Jacob

• Introductory Matters
• • Meaning of the name
  • • "he grabs the heel" - he was born holding onto his brother Esau's heel (Gen. 25:26)
    • "he overreaches" - he cheated his brother and grabbed the birthright and blessing from him (Gen. 25:29-34, 27:1-28:9)
  • The second born son of Isaac - his twin brother Esau was firstborn
  • Some literary issues
  • • Four types of material
    • • Accounts of Jacob with Esau
      • Accounts of Jacob with Laban
      • Accounts of the sons of Jacob
      • Accounts of Jacob with God (theophanic and cultic encounters)
    • Story is beautifully arranged in a chiastic pattern (presentation of the pattern)
    • It is probable that the traditions were preserved in the northern tribes - the stories seem to be related to the great northern shrines, especially Bethel
    • Comparison with Abraham narrative
    • • Differences
      • • Abraham narrative is concerned with movement of promise from father to son - Jacob narrative is concerned with the promise in Jacob's own generation (e.g., brother, uncle, wives)
        • Abraham narrative is concerned with promise - Jacob narrative is concerned with blessing, especially fertility
      • The result is an account geared toward earthly and earthy realities
• The Jacob Narrative
• • Conflict with Esau (Gen. 25:19-34, 27:1-28:9)
  • • Conflict was initiated by God when he informed Rebekah that Jacob the younger rather than Esau the older would receive the promise - Rebekah began to favor Jacob from before his birth - such favoritism had caused problems between Ishmael and Isaac - now another generation was poised to experience problems
    • Isaac favored Esau who was born covered with red hair - his name was a play on the word "Edom" which was Esau's other name - Esau was an adventurous outdoorsman who was a skilled hunter - Isaac may have lived the adventurous life vicariously through Esau
    • Esau sold his birthright (Gen. 25:27-34)
    • • As oldest son he was entitled to twice as much as his brother
      • As a free outdoorsman, being burdened with responsibilities may not have been attractive to him - at any rate he sold his birthright for a bowl of soup (possibly lentil)
      • Jacob now would inherit everything but the blessing
    • Jacob stole the blessing (Gen. 27:1-28:9)
    • • Isaac, thinking he was dying (a rather constant condition with Isaac), called Esau to prepare to confer the blessing - Rebekah overheard
      • The blessing was far more crucial than the birthright - the blessing would bring a bright future out of any circumstances
      • Rebekah and Jacob teamed up to trick Isaac and cheat Esau - Rebekah began the process, but Jacob threw himself wholeheartedly into it
      • Jacob dragged God into his deception when he claimed God gave him success in the hunt (Gen. 27:20) - his lies ranged far afield
      • The blessing was given by Isaac to Jacob rather than to Esau - once given it could not be taken back - even though Isaac thought he was talking to Esau and blessing him, the fact that Jacob received the blessing made it his
      • When Esau returned, there was nothing left for him but the promise that one day he would break free of his brother's dominance
      • Jacob was advised by his mother and father to go back to the old home country to find a wife since Esau was planning to kill him as soon as Isaac died
  • Meeting at Bethel (Gen. 28:10-22)
  • • Jacob who was fleeing from the wrath of his brother and who should have been tormented by guilt over what he had done, slept in a wondrous, heavenly sleep, and had a fantastic dream
    • In the dream Jacob saw a ladder or staircase with angels going up and down carrying out God's will on the earth - the ancients had a concept of a place through which God or the gods communicated with humans - this place was called the "navel of the earth" symbolizing a umbilical cord connecting the heaven and the earth
    • Jacob's response was to bargain with God
    • • What Jacob wanted from God
      • • God's presence
        • God's guidance
        • God's provision of daily needs
        • God's bringing him back home to Isaac
      • What Jacob promised to do for God
      • • Choose God as his deity
        • Let the stone he set up as a pillar be God's house
        • Give God a tithe (tenth) of all that God would give him - at the time Jacob was leaving his inheritance behind - he promised God a tenth of whatever God might give him in the future
    • Jacob who had bargained with Esau and tricked Isaac and Esau, now bargained with God - still it was a tentative step in the right direction
  • Conflict with Laban (Gen. 29:1-30)
  • • Jacob met his relative Rachel and fell madly in love with her - her older sister Leah was less attractive
    • Laban promised to give Rachel to Jacob as his wife after Jacob worked for Laban for 7 years - Jacob quickly agreed and the 7 years flew by
    • Jacob, the trickster, was tricked
    • • At the wedding Laban substituted his older daughter Leah in place of Rachel
      • Only the next morning, after the marriage had been consummated, did Jacob realize he had married Leah and not his beloved Rachel - the reader cannot help but derive some satisfaction from this
      • The rabbis imagined Jacob awakening, seeing Leah, and asking her why in the throes of passion the night before she had answered when he called her Rachel - Leah responded by asking Jacob why he had answered when his father called him Esau in preparation for blessing him - what goes around, comes around
    • Laban told Jacob that his people's custom was to marry the older daughter off first and then the younger - he told Jacob he would give Rachel to him as his wife immediately in return for 7 more years of labor - Jacob agreed
  • Birth of Jacob's children (Gen. 29:31-30:24)
  • • Jacob loved Rachel and disliked Leah - God tried to raise Leah in Jacob's estimation by giving her children and not giving any children to Rachel
    • The birth of children
    • • Leah gave birth to Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah
      • Bilhah, Rachel's maidservant, gave birth to Dan and Naphtali since Rachel could not conceive (cf. Gen. 16:1-16)
      • Zilpah, Leah's maidservant, then gave birth to Gad and Asher to help Leah catch up
      • Leah then gave birth to Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah after trading Rachel some mandrakes (guaranteed to bring fertility) that Reuben had found for the opportunity to sleep with Jacob
      • Finally Rachel gave birth to Joseph who became Jacob's favorite son - later as they traveled in Canaan, Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin
    • While the race for children was going on, Laban and Jacob were also wheeling and dealing concerning flocks and herds (Gen. 30:25-43)
    • • After working for Rachel for 14 years, Jacob worked for an additional 6 years being paid in livestock
      • Jacob initially agreed to work for all the speckled and spotted offspring - Laban removed all the speckled and spotted livestock thinking the solid-colored animals left would likely not produce many spotted and speckled offspring
      • Jacob placed streaked rods in front of the animals as they came down to drink and mate and they produced speckled and spotted offspring - since he bred the stronger animals, his flocks and herds dramatically increased
      • Laban several times changed the deal from speckled and spotted offspring to solid color ones but Jacob always used the right kind of rod (streaked or solid-color respectively) to generate the right kind of offspring - his plan was hardly scientific but God blessed it
  • Truce with Laban (Gen. 31:1-55)
  • • Jacob finally decided to return home after 20 years
    • He, his family, and flocks and herds left without telling Laban and Rachel stole the household gods (teraphim)
    • Laban overtook them, asked why they had left so suddenly, and demanded the return of the household gods
    • Jacob stated that whoever was found with the household gods would be killed, thus he jeopardized his wife as Abraham and Isaac had jeopardized their wives - Rachel hid them beneath where she was sitting and asked to be allowed to sit since she was pregnant - her quick thinking saved her
    • A very uneasy truce was sealed between Laban and Jacob (Gen. 31:49-50) and Jacob continued his journey home
  • Meeting at Penuel (Gen. 32:22-32)
  • • Esau came to meet Jacob with 400 armed men - Jacob sent gifts ahead to placate Esau in case he was still angry
    • After sending his family, flocks, and herds across the Jordan River, Jacob crossed back to the eastern side and was attacked by someone
    • The wrestling match
    • • The opponent was incredibly strong but so was Jacob - while Jacob was not the rugged outdoorsman Esau was, he was hardly a weakling - he had moved away the stone from the well by himself so that Rachel could water her flock (Gen. 29:10)
      • The match lasted all night
      • As dawn broke the opponent touched Jacob's thigh and put it out of joint - it became obvious that the opponent was divine and that he could have won at any time
      • Jacob refused to let his opponent go until he had blessed him
    • Jacob's "reward"
    • • A new name, Israel ("he strives with God" or "one who strives with God")
      • A limp - he is not the same physically - his encounter with God affected him physically as well as spiritually
      • A blessing - the promise to Abraham would go on through Jacob
  • Truce with Esau (Gen. 33:1-17)
  • • Esau had changed in 20 years - he no longer hated his brother but desired Jacob to live with him because the land was big enough for his numerous flocks and herds and for Jacob's - God had blessed Esau even though he was not the chosen one - Esau held no grudges
    • Jacob had not changed much - he agreed to go to Esau's home, refused to accept help from Esau, and then, after Esau left, traveled in a different direction away from Esau - accepting and offering forgiveness seemed impossible with Jacob
    • The brothers united again only to bury Isaac (who lived to be 180) - see Gen. 35:29
• Some Concluding Remarks
• • Conflict is a part of life
  • • Conflict is an integral part of the account
    • Sources of conflict
    • • People - favoritism and trickery are used toward selfish ends
      • God - God's choice of one over another and His making that choice known creates conflict
    • Results
    • • In this account Jacob seemed unable to learn from mistakes - that happens with people we encounter too
      • Chosenness comes at a price
  • God's selections and humankind's selections
  • • We might choose Esau over Jacob because Esau is nicer and as firstborn deserves the birthright and blessing
    • God is not bound by our laws or customs or by any laws or customs - as a result, God can salvage and use some rather interesting lives ("if God can use Jacob, He can use anyone") - God may also have seen something in Jacob that Esau did not have
  • Nature of God
  • • God is sovereign - while people might have one set of ideas regarding God and how He acts, God acts as He sees fit - He both chooses and cripples
    • Contact with God is not "safe" - God cannot be imposed upon, taken for granted or encapsulated into some never-fail formula - God can only be followed and obeyed
  • Care for the non-chosen
  • • The account refused to give up on Esau - like Ishmael, he was also blessed and important even though he was not the "chosen one"
    • The care and concern of God extend beyond any limits we would place upon God

Above artwork by Rembrandt from the Bible Picture Library of Photo Art (c) Christian Computer Art, 1994-97

Artwork by Michelangelo from the Sistine Chapel