by Ptr. Art Calaguas
Shalom.
On the 7th month of the Israel-Hamas War since the Hamas massacre last October 7, 2023, the news reports have it that Israel has now given a 7-day “final ultimatum” for Hamas to accept a ceasefire deal or face an immediate Rafah invasion. The deal would include an exchange of 33 hostages for 1,000 terrorist prisoners in Israeli jails. The hostage count is now down to 132 as another one was recently confirmed to be already dead. The men, the elderly, 19 women, children and a baby, as well as an unknown number of dead hostages are still held in Rafah or somewhere in Gaza. We must continue to pray for the immediate release of all hostages and for a just end to this war. Let us continue to stand with Israel and pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-9).
After receiving Isaac’s blessing, the narrative of Jacob’s flight to Paddan Aram from Esau’s wrath is fleshed out in Genesis 28:10-22. Most would be familiar with Jacob’s dream of a stairway or ladder (perhaps really more of a stairway, as that part of a Mesopotamian ziggurat tower according to The Jewish Study Bible – Tanakh Translation). In Genesis 28:12 Jacob dreams about a stairway (Hebrew סֻלָּם “sullam,” Greek LXX κλίμαξ “klimax”) set up on the earth with its top reaching heaven. Ancient Near East (ANE) religious beliefs include these stairways between heaven and earth. These stairways serve as passageways between the heavenly and earthly realms; for the gods and deities to communicate closer to humans, in their settlements. Heavenly messengers/angels did specific tasks assigned to them and so descended from the heavenly realm and ascended back from the earthly realm to report of their progress or when their tasks were finished. This is the ANE background of Jacob’s dream of a stairway which featured these messengers/angels of God going up and down this stairway (according to The IVP Bible Background Commentary – Old Testament).
The Hebrew verses of Genesis 28:13-15 are given below (read right to left, top down) with the relevant verses regarding the land grant highlighted:
וְהִנֵּ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה נִצָּ֣ב עָלָיו֮ וַיֹּאמַר֒ אֲנִ֣י יְהוָ֗ה אֱלֹהֵי֙ אַבְרָהָ֣ם אָבִ֔יךָ וֵאלֹהֵ֖י יִצְחָ֑ק הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ שֹׁכֵ֣ב עָלֶ֔יהָ לְךָ֥ אֶתְּנֶ֖נָּה וּלְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃
וְהָיָ֤ה זַרְעֲךָ֙ כַּעֲפַ֣ר הָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָרַצְתָּ֛ יָ֥מָּה וָקֵ֖דְמָה וְצָפֹ֣נָה וָנֶ֑גְבָּה וְנִבְרֲכ֥וּ בְךָ֛ כָּל־מִשְׁפְּחֹ֥ת הָאֲדָמָ֖ה וּבְזַרְעֶֽךָ׃
וְהִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י עִמָּ֗ךְ וּשְׁמַרְתִּ֙יךָ֙ בְּכֹ֣ל אֲשֶׁר־תֵּלֵ֔ךְ וַהֲשִׁ֣בֹתִ֔יךָ אֶל־הָאֲדָמָ֖ה הַזֹּ֑את כִּ֚י לֹ֣א אֶֽעֱזָבְךָ֔ עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִם־עָשִׂ֔יתִי אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבַּ֖רְתִּי לָֽךְ׃
My formal equivalence translation is given below for these 3 verses:
13And behold, the LORD stood beside it and said: I (am) the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land which you (are) lying upon, I will give to you and to your offspring.
14And your descendants will be like the dust of the earth; you will break through (the) west, and the east, and (the) north, and the south. And in you and in your offspring, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
15And behold, I (am) with you and keep you in all, wherever you will go. And I will cause you to return to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.
In the Genesis account the LORD God stood above or beside the stairway and told Jacob that he was the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the land where he lay upon (Bethel/Luz in Canaan) was being given to him and his offspring. And in him (Jacob) and his offspring all the families of the earth shall be blessed. This declaration was a reiteration of the LORD’s original promise to Abram in Genesis 12:1-3 and reiterated a number of times. The LORD also promised to preserve Jacob wherever he went and bring him back to this land (Bethel/Luz in Canaan). Furthermore, the LORD said he would never leave or abandon/forsake Jacob until all that was promised to him was fulfilled.
The commentary of The Jewish Study Bible points out that the LORD assures Jacob his inheritance of the land of Canaan in accordance with the on-going patriarchal promise. Even if Isaac’s blessing was deceitfully acquired, Jacob now possessed it and it apparently conforms to the LORD’s plan. Jacob’s exile to Haran was to be temporary only and as stated in verse 15, he will be brought back to Canaan by God after some time.
Upon waking, Jacob realizes the LORD’s presence in that place and that he was in God’s (earthly) house and heaven’s gate. He consecrates the place and renamed it to בֵּית־אֵל (“Bethel” meaning house of El [God]) from לוּז (“Luz” with unknown meaning). Jacob did not build an altar to the LORD at this time. It would be many years later that he would revisit Bethel and finally build an altar there after a transformative wrestling match.
At this point, Jacob is not yet completely committed to the LORD. But he makes a vow that if the LORD indeed preserves/keeps him and he is able to return to his father’s house in peace, then the LORD will be his God. Jacob likewise promises to give a full tenth (“tithe”) of what is given to him back to the LORD. According to the ESV Global Study Bible, centuries later, Israelite worshippers of the LORD practiced giving a tithe to God as an expression of their full commitment.
We will continue next time.
God bless us all.