Book of Genesis - Ch. 28, Vs. 1-22 (01/14/2001)

Jacob Receives Isaac’s Blessing and the Charge Not to Take a Wife from Canaan

Clarence, read the first verse. I can't tell you. That's why I said you'd read the first verse. I'll tell you why.

Chapter 28. Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him and said to him, Shall I take a wife for the dollars of Canaan?

But the blessing must keep the charge annexed to it and not think to separate what God has joined. God's to say and to do is all one thing with God, whatever it is with man. Arise, go to Badan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, thy mother's father, and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban, thy mother's brother.

And God Almighty bless thee and make thee fruitful and multiply thee and thou mayest be a multitude of people. There's something rather remarkable about the original words in this verse. They signify literally for an assembly or a congregation or the church of peoples, referring no doubt to the Jewish church in the wilderness and more particularly to the Christian church composed of every kindred nation, people and tongues.

And give thee the blessing of Abraham in to thee and to thy seed with thee, that thou mayest inherit the land wherewith wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham. And Isaac sent away Jacob, and he went to Badan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob, Jacob's and Esau's mother.

Esau Tries to Correct the Situation Too Late

Now we have the beginning and end of the journey there. But it took him quite a while to get there, some 500 miles. Now we're going to leave Jacob for a moment and switch back to Esau. When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Badan-aram to take him a wife from thence, and that as he blessed him, he gave him a charge saying thou shall not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.

This passage concerning Esau comes from the midst of Jacob's story. Esau did well, but he did it when it was too late. He saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not his father, and he might have seen that long ago if he'd been as interested in his father as he should have and not just his palate.

Now, how did he now mend this matter? Well, he just made it worse. He didn't fix it at all. First he married a daughter of Ishmael. Ishmael is who? What? Just one talk at a time with your hand up. Who is Ishmael?

Did he carry the blessing? No. So he married into a family that was rejected. He was cast out. He took a third wife while his other two were neither dead nor divorced. He did it only to please his father and not to please God.

Now that Jacob was sent into a far country, Esau would be the only one. He hoped to humor his father and to prevail with him, that maybe he'd make a new will, that he would put the promise upon him. But that was not to be.

Carnal hearts are apt to think themselves as good as they should be, because perhaps they're not as bad as they could be. And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and was gone to Padanaram. His departure from his father's house in fear of being pursued or waylaid along the way, what route did he take?

The back roads. He took the little-used route. Well, this would put him in more danger, wouldn't it? It certainly increased the length of the journey. Esau, seeing that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac, his father, then went Esau unto Ishmael and took unto him the wives which he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abram's son, the sister of Naboth, to be his wife.

And Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. Esau married his father's niece. Jacob married his mother's niece. Now, the first day he traveled some 42 miles. He was running most of the way.

What were the last words he heard? And he remembered that. Yes. Jacob is now either 55 or 70 years old. I found both and could not decide which was which. But nevertheless, he was of folding age. And he lighted upon a certain place.

What's that mean? It was a certain place. And tarried there all night. Because the sun was set and he took the stones of that place and put them for his pillows and lay down in that place to sleep.

Now, doesn't that tell us when it says a certain place, doesn't that tell us that this is a real man in a real place? Yes.

But he took stones for a pillow. I have a little bit of a problem with that. Well, he dreamed a dream. I think I would too. And behold, a ladder set upon the earth. And the top of it reached to heaven.

And behold, the angels of God ascended and descended upon it. Ascending is which direction? Up first. Descending is down. This is the only place this term is used, ladder. It really means staircase. And behold, the Lord stood above it.

Are you getting the picture? And said, I am the Lord God of Abraham, thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land wherein thou liest, to thee will I give it and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth.

And thou shalt spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee. And will keep thee in all places whither thou goest.

And will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee. Now, and behold, I am with thee. Greg, wouldn't that be enough to run him until he got back?

It should be. He's going to question it though. Jacob left home and thought that he had left God. Well, why wouldn't he? He's the only place he'd ever been. This is a man that had never been away from home.

And the first time we find him traveling, he takes to the road running from his brother. And surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not. It was a surprise to him. And he was afraid and said, how dreadful is this place.

This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. Why wouldn't he believe that? Or why would he believe that? What's he mean by dreadful? Yes. He thought that this was the gateway to heaven.

This one particular place. There's been many a man develop a theology on that. And not real sure whether they found the place or not. But they say there is a place that is the gateway to heaven. Jacob rose up early in the morning.

Took the stone that he had put for the pillows. And set it up for a pillar and poured oil upon the top of it. What's he doing? Building an altar. And he called the name of that place Bethel. But the name of the city was called Luz at first.

Who else do we remember that tried to take up a bold in Luz? And Jacob vowed a vow. Now, let's listen to his vow. If God will be with me. If he will be with me. And will keep me in this place that I go.

And will give me bread to eat and raiment to put on. So that I come again to my father's house in peace. Then shall the Lord be my God. What's he trying to do? He's trying to bargain with God, isn't he?

Yes. But you know, we're not too much different than that.

Maybe I didn't really hear that one. Say it again.

Yes. Something else. When Jacob got his birthright. You remember how he got it? You remember the story? God never did correct him for that. Why? What? But why didn't God reprimand him for it? Well, it was on its way.

It was on its way. Okay, it didn't go that way. That's exactly right. About seven more years. Well. God won't approve. He's going to get reprimanded for it. Although he may not connect it, but he will.

Sometimes, you know, we get caught in the same situation. Because he's in these verses that we're looking at. Trying to make deals and stuff. We can't make deals with God. I mean, we know that. Many times we get caught up in situations just to see and hear.

And we know the problems we're already having.

Well, I heard of a deacon once. That made a bargain with God that if he'd let him win when he went to Las Vegas, he'd give him half of his winnings. Well, let's finish. And this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house.

And of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Well, his thoughts and his actions were good, but the motivation was wrong. We're going to travel with Jacob for some time. We're going to see that his uncle was the champion trickster of all.

That he teaches him some things, and not until he comes back to the wrestling match does he really find out who he is. Are there any questions from anyone? I was just thinking, where else could you go that you could get as much Bible teaching as we've had this day?

It just doesn't exist, does it? Let's stand and we'll be dismissed. Purge, dismiss us, please.