Tag: Jacob

Jacob and the Stone Pillow

When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob (Genesis 25:24-26).

This is the beginning story of two brothers – Esau and Jacob. A story with future significance that has shaped their world and continues shaping, embracing the entire world as it turned to the future of yesterday and will continue writing its pages until the end. The emphasis is given to the younger brother, Jacob. To start with, his name means supplanter. Jacob well lived his name, bringing grudges between the two to this day. The older, Esau was supposed to be the right heir of the blessing before his father Isaac died. But Jacob was always envious of that blessing, so much so that he would not give his brother a bowl of soup without having him give up his blessing. That had come when Isaac was old and his eyes were dim, so he could not see, he called Esau his older son, and said to him: My son! And he answered him, He I am. He said, See here now; I am old, I do not know when I may die. So, now I pray you, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out into the open country and hunt game for me, and prepare me appetizing meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat of it, to giving you my blessing before I die (Gen. 27:1-4). But Rebekah had a plan for her favorite son, Jacob, that of stealing the blessing from her older son to give to his brother.

Jacob hesitated for a while, but went along with it and deceived his father, dressed as Esau with a delicious meal which Rebeka- his mother prepared. In his desperation, when he came to receive his blessing, Esau tried to kill his brother from that day onward. Not a beautiful picture in the pages of History. But God had His plan to write on those pages- a story that would make a difference in the entire world through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. As things were taking place in the lives of the brothers, Jacob had to flee to the house of his mother’s father, which was between six hundred to seven hundred miles from Canaan to Padan-aram, where his mother’s family lived. After that, Isaac blessed him saying, May the God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you until you become a group of peoples; may He give the blessing [He gave to] Abraham to you and your descendants with you, that you may inherit the land He gave to Abraham, in which you’re a sojourner (Gen. 28:3-4). Years earlier, the righteous Abraham had been was tested, when God asked him to offer his only son to Him in the region of Mount Moriah. Abraham obeyed when he built an altar and Isaac, was put on the altar to be sacrificed. There, Abraham was blessed and, in his Seed, all the nations of the world with him for his obedience to God. (Gen.22).  The blessing continued through Jacob the day he fled from his brother. Nothing was interrupting God’s plan of salvation through Jacob’s descendance. His journey was going to be challenging, but God ‘s plan was going to be fulfilled in the fulness of time. Paul said, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God” (Gal. 4:4). One of the beautiful things God does is to reveal His plan to His servants. He reveals to Moses, to Abraham, to the Prophets and still reveals to us today.

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Jacob and His Stone Pillow

(Gen. 28:10-19)

Isaac had reached the age of when his eyes were dimmed and the thought of death approaching. He favored Esau, his older son, for his hunting skills and his know how to cook an appetizing meat to satisfy him. He was partial to Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob. So he called Esau and ordered him to go hunt game for him, so that he would bless him as his firstborn before his death. But other ears were listening to Isaac’s order and things did not happen as Isaac planed. At the command of his mother, Jacob got involved in a scheme she planned, to make him the heir of the blessings instead of Esau. This is not a story with a beautiful picture. When Rebekah was expecting the twins, she was told by God that two nations were in her womb, and the separation of two peoples had begun in her body; the one people were going to be stronger than the other, and that the elder was going to serve the younger (Gen. 25: 23). So Rebekah felt that then was time for Jacob to fulfill the prophecy through her deceits. As a result, Jacob had to flee home to escape death from his brother for having stolen all the blessings from him. He was sent to his parent’s family far away in the land of Haram, approximately five hundred miles from Beersheba, where he lived.

Jacob left home to the destination suggested to save his life. His life was not going to be the same ever again; neither would he see his mother. He had a lot of time to think through what he had done to bring his life on a line of a fugitive. Although it was not his idea, he had the choice not to follow his mother’s suggestion, since he was of age (seventy-seven) and smart enough to understand that his decision would bring him consequences. But Jacob was an opportunist and crafty to get what he wanted. One thing he always wanted was Esau’s blessings of firstborn. He then stole it with a bowl of soup when Esau was faint with hunger. Here now, a feud started that cost many lives throughout the centuries to this day. We have a woman to thank her for.

It was a long journey. But when Jacob thought it to be over for him, God came to rescue him. Jacob’s first stop, just before the sun set was in a place where there were several stones. He took one and used it as a pillow. That must have been a very special stone. When he laid his head on it, he soon fell asleep. It was as if it was the most comfortable pillow Jacob had laid his head on. And a dream came to him of a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the Lord stood over and beside him and said, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; I will give to you and to your descendants the land on which you are lying. And your offspring shall be as the dust or sand of the ground, and you shall spread abroad to the west and the east and the north and the south; and by you your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed and bless themselves (Gen. 28:11-14). God had come to Jacob in a dream with great spiritual and prophetic significances. He saw a ladder that reached heaven; in it the angels or messengers of God ascended and descended. The ladder is the means of unifying heaven and earth through the Son of God; He is the Way the Truth, and the life (John 14:6). Angels were carrying the message of the covenant made to Abraham and Isaac and was ratified to Jacob, as the beneficiary. Through him as well as Abraham all the nations would be blessed in YAHSHUA’S life, Who was going to come from the line of Jacob. Jacob understood one thing from that dream: surely the Lord is in this place and I did not know it; this is none other than the house of God, and this is the gateway to heaven (Gen. 28:16-17).

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Rebekah’s Dilemma

(Genesis 25:20-27)

Abraham’s wife was dead at the age of 127 years old. As it was the costume of those days for the parents to find spouses for their children, Abraham trusted his servant, Eliezer of Damascus, who ruled over all he had, to get his son a wife from his own relatives. So, it was that Eliezer by God’s providence found his son a wife, who was Abraham’s brother Nahor’s granddaughter and his grandniece. The Bible relates a beautiful picture of Isaac and Rebekah meeting at her arrival: It was at the time when Isaac went out to meditate and bow down [in prayer]. He looked up and saw that, behold, the camels were coming. And Rebekah looked up and when she saw Isaac, she dismounted from the camel, for she [had] said to the servant, Who is that man walking across the field to meet us? And the servant said, He is my master. So, she took a veil and concealed herself with it. And the servant told Isaac everything that he had done. Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s ten, and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her; thus, Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death (Gen. 24:63-67). Isaac was then forty years old. They were married twenty years and without children. Isaac prayed much to the Lord for his wife, because she was unable to bear children; and the Lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah, his wife, became pregnant (Gen 25:21). God’s timing plays a very important role in the fulfilling of His promise, no matter how long it will take for it to be fulfilled. In the case of Abraham, it was not until twenty-seven years later, when he was then one hundred years old, that the Lord blessed him with the son of the promise. God blessed Rebekah with twin boys- a double blessing she did not expect. However, wanting to know why such a struggled within her, she went to inquire of the Lord. He revealed to her that two nations were in her womb, and the separation of two peoples had begun in her body; the one people shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger (Gen. 25:21-23). There, in His presence, she found the answer for her dilemma.  Understanding the problem, her burden was not as heavy on her soul. As Rebekah experienced the lifting up of her burden in the presence of the Lord, we too can enjoy the relief of our troubles in His presence. It is there that we will experience peace, joy and healing. Psalm seventy-three shows the frustration the psalmist struggled with in relationship to the prosperity of the wicked. He said, But as for me, my feet were almost gone, my steps had well-nigh slipped, for I was envious of the foolish and arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… But when I considered how to understand this, it was too great an effort for me and too painful, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end. A prayer away, is all that will take to understanding and relief from our struggles.

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What Is Your Name?

(Genesis 27:18; 32:22-32)

We cannot count the many times we were asked this question; either verbally or in writing. A name identifies and defines a person. In biblical times Jewish’s names had meanings, in some cases as signs for God’s coming judgment, as it was the case of Isaiah’s children: Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of host, Who dwell in Mount Zion (Isaiah 8:18). And I approached the prophetess, and when she conceived and borne a son, the Lord said to me, Call his name Maher-Shalalhfash-Baz, for before the child knows how to say My father or my mother, the riches of Damascus shall be carried away before the king of Assyria (8:3-4).  Through behavior – good or bad, through fame and many other historical ways, a person is writing his name in the pages of history. So, a person’s name is judged by what is known of him.  When we hear the name Judas, automatically we think of the one who betrayed YAHSHUA. Judas’ name carries a bad and unfavorable reputation in our minds that has lasted thousands of years. However, the name Judas means “praise.” Hard to personalize this name as betrayer. Judas, by the evil act of betraying the Son of God, gave his name the synonymous with traitor.  A name that carried such beautiful meaning in the past, has suffered deep scars since that act. Scars that will never be erased from the minds of people.

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Of Many Such Matters He Is Reminded

 (Job 23: 10,14)

Although I walk through the valley of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me (Ps. 23:4). In life’s challenges there is the thought that we are in that situation alone. Everyone around us seem to be indifferent to our cry for help; our voice seemly muffled by their indifference. We pray, but help does not come fast enough for us. To the contrary, we feel that we were not heard, and life goes on in that mode for as long as our trouble lingers. Like Job, we cry, Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, that I might come even to His seat! I would lay my cause before Him and fill my mouth with arguments; I would learn what He would answer me, and understand what He would say to me (Job 23:3-5). In the pages of Psalm 139: 13,15-16 we have a beautiful, significant  and trustworthy statement from the Lord to us through David, to assure us of His involvement in our life from the beginning, when He was forming us in the womb of our mother: For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I will confess and praise You for You are fearful and wonderful and for the awful wonder of my birth! Wonderful are your works, and that my inner knows well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was being formed in secret intricately and curiously wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes saw my unformed substance, and in Your book all the days [of my life] were written before ever they took shape, when as yet there was none of them.

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Temptation at the Point of Our Need

YAHSHUA, at the starting of His ministry, fasted for a period of forty days and forty nights. He chose the Judean wilderness where He would be by Himself and away from it all. The Judean desert is located east of Jerusalem, and descends to the Dead Sea. It seems to be a place of contrast and beauty. YAHSHUA’S choice to spend alone with His heavenly Father was perfect in location and quietness. Forty days sounds like a long time for someone to go without food. But YAHSHUA’S purpose was always to do the will of His Father. Eating was not in His agenda, as when He met the Samaritan woman in the heat of the day and the disciples called His attention to eat. He answered them saying, I have food to eat of which you know nothing and have no idea… My food is to do the will of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work (John 4:32,34).

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For the Sake of the Holy Seed (Part 2)

(Luke 1:26-38)

From the beginning of times, Satan tried to destroy YAHWEH’S plan to bring about His purpose of redemption for humankind. It started with Cain who killed his righteous brother out of anger and resentment. But YAHWEH gave Adam and Eve a third son who carried the righteous lineage and from his descendants, Noah was born ten generations later. From the family of Shem, one of Noah’s son, Abraham was born. The gap between Noah to Abraham was also ten generations. Here is the summary of Abraham’s lineage:

1. Noah – name means: Comfort or Rest

2. Shem – meaning: Renown; prosperity

3. Arphaxad – meaning: A healer; a releaser

4. Shelah – meaning: Sent Out, Branch or Javelin

5. Eber – meaning: To pass over, through, take away

6. Peleg – name means: Division

7. Reu – name means: Friend

8. Nahor – the name means: Breathing Hard

9. Terah – name means: Spirit, Spirited or Inspired

10. Abram – a high father – later to be called Abraham – father of multitude

(bibleview.org/en/bible/genesis/400years)

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