God blesses and renames Jacob.

God never gave up on Jacob. 

God never said to Jacob, “I’m only going to tell you this once.”

Jacob’s name appears hundreds of times in the Old Testament and 26 times in the New Testament.

Jacob’s name appears in the following New Testament books:

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, and Hebrews.

Matthew 8:11 (NLT)
¹¹ And I tell you this, that many Gentiles will come from all over the world—from east and west—and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Luke 13:28 (NLT)
²⁸ “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for you will see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, but you will be thrown out.

John 4:12 (NLT)
¹² And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”

Acts 7:46 (NLT)
⁴⁶ “David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob.

Genesis 35:1-15 (NLT)

Jacob’s Return to Bethel
¹ Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”
² So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. ³ We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”
⁴ So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem. ⁵ As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.
⁶ Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. ⁷ Jacob built an altar there and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.
⁸ Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”).
⁹ Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, ¹⁰ saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel.
¹¹ Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! ¹² And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” ¹³ Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.
¹⁴ Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. ¹⁵ And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

 Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 35:1-15 (NLT)

Jacob’s Return to Bethel

¹ Then God said to Jacob, “Get ready and move to Bethel and settle there.

• • God is bringing Jacob and his family back to the Promised Land. (20+ years later)

Settle down in the Promised Land.

Build an altar there to the God

“The God”

Why didn’t God say, “To Me”?

God told Jacob to build an altar.

• Up to this point, Jacob’s relationship to God appeared to be conditional. (See Genesis 28:20-22.)

Previous visit to Bethel.

Genesis 28:10-22
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
¹⁰ Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹ At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. ¹² As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
¹³ At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵ What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷ But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
¹⁸ The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. ¹⁹ He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
²⁰ Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, ²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God.
²² And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God,
and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

 who appeared to you when you fled from your brother, Esau.”   (20+ years earlier)

Previous encounters with God:

Genesis 32:22-32 (At Peniel)
Jacob Wrestles with God
²² During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. ²³ After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
²⁴ This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. ²⁵ When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
²⁹ “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
³⁰ Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” ³¹ The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. ³² (Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)

• Jacob had a previous face to face encounter with God.

² So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. 

• Up to this point, Jacob tolerated the worship of pagan idols in his household.

Genesis 31:19 (NLT)
¹⁹ At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her.

Exodus 34:14 (NLT)
¹⁴ You must worship no other gods, for the Lord, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

Deuteronomy 6:14-15 (NLT)
¹⁴ “You must not worship any of the gods of neighboring nations, ¹⁵ for the Lord your God, who lives among you, is a jealous God. His anger will flare up against you, and he will wipe you from the face of the earth. 

³ We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God

“The God”

 who answered my prayers when I was in distress.

“when I was in distress”

Psalm 34:1 (NLT)
A psalm of David
¹ I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises. 

Reminder: Don’t just pray when you are in distress.

He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Genesis 28:15 (NLT)
¹⁵ What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

• God was with Jacob throughout his travels. 

⁴ So they gave Jacob all their pagan idols and earrings, and he buried them under the great tree near Shechem.

• We need to bury our idols.

 ⁵ As they set out, a terror from God spread over the people in all the towns of that area, so no one attacked Jacob’s family.

Joshua 1:9 (NLT)
⁹ This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

⁶ Eventually, Jacob and his household arrived at Luz (also called Bethel) in Canaan. ⁷ Jacob built an altar there

Built an altar to God. (Obedience to God’s instructions.)

 and named the place El-bethel (which means “God of Bethel”), because God had appeared to him there when he was fleeing from his brother, Esau.

• Jacob reconfirmed his allegiance to God.

⁸ Soon after this, Rebekah’s old nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried beneath the oak tree in the valley below Bethel. Ever since, the tree has been called Allon-bacuth (which means “oak of weeping”). 

Notice the continuity in the story.

Genesis 27:45 New Living Translation (NLT)
⁴⁵ When he calms down and forgets what you have done to him, I (Rebekah) will send for you to come back. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” 

Scripture does not say when Rebekah died. 

⁹ Now that Jacob had returned from Paddan-aram, (the large plain, surrounded by mountains, in which the town of Haran, the home of Laban, was situated) God appeared to him again at Bethel. God blessed him, ¹⁰ saying, “Your name is Jacob, but you will not be called Jacob any longer. From now on your name will be Israel.” So God renamed him Israel. 

• God reminded Jacob that he would be called Israel.

Jacob renamed.
Genesis 32:28 (NLT)
²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

¹¹ Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’

In verse 3 Jacob referred to God as, “the God.”

God refers to himself here as “God Almighty”.

• God said, “I am El-Shaddai – God Almighty.”

Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. 

Kings will be among your descendants! 

This is an addition to the promise made to Jacob previously in Genesis 28.

¹² And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” 

• God confirmed (and expanded) the promise He had earlier made to Jacob (Genesis chapter 28). 

¹³ Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob.

¹⁴ Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. 

• Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him.

A tangible reminder of God’s covenant.

• Tangible reminders are helpful.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NLT)
⁴ “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. ⁵ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. ⁶ And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. ⁷ Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

¹⁵ And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.

 

Genesis 28:16-22 (NLT)
¹⁶ Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” ¹⁷ But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
¹⁸ The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. ¹⁹ He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.
²⁰ Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, ²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. ²² And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

Final comments: 

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Psalm 86:15 (NLT)
But you, O Lord,
are a God of compassion and mercy,
slow to get angry
and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness. 

God never said to Jacob, “I’m only going to tell you this once.”

Revenge Against Shechem

A seemingly insignificant choice ends in disaster.

Genesis 34 (NLT)
Revenge against Shechem
¹ One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah, went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. ² But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her. ³ But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words. ⁴ He said to his father, Hamor, “Get me this young girl. I want to marry her.”
⁵ Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah. But since his sons were out in the fields herding his livestock, he said nothing until they returned. ⁶ Hamor, Shechem’s father, came to discuss the matter with Jacob. ⁷ Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family, something that should never be done.
⁸ Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons. “My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,” he said. “Please let him marry her. ⁹ In fact, let’s arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons. ¹⁰ And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.”
¹¹ Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. “Please be kind to me, and let me marry her,” he begged. “I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it—just give me the girl as my wife.”
¹³ But since Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah, Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully to Shechem and his father, Hamor. ¹⁴ They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you! ¹⁵ But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, ¹⁶ then we will give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people. ¹⁷ But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way.”
¹⁸ Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal. ¹⁹ Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately. Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, ²⁰ and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate.
²¹ “These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours. ²² But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are. ²³ But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours. Come, let’s agree to their terms and let them settle here among us.”
²⁴ So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised. ²⁵ But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there, ²⁶ including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.
²⁷ Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. ²⁸ They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys—everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. ²⁹ They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives.
³⁰ Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!”
³¹ “But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 34 (NLT)
Revenge against Shechem
¹ One day Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah,

Jacob’s only daughter (only daughter mentioned in scripture).

Note: Daughter of Leah, not the daughter of Rachel.  That most likely would have made a big difference.

went to visit some of the young women who lived in the area. 

A seemingly insignificant choice.

Avoidance of the Canaanites would have been safer.

 

Deuteronomy 7:1-6 (NLT)
The Privilege of Holiness
¹ “When the Lord your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. ² When the Lord your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. ³ You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, ⁴ for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the Lord will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. ⁵ This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. ⁶ For you are a holy people, who belong to the Lord your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.

 Deuteronomy 20:16-18 (NLT)
¹⁶ In those towns that the Lord your God is giving you as a special possession, destroy every living thing. ¹⁷ You must completely destroy the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites, just as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹⁸ This will prevent the people of the land from teaching you to imitate their detestable customs in the worship of their gods, which would cause you to sin deeply against the Lord your God. 

Genesis 24:3 (NLT) (Abraham speaking)
³ Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. 

Leviticus 20:26 (NLT)
²⁶ You must be holy because I, the Lord, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own. 

• A seemingly insignificant choice ends in disaster.

² But when the local prince, Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, 

Shechem was a highly respected member of his family, (v.19) 

Genesis 33:19 (NLT)
¹⁹ Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. 

saw Dinah, he seized her and raped her.  

… letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. (Romans 8:6)

After being raped, Dinah could not expect to have a valid marriage with another man.

• Letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death.

• Shechem raped Dinah.

³ But then he fell in love with her, and he tried to win her affection with tender words. ⁴ He said to his father, Hamor, “Get me this young girl. I want to marry her.” 

⁵ Soon Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter, Dinah. But since his sons were out in the fields herding his livestock, he said nothing until they returned. 

This may have been a wise response.

Note: Daughter of Leah, not the daughter of Rachel.  That most likely would have made a big difference.

⁶ Hamor, Shechem’s father, came to discuss the matter with Jacob. 

• Hamor, Shechem’s father, tried to defuse this explosive incident.

⁷ Meanwhile, Jacob’s sons had come in from the field as soon as they heard what had happened. They were shocked and furious that their sister had been raped. Shechem had done a disgraceful thing against Jacob’s family, 

NIV, ESV, and other translations say “in Israel”.  This is the first mention of God’s chosen people by this name.

Genesis 32:28 (NLT)
²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

something that should never be done. 

⁸ Hamor tried to speak with Jacob and his sons.

Hamor played the role of a diplomat.

“My son Shechem is truly in love with your daughter,” he said. “Please let him marry her. ⁹ In fact, let’s arrange other marriages, too. You give us your daughters for our sons, and we will give you our daughters for your sons. ¹⁰ And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area.”

Repeat: Deuteronomy 7:1-6

Verse 2 “Make no treaties with them”

Genesis 17:8 (NLT)
⁸ And I (God) will give the entire land of Canaan, where you now live as a foreigner, to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God.”

¹¹ Then Shechem himself spoke to Dinah’s father and brothers. “Please be kind to me, and let me marry her,” he begged. “I will give you whatever you ask. ¹² No matter what dowry or gift you demand, I will gladly pay it—just give me the girl as my wife.”

This was a normal part of marriage arrangements in the ancient Near East.

• Shechem tried to buy his way out of trouble.

• Jacob’s sons interceded on behalf of Jacob.

¹³ But since Shechem had defiled their sister, Dinah, Jacob’s sons (not Jacob) responded deceitfully

Deceitfully (like father, like son)

• Jacob’s sons responded deceitfully.

 to Shechem and his father, Hamor. 

¹⁴ They said to them, “We couldn’t possibly allow this, because you’re not circumcised. It would be a disgrace for our sister to marry a man like you! ¹⁵ But here is a solution. If every man among you will be circumcised like we are, ¹⁶ then we will give you our daughters, and we’ll take your daughters for ourselves. We will live among you and become one people. ¹⁷ But if you don’t agree to be circumcised, we will take her and be on our way.”

A deceptive covenant

¹⁸ Hamor and his son Shechem agreed to their proposal. ¹⁹ Shechem wasted no time in acting on this request, for he wanted Jacob’s daughter desperately. 

Shechem was a highly respected member of his family,  

²⁰ and he went with his father, Hamor, to present this proposal to the leaders at the town gate.

The normal place for public gatherings.

It was at the city gates that important business transactions were made, court was convened, and public announcements were heralded.

²¹ “These men are our friends,” they said. “Let’s invite them to live here among us and trade freely. Look, the land is large enough to hold them. We can take their daughters as wives and let them marry ours. ²² But they will consider staying here and becoming one people with us only if all of our men are circumcised, just as they are. ²³ But if we do this, all their livestock and possessions will eventually be ours.

The Canaanites were also being deceptive.   They were looking to get all of Israel’s livestock and possessions.

• The Canaanites were also being deceptive.

Come, let’s agree to their terms and let them settle here among us.” 

²⁴ So all the men in the town council agreed with Hamor and Shechem, and every male in the town was circumcised. ²⁵ But three days later, when their wounds were still sore, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, who were Dinah’s full brothers, took their swords and entered the town without opposition. Then they slaughtered every male there, 

The Canaanite men were weak and in pain.

²⁶ including Hamor and his son Shechem. They killed them with their swords, then took Dinah from Shechem’s house and returned to their camp.

• Simeon and Levi slaughtering every male in the town was an excessive retaliation.

Deuteronomy 22:28-29 (NLT)
²⁸ “Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, ²⁹ he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver. Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

²⁷ Meanwhile, the rest of Jacob’s sons arrived. Finding the men slaughtered, they plundered the town because their sister had been defiled there. ²⁸ They seized all the flocks and herds and donkeys—everything they could lay their hands on, both inside the town and outside in the fields. ²⁹ They looted all their wealth and plundered their houses. They also took all their little children and wives and led them away as captives.

• The rest of Jacob’s sons took up where Simeon and Levi left off.

³⁰ Afterward Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have ruined me! You’ve made me stink among all the people of this land—among all the Canaanites and Perizzites. We are so few that they will join forces and crush us. I will be ruined, and my entire household will be wiped out!”

• Jacob feared repercussions from other Canaanites.

Genesis 28:13-15 (NLT)
¹³ At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵ What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” 

• Jacob appeared to have forgotten God’s promise to him and his descendants.

Genesis 49 (NLT)
Jacob’s Last Words to His Sons
⁵ “Simeon and Levi are two of a kind;
their weapons are instruments of violence.
⁶ May I never join in their meetings;
may I never be a party to their plans.
For in their anger they murdered men,
and they crippled oxen just for sport.
⁷ A curse on their anger, for it is fierce;
a curse on their wrath, for it is cruel.
I will scatter them among the descendants of Jacob;
I will disperse them throughout Israel. 

³¹ “But why should we let him treat our sister like a prostitute?” they retorted angrily. 

• Simeon and Levi did not admit doing anything wrong.

Jacob and Esau Make Peace

Several bullet points from our last lesson.

• • Jacob is coming back into the Promised Land.
  • God confronted Jacob.
  • Big changes were about to take place in Jacob’s life.
  • Jacob wanted a blessing from God.
  • Jacob had to see himself for who he was.
  • Jacob’s life had to be radically changed.
  • As a result of this struggle, Jacob was both “Crippled and Blessed”.
  • The God of Abraham and Isaac was becoming the God of Jacob.

A verse from our last lesson:

Genesis 32:30 (NLT)
³⁰ Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

We will see, that after seeing God face to face, Jacob was a changed man, but he still had significant issues in his life that needed to be addressed.

• Sanctification is an on-going process that will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

Genesis 33 (NLT)
Jacob and Esau Make Peace
¹ Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. ² He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. ³ Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. ⁴ Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.
⁵ Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?”
“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied. ⁶ Then the servant wives came forward with their children and bowed before him. ⁷ Next came Leah with her children, and they bowed before him. Finally, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed before him.
⁸ “And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked.
Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”
⁹ “My brother, I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for yourself.”
¹⁰ But Jacob insisted, “No, if I have found favor with you, please accept this gift from me. And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God! ¹¹ Please take this gift I have brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough.” And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally accepted the gift.
¹² “Well,” Esau said, “let’s be going. I will lead the way.”
¹³ But Jacob replied, “You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the animals could die. ¹⁴ Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at Seir.”
¹⁵ “All right,” Esau said, “but at least let me assign some of my men to guide and protect you.”
Jacob responded, “That’s not necessary. It’s enough that you’ve received me warmly, my lord!”
¹⁶ So Esau turned around and started back to Seir that same day. ¹⁷ Jacob, on the other hand, traveled on to Succoth. There he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was named Succoth (which means “shelters”).
¹⁸ Later, having traveled all the way from Paddan-aram, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town. ¹⁹ Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. ²⁰ And there he built an altar and named it El-Elohe-Israel.

 Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 33 (NLT)
Jacob and Esau Make Peace
¹ Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and his two servant wives. ² He put the servant wives and their children at the front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. 

The brothers had not seen each other for 20-21 years.

In the perceived danger, Jacob is showing weakness and fear.

It is clear that Jacob favored Rachel and Joseph, putting them in the rear, the safest place.

• Jacob shows weakness and fear in the presence of perceived danger. 

³ Then Jacob went on ahead. As he approached his brother, he bowed to the ground seven times before him. 

A sign of total submission.

⁴ Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him.

Esau greeted Jacob with open arms without any hint of a grudge against Jacob.

 And they both wept.

After 21 years of separation.

Hearts had been changed.

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 

• God changed the hearts of Jacob and Esau.

⁵ Then Esau looked at the women and children and asked, “Who are these people with you?” 

“These are the children God has graciously given to me, your servant,” Jacob replied. 

Jacob saw his children as a blessing from God.

Jacob referred to himself as Esau’s servant.

A sign of submission. 

⁶ Then the servant wives came forward with their children and bowed before him. ⁷ Next came Leah with her children, and they bowed before him. Finally, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed before him. 

⁸ “And what were all the flocks and herds I met as I came?” Esau asked.

Jacob replied, “They are a gift, my lord, to ensure your friendship.”

Jacob referred to Esau as “My lord”.  Again, a clear sign of submission.

A gift of 550 animals.

Genesis 32:13-21 (NLT)
¹³ Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau: ¹⁴ 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵ 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ¹⁶ He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, “Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”
¹⁷ He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’ ¹⁸ You must reply, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.’”
¹⁹ Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’”
Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” ²¹ So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.

• Jacob tried to appease his brother, Esau, by giving him gifts. 

⁹ “My brother,

Esau referred to Jacob as “my brother”.  Quite a contrast to Jacob’s references to Esau.

God had clearly removed the animosity that had existed between the two brothers.

I have plenty,” Esau answered. “Keep what you have for yourself.”

• Esau did not need or want Jacob’s gifts. 

¹⁰ But Jacob insisted, “No, if I have found favor with you, please accept this gift from me. And what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God! 

Genesis 32:30 (NLT)
³⁰ Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” 

God had spared Jacob’s life (32:30) and now Jacob’s life was spared again by God, from Esau.

¹¹ Please take this gift I have brought you, for God has been very gracious to me. I have more than enough.”

God had blessed Jacob, and Jacob wanted to share these blessings with his brother Esau.

And because Jacob insisted, Esau finally accepted the gift.

The Hebrew word here is the same word used in 27:35 for blessing.

Genesis 27:35 (NLT)
³⁵ But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.”

At one point in time, Jacob had taken blessing that Isaac had intended for Esau.  Now he wanted to give back some of the blessings he had received from God.

¹² “Well,” Esau said, “let’s be going. I will lead the way.”

 ¹³ But Jacob replied, “You can see, my lord, that some of the children are very young, and the flocks and herds have their young, too. If they are driven too hard, even for one day, all the animals could die. ¹⁴ Please, my lord, go ahead of your servant. We will follow slowly, at a pace that is comfortable for the livestock and the children. I will meet you at Seir.”

One more act of deception.

• Once again Jacob deceives his brother Esau.

• Sanctification is an on-going process that will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

¹⁵ “All right,” Esau said, “but at least let me assign some of my men to guide and protect you.”

Jacob responded, “That’s not necessary. It’s enough that you’ve received me warmly, my lord!” 

• Jacob and Esau are now living in peace with each other. 

¹⁶ So Esau turned around and started back to Seir that same day. 

Deuteronomy 2:4-5 (NLT)
⁴ Give these orders to the people: “You will pass through the country belonging to your relatives the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir. The Edomites will feel threatened, so be careful. ⁵ Do not bother them, for I have given them all the hill country around Mount Seir as their property, and I will not give you even one square foot of their land.

 Joshua 24:3-4 (NLT)
³ But I took your ancestor Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him into the land of Canaan. I gave him many descendants through his son Isaac. ⁴ To Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. To Esau I gave the mountains of Seir, while Jacob and his children went down into Egypt. 

• Jacob and Esau end up living in different countries.

¹⁷ Jacob, on the other hand, traveled on to Succoth. There he built himself a house and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place was named Succoth (which means “shelters”). 

¹⁸ Later, having traveled all the way from Paddan-aram, Jacob arrived safely at the town of Shechem, in the land of Canaan. There he set up camp outside the town. 

Genesis 12:6 (NLT)
⁶ Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem (when he first arrived in Canaan). There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites. 

¹⁹ Jacob bought the plot of land where he camped from the family of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of silver. 

This is only the second plot of land located in the Promised Land purchased by Abraham or one of his descendants.

Genesis 23:17 (NLT)
¹⁷ So Abraham bought the plot of land belonging to Ephron at Machpelah, near Mamre. This included the field itself, the cave that was in it, and all the surrounding trees. (where he buried Sarah) 

²⁰ And there he built an altar and named it El-Elohe-Israel. 

God, The God of Israel, Or Mighty God of Israel.

Jacob was giving glory to the God of Israel for bringing him safely back to Canaan.

• Jacob gave glory to God for bringing him safely to Canaan.

Genesis 12:7 (NLT)
⁷ Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

 Jacob and Esau meet again.

Genesis 35:29 (NLT)
²⁹ Then he breathed his last and died at a ripe old age, joining his ancestors in death. And his sons, Esau and Jacob, buried him.

In this story, lives have been changed by God.

In Jacob, God had brought about a spirit of humility and generosity.

Esau was changed from seeking revenge to desiring reconciliation.

Sanctification is an on-going process that will not be complete or reach perfection in this life.

Jacob Wrestles with God

A life-changing event.

Crippled and Blessed

Genesis 32:22-32 (NLT)
Jacob Wrestles with God
²² During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok  River with them. ²³ After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.
²⁴ This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. ²⁵ When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”
But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked.
He replied, “Jacob.”
²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”
²⁹ “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said.
“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there.
³⁰ Jacob named the place Peniel  (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” ³¹ The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. ³² (Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)

Examine the Scriptures

Review:

Genesis 32:9-12 (NLT)
⁹ Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! ¹¹ O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. ¹² But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

Genesis 32:22-32 (NLT)
Jacob Wrestles with God
Crippled and Blessed

 ²² During the night

In the dark of night.

It’s not uncommon for people to use the cover of night to escape from harmful situations.

Acts 17:5 _& 10 (NLT)
⁵ But some of the Jews (in Thessalonica) were jealous, so they gathered some troublemakers from the marketplace to form a mob and start a riot. They attacked the home of Jason, searching for Paul and Silas so they could drag them out to the crowd …
¹⁰ That very night the believers sent Paul and Silas to Berea. When they arrived there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. 

• It’s not uncommon for people to use the cover of night to escape from harmful situations.

 Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two servant wives, and his eleven sons and crossed the Jabbok River with them. 

Refer to the map.

²³ After taking them to the other side, he sent over all his possessions.

• Jacob is coming back into the Promised Land.

This is more than just meeting up with Esau.

Jacob is coming back home to fulfill a role assigned to him by God.

²⁴ This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled

• The cover of darkness did not hide Jacob from God.

Psalm 139:11-12  (NLT)
¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me
and the light around me to become night—
¹²     but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.
To you the night shines as bright as day.
Darkness and light are the same to you.

Note: The man came to Jacob, Jacob did not go to the man.

Jacob had fought with others throughout his life.

Esau
His father Isaac
His father-in-law
His wives

Now he is wrestling with God, the one who controlled his destiny as he was re-entering the Promised Land.

• God is confronting Jacob.

with him until the dawn began to break.  

Although initially, Jacob may not have known who he is wrestling with, he does figure out that “the man” is in fact, God. (Genesis 32:30, in multiple translations, “I have seen God face to face”.)

An angel of the Lord, also identified as God, a preincarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jacob was 97 years old, but was physically strong and had a great deal of endurance.

For a period of time, Jacob is able to defend himself from his attacker.

This fight took place in the dark.

• Big changes were about to take place in Jacob’s life.

Romans 13:12 (NLT)
The night is almost gone; the day of salvation will soon be here. So remove your dark deeds like dirty clothes, and put on the shining armor of right living.

 Colossians 1:13 (NLT)
For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, 

²⁵ When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 

God was going to “win” this match.

The “man” saw that he would not win until he supernaturally touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket.

• When our hip is out of its socket we are seriously handicapped.

Jacob was no longer a physical threat. 

²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

Relax your grip.  The fight is over.

Even after being disabled, Jacob clung on to his opponent.

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Jacob wanted more than Isaac’s blessing.  He wanted God’s blessing.

• Jacob wanted a blessing from God. 

²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked.

In the Old Testament, one’s name is linked to his nature.

• Jacob had to see himself for who he was.

He replied, “Jacob.”

Holder of the heel
Deceiver
Supplanter – A supplanter takes the place of someone or something that was there first.

²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God

Israel – He strives with God and prevails, he struggles with God, or God fights.  Later, the people of Israel will struggle with God.

• Jacob’s life had to be radically changed.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NLT)
¹⁷ This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! 

Up to this point, Jacob was a brazen trickster who deceives members of his own family: his father Isaac, his brother Esau, and his uncle Laban. Now we see Jacob as God’s chosen, from whom the entire people Israel derive and for whom they are named.

and with men and have won.”

Esau
His father Isaac
His father-in-law
His wives

This was the end of a lifetime of struggling with others.

²⁹ “Please tell me your name,” Jacob said. 

“Why do you want to know my name?” the man replied.

There is no evidence of Jacob getting an answer to his question.

Judges 13:17-18 (NLT)
¹⁷ Then Manoah asked the angel of the Lord, “What is your name? For when all this comes true, we want to honor you.”
¹⁸ “Why do you ask my name?” the angel of the Lord replied. “It is too wonderful for you to understand.” 

Then he blessed Jacob there.

• As a result of this struggle, Jacob was both “Crippled and Blessed”.

Crippled in his natural strength and bold in his faith.

Self-sufficiency is incompatible with the work of God.

³⁰ Jacob named the place Peniel (which means “face of God”), for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.” 

Hosea 12:4 (NLT)
⁴ Yes, he wrestled with the angel and won.
He wept and pleaded for a blessing from him.
There at Bethel he met God face to face,
and God spoke to him—

Exodus 33:20 (NLT)
But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live.” 

Others did “see” God. 

Exodus 4:24 (NLT)
On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him. 

Genesis 3:8-9 (NLT)
⁸ When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man (Adam) and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. ⁹ Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

Genesis 18:1 (NLT)
18 The Lord appeared again to Abraham near the oak grove belonging to Mamre. One day Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest part of the day.

Isaiah 6:1 (NLT)
6 It was in the year King Uzziah died that I (Isaiah) saw the Lord. He was sitting on a lofty throne, and the train of his robe filled the Temple.

• Jacob saw God face to face, yet his life was spared. 

³¹ The sun was rising as Jacob left Peniel, and he was limping because of the injury to his hip. 

 Jacob’s encounter with the Angel of the Lord was actually a type of conversion. His old nature was stripped away – no longer would he be known as ‘the supplanter’, but as ‘one who struggles (and prevails) with God’.

• The God of Abraham and Isaac was becoming the God of Jacob. 

³² (Even today the people of Israel don’t eat the tendon near the hip socket because of what happened that night when the man strained the tendon of Jacob’s hip.)

This is not mentioned elsewhere in the O.T. and is not a part of the Mosaic Law.

 

 

 

 

Jacob Fears Esau

Try to remember that God is faithful and He always keeps His promises.

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NLT)
Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.

Some things we really don’t “get”.

There was a lot that Jacob did not “get”.

Jacob Fears Esau

Genesis 32:1-21 (NLT)
¹ As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him. ² When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is God’s camp!” So he named the place Mahanaim.
Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau
³ Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom. ⁴ He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob. Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban, ⁵ and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”

⁶ After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!” ⁷ Jacob was terrified at the news. He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups. ⁸ He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”

⁹ Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! ¹¹ O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. ¹² But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

¹³ Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau: ¹⁴ 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵ 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ¹⁶ He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, “Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”

¹⁷ He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’ ¹⁸ You must reply, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau. Look, he is coming right behind us.’”

¹⁹ Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’”

Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me. When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” ²¹ So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.

Examine the Scriptures

Jacob Fears Esau

Jacob is leaving the home of Laban and is going to face Esau.

Genesis 32:1-21 (NLT)
¹ As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him. 

This also happened previously in Jacob’s journeys.

Genesis 28:10-15 (NLT)
Jacob’s Dream at Bethel
¹⁰ Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. ¹¹ At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. ¹² As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
¹³ At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵ What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

• As Jacob started on his way again, angels of God came to meet him.

² When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, “This is God’s camp!” So he named the place Mahanaim.

Mahanaim means “two camps”.

Jacob’s camp and the camp of angels.
Jacob’s camp and God’s camp.

• Jacob recognized God’s presence in his life.

Jacob Sends Gifts to Esau

³ Then Jacob sent messengers ahead to his brother, Esau, who was living in the region of Seir in the land of Edom. 

Most likely had moved away from his father’s (Isaac) home.

⁴ He told them, “Give this message to my master Esau: ‘Humble greetings from your servant Jacob.

This contradicts:

Genesis 25:23 (NLT)
And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

Genesis 27:29 (NLT)
May many nations become your servants,
and may they bow down to you.
May you be the master over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
All who curse you will be cursed,
and all who bless you will be blessed.” 

• Jacob’s view of his relationship with his brother differed from God’s view of this relationship.

 Until now I have been living with Uncle Laban, ⁵ and now I own cattle, donkeys, flocks of sheep and goats, and many servants, both men and women. I have sent these messengers to inform my lord of my coming, hoping that you will be friendly to me.’”

 ⁶ After delivering the message, the messengers returned to Jacob and reported, “We met your brother, Esau, and he is already on his way to meet you—with an army of 400 men!” ⁷ Jacob was terrified at the news.

• Jacob was terrified at the news of Esau coming to meet him.

He divided his household, along with the flocks and herds and camels, into two groups. ⁸ He thought, “If Esau meets one group and attacks it, perhaps the other group can escape.”

• Jacob acted out of fear.

• Jacob is still unable to trust God fully for protection.

⁹ Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! ¹¹ O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. 

Esau had previously stated that he would kill Jacob.

Genesis 27:41 (NLT)
Jacob Flees to Paddan-Aram
⁴¹ From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”

• Jacob prayed out of fear.

This is Jacob’s first recorded prayer since his encounter with God at Bethel en route to Laban.

Genesis 28:20-22 (NLT)
²⁰ Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, ²¹ and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. ²² And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

¹² But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

 The promise first made to Abraham.

Genesis 22:17 (NLT)
¹⁷ I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants^[a] beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.

• Jacob remembered God’s promise to treat him kindly and to multiply his descendants, but he still feared Esau. 

¹³ Jacob stayed where he was for the night. Then he selected these gifts from his possessions to present to his brother, Esau: ¹⁴ 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, ¹⁵ 30 female camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. ¹⁶ He divided these animals into herds and assigned each to different servants. Then he told his servants, “Go ahead of me with the animals, but keep some distance between the herds.”

¹⁷ He gave these instructions to the men leading the first group: “When my brother, Esau, meets you, he will ask, ‘Whose servants are you? Where are you going? Who owns these animals?’ ¹⁸ You must reply, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob, but they are a gift for his master Esau.

Repeating

This contradicts:
Genesis 25:23 (NLT)
And the Lord told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

Genesis 27:29 (NLT)
May many nations become your servants,
and may they bow down to you.
May you be the master over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
All who curse you will be cursed,
and all who bless you will be blessed.”

 Look, he is coming right behind us.’” 

¹⁹ Jacob gave the same instructions to the second and third herdsmen and to all who followed behind the herds: “You must say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. ²⁰ And be sure to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’”

Jacob thought, “I will try to appease him by sending gifts ahead of me.

• Jacob tried to appease Esau by sending him gifts.

• Jacob is still unable to trust God fully for protection.

When I see him in person, perhaps he will be friendly to me.” ²¹ So the gifts were sent on ahead, while Jacob himself spent that night in the camp.

• Deliverance comes by faith in God, not by giving gifts.

Try to remember that God is faithful and He always keeps His promises.

Colossians 1:9-14 (NLT)
⁹ So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. ¹⁰ Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.
¹¹ We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, ¹² always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

Psalm 121
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
¹ I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
² My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
³ He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
⁴ Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
⁵ The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
⁶ The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
⁷ The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
⁸ The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.

Try to remember that God is faithful and He always keeps His promises.

Jacob’s Treaty with Laban
A Final Look at Laban.

• Laban heeded God’s warning.

Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)
You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. 

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 

Psalm 51:10 (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

 Genesis 31:43-55 (NLT)
Jacob’s Treaty with Laban
⁴³ Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine. But what can I do now about my daughters and their children? ⁴⁴ So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”  ⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. ⁴⁶ Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap. Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal. ⁴⁷ To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).  ⁴⁸ Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” ⁴⁹ But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight. ⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.
⁵¹ “See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us. ⁵² They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me. ⁵³ I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.”
So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line. ⁵⁴ Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast. After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.
⁵⁵ Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 31:43-55 (NLT)

 

Laban’s Original intent

Laban Pursues Jacob

²² Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled. ²³ So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead.

 Genesis 31:29 (NLT)
²⁹ I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’

• Laban had set out in hot pursuit of Jacob with thoughts of destroying Jacob and taking back his daughters and Jacob’s flocks. 

• God intervened!

Genesis 31:24 (NLT)
²⁴ But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”

 Jacob’s Treaty with Laban

⁴³ Then Laban replied to Jacob, “These women are my daughters, these children are my grandchildren, and these flocks are my flocks—in fact, everything you see is mine.

“In fact” none of this is true.

• Laban had accepted payment from Jacob for Leah and Rachel, as well as all of the flocks Jacob had acquired.

Genesis 29:18-30 (NLT)
¹⁸ Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”
¹⁹ “Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.
²¹ Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”
²² So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. ²³ But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. ²⁴ (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)
²⁵ But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”
²⁶ “It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. ²⁷ “But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”
²⁸ So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. ²⁹ (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.) ³⁰ So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.

• Jacob had worked 14 years to pay for Leah and Rachel.

Genesis 30:28-32 (NLT)
²⁸ Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
²⁹ Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. ³⁰ You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The Lord has blessed you through everything I’ve done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?” ³¹ “What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.
Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. ³² Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages.  ³³ In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”  ³⁴ “All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.” 

• Laban agreed to give Jacob all of his sheep and goats that were speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep as Jacob’s wages for tending his flocks.

But what can I do now about my daughters and their children? 

Laban may have sensed that things were out of his control.

⁴⁴ So come, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and it will be a witness to our commitment.”

• Laban invites Jacob to make a covenant or treaty with him.

Jacob would not mistreat Laban’s daughters and would not marry other wives. (v. 50)

Jacob would not harm Laban and Laban would not harm Jacob. (v. 52)

⁴⁵ So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a monument. ⁴⁶ Then he told his family members, “Gather some stones.” So they gathered stones and piled them in a heap.

Stones were used as monuments or physical reminders in the Old Testament.

Jacob at Bethel
Genesis 28 (After his vision of God in a dream)

Samuel
1 Samuel 7:12 (NLT)
¹² Samuel then took a large stone and placed it between the towns of Mizpah and Jeshanah. He named it Ebenezer (which means “the stone of help”), for he said, “Up to this point the Lord has helped us!”

Joshua at Gilgal
Israel crossing the Jordan River
Joshua 4:1-8
A memorial to God’s love and miraculous assistance.

Then Jacob and Laban sat down beside the pile of stones to eat a covenant meal. 

(See verse 54)

Eating with other people was a significant event in ancient days, for only parties who were at peace could dine together. (Ligonier Ministries – R.C. Sproul)

Examples in scripture

Revelation 3:20 New Living Translation (NLT)
²⁰ “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.

 John 21:12-14 (NLT)
¹² “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. ¹⁴ This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead. 

Exodus 24:1-11 (NLT)
Israel Accepts the Lord’s Covenant
¹ Then the Lord instructed Moses: “Come up here to me, and bring along Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of Israel’s elders. All of you must worship from a distance. ² Only Moses is allowed to come near to the Lord. The others must not come near, and none of the other people are allowed to climb up the mountain with him.”
³ Then Moses went down to the people and repeated all the instructions and regulations the Lord had given him. All the people answered with one voice, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.”
⁴ Then Moses carefully wrote down all the Lord’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent some of the young Israelite men to present burnt offerings and to sacrifice bulls as peace offerings to the Lord. ⁶ Moses drained half the blood from these animals into basins. The other half he splattered against the altar.
⁷ Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it aloud to the people. Again they all responded, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded. We will obey.”
⁸ Then Moses took the blood from the basins and splattered it over the people, declaring, “Look, this blood confirms the covenant the Lord has made with you in giving you these instructions.”
⁹ Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain. ¹⁰ There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!

• Jacob and Laban sat down together to eat a covenant meal.

⁴⁷ To commemorate the event, Laban called the place Jegar-sahadutha (which means “witness pile” in Aramaic), and Jacob called it Galeed (which means “witness pile” in Hebrew).

Did Jesus speak Aramaic or Hebrew?

⁴⁸ Then Laban declared, “This pile of stones will stand as a witness to remind us of the covenant we have made today.” This explains why it was called Galeed—“Witness Pile.” ⁴⁹ But it was also called Mizpah (which means “watchtower”), for Laban said, “May the Lord keep watch between us to make sure that we keep this covenant when we are out of each other’s sight. 

⁵⁰ If you mistreat my daughters or if you marry other wives, God will see it even if no one else does. He is a witness to this covenant between us.

• Laban invited God to be a witness to this covenant event.

⁵¹ “See this pile of stones,” Laban continued, “and see this monument I have set between us.
⁵² They stand between us as witnesses of our vows. I will never pass this pile of stones to harm you, and you must never pass these stones or this monument to harm me.
⁵³ I call on the God of our ancestors—the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of my grandfather Nahor—to serve as a judge between us.”

God will serve as a judge between us.

So Jacob took an oath before the fearsome God of his father, Isaac, to respect the boundary line. 

⁵⁴ Then Jacob offered a sacrifice to God there on the mountain and invited everyone to a covenant feast.

• God was a part of this covenant event.

After they had eaten, they spent the night on the mountain.

Eating together indicated mutual acceptance.

⁵⁵ Laban got up early the next morning, and he kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them.

This is the second last recorded activity of Laban found in the Scriptures. (See the next phrase.)

Then he left and returned home.

• Laban left “empty-handed”.

Laban’s name mentioned again in 32:4 and 46:18 & 25 (and a place on the map)

Proverbs 19:21 (NLT)
You can make many plans,
but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. 

Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT)
And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. 

Psalm 51:10 (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Laban Pursues Jacob

A story of deception and God’s intervention.

• “Deception” continues to be a major theme in this narrative.

Genesis 31:22-42 (NLT)
Laban Pursues Jacob
²² Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled. ²³ So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit. He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead. ²⁴ But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!”
²⁵ Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacob’s. ²⁶ “What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded. “How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war? ²⁷ Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me? And why didn’t you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps. ²⁸ Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye? You have acted very foolishly! ²⁹ I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’ ³⁰ I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father’s home. But why have you stolen my gods?”
³¹ “I rushed away because I was afraid,” Jacob answered. “I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. ³² But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die! And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back!” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.
³³ Laban went first into Jacob’s tent to search there, then into Leah’s, and then the tents of the two servant wives—but he found nothing. Finally, he went into Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them. When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them, ³⁵ she said to her father, “Please, sir, forgive me if I don’t get up for you. I’m having my monthly period.” So Laban continued his search, but he could not find the household idols.
³⁶ Then Jacob became very angry, and he challenged Laban. “What’s my crime?” he demanded. “What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal? ³⁷ You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us! ³⁸ “For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food. ³⁹ If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night.
⁴⁰ “I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. ⁴¹ Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times! ⁴² In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!”

Examine the Scriptures

Genesis 31:22-42 (NLT)
Laban Pursues Jacob

²² Three days later, Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 

Twenty years earlier Jacob had fled from Esau after deceiving their father Isaac.

• “Deception” is a major theme in this narrative.

²³ So he gathered a group of his relatives and set out in hot pursuit.

“Hot pursuit”

He caught up with Jacob seven days later in the hill country of Gilead. 

Seven days of “hot pursuit”.
Southeast of the Sea of Galilee.  Several hundred miles from Laban’s home.
Jacob and all of his flocks were moving right along. 

²⁴ But the previous night God had appeared to Laban the Aramean in a dream and told him, “I’m warning you—leave Jacob alone!” 

(“Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” a proverbial expression)

• God clearly intervened on Jacob’s behalf.

Leave Jacob alone.  Don’t make him come back to your place.  Don’t take his possessions. 

²⁵ Laban caught up with Jacob as he was camped in the hill country of Gilead, and he set up his camp not far from Jacob’s. ²⁶ “What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded.

Feeling deceived.

Laban brings accusations against Jacob.

“How dare you drag my daughters away like prisoners of war? 

Jacob did not drag Laban’s daughters away from their home.

(vs. 13-14)
²⁷ Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”
Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us!

Rachel and Leah were in agreement with each other and with Jacob about leaving their father.

 Why did you slip away secretly? Why did you deceive me?

Feeling deceived. 

And why didn’t you say you wanted to leave? I would have given you a farewell feast, with singing and music, accompanied by tambourines and harps. ²⁸ Why didn’t you let me kiss my daughters and grandchildren and tell them good-bye?

Laban describes himself as a hurt and baffled father and Jacob as a thoughtless son in law.

Victim mentality.

Laban’s behavior is also deceptive.

You have acted very foolishly! 

²⁹ I could destroy you, but the God of your father appeared to me last night and warned me, ‘Leave Jacob alone!’ 

• Laban heeded God’s warning. (More about this in the next lesson.)

 ³⁰ I can understand your feeling that you must go, and your intense longing for your father’s home. But why have you stolen my gods?”

Why would Jacob have stolen Laban’s gods?  Good question.

³¹ “I rushed away because I was afraid,” Jacob answered. “I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. 

Jacob had worked hard for twenty years.

The deceptive environment led to feelings of fear.

³² But as for your gods, see if you can find them, and let the person who has taken them die! And if you find anything else that belongs to you, identify it before all these relatives of ours, and I will give it back!” But Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the household idols.

Jacob unknowingly put the death penalty on Rachel.

³³ Laban went first into Jacob’s tent to search there, then into Leah’s, and then the tents of the two servant wives—but he found nothing. Finally, he went into Rachel’s tent. ³⁴ But Rachel had taken the household idols and hidden them in her camel saddle, and now she was sitting on them.

• Rachel deceived her father (and Jacob).

• One dishonest deed led to another.

When Laban had thoroughly searched her tent without finding them, ³⁵ she said to her father, “Please, sir, forgive me if I don’t get up for you. I’m having my monthly period.”

This may, or may not, have been a lie.

If Rachel was having her monthly period (being unclean) and sat on the idol, it results in the idol becoming contaminated and therefore worthless.

Laban would assume that Rachel would not dare contaminate a god.

So Laban continued his search, but he could not find the household idols.

 ³⁶ Then Jacob became very angry, and he challenged Laban.

Jacob brings accusations against Laban.

Reaping what was sown.

 “What’s my crime?” he demanded. “What have I done wrong to make you chase after me as though I were a criminal? ³⁷ You have rummaged through everything I own. Now show me what you found that belongs to you! Set it out here in front of us, before our relatives, for all to see. Let them judge between us!

• Deceptive behaviors escalated the conflict between the father and son-in-law.

³⁸ “For twenty years I have been with you, caring for your flocks. In all that time your sheep and goats never miscarried. In all those years I never used a single ram of yours for food. ³⁹ If any were attacked and killed by wild animals, I never showed you the carcass and asked you to reduce the count of your flock. No, I took the loss myself! You made me pay for every stolen animal, whether it was taken in broad daylight or in the dark of night.

⁴⁰ “I worked for you through the scorching heat of the day and through cold and sleepless nights. ⁴¹ Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock. And you changed my wages ten times! 

• Jacob tried to defend his actions. 

⁴² In fact, if the God of my father had not been on my side—the God of Abraham and the fearsome God of Isaac—you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen your abuse and my hard work. That is why he appeared to you last night and rebuked you!”

• Jacob acknowledges God’s intervention on his behalf.

Applications for our lives:

• God intervenes in our lives.

Psalm 55:22 (NLT)
Give your burdens to the Lord,
and he will take care of you.
He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.

 Psalm 46:1 (NLT)
God is our refuge and strength,
always ready to help in times of trouble.

 Isaiah 43:1-3 (NLT)
¹ But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
² When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
³ For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. 

Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you. 

Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

 John 10:27-29 (NLT)
²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, ²⁹ for my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. 

What are some things we know about deception?

• The human heart is deceitful.

Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)
⁹ “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?

Deceitful behaviors have serious consequences.

Proverbs 19:9 (NLT)
A false witness will not go unpunished,
and a liar will be destroyed.

 Galatians 6:7 (NLT)
⁷ Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.

• Be done with deceit.

1 Peter 2:1 (NLT)
So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.

Colossians 3:9-10 (NLT)
⁹ Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. ¹⁰ Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

 Luke 6:45 (NLT)
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. 

Ask God to give you a clean heart.

Psalm 51:10 (NLT)
Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Jacob Flees from Laban – Heading back to Canaan

Four mini lessons for us. Learn from the life of Jacob.

Learn from Jacob’s mistakes

Philippians 1:9-11 (NLT)
⁹ I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰ For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. ¹¹ May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Jacob Flees from Laban
Genesis 31:1-21 (NLT)
¹ But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.” ² And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.
³ Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”
⁴ So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. ⁵ He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed. But the God of my father has been with me. ⁶ You know how hard I have worked for your father, ⁷ but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times. But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. ⁸ For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. ⁹ In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.
¹⁰ “One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted. ¹¹ Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
¹² “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you. ¹³ I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”
¹⁴ Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway. ¹⁵ He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us. ¹⁶ All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you.”
¹⁷ So Jacob put his wives and children on camels, ¹⁸ and he drove all his livestock in front of him. He packed all the belongings he had acquired in Paddan-aram and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived. ¹⁹ At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her. ²⁰ Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean, for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving. ²¹ So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River, heading for the hill country of Gilead.

Examine the Scriptures

Jacob Flees from Laban

Genesis 31:1-21 (NLT)

¹ But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.” 

Jacob lied to his own father. (Chapter 27)
Jacob deceived his own father. (Chapter 27)
Jacob manipulated the breeding of Laban’s flocks.

Laban’s son’s observations were somewhat accurate.

² And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.

Laban deceived Jacob by giving Jacob Leah in place of Rachel. (Chapter 29)

Laban deceived Jacob by removing all the animals, he had promised to give to Jacob, and giving them to his sons. (Chapter 30)

Laban was looking out for his own interests when he convinced Jacob to stay and care for his flocks.  (Chapter 30)

• You are known by the way you act.

Mini-lesson #1

• For you will be treated as you treat others. Matthew 7:2 NLT

Luke 6:31 (NLT)
Do to others as you would like them to do to you.

Proverbs 20:11 (NLT)
Even children are known by the way they act,
whether their conduct is pure, and whether it is right.

Challenge:
Galatians 6:9-10 (NLT)
⁹ So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.

 ³ Then the Lord said to Jacob,

 “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”

Genesis 28:15 (NLT)
What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” 

Jacob had good reasons to move back to Canaan.

God told Jacob to move back to Canaan.

Laban’s attitude and Laban’s son’s grumbling.

A message to God’s chosen people while in exile in Babylon:

Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

Mini-lesson #2

• God has a plan (for good) for his chosen people.

Matthew 6:31-33 (NLT)
³¹ “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ ³² These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. ³³ Seek the Kingdom of God above all else (spend time in the Word getting to know God and His will for your life), and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 

Psalm 86:11 (NLT)
Teach me your ways, O Lord,
that I may live according to your truth!
Grant me purity of heart,
so that I may honor you.

 ⁴ So Jacob called Rachel and Leah out to the field where he was watching his flock. 

Away from other listening ears.

Let his wives in on his plans.

Jacob shares how God has been working in his life as well as his plans to return to Canaan.

⁵ He said to them, “I have noticed that your father’s attitude toward me has changed.

 But the God of my father has been with me.

At times Isaac rejected Jacob and Laban rejected Rachel and Leah, but Jacob felt God’s presence with him. 

 ⁶ You know how hard I have worked for your father, ⁷ but he has cheated me, changing my wages ten times.

Cheated by his father-in-law.

But God has not allowed him to do me any harm. 

Protected by God.

Mini-lesson #3

• It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.  Psalm 118:8

Psalm 118:7-8 (NLT)
⁷ Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
⁸ It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people. 

⁸ For if he said, ‘The speckled animals will be your wages,’ the whole flock began to produce speckled young. And when he changed his mind and said, ‘The striped animals will be your wages,’ then the whole flock produced striped young. 

 ⁹ In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me.

Jacob recognized God at work in his life.

¹⁰ “One time during the mating season, I had a dream and saw that the male goats mating with the females were streaked, speckled, and spotted. ¹¹ Then in my dream, the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Yes, here I am.’
¹² “The angel said, ‘Look up, and you will see that only the streaked, speckled, and spotted males are mating with the females of your flock. For I have seen how Laban has treated you. ¹³ I am the God who appeared to you at Bethel, the place where you anointed the pillar of stone and made your vow to me. Now get ready and leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’”

 Jacob’s speech to his wives seemed to get the results he wanted.

¹⁴ Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway. ¹⁵ He has reduced our rights to those of foreign women. And after he sold us, he wasted the money you paid him for us. 

Rachel and Leah were in agreement with each other and with Jacob.

¹⁶ All the wealth God has given you from our father legally belongs to us and our children. So go ahead and do whatever God has told you.”

Jacob’s wives saw God at work in their lives.

¹⁷ So Jacob put his wives and children on camels, ¹⁸ and he drove all his livestock in front of him. He packed all the belongings he had acquired in Paddan-aram and set out for the land of Canaan, where his father, Isaac, lived. 

 ¹⁹ At the time they left, Laban was some distance away, shearing his sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household idols and took them with her. 

Rachel was not yet free from her pagan background.

Genesis 35:2  (NLT)
So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing.

                                A Biblical principle God will give to his people at a later date:

Exodus 20:2-6 (NLT)
² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.
³ “You must not have any other god but me.
⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. ⁶ But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

 Matthew 6:24 (NLT)
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money. 

• No one can serve two masters.

 Mini-lesson #4 

• Wholly trust in God.

 Psalm 62:5-8 (NLT)
⁵ Let all that I am wait quietly before God,
for my hope is in him.
⁶ He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress where I will not be shaken.
⁷ My victory and honor come from God alone.
He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.
⁸ O my people, trust in him at all times.
    Pour out your heart to him,
    for God is our refuge. 

 ²⁰ Jacob outwitted Laban the Aramean,

 for they set out secretly and never told Laban they were leaving. 

Outwitted, set out secretly,

Genesis 31:26 (NLT)
“What do you mean by deceiving me like this?” Laban demanded.

 Jacob continues to deceive others.

²¹ So Jacob took all his possessions with him and crossed the Euphrates River, heading for the hill country of Gilead.

Jacob’s Wealth Increases

Jacob is experiencing some of God’s blessings.

Genesis 28:14-15 (NLT)
¹⁴ Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. ¹⁵ What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

             Note: God’s blessings were not a promise of an easy, carefree life.

Genesis 30:25-43 (NLT)
²⁵ Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country. ²⁶ Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you.”
²⁷ “Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for the Lord has blessed me because of you. ²⁸ Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”
²⁹ Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. ³⁰ You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The Lord has blessed you through everything I’ve done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?”
³¹ “What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.
Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. ³² Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages. ³³ In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”
³⁴ “All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.” ³⁵ But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, ³⁶ who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
³⁷ Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. ³⁸ Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated. ³⁹ And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. ⁴⁰ Jacob separated those lambs from Laban’s flock. And at mating time he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.
⁴¹ Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of the branches. ⁴² But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s. ⁴³ As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.

Examine the Scriptures

Jacob’s Wealth Increases

Genesis 30:25-43 (NLT)
²⁵ Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph,

• Jacob’s 14 year commitment to Laban had been fulfilled.

(Genesis 29-30 covers a time period of 20 years.)

Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country. 

Remember the reasons Jacob had traveled to Paddan-Aram.

Fleeing from Esau.

Looking for a wife as instructed by his father.

God had said to Jacob, “One day I will bring you back to this land. (Canaan).

 Jacob appears to have a general understanding of God’s plan for his life.

• Jacob was ready to move back “home” to Canaan, the Promised Land.

²⁶ Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by serving you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you.”

Jacob is making an appropriate, respectful appeal.

 ²⁷ “Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for the Lord has blessed me because of you. ²⁸ Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.”

• Laban understood that he was becoming wealthy because the Lord was blessing Jacob.

Genesis 30:27 English Standard Version (ESV)
But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your sight, I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.

 Genesis 30:27 New International Version (NIV)
But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”

 The use of divination is sinful even though the information obtained is accurate.

Discover hidden knowledge by occult or supernatural means.

Laban knows that it is to his advantage for Jacob to continue working for him.

 ²⁹ Jacob replied, “You know how hard I’ve worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care. ³⁰ You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The Lord has blessed you through everything I’ve done.

• Jacob also knew that Laban’s increased wealth was a direct result of the Lord’s blessing.

Note: God’s blessings were not a promise of an easy, carefree life.

Jacob worked hard for Laban.

• God’s blessings are not a promise of an easy, carefree life.

 But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?”

 ³¹ “What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.

Laban did not want Jacob to leave.

• Laban wanted Jacob to stay, so that he, Laban, would continue to benefit from God’s blessings to Jacob.

Jacob’s Proposal

 Jacob replied, “Don’t give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I’ll continue to tend and watch over your flocks. ³² Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep.

  Give these to me as my wages. ³³ In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you’ll see that I have been honest. 

• Jacob professes to be honest with Laban. 

If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”

It would be obvious which animals were Jacob’s and which were Laban’s.

³⁴ “All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.” 

• Laban verbally agreed to follow Jacob’s proposal.

• Jacob agreed to stay and work for Laban a little longer. (6 years)

Genesis 31:41 (NLT)
Yes, for twenty years I slaved in your house! I worked for fourteen years earning your two daughters, and then six more years for your flock.

³⁵ But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons, ³⁶ who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was.

• Laban cheated Jacob from day one of this new arrangement.

Also, by removing the existing streaked and spotted male goats and the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep from his flock Laban believed that he greatly reduced the probability of more of this type being reproduced.

Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.

 ³⁷ Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. ³⁸ Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated. ³⁹ And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted. ⁴⁰ Jacob separated those lambs from Laban’s flock.

Scholars differ as to how Jacob is using sticks with peeled white streaks in them to do this.

The NIV concordance explained this outcome “because of Jacob’s superstition”.

And at mating time he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.

 ⁴¹ Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of the branches. ⁴² But he didn’t do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s. 

Jacob practiced selective breeding.

• Jacob’s actions are somewhat questionable.

• God uses flawed people.

• God’s sovereignty supersedes manipulative or godless behavior.

⁴³ As a result,

Genesis 31:9 (NLT)
In this way, God has taken your father’s animals and given them to me. 

• Jacob knew his prosperity came from God. 

Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.

• God blessed Jacob with large flocks of sheep and goats, female and male servants, and many camels and donkeys.

 

Summary/Review:

• God’s blessings are not a promise of an easy, carefree life.
• God uses flawed people.
• God’s sovereignty supersedes manipulative or godless behavior.
• God always does what He says He will do.

Genesis 28:15 (NLT)
What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

Genesis 28:14 (NLT)
Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

Psalm 89:34 (NLT)
No, I will not break my covenant;
I will not take back a single word I said.

Hebrews 13:5 (NLT)
… For God has said,
“I will never fail you.
I will never abandon you.”

 Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NLT)
⁷ “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord
and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.
⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
with roots that reach deep into the water.
Such trees are not bothered by the heat
or worried by long months of drought.
Their leaves stay green,
and they never stop producing fruit.

Jacob’s Many Children

A story of sin, conflict, and emotions.

Words included in this passage:

Unloved                                              Absence of:

Misery                                                             Affection

Jealous                                                             Love

Plight

Disgrace

Furious

Struggle

Winning

Stole

Leviticus 18:18 (NLT)
“While your wife is living, do not marry her sister and have sexual relations with her, for they would be rivals.

Note:
Polygyny is found in the Old Testament and over 40 important figures had more than one wife, but it almost always resulted in struggles and jealousies.

 

Jacob’s Many Children
 Genesis 29:31 – 30:24 (NLT)
³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. ³² So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”
³³ She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”
³⁴ Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi, for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”
³⁵ Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” And then she stopped having children.
^30:1 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”
² Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”
³ Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.” ⁴ So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. ⁵ Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. ⁶ Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” ⁷ Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. ⁸ Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”
⁹ Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. ¹¹ Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!” ¹² Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. ¹³ And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”
¹⁴ One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
¹⁵ But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”
Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
¹⁶ So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. ¹⁷ And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. ¹⁸ She named him Issachar, for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” ¹⁹ Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. ²⁰ She named him Zebulun, for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” ²¹ Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
²² Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. ²³ She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. ²⁴ And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”

Examine the Scriptures

Jacob’s Many Children 

Genesis 29:31 – 30:24 (NLT)

³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children,

God intervened.

• God enabled Leah to have children.

Psalm 127:3 (NLT)
Children are a gift from the Lord;
they are a reward from him.

 but Rachel could not conceive. 

Rachel was barren.

Note the pattern:

Abraham and Sarah
Genesis 11:30 (NLT)
But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children.

Isaac and Rebekah
Genesis 25:21 (NLT)
Isaac pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The Lord answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.

•  God opens and closes the womb. 

³² So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”

³³ She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon, for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

God acted on behalf of Leah.

Leah recognized that God was working in her life.

³⁴ Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi, for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”

• Leah mistakenly thought Jacob would love her if she gave him sons. 

³⁵ Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah, for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” And then she stopped having children.

Judah is an ancestor of Jesus the Messiah

Matthew 1:1-2 & 16 NLT
The Ancestors of Jesus the Messiah
¹ This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham:
² Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. 

¹⁶ Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

Luke 3:33-34 (NLT)
³³ Nahshon was the son of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the son of Admin.
Admin was the son of Arni.
Arni was the son of Hezron.
Hezron was the son of Perez.
Perez was the son of Judah.
³⁴ Judah was the son of Jacob.
Jacob was the son of Isaac.
Isaac was the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the son of Terah.
Terah was the son of Nahor. 

• Jacob is listed in the genealogy of Jesus in both Matthew and Luke.

^30:1 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister.

Leviticus 18:18 (NLT)
“While your wife is living, do not marry her sister and have sexual relations with her, for they would be rivals. 

• Rachel became jealous of Leah.

She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

Women in the Near Eastern culture believed that they were an embarrassment to their husband if they remained childless.

Childless women felt disgraced.
See verse 23:
²³ She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. 

² Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked.

Rachel was devastated and Jacob was deeply frustrated.

• Jacob became furious with Rachel.

“He’s the one who has kept you from having children!” 

³ Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have a family, too.”

This did not work for Abraham and Sarah.
Genesis 16 Sarai and Hagar

• Rachel came up with a plan similar to a plan that did not work out well for Abraham and Sarah. 

⁴ So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. ⁵ Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. ⁶ Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” 

Rachel claimed this son as her own. 

Rachel named the son.

God has given me a son.

 ⁷ Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. ⁸ Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”

Winning!!!

• When Bilhah gave Jacob sons, Rachel felt vindicated by God and said she was “winning” in her struggle with Leah. 

⁹ Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. ¹⁰ Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. ¹¹ Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!”

Leah claimed Gad as her son.

Leah named the son.

 ¹² Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. ¹³ And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”

Now the other women will celebrate with me.

• Leah was ready to celebrate when Zilpah gave Jacob a second son.

¹⁴ One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

• Rachel believed mandrakes would help her become pregnant.
  (Review Genesis 29:31)

¹⁵ But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”

Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”

Simply put, Leah pays Rachel so that Rachel would let her sleep with Jacob.

¹⁶ So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. ¹⁷ And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. ¹⁸ She named him Issachar, for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” 

 ¹⁹ Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. ²⁰ She named him Zebulun, for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” 

Now my husband will treat me with respect.

²¹ Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

 ²² Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. ²³ She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. 

God has removed my disgrace.

²⁴ And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”

•  Joseph became a major figure in the book of Genesis.

 Rachel gave birth to Benjamin at a later date, just before her death.
Genesis 35:16-20 (NLT)
¹⁶ Leaving Bethel, Jacob and his clan moved on toward Ephrath. But Rachel went into labor while they were still some distance away. Her labor pains were intense. ¹⁷ After a very hard delivery, the midwife finally exclaimed, “Don’t be afraid—you have another son!” ¹⁸ Rachel was about to die, but with her last breath she named the baby Ben-oni (which means “son of my sorrow”). The baby’s father, however, called him Benjamin (which means “son of my right hand”). ¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). ²⁰ Jacob set up a stone monument over Rachel’s grave, and it can be seen there to this day.