Isaac blessed his son Jacob; and sent him away, as Rebekah wished, to her old home, telling him to find a wife there among his cousins.
Though an old man, and not having been as faithful to God as his father, yet Isaac’s thoughts were on the promises, and on God, whose word has never been broken.
Four verses are enough now to tell of Esau, until Jacob meets him as he returns from his wandering. Esau did not know or care about God. Jacob, though not a very lovable man, did have God in his thoughts. He might seem no better than Esau at times, because Jacob’s heart, and Esau’s, and everyone’s else were, and are just alike, but Jacob was “born again,” (John 3) and in due time we see in his ways that he was one of God’s children.
There was not much to tell about Esau, whose ways were unchanged to the end, but there is much for us to learn in reading of Jacob’s life, and God has given us eight or nine chapters in Genesis about him that we can study, and get good from. We can trace out on a map of Palestine part of Jacob’s route as he traveled, on foot, no doubt, except where someone going his way might be kind enough to give him a ride on a donkey or a camel. Beersheba, where his home was, is a village even today. It is in the southern part of the Holy Land, as we have perhaps noted already, and from Beersheba Jacob went north, past where Abraham and Lot had lived before Lot went to live in Sodom, the city now under the water of the Dead Sea. West of the northern end of that body of water, you will find Bethel on a map of Palestine, in Old Testament times. This is the place, called Luz at this time, where Jacob, the wanderer from his home, is seen in the verse 22, hunting for a stone for a pillow for his head, to lie down to sleep, for it was getting dark. All alone, with no friend or relative near, to cheer him, Jacob falls asleep, but God’s eyes were upon him, and presently he dreams. In his dream, Jacob saw a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were going up and down the ladder. God stood above it, and spoke to him so kindly, repeating his promise to Abraham and Isaac, of the land and of the great nation that his children, and children’s children should afterwards become, and closing with those encouraging words of verse 15,—shall we read them again? Notice how in all that Jacob heard God say, it was what He had promised to do, without any conditions whatever.
“Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee . . . . and will bring thee again into this land; I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” These were God’s promises, and He was true to His word.
Jacob waking up from his sleep, and afraid, said, “How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
He rose up early, and set up, as a pillar or monument, the stone he had used for a pillow, and poured oil on the top of it, and then he called the place, “Bethel,” which means the house of God. Last of all, Jacob made a promise to God that if He would be with him, keep him safely, and give him food and clothes, so that he should be brought safely home again, when his wanderings were over, then God should be his God, and he would give Him one tenth of all God should let him have. He wanted to bargain with God in spite of God’s promises, which had no “if” in them.
Dear children, see if you can count how many things God promised this poor wanderer in the three verses 13 to 15. I can count seven, easily, and all were Jacob’s, because God loves to give. Jacob could not pay Him back, but he seemed to have thought he could and have would almost think that Jacob had not been attentive when God was speaking, that he should think of saying, If God will take care of me, and see me safely home again, (he was, I suppose, thinking of Esau) I will have Him for my God. God had promised far more than what Jacob said in his vow, and I wonder if Jacob ever kept his part of it—if he ever gave back one-tenth part of all he received? God does the saving of our souls (Romans 5:S, 9), and whatever there is in us who are saved that pleases Him, is His doing, too, (Philippians 2:1313For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)). Soon it will be to live together with the Lord Jesus. (1 Thess. 5:1010Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. (1 Thessalonians 5:10)).