2002-01-01
Good Morning Faithful Ones,
The Lord leads me to continue discussing Jacob this morning, as some of the covenants involving him are of importance to us today. You all know the story of what happened to Jacob once he got to his Uncle Laban’s property. Uncle Laban deceived him into working for at least 14 years for his daughters and another 6 years for his flocks. He ended up marrying two of his cousins, Leah first and then the one he really loved, Rachel. Jacob would have not chosen to marry Leah, the oldest daughter, had not Laban deceived him [GN 29: 22]. It is because of this deception that all traditional Jewish wedding ceremonies today include a ritual in which the groom is asked to raise the bride’s veil to determine that this lady is indeed the right bride. This is done before the signing of the ketubah (Jewish wedding contract). Jacob was very successful in raising healthy sheep and in having many children. His twelve sons would become the twelve tribes of Israel. His relationship with Laban was hardly peaceful, but eventually in GN 31: 43-55 we see that the two men are ready to enter into a covenant settling their differences.
GN 31: 40-42, [Jacob speaking to Laban] “Many times I suffered from the heat during the day and from the cold at night. I was not able to sleep. It was like that for the whole twenty years I was with you. For fourteen years I worked to win your two daughters-and six years for your flocks. And even then, you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my fathers, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, had not been with me, you would have already sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my trouble and the work I have done, and last night He gave His judgment.” We can sense God’s hand in Laban’s answer. GN 31: 43-44, “Laban answered Jacob, ‘These girls are my daughters; their children belong to me, and these flocks are mine. In fact, everything you see here belongs to me. but since I can do nothing to keep my daughters and their children, I am ready to make an agreement [covenant] with you. Let us make a pile of stones to remind us of our agreement.’” Another prayer that is a part of this agreement is found in (49) spoken by Laban, “May the Lord keep an eye on us while we are separated from each other.” The name given to the place of this covenant was Mizpah, which in Hebrew means “place from which to watch.” Mizpah was to become a settlement as the years went on in Israel’s history where some significant events happened in addition to this agreement.
GN 31: 52-53 spelled out the details of Laban’s agreement with Jacob. “Both this pile and this memorial stone are reminders. I will never go beyond this pile to attack you, and you must never go beyond it or beyond this memorial to attack me. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor [Laban’s father and Abraham’s brother] will judge between us.’ Then, in the name of the God Whom his father Isaac worshipped, Jacob solemnly vowed to keep this promise.” They sacrificed an animal to and shared one last meal together to seal their covenant. Early the next morning Laban kissed his daughters good-bye and left to return home.
While this is in interesting story, when taken alone, we might ask: why is this covenant important to us? To begin, it allows us to see God’s hand in the affairs of men and to have another example of how His will shall be done. The events that follow it outlined in GN 34: 22-32, are crucial to Israel’s history. For them to happen, God had to see to it that Jacob left Laban’s land. After sending his two wives, two concubines, all he owned, and his eleven children across the Jabbok River [which runs eastward from the River Jordan into what is today Jordan], he was left alone. That night a Man [the capital letter here is not a typo] came and wrestled with him until just before daybreak. When the man saw that He was not winning the match, He hit Jacob on the hip, dislocating it and causing him to limp for the rest of his life. When the Man was ready to leave, Jacob wouldn’t agree to it until the Man blessed him. The Man asked Jacob what his name was, and Jacob told him. Remember Jacob’s name in Hebrew means “deceiver.” In (28) the man responded, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have struggled with God and with men, and you have won; so your name will be Israel [which means “he struggles with God” or “God struggles”]. Jacob then asked the Man for his name, and the Man asked him why he wanted to know it. Then, the Man blessed him, and Jacob responded in GN 34: 30. “Jacob said, ‘I have seen God face-to-face, and I am still alive;’ so he named the place Peniel [which means “the face of God”].” Names matter in Jewish culture, and these names say a great deal about the Jewish nation which arose from the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This matters to us because as believers (even if you are originally Gentile) we are “in-grafted” on to this “cultivated olive tree” and thus also struggle with God [see RO 11: 16-24].
PRAYER: O Lord, You direct us to read and reread stories from long ago like the one of Jacob, so that we might achieve a deeper understanding of Your role in our lives and Your supreme power. We also see the righteousness of Your decisions and actions. Jacob was renamed Israel because You wanted to give that nation that particular name. We, who have the advantage of hindsight, can see that the Jewish people continue to struggle with You even today. As believers in Your Son, given for us to do the work of the cross, we still struggle with You as we attempt to expunge sin from our lives. You have given us His example and Your teachings. You command us to be honorable in our covenants both with You and with other people-to take them seriously and live up to the agreements made in them. The Holy Spirit allows us to understand that those people who trust and obey you, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did, are blessed abundantly by Your presence in their lives. We approach You in humility to confess our sins, express our dedication to repentance, and to offer You what is right and fitting that You should have. That is our adoration, worship, loyalty, trust, obedience, honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving. In Christ’s holy name, we pray. Amen.
Tomorrow, God directs me to write about the Covenant of the Law which God made with the people through Moses. Each time that I write about a story from God’s word, I am astonished at the degree of involvement He has in the details of our lives. That was true in the past and is true today. No God without patience, love, and extraordinary compassion for His children would have taken the time to be this involved in their lives. We are truly a blessed people surrounded by more of His love than we can ever fully understand. Peter and I send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn