Genesis 28: Jacob the Cheater starts to grow up

Genesis 28: Jacob the Cheater starts to grow up

What we have to keep in mind is that the Old Testament stories are about God’s actions, and less so men and women’s. As someone who regularly studies and teaches the Bible, how to interpret it is forefront in my mind. It is called hermeneutics. While there are many fascinating and inspiring stories about people in the Bible who are faithful, and we can follow their examples and get hope from them in a secondary way, the Bible is about God’s actions and interactions first. The people are almost always going to fail, some more than others, some in small ways and others in drastic ones. The people are not the example; Christ is. Even when Paul the Apostle says to “follow my example,” it is only in the ways he is following Christ. Faithful Christians can say that, but we cannot put our preferences, life habits, and patterns on other people.

God deals with us as individuals, as families, as churches, as groups, at different times. But He deals with us personally first of all.

One of my favorite passages is when Jesus has resurrected and he and the disciples are on the shore having a fish fry (not really, they didn’t fry foods). 20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Lord, who is the one who betrays You?” 21 Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?”22 Jesus said to him, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?”

In other words, Jesus says “I have a will for each person, I deal with them personally, and there are limits to what you can say about it.” We are told in Galatians 6:1-6:

Brethren, if a man is [a]overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load. 6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

Seems like contradictory advice, but it’s not. It’s extremely wise. What do you think?

I bring all this up because God deals with Jacob, a difficult person, in His own way, and the overall lesson or theme is that God is faithful to what he promised Abraham. That was a covenant, a binding, eternal, unbreakable from God’s point of view, promise or agreement. He will be the same to Jacob, and to His people through the ages. Jacob doesn’t quite get it all, he still has a lot of pagan trappings and he doesn’t understand full grace, but he knows his life is changed here. And this is right after he cheated his brother and deceived his father!

10-12. This might seem like a random dream. Jesus did not think so. John 1:47-50. It was prophetic. It was about the Christ.

13-15. God speaks to Jacob. Now, we have a lot of speaking to people by God in the Old Testament, so how does this happen? Here it’s in a dream. This is one of the difficult things in the Bible. If I had my way, the Bible would have been written down and handed to people, but that’s not how it’s done. Jacob’s experience is recorded as a secure promise, in line with what Abraham was told. In fact, it’s not much different if you go back to Abraham. Dust of the earth v. stars in the sky for offspring. And most important, “All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.”

This isn’t just “hey, I’ll give you a good farm and lots of kids.” This is about the history of mankind. And it is being played out on this deceptive person who has had to leave home to avoid being killed by his wrathful brother.

All God’s work is carried out by flawed humans, except the most important, the incarnated Son of God. We are coming to Christmas, the holidays, and they all mean something different to each of us. But they mean the culmination of what Jacob sees in this dream.

The second part: 16-22 “How awesome is this place.” Have you had an experience of awe? In a place and time? In a dream?

Jacob is starting to get it. I have to wonder if he has been so focused on his own life and trying to deceive, cheat, and get his way (and remember, he’s not young) that he has never had a personal experience of the awesomeness, holiness, otherness of God. This is the first time we see awareness of God in his narrative. He makes the place where he is sleeping a shrine, changes its name to “The house of God,” and makes a vow.

Have you ever made a vow, other than marriage? I haven’t because I do not take them lightly. I do not trust myself to keep them. I have made a commitment and a plan, such as for Lent, but not long term. I guess I see life as very daily and hard to keep up with. A vow would have to be central. Are vows wise?

Is Jacob’s vow conditional? If then. Should vows be?

God’s covenants are sometimes conditional, sometimes not. To Adam, yes. To Abraham Genesis 12:2-3, no. To Moses and Israel, yes Deuteronomy 28:1-2, 15 To us in Christ, no. EXCEPT: Ours in Christ depends on faith. We have to believe. If we stop trusting Christ, it ends. BUT:

How can this be, you ask? The answer is that while sinful men and women are not able to keep the conditions, God is able to supply them. God not only mandates the conditions but he himself supplies their fulfillment. https://www.tenth.org/resource-library/articles/is-gods-covenant-conditional/

Jacob’s vow shows his spiritual immaturity, but his heart is probably in the right place. Maybe he knows himself that he can’t fulfill it.

Jacob has a long way to go, and he is not a young man here. He’s going to have 13 kids, 4 baby mammas, sorrow, more con-man type of deals, and eventually happiness in being restored to Joseph in a very dramatic story. He’s going to live 60 or 70 more years and eventually prophesy on his death bed about the coming of Christ. I see Jacob as like Donald Trump. Love him or hate him or scratch your head at him, he is the legitimately elected leader of our country (no one argues about it this time) and I think God answered prayers about this. I hope he gets it right and even more that he understands his responsibility to Almighty God.

Final question: What would you tell your younger self? What have you learned that you would share with your 20 or 25-year-old you? What would Jacob have told his younger self?