Jacob

[Gen 25:19 - Gen 35:29]

The birth of Esau and Jacob

[Gen 25:19-26] When Isaac’s wife Rebekah is pregnant, there seems to be a struggle between her unborn sons causing her some concern. When she takes her concern to the Lord, she is told there are two nations in her womb and that the elder will serve the younger. Rebekah gives birth to her twins and names them Esau and Jacob, the elder being Esau. Esau grows to be a hunter and is favoured by Isaac, whereas Jacob is a ‘plain’ man and favoured by Rebekah.

Esau sells his birthright

[Gen 25:27-34] Esau is so indifferent about his birthright that one day, when feeling particularly hungry, he rashly sells it to Jacob for some broth. He later takes a Canaanite wife, which grieves his parents.

Isaac and Abimelech

[Gen 26] The Abrahamic covenant is now renewed with Isaac, then God instructs him to sojourn in Gerar while there is a famine in the land. Like his father before him, Isaac lies about Rebekah, pretending she is his sister. After some time, the deceit concerning Rebekah is realised when King Abimelech sees Isaac sporting with her. From this time on, Isaac and Rebekah are protected by Abimelech. Isaac is blessed, and to the envy of the Philistines grows in prosperity. Following disputes concerning wells, Isaac eventually moves and settles at Beersheba.

Jacob gets Esau’s blessing by deceit

[Gen 27] As he approaches his final days, Isaac calls Esau to give him the blessing due to the firstborn. Instigated by his mother, and with her help, Jacob fraudulently obtains his father’s blessing while Esau is still out hunting for venison to prepare a meal his father had requested. Despite this deception, the blessing has to stand. To avoid Esau’s anger and threat to kill Jacob, Rebekah advises Jacob to flee to his uncle Laban until things blow over. (Esau is to become the father of the Edomites, later to be an adversary of the Israelites)

Jacob flees to Haran

[Gen 28] Also encouraged by Isaac for the purpose of finding a wife, Jacob leaves for his uncle Laban’s. On the way he rests for the night and has a vision of a ladder between earth and heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. The Lord stood above the ladder and promised Jacob he and his seed would inherit the land on which he is resting, and through his seed all the families of the earth would be blessed, the same promises made to Abraham and Isaac.

Leah and Rachel

[Gen 29:1-30] When Jacob arrived at his uncle Laban’s, he meets Rachel and falls in love with her. Not having a dowry, Jacob offers to work seven years for the hand of Rachel. When the seven years are completed a great celebration is held, but after Jacob retires to his tent it is Leah, Laban’s eldest daughter, who is sent to him. Then, in the darkness, he spends the night with the wrong sister. Despite the deceit, having spent the night with Leah, Jacob is now considered married to her. He then has to work another seven years for Rachel.

Jacob’s first eleven sons and a daughter

[Gen 29:31-30:24] Because Jacob loves Rachel and not Leah, the Lord prevents Rachel from conceiving and Jacob’s first four sons are by Leah. They are Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Still unable to conceive, Rachel follows the custom of the time and gives Jacob her handmaiden Bilhah as a concubine. Bilhah has two sons by Jacob, Dan and Naphtali. Leah now stops conceiving and so gives Jacob her handmaiden, Zilpah, who bears him two children, Gad and Asher. Rachel, perhaps in desperation, and presumably because she is in a position to do so, gives Leah a night with Jacob in exchange for Mandrakes collected by Reuben (Mandrakes were considered an aphrodisiac). Leah conceives and Issachar is born. She is later able to conceive again and has another son, Zebulun, and later a daughter, Dinah. Rachel is at last able to conceive and gives birth to Joseph.

Jacob’s flocks increase

[Gen 30:25-43] Jacob now wants to leave, but Laban asks him to stay because he has seen how the Lord has blessed him. Jacob is asked to name his wages and an agreement is made based on husbandry methods suggested by Jacob. In time, Jacob becomes rich in cattle as well as other livestock and servants.

Jacob flees Laban

[Gen 31] After twenty years service to Laban, fourteen for his two daughters and six raising livestock, Jacob leaves secretly while Laban is out sheep shearing. Unbeknown to Jacob, Rachel has stolen some of her father’s images. Three days have passed before Laban is told that Jacob has left. Laban goes after him, his party catching up with Jacob at Mount Gilead. However, Laban is told in a dream by God to speak not to Jacob either good or bad. Laban questions Jacob, wanting to know why he had left secretly, and mentions the stolen images. Jacob tells him that he was afraid he would keep his daughters by force, then tells him if he finds his gods then whoever has taken them should not live. The tents are all searched, Rachel’s being left until last. When Laban comes to search her tent she makes excuses for not standing, saying it is her time of month, preventing him from finding his gods she had hidden in the camel’s bags on which she is sitting. Jacob is now angry with Laban for apparently making a false accusation, but the two make a pact over a meal and part company peacefully.

God meets Jacob

[Gen 32] Jacob continues on his way and sends messengers ahead to his brother Esau, but is alarmed when they return to report Esau is on his way with four hundred men. Jacob prays to God for help, then gathers some livestock as a gift for Esau and sends them on ahead in batches with some servants. The idea is that Esau will come across each successive band of servants with a gift of livestock, then by the time Jacob meets Esau he will be appeased. That evening, Jacob takes all his company and sends them ahead over the ford Jabbock. He remains alone and wrestles all night with God. In the morning, God blesses Jacob and renames him Israel.

Jacob meets Esau

[Gen 33] Jacob rejoins his family and sees Esau coming to meet him. He divides his company for safety, putting the handmaidens and their children first, then Leah and her children and last of all, Rachel and Joseph. Despite Jacob’s concern, all is well between them and there is an emotional reunion. Following some bartering, Esau accepts the gifts sent ahead and returns to Seir, while Jacob travels to Succoth and then on to Shalem where he buys a parcel of land and settles there.

Dinah’s rape

[Gen 34] After some years at Shalem, Schechem, a Hivite, rapes Jacob’s daughter Dinah. However, Schechem loves Dinah and his father, Hamor, meets with Jacob in an attempt at appeasement, suggesting each allow their daughters to marry sons of the other. Simeon and Levi deceive Hamor and Schechem by saying they could only agree if all their men were circumcised. They could then live as one nation. This is agreed, and all Haman’s men are then circumcised in one day. On the third day, when the men are sore, Simeon and Levi slaughter them all, including Hamor and Schechem, taking all their wives, possessions and livestock. Jacob rebukes his sons, being fearful the surrounding inhabitants will rise against him because of what they have done.

The birth of Benjamin, Jacob’s twelfth son

[Gen 35] Under instruction from God, Jacob moves to Bethel where he is again told by God his name is now Israel. God then repeats His promise of the land being given to Jacob and his seed after him. Soon after, Jacob journeys toward Ephrath (Bethlehem). On the way, Rachel goes into hard labour and dies giving birth to Benjamin. After burying Rachel, Jacob moves on and settles near Edah, close to Bethlehem. It is while they are there that Reuben sleeps with Bilhah, one of his father’s concubines. Isaac lives to 180 and is buried by his sons Esau and Jacob.

The Edomites

[Gen 36] Chapter 36 gives us the descendants of Esau, Jacob’s brother, who are the Edomites.