Series 6 - Chapter Summary 28 - 29

 

Chapter Summary – Genesis 28-29

Decisions, Desires, Disappointments and Destiny

 

 

Isaac blesses Jacob and sends him to his mother’s relatives to find a wife (28:1-9). God appears to Jacob at Bethel, to confirm transference of His covenant with Abraham to Jacob (vv. 10-15). Awed, Jacob commits himself to the Lord (vv. 16-22). In Paddan Aram, Jacob finds his uncle Laban, and falls in love with his cousin Rachel (29:1-15). He works seven years as payment of the traditional bridal price, but Laban tricks Jacob into marrying his other daughter, Leah (vv. 16-25). Laban gives Jacob his beloved Rachel in return for seven more years of labor (vv. 26-30), and thus Jacob begins a tension-filled marriage to two wives (vv. 31-35).

 

Key Verse 28:15:

We can claim this promise, as God’s New Covenant people.

 

Personal Application:

Keep on trusting when life takes unexpected turns.

 

“Esau then realized” (28:8).

Was Esau insensitive, or were Isaac and Rebekah at fault? Most children do want to please their parents (v. 9). Parents are responsible to counsel and to guide.

 

“I will give” (28:13-15).

The promise made to Jacob takes the same form as those originally made to Abraham. God states, unconditionally, what He will do (12:1-3). This is the most awesome aspect of the scene, not the drawing back of the veil that separates the natural and supernatural realms. God makes “I will” promises to mere human beings. He chooses to be with us, to watch over us wherever we go, and never to leave us till He has accomplished all He has promised (28:15).

 

“If God” (28:20-22).

How do we explain Jacob’s apparently conditional commitment to God? The Ramban, a rabbi of old, suggested the Hebrew im means “when” here, as in 29:15 and Num. 36:4. “When” rather than “if” transforms Jacob’s response from an expression of doubt to an affirmation of faith. But even if im here is “if,” it need not express doubt. Instead it may express the excitement of a sudden realization that came to the empty-handed Jacob: “If God is with me, and brings me back to the homeland safely, then I’ll be able to worship here again!” You and I need just such a faith that accepts the promises of God, and because we realize that God is with us, see a bright new future ahead.

 

Rachel’s price  (29:18).

It was customary in O.T. times for the groom to pay the father of his bride in money or cattle. This was not “buying and selling” women. The bride price acknowledged the fact that the father was losing a productive member of his family, and also showed that the husband placed a high value on his wife-to-be. Jacob had no wealth when he came to Laban. But his offer to work seven years for Rachel was high and reflected his deep love for her.

 

“Laban gave” (29:24).

In biblical times the father of the bride gave her a dowry. Tablets found in excavations at Nuzi mention the gift of a maidservant to the bride by her father.

 

Laban’s trick.

Laban’s substitution of Leah for Rachel reminds us of Jacob’s own substitution for his brother Esau! At last Jacob must have grasped how it felt to be deceived and cheated. At times God must teach us the hard way to be sensitive to others. This was not an easy lesson for Jacob to learn, but it was a vital one.

 

Polygamy.

Monogamy is the biblical ideal for marriage. Yet the O.T. contains reports of multiple wives for the patriarchs, and later for Israel’s and Judah’s kings. Scripture also tells how David committed adultery, and how Judas betrayed Jesus. Such things are reports of what did happen, not examples of what should happen. The story of Jacob’s marriages reminds us of the wisdom of God’s original design. How deeply it hurt Leah to be married to a man who did not love her. How tragic the pain felt by childless Rachel, and Leah’s attempt to get back at her sister through her own ability to bear children. God’s way really is always best.