Genesis 28 Save Jacob

Rebekah has to think of a plan to save Jacob from Esau. Esau wants to kill him because Jacob stole Esau’s birthright. And Jacob will get a bride out of the deal.

Rebekah is cunning. I have no doubt that Jacob learned his ways from her. If we were to get more glimpses into their family, we would most likely come across more times where Isaac made a decision, thinking it was his own, only to see Rebekah’s hand at work. But Rebekah’s hand is actually in God’s. She cannot do ANYTHING to stop God’s plan. And her actions actually bring a large part of it to pass.

We left with Rebekah hearing Esau’s words of hatred towards Jacob. Esau intended to kill Jacob for stealing Esau’s birthright. Jacob is Rebekah’s favorite son, so of course, she will do whatever it takes to protect him. Even if it means that she won’t see him again herself. She didn’t intend for him to be gone so long. But he was safe. Let’s rejoin our story where we left off; with Rebekah figuring out a way to save Jacob.

♥ ♦ ♥

Once Rebekah’s plan had taken form, she sent her servant out to find Jacob. He was in the fields with the flocks at the time.

“Your Ima needs you immediately” she told Jacob.

The sound of her voice communicated the urgency of Rebecca’s call. Jacob left what he was doing and hurried to his Ima’s side.

As soon as Jacob arrived, Rebecca told him of the danger he was in. “Behold your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice. Arise, flee to Laban my brother in Haran and stay with him a while, until your brother’s fury turns away – until your brother’s anger turns from you, and he forgets what you have done to him. Then I will send and bring you from there. Why should I be bereft of you both in one day?” (verses 42b-45).

“I knew he was angry, but I didn’t realize how angry” replied Jacob.

“Be ready, but do not leave yet. I need to speak with your Abba first. He must be the one to send you. I will find a way to convince him to do this.”

Jacob hurried to his tent to prepare his belongings for leaving. He didn’t have much, but he knew he wouldn’t be returning for a while, so he gathered all he would need for an extended stay. He also needed to pack them in a way that wouldn’t weigh him down. There would be no caravan to pack his belonging on this time. He would be going alone, and on foot. And he would need to travel fast! If Esau knew he had departed, he might try and catch him to carry out his threats.

While Jacob is packing, Rebecca goes to speak with Isaac. “I loathe my life because of the Hittite women. If Jacob marries one of the Hittite women like these, one of the women of the land, what good will my life be to me?” (verse 46).

Isaac wonders about Rebekah’s motives. If this was simply to find an acceptable wife for Jacob, why wait until now? Jacob hasn’t shown any interest in marrying one of the Hittite women, like his brother had. But if Jacob didn’t go back to Laban, he would wind up either unmarried, or with an unsuitable wife.

“You are correct. It is time Jacob took a wife” agrees Isaac. “Call him to me so that I may send him off with instructions and a blessing.”

Inside, Rebekah is jumping up and down like a young child. On the outside, she pats her husband’s arm and says, “I will send for him.”

Rebekah leaves Isaac and forces herself to walk to Jacob’s tent. “Jacob my son” she call out to him from outside the door.

“I am here” replies Jacob as he steps from his tent to stand before his Ima.

“Your Abba has something to discuss with you.” She gives Jacob a knowing look, which he returns in kind.

Jacob goes to his Abba’s tent. As he enters, he announces himself. “I have come abba, as you directed. It is Jacob your youngest son.”

“And my most cunning” thinks Isaac to himself. “Ah, Jacob. Cone and sit with me.”

Jacob comes over to his Abba’s bed and sits on the stool he occupied not too long ago as he tricked his Abba into giving him the blessing meant for his brother. He silently waits while Isaac gathers his thoughts.

“Your Ima and I have been discussing you. It is high time that you got married. But ‘you must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother” (verse 1b-2).

“There it is” thinks Joseph. Ima said she would find a way to convince Abba to send me to her brother.

Isaac actual instructions are over, but he is not finished with all he desires to impart to Jacob. He has a special blessing that Esau can never have. The blessing of carrying on the promises that God had made to his Abba.

“God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May he give the blessings of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave Abraham!” (verses 3-4).

Jacob reaches out and puts a hand on his Abba’s hand. “I will not fail you Abba. I will do as you have commanded. And I will teach my children of your God.”

Isaac hears the words Jacob used; “Your God.” Isaac prays that there will come a day soon where Jacob takes the Lord as HIS God. It is the only way that he will ever understand the importance of the promises given to Abraham.

“I know you will, my son.”

Jacob is already packed and ready to be on his way. All that remains is to kiss his Ima goodbye and grab his pack from inside his tent.

There are ears EVERYWHERE in the company of Isaac. And they each have their own allegiances. One who is loyal to Esau was close enough to overhear Isaac’s instructions and blessing for Jacob. The servant will have to wait until Esau returns from his latest hunt to share with him the news.

(to be continued)

The last time we were together, I promised you some math calculations. Now is a good time to put those down.

What started me down this track was trying to figure out how old Jacob was when Isaac sent him off. The reason for this was realizing that Isaac’s life was NOT ending when he sent Jacob away. He still had MANY more years to come when he called Esau in to bless him before he died. So let’s look at the math.

Let’s start with a few facts that we are given. We will fill in the missing pieces using math.

We know that Jacob spent 21 years in the service of Laban. The first 7 for Leah. The next 7 for Rachel. And the final 7 for livestock. They left Laban when Joseph was a baby. So, 91-21=70. Jacob was 70 years old when Isaac sent him away. He married 7 years later; so, he was 77 at the time of his first marriage.

Isaac would have been 60+70=130 when he blessed Jacob instead of Esau. Isaac lived another 50 years beyond the time when he thought he was dying until he actually did.

This also makes Esau’s first marriages 30 years apart from his final marriage.

Finally, Isaac was 60+91=151 when Jacob returned from Laban. The only unknown in my math is how long it took for Jacob to travel each way. I would agree that I could be off by a year in my calculations.

While checking for the number listed above, I also looked for more numbers for Esau’s life. I didn’t find any more numbers, but what I did find has me scratching my head. In Genesis 26, we are introduced to Esau’s first two wives. We will meet the third one in the next portion of our story. Genesis 26 lists: Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. In Genesis 27 we see Esau’s third wife as Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth. In Genesis 36 we see Esau’s wives listed again, along with their children. We see Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite, Oholibamah the daughter of Anah the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite, and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, the sister of Nebaioth. Are these first and middle names? If so, Basemath must have been a popular name. Also, one is a Hivite and not a Hittite. Is this one possibly listed by mother’s lineage? Just something to ponder. NOTHING to raise doubts as to the accuracy of the bible.

Father God, thank You for sharing Your stories with me. Thank You for sharing the math with me too. I’m still scratching my head over Esau’s family, but that is something we can talk about when we are face to face.

Did Isaac bless Esau’s marriages? I know he didn’t pass the promise of Abraham on to Esau, but did he at least speak over them to be fruitful and multiply? Thank You for blessing my family. I LOVE having my children and grandchildren. My only prayer is that they will come back or come to know You. Esau’s didn’t but Jacob’s would.