Genesis 26:34–37:1

First, as a preface to the setting aside of Esau, we are told of his marriage, at forty years old, at once to two Canaanite wives. This is the natural sequel of a profanity which could value his birthright at a bowl of stew. These "forty years" are a significant hint to us of completed probation. In his two wives, married at once, he refuses at once the example and counsel of his father, and by his union with Canaanite women disregards the divine sentence, and shows unmistakably the innermost recesses of the heart.

Esau established the most intimate connection, that of marriage, with two Hittite women. He thus brushed aside the thought of taking a wife from their own kindred, and linked himself with the people of the land whose sin was rising until their judgment fell some three to four hundred years later. Previously he had despised the birthright, now he despised a restriction that had divine sanction. The call of God was nothing to him. It was a grief of mind to his parents and a challenging of the purpose of God.

When Esau was 40 years of age (that is, the age of normal discretion) he took as wife (a deliberate selection) Judith… They were a grief of mind (margin: "bitterness or sorrow") to his parents… In his second selection Esau came near to the right line, but stopped short of the mind of God for the descendants of Abraham, the friend of God. How often intimate ties are formed by Christians with those who are outwardly connected with Christian profession, but who prove to be no different from the world.

Esau not only had disposed of his birthright, but he had socially disqualified himself from being heir by marrying a Canaanite. This being known to Isaac is, as we read, a "grief of mind" to him. Yet even this did not displace Esau from that place in his father's affections which he had held for so many years.

But he is seriously careless in this matter, compared with his father… He does not watch over his children's ways, to head off trouble, as Abraham had done. Esau his son marries a daughter of the Hittites. Isaac and Rebekah are grieved at this, it is true; for they had righteous souls which knew how to be "vexed" with this; but then, it was their carelessness which had brought this trouble upon them.

Isaac had received a wife from the family of Abraham, for God's promise was connected with that line, the line of faith. Esau took two wives, both from the Hittites, the children of Heth, which means "fear", a picture of people who live in fear of death rather than by faith… But mixed marriages have been a source of great trouble throughout history. Esau's marriages therefore were a grief of mind to his parents. May every believer pay closest attention to the serious warning of 2 Corinthians 6:14 to 18, which begins, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers."

Verses 34 and 35 reveal a bitter sorrow in sad contrast. Despising his birthright was not enough for him. This unholy man took two daughters of Heth as wives when he was fully grown, and both his parents grieved. Was this a man to receive or value the blessing of Jehovah? It was He who was dishonoured most by such a marriage, to say nothing of the family.

These "forty years" are a significant hint to us of completed probation. By marrying two wives at once, he refuses both the example and the advice of his father. By joining himself to Canaanite women, he disregards God's sentence. The choice shows plainly what lies deepest in his heart. It is a sign of the times that so little is thought of the character of man's associations. In truth, nothing gives us our character so much. To say of Enoch, or of Noah, that "he walked with God" describes the man fully in the fewest words. Can choosing to keep company with His enemies fit any real desire for such a walk? Esau's Canaanite wives set him aside at last from the blessing, and the next chapter shows that blessing going to Jacob.

Abraham sends a trusted servant far away to get a wife "in the Lord" for his son. Eliezer goes on that errand with a ready mind. Isaac waits in patience for the outcome. He seeks no alliance with the people nearer at hand. Though sad and lonely, he keeps himself for the wife the Lord has appointed. He might have got a daughter of Canaan; but he endured.

Isaac in his turn and generation becomes the head of the family. But compared with his father he is badly careless here, as the close of chapter 26 shows us. He does not watch over his children's ways to head off trouble, as Abraham had done. Esau his son marries a daughter of the Hittites. Isaac and Rebekah grieve over it, it is true. They had righteous souls that knew how to be "vexed" by such a thing. But their own carelessness had brought that grief on them.

She tells Isaac she is tired of living because of the daughters of Heth, two of whom Esau had married. They evidently continued to be "a grief of mind" to her. How many Christian mothers since then have had deep sorrow over their children being married to unbelievers!

Esau took two wives, both from the Hittites, the children of Heth, which means "fear," typical of those who live in fear of death rather than by faith. Compare Hebrews 2:15, which speaks of those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. How dishonoring to God it is to mix His promise with the fear of death! But mixed marriages have been a source of great trouble throughout history. Every believer should give closest attention to the serious warning of 2 Corinthians 6:14-18. It begins, "Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers."

Despite Esau's wrong marriages, and despite God's word that Isaac's older son would serve the younger (Gen. 25:23), Isaac was ready to give his chief blessing to Esau. Verse 1 tells us that his eyes were dim. No doubt his spiritual eyes were dim also. The reason is clear: he allowed his natural appetite to take priority over the revealed will of God.

Here we find the aged Isaac standing, as it were, at the very door of eternity. Earth and nature are fast fading from his view. Yet he is taken up with "savoury meat," and about to act in direct opposition to God's counsel by blessing the elder instead of the younger. This was nature, and nature with its "eyes dim." If Esau had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, Isaac was about to give away the blessing for a plate of venison. How very humiliating!

Here was ample room for the discernment and intelligence of faith. But it is the complete absence of both these qualities that marked Isaac at the beginning. The eye of faith was as blind as the eye of nature. Whatever Isaac's blindness on the one hand, or Jacob's deceit on the other, God's will is done. But this in no way lessened their responsibility and sin. Indeed the whole family were joined in sin at that moment, though on opposite sides — Isaac with Esau, and Rebekah with Jacob. … Esau, already called a godless man for selling his birthright, backs his blind father and agrees with him to frustrate, if possible, the counsel of God. No doubt Esau knew that God had said, "the older shall serve the younger," and he hoped to regain the blessing.

For the time being Isaac's heart was blinder than his eyes. His foolish favouritism led him to thwart the declared mind of God. Rebekah overheard this and tried to counter it with a woman's craft and quick invention. Had she looked to God instead of her weak husband and her favourite son, how different everything would have been! … But she did not ask Jehovah now, as she once had. She gave in to a low deceit. It was as sinful before God as it was dishonouring to her husband and to herself.

But God will subdue nature, unjudged nature, and in Isaac too! And not only this. God's ways are perfect and complete. He will use that very indulgence as the direct instrument to discipline him — the same indulgence that had twisted Isaac's mind and judgement. God allows him to be deceived. The "savoury meat" turned his mind away from sound judgement, and the same "savoury meat" now forces him, without knowing it, to act according to the will of God. He carries out the will of God almost against his own will, with no real communion with Him — the sad result of nature left unjudged.

God has completely washed away the blots, the failures and the errors of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob… But their history remains on the page of inspiration. It displays God's grace and warns God's people in all ages. It also shows us that God has not been dealing with perfect men and women, but with people "of like passions as we are." He has walked with and borne with the same failures, the same weaknesses, the same errors that we mourn over every day.

He went blind many years earlier and expected to die soon (27:2). In fact he did not die until he had lived 180 years.

Isaac lives after this event 43 years longer, but with this he passes from the page of history. Of his death and burial by Esau and Jacob we hear later. Patient endurance and suffering marked his life. His faith consisted in quietness and waiting.

Verse 1 tells us that his eyes were dim. No doubt his spiritual eyes were dim also. Clearly this was because he allowed his natural appetite to come before the revealed will of God.

Here we find the aged Isaac standing, as it were, at the very door of eternity. The earth and nature were fast fading from his view. Yet he was taken up with tasty food, and about to act in direct opposition to God's counsel by blessing the elder instead of the younger. Truly this was nature — nature with its "eyes dim." Esau had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew; Isaac was about to give away the blessing for a plate of venison. How very humbling!

He was about to do the last religious act of a patriarchal priest. Yet he calls for his meal as if for wine and strong drink — the food of mere animal life — to lift him up and equip him for the service!

Esau had not only disposed of his birthright; by marrying a Canaanite woman he had also lost his social right to be heir. Isaac knew this, and it was a grief of mind to him. Yet even this did not remove Esau from the place in his father's affection that he had held for so many years… To the last, Isaac clings to the son he loved. In the strength of his natural affection he overlooked every divine hint and every act of Esau's that should have moved him to a different course. Here he comes before us in a truly humbling light, as the believer always does when uncontrolled nature rules the day.

But God will subdue nature, unjudged nature, and in Isaac too! And not only this — so perfect and complete are God's ways! He will use that very indulgence as the direct instrument to discipline him. It was the indulgence that had twisted Isaac's mind and judgment. He is allowed to be deceived. The tasty meal turned his mind away from sound judgment; and the same tasty meal forces him, without knowing it, to act according to the will of God.

The crisis of his ways came when his foot had nearly slipped in the matter of his two sons (Gen. 27). Grace overruled here; and he was saved, yet only as through fire. How striking that such a scene should be singled out to his praise in Hebrews 11:20! "By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau." Isaac lived many years after this. Scripture records only his death and burial.

Esau had not only disposed of his birthright, he had also socially disqualified himself from heirship by marrying a Canaanite. Isaac knew this, and it was, as we read, a "grief of mind" to him. Yet even this did not remove Esau from the place he had held in his father's affections for so many years… So, right to the end, Isaac clings to the son he loved. His natural affection was so strong that he overlooked every divine hint, and every act of Esau's that should have moved him to a different course. Here he comes before us in a truly humbling light, as a believer always does when nature runs unchecked.

Sadly, it was not something new that Isaac loved Esau. He loved him not simply as his son, because of his natural boldness, but because venison suited his taste. Rebekah, meanwhile, loved Jacob. His character had the same traits of the flesh as hers — Syrian craft and selfishness. But neither of them was lukewarm about the divine promise.

Isaac was a very wealthy man. He had never "endured hardness" as his father had done. He was what we call a "soft" man. He had slipped into the habit of luxury and self-indulgence. "Savoury meat, such as I love" are words completely unworthy of a saint of God. Like Noah, his son's fall was largely due to his own self-indulgence.

Despite Esau's wrong marriages, and despite God's word that Isaac's older son would serve the younger (Gen. 25:23), Isaac was ready to give his chief blessing to Esau. We are told in verse 1 that his eyes were dim. No doubt his spiritual eyes were dim too, because he let his natural appetite take precedence over the revealed will of God.

Here we find the aged patriarch Isaac standing, as it were, at the very door of eternity. The earth and nature are fast fading from his view. Yet he is taken up with "savoury meat," and about to act in direct opposition to the divine counsel by blessing the elder instead of the younger… If Esau had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, Isaac was about to give away the blessing for a dish of venison. How very humbling!

He was about to perform the last religious act of a patriarchal priest. And he calls for wine and strong drink — the food of mere nature — to stir him up and fill him for the service of the temple! Terrible abomination!… We may all be aware how much of nature stains our holy things. We can mistake the excitement of the flesh for the easy, strong current of the Spirit. We may notice this in times of fellowship. But that should be our sorrow. We confess it as evil and weakness, and we watch against it.

But God will subdue nature, unjudged nature, and in Isaac too! And more than that. God's ways are so perfect and complete that He will use the very indulgence that had twisted Isaac's mind and judgement as the direct tool to discipline him. God lets him be deceived. The "savoury meat" turned his mind from sound judgement; and the same "savoury meat" makes him act, without knowing it, according to the will of God.

Let us delight in the wisdom of His ways. He overruled a partiality of the flesh that would have made His Word void, and He secured His purpose, however faulty the people were who remembered it. They turned to unworthy tricks to correct the wrong and secure His promise. So each of them came under His righteous chastening for their crooked scheming. God loves dearly, but He rebukes and chastises.

Here we find the aged Isaac standing, as it were, at the very door of eternity. The earth and nature were fast fading from his view. Yet he was taken up with "savoury meat," and about to act in direct opposition to God's counsel by blessing the elder instead of the younger. Truly this was nature, and nature with its "eyes dim." If Esau had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew, Isaac was about to give away the blessing for a plate of venison. How very humiliating!

In spite of Esau's wrong marriages, and in spite of God's word that Isaac's older son would serve the younger (Gen. 25:23), Isaac was ready to give his chief blessing to Esau. Verse 1 tells us his eyes were dim. No doubt his spiritual eyes were dim also. This was clearly because he let his natural appetite take priority over the revealed will of God (Gen. 25:28). But to bless Esau, he first wanted him to take his bow and quiver of arrows, hunt deer, and bring him cooked venison — "such as I love," he adds (v. 4).

He was about to do the last religious act of a father who served as priest for his family. And he calls for wine and strong drink — the food of mere nature — to stir him up and fill him for the service of the temple! … We may all be conscious how much of nature stains our holy things. We may see how much of the excitement of the flesh we may mistake for the easy, strong current of the Spirit. We may know this in the places of communion, but it is to be our sorrow; we confess it as evil and weakness, and we watch against it. But think of preparing for it. To mix the wine and the strong drink with such care, and to take a hearty drink in this deliberate way — surely this is a shameful thing.

How did Isaac fall for such a clumsy trick? He knew the voice. Were the neck and wrists covered with goatskin a surer test than the voice? No man of the world with common sense would have fallen for it. How did it happen? He was not in communion with God, and the crudest tricks can fool a believer who is out of communion. His thoughts were fleshly; his soul loved venison, and the savoury meat blinded his mind. "Bring me savoury meat, that my soul may bless you" — give you the blessing — "before I die."

But God will subdue nature, unjudged nature, and in Isaac too! And not only this — so perfect and complete are God's ways! That very indulgence had twisted Isaac's mind and judgment. Now God will use it as the direct instrument to discipline him. God lets him be deceived. The "savoury meat" turned his mind away from sound judgment. And by the "savoury meat" he is made, without knowing it, to act according to the will of God.

Here is the crisis of his ways, when his foot had nearly slipped in the matter of his two sons (Gen. 27). Grace overruled here; and he was saved, yet so as through fire. How striking that such a scene should be singled out to his praise in Hebrews 11:20! "By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau even concerning things to come." Isaac lived many years after this; but Scripture records only his death and burial.

Despite Esau's wrong marriages, and despite God's word that Isaac's older son would serve the younger (Gen. 25:23), Isaac was ready to give his chief blessing to Esau. Verse 1 tells us that his eyes were dim, and no doubt his spiritual eyes were dim also. This was evidently because he let his natural appetite come before the revealed will of God (Gen. 25:28).

Then again, did not Esau, when he was old enough to know better, sell his birthright for one meal? And was this profane act not made worse by his indifference? The chosen family were bound to stay separate before Jehovah, among the doomed races who held the land. His Hittite wives were a bitterness of spirit to both parents: how sad that the father should now treat it so lightly!

But, if we look ahead, Isaac's words filled Rebekah with alarm. She no longer asked Jehovah, as she had in days when her faith was more alive. She listened instead to plan her own wretched deceit, and so defeat the wrong her husband had in mind.

Had she looked to God instead of to her feeble husband and her favourite son, how different everything would have been! Even Abraham listened to Sarah's voice when he was deeply moved about Ishmael. How much more should Rebekah have counted on an appeal to Isaac's conscience! God's own word, given before the twins were born, stood behind her: "the older shall serve the younger."

Jacob's history brings out two great points. On one side is God's purpose of grace. On the other is nature plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose would have brought about for certain, without any plot or scheme at all... God did not need the help of such things as Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the older shall serve the younger." This was enough — enough for faith, but not enough for nature.

If they had acted in faith and depended on God, they might have seen a miraculous answer to the problem. Then they would have had reason for the deepest thanksgiving, instead of troubled consciences.

Anyone who looks at Jacob's life after he obtained his father's blessing by stealth will see that he enjoyed very little worldly happiness. His brother planned to murder him, so he had to flee from his father's house. His uncle Laban deceived him, as he had deceived his father, and treated him harshly... Next he had to grieve over the treachery and cruelty of Simeon and Levi towards the Shechemites. Then he lost his beloved wife. Then his own sons deceived him, and he had to mourn Joseph's supposed early death.

The Scriptures do not spare us the needed lesson of what man is, even elect man. It is painful reading, and meant to be, but full of profit. Many believers are slow to admit that flesh is no better in them than in the patriarchal family... But what a God we have to do with! His purpose of grace is unmoved — otherwise it could never stand. His righteousness never changes, and it chastened every one of them for good even now, yet with pain because of their sins, so that they might not be condemned with the world.

For the time, Isaac was blind in the eyes of his heart — worse than in his physical sight. His foolish favouritism went so far as to thwart the declared mind of God. And this Rebekah overheard and sought to counteract with a woman's craft and quick ability to find a way. Had she looked to God instead of her feeble husband and her fond son, how different everything would have been!

We may assume that Rebekah acted on impulse. She was working against her husband's forgetfulness of the Lord's word, and against Esau's profane and evil character. Who can suppose that she "went to enquire of Jehovah," as she did when the signs troubled her before the twins were born? … But even if her judgment was right, how sad that she spoiled it! She spoiled it by the means she used. She spoiled it also by drawing her beloved child, the object of divine promise, into conduct so unworthy of faith!

She of all people best knew Isaac's piety. And she surely remembered, more vividly than anyone, God's own sentence that the older should serve the younger. So her failure was the more serious. She would not be open with her husband in Jehovah's name — and He would have blessed everyone around, instead of having to chastise.

Rebekah was just as determined that Jacob should have the blessing. But her way of getting it was not of faith. Faith would have quietly trusted God. The One who had promised was faithful, and able to do it. Yet she favoured Jacob out of mere nature, just as Isaac favoured Esau.

God did not need help from things like Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the elder shall serve the younger." That was enough — enough for faith. It was not enough for nature. Nature must always take its own way, and knows nothing of waiting on God.

Rebekah knew what God's purpose was. But she was anxious for her favourite son to have the blessing, so she took up a planned course of deceit to trick her blind husband. She instigated the deceit and Jacob practised it with success. Later events in Jacob's life show him to be a master of clever and even underhand schemes. It is a sobering thought that his earliest recorded lesson in it came from his mother.

She was the prime mover in taking a wrong way to gain a right end. So she had most to feel the chastening of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after what is recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east, and his mother never saw her beloved child again. He too suffered for sorrowful years under the crafty cheating schemes of his mother's brother, his own father-in-law.

Blessing the children was an act done in the combined virtues of a prophet and a priest, and, as we see, the fathers of the families held both in their own persons. They received the mind of God, and then spoke it out as "oracles of God." And, being set apart as priestly representatives of God to their children, they pronounced His blessing, God's blessing, on them.

Granted that Moses uses the name Jehovah throughout the book of Genesis, are we to suppose that he put it into the mouth of Abram in Genesis 14:22, or his servant in 24:12, or Isaac in 27:7, or Jacob in 28:16? Above all, did Moses put it into the mouth of God Himself? Genesis 15:7. That is enough to correct the claim.

Here we find aged Isaac standing at the very door of eternity. The earth and nature are fast fading from his view. Yet he is taken up with "tasty food," and is about to act in direct opposition to God's counsel by blessing the elder instead of the younger. This was nature, and nature with its "eyes dim." Esau had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew; now Isaac was about to give away the blessing for a dish of game. How very humiliating!

For the time, Isaac was blind in the eyes of his heart, worse than in his physical sight. His foolish favouritism would thwart the declared mind of God. Rebekah overheard this and set out to block it with a woman's craft and quick invention. Had she looked to God instead of her feeble husband and the son she doted on, how different everything would have been! ... But this time she did not ask the LORD, as she had done before. She gave way to a low deceit. It was as sinful before God as it was dishonouring to her husband and to herself, and she took no thought of how it would corrupt the very heir of the promise.

God did not need help from things like Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the older shall serve the younger." That was enough. It was enough for faith, but not enough for nature. Nature must always take its own way, and knows nothing of what it is to wait on God.

Isaac had no curse to call down on Rebekah. But she was the prime mover in the wrong way to gain a right end, so she had most to feel the discipline of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after what is recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east, and his mother never saw her beloved child again. He too had years of sorrow, suffering under the cunning cheating schemes of his mother's brother, his own father-in-law. No human being shall or can boast. The only boast left is in the LORD. He never fails. When everyone else failed, as here, He alone carried out His purpose in mercy and wisdom.

We may assume that Rebekah acted on impulse in getting round her husband's forgetfulness of the Lord's word, and Esau's profane and evil character. Who can suppose that she "went to inquire of the LORD," as she did when troubled by appearances before the twins were born? The sly Syrian character of her family asserted itself, in the assurance that Isaac was altogether in the wrong. But if she was right in her judgment, how sad to spoil it! She spoiled it by her own way of carrying it out, and by drawing her beloved child, the child of God's promise, into conduct so unworthy of faith.

But God's purpose must stand, and He will do all His pleasure. Faith knows this; and, knowing it, can wait for God's time. Nature never can do this, but must set about gaining its own ends by its own inventions... God did not need the aid of such things as Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the older shall serve the younger." This was enough — enough for faith, but not enough for nature.

Jacob's deceit is not what gets him the blessing. It gets him nothing but twenty years of toil and sorrow, banishment from his father's house, and life under the will of others. The blessing could not be Esau's. Were Isaac or Esau greater than God, that they could change His purpose? Or did He need Jacob's feeble hand to hold up His throne? Sadly, he is neither the first nor the last to act as if it were so. And this is what restlessness and impatience mean. Either there is some desire of the heart we must have whether He wills it or not, or there is some doubt whether God is truly God. It is rank unbelief or rank self-will, and these are close companions.

One writer defends Jacob in this whole matter, saying that Jacob was responsible to obey his mother, so no blame could attach to him! But Jacob was a grown man, not a little child. In fact, even a little child is wrong to tell a lie, whether his mother tells him to or not.

Even Jacob felt and voiced his misgivings. He feared that his mother's deceit, which he was about to carry out, would bring a curse from his father instead of a blessing. But Rebekah's will was set too firmly on her plan, and she showed real skill in guarding her son from the danger he expected. In neither of them do we find conscience at work.

Isaac certainly had no curse to call down on Rebekah. But as she was the prime mover in the wrong way to gain a right end, she had most to feel the chastening of God's unfailing moral government. For soon after the events recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east; and the mother never saw her beloved child again. He too had to smart through sorrowful years under the crafty cheating schemes of his mother's brother, his own father-in-law. No one will boast; no one can... He never fails; and when everyone else failed, as here, He alone carries out His purpose in mercy and wisdom.

"The older shall serve the younger" was God's word in Jacob's favour, before the children were born. But Jacob did not wait in the patience of faith until the Lord made His promise good in His own time and way. So the promise gets loaded with reservations, difficulties and burdens. It will certainly be made good in the end; but because of this way of Jacob's, his unbelief and scheming, the older will give the younger much trouble.

Rebekah had Jacob kill two young goats. Their meat would be young and tender (v. 9), and she could prepare it so well that Isaac never suspected it was not venison. So much for our preconceived ideas of what we like the best!

A kid of the goats is constantly mentioned for the sin offering. Numbers 7:16-87, and so on. As food, the kid counts as a delicacy. Rebekah used kids to prepare the tasty dish that passed for venison, and with it Jacob deceived his father. Genesis 27:9.

Isaac knew the Word of God, "the older shall serve the younger," yet he wanted to bless Esau. This was failure on his side. Yet he blessed Jacob by faith (Hebrews 11:20). Rebekah wants to fall in line with what God had declared, but she uses sinful means. She tries to help God fulfil His Word by her own schemes. Jacob obeys his mother and makes use of the deception. Esau deceives too, for he claimed a blessing to which he had no right before God and man. This chapter shows the flesh and its sinful ways in full. Still, God carried out His will.

When Rebekah overheard these instructions, she saw an emergency coming. The Lord had told her that Jacob would have the chief place. But instead of going to Him in prayer, she took the only way she saw to change things. Her plan did work the way she wanted, and no doubt God was over this. But we still cannot defend her cunning scheme to deceive her husband. God could have worked the matter out another way, without drawing Rebekah and Jacob into deception. If they had acted in faith and depended on God, they might have seen a miraculous answer to the problem. Then they would have had reason for the deepest thanksgiving, instead of troubled consciences.

She of all people knew best how devoted to God Isaac was. She surely remembered God's own decree, that the older should serve the younger. That made it a graver failure in her not to be open with her husband in Jehovah's name. He would have blessed them all, instead of having to discipline them.

Rebekah, on the other hand, knew what God's purpose was, but in her anxiety for the blessing of her favourite she resorted to a calculated course of deceit in order to trick her blind husband. She instigated the deceit and Jacob practised it with success. Later episodes in Jacob's life reveal him to us as a man who was a master of artful and even underhand designs. It is a solemn thought that he got the earliest recorded lesson in this kind of thing from his mother.

Jacob deceives his father with the skins of goats, and in the years to come his own sons will deceive him with the blood of a goat. The sovereign grace by which we are blessed does not alter that memorable law: "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Galatians 6:7).

As she was the prime mover in the wrong way to gain a right end, so she had most to feel the discipline of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after the events recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east. His mother never saw her beloved child again.

We may assume that Rebekah acted on impulse. She was working around her husband's forgetfulness of the Lord's word, and around Esau's profane and evil character. Who can suppose that she "went to inquire of the LORD," as she did when she was troubled before the twins were born? Her family's crafty Syrian streak showed itself: she was sure Isaac was completely in the wrong. But even if her judgment was right, how sad to spoil it! She spoiled it by the means she used, and even more by drawing her beloved child, the child of God's promise, into conduct so unworthy of faith!

When Rebekah overheard these instructions, she saw an emergency coming. The Lord had told her that Jacob would have the chief place. But instead of going to Him in prayer, she took the only way she could see to change things. Her plan did work out as she wanted, and no doubt God was over this. Still, we cannot defend her cunning scheme to deceive her husband... If they had acted in faith and leaned on God, they might have seen a miraculous answer to the problem. Then they would have had reason for deepest thanksgiving, instead of troubled consciences.

God did not need help from Rebekah's cunning or Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "The older shall serve the younger." That was enough — enough for faith, but not enough for nature. Nature must always take its own way, and knows nothing of waiting on God.

Jacob behaved badly under his mother's crooked advice, doing evil so that good might come. Yet he truly valued what the Almighty had done and promised in words that could not lie. That made the sin all the greater. Son and mother alike distrusted Him, and they did so while Isaac was making his unworthy attempt to indulge his favourite against the Lord's purpose.

Rebekah was the prime mover in taking a wrong way to gain a right end, so she had most to feel the chastening of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after the events recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east, and his mother never saw her beloved child again. Jacob too had to suffer through sorrowful years under the crafty cheating schemes of his mother's brother, who was his own father-in-law.

As a result of all this corruption and deceit, Isaac has to send Jacob away from home... Esau becomes a sorrow to his parents. And Jacob, for twenty years, becomes a wanderer in a strange land, shut out from his father's home and from the Land of Promise.

Genesis 27 shows us a deeply humbling picture of sensuality, deceit, and cunning... Yet how true and faithful is the Holy Spirit! He must tell the whole story. He cannot give us half a picture. If He gives us a history of man, He must describe man as he is, and not as he is not.

It is by grace Jacob comes in, because he had no title... Jacob did value the promise, though the means by which he got it were evil.

Even Jacob felt and voiced his doubts. He was afraid that the deceit of his mother, which he was about to carry out, would bring a curse from his father instead of a blessing. But Rebekah was too set on her scheme. She showed real skill in guarding her son from the danger he expected. In neither of them do we find conscience at work, still less any reckoning on God's gracious power...

But God's purpose must stand, and He will do all His pleasure. Faith knows this, and in the power of that knowledge can wait for God's time. Nature never can do this, but must set about gaining its own ends by its own inventions. Jacob's history brings out two great points. On one side is God's purpose of grace. On the other is nature plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose was certain to bring about without any plot or scheme at all... God did not need the help of Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose.

When Rebekah overheard these instructions, she saw an emergency coming. But she did not go in prayer to the Lord, who had told her that Jacob would have the chief place. Instead she took the only way she saw to change things... God could have worked the matter out another way, without drawing both Rebekah and Jacob into deception. If they had acted in faith and depended on God, they might have seen a miraculous answer to the problem. They would then have had reason for the deepest thanksgiving, instead of troubled consciences.

Jacob showed that he was not profane like Esau. He made much of the divine promise and blessing; but, not resting on God for its fulfilment, he used merely human means to deceive Isaac.

Isaac had no curse to call down on Rebekah. But she was the prime mover in gaining a right end by a wrong way, so she had most to feel the chastening of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after this event Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east, and the mother never saw her beloved child again. Jacob too suffered for years under the cunning cheating schemes of his mother's brother, who was also his father-in-law.

Is God going to be thwarted? Is He going to be hindered in His purposes? Never! Isaac himself gives the fullest blessing to Jacob. He did not realise it at the time, but he spoke with the full sense of authority — and all the while he thought it was Esau... It is a striking illustration of the power of divine purpose. Here is a man who, against his own intention, gives the blessing exactly where God would have it! I do not go into Jacob's scheming, or Rebekah's. He paid dearly for it all. God had no need of his deception.

Jacob feebly opposes his mother's urging, but not in the name of God or of truth. He dreads getting a curse instead of a blessing — "seeming a deceiver," rather than being one. He makes the whole question one of what works, not of what is right, and so has no power at all; or rather, he has already fallen.

Even Jacob felt his qualms and spoke them out. He feared that his mother's deceit, which he was about to carry out, would draw down a curse from his father instead of a blessing. But Rebekah's will was too committed to her scheme; and she showed no little skill in protecting her son from the danger he foresaw. In neither of them do we find conscience at work, still less any reckoning on God's gracious power to bring to nothing Isaac's merely natural plan to hand on the right to the Lord's blessing — the blessing Jacob truly valued, and Esau valued less than a single meal.

How little Jacob knew, at the start of his history, of this blessed mind! How little he was prepared to wait for God's time and God's way! He much preferred Jacob's time and Jacob's way. He thought it far better to reach the blessing and the inheritance by all kinds of cunning and deception than by simply depending on God and submitting to Him. It was God whose electing grace had promised it, and whose almighty power and wisdom would surely bring all of it about for him.

I do not admire the way Jacob got the birthright; still, he prized what Esau despised. God meant him to have it; but Jacob schemed and bargained for it in an unworthy and unbrotherly way... God had already purposed that the blessing should be his; but Jacob was not content to wait on God for it.

For conscience speaks to one's own soul, and it always points to God. His relationship to us is the closest and carries the most authority. A man must not contradict it or push it aside, even for the mother who bore him. Here Rebekah, a godly woman, was so eager for this cunning plan that she showed her own self-will. She boldly offered to take Jacob's curse on herself instead of a blessing, if his father should discover the fraud (vv. 12, 13). But her persistence overruled, or at least silenced, his fears.

He certainly got the blessing his father gave. As Hebrews 11:20 shows, there was an element of faith in it, and it was according to the purpose of God. Yet he did not get divine blessing by scheming of this shabby kind. What he got was an unpleasant chain of consequences that tangled him in lifelong difficulties. He came definitely under the discipline of God.

When Rebekah overheard these instructions, she saw an emergency coming. The Lord had told her that Jacob would have the chief place. Yet instead of going to Him in prayer, she took the only way she saw to change things. Her plan did work out the way she wanted, and no doubt God was over this. Still, we cannot defend her cunning scheme to deceive her husband. God could have worked things out another way, without drawing Rebekah and Jacob into deception.

Jacob was hesitant about the whole scheme. Rebekah urged him to obey her, and said she would bear the results if the plan went wrong. One writer defends Jacob in this whole matter. He says Jacob had a duty to obey his mother, so no blame could attach to him! But Jacob was a grown man, not a little child. In fact, even a little child is wrong to tell a lie, whether his mother tells him to or not.

There is a strange mixture of faith and unbelief in Rebekah and Jacob. Both had faith enough to value the blessing, but not enough to trust God for it. So they seek to secure it by deceit. So Jacob lives up to his name, "supplanter." He reaps a bitter harvest from all his sowing. He is himself deceived in much the same way, and over a favourite son, just as he had deceived his father Isaac.

"Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice," said Rebekah. Isaac had no curse to call down on Rebekah. But she led the way in using a wrong method to reach a right end, so she had the most to feel of the discipline of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after the events recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east, and his mother never saw her beloved child again. Jacob suffered too. For sorrowful years his mother's brother, who was also his father-in-law, cheated him with crafty schemes.

Genesis 27 records the cunning way Jacob, urged on by his mother, deceived his blind father and took Esau's place in the blessing. He lied both in word and in action... As for Jacob, he did get the family blessing handed down from father to son. As Hebrews 11:20 shows, that blessing had an element of faith in it, and it matched the purpose of God. Yet scheming of this shabby kind did not win him God's blessing. What it won him was an unpleasant chain of consequences that tangled him in lifelong difficulties. He came under God's discipline.

Jacob got the blessing by deceiving his blind father, but he could not have secured it had it not been the will of God that it should be his. Had he known God better he would have left it all in His hands, and he would have saved himself many a sorrow of heart.

Jacob feebly opposes his mother's urging, but not in the name of God or of truth. He dreads getting a curse instead of a blessing — seeming a deceiver, rather than being one. He makes the whole question one of expediency, not of righteousness, so he has no power at all, or rather has already fallen. His mother boldly takes the responsibility, and he has nothing more to say against it.

One writer defends Jacob in this whole matter. He says Jacob was responsible to obey his mother, so no blame could attach to him! But Jacob was a grown man, not a little child. In fact, even a little child is wrong to tell a lie, whether his mother tells him to or not.

God did not need help like Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the elder shall serve the younger." That was enough for faith. It was not enough for nature, which must always take its own ways, and knows nothing of what it is to wait on God.

We may assume that Rebekah acted on impulse. She was working around her husband's forgetfulness of the Lord's word, and around Esau's profane and evil character. Who can suppose that she "went to enquire of Jehovah," as she did when what she saw troubled her, before the twins were born? … But if she was right in her judgment, how sad to spoil it! She spoiled it by her own way of carrying it out, and by drawing her beloved child, the object of divine promise, into conduct so unworthy of faith.

Rebekah's clever cookery presented the flesh of the kids as though it were venison, and so deceived his taste. She produced Esau's garments and put them on Jacob, and that deceived his sense of smell. She covered Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the slain kids, and that deceived his sense of touch just as well. One sense remained, hearing, and Isaac recognised the voice as Jacob's. It was a case of three senses against one.

He was not in communion with God, and a saint who is not in communion is liable to be deceived by the crudest means. His thoughts were on the flesh. His soul loved venison, and the tasty dish blinded his mind.

Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the kids of the goats." Now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with "a kid of the goats." There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes.

She was the prime mover in a wrong way to gain a right end, so she felt most of the chastening of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after the events recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east. The mother never saw her beloved child again.

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob deceived his blind father, Isaac, by wearing Esau's garment. Esau's garment is called his best clothing, and since he was the elder it may have been much like Joseph's "coat of many colours." By fine clothing Jacob deceived his father; by fine clothing his sons deceived him. The measure he gave out came back to him. God's government of His people works with great precision.

When Rebekah overheard these instructions, she saw an emergency coming. The Lord had already told her that Jacob would have the chief place. Yet instead of going to Him in prayer, she took the only way she saw to change things. Her plan did work the way she wanted, and no doubt God was over this. Even so, we cannot defend her cunning scheme to deceive her husband. God could have worked the matter out another way, without drawing Rebekah and Jacob into deception.

There is a strange mixture of faith and unbelief in Rebekah and Jacob. Both had faith enough to value the blessing, but not enough to trust God for it. So they seek to secure it by deceit. In this way Jacob lives up to his name, "supplanter."

One writer defends Jacob in all this, saying that he had to obey his mother, so no blame could fall on him! But Jacob was a grown man, not a little child. In fact, even a little child is wrong to tell a lie, whether his mother tells him to or not. Rebekah gave Jacob Esau's clothes to wear, and goat skins for his hands and the smooth part of his neck. Jacob went ahead with the deception.

The sovereign grace of the Lord will not set aside the faithful government of the Lord. Jacob's circumstances do not change. He still has to go his lonely way as a wanderer. He still has to spend long years of hard labour and bondage in a stranger's house, all because of his sin against his father and brother. He has to reap what he has sown. Jacob deceives his father with the skins of goats, and in the years to come his own sons will deceive him with the blood of a goat.

Isaac had no curse to call down on Rebekah. But she was the one who set this in motion, a wrong way to gain a right end. So she had most to feel the chastening of God's unfailing moral government. Soon after the events recorded here, Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east, and his mother never saw her beloved child again.

Is God going to be thwarted? Is He going to be hindered in His purposes? Never! Isaac himself gives the fullest blessing to Jacob. He does not realise it at the time, and he thinks he is blessing Esau, yet he speaks with full authority… I will not go into the scheming of Jacob and Rebekah. He paid a heavy price for it all. God had no need of his deception. He will carry out His purposes despite nature on the one hand or the other.

Jacob got the blessing by deceiving his blind father. But he could never have got it unless God willed it to be his. If he had known God better, he would have left it all in His hands, and would have saved himself much sorrow of heart.

People have five senses, as we all know. Poor Isaac had lost one of them. His sight was gone, so he had only the other four left, and this striking story shows that all four came into play. Rebekah's clever cooking served the meat of the young goats as though it were wild game, and deceived his taste. She brought out Esau's clothes and put them on Jacob, and so deceived his sense of smell. Covering Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the killed goats deceived his sense of touch just as well. One sense was left, hearing, and Isaac recognized the voice as Jacob's. It was three senses against one: three said the son he could not see was Esau, and only one said it was Jacob. Isaac accepted the verdict of the majority and blessed the son he could not see.

God's purpose must stand, and He will do all His pleasure. Faith knows this, and in the power of that knowledge it can wait for God's time. Nature can never do this. It must set about gaining its own ends by its own inventions. These are the two great points brought out in Jacob's history. On the one hand there is God's purpose of grace. On the other there is nature, plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose would certainly have brought about without any plot or scheme at all... God did not need Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the older shall serve the younger." That was enough — enough for faith, but not enough for nature, which must always take its own ways, and knows nothing of waiting on God.

When Rebekah overheard these instructions, she saw an emergency coming. Instead of going in prayer to the Lord, who had told her that Jacob would have the chief place, she took the only way she saw to change things. Her plan worked the way she wanted, and no doubt God was over this, but we still cannot defend her cunning scheme to deceive her husband. God could have worked it out another way, without drawing both Rebekah and Jacob into deception. If they had acted in faith and depended on God, they might have seen a miraculous answer, and had reason for deepest thanksgiving, instead of troubled consciences.

It is notorious that the commentators are here remarkably silent; or, if they speak, they bring in Jehovah Elohim clothing Adam and Eve with the coats of skins He made for them (Genesis 3:21). Some of them add Jacob personating Esau by the kid-skins Rebekah's craft put upon his hands and neck to deceive his dim-sighted father (Genesis 27). Such applications cannot stand.

These sons practiced a heartless piece of deceit on their father, which plunged the old man into the deepest sorrow, and then the hypocrites gathered round to comfort him. No one can excuse the wickedness of his sons, yet we cannot help seeing in this scene that Jacob is only reaping what he had already sown. Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the young goats," and now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with a goat. There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes.

The Scriptures do not spare us the needed lesson of what man is, even God's chosen man. It is painful reading, and meant to be, but full of profit... Every one of them showed at this point the bad moral state of his own heart. Self-indulgence in his appetite so overcame the usually blameless Isaac that he lost sight of the Lord's will and choice of Jacob. Rebekah, however right about the end in view, had no scruples about the means. Jacob did feel conscience and fear about the deceit he was to practice on his blind father, yet he dreaded a curse instead of the blessing he valued. But what a God we have to do with! He is unmoved in His purpose of grace, and unchanging in His righteousness, which chastened every one of them for good even then, though with pain because of their sins.

We all know that people have five senses. Poor Isaac was missing one of them. His sight was gone, so he was left with the other four, and this striking story shows that all four came into play. Rebekah's clever cooking made the meat of the young goats taste like venison, so it fooled his taste. Putting Esau's clothes on Jacob fooled his sense of smell. Covering Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the killed goats fooled his sense of touch. One sense remained, that of hearing, and Isaac recognised the voice as Jacob's. Three senses said the son he could not see was Esau, and only one said it was Jacob. Isaac accepted the verdict of the majority and blessed the son he could not see.

Both showed favouritism, as verse 28 of the previous chapter said, and their own preferences ruled them. Because Isaac had lost his sight, he expected death many years before it came. He was eager to give the blessing to Esau, even though God had made known before the twins were born that Esau was to serve Jacob. So Isaac was trying to defeat the purpose of God, and the chapter reveals how his effort failed.

For the time, Isaac was blinded in the eyes of his heart even worse than in his physical sight. It showed in his foolish favouritism, which tried to block what God had plainly declared.

Jacob showed himself an expert, as if born to it. "I am Esau your firstborn," he replied to his hesitating father; "I have done as you told me." Bold lies were not enough for him. He went on to hypocritical lying, for no sin grows smaller or better the more it is used. He meets his father's surprise at how quickly the food came with his daring answer, "The LORD your God brought it to me."

There is a strange mixing of faith and unbelief in Rebekah and Jacob. Both had faith enough to value the blessing, but not enough to trust God for it. So they try to secure it by deceit. In this way Jacob lives up to his name, "supplanter." He reaps a bitter harvest from his sowing. He is deceived himself in much the same way, and over a favourite son, just as he had deceived his father Isaac.

He did get the patriarchal blessing. As Hebrews 11:20 shows, it had an element of faith in it, and it was according to the purpose of God. Yet he did not get divine blessing by scheming of this shameful kind. What he got was an unpleasant chain of consequences that tangled him in lifelong trouble. He came under the discipline of God.

The Scriptures do not spare us the needed lesson of what man is, even chosen man. It is painful reading, and meant to be, but full of profit... But what a God we have to deal with! His purpose of grace is unmoved — otherwise it could never stand. His righteousness never changes, and it chastened every one of them for their good even now, though with pain because of their sins, so that they might not be condemned with the world.

Jacob proved himself an expert, as though born to it. "I am Esau your firstborn," he answered his hesitating father. "I have done as you told me." Bold lies were not enough for him. He went on to hypocritical lying, for no sin grows smaller or better with use. He met his father's surprise at how quickly the food arrived with the daring reply, "Because the LORD your God granted me success." His voice raised a difficulty even for dull Isaac. But he felt the goat skins laid so cleverly over his neck and hands. He also smelled Esau's best clothes, especially after the tasty food and wine. That removed any further question from the aged father.

But God's purpose must stand, and He will do all His pleasure. Faith knows this, and in the power of that knowledge can wait for God's time. Nature never can. It must gain its own ends by its own inventions. Jacob's history brings out two great points. On one side is God's purpose of grace. On the other is nature plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose would have brought about for certain, without any plot or scheme at all. God did not need help from Rebekah's cunning or Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the older shall serve the younger." That was enough — enough for faith, but not enough for nature.

Then we get Jacob. He is a poor sample in any case, but he values the promise, though it is for the earth. Esau does not, and forfeits his birthright. Jacob comes in by grace, because he had no title. Esau had title, but in the election of grace the older was to serve the younger. In fact it comes about through Esau's contempt for holy things, while Jacob does value the promise, though the means by which he got it were evil.

Scripture does not spare us the needed lesson of what man is, even elect man. It is painful reading, and meant to be. But it is full of profit. Many believers are slow to admit that the flesh is no better in them than in this family. Each of them showed the bad moral state they were in. Rebekah was right about the end in view, but she had no scruples at all about the means. Jacob had some conscience and fear about deceiving his blind father and pretending to be Esau. He dreaded a curse instead of the blessing he valued. But what a God we have to do with! His purpose of grace is unmoved. His righteousness is unchanging, and it chastened every one of them for good even then.

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob deceived his blind father Isaac by wearing Esau's garment. Esau's garment is called one of his "best garments." Since he was the elder, it may have been very similar to Joseph's "robe of many colors." By fine clothing Jacob deceived his father. By fine clothing his sons deceived him. As he measured out, so it was measured back to him. God's government of His people works with great precision.

Here Jacob tells a direct lie for his own advantage. It is another despicable form of this many-headed sin. Note too that Jacob was a child of God. The result was that he suffered the consequences of his sin for the next thirty years of his life. He gained nothing by it, for God would have given him everything in due time. Have any of my readers fallen victim to this sin? If so, I am sure they have suffered since. There can be no real restoration until that lie is confessed, not only to God but to man.

He was not content with bold lies; he went on to hypocritical lying. No sin grows smaller or better with use. He meets his father's surprise at how quickly the food came with his daring answer: "The LORD your God granted me success."

He brought the meat to his father and told him that he was Esau. Isaac wondered that Esau had found game so quickly. But Jacob hypocritically brought God's name into his deception, to make Isaac more comfortable (v. 20).

This seems to have been Jacob's first personal dealing with the Lord, though he had spoken to his father Isaac, saying, "the LORD your God" (Gen. 27:20). Like many a young man, he knew the Name of the Lord. He had heard it from his parents, and he had used it himself. But he had no personal acquaintance with the Lord yet.

How little Jacob knew, at the start of his history, of this blessed mind! How little ready he was to wait for God's time and God's way! He much preferred Jacob's time and Jacob's way. He thought it much better to reach the blessing and the inheritance by all sorts of cunning and deception than by simple dependence on God and subjection to Him. Yet this was the God whose electing grace had promised, and whose almighty power and wisdom would certainly do everything for him.

There is a strange mixture of faith and unbelief in Rebekah and Jacob. Both had faith enough to value the blessing, but not enough to trust God for it. So they seek to secure it by deceit. So Jacob lives up to his name, "supplanter." He reaps a bitter harvest from all his sowing. He himself is later deceived in much the same way, and over a favourite son, just as he had deceived his father Isaac.

Note too: Jacob was a child of God. The result was that for the next thirty years he suffered from the consequences of his sin. He also gained nothing by it, for God would have given him everything in due time. Have any of my readers fallen into this sin? In a hurry to get rich, or to improve their position, or in some way to run ahead of God, have they ever told a lie from selfish motives? If so, I am sure they have suffered since. And there can be no real restoration until that lie is confessed, not only to God, but to man. Too often, sadly, one lie leads to another, as in Jacob's case.

But what a God we have to deal with! He is unmoved in His purpose of grace — otherwise it could never stand. He is unchanging in His righteousness. That righteousness chastened every one of them for good even now, though with pain because of their sins.

We all know that people have five senses. Poor Isaac had lost one of them. With his sight gone, he was left with the other four, and this striking story shows that all four were put to work. Rebekah's clever cooking served up the meat of the young goats as if it were wild game, and so fooled his taste. She brought out Esau's clothes and put them on Jacob, and that fooled his sense of smell. Her plan of covering Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the killed goats fooled his sense of touch just as well. One sense was left, hearing, and Isaac recognised the voice as Jacob's. It was three senses against one. Three senses said the son he could not see was Esau, and only one said it was Jacob. Isaac accepted the majority verdict and blessed the son he could not see.

How did such a clumsy trick fool Isaac? He knew the voice. Were the neck and wrists, covered with the skin of a young goat, a surer test than the voice? This trick would never have fooled a sensible man of the world. How did it happen? He was not in communion with God, and the crudest of tricks can fool a believer who is out of communion. His thoughts ran after what pleased his body. His soul loved wild game, and the tasty meal blinded his mind… What blocked his faith was the lowest of bodily appetites — a liking for tasty food. Yet the lowliest enemy, like the greatest, can be beaten only by the same power, and that power is always faith in God.

Yet the majority verdict was wrong, and only the evidence of his ear was right. In this we see a picture of a very important principle: God-given faith comes by hearing. Faith is not sight, as we know. But many people seem to think faith comes by feeling. You find this not only among those who want assurance of salvation, but also among those who are saved. They would rather go by feelings or other natural senses than by simple faith in the word of God. We live in an age in which God speaks to us, not through sight or feeling, but through the hearing of faith. We can safely trust His voice, even if all our natural senses say otherwise.

If I am in a dark cellar, I must feel my way. But if I have a light to go by, I do not have to trust my feelings. God's word is the lamp that gives us light and makes us sure. I dare not trust my feelings. Isaac trusted his feelings and was fooled… He made a disastrous mistake. He went by feelings instead of by the voice. Only the voice of God can give us certainty. And the Scriptures are the voice of God.

Rebekah, on the other hand, knew what God's purpose was, but in her anxiety for the blessing of her favourite she resorted to a calculated course of deceit in order to trick her blind husband. She instigated the deceit and Jacob practised it with success. Later episodes in Jacob's life reveal him to us as a man who was a master of artful and even underhand designs. It is a solemn thought that he got the earliest recorded lesson in this kind of thing from his mother.

Isaac, who was usually blameless, let his appetite get the better of him. He lost sight of how godless his elder son was, and of Jehovah's will and choice of Jacob. Rebekah was right about the goal, but she had no conscience at all about the means. Jacob did have some conscience and fear about the deceit he was about to work on his blind father… But what a God we have to deal with! He is unmoved in His purpose of grace… It may not be that He brings good out of evil, as people say. Rather, it is His own good, given to do us good, rising above every fault and dishonour.

Rebekah's clever cooking served up the meat of young goats as if it were venison, so his taste was deceived. Putting Esau's clothes on Jacob deceived his sense of smell. Her plan of covering Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the killed goats fooled his sense of touch just as well. One sense remained, that of hearing, and Isaac recognized the voice as that of Jacob. It was a case of three senses against one... Isaac accepted the verdict of the majority and blessed the son he could not see.

Yet the majority verdict was wrong, and only the testimony of his ear was right. We see in this an allegory, illustrating a very important principle, namely that God-given faith comes by hearing. Faith is not sight, as we know... We are living in a time when God is addressing Himself, not to sight or feeling, but to the hearing of faith. We may safely trust His voice, even if all our natural senses contradict.

If I am in a dark cellar, I must feel my way... But if I have a light to go by I do not have to trust to feelings. God's word is the lamp that gives us light and makes us certain. I dare not trust my feelings. Isaac trusted his feelings and was deceived... He made a disastrous mistake. He went by feelings, instead of being guided by the voice. The voice of God alone can give us certainty. And the Scriptures are the voice of God.

Isaac was deceived in a way in which no man of the world, with common sense, would have been. How did it happen? He was not in communion with God, and a believer out of communion can be deceived by the crudest means. His thoughts followed the flesh; his soul loved venison, and the tasty meat blinded his mind.

Not content with bold lies, he went on to hypocritical lying; for no sin grows smaller or better the more it is used.

At this point every one of them showed how bad his moral state was. Isaac, usually blameless, let his appetite get the better of him. He lost sight of two things: how little his elder son cared for holy things, and Jehovah's will and choice of Jacob. Rebekah may have been right about the goal, but she had no scruples at all about the means... But what a God we have to deal with, unmoved in His purpose of grace!

Then he realised what he had done — his attempt to set aside God's order and choice. He trembled greatly. Then faith awoke, and the scales fell from his eyes. God's will, that the younger should rule over the elder, came back to his memory. In spite of his earthly preferences he said, "Yes, and he shall be blessed." He sees how God kept him from giving the promise to the wrong man... This was his one great victory of faith.

In this matter the believer is often as puzzled about himself as blind Isaac was. Isaac felt the hairy hands of Esau but heard the voice of Jacob... The believer does not have to stay in the dark about why, when his voice says, "I go, sir," his feet stay where they are or go the other way.

Of the five senses we all have, one was missing in poor Isaac. His sight was gone, so he was left with the other four. This striking story shows that all four were used. Rebekah's clever cooking presented the flesh of the young goats as though it were venison, and it deceived his taste. She put Esau's clothes on Jacob, which deceived his sense of smell. Her plan of covering Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the killed goats deceived his sense of touch just as well. One sense remained, that of hearing, and Isaac recognised the voice as Jacob's. It was a case of three senses against one. Isaac accepted the verdict of the majority and blessed the son he could not see.

Yet the majority verdict was wrong, and only the testimony of his ear was right. This story pictures a very important principle: God-given faith comes by hearing. Faith is not sight, as we know. But many seem to think it comes by feeling. That is true of people wanting assurance of salvation, and of those already saved. Such people would rather be guided by their feelings or other natural senses than by simple faith in the word of God. We live in a time when God addresses Himself, not to sight or feeling, but to the hearing of faith. We may safely trust His voice, even if all our natural senses contradict it.

How did Isaac come to be deceived by such a clumsy trick? He knew the voice. Were the neck and wrists, covered with the skin of a young goat, a surer test than the voice? Isaac was deceived in a way that no man of the world with common sense would have been. How did it happen? He was not in communion with God, and a saint who is not in communion is liable to be deceived by the grossest means. His thoughts were fleshly; his soul loved venison, and the savoury meat blinded his mind... When he became aware of what he had done, he trembled greatly. Then faith woke up, and the scales fell from his eyes. God's will, that the younger should rule over the elder, came back to his memory, and he said that Jacob would have the blessing. He condemns his own part in it, and takes God's side.

Two great points come out in Jacob's history. One is God's purpose of grace. The other is nature plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose would certainly have brought about anyway, without any plot or scheme at all... God did not need the help of Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's blatant deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the elder shall serve the younger." That was enough for faith. It was not enough for nature, which must always take its own way, and knows nothing of waiting on God.

Genesis 27 tells the story of Isaac blessing his sons. It is a sad chapter in which every member of the family breaks down, and we can find little evidence of any faith in it. There Isaac looks like a man ruled by his appetites, acting according to nature. Yet God, who sees behind all outward failure, lets us know it was by faith that Isaac blessed his sons concerning things to come.

No doubt he often had to suffer from Laban's deceit. But was there not a reminder here of the deceit he had practised himself? He is deceived about his wife, deceived about his wages, deceived about everything. Yet how had he dealt with his father, not to speak of his brother? Deceit must meet with deceit under the repaying hand of God.

Isaac was not too sure that it was Esau speaking to him, and as Jacob expected, he wanted to feel him to be certain. It is a lesson for us that we cannot always depend on our sight or on our feelings either. But Isaac allowed his feelings to persuade him, though his hearing told him it was Jacob's voice. Still, he pressed further in asking if Jacob was really his very son Esau, and Jacob flatly lied to him, saying, "I am."

Jacob showed himself an expert as if born to it. "I am Esau your firstborn," he replied to his hesitating father; "I have done as you told me." Not content with bold falsehoods, he went on to hypocritical lying. No sin grows smaller or better through use.

Jacob's history brings out two great points. On one side stands God's purpose of grace. On the other stands nature, plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose would certainly have brought about anyway, without any plot or scheme at all... God did not need help from things like Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose. He had said, "the older shall serve the younger." That was enough for faith. It was not enough for nature. Nature must always take its own way, and knows nothing of waiting on God.

Neither Esau's "running" nor Isaac's "willing" could set aside God's purpose. As the apostle says in Romans 9:16, "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy." Without His mercy not one could inherit the blessing. But that does not stop His moral government in the meantime. It passes over no fault in His children, because He hates their wrongs and loves them. If they were not truly His sons, He would leave their sins to meet their just doom at the last day.

While no one can excuse the wickedness of his sons, we cannot help seeing in this scene that Jacob is only reaping what he had already sown. Thirty years before, Jacob had deceived his father with "the skins of the young goats." Now, after long years, his own sons deceive him with "a young goat." There may be long years between the sowing and the reaping, but at last the reaping time comes.

Note too that Jacob was a child of God. As a result, he suffered for the next thirty years from the consequences of his sin. He gained nothing by it, for God would have given him everything in due time... Have any of my readers fallen into this sin? Making haste to be rich, or to improve their position, or in some way running ahead of God, have they ever, from selfish motives, told a lie? If so, I am sure they have suffered since; and there can be no real restoration until that lie is confessed not only to God but to man.

The blots, the failures and the errors of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob have been perfectly washed away... but their history remains on the page of inspiration, to display God's grace and to warn God's people in every age. And further, that we may clearly see that the blessed God has not been dealing with perfect men and women, but with people who have "a nature like ours."

Scripture never makes the spirit responsible for animal desires such as eating and drinking. Yet it says the soul loves eating and drinking, or hates certain foods. See for example Genesis 27:25; Numbers 21:5; Deuteronomy 12:20, 14:26; Job 33:20; Proverbs 13:25, and many other places.

The Scriptures do not spare us the lesson we need about what man is, even man whom God has chosen. It is painful reading, and meant to be, but full of profit. Many believers are slow to admit that the flesh in them is no better than the flesh in this family. Each of them showed here how bad his moral state was. Isaac, who was usually blameless, gave in to his appetite so far that he lost sight of two things: how godless his older son was, and how Jehovah had willed and chosen Jacob.

We may all be aware how much of our nature stains our holy things, and how much of the mere excitement of the flesh can be mistaken for the easy, strong current of the Spirit. We may notice it even in the place of communion with God. This should be our sorrow and our humbling. We are to confess it as evil, or at least as weakness, and to guard against it. But to get ready for it by mixing the wine and strong drink with care, and taking a deep drink — that goes further still in defilement.

Not content with audacious falsehoods, he went on to hypocritical lying; for no sin grows less or better in the use. His father wondered how the food came so quickly, and Jacob answered with daring: "Jehovah your God brought it to me." His voice did raise a doubt even in the dull Isaac. But the touch of the goat skins that covered his neck and hands so cleverly, and the smell of Esau's best clothes, above all after tasty food and wine, took away any further question from the old man.

One sense remained, that of hearing, and Isaac recognized the voice as that of Jacob. It was a case of three senses against one. Three senses declared that the son he could not see was Esau, and only one declared that it was Jacob. Isaac accepted the verdict of the majority and blessed the son he could not see.

We are living in an epoch in which God is addressing Himself, not to sight or feeling, but to the hearing of faith. We may safely trust His voice, even if all our natural senses contradict.

When he saw that God had overruled, he did not turn on his wife and his younger son. He bowed and judged himself, and he trembled with a very great trembling. In faith he sealed the words his lips had spoken without knowing, yet under God: "Yes, and he shall be blessed." He felt that, whoever else was to blame, the error was his own. God was only making sure now of what He had said before the sons were born.

Isaac is set aside, Rebekah never sees Jacob again, and the schemer who had pushed his brother out of place now finds himself in hard work, wrongs and hardships. He is pushed out and deceived himself again and again, and for twenty long years he is a stranger, far from his father's house.

We all know that people have five senses. Poor Isaac had lost one of them. His sight was gone, so he was left with the other four. This striking story shows that all four were used. Rebekah's clever cooking served the meat of young goats as though it were venison, so his taste was deceived. She brought out Esau's garments and put them on Jacob, and that deceived his sense of smell. She covered Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the killed young goats, and that deceived his sense of touch just as well. One sense remained, that of hearing, and Isaac recognised the voice as that of Jacob. It was a case of three senses against one.

Yet the majority verdict was wrong, and only the testimony of his ear was right. This illustrates a very important principle: God-given faith comes by hearing. Faith is not sight, as we know. But many think it comes by feeling. That includes people who want assurance of salvation, and also people who are already saved. Such people would rather follow feelings or other natural senses than simple faith in the word of God... We may safely trust His voice, even if all our natural senses contradict.

Not content with bold falsehoods, he went on to hypocritical lying; for no sin grows less or better by use. He meets his father's surprise at how quickly the food came with his daring answer, "The LORD your God granted me success." His voice raised a difficulty even for dull Isaac. But the goat skins so cleverly covered his neck and hands that they felt right. Esau's best clothes smelled right too, especially after tasty food and wine. So the aged father asked no more questions.

The Scriptures do not spare us the needed lesson of what man is, even God's chosen man. It is painful reading, and meant to be, but full of profit. Many believers are slow to admit that the flesh is no better in them than in this family. Every one of them showed at this point how bad his moral state was. Isaac was usually blameless, but self-indulgence in his appetite so overcame him that he lost sight of the older son's contempt for holy things, and of the LORD's will and His choice of Jacob. Rebekah was right about the end in view, but completely unscrupulous about the means. Jacob was not without conscience and fear about the deceit he was to practise on his blind father... He dreaded a curse instead of the blessing he valued. But what a God we have to do with — unmoved in His purpose of grace!

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob deceived his blind father Isaac by wearing Esau's garment. Scripture calls Esau's garment his best, and as he was the elder it may have been something very like Joseph's robe of many colours. By fine clothing Jacob deceived his father. By fine clothing his sons deceived him. As he measured out, so it was measured back to him. God's government of His people works with great precision.

Fully deceived, Isaac blessed him. Verses 28 and 29 give the terms of it, and we notice that it was all concerned with earthly things. He was to have plenty to eat and drink. His brothers and other nations were to serve him, and they would themselves be cursed or blessed by their attitude to him. There was no word about God being his shield and reward, as we find with Abraham. Still, such as it was, it indicated the blessing on earth that was to be his. His descendants have forfeited it, as we know, but God will make it all good to them in the coming thousand-year reign.

Notice the crisis in his ways when his foot had nearly slipped in the matter of his two sons (Genesis 27). Grace overruled here; and he was saved, yet only as through fire. How striking it is that such a scene should be singled out to his credit in Hebrews 11:20! "By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau."

Of our five senses, poor Isaac was missing one. His sight was gone, so he had to rely on the other four, and this striking story shows that all four were used. Rebekah's clever cooking served up the flesh of young goats as though it were venison, so his taste was deceived. She brought out Esau's garments and put them on Jacob, and that deceived his sense of smell. She covered Jacob's hands and neck with the hairy skin of the killed goats, and that deceived his sense of touch just as well. One sense remained, hearing, and Isaac recognised the voice as Jacob's. It was three senses against one. Isaac accepted the verdict of the majority and blessed the son he could not see.

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob deceived his blind father, Isaac, by wearing Esau's garment. Esau's garment was one of his "best garments." Since he was the elder, it may have been something very like Joseph's "robe of many colours." By fine clothing Jacob deceived his father; by fine clothing his sons deceived him. What he gave out came back to him in the same measure. God's government of His people works with great precision.

The Scriptures do not spare us the needed lesson of what man is, even chosen man. It is painful reading, and meant to be, but full of profit. Many believers are slow to admit that the flesh is no better in them than in this family. Isaac was usually blameless. But self-indulgence in his appetite so overcame him that he lost sight of the elder son's godlessness, and of the LORD's will and choice of Jacob. Rebekah was right about the end in view, but she had no scruples about the means. Jacob was not without conscience and fear about the deceit he was to practise on his blind father, and about pretending to be Esau by lying. He dreaded a curse instead of the blessing he valued. But what a God we have to deal with! He is unmoved in His purpose of grace — otherwise it could never stand. He is unchanging in His righteousness too. It disciplined every one of them for their good, and it was painful, because of their sins.

A priest blessed by reason of his office, and there was nothing prophetic or oracular in his words. With the patriarchal blessing it was clearly different. There was a prophecy or an oracle in Isaac's words on Esau and Jacob here in Genesis 27. The same was true later, in Jacob's words on his children in Genesis 49, and in his words on Joseph's children in Genesis 48. It was true earlier too, in Noah's words in Genesis 9 on Shem, Ham and Japheth.

Isaac is next set before us as an example of one who walked in the light of the future, for we read that "By faith Isaac invoked future blessings on Jacob and Esau." The story of the blessing of his sons is given in Genesis 27, and as we read that sad chapter in which every member of the family breaks down, we can find little evidence of any faith. There Isaac appears ruled by his appetites, seeking to act according to nature. Here, God, who sees behind all outward failure, lets us know that it was by faith that Isaac blessed his sons concerning things to come.

He will come down on the earth once judgment is over, like gentle showers on thirsty ground, and so the righteous will flourish in His days. In that day there will indeed be "the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed." The blessing Isaac gave to the son who supplanted his brother, the son who became Israel, will find a glorious fulfilment.

Is God going to be thwarted? Is He going to be hindered in His purposes? Never! Isaac himself did not realise it at the time, yet he spoke with full authority. He gave the fullest blessing to Jacob, though he thought he was blessing Esau. That was faith. Not faith in his own purpose, for God ruled that. His faith was in giving the blessing, and in seeing, once he had done it, that it stood as the act of God, and that he could not reverse it.

Dew was the familiar sign of God's favour. It was largely what made the land fertile, and without it the land would have been dry and barren. Isaac, in pronouncing the blessing on Jacob, uses this figure (Gen. 27:28). Moses repeats it in his closing blessing on the tribes (Deut. 33:28). Elijah shows God's judgment on the land by declaring that dew should not fall (1 Kings 17:1)... And Hosea describes the restoration of the nation, when God will bless them again. He pictures Him saying, "I will be as the dew to Israel."

Poor Esau was promised these blessings in reverse order. Earthly things would come first for him. Look at his descendants and relatives today. Where are all the oil wells being fought over today? Esau's descendants have had the blessing of the fatness of the earth, but their lot has been miserable, with all their wars and fighting. The dew of heaven has also fallen on them, but they have hardly noticed.

Verses 28 and 29 give the terms of the blessing, and we notice that it was all concerned with earthly things. He was to have plenty to eat and drink, and be served by his brothers and other nations... There was no word about God being his shield and reward, as we find with Abraham. Still, such as it was, it indicated the blessing on earth that was to be his. His descendants have forfeited it, as we know, but it will all be made good to them in the coming millennial day.

His blessing first voices the desire that God would give his son of the dew of heaven. This is typical of the living refreshment of the Spirit of God. Added to this is an abundance of grain and wine. The grain speaks of the Lord Jesus as the food of the believer... The new wine pictures the joy of a new life in Christ based on the value of the shedding of His blood. Every Christian father or mother may well desire such blessing for all of their children.

The sin of Isaac threw everything into confusion, and gross evil followed on the part of Rebekah and Jacob. The situation was so tangled that Esau, ungodly as he was, seemed more an object of pity at this sad and shameful moment than anyone else involved. Meanwhile those who really cared for the Lord's will and blessing brought dishonour on His name by the deceitful means they used to gain it. What sorrows and shame people make for themselves when they forget that God cannot fail to carry out His own purpose! In their haste for a good end, they do not hesitate to use wicked means.

And the blessing was given, both from Jehovah in covenant, and from God in sovereignty. Yet its terms mainly consisted of earthly plenty from the favour of the heavens. They also covered the subjection of peoples and races of mankind in general, and of his brothers and his mother's sons in particular. It closes with a double sentence of larger and deeper meaning: "Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who blesses you."

Verses 28 and 29 give the terms of it, and we notice that it was all concerned with earthly things. He was to have plenty to eat and drink. His brothers and other nations would serve him, and their attitude to him would bring them a curse or a blessing. There was no word about God being his shield and reward, as we find with Abraham... His descendants have forfeited it, as we know, but it will all be made good to them in the coming millennial day.

Is God going to be thwarted? Is He going to be hindered in His purposes? Never! Without knowing it at the time, but with the full sense of authority, Isaac gives the fullest blessing to Jacob. He was under the impression that it was Esau. That was faith. Not faith in his own purpose, for God ruled that, but faith in giving the blessing. Once he had done it, he realized it would stand as the act of God, and he could not reverse it. It is a striking illustration of the power of divine purpose.

His eye is opened. He discovers what he had been doing, and how Jacob had got the blessing he had prepared for Esau. He now sees plainly that he had been resisting God and could not prevail, and his soul seems to awaken as from sleep... The flesh he had been feeding could not support him in such a moment, and he does not look for it. It has been exposed to him. In the light and energy of the better life he acts by faith. Speaking now of Jacob, and no longer of Esau, he says, "I have blessed him, yes, and he shall be blessed."

Jacob was to be the father of the nation of Israel, and other nations would eventually bow to them. Above all, Christ would be born of the line of Jacob, and the force of the prophecy is mainly that all must bow to Christ... The ultimate fulfilment of this prophecy has never taken place yet. It will not come until Israel is recovered from her present unbelief and bows to the Lord Jesus, the true Messiah of Israel.

Balaam therefore ends his parable with the words of God to Abraham. "Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you." Matthew 25 shows how this is fulfilled. There the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory. He separates the nations one from another by how they treated one of the least of His brothers, the children of Israel... How fully are the interests of His people bound up with Himself!

No doubt he often had to suffer from Laban's deceit; but was there not a memorial here of the deceit in which he had acted himself? He is deceived about his wife, deceived about his wages, deceived about everything; but how had he dealt with his father, not to speak of his brother? Deceit must meet with deceit under the hands of God, who repays.

Jacob got what he wanted and left his father just in time, before Esau came back with his cooked venison. Esau had been quick to find a deer and prepare it for Isaac, no doubt because he was eager for the blessing. Since he had sold his birthright to Jacob, he had no right to the blessing, but he did not tell his father this. He saw a chance to take the firstborn's blessing, and he meant to take it before his brother found out!

God's purpose must stand, and He will do all His pleasure. Faith knows this; and, in the power of that knowledge, can wait for God's time. This nature never can do, but must set about gaining its own ends, by its own inventions. Jacob's history brings out two great points. On one side stands God's purpose of grace. On the other stands nature, plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose was bound to bring about anyway, without any plot or scheme at all.

God could have brought the blessing in His own way. He could even have made Isaac cross his hands, as He later did with Jacob. Instead Jacob followed his mother's lead and his own way, and did not wait for God. But the blessing was prophetic, and no one could take it back. Isaac was guilty, and Jacob more so. God overruled it all, to answer faith and to discipline evil in the believer.

Isaac had tried to please the son who fed his appetite, forgetting what Jehovah had already said about Jacob. But God blocked him, and Isaac bowed. That was the turning point of grace in his soul, and we rejoice at it. God's overruling broke in on him. He did not turn on his wife and younger son. He bowed in self-judgment and trembled with a very great trembling. In faith he sealed what his lips had said without knowing it, but under God: "yes, and he shall be blessed." He felt that, however others were to blame, the error was his own. God was only securing now what He had said before the sons were born. The Spirit says the same in Hebrews 11. Isaac blessed by faith, against his own leanings and not with them — and the names there run Jacob first, then Esau.

As for Esau, he at once recognized that here was the sequel to the reckless way in which he had sold his birthright. In regard to him we might sum up the whole sad story as: — the birthright: the barter: the bitter cry. The birthright was gone, and the bitter cry remained.

When Esau knew what Jacob had done, he cried aloud. But it was too late! He had not valued his birthright, and had lost his blessing. All who despise the gift of eternal life that God gives are sure to lose their blessing. Many people outside the door of grace will be crying when it will be too late.

The sin of Isaac threw everything into confusion. Gross evil followed from Rebekah and Jacob. The tangle was so great that Esau, godless as he was, seemed at this sad and shameful moment to deserve more pity than anyone else involved. Meanwhile those who did care for Jehovah's will and blessing brought dishonour on His name by the deceitful means they used to get it. What sorrows and shame people make for themselves when they forget that God cannot fail to carry out His own purpose! In their hurry for a good end, they do not hesitate to use wicked means.

Jacob finished just in time to leave his father before Esau came back with his venison. Esau had been quick in finding a deer and preparing it for Isaac. No doubt he was anxious to receive the blessing. But he had sold his birthright to Jacob, so he was not entitled to the blessing — and he did not tell his father this. He saw a chance to get the blessing of the firstborn, and to get it before his brother knew!

But Esau wanted the blessing though he had despised the birthright... This is a common problem among people. They have no interest in what God gives in a spiritual way — and the birthright stands for this. Yet they push hard when it comes to their own prosperity and blessings. It is really a matter of wanting all the blessings God may give while ignoring the Giver Himself. So people may receive much blessing from God. Yet they calmly refuse to receive the Lord Jesus, the Son of God, as Saviour and Lord.

Here is Isaac, an old man standing at the very door of eternity. Earth and nature are fast fading from his view. Yet he is taken up with "savoury meat," and is about to act in direct opposition to God's counsel by blessing the elder son instead of the younger. This was nature, and nature with its "eyes dim." Esau had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew; now Isaac was about to give away the blessing for a dish of venison. How very humiliating!

God allows him to be deceived. The "savoury meat" turned his mind away from sound judgement. The same "savoury meat" then makes him act according to the will of God, without his knowing it. Jacob blessed his sons with clear understanding, in full agreement with the mind of God. Isaac does it as one failing, humbled, deceived — carrying out the will of God almost despite himself.

But we rejoice at the turning point of grace in Isaac's soul. He had tried to please the son who catered to his appetite, forgetting the will of Jehovah already declared about Jacob. God stopped him, and Isaac bowed. When God's overruling broke in on him, he did not turn on his wife and younger son. He bowed in self-judgement and trembled greatly. In faith he sealed what his lips had said without knowing it, yet under God: "he shall be blessed." He felt that, however others were to blame, the error was his own.

In this way God had overruled Jacob's inexcusable deceit so that the blessing should be given to the younger son, as God had decreed.

When Esau knew what Jacob had done, he cried aloud. But it was too late! He had not valued his birthright, and had lost his blessing. All who despise the gift of eternal life which God gives will certainly lose their blessing... Isaac gave Esau another blessing, but Esau still lost the blessing of Abraham. He lost everything Jacob valued, and he never again had a chance to get it.

Not that he sought repentance: he sought the blessing, but without repentance. He ought to have repented for despising his birthright, but he found no place to repent.

But Esau was all the more guilty. He was born of the heir of promise, in answer to prayer and in line with prophecy. Being born first gave him whatever advantage it could over Jacob. Was he not brought up just as much as Jacob, within the familiar sound of God's word and ways, as far as we know? But he was tested in a way that should have been easy for a hunter. He had resources at hand which had never failed, and which it would be monstrous to think could fail him in urgent need. Yet he deliberately sold his own birthright "for a single meal" (Heb. 12:16), and so earned from the Holy Spirit the terrible stigma of a "profane person."

But he found that it was he who was too late. Isaac was shocked when Esau told him who he was (vv. 32-33). At first he asks who had already come, but of course he knew the answer. He tells Esau he has blessed the first one who came, and adds firmly that "he shall be blessed." In this way God had overruled Jacob's inexcusable deceit, so that the blessing went to the younger son, as God had decreed.

Though a set-apart and filled vessel, he would have served the wish of his own fond heart in the use of the treasure he carried; but God took him out of his own hand, and used him as the oracle of His settled, sovereign purpose... We know that "that which is born of the flesh is flesh." As an old writer says, "The water that is foul in the well will not be clean in the bucket."

But God's purpose must stand, and He will do all His pleasure. Faith knows this, and in the power of that knowledge can wait for God's time. Nature never can do this, but must set about gaining its own ends by its own inventions. These are the two great points brought out in Jacob's history. On one side stands God's purpose of grace. On the other stands nature, plotting and scheming to reach what that purpose would have brought about without fail, with no plot or scheme at all... God did not need the help of Rebekah's cunning and Jacob's gross deceit to carry out His purpose.

How a single act may reveal a man's character, as with Esau here. For a bit of food he sold his birthright, and the act marked him as a profane person, one who habitually left God out of his thoughts. Yet he could desire the blessing, and sought it earnestly after he had lost it — just as Balaam could want to die the death of the righteous while he had no thought of living their life. So he found no place for repentance, because it had to do only with the lost blessing, and involved no judgment of his ways before God. He valued the gain of godliness without the godliness.

I do not care what you take up in His place; if you slip away from Christ you may be tomorrow in the position of the rejected Esau. He is a picture of those who will one day cry to be let in. Their tears will be as useless as Esau's beside the bed of his dying father. He came too late. So when once God has risen up and shut the door they will find no place of repentance.

I have no doubt that the thought of God's coming in to thwart his flesh had much to do with Isaac's trembling.

His eye is opened. He discovers what he had been doing, and how Jacob had got the blessing he had prepared for Esau. It confronts him to his face: he had been resisting God, and could not win. His soul seems to wake as from sleep. The moral sense of the place he was filling startles him. He trembles inside. The flesh he had been feeding could not support him at such a moment.

How did such a clumsy trick deceive Isaac? He knew the voice. Were the neck and wrists, covered with the skin of a young goat, a surer test than the voice? The trick fooled Isaac as it would never have fooled a man of the world with common sense. How did that happen? He was not in communion with God, and the crudest means can deceive a believer who is out of communion. His thoughts were fleshly; his soul loved venison, and the tasty food blinded his mind.

But God will subdue nature, unjudged nature, in Isaac too. And more than this — so perfect and complete are God's ways! That very indulgence had twisted Isaac's mind and judgement. God will use it as the direct instrument to discipline him. God allows him to be deceived. The tasty food turned his mind away from sound judgement, and the same tasty food forces him, without knowing it, to act according to the will of God.

But we rejoice at the turning point of grace in Isaac's soul. He bowed to God's overturning of his effort to please the son who had catered to his appetite. He had forgotten the already declared will of the Lord about Jacob. When God's overruling broke in on him, he did not attack his wife and younger son. He bowed in self-judgment and trembled with a very great trembling. In faith he sealed what his lips had said without knowing, yet under God: "Yes, and he shall be blessed." He felt that, however others were to blame, the error was his own. God was only securing now what He had said before the sons were born. Faith now worked, no longer hindered by the flesh which had lately darkened his eyes. And so says the Spirit in Hebrews 11. It was not in line with his natural leanings, but against them.

Jacob deserved to lose the blessing. By his mean, lying conduct he forfeited the place given by promise. Where would he have been, and the nation named after him, if grace had not covered his sin at the very start?

Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. He despised it. Present ease and relief were everything to him at that moment... Though he longed for his father's blessing, seeking it with tears, he could never regain what he had lost. He had forfeited it, and Isaac acknowledged that when he said of Jacob, "Yes, and he shall be blessed." ... But there was no word of confession of what he had done. He showed no penitent spirit.

When Esau knew what Jacob had done, he cried aloud. But it was too late! He had not valued his birthright, and had lost his blessing. All who despise the gift of eternal life which God gives will certainly lose their blessing. Though Isaac gave Esau another blessing, he still lost the blessing of Abraham, and he never had another chance to get it.

We are told that "he found no place for repentance, though he sought it with tears." He was not seeking repentance. He sought the blessing, but without repentance. He ought to have repented for despising his birthright, but he found no place to repent.

Esau's desire for a blessing comes out in his great and bitter cry: "Bless me, even me also, O my father!" But there was no word of confession about what he had done. He showed no repentant spirit. He found no place for repentance. He could not undo what he had done.

So we learn what a profane person is: someone who would like to hold both worlds. He wants to enjoy the present without giving up his claim to the future. This is not at all a rare case. It describes the person who is nothing more than a worldly believer in name. His conscience has never felt divine truth at work, and his heart has never felt the influence of divine grace.

There came a time when Esau wanted a change of mind from his father. He wanted to change Isaac's mind, but he found no place for it, though he sought it with tears. He said, "Bless me, even me also, O my father!" But he could not change his father's mind, because his father had spoken the mind of God in the matter.

Still there was a blessing for Esau, and one far more suited to his nature than the one reserved for Jacob. What did Esau care for the promises or the covenant? What relish had he for Messiah's kingdom? The fatness of the earth was more to his taste, and the dew of heaven from above. Heaven itself was only a sentiment he gladly left for others to enjoy.

Isaac's sin threw everything into confusion, and serious evil followed on the part of Rebekah and Jacob. The tangle was so great that Esau, ungodly as he was, seemed at this sad and shameful moment more an object of pity than anyone else involved. Meanwhile those who really cared for the Lord's will and blessing brought dishonour on His name by the deceitful means they used to gain it.

How does Esau stand before you? He is a picture of the generation who will one day say, "Lord, Lord, open to us." But their tears will be as useless as Esau's beside the bed of his dying father. He came too late.

Rebekah knew what God's purpose was. But she was anxious for her favourite to have the blessing, so she took up a calculated course of deceit to trick her blind husband. She set the deceit going and Jacob carried it out successfully. Later episodes in Jacob's life show him to us as a man who was a master of clever and even underhand schemes. It is a solemn thought that he got the earliest recorded lesson in this kind of thing from his mother. His bargaining with Esau over the stew and the birthright was sharp practice, but it had no element of deceit in it.

The Scriptures do not spare us the lesson we need about what man is, even chosen man. It is painful reading, and meant to be, but full of profit; for many believers are slow to admit that the flesh is no better in them than in this family. Every one of them showed at this point the bad moral state each was in. Isaac was usually blameless. Here he was so overcome by self-indulgence in his appetite that he lost sight of two things: how little the elder son cared for holy things, and Jehovah's will and choice of Jacob. Rebekah was right about the end in view, but she had no scruples at all about the means. Jacob was not without conscience and fear about the deceit he was to practise on his blind father, and about his lying impersonation of Esau. He dreaded a curse instead of the blessing he valued.

Jacob's history now begins. Heir of the promises, and valuing them, he uses means to get them — means that are evil and low in character. God answers his faith, and chastens his evil and unbelief. God could have brought the blessing about in His own way. He could have made Isaac cross his hands, as He later did with Jacob. But Jacob, led by his mother, followed his own way and did not wait for God. But the blessing was prophetic, and not to be recalled. The ways of God and His purpose were not to be changed. Isaac was guilty, and Jacob more so: it was all overruled to answer faith and to chasten evil in the believer.

Esau deeply felt the pain of losing the blessing of the firstborn, and cried with a great and bitter cry, begging his father to bless him too. Hebrews 12:16-17 refers to this occasion. It speaks of Esau as an unholy man who sold his birthright for one meal. Then, when he expected the blessing, he was rejected. We are told that "he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." He was not looking for repentance. He wanted the blessing, but without repentance. He should have repented for despising his birthright, but he found no place to repent.

In Genesis 27 we read how Jacob deceived his blind father, Isaac, by wearing Esau's garment. Esau's garment is called "best clothes," and as he was the elder it may have been something very like Joseph's coat of many colours. By fine clothing Jacob deceived his father; by fine clothing his sons deceived him. He got back the measure he gave. God's government of His people works with great precision.

Grace alone secures salvation for sinful man, yet only for those who believe. But God has always carried on, as He still does, a righteous government, dealing with every fault among His own... What sorrows and shame people make for themselves! They forget that God cannot fail to carry out His own purpose. In their hurry for a good end, they do not hesitate to use wicked means.

The second son, Jacob, followed closely, his hand holding the heel of Esau. This is recorded to show what would be true of Jacob in his life. His name means "he will take by the heel." Esau referred to this later, when Jacob had deceived his father by taking Esau's place. His hand grasped for the blessing meant for Esau. This tells us what Jacob was in the flesh. But God later changed his name to Israel, "a prince with God." God's purposes would stand, and He did a work in Jacob's soul that made a glorious change in the man.

Here he fully lives up to the name that Esau angrily throws at him. Jacob values the blessing of God, but he seeks it in cunning and worldly ways, completely opposed to faith.

Esau reminds his father that Jacob's name means supplanter, and that he has been true to his name in taking away both Esau's birthright and his blessing. Did Esau forget that he had willingly sold his birthright to Jacob? Since he had, Jacob had a right to the blessing too. But Esau wanted the blessing, though he had despised the birthright. He begs his father to tell him if he has kept at least some blessing for him. This is a common problem among people. They have no interest in what God gives in a spiritual way, and the birthright stands for this. Yet they are most insistent when it comes to their material prosperity and blessings.

Esau felt deeply the pain of losing the blessing of the firstborn. He cried out with a great and bitter cry, begging his father to bless him too. Hebrews 12:16-17 refers to this moment. It calls Esau a profane person who sold his birthright for one meal, and who was then rejected when he expected the blessing. We are told that "he found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." He was not seeking repentance. He sought the blessing, but without repentance.

So we learn what a profane person is. He is someone who would like to hold both worlds. He would like to enjoy the present without giving up his claim to the future. This is by no means an uncommon case.

We are angry at the underhand course of Jacob and Rebekah. We feel for the old man of faith, mistaken and deceived. We pity the bitter disappointment of Esau, worthless as he was and ungodly as he had already proved. But we rejoice at the turning point of grace in Isaac's soul. He bowed when God blocked his effort to please the son who had fed his appetite… He felt that, however others were to blame, the error was his own. God was simply securing now what He had said before the sons were born.

First, for his comfort, he will learn that all his failures will not alter God's purpose to bless him in sovereign grace. Second, for his correction, he will learn something more. God's sovereign grace will not hold back God's chastening hand when he fails… He has to reap what he has sown. Jacob deceives his father with the skins of goats. In the years to come his own sons will deceive him with the blood of a goat.

Nature showed extreme weakness at the opening of Genesis 27. Even so, it is very interesting to see how Isaac maintains by faith the dignity God had given him. He blesses as a man who knows God has given him power to bless! He says, "I have blessed him; yes, and he shall be blessed… and with grain and wine I have sustained him." He speaks as one who, by faith, had all the treasures of earth at his disposal. There is no false humility, no taking low ground because nature has shown itself. It is the proper work of faith to rise above all our own failure and its consequences, into the place where God's grace has set us.

Can anyone thwart God? Can anyone hinder His purposes? Never! Isaac did not know what he was doing at the time. Yet with the full sense of authority he gives the fullest blessing to Jacob, though he thought it was Esau. That was faith. Not faith in his own intention, for God ruled that. It was faith in giving the blessing, and in seeing afterwards that it would stand as the act of God, and that he could not reverse it.

We rejoice at the turning point of grace in Isaac's soul. He had tried to please the son who had satisfied his appetite, forgetting the will of Jehovah already declared about Jacob. God overturned that, and Isaac bowed to it. When God's overruling broke in on him, he did not attack his wife and younger son. He bowed in self-judgment and trembled greatly. In faith he sealed what his lips had said without knowing it, but under God: "he shall be blessed." He felt that, however others were to blame, the error was his own. God was only securing now what He had said before the sons were born.

How did Isaac fall for such a clumsy trick? He knew the voice. Were the neck and wrists, covered with the skin of a young goat, a surer test than the voice? Isaac fell for a trick that no man of the world with common sense would have fallen for. How did it happen? He was not in communion with God, and the crudest means can fool a believer who is out of communion. His thoughts were on the pleasures of the body; his soul loved venison, and the tasty food blinded his mind.

Esau had willingly sold his birthright to Jacob. Since that was so, Jacob was entitled to the blessing too. But Esau wanted the blessing, though he had despised the birthright. He begs his father to say whether he had not at least kept back some blessing for him (v.36). This is a common affliction among human beings. They have no interest in what God gives in a spiritual way, and that is what the birthright stands for. But the moment it becomes a matter of their own prosperity and blessing, they press hard. It is wanting every blessing God may give while ignoring the Giver Himself.

The Lord had promised him the blessing with no conditions: "The older shall serve the younger." But he could not wait in the patience of faith. He could not leave it to the Lord to make His own promise good in His own time and way. So the promise becomes loaded with reservations, difficulties and burdens. The Lord will surely make it good… But now Jacob's own unbelief and scheming have a price: the older will give the younger some trouble. The younger chose to handle the promise with his own craft and skill. So he will reach it only after delay, sorrow and shame.

Esau felt the pain of losing the blessing of the firstborn. He cried with a great and bitter cry, begging his father to bless him too… We are told that "he found no place for repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears." Not that he sought repentance: he sought the blessing, but without repentance. He ought to have repented for despising his birthright, but he found no place to repent.

It is a good comment that Augustine makes on Esau's tears (Hebrews 12): "He wept that he lost the blessing, not that he sold it."

The apostle calls Esau "a profane person, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright." So we learn what a profane person is — one who would like to hold both worlds; one who would like to enjoy the present without forfeiting his title to the future.

Yet he could desire the blessing, and sought it earnestly after he had lost it. Balaam was the same: he could desire to die the death of the righteous, while he had no thought of living their life. So Esau found no place for repentance. His seeking had only to do with the lost blessing. It involved no judgment of his ways before God. He valued the gain of godliness without the godliness. God's nature would have had to change to give him the one thing he wanted.

There came a time when Esau wanted repentance on his father's part. He wanted to change Isaac's mind, but he found no place for it, though he sought it carefully with tears. He said, "Bless me, even me also, O my father." But he could not change his father's mind. His father had expressed the mind of God in the matter.

Esau would have been glad to get or regain the blessing. But God had given it elsewhere, and Esau had forfeited it himself. It was all arranged beforehand. Neither Isaac's favouritism nor Jacob's deceit could turn the blessing aside.

Though he sought carefully with tears to change his father's mind, he found no place for a change of mind in Isaac… We know that, despite his urgent pleading, Isaac could not change his mind. He could not take back the blessing he had given to Jacob, which God approved of.

What Esau sought so hard to get with tears was the blessing he wanted. To say he sought repentance with tears makes no good sense… But it was not a change of his father's mind that he could not find. It was a change of his own. There was no real looking to God about his sins.

Do not forget this — in a certain sense every sinner has a birthright. You have been born into a world to which the Saviour has come, and that Saviour came to save sinners. Suppose you do not receive that Saviour. Suppose you hold on in the ways of the world, deluded by Satan, caring only for the things of this life. Then you simply follow the footsteps of Esau. You despise your birthright for a bowl of soup — for the things that serve the body and give you comfort while you pass through this world, which you will soon have to leave.

Esau was now a pitiful sight. He wept. His tears could not undo the past or recover the birthright, but they did draw out a blessing from Isaac, though not the blessing. And in saying what he did in verses 39 and 40, he doubtless spoke as a prophet.

Jacob is now openly his heir, and Isaac confirms the choice God had made. But God is full of pity as well as holy. He would not go back on His own election. Yet He strengthens Isaac to pronounce a second blessing on Esau. By faith Isaac blessed him too, concerning things to come. A rich and ample promise was the portion of the firstborn. But it was a material blessing only.

Poor Esau was promised these blessings in reverse order. Earthly things would be first for him. Look at his descendants and relatives today. The fatness of the earth has generally been their lot. Where are all the oil wells being fought over today? Esau's descendants have been blessed with the fatness of the earth. But their life has been miserable, full of wars and fighting. The dew of heaven has also fallen on them, but they have hardly noticed.

Still there was a blessing for Esau, and one far better suited to his nature than the one reserved for Jacob. What did Esau care for the promises or the covenant? What taste had he for Messiah's kingdom? What reverence or readiness to submit to Messiah Himself? The fatness of the earth was more to his taste, and the dew of heaven from above. Heaven itself was only a sentiment that he gladly left for others to enjoy. He was, he flattered himself, a practical man; and the present world was to him a scene of enjoyable pleasures.

The outstanding trait of Edom was envious dislike of the people of God... There can be no question that the character of Edom matches what the Lord lets us know through Isaac. It would be hard to imagine a prediction of this kind where every word was more truly verified in the whole history of man than in the life and changes of Edom and Israel.

The chapter shows us that Esau was prospered in earthly things, so that his father's blessing was fulfilled to him (27:39-40). He occupied his own territory and became quite independent of Jacob. His descendants multiplied, and they became chiefs and notorious. They became not only "dukes" but even "kings," and that before any king appeared in Israel's line. In earthly greatness and power the children of this world have always come ahead of the children of God.

I do not doubt that it represents God allowing the blessings of this world to come to those who refused blessing in God's way. Esau had to live by his sword. It was all his own energy... This is totally different from a Christian; his blessing lies in taking Christ's yoke. Esau's blessing would have lain in being subject to Jacob, the heir of promise.

There was still a blessing for Esau, and one that suited his nature far better than the one kept for Jacob. What did Esau care for the promises or the covenant? What taste did he have for Messiah's kingdom? The richness of the earth suited him better, and the dew of heaven above. Heaven itself was only a nice idea, and he was happy to leave it to others... And what a fine thing to live by the sword when men stood against him! It was true that the word said he, Esau, would serve his brother. That was an unwelcome sentence, one that still had to prove true, and he would do all he could to stop it. Meanwhile the same sentence said that one day he would get loose, roam free, and break the yoke off his neck. Well, this would be a joy indeed: let his brother have the rest.

When it broke on him that God had overruled him, he did not turn on his wife and his younger son. He bowed in self-judgment and trembled violently. In faith he sealed what his lips had said without knowing it, yet under God: "Yes, and he shall be blessed." He felt that, whoever else was to blame, the error was his own. God was only securing now what He had said before the sons were born.

All this comes true. David, who came from Jacob, puts troops in Edom, and the Edomites become his servants and bring gifts. Jehoram, who also came from Jacob, later loses the Edomites as servants who paid him tribute. They revolt, and remain in revolt to this day. 2 Sam. 8:14; 2 Chr. 21:8.

In all of human history it would be hard to find a prediction of this kind more exactly fulfilled. Every word came true in the life and changes of Edom and of Israel. Yet nothing in it hints at Edom's spite and vengeful hate. Living by the sword does not have to mean hatred. Ambitious drive often leads to a career of conquest where no particular hatred is at work.

Had Jacob waited patiently, no conditions would have burdened the promise. (Chap. 27:40.)

But ever since the days of Jehoram — son of Jehoshaphat, of the house of David, of the line of Jacob — Esau, or Edom, has been in revolt. So the promise is delayed, complicated and burdened in ways God's grace and the gift by grace never designed. Jacob would never have gone through any of this, had his faith been simpler.

Esau is a picture of the flesh, which will not live before God. It must be brought into subjection... But Isaac tells Esau he will live by his sword. The flesh is always at war, just as the troubled sea cannot rest. The flesh thinks it must fight for its rights. Esau would serve his brother, yet he would break Jacob's yoke off his neck. Though he stayed in subjection, nothing could tame his rebellious character, just as the flesh keeps breaking out in rebellion.

But still, "the elder shall serve the younger." That promise is yes and amen. Amos bears witness to it when he says that Israel will possess Edom. (Chap. 9) And Obadiah is another witness to the same thing. He tells us that in due time saviours will come to Zion and judge the mount of Esau.

So Esau soon turned from wailing and tears to murderous hatred. He did not value Jehovah. He valued the blessing. He had already shown how little the birthright meant to him when he sold it for one meal of food. He was a profane person. This was no real excuse for the wrong Rebekah and Jacob had done, but it made Isaac's sin worse. From then on, hatred of his brother filled Esau's heart — hatred that would go as far as taking his life. He had received the promise of everything he cared about, except that his brother would rule over him. His pride could not stomach that. So he plots by himself to kill his brother once his aged father is gone, or at least once the days of mourning are over. Truly Esau went in the way of Cain.

So we learn what a profane person is. He is someone who would like to hold both worlds. He would like to enjoy the present without giving up his claim on the future.

In Genesis 27:41, in the case of Esau, we find another instance of how anger is akin to murder, as the Lord pointed out in Matthew 5:21,22. When anger is sinful it is always the result of some previous sin. When it is righteous, it is the result of a righteous and holy feeling... In Cain's case the cause was ENVY, in Esau's, JEALOUSY.

Scripture only says that Esau said this in his heart. But he must have told someone else what he planned. His mother heard about it, and she warned Jacob.

But the feud between the two brothers remains to this day. It is one of the greatest forces stirring up conflict in the earth. The beginning of it and the root of it come before us in verse 41. But again we see that in all his thoughts Esau did not have God before him. If he had, he would never have imagined he could defeat God's purpose by killing his brother.

Jacob now begins to taste, in some measure, the bitter fruit of how he treated Esau. At the same time we see God rising above all the weakness and folly of His servant... God will carry out His own purpose, no matter by what means. But if His child takes himself out of God's hands, with an unrepentant spirit and an unbelieving heart, he must expect much sorrow and painful discipline. So it was with Jacob. He might not have had to flee to Haran if he had allowed God to act for him.

But He whose eye is over all hearts kept aged Isaac alive for a long time to come. The days of mourning did not arrive before Esau met Jacob with four hundred men, to Jacob's great distress. But God turned the heart that meant to kill him, so that he received the trembling man with kisses and tears. So truly does God arrange matters, whatever those may propose who do not know Him.

This occasion awakened such hatred in Esau toward Jacob that he planned to kill him after their father's death (v. 41). Scripture only says that Esau said this in his heart. But he must also have told someone else of his intention, because his mother heard about it and warned Jacob (v. 42).

So Esau soon turned from wailing and tears to murderous hatred. It was not Jehovah that he valued, but the blessing; just as he had already proved how little he thought of the birthright when he sold it for one meal. He was a profane person. This was no real excuse for the wrongdoing of Rebekah and Jacob; but it made Isaac's sin worse. From now on hatred of his brother filled Esau's heart, even to the point of taking his life. He had received the promise of everything he cared about, except the supremacy of his brother. His pride could not stomach that. Truly Esau went in the way of Cain.

But the feud between the two brothers remains to this day, and is one of the greatest forces stirring up discord in the earth. The beginning of it and the root of it come before us in verse 41. But again we see that in all his thoughts Esau did not have God before him. Otherwise he would not have imagined he could defeat God's purpose by killing his brother.

Rebekah was the one to send her beloved child away, whatever it cost her. It was fitting that she should be the means of exile for the very son she had so guiltily instructed. It was fitting too that she should never again see in this life the one she knew was the object of God's favour and the true heir to the promises. God is, and must be, and ought to be Sovereign; but God is just, and cannot let cunning pass unpunished, while He can have no terms with profanity and ungodliness. So she herself has to do the greatest violence to her own feelings as well as Jacob's, and urges him to flee to Haran to stay with her brother Laban.

The holiness of the Lord burns up every bit of this. Nothing comes of this cunning and this fleshliness. The holiness of the Lord lays it all in ashes. Isaac loses his Esau. Rebekah never sees Jacob again, for her promised few days were an exile of twenty years. And the calculating man who took his brother's place finds himself surrounded by hardships, cut off from his father's house for that long and dreary season. Nothing comes of any of it, whether we look at the scheming of one party or the favouritism of the other. All is disappointment, and rebuked by the holiness of the Lord.

But He whose eye is over every heart kept aged Isaac alive for a long time yet. The days of mourning did not arrive before Esau met Jacob with four hundred men, to Jacob's great distress. But God turned the heart that meant to kill him, so that he received the trembling man with kisses and tears. That is how truly God disposes, whatever men may propose who do not know Him. Stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?

So Esau quickly turned from wailing and tears to murderous hatred. It was not Jehovah that he valued, but the blessing; just as he had already proved how little he thought of the birthright when he sold it for one meal. He was a godless man. This was no real excuse for the wrongdoing of Rebekah and Jacob; but it made Isaac's sin worse. From then on hatred of his brother, even to the point of taking his life, filled Esau's heart.

She herself has to do the greatest violence to her own feelings as well as Jacob's, and urges him to flee to Haran, to stay with her brother Laban. "Some days" did she say? Ah, poor Rebekah — for many a long year to be cheated by Laban, just as you and Jacob cheated Isaac! No, it will never be yours, whatever comes of Esau's fury and anger, to send and fetch your Jacob back from there.

So Rebekah advised Jacob to leave and take a long journey back to Haran, where he could count on the hospitality of her brother Laban. She tells him he should stay there "a few days" until Esau's anger has cooled. But the few days turned out to be over twenty years, probably because Jacob was not anxious to see Esau in all that time. But the government of God did not allow Jacob to see his mother again on earth.

She was the prime mover in using a wrong way to reach a right end. So she had most to feel God's chastening, under His unfailing moral government. Soon after this event Jacob left for the land of the sons of the east, and his mother never saw her beloved child again. He too, through years of sorrow, had to suffer under the crafty cheating schemes of his mother's brother, his own father-in-law. No human being shall or can boast.

Everybody suffered: Esau and Isaac, and in the end both Jacob and Rebekah. The parting lasted for many years, not the "few days" she expected. Jacob went out to be deceived by others, and Rebekah stayed behind with the unwelcome company of the Hittite women. She dwelt on her weariness as a reason and an excuse for sending Jacob off to her brother. But the discord between them was no doubt very real, and she had to face it without her favourite son.

There are two things Jacob has to learn on this memorable occasion. First, for his comfort, he will learn that all his failures will not alter God's purpose to bless him in sovereign grace. Second, for his correction, he will learn that God's sovereign grace will not hold back God's chastening hand because of his failures... He still has to go his lonely way as a wanderer. He must spend long years of toil and bondage in a stranger's house, because of his sin against his father and brother.

He who has now got the blessing is still totally unable to trust God for its fulfilment. Rebekah's voice is heard again, urging him to flee from his brother's anger... It is now that, alone, a wanderer and a fugitive, he arrives at Bethel, and here for the first time God appears to him.

But He whose eye is over all hearts kept aged Isaac alive for a long time to come. The days of mourning did not arrive before Esau met Jacob with four hundred men, to Jacob's great distress. But God turned the heart that meant to kill him, so that he received the trembling man with kisses and tears. So truly does God dispose, whatever those may propose who do not know Him.

She tells him to stay there "a few days" until Esau's anger has cooled. But the few days turned out to be over 20 years. Jacob was probably not eager to see Esau in all that time. But the government of God did not allow Jacob to see his mother again on earth (see Genesis 35:27), though he did see his father. She said she would send for him at the appropriate time and have Jacob brought home again. So she lost Jacob's presence as completely as if death had taken him, which is what she feared.

Rebekah was the one to send her beloved child away, whatever it cost her. It was fitting that she should be the one to send into exile the son she had instructed to deceive. It was fitting that she should never again see in this life the son she knew was the object of God's favour and the true heir to the promises... "Some days" did she say? Ah, poor Rebekah — many a long year of Laban's cheating lies ahead, as you and Jacob cheated Isaac! No, it will never be yours, whatever comes of Esau's fury and anger, to send and fetch your Jacob from there. It is striking that Scripture never records her death. Rebekah is not mentioned when Esau and Jacob met at their father's funeral, so we may fairly gather that she had died some time before Isaac did.

Isaac had no curse to call down on Rebekah. But she was the prime mover in taking a wrong way to gain a right end. So she had most to feel the chastening of God's unfailing moral government.

But He whose eye is over all hearts kept aged Isaac alive for a long while yet. The days of mourning did not come before Esau met Jacob with four hundred men, to Jacob's great distress. Yet God turned the heart that meant to kill him, so that Esau received the trembling man with kisses and tears. So God disposes, whatever those may propose who do not know Him.

Jacob's circumstances are not changed. He still has to go his lonely way as a wanderer. He still has to spend long years of toil and bondage in a stranger's house, because of his sin against his father and brother. He has to reap what he has sown. Jacob deceives his father with the skins of goats. In years to come his own sons will deceive him with the blood of a goat. The sovereign grace that blesses us does not change that memorable law, "whatever one sows, that will he also reap" (Galatians 6:7).

Jacob had done great wrong at his father's bedside (Genesis 27). At Bethel he was tasting the bitterness of what he had done. He was a wanderer from his father's house, with no friend and no shelter. In the glory of His goodness, God shows Himself to him. The opened heavens, the ladder, and the angels were a wonderful answer from the grace of God to such a man as Jacob was then. But so it was. The Lord is wonderful to His saints, even while they suffer under His rebukes for their wrongdoing.

The events that fill this chapter include some sordid details, but they also carry searching instruction. We see God holding to His purpose and at the same time carrying out His discipline. Everybody suffered — Esau and Isaac, and in the end both Jacob and Rebekah, because the parting lasted many years, not the "few days" she expected. Jacob also went out, and other men deceived him, while Rebekah was left with the company of the Hittite women, which she did not want.

She tells him to stay there "a few days" until Esau's anger has cooled. But the few days turned out to be over 20 years, probably because Jacob did not want to see Esau in all that time. God's government did not allow Jacob to see his mother again on earth (see Gen. 35:27), though he did see his father. She said she would send for him at the right time and have him brought home. So she lost Jacob's presence as completely as if death had taken him — the very thing she feared (v. 45).

Rebekah was the one who had to send her beloved child away, whatever it cost her. It was fitting that she should be the one to drive into exile the son she had so guiltily coached... "A few days," did she say? Poor Rebekah — for many a long year to be cheated by Laban, just as you and Jacob cheated Isaac! No, whatever came of Esau's fury and anger, it would never be yours to send and fetch your Jacob back... It is striking that Scripture says nothing about her death. Rebekah is certainly not mentioned when Esau and Jacob met at their father's funeral.

But God, whose eye is over every heart, kept aged Isaac alive for a long time yet. The days of mourning did not arrive before Esau met Jacob with four hundred men, to Jacob's great distress. And God turned the heart that meant to kill him, so that he welcomed the trembling man with kisses and tears. God disposes, whatever those who do not know Him may propose.

Jacob now begins to taste, in some measure, the bitter fruit of how he treated Esau. At the same time, God rises above all the weakness and folly of His servant... God will carry out His own purpose, whatever instrument He uses. But if His child takes himself out of His hands, with an unrepentant spirit and an unbelieving heart, he must expect much sorrow of heart and painful discipline. So it was with Jacob: he might not have had to flee to Haran if he had let God act for him.

It is true that God watches over him, waits on him, and keeps him safe; but he does not walk with God. He has no altar until his return, after a course of painful experiences... For twenty-one years he had to deal with men who cheated and oppressed him, while God kept him safe in secret.

Esau's threat, however, reached Rebekah's ears. It stirred her to a further plan for her favourite son. There was in it again, we think, an element of trickery. She had to explain to Isaac why Jacob was suddenly leaving for Laban. So she complained about the annoying behaviour of Esau's Hittite wives — which was no doubt quite true — and hinted that Jacob might follow this bad example.

Rebekah had made that decision for Jacob before she spoke to Isaac about it. But her words to Isaac in verse 46 were altogether different from those to Jacob.

Still, this much can be said of Rebekah. She shared Isaac's bitterness of spirit over Esau's Hittite wives, and she was the more faithful of the two in her grief at Esau's godless ways. This was what she pressed on her husband about Jacob: that he might be kept from so bad an example. Yet there was an impatience in her tone that left much to be desired. But Scripture tells us things as they were, even about God's people — for it alone reveals God to us.

In the humbling scene before this, Isaac and Rebekah and Jacob — to say nothing of Esau — all played such unworthy parts. So it is refreshing here to read of Isaac's godly care for Jacob. It is all the more refreshing because grace used Rebekah to recall her husband's spirit to faithful and righteous ways about their son called to blessing (Gen. 27:46).

Scripture tells us that Isaac loved Esau. Yet he had not done what Abraham did, who made sure that Isaac's wife came from his own family. Rebekah's words now wake him out of that laxity. He called Jacob and charged him not to take a wife from the Canaanites, but to go to Padan-aram and take a wife from his grandfather's family — one of the daughters of Jacob's uncle Laban.

She tells Isaac she is tired of living because of the Hittite women, two of whom Esau had married. They clearly went on being a grief of mind to her (Gen. 26:35). How many Christian mothers since then have grieved deeply when their children married unbelievers!

"A few days," did she say? Ah, poor Rebekah — for many a long year to be cheated by Laban, as you and Jacob cheated Isaac! No, it will never be yours, whatever comes of Esau's fury and anger, to send and fetch your Jacob back. Indeed it is striking that Scripture passes over her death without notice.

It was fitting that she should be the one to send into exile the son she had so guiltily instructed. It was fitting that she should never again see, in this life, the one she knew was the object of God's favour and the true heir to the promises. God is, and must be, and ought to be Sovereign. But God is just, and cannot let cunning go unpunished, while He can make no terms with what is profane and ungodly.

As we read the opening verses of Genesis 28, it is clear that Rebekah's explanation satisfied Isaac. Indeed at this point we see him in a much more favourable light, speaking as a man of faith. He charges Jacob to go to Padan-aram and find a wife among his own people. He also blesses him in a way that surely shows he now accepted the purpose of God about his two sons. That purpose overruled and cancelled out his own natural leanings.

Isaac, restored in soul, now follows the line of the promise, and forbids Jacob to take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. This was right; but was it done intelligently, or was he persuaded by Rebekah's fears?

We may notice this feature in the blessing pronounced on Jacob by his father: a "charge" (v. 1) came with it. Jacob must not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. For they were accursed in Jehovah's eyes, though carrying it out waited until the sin of the Amorites was full. For the wanderer Jacob there was to be as clear a refusal of alliance with the Canaanite as there had been for Isaac.

Scripture tells us that Isaac loved Esau. Even so, he had not done as Abraham did, who made sure that Isaac's wife came from his own relatives. Rebekah's words to him now clearly wake him out of that slackness. He called Jacob and charged him not to take a wife of the Canaanites. Instead he must go to Padan-aram and take a wife from his grandfather's family.

So Isaac in his day was to marry not from the people of the land, but from Abraham's land and family. Yet how different the way it happened! Most emphatically he, the bridegroom, must not leave Canaan. Abraham's servant goes to fetch a wife for Isaac from there. That servant was the chief of his household, who ruled over all he had, and he went under solemn oath. Here, on the contrary, Jacob is told to go to Padan-Aram and take a wife from the patriarch's relatives, from Laban's daughters.

So Jacob's earthly place and relations stand out just as plainly as Isaac's heavenly ones. Isaac's history is a picture of sovereign grace calling a bride to the Heir of all things in heavenly places.

He became an exile from the land of promise, cheated in a strange land by his own relatives. This was the sad repayment for his crooked ways in grabbing what Jehovah had given him — and what Jehovah would have secured for him in His holy way of faithfulness and truth.

Abraham had been most careful about the choice of a wife for Isaac; she was not to be a daughter of the Canaanites. But Isaac clearly did not step in when Esau took wives from the Hittites, though they were a grief of mind to him. Isaac charged Jacob not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Yet Jacob does not seem to have been troubled when Judah joined himself to the Canaanites through Shuah. There is much instruction for Christians in all this: how very careful we should be about our associations, both for ourselves and for our children.

One thing stands out in the blessing Jacob's father pronounced on him: a "charge" (v. 1) came with it. Jacob must not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. In Jehovah's eyes they stood accursed. The judgment on them only waited until the guilt of the Amorites was full. Jacob the wanderer had to refuse any tie with the Canaanite as clearly as Isaac did. Yet Isaac was forbidden in the strictest way to leave the land (Gen. 24:6, 8), and his bride had to be brought to him; whereas Jacob goes in search of a wife to the house of his mother's father (v. 2). So Jacob's earthly place and relations stand out as plainly as Isaac's heavenly ones. Isaac's history is a picture of sovereign grace calling a bride for the Heir of all things in heavenly places.

Abraham had been most careful about the choice of a wife for Isaac; she was not to be a daughter of the Canaanites. But Isaac clearly did not interfere when Esau chose wives from the daughters of the Hittites. Those wives were a grief of mind to him. Isaac charged Jacob not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. Yet Jacob does not appear to have minded when Judah joined himself to the Canaanites through Shuah. There is much for Christians to learn here. We should be very careful about our associations, both for ourselves and for our children. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 is a Scripture we should ponder in relation to this important subject.

That Isaac was satisfied with Rebekah's explanation is clear as we read the opening verses of Genesis 28. Indeed at this point we see him in a much more favourable light, and speaking as a man of faith. He charges Jacob to go to Padan-aram and find a wife among his own people. He then blesses him in a way that surely shows he now accepted God's purpose about his two sons. That purpose overruled and cancelled out his own natural inclinations.

Isaac, restored in soul, now follows in the wake of the promise, and forbids Jacob to take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. This was right; but was it done intelligently, or was he persuaded by Rebekah's fears? However that may be, Jacob is sent to Padan-aram, and the lessons of faith continue in his history.

A farming district in Mesopotamia. The city of Nahor stood there. Terah and his family moved there from Ur of the Chaldees. Rebekah, Leah and Rachel, the wives of Isaac and Jacob, all came from there (Gen. 25:20; Gen. 28:2-7; Gen. 31:18). The exact name is Paddan-aram, meaning 'table land of Aram.'

Isaac asks Jacob to go to Padan-aram and take a wife from there of the patriarch's kin, from Laban's daughters. So early must Jehovah visit Jacob according to his ways. He became an exile from the land of promise. In a strange land his own relatives cheated him. This was the sad repayment of his own crooked ways. Those ways grasped at what Jehovah had already given him, and would have secured for him in His own holy way of faithfulness and truth.

In verses 3 and 4 Isaac blesses Jacob again. He wants God Almighty to make him fruitful and to multiply his descendants. He wants God's promise to Abraham fulfilled through him, both in his descendants and in the possession of the land of promise. It seems clear in this passage that Isaac's thoughts had been corrected, for he did not speak this way to Esau. God had overruled him and given the blessing to Jacob. Isaac at least stayed by that, and here he confirms it in no uncertain terms.

The word El is said to mean strength, omnipotence. Some think Shaddai means the same thing. Others prefer to translate it as all-sufficient, or self-sufficiency. Either way, the two words together carry divine attributes, since omnipotence and all-sufficiency are found in God alone.

"Jehovah" is the name of relationship taken with Israel, as "Shaddai" with the patriarchs. God revealed Himself to those fathers as "El Shaddai", and they were to walk in the faith of that name. He revealed Himself as Jehovah to Moses and Israel, and they were to walk in the faith of that name. He reveals Himself to us as Father, and so we are to walk.

God revealed Himself to Abraham as "the Almighty" (El Shaddai). Abraham was called to be a pilgrim, with none but God to look to, so He is revealed to him as the "All Powerful One."

It is also worth noting that in verse 3 Isaac says, "God Almighty bless you," and in verse 4, "May He give the blessing of Abraham to you." But the blessing is clearly limited. It reaches only to a "multitude of peoples," and to his inheriting, with his offspring, "the land of his sojournings which God gave to Abraham." Yet we never hear that God appeared to Isaac under that name, as He did to Abraham so plainly in Genesis 17:1... Isaac did not receive it directly, as Abraham and Jacob did.

"God Almighty bless you," prayed Isaac, "and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples." So it was of old, so it will be yet more in the future. Here, as before, this is blessing on earth only. Not a word points to heaven or eternity. The prayer promises growth on earth, but nothing of a higher order.

Another mark of difference is of much interest, and Galatians 3:16 points to it. "Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring." The apostle reasons on the one offspring, who is Christ, as against the many descendants, who are Israel... This however is absent from Isaac's blessing on Jacob.

Isaac blessed Jacob in the Name of the Almighty (Gen. 28:3). Later God changed Jacob's name to Israel and said to him, "I am God Almighty… the land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you" (Gen. 35:9–12). Jacob uses the Name of the Almighty in Genesis 43:14, 48:3 and 49:25. He knew the omnipotent power of Him who had blessed him despite all his failures.

Isaac again blesses Jacob in verses 3 and 4. He asks God Almighty to make him fruitful and to multiply his descendants. He asks that God would fulfil through him the promise made to Abraham, both as to his descendants and as to owning the land of promise. It seems clear in this passage that God had corrected Isaac's thinking, for he did not speak this way to Esau. God had overruled him by having the blessing given to Jacob. Isaac at least stayed by that, and here he confirms it in no uncertain terms.

He calls on God to give "the blessing of Abraham" to him. That blessing carried with it the coming of the "Seed," in whom all nations would be blessed. It was the very heart of that much-wanted birthright.

"God Almighty bless you," prayed Isaac, "and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples." So it was of old, and so it will be still more in the future. Here, as before, the blessing is on earth only. Not a word drops that points to heaven or eternity. Growth on earth is sure, but the words reach no higher. Even when Isaac asks God to give him "the blessing of Abraham," to him and to his seed with him, he narrows it to this: "that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham."

God's gift is absolute and future. Buying a burial-place from the Hittite confirms this rather than weakening it. For who that owned this land, or any other, would think of buying what was already his? He lays his dead in land so clearly not his own that he has to buy it for the purpose — a pledge to faith that he will have it another day… God will surely give "this land" to Abram's seed. They will buy it from no stranger in that day. Nothing that happens in between can touch His promise.

"They acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth." This was true in the plainest sense, as their journeys carried them on through time. By word of mouth they declared this of themselves. (Gen. 23:4; Gen. 28:4; Gen. 47:9.)

We notice further that having this blessing meant owning the land of promise in the end, but for now living as strangers in the middle of it. This has a remarkable voice for us. In Galatians 3:14 we read of "the blessing of Abraham" coming "to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." In receiving the Spirit we have the pledge of the heavenly portion that is ours, but for the present we are left as strangers in the place where we are. Our portion lies there in the age to come. Our life as strangers is here in the age that is.

At this point we see him in a much more favourable light, and speaking as a man of faith. He charges Jacob to go to Padan-aram and find a wife among his own people, and he blesses him in a way that surely shows he now accepted the purpose of God as to his two sons, which overruled and cancelled out his own natural inclinations. He asks God to give "the blessing of Abraham" to Jacob. That blessing brought with it the coming of the "Seed," in whom all nations would be blessed, and it was the very heart of the birthright Jacob had wanted so much.

"And God Almighty bless you," prayed Isaac, "and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples." So it was of old, so it will be yet more in the future. Here, as before, the blessing is for earth alone. Not one word points to heaven or eternity. It guarantees growth on earth and says nothing higher. Even Isaac's prayer for "the blessing of Abraham," for Jacob and his offspring, narrows to one thing: "that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham."

Here, on the contrary, Jacob must go to Padan-aram and take a wife there from the patriarch's family, from Laban's daughters. So early must Jehovah deal with Jacob according to his ways… He became an exile from the land of promise. In a strange land his own relatives cheated him. That was the sad payment for his crooked ways, used to grab what Jehovah had already given him and would have secured in His holy way of faithfulness and truth.

After all this, at the end of his ways though not of his days, Isaac sends Jacob away. The suspicious and frightened Rebekah asked for it. He does it with sorrow, shame and disappointment — the bitter fruit their own way had prepared for them.

We now follow Jacob as he leaves his father's roof, and see him as a homeless, lonely wanderer on the earth. It is here that God's special dealings with him begin… God will carry out His own purpose, no matter by what means. But if His child takes himself out of His hands, unrepentant in spirit and unbelieving in heart, he must expect much sorrowful exercise and painful discipline. So it was with Jacob: he might not have had to flee to Haran, had he allowed God to act for him.

His wrong way brings him under divine chastening, and he has to seek the distant land of his forefathers. But he is there as an exile, not as a man at home. He is there because God is disciplining him, not because his own heart wanted it… As he set out, he was already talking eagerly of his return.

Jacob's departure stands for Israel being driven out of their own land into wandering and suffering, until God brings them back to the land He swore to the fathers of the nation. In the chastening that passed over Jacob we see how God governs Israel.

Here we see Isaac in a much more favourable light, speaking as a man of faith. He charges Jacob to go to Padan-aram and find a wife among his own people. He blesses him in a way that shows he now accepted the purpose of God about his two sons. That purpose overruled and cancelled out his own natural leanings. He calls on God to give him "the blessing of Abraham." That blessing brought with it the coming of the "Seed," in whom all nations should be blessed. It was the very essence of the birthright Esau had coveted.

Esau learned that Isaac had given Jacob his blessing and sent him away with a charge not to take a wife from the Canaanites. He also learned that Jacob had accepted his parents' charge and obeyed (vv. 6-7). Then it stirred Esau up that his two wives had not pleased his father (v. 8). Yet how sad was his effort to fix the situation! He seems to have thought his parents would be more pleased if he added another wife, so long as she was related to Abraham! So he took the daughter of Ishmael, the son of the slave woman (v. 9)… He knew his father had only one wife. How could he expect Isaac to be pleased that Esau now had three! But "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8).

Scripture tells us in verses 6-9 that Esau imitated his brother as far as appearance allowed. He did this because his Canaanite wives displeased his father. But God was not in his thoughts; and his imitation fell miserably short. For along with his Hittite wives he took a daughter of Ishmael as wife. She was the child of the slave woman sent away from Abraham's house. There was no faith, only a natural and useless effort after better ways. Apart from faith it is impossible to please God. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him out. This was true of Jacob, in no way of Esau.

God made clear the character He put on this transaction with Jacob. Then came Esau's imitation of conduct directed in this way. We must expect this. But in fact it only revives the earlier lawlessness towards God. It does not remedy the evil; it increases it. God had already passed sentence. When there had been any opportunity for it, or good in it, he did not do God's will but his own. Now this imitation was too late.

In the eyes of God there was no difference between Ishmael's daughter and the daughter of Canaan. She was a sorrow to Esau's parents and to God, in nature and in practice. In his second choice Esau came near to the right line. But he stopped short of the mind of God for the descendants of Abraham, the friend of God. How often Christians form close friendships with people who look connected to the Christian faith, but who turn out to be no different from the world.

The apostle calls him "a profane person, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright"… So we learn what a profane person is. He is one who would like to hold both worlds. He would like to enjoy the present without losing his title to the future. This is by no means an uncommon case. It pictures for us the worldly person who only claims faith. His conscience has never felt the action of divine truth, and his heart has never felt the influence of divine grace.

Jacob must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. They were accursed in the Lord's eyes, though the carrying out of that sentence waits until the sin of the Amorites is full. For Jacob the wanderer there was to be as clear a refusal of alliance with the Canaanite as there was for Isaac. Only Isaac was forbidden, in the strictest terms, to leave the land. His bride had to come to him. Jacob, by contrast, goes to look for a wife at the house of his mother's father. So Jacob's earthly place and relationships are as plain as Isaac's heavenly ones. Isaac's story pictures sovereign grace calling a bride to the Heir of all things in heavenly places.

A farmed district in Mesopotamia, holding the city of Nahor. Terah and his family moved there from Ur of the Chaldees. Rebekah, Leah and Rachel, the wives of Isaac and Jacob, all came from there. The name is strictly Paddan-aram, meaning "table land of Aram."

Indeed at this point we see him in a much more favourable light, and speaking as a man of faith. He charges Jacob to go to Padan-aram and find a wife among his own people. He then blesses him in a way that surely shows he now accepted God's purpose for his two sons. That purpose overruled and cancelled out his own natural inclinations. He calls on God to give him "the blessing of Abraham." That blessing carried with it the coming of the "Seed," in whom all nations should be blessed. It was the very heart of the birthright Jacob had wanted so badly.

He became an exile from the land of promise. In a strange land his own relatives cheated him. It was the sad repayment of his own crooked ways in gaining what the Lord had given him. The Lord would have secured it for him in His holy way of faithfulness and truth.

Verses 6-9 tell us that Esau copied his brother's appearance as closely as he could, because his Canaanite wives displeased his father. But God was not in his thoughts, and his imitation fell miserably short. Besides the daughters of Heth he took a daughter of Ishmael as a wife — the offspring of the slave woman, cast out of Abraham's house. There was no faith, only a natural and useless effort after better ways. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Whoever comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him. This was true of Jacob, and in no way of Esau.

Esau saw that Jacob had been sent away with his father's blessing, and told not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. So he went to Ishmael and took his daughter Mahalath for a wife. Later the Spirit of God, giving the genealogy of Esau, said that he took Bashemath, Ishmael's daughter, for a wife. Historians say the writer of Genesis made a mistake by mixing up the names! We suggest the revised name had deliberate significance. In God's eyes there was no difference between Ishmael's daughter and a daughter of Canaan. So in the record she was given a name of Canaan... In his second choice Esau came near to the right line, but stopped short of the mind of God. How often Christians form close friendships with people who outwardly claim the Christian faith. Those people prove to be no different from the world.

Verses 6-9 show Esau imitating his brother in appearance, as closely as he could. He did this because his Canaanite wives displeased his father. But God was not in his thoughts, and his imitation fell miserably short. He already had the daughters of Heth. Now he also took a daughter of Ishmael as a wife — the child of the slave woman, cast out of Abraham's house. There was no faith, only a natural and useless effort after better ways. Apart from faith it is impossible to please God. Anyone who draws near to God must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him. This was true of Jacob, and in no way of Esau.

Esau saw that Jacob had obeyed his parents and left with his father's blessing (vv. 6-7). Then Esau took it to heart that his two wives had not pleased his father (v. 8). How sad was his effort to fix it! Apparently he thought another wife would please his parents more, as long as she had some link to Abraham! So he took the daughter of Ishmael, the son of the slave woman (v. 9). This is, of course, the foolish reasoning of the flesh. He knew his father had only one wife. How could Esau expect three wives to please him? In fact, even the third wife on her own would not have pleased Isaac. His half brother Ishmael had persecuted him. But "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8).

In God's eyes there was no difference between Ishmael's daughter and a daughter of Canaan. Genesis 28:9 calls her Mahalath, but the record of Esau's family calls her Bashemath (Gen. 36:3) — the name of one of his Canaanite wives. So Scripture gave her a name of Canaan. She was a sorrow in nature and practice, both to Esau's parents and to God. In his second choice Esau came near the right line. But he stopped short of the mind of God for the descendants of Abraham, the friend of God. How often Christians form close ties with people who carry the outward Christian name. Yet those people prove to be no different from the world.

God had made plain the character He put on this dealing with Jacob. Then we see Esau imitating conduct that God had directed. We must expect this. But in fact it only revives his earlier lawlessness away from God. It does not remedy the evil; it increases it. The sentence had already been passed. Back when there was any opportunity for obedience, or any good in it, he did his own will and not God's. Now this imitation was too late.

Verses 6-9 are sadly revealing as to Esau's mind. He takes yet another wife. That marriage was bound to displease his parents, and it also went against the purpose of God. In the previous chapter he appears as a would-be murderer. Now he shows himself again as a deliberate and high-handed despiser of God and His word. We saw this contrary spirit in him at the end of Genesis 26. Now we see it break out even more decisively and openly. So it is not hard to understand the words in the last book of the Old Testament: "Esau I have hated."

Scripture tells us in verses 6-9 that Esau imitated his brother as closely as he could in appearance. He did it because his Canaanite wives displeased his father. But God was not in his thoughts, and his imitation fell far short. Besides the daughters of Heth, he took a daughter of Ishmael as a wife. She was the child of the slave woman, cast out from Abraham's house. There was no faith, only a natural and useless effort after better ways. Apart from faith it is impossible to please God. Anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists, and that He rewards those who seek Him. This was true of Jacob, and in no way of Esau.

How sad was his effort to fix the situation! He seems to have thought his parents would be happier if he just added another wife, as long as she had some link to Abraham! So he took the daughter of Ishmael, the son of the slave woman (v. 9). This is, of course, the foolish reasoning of the flesh. He knew his father had only one wife. How could three wives please him? In fact even the third one on her own would not have pleased Isaac. His half brother Ishmael had persecuted him. But "those who are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:8).

Here God made plain the character of His dealing with Jacob. Then Esau imitated the conduct God had directed. We should expect this. But in fact it only revives the old lawless independence from God. It does not remedy the evil but rather increases it. God had already passed sentence. When there had been any opportunity for it, or any good in it, he did his own will and not God's. Now this imitation was too late.

One of the wives of Esau, the daughter of Ishmael and the mother of Reuel (Gen. 36:3-4). In the earlier account, Gen. 26:34 and Gen. 28:9, the names of Esau's wives differ from those given in Gen. 36:2-3. The women may have had two names, or they may have received another name at their marriage. It seems likely that Bashemath, daughter of Ishmael, is the same as Mahalath, daughter of Ishmael.

We suggest the changed name had deliberate significance. In God's eyes there was no difference between Ishmael's daughter and a daughter of Canaan. So the record gives her a name of Canaan. She was a sorrow by name, and no less a sorrow in nature and practice, to the parents and to God. In his second choice Esau came near to the right line. But he stopped short of the mind of God for the descendants of Abraham, the friend of God. How often Christians form close ties with people who are linked to Christian profession only on the outside. Those people turn out to be no different from the world.

How lovely it is to find that the name of Ishmael's daughter Mahalath (Gen. 28:9) means "forgiven"! … Through God's amazing grace, Genesis 28:9 shows this very daughter of Ishmael, Mahalath, brought back as a bride. She returns to the very home her father had lost through his sin.

We now follow Jacob as he leaves his father's roof. We see him as a homeless and lonely wanderer on the earth. Here God's special dealings with him start. Jacob now begins to feel, in some measure, the bitter fruit of his conduct toward Esau. At the same time we see God rising above all the weakness and folly of His servant... he might not have had to flee to Haran, had he allowed God to act for him.

His unbelief has driven him out of the land of promise. His pilgrimage is not, like that of Abraham, in the land, but outside of it. It is true, God watches over him, waits on him, and preserves him; but he does not walk with God. He has no altar till his return, after a course of painful experiences... For twenty-one years he had to do with men who cheated and oppressed him, while God preserved him in secret.

Beer-sheba means "the well of the oath" and Haran means "mountaineer". We have a picture of Israel going out from the presence of God, away from the promise of God's blessing — that is the "well of God's oath". Israel goes to live in the mountain, the mountain of law-keeping. This is the case with every true believer who gets away from the Lord who loves to have His own near Himself... The further a person gets from the Lord the more legal he becomes, as a matter of fact, and seeks to justify himself.

On the first stage of his journey, Jacob stops for the night. There we see him a lonely man, only the sky above him, and darkness closing around him. Strange as it may seem, it is in this lonely place, lying on the stony bed his sin had made, that the Lord meets him. The Lord had nothing to say to him by his father's bedside, in the place where he sinned. But in the dreary spot where his sin had cast him, the Lord draws near. He turns his comfortless bed into a place of correction and consolation.

First, for his consolation, he will learn that all his failures will not alter God's purpose to bless him in sovereign grace. Second, for his correction, he will learn that God's sovereign grace will not stop God's chastening hand because of his failures... Jacob's circumstances are not changed. He still has to go on his lonely way as a wanderer. He must spend long years in toil and bondage in a stranger's house, because of his sin against his father and brother. He has to reap what he has sown. If Jacob deceives his father with the skins of goats, then in years to come his own sons will deceive him with the blood of a goat.

God is above all, and it is His special right to bring good out of evil. So it is quite true that Jacob's own restless and deceitful acting forced him into exile from his father's house. It is just as true that he could never have learned the meaning of "Bethel" had he stayed at home... It was when his own folly drove him from Isaac's house that he was led to taste, in some measure, the blessedness and solemnity of "God's house."

Jacob values the blessing of God, but seeks it in cunning, fleshly ways, the very opposite of faith... That is how Israel stumbled at the stumbling-stone, and became wanderers from the land of promise, exiled by their sin. Yet Jacob, an exile from his father's house, finds God at Bethel watching over him and providing for him, and promising him a final return to his father's house in peace. In the same way God has watched over his descendants in all their wanderings.

In the first stage of his journey, Jacob lights on a certain place where he stays for the night. There we see him a lonely man with a stone for his pillow, only the sky above him, and darkness closing around him. Yet, strange as it may seem to us, the Lord meets him in this lonely place, lying on the stony bed his sin had made. The Lord had nothing to say to him by his father's bedside, in the place of his sinning. But in the dreary spot where his sin had cast him, the Lord draws near. He turns his comfortless bed into a place of correction and comfort.

Here we find the homeless wanderer in the very position where God could meet him, and where He could unfold His purposes of grace and glory. Nothing could speak of helplessness and nothingness more clearly than Jacob's condition here. He lies under the open sky, with a pillow of stone, helpless in sleep. This is how the God of Bethel unfolded to Jacob His purposes for him and his descendants.

I do not suppose he was too comfortable lying on a stone. I think that pictures his inner discomfort — he did not have an easy conscience. The stone speaks to us of the law. Several times in Jacob's history we see something that reminds us of the hard, cold stone tablets that carried the commandments. That is not the pillow you would choose. It stands in contrast to John's. John had for a pillow Jesus' chest (John 13:23) — what a difference!

Banished Jacob comes to Luz, weary and in darkness. He does not find even a hut to welcome him. He finds a stone, rejected by men, waiting for him on the ground. In the darkness he makes this stone his pillow. When the light comes, he sets it up with a holy anointing, as a pillar of testimony and worship.

The Lord appeared to Jacob in the dark after the sun had set. This is quite different from the Lord's appearance to Abraham in the heat of the day as he sat in his tent door (Gen. 18:1), where everything was clear and bright and Abraham ran to meet the Lord... If the Lord had appeared to Jacob in the heat of the day, what would he have done? If Jacob had seen the Lord coming he would have run away.

Jacob, in this movement away from God, comes to the end of his day. He lies down in a certain place to rest, and God withdraws him from the activities that filled his day. How often we are busy with the passing things of the day, with no time for the things of God! But God in His mercy is withdrawing Jacob and securing his attention in his sleeping hours... God had much in mind for Jacob. The great thing God had in mind was to fashion him as a worshipper.

As he passed over Peniel we are told, "The sun rose upon him." That is a designed contrast with Genesis 28:11, when he had left Beersheba: "the sun had set." The night of darkness in our lives passes only when the flesh is crippled (or judged), and we learn to cling only to the Lord.

There we see a lonely man with a stone for his pillow, only the sky above him, and darkness closing around him. Yet the Lord meets him in this lonely place, as he lies on the stony bed his sin had made. The Lord had nothing to say to him at his father's bedside, in the place of his sinning. But in the dreary spot where his sin had cast him, the Lord draws near. He turns his comfortless bed into a place of correction and consolation.

Jacob saw a ladder set up. Its top entered heaven, and its foot rested just on the spot where he was lying. It was a lowly, dishonoured place. It also bore witness to his wrong and his misery. But the ladder adopted it. The Lord was in His glory above it, and His voice spoke to Jacob of blessing, of security, of guidance, and of inheritance.

Some have imagined that this means man can climb up to heaven by his own spiritual energy, rising step by step through human effort into favour with God. But it has nothing to do with man going up. The same is true when the Lord tells Nathanael he would "see the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man" (John 1:51).

At Babel men tried to raise themselves to heaven by a tower they built. It ended in scattering and confusion. But God has established a link between heaven and earth, shown by the ladder in his dream. In those days angels maintained that link. The LORD Himself was at the top of the ladder. Poor Jacob the fugitive was at the bottom, needing a blessing and getting it.

Above the ladder was the Lord Himself. This showed that He directed the angels' ministry. He sent them out on their missions on earth, and they came back to Him to give account of what they had done for Him.

The angels of God are there close to Jacob. These mighty beings excel in strength and always move in relation to the will of God, and they are near to the saints... Above all that, "The LORD" — God in relation to His people — is standing at the top of the ladder. The word "stand" there shows no casual stance. It shows the settled purpose of the blessed God to place Himself in relation to the circumstances of the saints, so that they come through with real gain and become worshippers of God. Nothing will make Him move from that stance.

It formed the means of communication between heaven and earth. And "behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it" — what a striking and beautiful picture of Him! By Him God has come down into all the depth of man's need. By Him God has also brought man up and set him in His own presence for ever, in the power of divine righteousness.

Some make the common mistake of saying that Christ is the ladder on which angels descend, joining heaven and earth. That error is repeated here, so I point it out. Christ has Jacob's place, not the ladder's. Jacob was at the foot of the ladder, and these messengers were coming down and going up from God to him, and from him to God. Now the Son of Man was to be the object. God's angels would have the Son of Man as the object of their service from an open heaven.

This will be fulfilled when heaven opens and the angels of God ascend and descend on the Son of Man. In short, it will be fulfilled when God carries out His purposes through Christ in a renewed earth. Angels will be His ready instruments for blessing and for government.

God has set up a link between heaven and earth. The ladder in Jacob's dream shows it. In those days that link worked through the service of angels. Jehovah Himself was at the top of the ladder and poor Jacob, the fugitive, at the bottom, needing a blessing and getting it.

Every word spoken by the Lord was in richest grace. There was not, as we might have expected, a solemn rebuke to Jacob for his shameful conduct. The Lord had not overlooked Jacob's sins, but at this time He was declaring His sovereign grace. This is clear from His opening words. He declared Himself "the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac." He had called Abraham and chosen Isaac by His sovereign choice. Now He was stepping in to bless Jacob, despite all that Jacob was by nature.

There was to be no mistaking it: Jacob's blessing did not depend on Jacob's faithfulness. Its source went back not only to his father and his grandfather, but to the living God. God had revealed Himself in grace to both Abraham and Isaac. He would not change His purpose, even though Jacob was a failing vessel.

Jacob was such a sinner, and so completely stripped of all claim, both by birth and by practice, that he had nothing left to rest on. He had only God's purpose of pure, free, and sovereign grace. So the revelation the Lord gives His chosen servant is simply a record or prediction of what He Himself would yet do. "I am … I will give … I will keep … I will bring … I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you of." It was all Himself. There is no condition whatever. No if or but; for when grace acts there can be no such thing. Where there is an if, it cannot possibly be grace.

The first thing promised to Jacob was the land on which he was lying, given to him and to his offspring. This renewed the promise given to Abraham and Isaac. That promise has already had a partial fulfilment. It awaits full fulfilment when Israel, under Messiah, will hold the promised land.

Jacob spent the night there with nothing but stones for a pillow. But Jehovah stood above the ladder and promised him the land — the land he was lying on so miserably — for him and his offspring. Whatever the sad and lonely beginning, this should be the glorious end.

Our Lord refers to the vision at Bethel in John 1:51. The Jehovah who stood above Jacob's ladder is the same One who spoke to Nathanael. He said, "You will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." … Here again is sovereign mercy. What did Jacob do to deserve all this? Why should God meet him like this? Did he think of the Lord and call on Him for mercy before he slept on the stone? Nothing whatsoever. And Jehovah kept His promise and did all He had promised.

God reveals Himself to Jacob as the One who is determined to bless man in sovereign grace. "In you," says God, "and in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Moreover, what God has promised He will perform. He will be faithful to His own word.

Every word spoken by the Lord was in richest grace. There was not, as we might have expected, a solemn rebuke to Jacob for his shameful conduct. The Lord had not overlooked Jacob's sins, but He was at this time declaring His sovereign grace. The One who in His sovereign choice had called Abraham and had chosen Isaac was stepping in to bless Jacob in spite of everything he was by nature.

The first time God made a promise to Abraham about his offspring He told him it would be as "the dust of the earth" (Gen. 13:16). The next time God spoke of that offspring in Genesis 15:5, He said it would be as "the stars." Then in Gen. 22:17 He added a third thing, saying it would be "as the sand." ... When God confirms it to Jacob, He tells him, "Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth" (Gen. 28:14). Isaac pictures the heavenly company and Jacob the earthly company. So to Isaac the stars are mentioned and to Jacob the dust. ... We have long understood the stars to stand for the heavenly company, the dust Israel and the sand the Gentiles.

God confirmed the promises to him — that his descendants would have the land, and that all nations would be blessed in his Seed. There was this difference. With the second promise it says "in you and in your offspring," because it includes the earthly blessings to his offspring in the millennium.

The Lord further stresses the earthly character of Jacob's blessing. He says that his descendants would spread "to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south." There are no such directions in heaven. More than this, in Jacob and his offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed. This is a firm, absolute declaration.

Scripture gives plenty of witness to the fulfilment of this part of the promise. Today, after all the efforts of different nations and people to wipe out the offspring of Jacob, it is reckoned that there are over thirteen million of them in the world.

God confirms the promise to Isaac in Genesis 26:4 and to Jacob in Genesis 28:14, and in both cases "the Seed" is mentioned. Once the Seed is introduced, He is never left out, for in truth everything in the way of fulfilment depends on Him.

Even the long-standing foes of Israel, Egypt and Assyria, will be blessed in relation to the offspring of Jacob. Of that millennial day it is written, "Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance" (Isa. 19:24-25). No doubt the latter part of this can be applied to Christ, as it is in the promise made to Abraham (Gal. 3:16), for it is under Christ's reign, and because of His death on the cross, that the blessing comes to Jew and Gentile, both now and in the world to come.

This is the order of blessing in the world to come. The Jews are in the inner circle, and in the outer are the Gentiles, blessed through them, glad and singing for joy, for God will govern in righteousness.

When Jacob first reached Luz — the place he later called Bethel — he was as badly off as anyone on earth. He had been sent away from his family, and he deserved it. He was homeless and friendless. His future was uncertain. All he owned was a staff. His bed was the ground and his pillow a stone. There he lay down to sleep. But the Lord was in that place. Never did he receive such a revelation of Him, and of His endless resources in heaven and on earth, as he did at Bethel. Never did he receive richer promises of constant, watchful care and of future blessing. And he found Him faithful Who had promised.

The dream woke Jacob up to the fact that God was there. We may be in the presence of God and not know it at all. That is a solemn thought. To Jacob it was more than solemn; it was dreadful. But that was because he had no settled standing before God on the ground of redemption. Believers could only say "We also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ," having received the reconciliation, once the death and resurrection of Christ had actually happened. For us the presence of God is not dreadful but delightful.

Here again is Sovereign Mercy. What did Jacob do to merit all this? Why should God meet him thus? Did he think of the Lord and call on Him for mercy before he slept on the stone? Nothing whatsoever. And Jehovah kept His promise and did all He had promised. "I will not leave you" is a repeated promise. See Deut. 31:6; Josh. 1:5; 1 Chronicles 28:20; Hebrews 13:5-6.

God's revelation of Himself is one thing. Our resting in that revelation is quite another. God shows Himself to Jacob in infinite grace. But as soon as Jacob wakes up, we see his true character come out. We see how little he really knew of the blessed One who had just revealed Himself to him so wonderfully... His heart was not at home in the presence of God. No heart can be at home there until it has been fully emptied and broken. God is at home — blessed be His name — with a broken heart, and a broken heart is at home with Him.

God met Jacob there. That is why he called it Bethel, "the house of God." In doing so he recognised a very important principle in God's ways. He raised a pillar up and called it God's house, but still he kept on going the wrong way... On the spot where Jacob raised the pillar there was a wilderness but it was where God was. That is the important thing about God's house: it is where God Himself is... Bethel was called Luz at first. Luz means "separation" and Bethel means "house of God." The house of God is always separate from everything else.

In calling him back to the land of promise, God revealed Himself to him as "the God of Bethel," reminding him of the pillar he anointed and the vow that he made. So God called him back to the beginning of his direct dealings with Him. This is always God's way with His people. We may wander away, but we have to come back to the very spot we left. The point of departure proves to be the place of recovery.

We might have thought that Jacob would wake up in delight after such a wonderful vision and such amazing promises from God. But it was not so, for he was afraid. He knew he was in the presence of God, and that brought terror to the heart of a man who had deceived his father and robbed his brother. He had not come into God's presence by choice. He himself said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it." God's presence is not an attractive place to a wrongdoer. It is the last place he wants to be, because God's presence exposes what he really is.

But Jacob's soul was not quite up to this way of grace. He found the place "dreadful" — the place where he saw the ladder and the angels, and where the God of his fathers spoke to him. In some sense it was too much for him... But the ladder still reaches to heaven, and the angels are going up and down it in Jacob's sight... For the grace of God is richer than what the soul understands of it. God shines in Himself, above our experiences. And it is in Himself that He is to be known, not in the reflections of our experience.

The first mention of the house of God is in Genesis 28:17; the last, in Revelation 21:3. From the first book to the last, the house of God has a very great place in the purpose of God. It reaches from the present creation in time right on to the new heavens and earth in eternity. What the house is made of may vary from period to period. In Old Testament days it was boards and curtains, and later stones. Today it is believers, or living stones. But the purpose of the house is always the same: to be a dwelling place for God among men.

Jacob recognized that where the LORD shows His presence, there is the house of God.

The first mention of a gate is in Genesis 19:1, where Lot sat in the gate of Sodom. This shows that the word means more than a place to go in and out. It also means the place where men of age and wisdom sat to give judgment. So "gate" has a figurative meaning as well as a literal one. Where God dwells in His house, there is the place of heaven's administration and judgment.

The gate presents the thought of access to heaven. Through the gate we are able to get in touch with heaven for praise and prayer. And note this: the gate is not in some far-off place beyond the edge of the earth. The gate of heaven is always on earth, and here, while we are on earth, we are to use the gate.

This is not very important to our present subject. But the common error appears here again — that Christ is the ladder on which angels descend, uniting heaven and earth. So I will note it. Christ has Jacob's place, not the ladder's. Jacob was at the foot of the ladder, and these messengers were coming down and going up, from God to him and from him to God. Now the Son of Man was to be the object. God's angels would have the Son of Man as the object of their service from an open heaven.

We know that Christ is the "stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious." We know that though to the natural mind it seems a hard and comfortless pillow, the spiritual mind arriving at Luz (separation) finds sweet rest and a soft pillow in the heart of Jesus — a pillow of rest first, and then this same Jesus a pillar of witness and worship, anointed with oil — the Holy Spirit. And so Luz becomes Bethel — the house of God! This is the wanderer's sanctuary.

And further, Jacob's action in taking one of the stones that had served him as a pillow, and anointing it as a pillar, and identifying it with God's house, is remarkable and significant in the light of 1 Timothy 3:15. In ancient times pillars were used for support, as we see in Solomon's temple. But they were also set up as witnesses to certain facts. Three times we read of Jacob raising pillars; here and in Genesis 31 and Genesis 35, each time as a witness.

The pillar indicated testimony or witness (Gen. 31:52). In this case the witness was to the unfailing faithfulness and mercy of God (the LORD God of Abraham, etc.). The oil was a type of the Holy Spirit who makes the house of God a living reality now. Jacob named the place Bethel, or house of God, although no real house then existed.

There were three general uses to which it was put: for food, for light, and for anointing… it was used again and again to anoint or consecrate persons, places and articles. So priests were anointed, and the tabernacle with its various articles of furniture. David and all the kings of Judah were anointed. Elisha the prophet was to be anointed. A striking case is Jacob's anointing of the pillar at Bethel (Gen. 28:18; Gen. 31:13), where he set apart the place as "the house of God," a kind of anticipation of the tabernacle.

Jacob says, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Then he sets up "a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it." The gate presents the thought of access to heaven. Through the gate we are able to get in touch with heaven for praise and prayer. And let it be said, this gate is not in some far-off place beyond the bounds of earth. The gate of heaven is always on earth, and here, while we are on earth, we are to use the gate.

And so with us, divine grace brings such vast and eternal blessings, and so wholly undeserved, that it awakens hearts, makes us know that we are in the presence of God, exercises the conscience, and draws out our souls in worship.

His first had been one of confidence in the flesh (ch. 28:18-22); his second was the pillar of broken confidence (ch. 31:45), signifying the untrustworthiness of the flesh. This third is the pillar of confidence in God. For this time he makes no vow, but pours a drink offering and oil on the pillar…

He set up the stone he had used as a pillow and poured oil on it, calling the place Bethel, "the house of God." Abraham had lived earlier between Bethel and Ai (Gen. 12:8), and Jacob renames the place. "The name of the city was Luz at the first" (v. 19). This name means "separation," and it reminds us that the house of God must keep a place of holy separation from all the principles of man's civilization.

The old name of the place was Luz, meaning a curve. It pointed to what Jacob's life had been — far from straight. But now for Jacob it was Bethel, the dwelling place of God, and it had a very significant place in his later history.

The first passage in Scripture that speaks of the House of God is Genesis 28:10-22. There Jacob, the homeless wanderer, sees a vision of the House of God. At once two things come before us: the purpose of God, and the responsibility of man towards God's House. God reveals Himself to Jacob as the One who is determined to bless man in sovereign grace... The gate stands for access to Heaven. Through it we reach Heaven with praise and prayer. And this gate is not in some far-off place: the gate of Heaven is always on earth, and while we are here we are to use it.

Jacob set up a pillar and poured oil on the top of it (v. 18); the pillar indicated testimony or witness (Gen. 31:52). Here the witness was to the unfailing faithfulness and mercy of God... The oil was a picture of the Holy Spirit, who makes the House of God a living reality now. Jacob named the place Bethel, or House of God, although no real house stood there. Since that day many have tried to copy Jacob's example. They have put up houses and memorials of different kinds and called them God's, but without prophetic insight. As a result they have blurred the features of the real house.

The place where Jacob stopped would be marked by the mixed fortunes of Israel. It was no picture of the church. Jehovah made Bethel a pledge of sure mercy to Jacob when he had nothing left — whatever the king, raised up to punish the people, would later twist it into in honour of a strange and rival god.

In the case of Bethel, God appeared to Jacob when he left the land of Canaan, and he called the name of the place "Bethel." On his return, God tells him to go up there, and already calls it Bethel. Then God appears to Jacob there a second time, and Jacob confirms the name "Bethel." He had a double reason. But the second part of the history calls it Bethel already, before he gets there. So the case is very simple and very clear.

Bethel, meaning "House of God," was sacred as the spot where God showed Himself to Jacob, and graciously pledged Himself to His servant (Gen. 28:10-22). Now one of Jeroboam's calves stood there (1 Kings 12:28-29). So Jehovah spoke of the place with contempt as Bethaven — "house of folly" (Hosea 4:15).

Notice the "if" in "If God will be with me." The Lord had just said, with emphasis, "I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land." And yet poor Jacob's heart cannot get beyond an "if." In its thoughts of God's goodness, it cannot rise higher than bread to eat and clothing to wear. These were the thoughts of a man who had just seen the great vision of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven. The Lord stood above it, promising countless offspring and an everlasting possession. Jacob was unable to enter into the reality and fullness of God's thoughts. He measured God by himself, and so completely failed to understand Him.

The promises of God lay far outside and beyond this little circle of merely human interests and ideas. He had just repeated them to the ear of faith: "Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth… and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed." God's thoughts about him were large, and took in the whole earth in final blessing. Faith in that largeness would have brought Jacob out into liberty. Instead, he would have been content with the measure of his own personal safety.

The ground Jacob took in his vow was about as selfish as you will find in a true saint of God. It came to this: if God will be with me, look after me, and do for me what I want, then He shall be my God. And I will give Him a tenth of all He gives me. A bargain like this is barely above the level of a decent man of the world. Yet God bore with him and clearly accepted his feeble vow, and did for him all that he wanted, and more besides.

Here was Jacob striking a bargain with God, and certainly to his own advantage. But God knew the real and right desires of His poor servant, even if he expressed them in this way.

A person under the government of God who is not settled in His grace always feels alarm. To such a soul, God's presence is more or less something to dread, and Jacob said as much: "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Such a combination may surprise many of us: the house of God joined with terror. But so it must always be where the heart is not established in grace, and Jacob's heart was far from it. He was the object of grace, but in no way settled in grace. His demands were by no means large, for legalism is always narrow. His vow is almost exactly the picture of a man under law.

God had not forgotten the original terms, and He would not let His servant forget them either. Is this legality? No; it is the display of divine love and faithfulness. God loved Jacob, and would not let him settle for anything less than the old standard. He watched over His servant's heart with jealous care. If that heart should ever stay below the Bethel mark, He gently reminds him.

God was to him so far only the source of supply for all the food, clothes, protection and care he needed. Can we afford to throw stones at Jacob over this? Are there not thousands today whose "Christianity" amounts to little more than this? God is good to them. They find comfort in Jesus in the trials, needs and puzzles of life. And they expect to go to heaven when they die.

Vows do not belong to the age of grace we live in, but to the age before it. The first vow in Scripture is Jacob's, and it comes while God is bringing him up and disciplining him. Poor Jacob! God had just appeared to him and given him promises with no conditions. Again and again He said, "I will": "I will give, I will keep, I will bring you again, I will not leave you" (Gen. 28:13–15). But in taking a vow, Jacob stands on legal ground.

Poor Jacob's heart cannot get beyond an "if." And in its thoughts of God's goodness it cannot rise higher than "bread to eat, and clothing to put on." These were the thoughts of a man who had just seen the magnificent vision of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven. The Lord stood above it, promising him countless descendants and a possession that would last forever. Jacob could not take in the reality and fullness of God's thoughts. He measured God by himself, and so missed Him completely. In short, Jacob had not yet come to the end of himself, and so he had not really begun with God.

He promises that, if the Lord fulfils all His promises, then, once that is done, the Lord will be his God. Who would be his God in the meantime?

Elohim is the One who holds the position of God. Jehovah is the personal name of the One who truly is God… When it says, "then Jehovah shall be my Elohim" (Gen. 28:21), we must go back to verse 13, from which Jacob drew what he said here, and to verse 16 as well.

All is Jacob here, and not Jehovah. He sets Jehovah's glory aside and thinks only of his own blessing… I, I, I fills the scene, and is the whole subject of his prayer. So in this hour of trial he fails to keep his vow. He acknowledges Jehovah only as the God of his father Abraham, the God of his father Isaac, the Jehovah who spoke to him — but not as his God.

The ground that he took in his vow was about as selfish as any to be found in a true saint of God. It came to this: if God will be with me, look after me, and do for me what I want, then He shall be my God. And I will give Him a tenth of all that He gives me. A bargain like this is barely above the level of a decent man of the world. Yet God bore with him, and clearly accepted his feeble vow, and did for him all that he wished, and more besides.

God had not forgotten the original terms, and neither would He let His servant forget them. Is this legality? No; it is the display of divine love and faithfulness. God loved Jacob, and He would not let him settle for less than the old standard. He watched over the state of His servant's heart, and He gently reminds him with these touching, meaningful words: "I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar, and where you vowed a vow."

When Jacob poured the oil on the top of the pillar, he marked everything that happened that memorable night as sacred. The old name of the place was Luz, meaning a curve, and it indicated what Jacob's life had been — far from straight. But now for Jacob it was Bethel, the dwelling place of God. That place mattered greatly later in his life.

Jacob says, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven." Then he sets up "a pillar, and poured oil on the top of it." The gate presents the thought of access to heaven. Through the gate we can get in touch with heaven for praise and prayer... The pillar, as we know from the story of Jacob's parting with Laban, carries with it the thought of witness (Gen. 31:52).

Notice, "if God will be with me." Now the Lord had just said, emphatically, "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land." And yet poor Jacob's heart cannot get beyond an "if." In its thoughts of God's goodness, it cannot rise higher than bread to eat and clothing to put on. Such were the thoughts of one who had just seen the magnificent vision of the ladder reaching from earth to heaven.

But though Jacob did all this, the ground he took in his vow was about as selfish as any you will find in a true saint of God. It came to this: if God will be with me, look after me, and do for me what I want, then He shall be my God. And I will give Him a tenth of all that He gives me. A bargain like this is barely above the level of a decent man of the world. Yet God bore with him and evidently accepted his feeble vow, and did for him all that he wished, and more besides.

How different Jacob's vow is from Abraham in Genesis 14! Abraham refused to let strangers make him rich. He gave tithes of everything, unasked, to Melchizedek, priest of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth.

He vows too that he would surely give to God one tenth of all that God gave to him. Did he seriously think he was being very generous? God had said, "I will," but Jacob said, "I will surely." Of course God keeps His promise perfectly. But there is no record that Jacob ever carried out his promise to give God one tenth of all.

In Christianity everything we have is sometimes viewed as belonging to God. We are only stewards of what God has given us (Luke 16:11-12). But our present possessions are also viewed as our own (Acts 5:4), and we are responsible for using them rightly. Those who are rich are not told to give a tenth, but are to "be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share" (1 Tim. 6:18).

God had not forgotten the original terms, and He would not let His servant forget them. Is this legality? No; it is the display of divine love and faithfulness. God loved Jacob, and He would not let him stop short of the old standard. He jealously watched over the state of His servant's heart. In case it should remain below the Bethel mark, He gently reminds him with those touching and significant words: "I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me."

Here the second period of Jacob's life begins. He is now a stranger, a servant working for wages, the victim of deceit and self-seeking on the part of Laban, his relative — and a close relative in character too. You cannot mistake the payback that runs all the way through it: the measure he used on others is measured back to him. But you also cannot miss that in the way it is handed out, God is speaking to the heart and conscience of the wanderer. There is justice in God's government, but also the correction of a holy love.

But he goes on. Grace sets the corrected saint on his journey, and with some eagerness too, until "he came to the land of the people of the east," until he reached Padan-aram, the place his mother's advice had sent him to — and no doubt the place God's own hand had now led him to.

Jacob, strengthened by his dream, goes on with his journey to the land of his relatives. The opening phrase is a rare one. The nearest thing to it describes the priests leaving the bed of the Jordan for Canaan (Joshua 4:18), and that does little to support the eagerness people read into it here.

In Genesis 29 we find Jacob taking up his journey again, and God's merciful hand shows itself at once, directing him and opening his way. God guides his steps to the very well where his uncle Laban's sheep were watered, and where he met his cousin Rachel. Laban's house gave him a warm welcome, but there he found himself in the hands of a man who matched him in trickery.

As we have just seen, in Genesis 28 Jacob completely fails to grasp what God is really like. He meets all the rich grace of Bethel with an "if" and a poor little bargain about food and clothing. We now follow him into a scene of non-stop bargain-making. "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap." There is no escaping this. Jacob had not yet found his true level in God's presence, and so God uses circumstances to correct him and break him down.

He met Rachel at the well, among the flock, just as Eliezer met Rebecca — and Eliezer was only Isaac's representative. But Jacob was the poor man, Isaac the wealthy. Isaac could enrich Rebecca with gold earrings and bracelets, a pledge of the fine estate he had waiting for her. Jacob has only his hard work and the sweat of his face. Isaac was the son and heir; Jacob was a man who had made himself poor, and must find his own way through the wear and tear of life as best he can, with God's help. Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheep (Hosea 12:12). It was about to prove hard service. But he starts at once, and keeps at it for twenty long years.

Jacob's life divides into three parts: in the land, exiled from it at Padan-Aram, and returning again. These match, very plainly, the three great periods of Israel's national life. We know the last one only from prophecy, but we know it as surely as any history could tell us.

In Genesis 29 Jacob takes up his journey again, and the merciful hand of God shows itself at once, directing him and opening his way. God guides his steps to the very well that watered the sheep of his uncle Laban. There he met his cousin Rachel.

Here, as usual, Jacob is under God's providential care, even though we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Rachel appears, and Laban follows. This is His sure direction, unseen and unnamed. Yet we may note the difference from Eliezer's clear prayer of faith and immediate worship in Genesis 24, and from God's prompt answer.

A well was of course the most likely place to meet people. Three flocks of sheep were nearby, waiting for water. They could not drink until someone removed the huge stone from the mouth of the well. The stone was plainly needed to stop people or animals from falling in by accident. Their practice was to wait until all the flocks had gathered. Then the shepherds would roll the stone away, water the flocks, and put the stone back in its place.

The principle that stands out is this: the stone is the law. It holds back the blessing that man is going to receive from God, and that alone keeps back what God has to give. Man feels he deserves something as long as he tries hard enough. But the stone still lies on top of the well, keeping the water from coming out.

Take up again the view of Jacob as a picture of Christ in His earthly character. He comes to the people of the East, where three flocks wait around a well that is still closed. When it is "high day" he opens the well and waters the waiting sheep. "When all the flocks were gathered there" — Jew, Gentile, and Church of God: at least these three plainly stand out for special recognition and favour.

What a striking lesson this is! The energy of faith and love can remove great obstacles and bring blessing before the time of "restoring all things." We see this in the present age of the grace of God… So the church has been wonderfully blessed before the time of the worldwide blessing.

Jacob — faulty, foolish, failing — takes on this mighty work without knowing what he does. He lifts it off the ground of grace and lays it on the shoulders of his own faithfulness! Look at him, in unwise haste, while it is still high day and the flocks not yet gathered, rolling the stone from the well's mouth and watering Laban's sheep. Abraham's servant did not act like that. He waited and prayed and wondered in silence, and let the young woman hurry and run and draw water for him and for all his camels. Nor did the meek and lowly One act like that. In tender grace and patient long-suffering He refused to fulfil a single wish — as Messiah, Son of Man, or Head of all things, with His bride the church — until the due time came and the Father's will required it.

The stone was clearly needed to stop people or animals from falling into the well by accident. Their practice was to wait until all the flocks were gathered. Then the shepherds would roll the stone away, water the flocks, and put the stone back in its place.

Jacob was puzzled that the shepherds were still waiting to water their flock. They tell him they could not do this until enough shepherds arrived to roll the stone from the well's mouth. When all were gathered there they would do it and water the sheep. There is a picture in this of people waiting for the time of universal blessing, which will take place in the millennial age.

Take up again the view of Jacob as a picture of Christ in His character on earth. He comes to the people of the East, where three flocks are waiting around a well that is still closed. When it is "high day" he opens the well and supplies the waiting sheep. Isaiah prophesies of the future time when "Israel will be the third with Egypt and Assyria… whom the LORD of hosts has blessed, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel my inheritance." "And when all the flocks were gathered there" — Jew, Gentile, and Church of God. At least these three nations stand out for special recognition and favour.

The principle that stands out is this: the stone is the law. It holds back the blessing that man is going to receive from God, and it alone keeps back what God has to give. Man feels he deserves something so long as he tries hard enough. But the stone still sits on top of the well, and it keeps the water from coming out. The same thing appears in the stone on the grave of Lazarus (John 11:39-40).

What a striking lesson this is! The energy of faith and love can remove great obstacles and bring blessing before the time of "the restoring of all things." This is what we see in the present "dispensation of the grace of God."

Without knowing it, faulty, foolish, failing Jacob takes on this mighty work. He moves it off the ground of grace and places it on the shoulders of his own faithfulness. Look at him! In unwise haste, while it is still high day and the flocks are not yet gathered, he rolls the stone from the well's mouth and waters Laban's sheep!

This was an ancient city in Mesopotamia. Terah and his family moved there from Ur of the Chaldeans. Abraham stayed there on his way to the land of Canaan, until his father died. The descendants of Nahor, Abraham's brother, also settled there, so people called it the "city of Nahor." Gen. 24:10... The name means "road" in Accadian. It was probably so called because the caravan routes of Syria, Assyria, and Babylonia crossed there.

By questioning the shepherds, Jacob finds that he has come to the right place. Their home was at Haran. They knew Laban also, and that he was well (vv. 5-6). More than this, at the very moment Laban's daughter Rachel was coming with her flock of sheep to the well.

In Genesis 29, we find Jacob taking up his journey again. The merciful hand of God is at once obvious, directing him and opening up his way. God guides his steps to the very well where Laban, his uncle, watered his sheep, and there he met his cousin Rachel. Laban welcomed him warmly into his house, only for Jacob to find himself in the hands of a man who was his equal in trickery.

We have men here, not Jehovah, or Elohim, though surely God was behind it all.

As so often with Jacob, he is here under God's providential care, even when we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Then Rachel appears, and Laban follows. It is His sure but unseen and unnamed direction. Yet we may note the difference from Eliezer's clear prayer of faith and immediate worship in Gen. 24. There is a difference too in God's prompt answer, and in the bride's ready response. She set out to join a man she had never seen but trusted, and for him she left all her existing family ties.

We are now called to follow Jacob as he moves out from under his father's roof. We see him as a homeless and lonely wanderer on the earth. It is here that God's special dealings with him begin. Jacob now begins to realise, in some measure, the bitter fruit of his conduct towards Esau. At the same time, God rises above all the weakness and folly of His servant. He displays His own sovereign grace and deep wisdom in His dealings with him.

Jacob goes out from Beersheba (v. 10). This is a striking picture of the nation Israel, the sons of Jacob, because Beersheba means "the well of the oath" and Haran means "mountaineer." Israel has in effect left the ground of God's unconditional promise and has chosen instead the mountain of law-keeping, as though this could ever bring the blessing of God! All the time Jacob was in Haran, he kept a character of selfish bargaining. In the same way, Israel today remains in a state of self-righteousness.

How strange that devout eyes, in the past and in our own day, should see a picture of Jesus in Jacob's journey and arrival in Haran! They see the Son of God and Heir of all things, despised and rejected by men... Here we have a man who leaves the land of promise after the saddest failure. Yet he does not leave without blessings in grace, for in the dark night Jehovah assured him of His care. At most he pictures the earthly side of the Lord.

In Genesis 29, Jacob takes up his journey again. The merciful hand of God is clear at once, directing him and opening up his way. God guides his steps to the very well where the sheep of his uncle Laban were watered, and where he met his cousin Rachel.

Jacob is here under God's providential care, even when we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Then Rachel appears, and Laban follows. It is His sure direction, though unseen and unnamed.

It is here that God's special dealings with him begin. Jacob now begins to feel, in some measure, the bitter fruit of his conduct toward Esau. At the same time we see God rising above all the weakness and folly of His servant... He might not have had to flee to Haran, had he allowed God to act for him.

Very often, those called the son of so-and-so are not necessarily his children at all. They may be his grandsons, or even his grandnephews. In other cases the head of a clan counts as the father of a generation, and all the generations in between are left out.

Son of Bethuel, brother of Rebekah, and father of Leah and Rachel. His prompt hospitality towards Abraham's servant shows a heart the Lord had prepared in answer to prayer. But why he took the lead instead of Bethuel, his father, is not revealed. In his dealings with Jacob, Laban was scheming and unscrupulous. Jacob met this with craft of his own.

They had been brought into a certain measure of light, and into a certain standing by profession... But since that is so, since this is a professing household, set in some sense apart from the dark state of the men of the world, it is serious to notice what kind of visit the Spirit makes to it. It will prove to be a separating power... the Spirit may need to visit a respectable professing family with the very same energy as a more worldly or idolatrous family.

Yet we may note the difference from Genesis 24. There Eliezer prayed a clear prayer of faith and worshipped at once. God answered him promptly. And the bride responded readily. She set out to join the man she trusted without seeing him, and she left for him all her existing ties of nature.

In Genesis 29, we find Jacob resuming his journey, and the merciful hand of God, directing him and opening up his way, is at once clear. His steps are guided to the very well where the sheep of Laban, his uncle, were watered and where he met his cousin Rachel.

Three flocks of sheep were nearby, waiting to be watered. Someone first had to move a huge stone from the mouth of the well (v. 2). The stone was clearly there to stop people or animals from falling into the well. Their practice was to wait until all the flocks were gathered. Then the shepherds would roll the stone away, water the flocks, and put the stone back in place.

Look at him! In unwise haste, while it is still high day and the flocks are not yet gathered, he rolls the stone from the well's mouth and waters Laban's sheep! Abraham's servant did not act like this. He waited and prayed and wondered in silence. He let the young woman hurry and run and draw water for him to drink and for all his camels. Nor did the meek and lowly One act like this. In tender grace and patient long-suffering, He refused to fulfil a single wish until the due time and the Father's will required it. That was true in every role — as Messiah, as Son of Man, or as Head of all things with His bride, the church.

Jacob was puzzled that the shepherds were still waiting to water their flock. They tell him they could not do it until enough shepherds were there to roll the stone from the well's mouth. There is a picture in this of men waiting for the time of universal blessing, which will take place in the millennial age.

Take up again the view of Jacob as a picture of Christ in His earthly character. He comes to the people of the East, where three flocks wait around a well that is still closed. When it is "high day" he opens the well (Gen. 29:7-10), and the waiting sheep get their water. Isaiah prophesies of a future time when Israel will be third with Egypt and Assyria, and the Lord of Hosts will bless them. All the flocks were gathered there — Jew, Gentile, and Church of God.

How strange that devout eyes, both long ago and in our own day, should see a picture of Jesus in Jacob's journey and arrival in Haran! They see the Son of God and Heir of all things, despised and rejected by men. They see Him leaving heaven's glory to become a wanderer in the world, to work out redemption, and to join the church to Himself. Here Jacob rather stands in contrast with Isaac. Here is a man who leaves the land of promise after the saddest failure, but not without blessings in grace. He is at most a picture of the earthly side of the Lord.

It is clear that we must be near the well of life ourselves, if we want to become a channel of living water to others. What a privilege to roll away the stone from the well's mouth and water the Lord's flock when it is gathered! It means being so under the guidance of the Holy Spirit that we give out the truth at the right time.

Three flocks of sheep were nearby, waiting to be watered. They could not drink until a huge stone was moved from the mouth of the well. The stone was clearly there to stop people or animals falling in. Their practice was to wait until all the flocks had gathered. Then the shepherds would roll the stone away, water the flocks, and put the stone back in its place.

Jacob was puzzled that the shepherds were still waiting to water their flock. They tell him they could not do it until enough shepherds were there to roll the stone from the well's mouth. Once all had gathered, they would roll it away and water the sheep. There is a picture in this of people waiting for the time of universal blessing, which will take place in the millennial age.

The principle that stands out is this: the stone is the law. It holds back the blessing that man is going to receive from God, and it alone is what really keeps back what God has to give. Man feels that he deserves something as long as he tries hard enough. But the stone still lies on top of the well, stopping the water from coming out.

In verses 1-14 we have a picture of the blessing still to come to all creation. The stone is rolled away from the well mouth so that water may gush out. This is the flowing out of the Spirit of God, God pouring out His Spirit on all flesh.

When Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of his mother's brother, and the sheep of his mother's brother, amazing strength came over him, and he rolled the stone away by himself. What a striking lesson this is! The energy of faith and love can remove great obstacles and bring blessing before the time of "the restoration of all things."

Taking up again the view of Jacob as a picture of Christ in his earthly character, we find him coming to the people of the East. There three flocks wait around a well that is still closed. When it is "high day" he opens the well and the waiting sheep get their water… "All the flocks were gathered there" — Jew, Gentile, and Church of God.

Jacob is here, as always, under God's providential care, even when we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Rachel appears, and Laban follows. It is His sure direction, though unseen and unnamed.

It is perfectly clear that we must be near the well of life ourselves if we want to become a channel of living water to others. What a privilege to be made able to roll away the stone from the well's mouth and to water the Lord's flock when it is gathered together — to be so guided by the Holy Spirit that we minister the truth at the right time.

In Genesis 29, Jacob takes up his journey again. At once we see the merciful hand of God, directing him and opening up his way. God guides his steps to the very well where his uncle Laban's sheep were watered, and where he met his cousin Rachel.

As usual, Jacob is here under God's providential care, even when we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Rachel appears, and Laban follows. It is His sure but unseen and unnamed direction. Yet notice how different Genesis 24 is. There Eliezer prayed a clear prayer of faith and worshipped at once. God answered promptly, and the bride responded readily.

Rachel — A ewe

Jacob came and asked the shepherds if they knew his brother-in-law, and they pointed out Rachel coming with her sheep to the well. It is very likely that her sheep were fewer than the number of the other sheep. We have something of the thought here: "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).

Then Rachel arrives with her father's sheep (v. 9). When Jacob saw Rachel, his uncle's daughter, and his uncle's sheep, amazing strength moved him. He rolled the stone away by himself (v. 10). What a striking lesson this is! The energy of faith and love can remove great obstacles. It can bring blessing before the time of "the restitution of all things."

He was a stranger, unknown, and seeks Rachel only — he would have her alone. As a rule, no one can water the flocks until someone opens the well. But He opens it and waters Rachel's flock. Rachel here is His Jewish flock and bride, chosen and beloved. It was His — was His flesh and bone — He was a Jew.

How strange that devout readers, both long ago and today, should see Jacob's journey and arrival in Haran as a picture of Jesus! They see the Son of God and Heir of all things, despised and rejected by men, leaving heaven's glory to become a wanderer in the world, to carry out redemption, and to marry the church to Himself. Here it pictures instead a contrast with Isaac. Isaac is the only son of his father, the dead and risen bridegroom. Eliezer's guidance fetched his bride for him, and she must pass through the desert to be His bride in the heavenly places. At most Jacob pictures the earthly side of the Lord.

His introduction to Rachel was at the well, among the flock, like that of Eliezer to Rebekah; and Eliezer was only Isaac's representative. But Jacob was the poor man, Isaac the wealthy. Isaac could enrich Rebekah with earrings and bracelets of gold, pledges of the fine estate he had for her. Jacob has only his toil and the sweat of his face. "Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he guarded sheep" (Hosea 12:12). And he was about to find it hard service. But he starts on it at once, and continues at it for twenty long years.

As usual, Jacob is here under God's providential care, even though we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Rachel appears, and Laban follows. It is His sure but unseen and unnamed direction.

The principle that stands out is this: the stone is the law that holds back the blessing man is going to receive from God. That alone keeps back what God has to give. Man feels he deserves something as long as he tries hard enough. But the stone still lies on top of the well, stopping the water from coming out. We see the same thing in the stone on the grave of Lazarus.

How striking a lesson this is! The energy of faith and love can remove great obstacles and bring blessing before the time for "restoring all things." This is what is seen in the present "stewardship of God's grace." The Lord Jesus, in pure love and devotion to God, has shown the strength of that love toward the church, His promised bride, and toward the sheep of God's flock. He showed it in the great sacrifice of Himself, in His resurrection power, and in already having "raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:6).

Jacob was puzzled that the shepherds were still waiting to water their flock. They tell him they could not do it until enough shepherds were there to roll the stone from the well's mouth. When they had all gathered, they would do this and water the sheep. There is a picture in this of men waiting for the time of universal blessing.

Faulty, foolish, failing Jacob takes on this mighty work without knowing what he does. He lifts it off the ground of grace and lays it on the shoulders of his own faithfulness! Look at him, in unwise haste! It is still broad day, the flocks are not yet gathered, and he rolls the stone from the well's mouth and waters Laban's sheep. Abraham's servant did not act this way. He waited and prayed and wondered in silence. He let the young woman hurry and run and draw water for him and for all his camels. The meek and lowly One did not act this way either. In tender grace and patient long-suffering, He refused to fulfil a single wish until the due time came and the Father's will required it — as Messiah, as Son of Man, or as Head of all things with His bride the church.

It is clear that we must be near the well of life ourselves if we want to become the channel of living water to others. What a privilege to roll away the stone from the well's mouth and water the Lord's flock when it gathers! What a privilege to be so guided by the Holy Spirit that we minister the truth at the right time.

In Genesis 29, Jacob takes up his journey again, and God's merciful hand shows itself at once, directing him and opening up his way. God guides his steps to the very well where the sheep of his uncle Laban were watered, and there he met his cousin Rachel.

Jacob is under God's providential care here, even though we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Rachel appears, and Laban follows. This is His sure direction, unseen and unnamed. Yet notice the difference from Genesis 24. There Eliezer prayed a clear prayer of faith and worshipped at once, and God answered promptly. The bride responded readily too: she set out to join a man she had never seen but trusted, and she left behind all her family ties.

The warmth of family affection then fills the scene. Jacob kissed Rachel, weeping for joy, and told her that he is the son of Rebekah, her father's sister. Of course they had never met, but family ties can be surprisingly strong even so. Rachel left the sheep and ran to tell her father the good news of a relative from a far country.

This is a touching scene, and Jacob's quick emotional outburst fits his nature, and so does Laban's. But two things are missing here: the deep communion with God… and the heart wholly taken up with the risen bridegroom's glory. In the unique story of Isaac and Rebekah both are clearly there.

Jacob loved Rachel, and he kissed her and wept aloud. Then when Laban came he kissed Jacob. Their souls were happy to be with one another. But was that the way they parted from one another? No, it was not. Later on, when they did part, Laban kissed his daughters and their children, but it does not say he kissed Jacob. Sometimes we get to know each other too well — that is, we learn where each of our difficulties lie. For if I get to know my brother very well, I get to know myself a little better too. And if my brother is wrong in various ways, this only shows me what I am myself.

He was a stranger, unknown, and He seeks Rachel only — He would have her alone. In general, no one can water the flocks until the well is opened. But He opens it and waters Rachel's flock. Rachel here is His chosen and beloved Jewish flock and bride. It was His — His own flesh and bone — He was a Jew.

How strange that devout eyes, both long ago and today, should see Jacob's journey and arrival in Haran as a picture of Jesus… leaving heaven's glory to become a wanderer in the world, to carry out redemption, and to marry the church to Himself! Here we have a man who leaves the land of promise after the saddest failure, though not without blessings in grace… At most he pictures the earthly side of the Lord.

In Genesis 29, Jacob resumes his journey. At once we see the merciful hand of God directing him and opening up his way. That hand guides his steps to the very well where his uncle Laban's sheep came to drink, and where he met his cousin Rachel. Laban received him into his house with an eager welcome. But there he found himself in the hands of a man who was his equal in trickery.

Family affection then fills the scene. Jacob kissed Rachel and wept for joy. He told her that he is the son of Rebekah, her father's sister. Of course they had never met, but family ties can still be very strong. Rachel left the sheep and ran to tell her father the good news of a relative from a far country (v. 12). Laban also ran to meet Jacob and embraced and kissed him. So he welcomed him into his home as his own "bone and flesh" (v. 14). How good it would have been if this attitude had lasted all through their relationship! But when they parted 20 years later, the atmosphere was hostile rather than friendly.

Yet we may note the difference from Genesis 24. There Eliezer prayed a clear prayer of faith and worshipped at once. God answered him promptly. And the bride responded readily: she set out to join the one she trusted without seeing him, and left behind all her existing ties of nature for him.

Sometimes we get to know each other too well — that is, we learn where each of our difficulties lie. If I get to know my brother very well, I get to know myself a little better too. And if my brother is wrong in various ways, that only shows me what I am myself.

I cannot help thinking that the beginning of chapter 29 is a picture, and that now Jacob takes on the character of Christ… He was a stranger, unknown. He seeks Rachel only — he would have her alone. In general, the flocks cannot drink until the well is opened. But He opens it and waters Rachel's flock. Rachel here is His Jewish chosen and beloved flock and bride. It was His — was His flesh and bone — He was a Jew.

As usual, Jacob is here under God's providential care, even when we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Rachel appears, and Laban follows. It is His sure but unseen and unnamed direction.

In Genesis 29 Jacob takes up his journey again. At once we see the merciful hand of God directing him and opening his way. God guides his steps to the very well where his uncle Laban's sheep were watered, and where he met his cousin Rachel. Laban received him into his house with an overflowing welcome. But there Jacob found himself in the hands of a man who matched him in deceit.

Rachel left the sheep and ran to tell her father the good news of a relative from a far country (v. 12). Laban also ran to meet Jacob, and embraced and kissed him. So he welcomed him into his home as his own "bone and flesh" (v. 14). How good it would have been if this attitude had lasted through their whole relationship! But when they parted twenty years later, the atmosphere was hostile rather than friendly.

The next morning, before they parted, Laban kissed his daughters and their children. But there is no mention of his kissing Jacob, as he had done when they first met (Gen. 29:13).

It is no accident that Laban offered hospitality so readily. He had seen the ring and the bracelets on his sister's hands. He had heard her report of what Abraham's messenger said to her. He came at once to the man, who was still standing by the camels at the spring. His welcome sounded warm and pious — as such people tend to sound when honour and advantage are certain. The later history shows that Laban was a grasping man and an idolater.

Remember the contrast with Isaac the heir, the son who stayed in his father's house. His father sent the honoured servant Eliezer to represent them both, with fitting equipment and rich gifts for the bride. Here the outcast wanderer has nothing to commend him but his relationship and his service. And Laban was not slow to see the value of so capable a man for interests dearer to him than anything else.

It is striking to see how he gets back into an atmosphere so completely suited to his moral make-up. The bargaining Jacob meets the bargaining Laban, and both strain every nerve to outwit each other. We cannot wonder at Laban. He had never been at Bethel. He had seen no open heaven, with a ladder reaching from there to earth. He had heard no magnificent promises from the lips of Jehovah.

There he must bow to the divine discipline that had already forced him to leave his father's house and the recent unhappy influence of his mother. So it is with each of God's children. Grace is sovereign in calling even the most difficult people. But they pass under a moral government that notices every fault, so that they may share in His holiness. Compare John 15, Hebrews 12:5-11, and 1 Peter 1:15-16.

The same kindred: "you are my bone and my flesh," Genesis 29:14; "he is our brother, and our flesh," Genesis 37:27.

Here, as usual, Jacob is under God's providential care, even when we hear only of the shepherds of Haran. Rachel appears, and Laban follows. It is His sure but unseen and unnamed direction. Yet notice the difference from Genesis 24. There Eliezer prayed a clear prayer of faith and worshipped at once. God answered promptly, and the bride responded readily.

Family affection fills the scene. Jacob kissed Rachel and wept for joy, telling her that he is the son of Rebekah, her father's sister. Of course they had never met, but family ties can still be very strong... Laban also ran to meet Jacob and embraced and kissed him. So he welcomed him into his home as his own "bone and flesh" (v. 14). How good it would have been if this attitude had lasted! But when they parted 20 years later, the atmosphere was hostile, not friendly.

It is remarkable to see how he settles back into an atmosphere that suits his moral makeup so exactly. The bargain-making Jacob meets the bargain-making Laban. Both strain every nerve, as it were, to outwit the other. Nor can we wonder at Laban, for he had never been at Bethel: he had seen no open heaven... You cannot expect worldly men to show anything but a worldly spirit, and worldly principles and ways.

After Jacob had stayed there a month, serving Laban, the question of his wages came up. He loved Rachel, so he agreed to serve seven years for her. Verses 23-30 tell us how Laban deceived him at the end of the seven years, and Laban had a plausible excuse for acting as he did. We cannot fail to see here the working of the government of God. It illustrates our Lord's words: "with the measure you use it will be measured back to you." It was Jacob's turn now to complain of being cheated.

He is now a stranger and a servant for hire. He is the victim of the deceit and self-advancement of Laban, his relative — and near kin in character too. The retribution is impossible to mistake all the way through: the measure he has dealt out to another is dealt out to him again. But we cannot miss this either. In the way it is dealt out, God is speaking to the heart and conscience of the wanderer. There is governmental equity, but also the chastening of a holy love.

As to Laban, he was a thorough man of the world when Jacob entered his house, and so he was when Jacob left it. In all his dealings, from first to last, he eyes his own advantage. He has to admit that the hand of God was with Jacob; but he would make that hand, through Jacob, serve himself... For twenty years he saw the hand of the Lord, and the working of His grace and power, in his own house and before his own eyes, day after day. Yet he remained a man of the world.

They had been together one month, with Jacob apparently working for his uncle. Then Laban realised that Jacob should have wages for his service, and asked what Jacob would like for wages. Here again Jacob's character as a bargainer stands out. Laban had a daughter older than Rachel, but she was not as attractive. Jacob was drawn only to Rachel and offered to work for Laban for seven years to earn Rachel as his wife.

Remember the contrast with Isaac the heir, the son who stayed in his father's house. Remember too the honoured servant Eliezer, sent to represent him and his father, with a fitting escort and rich gifts for the bride. Here the outcast wanderer has nothing to recommend him but his relationship and his service. And Laban was quick to see the value of so capable a man for interests dearer to him than anything else. So the bargain was soon struck, and Laban accepted Jacob's warm offer at once.

Laban welcomed him into his house with open arms, but there Jacob found himself in the hands of a man who matched him in deceit.

And here is where Jacob makes a serious mistake. I used to feel very sorry for Jacob when Laban deceived him and he got a wife he did not want — he wanted Rachel, not Leah. But do you know where Jacob went wrong? He got Leah by bargaining. Jacob badly misrepresented the relationship that gives the most beautiful picture of the bond between Christ and the church. That bond is one of pure grace. Jacob brought it down to the level of a merely legal thing instead of recognising it as a thing of pure grace.

Rachel did not belong to Laban, and both Jacob and Laban were completely wrong in placing a monetary value on a wife. When the Lord created a woman for Adam, He gave her to him as a gift by grace. Grace should always come first in the sacred relationship of marriage.

We cannot fail to see in this the working of God's government. It illustrates our Lord's words, "with the measure you use it will be measured to you." It was Jacob's turn now to complain of being cheated.

He has Himself gone into the distant land, and has worked and suffered reproach and wrong for her. In all this, Jacob sets forth the true Bridegroom. The Lord Jesus Himself has borne the heat of the day alone. He had nowhere to lay His head, like Jacob. He was away from His Father's house and from the place of His inheritance. He was wronged again and again in a world which, like Laban and his house, always seeks its own.

See the contrast with the Bridegroom. He longs deeply for the bride, yet He is content to be cut off and have nothing. He refuses to serve the world for hire. He is content to be a stranger to His brothers, a foreigner to His mother's children. He serves His Father in the appointed place. He becomes obedient to death. He loves the wages of righteousness. He has a right to all, yet takes none, so that He might receive all in resurrection.

Rachel, "sheep," seems to stand for the meekness and patience of true discipleship. That is the very opposite of Jacob's self-willed and unrestrained temper up to now. But he must get her through unwanted Leah. Her name, "wearied," suggests the "tribulation" that works "patience" out.

His uncle's deception might well have reminded Jacob of his own past. He had deceived a relative himself — his own father. Such things have a way of recoiling, under the governing hand of God. It is a striking fact that those who take on the character of deceivers will very likely be deceived themselves (2 Tim. 3:13). Here too Jacob learned, painfully, the rights of a firstborn. He had ignored those rights in the case of his brother Esau.

Rachel did not belong to Laban, and both Jacob and Laban were totally wrong in placing a mercenary value on a wife. When the Lord created a woman for Adam, He gave her to him as a gift by grace. Grace should always come first in the sacred relationship of marriage.

And only after years of toil could Jacob claim her as his own. By day the heat consumed him, and the frost by night; and sleep left his eyes. But love lightened the burdens and sweetened all the bitterness of those long years. "So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her" (Gen. 29:20). This is the only phase of his life in which Jacob appears as a picture of our Lord. He is the One "who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and (His toil ended) is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

I have no doubt that Leah represents the Gentiles, and Rachel the Jews.

Here we find the picture in Rachel: so long wooed yet withheld, so long barren, so great a cause of sorrow and anxiety, and yet so greatly and endlessly loved... Leah (who is regarded as picturing the Gentile) was the first one Jacob got, but she was not the first one he sought... Even so, she is the most fruitful. She is honoured in the births of Judah and Levi — the Ruler and the Teacher, King and Priest.

Rachel (meaning "sheep") pictures the lovely state of soul that believers would like to reach: humble submission to God. She was the desire of Jacob's heart. But in struggling to get Rachel, he only got Leah, whose name means "wearied." Leah is a picture of what I really am, not what I want to be... I may try hard to make myself different, only to find myself "stuck" with what I really am, as Jacob was "stuck" with Leah! This is the struggle of Romans 7, where "I" is seen fighting against "I."

Laban had two daughters: the name of the elder was Leah (Weariness), and the name of the younger was Rachel (Ewe). And the eyes of Leah were tender... And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they were in his eyes a few days, for his love to her.

Rachel did not belong to Laban. Both Jacob and Laban were completely wrong to put a price on a wife. When the Lord created a woman for Adam, He gave her to him as a gift, by grace. Grace should always rule in the sacred relationship of marriage.

His uncle's trick might well have reminded Jacob of his own. He himself had deceived a relative before — his own father. Such things have a way of recoiling, under the governing hand of God. It is a striking fact that those who form the character of deceivers will very likely be deceived themselves (2 Tim. 3:13). In this case too Jacob painfully learned the rights of a firstborn, which he had ignored in the case of his brother Esau.

It is not Elohim here, but Jehovah, God in special relationship and moral dealing. He looked on the sorrowful and despised wife. He gave the comfort of a son not to Rachel but to Leah, the one "hated" by comparison. Rachel, happy in her husband's love, stayed barren!

She was 'tender eyed,' and not as beautiful as Rachel. But God blessed her: she bore Jacob six sons and one daughter. So she became the mother of the heads of the important tribes of Reuben, Levi, and Judah, as well as of Simeon, Issachar, and Zebulun.

Rachel represents Israel, Messiah's first object of love on earth. But this fails by no fault on His part. And He has Leah. She represents the call of the Gentiles — the nations — in the meantime, during Jacob's servant state and great sorrows, when "more are the children of the desolate than of the married wife, says Jehovah" (Isaiah 54:4, compare Gal. 4).

Rachel typifies Israel, Christ's earthly bride. Jacob first sought Rachel, but received Leah. In the same way Christ came first to Israel; and when Israel rejected Him, He first received the church. Leah, like the church, is the fruitful one. Later, loved Rachel passes off the scene, like Israel after the Millennium, and Leah remains as Jacob's companion in the land of promise.

Rachel (meaning "sheep") pictures the lovely state of soul in humble submission to God that believers would like to reach. But in struggling to get Rachel, Jacob only got Leah, meaning "wearied." Leah is a picture of what I really am, not what I desire to be. I may try hard to make myself different, only to find myself "stuck" with what I really am, as Jacob was "stuck" with Leah! This is the struggle of Romans 7, where "I" fights against "I."

Although Jacob loved Rachel so much, beautiful and well favoured, was she completely trustworthy? No. Later she stole her father's idols, hid them in her tent, and deceived him. This is like our own hearts. The lesson is this: the desire to reach a high spiritual state has in it the elements of idolatry and of deceit. A person who wants to reach a certain state will try to deceive himself into thinking he can make it... There can be no perfection while we remain in the flesh.

The sum paid by a man to the relatives of the woman who becomes his wife. Genesis 34:12; Exodus 22:16-17; 1 Samuel 18:25: compare Hosea 3:2. When Leah had her sixth son, she said devoutly, "God has endowed me with a good endowment." Genesis 30:20. The dowry which Jacob gave for his wives was seven years' service for each. Genesis 29:18, 27.