Thursday Night Bible Study

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Genesis 28:10-Genesis 29 

"God With Us In Trouble" • 5.20.10 • Thursday Night Bible Study

Intro

- Isaac's family may have sent Jacob out on a trek to find a wife, but Jacob knew that this was exile. His brother Esau has spent every waking hour thinking about revenge.

- Jacob is now alone, out in the wilderness, traveling to where his mother's family resided. It must have been a very lonely and confusing time.

- Here he was, the "blessed" one, and he's out in the middle of nowhere living in between the place of blessing behind him and the place of uncertainty before him.

- Unbeknownst to him, God is about set some things in order in his life, but He will do it in a way that would seem very unconventional.

- God is about to meet Jacob in three unexpected ways. He meets him in

I. An Unexpected Place (28:10-22)

II. An Unexpected Position (29:1-30)

III. An Unexpected Person (29:31-35)

Text

I. An Unexpected Place (28:10-22)

• Genesis 28:10,11 : "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, because the sun had set. And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep." : Jacob was traveling north and could not travel another step. Some have said that he traveled as many as 40 miles that day.

- When he stopped, exhaustion took him quickly into sleep. You know you're tired when a stone is a sufficient pillow!

- If I were Jacob, my mind would be racing, trying to figure out what I might say or how I might manipulate the situation for my advantage.

- I'd also wonder how long it might be before I saw my family again. So much thinking and scheming leaves a man or woman mentally exhausted. Jacob is in that place.

- Have you ever been there? So tired of thinking, so spent from trying to figure things out?

- In those moments, God has a great way of meeting us right there. For Jacob, that is what is about to happen.

• Genesis 28:12-15 : "Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: 'I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.'" : Right in the middle of nowhere, God meets Jacob in his dream.

- This vision begins with a "ladder." Some have mentioned that this was more of a staircase than a ladder. This supernatural dream showed access to heaven from right there on Earth.

- Angels were able to ascend and descend upon it. Above it all was the Lord. He is the Authority, the Lord of the Ladder.

- Turn over to John 1. Jesus is talking with Nathanael, who has skeptically wondered aloud about Jesus. Jesus answers him in a way that shows who He is and Nathanael is impressed.

• John 1:50,51 : "Jesus answered and said to him, 'Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.' And He said to him, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

- Jacob's ladder, was truly God's ladder, which is a picture of God the Son, who provides the access that this dream foretold. Jesus is the lone link between heaven and earth.

- God speaks clearly to Jacob, affirming that the blessing that he received from Isaac was coming from Him. It was given first to Abraham and now to Jacob.

- One Pastor from Georgia put the promise like this: Sod, Seed And Salvation!

- The promise to Jacob would be the land that he was laying on. That was his, given to him and his descendants by God. In God's eyes, the land of Israel belongs to the nation of Israel.

- That promise would extend to all of his descendants perpetually.

- Secondly, Jacob's descendants would be as the dust of the earth.

- God has chosen great pictures to discuss numbers with these men. With Abraham, He called his attention to the stars. Then, He spoke of the sand of the seashore.

- Here to Jacob, He employs the picture of dust. When we speak of the stars and the sand, we are talking about a fixed position. Stars, until they burn out, never move from their spot.

- The same is true with sand. Even after the Tsunami hit a few years ago, after the event, the sand remained on the shore.

- Dust however, has the same innumerable quailty, but can and does travel for thousands of miles. Essentially, God tells Jacob that his descendants will cover the globe.

- Finally, God's promise to Jacob would be to bring in the One who would reverse the curse that was imposed upon Man back in the Garden. The promise of the Messiah.

- After looking at Matthew 5 this last Sunday, it gives us a new perspective on the blessing that He will bring to all families on the earth. That blessing is the very life of God!

- You and I are beneficiaries of this wonderful promise that they looked forward to.

- To Jacob personally, God's promise was to be with him. He would be with him to complete the promise to him.

- I love that God promises the same thing to us. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us and that He will complete that which He has begun in us!

• Genesis 28:16-19 : "Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.' And he was afraid and said, 'How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!' Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously." : Jacob is coming to terms with his epiphany. He has met the Lord, to our minds and the story, for the first time personally.

- He does what we do: We honor places! He built an altar to commemorate the moment and celebrate what this place meant to him. What an awesome place!

- Actually, there is nothing special about any particular place, but any particular place can be wonderful because of Christ meeting us there.

- Jacob's theology is immature, but his excitement is understandable.

- Jacob names this place "Bethel" which means "house of God." It had been Luz, which means "separation". To Jacob and his descendants, it would be marked by this meeting.

• Genesis 28:20-22 : "Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You.'" : Jacob's vow sounds more like a deal. "You do your part and I'll do mine."

- In some way, Jacob must have thought that God was getting a bargain when He got him! Don't judge him: Most of us believed the same thing when we came to God.

- The words "then" the Lord shall be my God are interesting. This man is certainly not a spiritual giant at this time of his life, but God has made him great promises.

- The promise back to the Lord is a tenth of all that He was given. This is the first time we see this concept of a tithe, the literal 10% figure in scripture.

- Notice that tithing is a mark of beginning faith. We often believe that this is the pinnacle.

- Jacob is not a great spiritual man, but, this is where He is and God's promise is not affected!

- God has chosen to bless this man in spite of that man's response to Him.

- I feel that we need to understand something here: God's promises to you are yes and amen, no matter how spiritual you are, or believe that you are!

- His good intentions toward you are not predicated on your good behavior or spiritual temperature. They are solely based on His grace and mercy.

- When we are on track with Him, when we act as we should and believe for big things, we receive the blessing of being in fellowship with Him.

- We often sit in judgment over another person's life because they are only willing to give a tenth of themselves. God will take it and soon, that person learns to give much more!

II. An Unexpected Position (29:1-30)

• Genesis 29:1-8 : "So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East. And he looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth. Now all the flocks would be gathered there; and they would roll the stone from the well’s mouth, water the sheep, and put the stone back in its place on the well’s mouth. And Jacob said to them, 'My brethren, where are you from?' And they said, 'We are from Haran.' Then he said to them, 'Do you know Laban the son of Nahor?' And they said, 'We know him.' So he said to them, 'Is he well?' And they said, 'He is well. And look, his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep.' Then he said, 'Look, it is still high day; it is not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep, and go and feed them.' But they said, 'We cannot until all the flocks are gathered together, and they have rolled the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.'" : This story represents a continuation and fulfillment of God's promise to Jacob. He had come for safety, and to find a wife from his Mother's family.

- Finding news of his family, as well as finding Rachel so quickly no doubt showed God's faithfulness to Him.

- When the shepherds told him that Rachel was coming, it seems from the text that Jacob was trying to get rid of them, so as to engineer a private meeting.

- Somehow, Jacob was wanting to make a good impression. He'll find a way in a moment.

• Genesis 29:9-12 : "Now while he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice and wept. And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s relative and that he was Rebekah’s son. So she ran and told her father." : Jacob just can't wait to make a first impression. It seems that he takes the stone single handedly and rolls it off of the mouth of the well!

- It may be that he initiated an effort to remove it for her, so that they could drink first.

- Then, Jacob waters her flocks alone. One cannot help but remember that Jacob's mother had done this for Isaac's flocks back in chapter 24.

- His kiss of Rachel and subsequent weeping, reveals a man who is relieved to have found what He was looking for. Jacob made a great first impression! Rachel ran home to tell her Father.

• Genesis 29:13,14 : "Then it came to pass, when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him and kissed him, and brought him to his house. So he told Laban all these things. And Laban said to him, 'Surely you are my bone and my flesh.' And he stayed with him for a month." : Tuck this scene into the back of your mind, as the beginning of this relationship is so harmonious. Laban is excited to see Jacob, but his motives are suspect.

- What they say at the beginning and what they will say at the end will be vastly different.

• Genesis 29:15-19 : "Then Laban said to Jacob, 'Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, what should your wages be?' Now Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah’s eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. Now Jacob loved Rachel; so he said, 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter.' And Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you than that I should give her to another man. Stay with me.'" : What is your daughter worth to you? Jacob offers up his wage: 7 years of labor for Rachel.

- A generous wage would be a 14 months. Jacob offered 7 times that much! which shows that Jacob really loved Rachel. However, there was another girl that was standing around.

- Moses describes Leah first. In the various translations, the word "soft" and "tender" have been used to describe her eyes.

- Most commentators have espoused that idea that she was "hard on the eyes!" I am not sure that this means that she was ugly, but she was not as dynamic as her younger sister.

- Some have believed that this has a spiritual quality to it. Whatever the case, this was her dominant feature. On the other hand, Rachel was a bombshell, or so the literal Hebrew goes!

- It's interesting to note how the Bible catalogs and accentuates the differences between siblings. What was most important here was Jacob's love and intention for Rachel.

- He explicitly agrees to work 7 years for Rachel and Laban agrees.

• Genesis 29:20-25 : "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, 'Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in to her.' And Laban gathered together all the men of the place and made a feast. Now it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. And Laban gave his maid Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it came to pass in the morning, that behold, it was Leah. And he said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?'" : Jacob learned a vital lesson that day: BE SPECIFIC! After 7 short years, he called in his wage.

- Unfortunately, he was not specific. Obviously, marriage customs were very different then.

- Today, in our ceremonies, the Bride and Groom stand together before a crowd and maybe what happened here influenced that decision!

- In those days, it seems that a bride was delivered to the husband and their first act was performed in the darkness and solitude of a tent.

- When the morning light dawned upon the tent, Jacob was in for quite a surprise! Laban had passed Leah onto Jacob!

- It's interesting to me that Jacob has to now deal with the effects of another man's deception. It's of particular interest that this happens after God has met with him.

- He has had a real encounter with the Lord and now, God begins to alllow him to see his own sinful condition through the actions of another person.

- There can be no doubt that this deception brought to mind his own deception of his Father.

- He now reaps the life that he has sown. God does not put him through this to punish him. He does this in Jacob's life, and in ours not to punish, but to purify!

- He does this to wreck us for future forays into the same sin. Unfortunately, we'll see the wheel turn on that a few more times in Jacob's life.

• Genesis 29:26-30 : "And Laban said, 'It must not be done so in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. Fulfill her week, and we will give you this one also for the service which you will serve with me still another seven years.' Then Jacob did so and fulfilled her week. So he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife also. And Laban gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as a maid. Then Jacob also went in to Rachel, and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served with Laban still another seven years." : "NOW you tell me!" Laban was tricky, not having disclosed this cultural norm to Jacob and Jacob was blinded by his love of Rachel.

- It's almost as if to say, "Ok, now you can begin that seven years for Rachel that we agreed upon!" Jacob mechanically performed Leah's duties for that special bride's week.

- Jacob was given Rachel immediately and this sets up what we will see over the next few chapters. Jacob showed little affection for Leah in the light of Rachel. That was his love interest.

- Unfortunately, Leah suffers being right in the middle of this. She is Jacob's constant reminder of Laban's deception.

III. An Unexpected Person (29:31-35)

• Genesis 29:31-35 : "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, 'The Lord has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me.' Then she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also.' And she called his name Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.' Therefore his name was called Levi. And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, 'Now I will praise the Lord.' Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing." : Jacob only had eyes for Rachel, but God saw Leah! He saw that she was unloved.

- Here is the heartbeat of God friends: He sees injustice and sadness. He sees when people are hurt and alone, as in the case of Hagar. Here, He sees the plight of Leah.

- His love to her is an amazing blessing to us, as He opened her womb. Each child was significant to her of the Lord's attention to her.

- She gives birth to the first tribes of the Israeli people. With each child, there is a testimony to the Lord's presence. In Reuben, she acknowledges that the Lord had looked upon her affliction.

- To be unloved was a great curse to Leah. She wanted Jacob's love but would not receive it.

- Like Leah, God sees my case. God sees your case. He sees what you and I have suffered.

- In Simeon, she sees yet another act of God and her hope is that this will bring her love.

- With Levi, it's her last chance at having the love that she wanted and it did not happen.

- Finally, with the birth of Judah, her praise and love was directed toward the Lord. It was her desire that He be honored.

- As you can see, God has been working on Jacob's behalf. He has made promises to Him, put him in the position to be blessed and now has given Him a wife that has borne Him children.

- In this last child, God began a process of fulfilling His ultimate promise to Jacob, for in Judah, the Messiah would come.

Conclusion

- Tonight, you might be in an unconventional place, sitting in unconventional situations, with a person that you did not expect. To each of us, remember that He can do great things through each.