Thursday, March 10, 2022

Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 24-32)

Isaac and Rebekah

READ Genesis 24:3-4; 26:34-35; 27:46; 28:8-9

What does it matter who the sons marry, as long as they truly love, serve and sacrifice for each other as a married couple?

Those things are vital because they are fundamentals upon which the sealing of the covenant depends; however, they are NECESSARY but not SUFFICIENT.

For the Abrahamic Covenant to be in effect, both the husband and the wife have to be able to enter the presence of the Lord, as Adam and Eve did - this cannot happen if one knows nothing about the living God or does not believe - both have to enter the covenant and abide in it.

 

READ Genesis 24:12-14

The servant has brought 10 camels with him, each of which can drink 200 liters (53 gallons) of water a day; what kind of person is he looking for as a wife for his master Isaac?

Selfless.

Hardworking.

Kind.

Intuitive/empathic.

Able to discern the spirit of the Lord and do His will.

 

READ Genesis 24:17-21

What is Rebekah like?

All of the traits listed above – and she has them intuitively, plus she is fast or gets to work immediately (she “hastens” to her work…).

 

 

Jacob and Esau

Rebekah consents to go back with Abraham’s servant and become Isaac’s wife.  Some years later she becomes pregnant with twins, Esau and Jacob, who are born in that order - which means Esau received the birthright as the first born.

READ Genesis 25:27-28

How would you compare Esau and Jacob?

Esau = cunning, hunter and farmer, focused on the material world; a “man’s man”.

Jacob = “perfect” or in other words, he has focused on connecting with the spiritual world, not just the material world; as the world’s ways are not the Lord’s ways culturally, this may imply that Jacob was a bit “different” from most people – and not in ways that the world appreciates. 

 

READ Genesis 25:29-34

What is the birthright?

It was temporal and spiritual blessing connotations.

It is the right to receive the covenant of Abraham – to be the “one” holding the mortal right to preside in the Holy Order. 

Why does the firstborn get the birthright?

It is symbolic of Christ’s being the firstborn of God in the spirit and the flesh.

It is symbolic of our need to be born again of Christ and become a member of the Church of the Firstborn.

Why does Esau sell the birthright?

He is starving – about ready to pass out from hunger; he thinks he’s going to die.

Esau is like 99.9% of people and sees no value in a “birthright” if he is not alive to enjoy it.

He does not value or he does not have sufficient faith in the spiritual or eternal aspects of the covenant, such that he would choose death over losing them. 

 

In Genesis 26, Isaac enters into the presence of the Lord and receives the same promises and covenant that his father, Abraham did.  In chapter 27, Jacob deceives his father Isaac and “steals” Esau’s covenant blessing.  Esau weeps at the loss and then promises to kill Jacob.

READ Genesis 26:1-5 and 24-25

Why does the Lord appear to Isaac and give him the same covenant He’d given to Abraham?

Isaac was now the rightful owner of the birthright, as Esau had abdicated his right to it and sold it to Isaac.

But receiving this promise from the Lord is SO much more than a 1+1=2 calculation; meaning that just because one has a temporal right through birth order to receive something from God doesn’t mean that the person will actually receive the blessing – they must have faith in God and abide by the guidance of the Spirit such that they connect with God Himself and receive the actual promise from His lips; and THEN they must abide by the terms of the covenant to actually receive the blessings on earth and in eternity.

While it doesn’t say how much time has passed between the end of chapter 25 and the beginning of chapter 26, the fact that they are right after each other suggests that the Lord was just waiting for Esau to make his decision regarding his own candidacy for the covenant; Esau had first right of refusal (or first right to rise up), given his birthright status – the Lord honors our agency and gives us opportunities to rise up, if we will; but if we do not, He will pass the opportunity on to another. 

The Lord continues to try Isaac over time and continues to bless him as he chooses to align his behavior with the Lord (see v 6-23) – after which trials He continues to appear to Isaac and bless him; it is a process of growing or quickening – of choosing to become more like the Lord in the face of opposition, over time. 

 

READ Genesis 27:1-38

Can Isaac bestow the Abrahamic Covenant on either of his sons?

No.

Isaac’s blessing is an ordination, a “legal” invitation to go obtain the oath and covenant from the Lord – but it isn’t the actual covenant itself; that can only be extended to a mortal by the Lord Himself.

But the Lord hadn’t waited for this “blessing/ordination/invitation” anyway; after Esau had “sold” the birthright to Jacob years before, the Lord immediately taken over the process personally – there was no real need for a mortal invitation, as the Lord had already begun the work of sanctification and relationship building (between Him and Jacob).

While there may be more to this last blessing from Isaac than I understand (likely there is!), it is interesting to note that it is Rebekah not the Lord that tells Jacob to engage in all of this trickery and cooking and disguise; it would have been interesting to find out what the Lord would have said about this whole adventure if Jacob had stopped to inquire first of Him.  Since the Lord Himself had already promised Jacob the blessings of Abraham (and of Isaac) after Esau had abdicated his right to them, I wonder if Isaac’s blessing mattered at all.

What does this story teach us about God’s covenant?

Esau doesn’t understand what he is asking for - he is thinking of the temporal part of the covenant: posterity, land and power, not eternal increase, a celestial kingdom and God’s high priesthood power.

Esau either doesn’t understand the link between the birthright and the blessing or he has conveniently forgotten that he’d already sold it – fair and square (although he hasn’t because he accuses Jacob of “stealing” both the birthright and the blessing).

God extends opportunities for us to receive blessings and our agency governs the results; and God honors our agency.

God can do His own work with us and doesn’t need a mortal to intercede on His behalf (which is not to say He doesn’t use servants to do this – it’s just that He doesn’t NEED to use them). 

 

READ Genesis 27:39-45

What is Esau willing to kill Jacob to receive?

Esau wants the temporal blessings promised in the birthright.

If Esau were after the spiritual blessings and had ANY idea of the requirements, he would not want to kill anyone regardless of what they had stolen from him, and he would have realized that killing his brother is the best way to prevent the realization of those blessings he said he was seeking for.

While Jacob wants the ordination that will enable him to obtain the true spiritual covenant for himself.

 

 

Jacob’s Ladder

READ Genesis 28:10-12, 16-18

What is this ladder that Jacob is seeing?

It is a “stairway” or “gate” to heaven - the pathway we must use to ascend to heaven and those who dwell in heaven use to descend to earth.

It represents the stages we must progress through in order to enter the presence of the Lord, who stands at the top of the ladder.

It represents the various levels of glory that the Powers of Heaven (angels) possess; and that we must each pass obtain and pass through ourselves if we are to rise up to become precisely like Christ is and nothing else and be saved (see LoF 7:9).

"When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave." (King Follett Discourse, TPJS, p.348.)

"When Jacob traveled from Beersheba toward Haran, he had a dream in which he saw himself on the earth at the foot of a ladder that reached to heaven where the Lord stood above it. He beheld angels ascending and descending thereon, and Jacob realized that the covenants he made with the Lord there were the rungs on the ladder that he himself would have to climb in order to obtain the promised blessings—blessings that would entitle him to enter heaven and associate with the Lord…” (President Marion Romney, Ensign, March 1971, p. 16)

No one can arrive at the throne of God in any other way than all have taken to arrive there. Everyone develops the same way, through the successive stages of Jacob's Ladder.  Combining these two quotes, though, implies that not all of the covenants we must make with the Lord will happen in this life or world – we will continue to climb the ladder after the life on this earth is over. 

Did Jacob just happen to camp on an ancient temple site?

It’s possible but likely not true - it is not the land but the person standing on it that makes it holy.

If Jacob’s body is a temple that the Lord can come to and abide within (through a fullness of the Holy Ghost or mind of God), wherever Jacob stands is holy ground.

Having said that, light attracts light (and darkness attracts darkness) and congregates to places on earth with certain properties – some of these can be electromagnetic or energy based in nature and some come as a result of the deeds done there.  If someone rends the veil and communes with the heavens in a place, there will be a residual amount of light or energy which will remain there (the same with the dark). 

 

READ Genesis 28:13-15; 20-22

Why is Jehovah called the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac but not of Jacob?

Jacob must receive the covenant directly from God, which he has not yet done, officially, as of this encounter (he’s received promises that he will receive it from the Lord on multiple occasions but hasn’t actually received the covenant yet).

Implied is that to be the god of someone, that person must have obtained a covenant directly from God to them.

What happened to Jacob at Beth-el?

He received for himself the Abrahamic Covenant from God - or at least the PROMISE or hope to receive it if he is faithful (see Gen 31:13).

Why is God not just called the “God of Abraham”?

Because Isaac, and now Jacob – at this point, have also entered God’s presence and have been received as sons of God through covenant.  So, He is now their “God” too.

 

 

Jacob Wrestles an Angel

Jacob follows the path of his father and leaves the land of “gentiles” to go back to Haran to marry in the covenant.  He meets and falls in love with Rachel and serves her father 7 years as a dowry for her but is tricked by Laban into marrying his older daughter Leah instead.  Jacob then must work another 7 years for Rachel.  Between Leah, Rachel and their two handmaids (who Jacob also marries), he is bourn 12 sons - the “House of Israel”.  After 20 years of service, Jacob is commanded to leave Haran for Canaan. 

READ Genesis 32:3-8

Why is Jacob afraid?

He had “stolen” the birthright from Esau and had fled.

It had been 20 years of possible hatred brewing in Esau’s heart.

Esau had threatened his life (see Genesis 27:41)

 

READ Genesis 32:9-15

What does Jacob do?

He prays to ask for help and to remind the Lord of His covenant.

Prepares an extravagant gift of livestock for Esau.

How is Jacob’s response similar to Nephi’s attempts to get the Brass Plates?

He is using his own ingenuity and wealth.

But he is also putting his life in the Lord’s hands.

What does Jacob most need in the face of an ordeal that could mean the death of his family?

Greater light and knowledge.

To connect with God and obtain a promise of salvation (temporal and spiritual, because the former without the latter doesn’t really matter and Jacob is spiritually mature enough to know this – even in the face of physical death).

He needs an assurance of the fulfillment of the promises received 20 years ago - he needs to be “sealed up” to eternal life.

 

READ Genesis 32:24-30

How does Jacob seek to obtain this blessing from the Lord?

Despite the exhaustion that was likely overwhelming him, he spends the entire night alone in focused, intense prayer.

He must “wrestle” the blessing from the Lord or as Joseph Smith was quoted as saying “weary the Lord until He blesses you.”

He must ascend “Jacob’s Ladder” to heaven and pass the one appointed to guard the portals of heaven; he must somehow rend the veil and encounter a heavenly being authorized to give him the blessings he is seeking.

What happened to Jacob – why “wrestle” - what does that imply?

The wrestle is a challenge to overcome, after which the blessing is received - with physical and spiritual aspects that require and test faith.

Jacob must approach and make contact with the spiritual realm.

As with the Tree of Life after the fall of Adam, the way or portal to heaven is guarded; some believe that part of John the Beloved’s mission as a translated being is to guard that portal from the earth while Elijah or Enoch or Melchizedek/Shem guards the other end in heaven (as all were translated, and the latter three taken up)

As the Lord Himself employs no “gatekeeper”, it is also possible that (on this occasion at least, given the objective that Jacob was seeking for) that the Lord Himself came down to Jacob, like He came to Mahonri, in His pre-mortal, glorified physical body (see Ether 3:17-18); it is interesting that Jacob calls the place Penuel, which means “face of God”.

Instead of appearing in a dream, where Jacob’s mortal body would have been protected from the glory of the heavenly being, He comes in His glory; implied is that this is a being who cannot mask His glory but could be touched physically – so it can’t be a translated being after all, because they can mask their glory.

He appeared in an impulse of light and fire some distance from Jacob, like the breaking of the day or a lightning strike and with such energy or explosive force that it physically threw Jacob back and he sustained an injury to his leg from which he never fully recovered – popping the bone out of the hip socket.

The glory of the being “pinned” Jacob to the ground on his face (it’s a wrestling analogy, after all) – it is not like earthly fire where warmth and brightness are the only physical manifestations; this light pierced or permeated Jacob’s entire being.

Rob Smith has an interesting take on the nature of the “wrestle” – I will summarize it: in extreme distress and trying to shield his face from the light, Jacob struggled for what must have seemed like an eternity to hold on in the presence of the being, as He waited patiently.  The light penetrated his shielding arm and closed eyes and began to purify Jacob’s flesh by burning out the impurities; the pain gradually began to ease.  Eventually Jacob was able to remove his arm and open his eyes; too bright at first but as his eyes adjusted, he made out the shape of a man.  Most people, knowing they were in the presence of the Lord in His glory would have long since recoiled and said “it is enough Lord” but Jacob mustered every ounce of strength left and inched forward, towards the personage.  Slowly, he crawled to the being and grabbed His feet, clinging to Him.  The Lord blessed Jacob for wrestling all night with His glory and overcoming it by coming unto Him.

Why does the personage give Jacob a new name?

It is symbolic of the power he has just received from God - an endowment or “power with God and men”.

Why does Jacob say “I have seen God face to face” and “my life is preserved”?

Either Jacob passes the Guardian’s test and enters the presence of God.

Or the Lord Himself came down to minister to Jacob.

His “eternal” life is preserved or ensured - Jacob is sealed up to eternal life.

What was it about these circumstances that caused Jacob to “wrestle” for this blessing?

He thought that it was very probable that he and his family might die.

This was his “moment of great alarm” – a very real and deadly threat – something worth doing whatever it took to be saved from.

Why did the Lord put Jacob’s family’s lives in mortal danger?

Despite all the promises and blessings he had already received throughout his life, Jacob had not sought the fulfillment of this, the highest of all blessings, with the required urgency and earnestness.

This was the ultimate kick in the pants to get him to muster the faith and effort to rend the veil in order to obtain the blessing of safety, and like Mahonri in Ether 3, the Lord had much more to give Jacob besides preserving the mortal lives of his family.

If this is true, why do we continually petition the Lord to avoid all trials or be immediately released from trials when they come?

We are afraid - we lack faith.

We don’t want the prize badly enough when we begin to realize the cost.

We have been deceived by the devil that a loving God wouldn’t ask this kind of sacrifice of us.

Or that He has changed His plan and doesn’t require sacrifice at all.

Bentov: Consciousness

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