Genesis 28:10-22

“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:  and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. 13 And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac:  the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; 14 and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south:  and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. 16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. 17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. 18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 19 And he called the name of that place Bethel:  but the name of that city was called Luz at the first. 20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, 21 so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: 22 and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house:  and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”

Introduction

[Audio version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED535]

“We have come as far as verse 10 in chapter 28 of Genesis, where is says “ And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.”  450 mile journey, arching the Fertile Crescent, going north and east in an arch towards that part of the world.  Jacob, instructed by Isaac not to take a wife of the Canaanites, no doubt this man not just journeying in respect of obedience to his father, he’s also on his journey because his brother Hairy wants to kill him.  And Jacob is the kind of man that takes a little bit of extra inspiration to move along than just listening to somebody’s wishes for his life.  So the combination, no doubt of his father and mother saying ‘You’re brother’s wives are a grief to us, don’t take a wife of the Canaanites, we want you to head to Padan-Aram to the house of Bethuel,’ and his mother saying ‘Just stay there a little while, till Esau calms down,’ those two things in combination have driven this man on his way.  He is journeying, he is alone, no doubt he is tired, he is isolated, he is cut off from family, from familiarity, his conscience is guilty, he’s looking over his shoulder.  If you have a brother that’s as hairy as a goat that smells like a field that wants to kill you, you have to look over your shoulder while you’re moving.  All of the combinations are there that make for deep sleep and for dreams and for a troubling of a heart and the troubling of a mind, and God getting this man to the place where he will begin to reveal himself to him.  And in this passage this evening he will reveal himself to Jacob, who has known about the God of his grandfather, Abraham, and has known about the God of his father Isaac, but only in precept, not in truth.  And in this scene God will reveal himself to Jacob, and Jacob as it were will become a believer.  God will grind him down for 20 years after this, and finally then wrestle him to the ground and make him say Uncle and change his name.  And isn’t that like us?  God reveals himself to us, we become a believer, but sometimes you know over the next 20 years he’s wearing us down, he’s changing us, conforming us into the image of his Son, changing our name from Jacob, Trickster, Heel-catcher to Israel, Governed-by-God.  And we get to watch some of the remarkable processes here, and God makes no apology, he takes the humanness, and Jacob is the great human as it were of the Book of Genesis, and he puts him before us, he makes no apology, he shows us his weaknesses, his idiosyncrasies, and yet he shows in his great love and faithfulness, God, how he reaches to this man, how he touches his life, how he deals with him in grace instead of what he deserves or what he could ever earn.  And he sets him on his way now, towards Haran.  He begins his journey in flight, it says, from Beersheba to Haran. 

Jacob’s Ladder, God’s Stairway To Heaven

“And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.” (verse 11)  makes it sound like it was coincidental.  Remember the ancient rabbis said coincidence is not a Kosher word.  And I can’t imagine again, what it’s like to think your brother, Hairy, whose good with a bow and arrow, is after you to kill you, how do you find a place out in the wilderness, in the woods, to lay down.  Every sound, you must be looking at every noise.  And yet he’s weary enough from his flight that he will sleep as he lays down here, God dealing with him.  Ah, he lighted upon a certain place.  This man will look back years later, as he stands towards the end of Genesis, before Pharaoh with his son Joseph, and blessing his own sons, and he blessed Joseph and said “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, God which fed me” the King James says, the word is “shepherded, Ra.” it’s the same word where David said ‘The LORD is my shepherd,’ he says ‘Jehovah-ra,’ here he says ‘God fed me, he shepherded me, all my life long until this day.’  And one day Jacob in hindsight will look back and realize none of this was just driven by circumstance, that God’s hand was upon all of it.  “He lighted upon a certain place,” well it was more than that.  God drove him down to his knees, drove him to fatigue, brought him to a place where he’s going to lay down and he’s going to fall asleep here.  Ah, lighted upon a certain place, Jeremiah would write this many years later, “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself, it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps, O LORD correct me, but with justice, not in thine anger lest thou bring me to nothing.”  So Jeremiah would say ‘I know it’s not in man, there’s a Divine plan you’re working, that man doesn’t direct his own steps.’  And Jacob here “lighted upon a certain place,” he lays down in that place to sleep.  “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:  and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” (verse 12) you ever have those dreams?  You know what it’s like when you’re really, really tired, and you dream those crazy dreams?  [all the time now, now that I’m old.]  I won’t tell you, but just had one awhile ago.  “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:  and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” (verse 12)  Now there’s certain things that come to Jacob here, a ladder, it’s not a ladder it’s a stairway, it’s the only time the word is used in the Bible, and it speaks of a stairway to ascend and descend upon is there.  It speaks of a gulf, because it’s stretched, it says here, between heaven and earth.  [You know what?  It must be looking into another dimension, because just to be looking into heaven as we know it, outerspace of the upper atmosphere, is just empty space, our astronauts know that.]  No doubt there’s more being seen than what we just have here, it speaks of something.  We know that, because Jesus will interpret this dream as he talks to Nathaniel in John’s Gospel, first chapter, ‘Nathaniel answered and said unto Jesus, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel,’ because Jesus said ‘I saw you under the fig tree…and Jesus said unto him, Because I said unto thee I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou?  Thou shalt see greater things than these, and he said unto him, Verily, verily I say unto you, hereafter you shall see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.’  He says to Nathaniel, who may have been reading this very text in Genesis, ‘You’re going to understand, you’re going to see the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.’  That stairway, that link between eternity and time, between heaven and earth.  There is only one Kinsman, there’s only One that stretches his hand between earth and heaven, one Mediator it will say in Timothy, there’s only one.  So no doubt as Jacob sees this interesting picture, this stairway, he perceives more than just a physical structure, there is something else that comes upon his heart, no doubt God desiring that very thing.  “a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven:  and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.  And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac:  the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;” (verses 12-13)  Now Jacob gives us no description of this, no one else is here, Moses wasn’t there, who recorded all of this.  Jacob no doubt either recorded part of it or passed it along verbally when it comes to Moses to record for us.  Jacob says Yahweh, Jehovah was there at the top of the stairs, it doesn’t bother to describe him.  “behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I am the LORD God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac:  the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed;” (verse 13)  He knew Abraham’s religion, now he knows Abraham’s God.  “and thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south:  and in thee and in thy seed” singular “shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (verse 14)  Notice, God is reiterating the very covenant he had made with Abraham and Isaac before Jacob now.  Imagine, “and behold,” ‘I want you to consider this,’ “I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (verse 15)  Now he doesn’t say to Jacob ‘You scoundrel, you just deceived your old, blind dad.  Do you think you deserve a single thing from me?  I ought to come down these stairs and…’ there’s nothing about it, there’s nothing here at all about Jacob’s failure, there’s no rebuke here at all.  This is all based on grace, it’s all based on covenant.  This guy’s a scoundrel, that’s why we love him, we love Peter because of his humanness, because he opens his mouth at the wrong times, he chops off ears when he shouldn’t, the Lord has to put people back together, and you follow this guy’s ministry.  You know we love David because of his failures and great humanness, and we love Jacob because of the same stuff, there’s no earning or deserving of any of this here.  This guy’s like you and I, he’s worse, I didn’t deceive my dad when I thought he was dying, I didn’t go in dressed up like some, of course I didn’t have a brother that hairy, but you know, this guy’s a deceiver, he’s lying, he’s scheming, he’s got himself in hot water. 

We Have, Like Jacob, The Promises Of God

And God appears to him and reveals himself to him and says ‘Behold, consider this, I want you to think about this,’ “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (verse 15)  Imagine those promises.  How would you feel if you were laying there that night and God said these things to you?  Well in truth, as God speaks to him here, about promises, the promise of his presence, of his protection, of his preservation, of his provision, he has said those things to us.  He says to him ‘I am with thee,’ the Lord in the end of Matthew chapter 28 says “Behold I am with you always, even unto the end of the age, I will not leave you or forsake you.”  He says ‘I will keep thee,’ Jude tells us ‘Now unto him who is able to keep you from falling, and present you faultless before his throne with exceeding joy, to the only wise God.’  He will keep us, we have the same promise.  ‘I will bring thee again to this land, I’m going to bring you back.’  I love the Lord saying ‘I’m going to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am you may be also.’  [what place might that be?  cf. Revelation 21:1-23, the New Jerusalem, that glorious city prepared for the Bride, which in Revelation is named as the Bride of Christ, because it is the future dwelling place of the Bride of Christ.]  ‘I will not leave thee until I am finished with you,’ he’s going to complete the good work he’s begun in each of us, we have these promises.  And under the blood of Jesus Christ, they are in a more certain form.  But our lives are so busy, when was the last time any of us were out in the wilderness somewhere, where we had to take a couple of rocks and make a pillow, no cellphones.  It would be just like our culture, you’re out there, the stairway of God appears, he’s up there speaking to you, and Brringgg! Brringgg! cellphone, you know.  I mean, that’s the world we live in.  Sometimes, the cellphone is a blessing and a curse, sometimes I think ‘Humans were not meant to be this connected¸ please let me have an hour with Jesus somewhere, just put a wire in my head with a transmitter and receiver,’ humans were not meant to be that connected, there is a piece of us that needs to be in solitude sometimes, that needs to be quiet before the Lord, that needs to be submitted to the circumstances that he rallies around us.  God pronounces this incredible promise to him, and look at verse 16, “And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.”  Notice, not “was.”  Now Jacob, I can relate to that, I have been in circumstances over the years where all of a sudden there’s a tremendous sense of the Lord’s presence, and I’ll say ‘Lord, you were here all the time, and I didn’t even know it, I’m so busy, so oblivious, I didn’t even realize.’  But Jacob’s doing something else here.  Jacob is localizing the presence of God.  He’s going to say ‘This is an awesome place,’ waking out of his sleep he says “Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.  And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” (verses 16-17)

God Is Here In Our Midst, Wherever We Are

What he’s saying is, ‘of all the places I could have crashed, do you believe this?!  I laid down my head right in God’s stairway!  This particular place is terrible, it’s dreadful!’  He’s thinking God is localized.  God had been with him all along, all through the years, guiding everything, Jacob didn’t know that, and Jacob is in the process of learning.  And the reality of heaven has struck him, very important in our lives, particularly as we’re younger, that somewhere along the line the reality of eternity washes over us.  The reality of heaven, that is around us this evening, an entirely different realm.  There are angels present, there’s warfare, there is a God who loves us and superintends our lives, all of that being around us as we’re gathered.  He said ‘Where two or three of you are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst,’ (Matthew 18) and according to his Word that’s where he is this evening, he’s here in our midst.  I wonder what it’ll be like in heaven to look back, if there’s reruns [there has to be, history is soooo important for us to remember, especially as we teach all those to come in the Millennial Kingdom and beyond], you know, some reruns we don’t want there, don’t worry.  But I mean, and say ‘Lord, we’d have been filled with wonder if we’d have realized your presence, as your promise says, right in our midst.’  Some people make the mistake of thinking, ‘Man, I go to church, I sense him there, and I’ve been goofing off all week, I was down Atlantic City, sexual sin, or I did this, but I go there and I feel his presence, but he ain’t there for me, he’s blessing everybody else.  But I can go there and some of it spills over on me, and I get out, even though I don’t deserve it, before anyone realizes it, I steal my portion every week, like he’s localized.’  No, no, in your failure and everything else you’re doing, David said ‘Before thee and thee only have I sinned, and done this great evil in thy sight,’ he said ‘You were there when I was with Bathsheba, you were there when I plotted and killed her husband, you were there all the time, you never leave us or forsake us.’  And Jacob is going to learn that.  At this point he’s saying ‘Do you believe this!? I picked a rock, I fell asleep, the angels could have stepped over my head, I was unaware, this is the very gate of heaven,’ like there’s a portal, you know, like Star Gate or one of those TV shows, ‘I laid down, right on the doorway to heaven, of all the places I could have picked, what a coincidence.’  That’s what he’s thinking, ‘This is a dreadful place, this is an amazing place, this is the very Gate of God.’  “And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.  And he called the name of that place Bethel:  but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.” (verses 18-19)  “Bethel” which is “the house of God,” and Luz, interesting which has the idea of “separation.”  Now he’s realized God’s presence there and he calls it “Bethel,” Beth-El, “the House of God.”  Now this is the first time in the Bible we have the word “vow,” and this is the first vow, and it’s just like Jacob, he’s making deals here.  Listen to what he says, “And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,” (verse 20) listen, God had just said ‘Behold, I am with thee, I will keep thee in all the places wither thou goest, I will bring thee again unto this land, I will not leave thee until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.’  Now he’s making a deal, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,” (verse 20) “bread to eat,” God hadn’t included that at the beginning, he’s being very specific about the clauses in the contract here, ‘I want bread to eat, and clothes to wear,’ “so that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God:” (verse 21)  ‘then if you do all these things, you get to be my God.’  [laughter]  Such a deal, you can hear heaven, the triunity of God, Father, Son, Holy Spirit saying ‘Wow, this is, what a day this is for us, we get to be his God.’  “and this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house:  and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” (verse 22)  ‘And this stone, I have set for a pillar, this shall be your house, LORD.  And of all that thou shalt give me, I’ll give you a tenth.’  ‘Wow, really? 10 percent, that’s better than what I’m getting on my CDs Jacob.’  Oh, what a guy.  You know, he’s learning.  He’s dealing with God, now God is real to him.  Heaven is real, there’s a fear, this is a terrible place, there’s a reality that has struck on him, but he’s going to take years to learn about God’s grace.  Isn’t it funny?  You know, you and I, we get saved, and I think when we first get saved, at least when I first got saved, I kind of was overwhelmed with his grace, he forgave me.  I mean, I walked around and drove everyone crazy, I was God’s kid.  And I thought he got a deal, he saved me.  And then as time goes on, you realize, he pulls away the blinders, you see a little bit more about yourself, ‘Well I didn’t know that was still there, Oh that still needs to change.’  And then as you go on you find that you need to grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.  You need to learn he didn’t save you because you were such a deal, ‘because you were going to give me 10%.’  He saved you so his own name would be glorified when he gets somebody like you to heaven, you’re a trophy on the mantle.  And Jacob’s going to learn that over the decades that are ahead of him, he’s going to go on scheming for over 20 years, wait till you see what he does as we go into these chapters, he’s going to run into his own gene-pool in Padam-aram, in Laban, and that’s going to be an interesting experience for him. 

Genesis 29:1-35

“Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east. 2 And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks:  and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth. 3 And thither were all the flocks gathered:  and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place. 4 And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye?  And they said, Of Haran are we. 5 And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?  And they said, We know him. 6 And he said unto them, Is he well?  And they said, He is well:  and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep. 7 And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together:  water ye the sheep, and go and feed them. 8 And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep. 9  And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep:  for she kept them. 10 And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother. 11 And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept. 12 And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother, and that he was Rebekah’s son:  and she ran and told her father. 13 And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house.  And he told Laban all these things. 14 And Laban said unto Jacob, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.  And he abode with him the space of a month. 15 And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought?  tell me, what shall thy wages be? 16 And Laban had two daughters:  the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured. 18 And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter. 19 And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man:  abide with me. 20 And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her. 21 And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her. 22 And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 23 And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her. 24 And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for a handmaid. 25 And it came to pass, that in the morning, behold, it was Leah:  and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me? 26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years. 28 And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:  and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also. 29 And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid. 30 And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years [i.e. he had received Rachel one week after he had received Leah]. 31 And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb:  but Rachel was barren. 32 And Leah conceived, and bar a son, and she called his name Reuben:  for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me. 33 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also:  and she called his name Simeon. 34 And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons:  therefore was his name called Levi. 35 And she conceived again, and bare a son:  and she said, Now will I praise the LORD:  therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.”

When You Fall In Love You Will Loose Your Mind

“It says “Then Jacob went on his journey, and came into the land of the people of the east.” (verse 1)  Oh, we just covered 400 miles.  No doubt, his mom, Rebekah had told him many things, about Laban, her brother, about Bethuel, her father’s house, about the family, that part of the family that lived that was still back there from Ur of the Chaldees [although it says they lived in Haran, which is way north of the southern Ur of the Chaldees].  “And he looked, and behold a well in the field, and, lo, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks:  and a great stone was upon the well’s mouth.” (verse 2)  Now no doubt this is harking back in his mind, I’m sure Rebekah told him, ‘You know, Eleazar, your grandpa’s servant came and found me by the well.  He was standing there actually praying, ‘Let the first woman I see be the one that’s gonna be my master’s wife, and just to confirm that, let her give all my camels to drink, let her carry a couple hundred gallons of water up and down the steps,’ but anyhow some of this has to be resonating, I’m sure he had heard all of these things.  There’s a stone on the well’s mouth, no doubt to keep animals from falling in and drowning, a well was precious no doubt in that part of the world.  “And thither were all the flocks gathered:  and they rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the sheep, and put the stone again upon the well’s mouth in his place.” (verse 3)  protecting the water.  Now Jacob says to them, you have to imagine walking up to this well, these are shepherds, they’re not the shepherds that you see on Christmas Eve, on the Christmas cards with their staff, that are real nice, where they’re looking at the star.  These are guys with curved knives in their sashes, these are characters, these are guys out of the saloon.  Jacob, no fear, God had appeared to him, I don’t know if that’s still resonating, “And Jacob said unto them, My brethren, whence be ye?  And they said, Of Haran are we.” (verse 4)  They’re thinking ‘what?’ “whence be ye?” where are you from?  And they said, ‘we’re from Haran.’  Real conversationalists, they just look at him, ‘we’re from Haran.’  “And he said unto them, Know ye Laban the son of Nahor?  And they said, We know him.” (verse 5)  and they said ‘we know him,’ and so will you, everybody knew Laban, he had a reputation, ‘ya we know him.’  “And he said unto them, Is he well?  And they said, He is well:  and, behold, Rachel his daughter cometh with the sheep.” (verse 6)  ‘Look over your shoulder,’ coincidence, by the way.  “And he said, Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time that the cattle should be gathered together:  water ye the sheep, and go and feed them.” (verse 7)  ‘What are you guys all doing here in the middle of the day, this should be the evening when you’re all here.’  Now it doesn’t tell us why they had this custom that was different than what he experienced back in Israel, that they gather once a day to take the stone from off of the wells, they would equally water their flocks and close the well up again, we’re not told, but he’s not used to the custom here.  “And they said, We cannot, until all the flocks be gathered together, and till they roll the stone from the well’s mouth; then we water the sheep.” (verse 8) ‘when everybody gets here.’  “And while he yet spake with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep:  for she kept them.” (verse 9) good girl, strong, like bull, good girl, good teeth, makes a good wife.  “And it came to pass, when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother’s brother, and the sheep of Laban his mother’s brother, that Jacob went near, and rolled the stone from the well’s mouth, and watered the flock of Laban his mother’s brother.” (verse 10) and it’s interesting, these other shepherds don’t say anything.  “And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.” (verse 11)  You know, you came up to the well, there’s a strange guy you never saw there before, he rolls the stone away, you know, you don’t roll the stone away for nothing.  So it’s probably that he grabs and kisses her hand, it doesn’t say he just laid one on her, you know.  She doesn’t know who he is, this guy you know.  It’s just interesting the way it says that, like the writer would understand.  “And Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted up his voice, and wept.” Strange experience for her for a couple minutes, no doubt, waiting for some information, ‘This is not my everyday experience at the well.’  “And Jacob told Rachel that he was her father’s brother,” part of the menfolk in the family, “and that he was Rebekah’s son:  and she ran and told her father.” (verse 12)  Now no doubt Rachel had heard the story many times, ‘This servant came from Abraham, one of the patriarchs of our family who had left, we hadn’t heard from for decades and decades, and then we heard that he had a son when he was a hundred years old, and the God of Israel had made all of these promises to him, and this son was the prophecied one, and he was wealthy, and the servant had gold and silver and all of this stuff with him.  And Rebekah, your Aunt, she was young, she was beautiful, she met him at the well, and she went with him.  And we haven’t heard from her for a long time.’  And now this whole thing happens, Rachel is so excited, it says she runs to Laban.  “And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob his sister’s son, that he ran to meet him, and embraced him, and kissed him, and brought him to his house.  And he told Laban all these things.” (verse 13)  Because he’s thinking ‘More gold bracelets, more gold rings, I like this family when they come visit.’  Now I’m sure he didn’t say ‘I deceived my father who married old Rebekah your sister, and put on goat hair and my brother Esau wants to kill me,’ I’m sure he didn’t relate all that.  “And Laban said unto Jacob, Surely thou art my bone and my flesh.  And he abode with him the space of a month.” (verse 14)  Now when Laban says to you ‘You’re my bone and my flesh,’ that’s not necessarily good news, that means ‘Stay on your toes,’ because Jacob was a schemer, but he’s going to get out-schemed here.  Jacob was a heal-catcher and a supplanter, but he’s going to get supplanted here.  And when he realizes this is my DNA in front of me, my gene-pool he should know that he’s up to his match.  “And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother, shouldest thou therefore serve me for nought?  tell me, what shall thy wages be?” (verse 15)  Now it says he was there a whole month, evidently he got involved helping with the chores, helping with the flocks and working around the ranch there, whatever it was, the Ponderosa, and he said ‘Should you serve me for nothing, tell me what shall thy wages be?’  “And Laban had two daughters:  the name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.  Leah was tender eyed; but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.” (verses 16-17)  Now we’re not sure exactly what “tender eyed” means, was she almost blind, squinting all the time?  Some scholars feel that it means probably her eyes were green or blue, they were light coloured, because they favoured beautiful dark women, dark skin, black hair like ravens, just dark eyes, just the beauty that goes with the land, and then you have this odd sister, Leah, with like green eyes or something, it just calls it weak-eyed here.  ‘Leah was tender-eyed, but Rachel was beautiful and well favoured.’  “And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.” (verse 18)  Now we’re not going to hear, through this whole story, 20 years, that Jacob prays a single time.  When Eleazar came there and saw Rebekah he said ‘Thank you LORD,’ we hear him praying, we hear him communicating with God, none of that from Jacob, he’s going to learn a long lesson here.  Ah, he’s in love with Rachel, “And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.” (verse 18) boy she must be a beauty, “And Laban said, It is better that I give her to thee, than that I should give her to another man:  abide with me.  And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” (verses 19-20)  and Jacob’s over 70 years old [according to the dating we saw in the previous transcript] at this point in time.  Maybe he’s been thinking ‘I’ve been looking a long time for a girl like you.’  Because when you fall in love, you will loose your mind, I’m telling you, you know.  You use your reason, you use your brain, and when you fall in love, you loose your mind.  The Bible says ‘Guard your heart with all diligence, because from it flow the issues of life,’ it’s more powerful than your brain.  And you have all of these ideas, ‘This is the kind of guy I want, this is the kind of girl I want, these are the standards, I want them to be committed to the Lord, I want them to do this, I want them to earn a living, and I want them to have these gifts,’ and then you meet someone and you fall in love, and you have forgotten all of those things, you have lost your mind.  And you end up in your own world.  He’s working for her for seven years and they seem as a day.  I see when people come in here like that, wearing the same shorts, the same shirt, and they think nobody notices [laughter], all the rest of us are thinking ‘Oh man, cut us a break, what is wrong with them?’  they’re in love, you know.  Here’s somebody, they never bought a comb their whole life, all of a sudden their hair’s combed, you’ve lost your mind.  Seven years, what was it like, every day, couldn’t wait to get home from the flocks to see Rachel, she was beautiful, every day, he laughed, he talked with her, it seemed like a day, it seemed like nothing, seven years, it seemed like a few days. 

The Deceiver Gets Deceived

“And Jacob said unto Laban, Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, that I may go in unto her.” (verse 21) ‘I want my woman!’  “And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast.” (verse 22)  ‘OK, these are our traditions here, this is how we perform the marriage, this is how the whole thing goes,’ “And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him; and he went in unto her.” (verse 23) “that he, Laban,” the grammar goes back to the last man here.  ‘he took Leah, his daughter, and he put goatskin on her hands, made her feel like Rachel,’ he’s getting it back here, man.  What goes around comes around, you know.  “he took Leah his daughter, and brought her to him;” now you have to understand, this is the end of the day, she’s got a veil on, she’s the bride, and it doesn’t say it, but I’m sure Jacob’s a little pickled here by the time Laban gets done with him, they’re drinking wine, and he says ‘OK son, go on and get her!’ he waits till it’s dark, he didn’t go into the tent and turn on the florescent light or something, he was stumbling around there, ‘Here I am Honey,’  “and brought her to him; and he went in unto her” he was intimate with her.  “And Laban gave unto his daughter Leah Zilpah his maid for a handmaid.” (verse 24)  “And it came to pass, that in the morning,” this should be a movie, I’m telling you, look what it says “behold,” that’s what Jacob thought, “Honey, I’ve waited seven,” ‘What are you doing here, old tender-eyes!?’ Behold, dong! That’s what he did “it was Leah:” he runs out of his tent “and he said to Laban, What is this thou hast done unto me? did not I serve with thee for Rachel? wherefore then hast thou beguiled me?” (verse 25) ‘I can’t imagine somebody doing this to another human being, taking advantage of me, making it happen in the dark where they can’t see, substituting one for the other, what kind of a human being are you!?’  “And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.” (verse 26)  ‘Didn’t I tell you, we have a custom here in our country, it slipped my mind, we live with it all the time, I didn’t even think about it.’  “It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.” ‘You see Jacob, we respect the firstborn here in our country.’  [he laughs]  So learn your lessons, don’t ever get into this situation, ok?  Seven years before this he had been dealing out the same thing, had goat hair on his hands, acting like he was Esau, stealing the birthright of the older, which would have been his anyway, through God’s prophecy.  It has just come right back to him, his own medicine.  And you know what it’s like having to take a little bit of your own medicine, don’t you.  So he says “Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.” (verse 27)  It’s no big deal, the first seven years were like a few days, in the meantime you get old tender-eyes, tender-eyes, that’s like Adolf’s meat tenderizer, seven more years.  You know, it’s very interesting as we track through this guy’s life, because what his sons are going to do to him, when they sell Joseph, is they’re going to take goat blood, when Jacob is old, and put it on Joseph’s clothes, and tell their father it’s Joseph’s blood and Joseph is dead, he’s going to get measures of this back into his life.  But at the end of his life, again, these are human families, they are just like you and me.  If you come from a family where another sibling was preferred, Abraham, and mostly through Sarah, showed preference no doubt to Isaac over Ishmael.  Isaac learned the sinful ways, learned the good things, and he imitated, that was his role model.  So, Isaac, showed preference to Esau, while Rebekah showed preference towards Jacob.  Jacob then, gets himself into this mess, and God through a dream speaks to Jacob, and then he serves seven years, and at the end of the seven years he finds out he’s deceived, and will have to go seven more years for what he wants, and six years beyond that before he finally gets out of there.  [Pastor Joe seems to be indicating that Jacob had to wait another seven years before he got to marry Rachel, when the actual Scripture makes it plain he was able to take Rachel as his wife within a week, after serving out Leah’s week,  and then he would serve another seven years for Rachel, but now within a week he had two wives, Leah and Rachel.  That’s the way the Scripture is worded.]  But he will, in his old age, have two sons, one is Joseph, from the woman he loves, Rachel, one is Benjamin, and Joseph will be the son of his old age, who will be, probably grow up more under Israel than Jacob.  He’s born right before Jacob wrestles with God and is broken, and no doubt will listen to his father tell many of these stories, how he had made mistakes, how God came to him there in Bethel and revealed himself in a dream and how it set the course of his life, how he worked for seven years and then was deceived.  And Joseph then will have a dream, and through his dream he will be sold by his brothers, and he will labour for seven years in Potipher’s house, and then find out, being deceived in regards to Potipher’s wife will be in prison for seven years.  And it will be 20 years then before he’s raised up to be in the position he’s in.  And all through this, there is the very humanness of these individuals, their preference for children, the things they did wrong, and all the while God overriding, none of us are perfect, none of us have done this perfectly.  Everyone in this room, we’re all adult children of sinning parents, we’re part of the same support group, and so will our kids be.  And yet God so miraculously works through this whole process, bringing about his purposes, showing grace to imperfect individuals.  And Jacob’s now getting a good solid dose of his own medicine, and Laban’s saying ‘You know how you are with Rachel, seven years is like a couple days, don’t worry about it.’  [Again, the grammar and wording of these passages show Jacob was married to Rachel at the end of the week he had to spend with Leah, don’t know why Pastor Joe is misinterpreting this.]  “And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week:  and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.  And Laban gave to Rachel his daughter Bilhah his handmaid to be her maid.” (verses 28-29) so she had someone to take care of her.  “And he went in also unto Rachel, and he loved also Rachel more than Leah, and served with him yet seven other years.” (verse 30)  He did that to get his wife Rachel [which by this wording shows that he married Rachel one week after he married Leah].  “And when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb:  but Rachel was barren.” (verse 31) now the Hebrew word is not exactly “hated,” she’s unloved.  Had Leah fallen in love with Jacob?  Had Leah known the story of Rebekah and this prince that was in another country, and when Jacob came there had both girls, were they both googly-eyed over him? (maybe one was tendered-eyed, but they both were googly-eyed) and had Leah also, Leah had to cooperate with Laban and knew what she was doing when it was supposed to be her sister’s wedding night.  [They’re all guilty of deception, not one of them is innocent here.]  So possibly Leah had great feelings I’m sure for Jacob also.  But when he…was given Rachel, it says here in verse 31 “when the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb:  but Rachel was barren.”  Now look, God doesn’t love Leah more than Rachel, God loves both of these women equally.  The humanness of the circumstance makes it unfair, because evidently Jacob doesn’t want really very much to do with Leah, he’s in love with Rachel.  On the other hand it seems that Jacob is intimate at least with Leah, because the LORD opens her womb, but Rachel remains barren.  Now to be barren in that culture is a curse, Leah’s thinking ‘If I give this man a son, maybe some of the affection he has for Rachel will come in my direction.’  “And Leah conceived, and bar a son, and she called his name Reuben:  for she said, Surely the LORD hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.” (verse 32)  Now what we’re going to get here is the history [of the start] of the 12 tribes.  “Reuben” means “to see,” God has seen her, to see a son.  Now notice what Leah says, “the LORD, Jehovah, Yahweh hath looked upon my affliction.”  We’re going to find out that Rachel will use the LORD’s name, but she’s going to steal the idols from her dad’s house.  Leah actually seems to have a greater understanding of Jehovah, Yahweh, the God of Abraham.  Interesting exercise you can do on your own, we certainly don’t have the time to do it here, some who love to dig into names have said that if you go through the names of the 12 tribes here, that their names prophecy the history of an individual believer.  But if you go through the statements of why, the reasons for their names, that the reasons prophecy of the history of the nation of Israel, the first one here is ‘The LORD has looked upon my affliction.’  That’s why she named him Reuben.  The second one ‘The LORD hath heard I was hated,” the history of Israel.  The third one this time will be ‘My husband will be joined to me, Jehovah, the husband of Israel,  Now will I praise the LORD,’ it’s an interesting exercise.  You go through it on your own, we’re looking historically at the origin of the 12 tribes of Israel.  ‘Now will my husband love me.’  “And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Because the LORD hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also:  and she called his name Simeon.” (verse 33) “Simeon” which means “hearing.”  “And she conceived again, and bare a son; and said, Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons:  therefore was his name called Levi.” (verse 34)  And the other two impressions, and the kids have to be a year or two apart, and she’s hoping that it will turn Jacob’s heart, his heart hasn’t been turned, the third time ‘Maybe this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have born him three sons, therefore was his name called Levi’ which means “joined.”  “And she conceived again, and bare a son:  and she said, Now will I praise the LORD:  therefore she called his name Judah; and left bearing.” (verse 35)  Now this is Leah, Leah gives birth to Levi, and Aaron the high priest of the Levites flowing from Leah.  She gives birth to Judah, which means king David, Jesus, flowing from Leah, of the tribe of Judah, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, this is a remarkable woman.  Though Jacob does not love her, Jacob looks first on the outer beauty and not on the inner beauty, there’s another beauty that he’s missed in many ways with this woman. 

Genesis 30:1-25

“And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die. 2 An Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel:  and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb? 3 And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her. 4 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife:  and Jacob went in unto her. 5 And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. 6 And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son:  therefore called she his name Dan. 7 And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son. 8 And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have a I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed:  and she called his name Naphtali. 9 When Leah saw that she had left bearing, she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife. 10 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son. 11 And Leah said, A troop cometh:  and she called his name Gad. 12 And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed:  and she called his name Asher [Hebrew for “Happy”]. 14 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah.  Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes. 15 And she said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also?  And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes. 16 And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes.  And he lay with her that night. 17 And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son. 18 And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband:  and she called his name Issachar. 19 And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son. 20 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons:  and she called his name Zebulun. 21 And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah. 22 And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach: 24 and she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son. 25 And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.”

A Childbearing Competition Between Jacob’s Wives

“And when Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and said unto Jacob, Give me children, or else I die.” (verse 1)  what a house, “An Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel:  and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?” (verse 2)  ‘Hey Rachel, I got four boys, the problem’s not with me, ah, what’s the problem between you and God?’  ‘Leah don’t have any problem, I’m I the one whose withholding kids, hey, they’re popping out of the oven in the other tent, what’s the problem here?’  So there’s tension, “And she said, Behold my maid Bilhah, go in unto her; and she shall bear upon my knees, that I may also have children by her.  And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife:  and Jacob went in unto her.  And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son.” (verses 3-5)  Now because Jacob was her legal husband, even though Jacob was with her handmaid, the son would legally belong to the Jacob and Rachel.  [But as you’re gonna see, poor Jacob is turning into a breeding bull by now.]  “And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son:  therefore called she his name Dan.” (verse 6)  Rachel’s naming the boy, Dan, which means “God judges.”  “And Bilhah Rachel’s maid conceived again, and bare Jacob a second son.   And Rachel said, With great wrestlings have a I wrestled with my sister, and I have prevailed:  and she called his name Naphtali.” (verses 7-8)  Here we go again, “When Leah saw that she had left bearing,” and when her sister Rachel was catching up “she took Zilpah her maid, and gave her Jacob to wife.  And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a son.  And Leah said, A troop cometh:  and she called his name Gad.” (verses 9-11)  Now this is a dysfunctional household [laughter].  And notice as we go through here, Jacob is not a whiner, he’s not complaining about all this, ‘take Zilpah, take Bilhah,’ Jacob here for once in his life he’s not making deals or scheming, he’s just going ‘ok, ok, ok.’  “And Zilpah Leah’s maid bare Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah said, Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed:  and she called his name Asher [Hebrew for “Happy”].” (verses 12-13)  Now years have gone by.  Reuben’s a small boy, we have to finish this, we have to get to verse, we’ll get to verse 25, trust me, here we go.  “And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah.  Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.” (verse 14)  Now they believed in this day that mandrakes would help a woman that was infertile, that they were both an aphrodisiac and they would help infertility, they call them love apples, the root and the fruit were used.  So this little boy comes with these mandrakes, they had flowers on them, maybe he just doesn’t know, he’s just bringing the flowers to his mom.  Look at verse 14b, “Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes.”  “And she” Leah “said unto her, Is it a small matter that thou hast taken my husband? and wouldest thou take away my son’s mandrakes also?  And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.” (verse 15)  ‘You have Jacob’s heart, and would you take away my son’s mandrakes also.’  ‘And Rachel said, let’s make a deal,’ “And Rachel said, Therefore he shall lie with thee to night for thy son’s mandrakes.” (verse 15)  ‘You give me the mandrakes, I’ll give you the man, for tonight.’  “And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes.  And he lay with her that night.” (verse 16)  Jacob’s saying ‘ok, ok.’  “And God hearkened unto Leah, and she conceived, and bare Jacob the fifth son.  And Leah said, God hath given me my hire, because I have given my maiden to my husband:  and she called his name Issachar.” (17-18)  Issachar, which has the idea of “service” or “hire.”  Now here’s the crazy thing, Rachel’s got the mandrakes and Leah’s going to get pregnant again.  “And Leah conceived again, and bare Jacob the sixth son.   And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons:  and she called his name Zebulun.  And afterwards she bare a daughter, and called her name Dinah.” (verses 19-21)  It just happens to mention that she has a daughter, called the name Dinah, that’ll come up later.  It’s interesting, Leah gives birth, out of the 12 tribes of Israel, the children of Israel, really the children of Jacob, six of them are from Leah, half of the tribes of Israel, this woman Leah.  And look in verse 22, “And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.” He hadn’t forgot her, the idea is, he decides it’s time to bless her.  This is years after the mandrakes have rotted.  “And she conceived, and bare a son; and said, God hath taken away my reproach:  and she called his name Joseph; and said, The LORD shall add to me another son.” (verses 23-24)  Now notice, she says Jehovah, the LORD shall add to me another son, Joseph means “he shall add,” “to add.”  And he would give her another son, that would be years after, his name would be Benjamin.  And verse 25 is where we’ll pick up, if the Lord tarries, “And it came to pass, when Rachel had born Joseph, that Jacob said unto Laban, Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, and to my country.”  He didn’t mean ‘Get me away from all of these kids,’ he was going to say ‘It’s time to go back to my father’s house in Israel.’  So we have 11 of the 12 tribes brought before us here.  Benjamin will be born on the road, and Rachel will die there where Benjamin is born, “son of my right hand.”  Ah, remarkable picture.  Look, God deals with you and I in light of a better covenant it says.  The covenant of the blood of his own Son, superior to the covenant that he had made with Abraham.  It is relative to it, because it is relevant to that “seed all of the nations of the earth would be blessed,” but we walk in greater light.  And not only that, Abraham never looked up to heaven and said Abba, Father, he said LORD, El-Shaddai [and that very same LORD was the pre-Incarnate Christ, whereas God the Father had never been revealed to the Old Testament saints, cf. John 1:1-18].  But the Bible says he has put his Son in our hearts, crying Abba, Father.  You know, Kathy and I are friends, good friends with some of the families in the church, and I was talking about this with one of another family and their son, and I said ‘You know if anything ever happened to your mom and dad, we would take you, be willing to adopt you.’  I said, ‘But imagine what the Lord has done with us, what if my son Joshua, was killed, and I adopted you, and his spirit moved into you, and when you said to me, father, I heard his voice, and when you looked at me I sensed his presence.’  That’s what happens when we look up to heaven and we say Abba, Father.  The Spirit of Christ, it says, cries out, Abba, Father.  Twelve tribes of Israel, amazing story, the story’s not over, watch the news when you get home, it’s continuing.  But you and I, members of a better covenant, God has promised to bless us, he’s promised to keep us, he’s promised to bring us home, and he’s promised he’ll never leave us or forsake us along the way.  We have those promises in this world, the same promises that he had given to Jacob, only very much more specific, and very much more secure, at least to our understanding, because they’re based upon a better covenant, that of the blood of his Son.  So, I encourage you, read ahead.  We’re going to come to Jacob, wrestling with the LORD.  And that needs to be taken apart a little bit so we understand it.  But we’re going to watch this scoundrel and the other scoundrel work against each other until he can get out of Padam-Aram and back to his homeland.  No sooner does he get back to his homeland, that he hears that Hairy’s coming, you know, out of the frying pan into the fire, it’s very interesting.  All these years he finally gets back, and then he hears Esau’s coming, and then he starts making deals with God, ‘If you’ll do this, I’ll do that, I send this, I’ll send this many sheep, and God bless it, here’s the plan,’ he doesn’t even give God multiple choice, ‘God do you like plan-A, plan-B, plan-C or plan-D?’  He just makes up the plan and says ‘Alright God, bless it,’ and God’s gonna have to wrestle with him in regards to that.  Let’s have the musicians come, we’ll sing a last song together, and again, I encourage you, you don’t have to run right out of here tonight, if any of you need to say to someone ‘You know what, I’m a Jacob, and I try to do everything in my own strength, and God is slowly reminding me it’s of grace, would you pray for me?’  I encourage you to fellowship, to pray for one another.  If you’re here tonight and you don’t know Christ as your Saviour and you know that you need to be saved, you’ve never heard that all of these promises can be made to you, and you don’t deserve a single one of them.  That God loves you, not because there is anything lovable in you.  He loves you because of who he is, not because of who you are, and bestows that upon you freely, through the sacrifice of his Son.  If you’ve never come to Christ, after the services are over come up and pray with us, we’d love to give you a Bible, some literature to read, but let’s stand, let’s pray together, let’s lift up our hearts and our voices…[transcript of a connective expository sermon on Genesis 28:10-22, Genesis 29:1-35 and Genesis 30:1-25, given by Pastor Joe Focht, Calvary Chapel of Philadelphia, 13500 Philmont Avenue, Philadelphia, PA  19116]         

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Audio version: https://resources.ccphilly.org/detail.asp?TopicID=&Teaching=WED535