Jacobs Dream: Genesis chapter 28 Bible Study

Introduction 

Hello again readers and Welcome to the Daily Manna! 

Today we will be taking a dive into chapter 28 of Genesis. In this chapter we will see that Isaac calls for Jacob to go to the house of his uncle and take a wife for himself. Along the way Jacob has a dream where God reassures the promises he's made through Abraham and now to Jacob. This chapter will show us different levels of faith and how God meets us where we are at.

Please take this time to read this chapter in full in your Bible as this blog post is made to be a study companion and cannot replace the word of God. 

Summary of Genesis Chapter 28

Verses 1-5 Isaac calls for Jacob and blesses him. He sent him on his way to his uncle's home to take a wife. Here we also see a reiteration of the blessing. 

Verses 6 -9 Esau learns that Isaac has blessed Jacob and that he commanded him not to marry a Canaanite woman. Esau realizes how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father so he marries a cousin in addition to the Canaanite wives he already had. 

Verses 10 - 15 Jacob left BeerSheba and has a dream of a stairway reaching to heaven. In this dream he receives a message from God reassuring the promises that he made to Abraham. 

Verses 11- 22 Jacob awakes from his dream afraid but in awe. He sets up a stone as a pillar and anointing oil on top calling the place “bethel”. He then makes a vow to God saying that if God will be with him and watch over him that the Lord will be his God and He will give a tenth of everything God gives him. 

Key Themes and Meanings 

The Blessing 

Genesis 28:1, 3 NIV

[1] So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 

[3] May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 

This chapter starts with Issac changing his tone, as if he has now accepted the fact that Jacob is the chosen vessel of God. He confirms the covenant blessing of Abraham in full knowledge of Jacob's identity. Issac tells Jacob to go to the land where his uncle lives and take a wife from there and orders him not to marry a Canaanite. This is for Jacob to be set apart. 

Genesis 28:6-9 NIV

[6] Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” [7] and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. [8] Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; [9] so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Here we see Esau learns that Jacob has been blessed and told not to marry a Canaanite woman. It's then that he realizes how displeasing the women are to his father Isaac so he married his cousin. This was an addition to the wives he already had which were Canaanite. This shows that Esau did not fully understand the blessing and lived according to his flesh. 

God reassures 

Genesis 28:12-15 NIV

[12] He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. [13] There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. [14] Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. [15] I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Jacob left Beersheba and set out for his uncles home land. It's here that he has a really interesting dream of stairs resting on earth and ascending to heaven. He could see angels ascending and descending on it and they're above it stood God. Hear God tells him that he is Yahweh the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac and he reassures him of the promise that he made to Abraham. 

God said that “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring”. This is a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. I think this is an important one to highlight in the Bible. God then tells Jacob that he is with him and will watch over him wherever he goes and will bring him back to this land and will not leave him until he is done what he promised. 

Immaturity in faith

When Jacob wakes up in verse 16 we see how simple his faith is and how he has a lack of understanding of the omnipresence of God. He thinks that the Lord is in this place, not understanding that God is everywhere. This is immature thinking in faith, The way a pagan would think. This is to say that they think God can only be found in certain places. 

The next morning we see that Jacob takes a stone and places it under his head and sets it up as a pillar and anoints the top of it and he calls that place “Bethel” which means House of God. 

It's here that we see Jacob making a vow and kind of bargaining with God: 

Genesis 28:20-22 NIV

[20] Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear [21] so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God [22] and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

Reflections for today 

How has God given grace to you today even when you feel you didn't deserve it? 

What ways do you feel weak in your faith today? 

In what ways do you think you need to go grow stronger in your relationship with Jesus? 

Conclusion

This chapter was a turning point for Jacobs faith and relationship with God as he had to leave everything he knew in order to set out on a journey. It was here that God came to him in a dream reassuring him of the promises he makes. God also reassured him that he is with Jacob and watches over him wherever he goes. God also tells him I will not leave you until I've done what I promised. God is with us all in all our journeys even when we can't understand fully. 

Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, 

Thank you for always being the same loving and patient God: yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Thank you for never giving up on us and never leaving us.