Genesis 28

 

1So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman! 

 

The seed-son was not to marry a Canaanite woman. The Canaanites were under divine judgment. God told Abraham that the Canaanites would be given 400 years to change their ways or they would be exterminated.

 

2Leave immediately for Paddan Aram! Go to the house of Bethuel, your mother’s father, and find yourself a wife there, among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 

 

Isaac received his wife Rebekah from Paddan Aram. Now, he sent Jacob to do the same. He did not want Jacob to stay in Canaan and marry a Hittite or Canaanite like his brother Esau had done.

 

3May the sovereign God bless you! May He make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation. 

 

Isaac now recognized that Jacob, not Esau, was the seed-son of the Abrahamic Covenant. Jacob was to father the twelve tribes of Israel. From these twelve tribes would come a multitude of descendants.   They would become a large and powerful nation. Although Israel was a world power during the reign of David and Solomon, she will rule all nations during the Millennial Kingdom. During the Millennial Kingdom, there will be a population explosion of the Jewish people.

 

4May He give you and your descendants the blessing He gave to Abraham so that you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.” 

 

The blessings of the Abrahamic Covenant were transferred to Jacob. Since Jacob died in Egypt and never possessed the land that God promised him, then God will have to raise him from the dead and give him the land.

 

5So Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean and brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

 

Laban was the materialistic brother of Rebekah. He was now the head of the Nahoric tribe in Haran. Nahar was the brother of Abraham, but he had died by this time.

 

6Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him off to Paddan Aram to find a wife there. As he blessed him, Isaac commanded him, “You must not marry a Canaanite woman.” 

 

Esau realized that he should not have married two Hittite women, especially when it was against the wish of God and his parents.

 

7Jacob obeyed his father and mother and left for Paddan Aram. 

 

Jacob, unlike Esau, honored his father and mother by being obedient toward them.

 

8Then Esau realized that the Canaanite women were displeasing to his father Isaac. 

 

Esau realized that his father did not approve of his marriage to two Canaanite women.

 

 

9So Esau went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Abraham’s son Ishmael, along with the wives he already had.

 

Esau wanted to get on the good side of his father. Ishmael was no longer living. Therefore, Esau went to the house of Ishmael and married one of his cousins. Now, Esau was married to three women.

 

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10Meanwhile Jacob left Beer Sheba and set out for Haran. 

 

This was a 450 mile trip. Jacob would be able to travel about twenty miles per day.

 

11He reached a certain place where he decided to camp because the sun had gone down. He took one of the stones and placed it near his head. Then he fell asleep in that place 

 

This location was unknown to Jacob at this time. The place was Bethel, which means “House of God.” Abraham visited this place earlier in his life, built an altar there, and began public worship at this altar (Genesis 12:8).

 

12and had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it 

 

This was the first patriarchal dream recorded in Scripture. Abimeleh had a dream, but he was a pagan and not a patriarch. Notice that Jacob did not see a ladder, as many English versions interpret. In Hebrew, he saw a סֻלָּם֙ (salem), or a “stairway” which led from earth to heaven. 

 

In Hebrew, “the angels of God” is מַלְאֲכֵ֣י אֱלֹהִ֔ים (melechi elohim), meaning messengers of the triune Creator God. These angels possessed access from heaven to earth. 

 

Many charismatics will use this verse to claim that they have dreams from God. It is important to understand that this verse is not a Bible doctrine. It is simply a recording of an historical event. The doctrine of the New Testament church is found in Paul’s letters. Divine revelation today only comes through the Bible. According to 1 Corinthians 12-14, prophecies and tongues have disappeared from the church. Therefore, believers need to receive all of their revelation from the Bible. Believers who have not

studied the entire counsel of the Word of God will be fragmented in their doctrine. They will often fall for the teachings of charismatics, which can be controlled by demonic forces. Satan wants Christians to listen to tongues, words of knowledge, and prophets instead of studying the Bible. This way, he can plant his own agenda inside the churches. Christians will think that they are receiving the Word of God, but they are actually receiving the doctrine of demons. Satan can and will use false spiritual gifts to deceive ignorant Christians who are not grounded in the entire counsel of the Word of God.

 

13and the Lord stood at its top. He said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham and the God of your father Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the ground you are lying on. 

 

The manifestation of God at the top of the ladder was most likely the Shekinah Glory. God introduced Himself to Jacob as the God of Abraham and Isaac. God Himself then confirmed the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant directly to Jacob. God promised Jacob individually that He would give the land that he was lying upon individually to Jacob and corporately to his descendants, which will be the twelve tribes of Israel, and eventually the nation of Israel. Since Jacob died in Egypt without possessing any of this land, this means that God will have to raise Jacob and all of his dead descendants from the dead and give them the land. This prophecy will be fulfilled during the Millennial Kingdom. Amillennialists and postmillenialists will spiritualize this passage and falsely claim that these promises go to the church.

 

Since the descendants of Jacob are included in this promise, this means that Jacob will succeed in finding a wife. He will succeed in having children. He will be immortal until this prophecy is fulfilled. Therefore, Jacob does not need to fear the journey ahead of him.

 

14Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west, east, north, and south. All the families of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using your name and that of your descendants. 

 

The descendants of Jacob are the Jewish people. Today, they are one of the smaller nations in the world. During the Millennial Kingdom, there will be a population explosion and the Jews will be one of the larger nations. Their population will be “like the dust of the earth,” which is estimated at 10²⁵. The Jews will be scattered all over the world into all nations. Today, Jews can be found on every continent. They are spread out today in unbelief, but there are 144,000 Jews who will be called to become witnesses of the Great Tribulation (Revelation 7). During the Millennial Kingdom, they will fulfill their call of becoming “priests to all of the nations.”

 

God also promised to Jacob that “all of the families of the earth” will be blessed. God predicted Gentile salvation to all three of the patriarchs. The church today is evidence that this prophecy is being fulfilled.

 

15I am with you! I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you!”

 

God promised to protect Jacob. He will help him find a wife in Haran. He will bring Jacob back into the land of Israel. This means that Jacob will be immortal until he completes this task and returns to Israel. Believers who are called by God to perform a task are also immortal until they complete their divine-given task. Refusal to perform the task could result in “the sin unto death.”

 

16Then Jacob woke up and thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, but I did not realize it!” 

 

The Hebrew word for “Lord” is יְהוָ֔ה (Jehovah), meaning the covenant-keeping-promise-keeping-God. Jacob recognized God as the One who keeps His promises.

 

17He was afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! This is nothing else than the house of God! This is the gate of heaven!”

 

The Hebrew for “house of God” is בֵּ֣ית אֱלֹהִ֔ים (bayit elohim), often translated as “Bethel” meaning the house of the triune Creator God.

 

18Early in the morning Jacob took the stone he had placed near his head and set it up as a sacred stone. Then he poured oil on top of it. 

 

Consecrating the stone with oil was an act of worship.

 

19He called that place Bethel, although the former name of the town was Luz. 

 

Jacob changed the name of the town to Bethel, meaning “house of God.” Many people living today want to name cities, towns, buildings, and streets after themselves. Proper names should glorify God instead of glorifying the wealthy.

 

20Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God is with me and protects me on this journey I am taking and gives me food to eat and clothing to wear, 

 

Jacob made a promise to God. If God protects him, feeds him, and clothes him, then Jacob will do something for God.

 

21and I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will become my God. 

 

If God returns Jacob to his home in Canaan, then יְהוָ֛ה (Jehovah) will become Jacob’s אלֹהִֽים (elohim). In English, the Covenant-keeping-promise-keeping-God will become Jacob’s Triune Creator God. The Hebrew expresses the covenantal and creational attributes of God.

 

22Then this stone that I have set up as a sacred stone will be the house of God, and I will surely give you back a tenth of everything you give me.”

Jacob will return successfully from Haran and institute public worship at this same place in Bethel. Jacob will pay a tenth of his tithes to Jehovah. Many prosperity preachers will use this verse to teach New Testament doctrine. However, this is only a recording of what Jacob intended to do with his own free will. There is no New Testament Scripture that teaches tithing. Israel was later to pay a tithe under the Mosaic Law, but this law was made ineffective at the atonement of Christ. The New Testament believer is currently under grace-giving, meaning that he can give as much or little as God directs him to give.

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In conclusion, the human viewpoint of the satanic world system teaches that either Jacob was a myth, or his dream was not supernatural.