Jacob teaches us how to take the high road. (Genesis 28-33)

28:12

Jacob is an interesting man. In this verse, he dreams of a ladder that reached to heaven. “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.” I believe the ladder represents our progress to becoming like our Heavenly Father. I’ve read that the rungs represents the covenants that we make.

It’s obviously good that the ladder reaches to heaven. It’s also interesting that the ladder rests on the ground. It begins at rock bottom. It’s not beginning in some exclusive club where some aren’t allowed. It’s not floating in the air where only some can reach it. It is on the ground - where anyone can begin the process of progression.

As we refine ourselves - as we strengthen our character and submit to God’s will, we move up the ladder.

My lazy self would love it if you could relax your way up a ladder. But, it doesn’t work like that. It is often strenuous.

The good news is we almost never fall off of the ladder. We may slip down a few rungs - but the steps to get back to where we were are always within reach.

28:16-17

”And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.” We’re all like Jacob - surprised at how God is right with us and we didn’t even realize it.

Many of us feel, at times, like we are very far away from God. Or we envision that God is busy and isn’t even paying attention to us. We may feel insignificant. We doubt that he can really be omnipresent and omniscient.

We’ve got to believe that he loves us and is aware of us just as much as he was with Jacob.

”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.” We are the temples of God. Wherever we stand can be holy ground. God is with us. The door to the covenant path is always next to us - we just have to turn and move.

28:20

There is a good line from this verse: “And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go...” We all want God to keep us on track. We all want our will aligned with God’s.

The key here is that we can ask for help from God in keeping us on the path. We aren’t lone travelers. It’s not up to our willpower and personal strength. God can give us strength to resist temptation. God can help us be more committed. There truly are gifts of the Spirit that are given - we often just need to ask for help.

29:18, 20, 22-30

How much did Jacob love Rachel!? “And Jacob loved Rachel; and said, I will serve thee seven years for Rachel thy younger daughter.” He was willing to serve Laban for SEVEN YEARS! That’s a lot of love. It didn’t seem that long for Jacob - “And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” The seven years seemed like a few days.

I love Marci this same way.

After the seven years are served, Laban does something deceptive. He brings Leah to Jacob rather than Rachel. “And Laban gathered together all the men of the place, and made a feast. 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.” How she was disguised so that Jacob didn’t recognize her? Who knows. There must not be a lot of talking on wedding days… It’s confusing.

Laban offers a pretty lame excuse for tricking Jacob. “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? And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.” That would have been good information seven years ago!

To work and wait seven years to be put off for another seven years sounds very hard! Have you ever had to be patient, looking towards a day when you finally receive the thing that you want? I’ve done some Ironman triathlons and I can imagine getting to the finish line and someone telling me that I need to do the whole thing over again - it would be very upsetting!

But, Jacob handles it well. “And Jacob did so, and fulfilled her week: and he gave him Rachel his daughter to wife also.” I think it’s a good lesson in being submissive and patient. It’s a good example for how we should treat the challenges that we are given from God. I’ve known people who are struggling and finally make it through that struggle only to face something worse. Those people, and Jacob, could become very upset and depressed. Instead, he accepted it and moved forward.

29:32-34

Leah gives birth to four children: Rueben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. For the first three, the scriptures explain her hope that her husband would finally love her:

1. ”Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction; now therefore my husband will love me.”

2. ”Because the Lord hath heard that I was hated, he hath therefore given me this son also.”

3. ”Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because I have born him three sons.”

She believes that having children will help Jacob love her. It’s kinda sad. Although, I think I’ve heard about people who have children thinking that it will improve their marriage. I don’t think it works that way.

It sounds like her attitude changed with her fourth son. “And she conceived again, and bare a son: and she said, Now will I praise the Lord.” Instead of bearing children with the hope that she will earn the love of her husband, she simply praises God. I think this is a progression.

Our motivation to do anything should be motivated by our faith in God and our desire to give glory to Him. When we have ulterior motives to what we do, we aren’t blessed fully by the Spirit.

30:1-16

All families have problems of some kind. There are NO perfect families. In fact, it’s not meant to be that way. Even in Jacob’s family, who is the house of Israel, there are all kinds of problems. In the first two verses, we read:

• ”Rachel envied her sister.”

• ”Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel.”

Even the patriarch of the twelve tribes of Israel fights with his wife!

Because Rachel was feeling bad that she wasn’t conceiving, she gave Jacob Bilhah (her maid) so she could conceive through her. Leah saw this and gave Jacob Zilpah to do the same thing.

It sounds like Rachel had replaced Leah as Jacob’s main companion. But Rachel sold a night with Jacob to Leah for some of Reuben’s mandrakes. In verse 15 she said, “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?”

This all sounds confusing. It sounds like there was some pettiness. It sounds like Leah was insecure in her position. Rightly so. She continued to feel as if she could earn her husband’s love through bearing children. She said, “…now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons.” It’s sad.

It sounds like a rough household. For anyone reading this and believing that their family is especially dysfunctional, please review the beginnings of the house of Israel…you’ll likely feel better about how things are going.

30:5, 7

Jacob spoke with Rachel and Leah about their father Laban. “And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.” This is someone who tricked Jacob into marrying his older daughter to get another SEVEN years of service! Laban admitted that it was because of Jacob that his house had become so successful. After all that, Laban wasn’t loyal towards Jacob.

Contrast this with how loyal God is to Jacob. This teaches us a lesson about how we should depend on the Lord fully. We should make Christ the center of our lives. Christ should be our foundation because he will never abandon us or change his mind about us.

I think we all know this. But do we really? How many wives make their husbands the center of their lives? How many husbands consider their boss’s happiness as the prime directive of their lives? How many mothers rely on the love of their children to gauge their self-esteem? I think it happens a lot. The problem with placing anyone or anything at the center of our lives is that all of those things may let us down.

God will not.

If we place God as the center of our lives and keep an eternal perspective, the problems of life will never hurt us in any serious way. Jacob said, “And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.” Changing his wage probably had a big impact on Jacob’s life. However, from his perspective, it didn’t ‘hurt’ him in any way. The effect of a changing wage didn’t hurt Jacob in any significant way.

32:10

How many of us don’t feel worthy of the blessings we enjoy? Jacob felt the same way. “I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant.” This is a good reminder that we are always worthy of help from God.

Consider your value. Even on the day you were born, you had value. You had made good choices that led you to this world. Not all of God’s children made those choices - nor put in the effort to arrive here.

On your worst day, you are still an eternal being. You existed with God for a very long time. You developed and made mistakes - and learned from those mistakes.

Your value didn’t start on the day you were born and your value doesn’t increase or decrease depending on your most recent choices. God knows the premortal, mortal and immortal you.

Again, you are ALWAYS worthy of God’s mercy.

32:24

Jacob is on the way to meet with Esau and has some time to himself. He had an interesting experience with a ‘man.’ “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” There is a lot of debate about who this man is.

This man obviously wasn’t a spirit as a spirit has not flesh and bone and cannot wrestle.

So this leaves three options of who this man was:

1. A holy man.

2. A translated being.

3. Heavenly Father.

It couldn’t be a resurrected being because Christ was the first fruits of te resurrection.

Based on verse 30, it sounds like it was God himself. “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”

But, I can’t imagine God himself wrestling with Jacob. I can’t picture God asking Jacob to let him go. “And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.”

I don’t think a simply holy man would change Jacob‘s name to Israel.

It’s a little mystery and I couldn’t find an official church reference where a clear definition is explained.

33:3-4

Jacob was worried about Esau. Jacob likely thought there would be very hard feelings as he bought Esau‘s birthright with pottage and then tricked Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing.

Prior to this, he had sent “Two hundred she goats, and twenty he goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,Thirty milch camels with their colts, forty kine, and ten bulls, twenty she asses, and ten foals“ as a present. He wanted to appease Esau with this gift.

This is a good example of how to handle contention. It is a good example of how to approach someone when you feel you may have offended him or her. Sometimes, when we think we’ve done something wrong, we get actually more defensive and argumentative - attempting to bolster our incorrect position. None of us like thinking that we are the ’bad guy.’

We all like to be the hero and have a very hard time admitting that we are the problem. Jacob could have imagined, ’I am not the bad guy here. He sold the birthright to me fair and square. And I was simply following the direction of my mother when I received that blessing. It isn’t my fault! Why is Esau mad at me, I’ve done nothing wrong!’

Jacob is a good example of humbling himself and submitting to Esau - rather than continuing the strife by attempting to make Esau feel like he was the one in the wrong. Instead, Esau “bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.“

What was the reaction from Esau? “And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.” By demonstrating that he was submitting to his brother, all of the contention evaporated. Instead of being the stupid brother meeting the manipulative brother, it was just two brothers hugging, kissing and weeping. It’s a beautiful thing.

33:8-9

Esau asked what the gift of animals meant. “And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he (Jacob) said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.” It’s interesting that, at one point, Esau was determined to exact revenge - but with the grace and humility shown by Jacob - those feelings all evaporated...to the point that he didn’t feel it necessary to accept this gift from Jacob.

33:10

There’s an interesting line that Jacob says about seeing Esau. “And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.” I think that Jacob had stressed and worried about eventually meeting Esau again that, when he saw that Esau was pleased, a feeling of love and gratitude poured over Jacob. To see his brother’s smile must have been the most beautiful sight for Jacob - to compare it to seeing the very face of God (which he apparently had seen).

I can relate a little. There have been a few times that I was very concerned about seeing someone and then felt immense relief from their sudden smile.

I imagine that we will ALL feel that exact feeling when we meet the Savior. Our anxiety and stress will disappear when we see his face and feel the unconditional love he has for us.