Geneses Chapter 28- Leaving Home

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Geneses Chapter 28- Leaving Home

The Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/GEN.28.NIV

27:42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you.

43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran.

44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides.

45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?” (Knowing the plot of Esau Rebekah wanted to send Jacob to her family for his marriage.)

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” (It was reasonable to persuade Isaac, since they disliked Esau for associating with the local girls. 26:34-35)

Jacob Leaving Home

1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman.

2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. (Isaac and Rebekah sent out Jacob to his uncle's house in Paddan Aram for marriage with Laban's daughter.)

3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples.

4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.” (Isaac knowingly blessed Jacob the blessings of the firstborn of the covenant family.)

5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. (Jacob left home to Paddan Aram; Rebekah's hometown.) (1, How old Jacob was?)

8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath(father side cousin), the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had. (Esau married Ishmael's daughter when he found out that his parents hated Canaan women, which was a folly to cover up the mistakes, not knowing what is the problem. Ishmael was separated from the covenant family.) (2, Difference between the choices of Esau and Jacob.)

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. (Travel to Harran where once Abram stayed and at the time, Laban.) (4, Map)

11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. (Jacob camped in Luz or Bethel.)

12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. (Jacob saw the angels of God ascending and descending on a stairway connecting heaven and the earth, which symbolizing the presence of God.)

13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. (The Lord confirmed His covenant to Jacob.)

14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. (Jacob inherited the blessings that given to Abraham.)

15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (God's protection on his journey of going forth and coming back was guaranteed, which means that Jacob must return to the promised land. 35:1-3)

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” (God is with us all the time. But we don't realize it. Jacob came to know it.)

17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” (Not only this place but wherever Jacob goes is the Kingdom of God as long as Jacob realizes and admits. 31:44)

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. (Jacob installed the pillar of memory with the sanctified pillow stone.)

19 He called that place Bethel(House of God), though the city used to be called Luz(almond tree). (Also named the place, the House of God.)

20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” (Jacob committed himself again, personally renewing the covenant, to God's guidance and provision offering the tenth to God, not as a deal. Coming back to the promised land is CRUCIAL as a chosen.) (3, Jacob's Vow)

(1, How old Jacob was?) (AI)

Based on biblical chronology, Jacob was approximately 77 years old when he left his home in Canaan to travel to Paddan Aram to escape his brother Esau and find a wife.

Key details regarding this timeline:

Total Time Away: Jacob spent 20 years in Paddan Aram with his uncle Laban.

Marriage and Service: He served 7 years for Leah, and another 7 for Rachel, marrying them at about age 84, and worked an additional 6 years for his flocks.

Age upon Return: He was approximately 97 years old when he left Laban to return to Canaan, as his son Joseph was born just before or around that time.

Context: Jacob was 130 years old when he presented himself to Pharaoh in Egypt, confirm‎ing the timeline (130 - 20 years of service - 7 years Joseph in Egypt - 6 years famine/return = 97).

He is often portrayed as younger, but Scripture suggests he was in his late 70s when he fled.

It may not be an important factor but it is meaningful to know the biblical facts about Jacob to understand what kind of a person he is.

More at https://cafe.daum.net/k331/V4c5/31

Let us go back to the question that I asked in the beginning of this story- what was his age at his departure to Paddan Aram?

I found that many people think that he left his home in his late teens or at least a very young age.

But we see that his twin brother was forty years old even before Jacob's departure (26:34).

According to other references in the Bible, he was seventy-seven years old when he left home for his future.

You may think further about this number, but those guessed numbers- which were much younger- show us how we have been so superficial in our understanding of Jacob.

(2, Difference between the Choices of Esau and Jacob.) (AI)

The primary difference between Mahalath (wife of Esau) and Leah and Rachel (wives of Jacob) lies in their familial relationships, the circumstances of their marriages, and their roles in biblical history. Mahalath was an Ishmaelite cousin meant to align Esau with his father's family, while Leah and Rachel were sisters from Paddan-Aram who became the primary matriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel.

(3, Jacob's Vow) (AI)

In Genesis 28:20-22, after his dream of a ladder to heaven at Bethel, Jacob vows that if God protects him, provides food and clothing, and brings him safely back, then the LORD will be his God, the stone pillar will be God’s house, and he will give God a tenth of all he receives.

Key Aspects of Jacob's Vow:

Context: The vow follows God’s promise of protection and land in a dream (Gen 28:13-15).

Conditions: Jacob asks for God's presence, protection on his journey, food, clothing, and a safe return.

Promises:

   The LORD as God: He commits to making the LORD his God.

   Bethel as a Holy Site: He pledges that the stone set up as a pillar will become "God's house" (Bethel).

   Tithing: He promises to return a tenth of all God gives him.

Interpretation: While some view this as a form of bargaining, others interpret it as a faithful response, mirroring God's own promises back to Him and setting a personal commitment.

This vow highlights Jacob's faith and the beginning of his personal relationship with God.

(4, Map- Jacob's Journey)

https://ibiblemaps.com/jacobs-travels-2/