Isaac chose his favorite son Esau to be his only begotten son / heir, logically because he was another fighter like Ishmael, but once again God backs a peaceable man to represent him.
“Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying…my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother…My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing.” (Genesis 27:1-13)
Archaeological evidence shows a plethora of ancient curses…such beliefs and practices have continued to the present day…sometimes called jinx, hex, or black magic…The aim is to see harm befall the recipient – bad luck may dog them, death may take them, or any number of dire (or annoying) fates may plague them. In antiquity a curse was a powerful phenomenon, often viewed as the summoned wrath of gods or the presence of evil forces.
Jacob wins the sibling tug of war for the appointment because he values it so much he risks the curses on his life – more than once – to grab hold of it.
“And his father Isaac said unto him…
- God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:
- Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee:
- be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee:
- cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee. (Genesis 27:11-29)
And sure enough, Jacob was forced to flee his home and inheritance when he was cursed by his brother.
“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night…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;
- 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.
And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep / guard / provide for 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…
And Jacob set up a pillar [for a memorial of this never-to-be-forgotten occasion] in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Beth-el [house of God]. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying,
- If [this] God [of the many gods known to men at that time] 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, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace;
- then shall the LORD be my 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.” (Genesis 28)
Don’t mistake Jacob’s vow for bargaining. A vow is a covenant into which a party enters into willingly. Think marriage vows. Men and women may in their own minds be bargaining that if they get X, Y, Z in the arrangement that they’ll stay with the other party, but that’s not what Jacob is doing in his solemn sacrifice ceremony. He is being rational, checking out the faithfulness of the other party before committing to a disaster of being bound to a cruel master. Think dating, or in that era, betrothal. And Jacob was living in highly unreliable and dangerous Wild West times.
- After enduring years of virtual slavery he and his family were forced to flee another curse.
- After escaping from an unwinnable battle with Laban when Jacob frankly admits to Laban that “I was afraid,” (Genesis 31:31) you can bet he was pushing his herds and flocks and women and children just in case his enemies changed their minds and turned around to seize them after all.
- Only to meet up with his nemesis, brother Esau “and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels…and Rachel and Joseph hindermost [the two people he loves the most.]
“And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac…I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth [fulfillment of promises], which thou hast shewed unto thy servant…Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother…thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude…
Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled [not his brother this time!] a man with him until the breaking of the day…And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me….
God confirmed Jacob in this role after Jacob proved he has what it takes. Staying power unto death.
And Jacob came to S[h]alem, [same root word for Shalom] a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city. And he bought a parcel of a field…And he erected there an altar, and called it El-elohe-Isra-el.
- El had kept him safe from Esau the hunter who could have easily tracked him down and killed him as he slept,
- El had kept him safe from the Canaanite giants who played The Most Dangerous Game throughout the land he traversed – alone – before finding relative (get it?) safety in numbers in Padan-aram,
- El had multiplied him in family and herds while in Padan-aram,
- El had kept him safe from Laban when he escaped his labor trafficking,
- El had kept him safe from Esau’s planned vengeance,
It was time for Jacob to keep his vow to El. From Genesis 35:
“And God appeared unto Jacob again, And God said unto him, thy name / identity shall not be called any more Jacob / Deceiver, but Isra-El / Prince of the Righteous God shall be thy name…
Put this in context of the Messianic announcement that “the government shall be upon his shoulder…his name shall be called…The Mighty God…The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
Isra-El is simply another form of Melchi-zedek King of Righteousness.
- be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee,
- and kings shall come out of thy loins [a necessity in order to take possession of] the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
- 6″God appeared unto Jacob / Deceiver again…and he called his name Isra-el / Prince of God El. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty [I can do anything]
Finally! Peace!
Nope. This has more drama than a soap opera.
Daughter Dinah is thrilled to get off the farm into some social activities, but while visiting their new neighbors the prince of the clan, also named Shechem, no doubt after his founding forefather so quite a catch, “lay with her, and defiled her…and he loved [desired to merge his identity with] the damsel, and…spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.” (Genesis 34)
Shechem’s behavior was nothing shocking.
Bride kidnapping…has been practiced around the world and throughout prehistory and history, among peoples as diverse as the Hmong in Southeast Asia, the Tzeltal in Mexico, and the Romani in Europe. Bride kidnapping still occurs in various parts of the world, but it is most common in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Most of all, as detailed in the previous posts on hybridization, Shechem would most certainly have heard through the bush telegraph how Jacob was protected by a most powerful god. You can place your bets on Shechem’s political career that his “love / merging identities with” Jacob’s daughter was, like the Hellene’s attraction – based on her access to spiritual empowerment, not a beautiful face or charming innocence. His defiling / raping of her was rushing to impregnant her with his seed before someone else procreated superman offspring.
“And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.”
Read up on How The West Was Won if you have any idea that Jacob could settle this peacefully. He was waiting for battle reinforcements. There was no way Shechem was going to give up his Mother of a god.
Meanwhile, Shechem kept Dinah at his place, and her chances of getting pregnant and sealing the deal were growing.
in much of the world siblings are a major influence in the life course of their brothers and sisters. As adults, they may help arrange marriages and provide marriage payments for each other.
“And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were…were very wroth, because he had wrought folly / evil, wickedness, lewdness in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter: which thing ought not to be done.
Remember how much trouble and time and payment Abraham went through for a wife for Isaac, and that Jacob worked 14 years to get the wife he wanted. Say what you want about Bible mores, the Hebrews put a high value on their women.
“Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males…and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house…and spoiled [made uninhabitable, cursed] the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses [turned the tables on the Shechemites’ plans], and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field, And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.”
And they come tearing back to Jacob all fired up from blood lust and adrenaline and victory.
“And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house!” (Genesis 34)
Turns out Jacob’s wife Rachel is pregnant. At laaaassssst! This is an extremely precious pregnancy, only her second, as she had always had difficulty getting pregnant. Plus she was a lot older now, and has been through terrible traveling conditions under duress from danger at any turn.
Certainly Jacob’s purchase of land and planned good relations with Hamor’s powerful clan at Shechem was intended to provide a safe haven during Rachel’s pregnancy and delivery of a treasured child. And Simeon and Levi totally messed up that plan.
“Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him…let us arise, and go up to Bethel…And they journeyed from Bethel. (Genesis 33-34)
Don’t overlook Jacob’s limited resources in the land. He had nobody to turn to, and everyone to fear, as expressed in the ancient proverb “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
The Book of Jasher, which if not accepted as 100% spiritually accurate, at least has historical and cultural relevance. See Post 121 The True God-Man Alliance Defeats Giants for details. So they were under tremendous stress, especially Rachel.
“And they journeyed from Bethel; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had hard labour. And…Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem. And Jacob set a pillar upon her grave: that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave unto this day.” (Genesis 35:16-17)
Rachel’s death in childbirth can certainly be linked to Levi’s actions at Shechem.
With this background in mind, we can see that at the end of Jacob’s ife as he is dictating his last will and testament Jacob cursed Levi and his descendants for the terrible consequences forced upon him by their actions, to permanently experience the same unsettled life.
“Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united [definition of the Hebrew word Levi]: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7)
And if that wasn’t bad enough, Jacob also lost Joseph as a consequence of Levi’s actions at Shechem.
And Israel journeyed…And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem?…Go, I pray thee, see whether it be well with thy brethren…
And they took Joseph’s coat…and dipped the coat in the blood; And they…brought it to their father…And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son…he refused to be comforted; and he said, For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning. Thus his father wept for him.” (Genesis 36-37)
Jacob was broken.
We also don’t always recognize that Jacob was functioning as a Melchizedek, but it is because he was the greater world-wide priest-king, the Melchizedek, that humble Jacob was in a position to bless the Egyptian Pharaoh despite Pharaoh’s exalted position.
“And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.” (Genesis 47:7)
As Jacob bestows his last will and testament on Joseph, he seemingly sidelines as he contrasts “Ephraim”, meaning God’s fruitfulness blessing that God promised him and he just bequeathed to Joseph with – paradoxically – his own barrenness.
“As for me – Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way,“
“As for me” can only be understood in contrast to the immediately preceding statement that Joseph can have more children. Jacob’s hopes for more children by his beloved Rachel were crushed when she died was restored with Ephraim and Manasseh.
- when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath / אֶפְרָת:
- and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.” (Genesis 48:3-7))
The word Ephrath is simply the feminine form of the same word, like Jesse and Jessie. Recall that names indicate attributes, and this one means Fruitful.
Can we not recognize the metaphor in the original language being spoken at the time when Jacob says “there was but a little way to come to fruitfulness in God’s promises to me?”
What a crashing let-down! And this too was an occasion that he would never stop feeling in his deepest being to the end of his days.
Like Barry Manilow’s song “Looks Like We Made It” – the real meaning is the opposite: “Left each other…”
Consider the parallel with Job. Satan surely tried to crush his faith in God and pressure him in his anguish to curse God, but no, Jacob remains Isra-El / Prince of El, even when he is overwhelmed with loss.
And here is where he proves his worth.
“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer…be thou faithful unto death [not only our own but those who we love more than our own lives] and I will give thee a crown of life.] (Revelation 2:10)
God famously promises to restore the broken souls and the lost joy of those who trust in him, but obviously, restoration only follows loss.
There is a permanence to some crushing in our soul, which either mellows into sweetness like fine wine, or turns into the bitterness of gall. It depends on whether or not we identify with, become one with, God’s plan of salvation which requires a transfer of the consequence of sin from the sinner to the forgiver.
Read the following passage in the context of Jacob’s forgiveness of his sons. He is, after all, Isra-El, Prince of God.
- “He [Jacob] is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
- Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
- All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
- who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off / banished out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” (Isaiah 53)
Kingdom Come 