Again, Rebekah took a lead in planning this family activity. Jacob would go to visit her brother Laban in Haran. The time needed for the journey, the visit and the return journey would provide Esau and Isaac time to cool down. She provided a convenient excuse that she really didn't like Esau's wives and wanted Jacob to marry someone from their own tribe.

"So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, "You must not marry a Canaanite woman! Leave immediately for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother." Genesis 28:1-2

There are two striking details found here and in verses 6-9. It would appear that Isaac had never before instructed his sons not to marry Canaanite women. In other words, Esau had married in ignorance of his parents' wishes. He tried to correct this by also marrying one of Ishmael's daughters. The second is that marriage was, of course, a secondary reason for Jacob's abrupt departure to Haran. Both indicate that spiritual instruction for his sons was not a high priority for Isaac.

"May the sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation. May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham so that you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident." Genesis 28:3-4

Here we see that Isaac had accepted, however reluctantly, that Jacob held both the birthright and the blessing of the heir. Isaac resigned himself to the reality of God's blessing on Jacob rather than Esau. His words here reflect this acceptance of things as they must be and as God said they would be.

Television and movies wrongly condition us to delight in the destruction of the villain, who gets his just desserts in some way that befits his evil deeds. The good guy wins in most movies, but we all wait with baited breath to find out how he'll pull it off. This cultural training tends to make us think of Esau as the villain in this event. We expect to see his downfall and we plan to savor it when it comes.

Remember, though, that Jacob was not chosen because he was the hero or Esau rejected becaue he was the villain. Genesis 25, expecially in light of Paul's commentary in Romans 9, forces the conclusion that God chose Jacob and rejected Esau withour regard to their deeds (Romans 9:11-12). Esau was no different than any other unbeliever whose spirit has not been quickened and mind enlightened to respond to divine realities. In his unbelief, Esau was no less sensitive to spiritual things than any other sinner (Romans 3:10-12).

But for the grace of God go we. Esau could not comprehend the love of God and was unconvinced about the love of his father. He failed to grasp spiritual realities because his parents had never instructed him in spiritual matters. He'd married the wrong women without even realizing what he'd done and then, upon realizing it, he married a third woman who still was not acceptable to his parents or God. Rather than relish Esau's destruction, we should pity him and pray for those we know like him.

Jacob's journey was a lonely one. He had a lot to think about, so privacy might well have been in order. I think this may well have been his first rock bottom, when he came to realize that he would never prosper from conning people. This was an ideal time for God to break into his life.

"...and the Lord stood at its top. He said, "I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using your name and that of your descendants. I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!" Genesis 28:13-15

You can take this vision in several ways and scholars have. It's been pretty well tortured by interpretation. As a simple person, I'm just going to take it at its words because I think that's the way Jacob would have taken it.

God had made similar statements to Abraham and Isaac in the past, so it's clear that Isaac's pronouncement of the Abrahamic blessing on Jacob was now confirmed by God. Jacob immediately perceived the significance of this place of meeting (Bethel); it was a significance that he remembered for the rest of his life (Genesis 31:13; 32:6, 11-12). These statement by God and Jacob fit together nicely in context with the vision. Jacob was about to leave the land of promise and be absent from it for about 20 years. He might be tempted to never return. This dramatic vision assured him of the significance of the land of Canaan. This was the place where heaven and earth met, where God would come down to man and men would find access to God. Jacob called it "the gate of heaven". Canaan was where God's blessings would be poured out upon God's people. Jacob must leave it for a while, but he must return in time.

Imagine! The first readers of this account were inbound to Canaan, not knowing what they would find. What a sense of anticipation the Israelites must have felt as they looked across Jordan, knowing that God's presence was to be revealed in Canaan.

"Then Jacob woke up and thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!" He was afraid and said,

"What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!"

Early in the morning Jacob took the stone he had placed near his head and set it up as a sacred stone. Then he poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, although the former name of the town was Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, and I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will become my God. Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me." Genesis 28:16-22

Jacob's subsequent actions remind me a bit of Isaac's activities upon reaching Beersheba. Isaac built an altar where he felt God's presence. Jacob set up a pillar to mark the location and made a profession of faith, worshipping in that spot. Furthermore, he made a promise to return that was consistent with the vision. He promised to then build an altar and give a tithe to God.

As a parent, I found some sobering lessons in this chapter. Isaac's apathy in spiritual instruction of his children sounds uncomfortably familiar. I am not all that I would or should be in that department. Additionally, Isaac's love for Esau appears contingent upon performance while Rebekah seems to have genuinely loved Jacob. Esau's insecurities in the face of disapproval are heartbreaking. He could never measure up, even as the favored son, in part because there appears to be a gross lack of communication by his father in terms of discipline. How hard would it have been to say "We don't want you to marry Canaanite women. Go to Haran and find a wife from among our people"? I suspect that Jacob noted his parents' reaction to Esau's marriages and that is why he delayed matrimony for a later date.

Both Jacob and Esau illustrate the futility of scheming and self-effort in achieving divine acceptance. Esau’s sincere and diligent efforts to win approval by marrying a daughter of Ishmael were worthless. While his sincerity was evident, his actions did not conform with the requirements of faith. Sincere effort which is not based upon divine revelation is folly.

All of Jacob’s efforts to achieve the blessing of God were also in vain. Only by entering into a relationship with the covenant God of Abraham and Isaac could Jacob experience the blessings of God. Such a relationship is based on the revealed word of God. Ironically, Jacob could not find God by striving, but found Him while sleeping. That speaks volumns to me. The path of blessing from God is in rest in Him and His word. That does not mean a absence of activity, but an avoidance of self-effort.

A profession of faith does not bring an immediate entrance into the Elysian Field. Jacob still had to pay the price for his behavior. Although he "accepted Christ" (so to speak) as he exited Canaan, he would be dosed with his own bitter medicine for the next 20 years. Entering into a relationship with God does not guarantee good times and happy experiences. Christians are not perfected, just forgiven.