What a Dream! Genesis 28:10-22

May the mumbling commence!

When we choose to follow the Lord, there will be bumps in the road… but there will also be divine appointments.  Jacob was on the run from his brother Esau.  Jacob was using a rock for a pillow, and he feared for his life.  It’s no wonder that he couldn’t sleep very well and had quite active dreams.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran.  He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set.  He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep.  And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and down on it.

                Then God was right before him, saying, “I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac.  I’m giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants.  Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they’ll stretch from west to east and from north to south.  All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants.  Yes.  I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground.  I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you.”

                Jacob woke up from his sleep.  He said, “God is in this place – truly.  And I didn’t even know it!”  He was terrified.  He whispered in awe, “Incredible.  Wonderful.  Holy.  This is God’s House.  This is the Gate of Heaven.”

                Jacob was up first thing in the morning.  He took the stone he had used for his pillow and stood it up as a memorial pillar and poured oil over it.  He christened the place Bethel (God’s House).  The name of the town had been Luz until then.

                Jacob vowed a vow: “If God stands by me on this journey on which I’m setting out, keeps me in food and clothing, and brings me back in one piece to my father’s house, this God will be my God.  This stone that I have set up as a memorial pillar will mark this as a place where God lives.  And everything you give me, I’ll return a tenth to you.”  (Genesis 28: 10-22)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran.  When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.  He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.  There above it stood the Lord, and he said: "I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." 

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it."  He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." 

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.  He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." (Genesis 28:10-22)

There seems to me to be a significant difference between the Lord giving and the Lord will give.  So far Jacob and his fathers have not received the covenant promise of the land… nor of the many descendants.  It takes faith to keep on believing in spite of all the circumstantial evidence.  I like the NIV better than Peterson’s work in this case.

There’s also a significant difference between families of the earth blessing themselves in Jacob’s descendants (Peterson) and the peoples of the earth being blessed through them (NIV).  The NIV, once again, hits the Spirit and heart of the passage much better, in my opinion.

The other differences do not strike me as significant.

But when we are on the run like Jacob, we do not expect the Lord to be in this harrowing time.  Even if the presence of the Lord is there (and it is), we are not aware of it.  We are concentrating on staying alive.

It takes a wonderful dream to confirm to Jacob and to us that God is still there.  It’s in this passage that Jacob receives the true covenantal blessing from the Lord.  Jacob is acknowledged as a son of Abraham, who actually is his grandfather.  But his faith makes him closely resemble his grandfather.  

Though Jacob wants to intimately know God’s presence in his life through being protected, Jacob believes strongly in God’s blessing.  He believes even though he’s running for his life.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out 

Choosing Wisely. Genesis 28:6-9

May the mumbling commence!

Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.  But sometimes it amounts to too little too late.  That’s the case with Esau and his life choices.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan Aram to get a wife there, and while blessing him commanded, “Don’t marry a Canaanite woman,” and that Jacob had obeyed his parents and gone to Paddan Aram.  When Esau realized how deeply his father Isaac disliked the Canaanite women, he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son.  This was in addition to the wives he already had.  (Genesis 28:6-9)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman," and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram.  Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.  (Genesis 28:6-9)

There is very little red in this passage.  And even when there are some slight differences, they do not make any significant change in the heart and soul of this passage.  Let’s spend some time digging into this passage.

Esau noted not only Isaac’s command to Jacob but also Jacob’s obedience.  It makes me wonder whether or not Isaac and Rebekah had tried in vain to prohibit Esau’s marriages to his Canaanite wives.  Maybe those words… those commands fell on deaf ears.

How open are we to listen to our spiritual mothers and fathers?  Will we listen to their counsels?  Or do we already have our mind set on the way we want to go?  Esau is not alone in desiring to live in the moment.  It’s a part of the human condition.

And how does Esau respond to this new discovery?  He doesn’t break off his marriages to the Canaanite women.  He doesn’t follow his brother to Paddan Aram with the intent of marrying a close relative.  Esau adds another wife – the daughter of Ishmael.

Esau still does not obey his parents’ wishes.  Esau marries into Ishmael’s family, who would have no part in the covenant from God.  Esau continues to reject, in his actions, God’s covenant with his family. 

In essence, he does very little to allay his parent’s distress.  In fact, he unknowingly adds to the distress.

Esau and Jacob are twins, but they are very different.  Which will we choose to follow?  Will we be like Jacob and be strong in faith?  Or will we be like Esau and be weak in faith?

Let us choose wisely!

Enough mumbling for now…

Peace Out

Believe in the Blessing! Genesis 27:42-28:5

May the mumbling commence!

When anger boils over, sometimes distance and time is the best healer.  That is what Rebekah knew.  And sometimes it takes more than one set of eyes to see who the Lord God is blessing (and who God is not blessing).  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            When these words of her elder son Esau were reported to Rebekah, she called to her younger son Jacob and said, “Your brother Esau is plotting vengeance against you.  He’s going to kill you.  Son, listen to me.  Get out of here.  Run for your life to Haran, to my brother Laban.  Live with him for a while until your brother cools down, until his anger subsides and he forgets what you did to him.  I’ll send for you and bring you back.  Why should I lose both of you the same day?”

            Rebekah spoke to Isaac, “I’m sick to death of these Hittite women.  If Jacob also marries a native Hittite, why live?”

            So, Isaac called in Jacob and blessed him.  Then he ordered him, “Don’t take a Canaanite wife.  Leave at once.  Go to Paddan Aram to the family of your mother’s father, Bethuel.  Get a wife for yourself from the daughters of your uncle Laban.

            And may The Strong God bless you and give you many, many children, a congregation of peoples; and pass on the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants so that you will get this land in which you live, this land God gave to Abraham.”

            So Isaac sent Jacob off.  He went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.  (Genesis 27:42-28:5)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you.  Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran.  Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides.  When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" 

Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living." 

So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman.  Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.  May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.  May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham."  Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau. (Genesis 27:42-28:5)

Most of the differences between the NIV and Peterson’s work show the same Spirit and heart of the Scripture passage.  But there are two places I take issue with Peterson’s work.

First, Peterson seems to muddy the thought of the continuing blessing of Abraham to his descendants.  To “pass on” has too many different meanings.  Why not simply say that the blessing will be Jacob’s and his children… and his descendants from here on in?  That’s much clearer.

And Peterson seems to completely miss the theme of living in the land as an alien.  The promise was slow in coming.  It had already been a couple of generations, and there was still no sign of the fruition of the promise.  Perhaps that’s why Esau eschewed the promise.  Maybe I would have too – in his sandals.

It took both Isaac and Rebekah to realize that God was deeding the blessing of Abraham to Jacob.  They could see that blessing in his life.  They also could see the trouble brewing in Esau’s life.  

That’s why Isaac finally blessed Jacob knowingly.  That’s why Rebekah and Isaac sent Jacob back to his homeland to get a wife.  Jacob’s faith in God’s promise was strong, so he would return.  He needed a wife that would support him… unlike what he would get from any of the local women.  

Let’s have faith.  Let’s believe as Jacob did.  

Enough mumbling for now… 

Peace Out

Esau - Tricked Twice & Hopping Mad! Genesis 27:36-41

May the mumbling commence!

What was left for Esau?  Nothing was left but bitterness and regret… and murderous rage.  Will we choose like Esau and think of the here and now?  Or will we look at the future the Lord has for us?  Do we really want to be like Esau?  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Esau said, “Not for nothing was he named Jacob, the Heel.  Twice now he’s tricked me: first he took my birthright and now he’s taken my blessing.”

            He begged, “Haven’t you kept back any blessing for me?”

            Isaac answered Esau, “I’ve made him your master, and all his brothers his servants, and lavished grain and wine on him.  I’ve given it all away.  What’s left for you, my son?”

            “But don’t you have just one blessing for me, Father?  Oh, bless me my father!  Bless me!”  Esau sobbed inconsolably.

            Isaac said to him,

                        You’ll live far from Earth’s bounty,

                                    remote from Heaven’s dew.

                        You’ll live by your sword, hand-to-mouth,

                                    and you’ll serve your brother.

                        But when you can’t take it any more

                                    you’ll break loose and run free.

            Esau seethed in anger against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him; he brooded, “The time for mourning my father’s death is close.  And then I’ll kill my brother Jacob.”  (Genesis 27:36-41)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?" 

Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" 

Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud. 

His father Isaac answered him,

"Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness,

away from the dew of heaven above. 

You will live by the sword

and you will serve your brother.

But when you grow restless,

you will throw his yoke from off your neck." 

Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."  (Genesis 27:36-41)

Indeed, there are some significant differences between Peterson’s work and the NIV in this passage.  In Peterson’s work, Esau asks for just one blessing.  That’s pales in comparison to the affront given to Isaac: do you have only one blessing to give?  Esau doesn’t realize the significance of either the birthright or the blessing.  Peterson misses this key point, in my opinion.

Yet Peterson does grasp and adequately portray the anger that Esau felt at being cheated by Jacob the Deceiver (which is also a meaning for the name Jacob).  He brooded.  If he could have neither the birthright nor the blessing, no one would.  I am not even sure that he desired it for himself.  He was only angry at being deceived… twice.

May we have a longer view of things… an eternal view… a view we can only obtain by following the Lord’s lead in our lives.

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out 

Let's Learn What We Have Before It's Gone. Genesis 27:26-35

May the mumbling commence!

Though it was just complete, Rebekah’s and Isaac’s deception was unveiled posthaste.  But the bottom line is that the will of the Lord was done.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            Then Isaac said, “Come close, son, and kiss me.”

                He came close and kissed him and Isaac smelled the smell of his clothes.  Finally, he blessed him,

                                Ahhh.  The smell of my son

                                                is like the smell of the open country blessed by God.

                                May God give you of Heaven’s dew

                                                and Earth’s bounty of grain and wine.

                                May peoples serve you

                                                and nations honor you.

                                You will master your brothers,

                                                and your mother’s sons will honor you.

                                Those who curse you will be cursed,

                                                those who bless you will be blessed.

                And then right after Isaac had blessed Jacob and Jacob had left, Esau showed up from the hunt.  He also had prepared a hearty meal.  He came to his father and said, “Let my father get up and eat of his son’s game, that he may give me his personal blessing.”

                His father Isaac said, “And who are you?”

                “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.”

                Isaac started to tremble, shaking violently.  He said, “Then who hunted game and brought it to me?  I finished the meal just now, before you walked in.  And I blessed him – he’s blessed for good!”

                Esau, hearing his father’s words, sobbed violently and most bitterly, and cried to his father, “My father!  Can’t you also bless me?”

                “Your brother,” he said, “came here falsely and took your blessing.”  (Genesis 27:26-35)  

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

                So he went to him and kissed him.  When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,

                                “Ah, the smell of my son

                                                is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.

                                May God give you of heaven’s dew

                                                and of earth’s richness – an abundance of grain and new wine.

                                May nations serve you

                                                and peoples bow down to you.

                                Be lord over your brothers,

                                                and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.

                                May those who curse you be cursed

                                                and those who bless you be blessed.”

                After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting.  He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father.  Then he said to him, “My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

                His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”

                “I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”

                Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me?  I ate it just before you came and I blessed him – and indeed he will be blessed!”

                When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me – me too, my father!”

                But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”  (Genesis 27:26-35)

There are differences between the NIV and Peterson’s work, but mostly Peterson has kept the Spirit and heart of the Scripture in this passage.  I wonder, though, about the flipping of the peoples and the nations.  What’s that about?

The final part of the deception was Esau’s clothes.  The smell sealed the deal for Isaac.  And Jacob, impersonating Esau, was blessed abundantly.  What God had said to Rebekah had come true.

And Esau didn’t realize what he was losing until it was gone.  May we cling to our faith heritage and not lose it! 

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out

God Always Prevails! Genesis 27:14-25

May the mumbling commence!

Will deception and conniving and scheming work?  Or will the will of the Lord prevail?  It’s no contest.  Read from Peterson’s The Message:

            So he went and got them and brought them to his mother and she cooked a hearty meal, the kind his father loved so much.

            Rebekah took the dress-up clothes of her elder son Esau and put them on her younger son Jacob.  She took the goatskins and covered his hands and the smooth nape of his neck.  Then she placed the hearty meal she had fixed and fresh bread she’d baked into the hands of her son Jacob.

            He went to his father and said, “My father!”

            “Yes?” he said.  “Which son are you?”

            Jacob answered his father, “I’m your firstborn son Esau.  I did what you told me.  Come now; sit up and eat of my game so you can give me your personal blessing.”

            Isaac said, “So soon?  How did you get it so quickly?”

            “Because your God cleared the way for me.”

            Isaac said, “Come close, son; let me touch you – are you really my son Esau?”

            So Jacob moved close to his father Isaac.  Isaac felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice but the hands are the hands of Esau.”  He didn’t recognize him because his hands were hairy, like his brother Esau’s.

            But as he was about to bless him he pressed him, “You’re sure?  You are my son Esau?”

            “Yes.  I am.”

            Isaac said, “Bring the food so I can eat of my son’s game and give you my personal blessing.”  Jacob brought it to him and he ate.  He also brought him wine and he drank.  (Genesis 27:14-25)

Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:

            So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it.  Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob.  She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins.  Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

            He went to his father and said, “My father.”

            “Yes, my son,” he answered.  “Who is it?”

            Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn.  I have done as you told me.  Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.”

            Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

            “The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.

            Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

            Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”  He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.  “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

            “I am,” he replied.

            Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”

            Jacob brought it to him and he ate, and he brought some wine and he drank.  (Genesis 27:14-25)

The differences between the NIV and Peterson’s work are evident throughout this passage, but they do not change the heart of meaning of the Scripture.

Isaac was wary.  He knew the propensity for Jacob to deceive.  What he had not anticipated fully was the deception from his wife.  Her final touches of the goatskins on Jacob’s skin helped to seal the deal.

Isaac asks for clarification four times because his senses and logic were sending him mixed messages.  The voice was Jacob’s.  There was no way that Esau could not have successfully hunted, cleaned and prepared a meal so fast.  But there was the hairiness of the skin to his touch… like Esau not Jacob. 

Isaac asks one last time, “Is that really you, Esau?”  And Jacob continues the deception by answering yes.

It seems that Jacob and Rebekah were successful in their deception.  But it really was because of the Lord’s will. 

Enough mumbling for now…  

Peace Out