she grew jealous. She said to Jacob, “Give me children or I will die!”
Jacob replied, “Am I God? I’m not the one who has kept you from having children.”
“Fine, then marry my servant Bilhah so I can build a family through her.” Jacob found himself unable to refuse his beloved Rachel’s impassioned words, so he did as he was asked and Bilhah soon became pregnant.
Upon the birth of Bilhah’s son, Rachel named him Dan and said, “God has listened to my plea and judged in my favor by giving me a son.” When Bilhah gave birth to another son, Rachel named him Naphtali and said, “Through his birth, I have won in my great struggle.”
Leah, who had stopped having children, grew upset seeing her sister build her family through the children of Bilhah. She asked Jacob to marry her servant, Zilpah, so that she might continue to increase her family, as Rachel had done. When Zilpah gave birth to a son, Leah exclaimed, “What good fortune!” and named him Gad. Again, Zilpah gave birth to a son, and Leah named him Asher, saying, “Look at how happy I am.”
But Leah was wrong when she assumed she would have no more children, and soon she gave birth to another son, whom she named Issachar, saying, “God has once again rewarded me.” More time passed, and Leah again gave birth to a son, whom she named Zebulun, saying, “God has given me the gift of many sons.”
Though Rachel had thought herself barren, and so sought to build her family through her servant, God had not forgotten her, and so she too soon gave birth to a son, whom she named Joseph, saying, “May God add yet another son.”
By the time Reuben had turned 17, Jacob longed to return to Canaan with his family. He spoke to Laban, saying, “Please let me go back to my homeland with my family, for I have tirelessly worked for you for over 30 years.”
Laban replied, “I want you to stay. It is clear that God has blessed me because of you. I’ll pay you whatever you want.”
But Jacob said, “You are right that God has blessed you because of me, but when will it be time for me to do something for my own family?”
So Laban agreed to let him go and asked, “What can I give you as you set off on your own?”
“I require no gifts. I will continue to work for you for six more years if you give me every spotted or dark lamb and goat in your flock as payment. You can check my animals. Any animal I have that is not spotted or dark you can consider stolen.” Laban agreed to these terms, but instead of honoring his word, he quickly took all of his spotted and dark lambs and goats and gave them to his sons so that Jacob would get nothing and be forced to continue working for him.
But God appeared to Jacob in a dream and said, “I have seen what Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you set a pillar, and where you made your vow to me. Look! Many of the sheep and goats that are mating will give birth to spotted or dark young and so I will increase your flocks, for the time is soon coming when you will go back to your native land.”
When he awoke, Jacob once again resolved to get what God had promised him by his own cunning. Using the skills he’d acquired over the years in animal husbandry, he tried to ensure that the animals would give birth to more spotted or dark animals than usual. He also made sure that he only got the strongest animals and left the weakest for Laban. But it was God who chose which animals would be born spotted, and though Jacob acquired many animals, it was not from his machinations, but from God’s blessing. Because of this, Laban and his sons came to resent Jacob.
So Jacob went to Leah and Rachel and said, “Your father resents my wealth. You know how I have labored for him for years, and yet he cheated me by changing the terms of my pay repeatedly. But God has taken away Laban’s animals and given them to me. Now it is time for us to return to my home in Canaan.”
Leah and Rachel replied, “Our father gave us to you. He now regards us as foreigners. We will have no share in his inheritance. Everything God has taken from our father and given to you belongs to us and our children. Do whatever God has told you to do.” Jacob then took his family, flocks, and possessions, and set off from Harran without telling Laban.
Three days passed before Laban realized what had happened. So he gathered his men and gave chase for seven more days before finally overtaking them in Gilead. As he approached, he said, “You snuck away without telling me, taking my daughters and grandchildren away like they were your prisoners. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving so I could send you off in honor? You didn’t even let me kiss them goodbye?”
Jacob replied, “I was afraid because I didn’t think you would let me leave with your daughters. What is my crime? For what reason have you hunted me? I’ve worked for you for decades. I kept your animals healthy and never took anything that wasn’t mine. Anytime a sheep was lost, I paid for it myself. I worked hard, whether in the hot sun or the cold night. I hardly slept. I did this and yet you changed what you owed me again and again. If it wasn’t for God’s protection and blessing, I’m sure you would have sent me away with nothing.”
“Harran,” they replied.
“Do you know a man named Laban, and is he well?” he asked.
“Yes, in fact, his daughter Rachel is coming here now with his sheep.”
When Jacob saw Rachel approaching, he was immediately struck by her beauty. Crying that his long journey was finally over, he introduced himself as the son of Rebekah, her aunt. Then he rolled the stone away from the well himself and watered Laban’s sheep for her. She hurried back to her father, and older sister Leah, to tell them everything that had happened.
Laban warmly received Jacob, who quickly offered his services as a shepherd, so that he might earn his keep. Because God was with him, his efforts did not go unnoticed. After a month of working in exchange for food and shelter, Laban said to him, “It doesn’t seem fair that you work for me and yet are not paid. Come, let us determine how you ought to be compensated for your labor.”
Jacob immediately replied, “I know that what I desire is worth a great price, so I will commit to working for you for seven years without any other payment if you would only let me marry Rachel.” Laban agreed to these terms, and so Jacob labored joyfully for seven years, with the promise of his beloved making the years pass as though they were days. During that time, no word came from his mother that it was safe for him to return and in his heart, Jacob knew he would not see her again as she had likely died in her old age.
When the time came for them to be married, Laban brought his daughter to Jacob, her face covered with a bridal veil. But in the morning, when Jacob awoke, he discovered that it was Leah, not Rachel, who he had married. Jacob confronted Laban, saying, “We agreed that if I worked for you for seven years, I would marry Rachel. Why have you deceived me?”
Laban shrewdly answered, “It is not the custom of my people to allow a younger daughter to be married before her older sister. That would be improper. But I don’t want you to be upset. I will let you marry Rachel right now, but only if you are willing to work for me for another seven years, as you did for Leah.” Jacob felt he had no choice but to agree to these terms, so he married Rachel, and continued in his indentured servitude.
From the beginning, it was clear to all that Jacob only loved Rachel. So God looked upon Leah’s loveless marriage with compassion and eventually blessed her with children. When her first son was born, she said, “Behold! A son! I name him Reuben. Now, perhaps, Jacob will love me.” When her second son was born, she said, “God has heard that I am not loved, and given me another son, so I name him Simeon. When her third son was born, she said, “Perhaps this child will cause Jacob to become attached to me, so I name him Levi. When her fourth son was born, she said, “I praise God for giving me another son, so I name him Judah.”
When Rachel, who had no children of her own, saw her sister’s growing family, she grew jealous. She said to Jacob, “Give me children or I will die!”
Jacob replied, “Am I God? I’m not the one who has kept you from having children.”
“Fine, then marry my servant Bilhah so I can build a family through her.” Jacob found himself unable to refuse his beloved Rachel’s impassioned words, so he did as he was asked and Bilhah soon became pregnant.
Upon the birth of Bilhah’s son, Rachel named him Dan and said, “God has listened to my plea and judged in my favor by giving me a son.” When Bilhah gave birth to another son, Rachel named him Naphtali and said, “Through his birth, I have won in my great struggle.”
Leah, who had stopped having children, grew upset seeing her sister build her family through the children of Bilhah. She asked Jacob to marry her servant, Zilpah, so that she might continue to increase her family, as Rachel had done. When Zilpah gave birth to a son, Leah exclaimed, “What good fortune!” and named him Gad. Again, Zilpah gave birth to a son, and Leah named him Asher, saying, “Look at how happy I am.”
But Leah was wrong when she assumed she would have no more children, and soon she gave birth to another son, whom she named Issachar, saying, “God has once again rewarded me.” More time passed, and Leah again gave birth to a son, whom she named Zebulun, saying, “God has given me the gift of many sons.”
Though Rachel had thought herself barren, and so sought to build her family through her servant, God had not forgotten her, and so she too soon gave birth to a son, whom she named Joseph, saying, “May God add yet another son.”
By the time Reuben had turned 17, Jacob longed to return to Canaan with his family. He spoke to Laban, saying, “Please let me go back to my homeland with my family, for I have tirelessly worked for you for over 30 years.”
Laban replied, “I want you to stay. It is clear that God has blessed me because of you. I’ll pay you whatever you want.”
But Jacob said, “You are right that God has blessed you because of me, but when will it be time for me to do something for my own family?”
So Laban agreed to let him go and asked, “What can I give you as you set off on your own?”
“I require no gifts. I will continue to work for you for six more years if you give me every spotted or dark lamb and goat in your flock as payment. You can check my animals. Any animal I have that is not spotted or dark you can consider stolen.” Laban agreed to these terms, but instead of honoring his word, he quickly took all of his spotted and dark lambs and goats and gave them to his sons so that Jacob would get nothing and be forced to continue working for him.
But God appeared to Jacob in a dream and said, “I have seen what Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you set a pillar, and where you made your vow to me. Look! Many of the sheep and goats that are mating will give birth to spotted or dark young and so I will increase your flocks, for the time is soon coming when you will go back to your native land.”
When he awoke, Jacob once again resolved to get what God had promised him by his own cunning. Using the skills he’d acquired over the years in animal husbandry, he tried to ensure that the animals would give birth to more spotted or dark animals than usual. He also made sure that he only got the strongest animals and left the weakest for Laban. But it was God who chose which animals would be born spotted, and though Jacob acquired many animals, it was not from his machinations, but from God’s blessing. Because of this, Laban and his sons came to resent Jacob.
So Jacob went to Leah and Rachel and said, “Your father resents my wealth. You know how I have labored for him for years, and yet he cheated me by changing the terms of my pay repeatedly. But God has taken away Laban’s animals and given them to me. Now it is time for us to return to my home in Canaan.”
Leah and Rachel replied, “Our father gave us to you. He now regards us as foreigners. We will have no share in his inheritance. Everything God has taken from our father and given to you belongs to us and our children. Do whatever God has told you to do.” Jacob then took his family, flocks, and possessions, and set off from Harran without telling Laban.
Three days passed before Laban realized what had happened. So he gathered his men and gave chase for seven more days before finally overtaking them in Gilead. As he approached, he said, “You snuck away without telling me, taking my daughters and grandchildren away like they were your prisoners. Why didn’t you tell me you were leaving so I could send you off in honor? You didn’t even let me kiss them goodbye?”
Jacob replied, “I was afraid because I didn’t think you would let me leave with your daughters. What is my crime? For what reason have you hunted me? I’ve worked for you for decades. I kept your animals healthy and never took anything that wasn’t mine. Anytime a sheep was lost, I paid for it myself. I worked hard, whether in the hot sun or the cold night. I hardly slept. I did this and yet you changed what you owed me again and again. If it wasn’t for God’s protection and blessing, I’m sure you would have sent me away with nothing.”
Laban replied, “Rachel and Leah are my daughters and these animals once belonged to me. Everything you have was once mine. Even so, I won’t do anything to stop you from leaving.” So Laban kissed his daughters and grandchildren goodbye and returned to his home.
They set off the next day, and Jacob sent some of his servants ahead to find Esau and inform him of Jacob’s impending arrival. Sometime later, as they continued their journey, they saw the servants returning off in the distance. When they reached Jacob they said, “We gave your brother the message and now he is headed here with 400 men!”
Jacob said, “He’s going to kill us all and steal my herds. Quickly, split everyone into two groups, along with the animals. If he attacks one group, hopefully, the other can still escape.” Then Jacob called out to God, “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, I do not deserve the kindness you have shown me. When I left my home, all I had was my staff, but now I am a wealthy man because of your blessing. It was by your command that I return here to Canaan. You have promised to protect me, promised that my descendants would be innumerable. So please, save us. I am afraid Esau is coming to kill us all.
He spent the night there and prepared a lavish gift for Esau: hundreds of goats, camels, cows, and donkeys, enough to make him a rich man. He kept the animals separated by type and put a servant in charge of each group, saying, “Take these to Esau but keep some space between each herd. When Esau asks who the herd belongs to, tell him that they are a gift from me to him. Hopefully, this will pacify him. Rachel, Leah, take our children and anything you can carry and hide across that stream. I will stay here alone, come what may.”
His family, servants, and possessions all dispersed, that night Jacob felt much as he had all those years ago when he had fled from home: alone, penniless, defenseless, and facing the prospect of being killed by his own brother. Suddenly, a strange man entered his camp and immediately started wrestling with Jacob. But neither would yield and they wrestled until daybreak. When it was clear that his opponent would never back down, the stranger reached out and touched Jacob’s hip, immediately dislocating it. “Let me go,” the stranger said.
“I will not unless you bless me” Jacob panted.
“What is your name?” the stranger asked.
“Jacob,” he replied
“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you wrestle with God and with man and never yield.”
Israel asked, “What is YOUR name?”
But the stranger replied, “Why do you ask what you already know?” and left.
Israel realized, “I saw God face-to-face and yet my life was spared.” And so it was that because he had wrestled with God, for the rest of his life, Israel walked with a limp.
Exhausted, but his heart renewed, Israel set off to meet his brother. When he saw Esau in the distance, he bowed to the ground seven times as he went towards him. But Esau ran to meet his long-estranged brother and hugged him. When Esau saw the women and children following soon after, he asked who they were and Israel introduced Esau to his family.
After the introductions, Esau asked, “Why did you send all of those animals to me?”
“They are my gift to you in exchange for your mercy,” Israel replied.
“I already have plenty of animals, brother. You keep them.”
“No, please! Accept them as my gift to you. Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God because you have shown me kindness today. God has blessed me and I have more than I need, so please, take them.”
“Alright, if you insist, I accept your gift. Let’s be off. I’ll travel with you.”
But in his heart, Israel was still unwilling to fully trust Esau, so he said, “My children and animals are tired after our long journey. You go on ahead of me and we will make our way towards you soon.”
“Let me leave some of my men for protection, then,” Esau offered.
Nervously, Israel replied, “Why do that? As long as I know you and I are on good terms, that is all I need from you.”
So Esau returned south to his home in Seir, but Israel’s broke his promise and settled north in Sukkoth near Shechem, and the brothers and their children remained estranged from each other.
While living in that region, Israel became distressed as he watched some of his children turn into temptation. Indeed, because of their wicked acts, Israel could not bring himself to pass the mantle of leadership to Reuben, Simeon, or Levi, choosing Judah instead to eventually become the head of the family after he died. Knowing that the holiness of this chosen family was at stake, God commanded Israel to move his family to Bethel.
Israel told his family, “Clean yourselves up and come with me to Bethel, where God first spoke to me when I was fleeing from Esau. We must build an altar there to worship God and rid ourselves of the evil that has come into our family.”
It was during this time at Bethel that Rachel found she was going to have her second child. But when the time came for the baby to be born, she had great difficulty. The midwife who was with her said, “Don’t despair, you have given birth to a son.”
Rachel whispered back, “He is Ben-Oni, son of my sorrow,” and died.
When the news was relayed to Israel, he was heartbroken at the loss of his great love. But when they presented him with Ben-Oni, he said, “No, his name is Benjamin, the son of my right hand.” Then Israel buried Rachel at Bethlehem and he set up a pillar to mark her tomb. Joseph and Benjamin were cherished by Israel more than any of their brothers because of the death of Rachel, his beloved.
They set off the next day, and Jacob sent some of his servants ahead to find Esau and inform him of Jacob’s impending arrival. Sometime later, as they continued their journey, they saw the servants returning off in the distance. When they reached Jacob they said, “We gave your brother the message and now he is headed here with 400 men!”
Jacob said, “He’s going to kill us all and steal my herds. Quickly, split everyone into two groups, along with the animals. If he attacks one group, hopefully, the other can still escape.” Then Jacob called out to God, “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, I do not deserve the kindness you have shown me. When I left my home, all I had was my staff, but now I am a wealthy man because of your blessing. It was by your command that I return here to Canaan. You have promised to protect me, promised that my descendants would be innumerable. So please, save us. I am afraid Esau is coming to kill us all.
He spent the night there and prepared a lavish gift for Esau: hundreds of goats, camels, cows, and donkeys, enough to make him a rich man. He kept the animals separated by type and put a servant in charge of each group, saying, “Take these to Esau but keep some space between each herd. When Esau asks who the herd belongs to, tell him that they are a gift from me to him. Hopefully, this will pacify him. Rachel, Leah, take our children and anything you can carry and hide across that stream. I will stay here alone, come what may.”
His family, servants, and possessions all dispersed, that night Jacob felt much as he had all those years ago when he had fled from home: alone, penniless, defenseless, and facing the prospect of being killed by his own brother. Suddenly, a strange man entered his camp and immediately started wrestling with Jacob. But neither would yield and they wrestled until daybreak. When it was clear that his opponent would never back down, the stranger reached out and touched Jacob’s hip, immediately dislocating it. “Let me go,” the stranger said.
“I will not unless you bless me” Jacob panted.
“What is your name?” the stranger asked.
“Jacob,” he replied
“Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you wrestle with God and with man and never yield.”
Israel asked, “What is YOUR name?”
But the stranger replied, “Why do you ask what you already know?” and left.
Israel realized, “I saw God face-to-face and yet my life was spared.” And so it was that because he had wrestled with God, for the rest of his life, Israel walked with a limp.
Exhausted, but his heart renewed, Israel set off to meet his brother. When he saw Esau in the distance, he bowed to the ground seven times as he went towards him. But Esau ran to meet his long-estranged brother and hugged him. When Esau saw the women and children following soon after, he asked who they were and Israel introduced Esau to his family.
After the introductions, Esau asked, “Why did you send all of those animals to me?”
“They are my gift to you in exchange for your mercy,” Israel replied.
“I already have plenty of animals, brother. You keep them.”
“No, please! Accept them as my gift to you. Seeing your face is like seeing the face of God because you have shown me kindness today. God has blessed me and I have more than I need, so please, take them.”
“Alright, if you insist, I accept your gift. Let’s be off. I’ll travel with you.”
But in his heart, Israel was still unwilling to fully trust Esau, so he said, “My children and animals are tired after our long journey. You go on ahead of me and we will make our way towards you soon.”
“Let me leave some of my men for protection, then,” Esau offered.
Nervously, Israel replied, “Why do that? As long as I know you and I are on good terms, that is all I need from you.”
So Esau returned south to his home in Seir, but Israel’s broke his promise and settled north in Sukkoth near Shechem, and the brothers and their children remained estranged from each other.
While living in that region, Israel became distressed as he watched some of his children turn into temptation. Indeed, because of their wicked acts, Israel could not bring himself to pass the mantle of leadership to Reuben, Simeon, or Levi, choosing Judah instead to eventually become the head of the family after he died. Knowing that the holiness of this chosen family was at stake, God commanded Israel to move his family to Bethel.
Israel told his family, “Clean yourselves up and come with me to Bethel, where God first spoke to me when I was fleeing from Esau. We must build an altar there to worship God and rid ourselves of the evil that has come into our family.”
It was during this time at Bethel that Rachel found she was going to have her second child. But when the time came for the baby to be born, she had great difficulty. The midwife who was with her said, “Don’t despair, you have given birth to a son.”
Rachel whispered back, “He is Ben-Oni, son of my sorrow,” and died.
When the news was relayed to Israel, he was heartbroken at the loss of his great love. But when they presented him with Ben-Oni, he said, “No, his name is Benjamin, the son of my right hand.” Then Israel buried Rachel at Bethlehem and he set up a pillar to mark her tomb. Joseph and Benjamin were cherished by Israel more than any of their brothers because of the death of Rachel, his beloved.
Comments
Post a Comment