Genesis Continued..... Chapter 26
Genesis 26 "in the beginning " 26
Isaac Deceives Abimelech
1 A severe famine struck the land, like in Abraham’s time, so Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived.
This famine is some 100 years after the time of Abraham so this Abimelech is most likely the son or even the grandson of the pharaoh in chapter 20.
2 The LORD (Jesus) appeared to Isaac and said: Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you.
3 Live there as a foreigner in this land, and I will bless you. I promise that I will give all of this land to you and your descendants, just as I promised Abraham, your father.
This is the RACE part of the agreement given to Abraham, or the promise that his offspring would be the greatest nation ever, and the richest of all time.
4 I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the heaven, and I will give them all of this land. Through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed.
The blessing here is again GRACE, or the blessing of the coming Messiah from the offspring of Isaac.
5 I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Abraham kept the Law! This is important because once again we see that all of God's statutes and Laws, including the TEN COMMANDMENTS were in force before Moses, these are not the Mosaic Laws mentioned by Paul as being superseded by the more perfect law.
6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
7 When the men who lived there asked Isaac about his wife, Rebekah, he said, “She is my sister.” He was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “They will kill me to get her, because she is so beautiful.”
This is the same situation as his father Abraham had encountered and I think shows that the Egyptians must have been notorious for killing the husbands of beautiful women. Rebekah, like Sarah came from the same tribe of what must have been very beautiful women. They are always mentioned as fair, which truly can be understood as blonds with light skin, something appealing to the darker skinned peoples of the area, as is appealing to all even today!
8 But some time later, Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out his window and saw Isaac fondling Rebekah.
The word fondling is a play on the name Isaac, "laughter." It means "fooling around in a sexual way."
9 Immediately, Abimelech called for Isaac and exclaimed, “She is obviously your wife! Why did you tell me, ‘She is my sister’?”
Isaac replied, “Because I was afraid someone would kill me to get her from me.”
10 “How could you do this to us?” Abimelech exclaimed. “One of my people might easily have taken your wife and slept with her, and you would have made us guilty of great sin.”
Proof that even then, the entire world knew of the law against adultery!
11 Then Abimelech issued a public proclamation: “Anyone who touches this man or his wife will be executed”
12 When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the LORD (Jesus) blessed him.
13 He became a very wealthy man, and his wealth continued to grow.
14 He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him.
15 So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham. (Gen 21:25-30)
16 Finally, Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave the country. “Go away from us,” he said, “for you have become too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley, where he set up their tents and settled down.
18 He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham’s death. Isaac also restored the names Abraham had given them.
Gen 21:31
19 Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a fresh water well.
20 But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. “This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen. So Isaac named the well Esek, which means “argument.”
21 Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah, which means “hostility.”
22 Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth, which means “plenty of room,” for he said, “At last the LORD (Jesus) has created plenty of room for us to prosper in this land.”
23 From there Isaac moved to Beersheba,
24 where the LORD (Jesus) appeared to him on the night of his arrival. I am the GOD (Elohim-The God Family) of your father, Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I AM with you and will bless you. I will multiply your offspring, and they will become the greatest nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.
God is not doing this for Isaac, there isn't even a hint that Isaac deserves this reward other than he is the son of Sarah and Abraham, where Sarah here is more important than Abraham. Ishmael was from Abraham, yet not chosen. God's great love was as important towards Sarah, as it was towards Abraham!
25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the LORD (Jesus). He set up his home at that place, and his servants dug another well.
26 One day King Abimelech came from Gerar with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, general of his army.
27 “Why have you come here?” Isaac asked. “You obviously despise me, since you kicked me off your land.”
28 They all replied, “We can plainly see that the LORD (Jesus) is with you. So we want to enter into a sworn peace treaty with you. Let’s make an agreement.
29 Promise that you will not harm us, just as we have never bothered you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the LORD (Jesus) has blessed you!”
30 So Isaac prepared a covenant feast to celebrate the peace treaty, and they ate and drank together.
31 Early the next day, they each took a solemn vow not to bother each other. Then Isaac sent them home again, and they left him in peace.
32 That very same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about a new well they had dug. “We’ve found water!” they exclaimed.
33 So Isaac named the well Shibah, which means “oath.” To this day the town that sprung up from there is called Beersheba, which means “well of the oath.”
34 At the age of forty, Esau married two Hittite wives: Judith, the daughter of Beeri, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon.
35 But Esau’s wives made life miserable for Isaac and Rebekah.
Esau again shows his contempt for his people and his God by choosing pagan wives to marry. It is no surprise why Rebekah saw that he was not a godly man and should not receive any of the blessings that God gave to Isaac through his father Abraham. Again, like in the case with Sarah, God is speaking through the women more than the men! Women are very important to God, contrary to the modern notions that they were not in biblical times. God holds women in a special place that men can only dream to achieve!
Genesis 27 "In the beginning" 27
Jacob Steals Esau’s Blessing of the Promised Land
1 It came to pass, when Isaac became old and nearly blind, he called for Esau, his oldest son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied.
2 “I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don't know when I may die. Isaac was 137 years old now.
3 Take your bow and arrow, full of arrows, and go out into the woods and hunt for some wild game for me.
4 Prepare my favorite meal, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will give the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.”
---Die: Actually he lives on for many years!
5 Now Rebekah overheard what Isaac had told his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game,
6 she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau,
7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’
8 Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you.
9 Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I'll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish.
She wants him to kill goats ("kids" in KJV) because unlike sheep, goats are tougher and taste more like wild game. She knows she can't fool Isaac with sheep, but with the gamier goat meat. Anyone who has ever eaten goat knows this.
10 Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.”
11 “But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth.
12 What if my father touches me? He'll see that I'm trying to trick him, and then he'll curse me instead of blessing me.”
Jacob means "trickster or deceiver" so this is a play on his name. Also note that he is more worried about getting caught and being cursed than he is about the morality of his actions. We will see in the story of Jacob, that he is quite self-serving and at first does not have his heart with God as Abraham did.
13 But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you. Go out and get the goats for me!”
Rebekah isn't worried. She remembers well the oracle concerning the two boys at their birth Genesis 25:23.
14 He got them and brought them to his mother, and his mother prepared the dish, just the way Isaac liked.
15 Rebekah then took Esau’s best clothes, which were there in the house, and had her younger son Jacob put them on.
16 She covered his forearms and the hairless part of his neck with the skin of the young goats.
17 Then she gave Jacob the meal, including freshly baked bread.
18 So Jacob took the food to his father. “My father?” he said.
“Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who are you?"
19 Jacob replied, “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I've done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.”
20 Isaac asked, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”
Jacob replied, “The Lord your God put it in my path!”
21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can feel you and make sure that you really are Esau or not.”
22 So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac felt him and thought “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s."
23 He didn't recognize him, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s did. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob.
24 “But are you really my son Esau?” he asked.
“I am,” Jacob replied.
25 Then Isaac said, “Now, my son, bring me the wild game. Let me eat it, and then I will give you my most innermost blessing.” So Jacob took the food to his father, and Isaac ate it. He also drank the wine that Jacob served him. Then Isaac said to Jacob,
26 “Please come a little closer and kiss me, my son.”
27 So Jacob went over and kissed him. And when Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he was finally convinced, and he blessed his son. He said, “Ah! The smell of my son is like the smell of the air of the fields, which the Lord has blessed!
28 May God (Elohim-The God family) grant you “From the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth, the fat of the land and bountiful new wine.
29 May the nations of earth be your servants, and may they bow down to you. May you be the master over your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. I will curse those who curse you and bless those who bless you!"
This is clearly the promise of RACE and not GRACE. (see notes for Gen 25 on RACE vs GRACE). The promise here is not a coming Messiah, but that Jacob inherits the promise to Abraham that his children would become the richest, most powerful nation on the face of the earth!
30 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, and right after Jacob had left, Esau returned from his hunt.
31 Esau had also prepared a meal and brought it to his father and he said, “Sit up, father, and eat my dish of wild game so you can give me your blessing.”
32 Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”
Esau replied, “I'm your son, your firstborn son, Esau.”
33 Isaac started to tremble uncontrollably and demanded to know, “Then who was it that just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. That blessing must remain and cannot be changed!”
34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged.
35 But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he deceived me. He has stolen your blessing.”
36 Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has deceived me twice. First he stole my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing of wealth. Oh, haven't you saved even one blessing for me?”
This is a total lie here. Jacob did not steal the birthright, Esau sold it too him, but now he wants to put a spin on that fact and convince himself that it was stolen along with the blessing of RACE.
37 Isaac said to Esau, “I have made Jacob your master and have declared that all his brothers will be his servants. I have guaranteed him the fat of the land and wine—what is left for me to give you, my son?”
38 Esau pleaded, “But do you have only one blessing? Oh my father, bless me, too!” Then Esau broke down and cried.
This is a hint on Jesus words (The gnashing of teeth as the KJV puts it) when those of this world who had their chance to repent, but didn't and realize that all that was warned to them is now coming true during the tribulation, will feel like! They too will be overwhelmed with the harsh realization that their actions have come home to roost!
39 Finally, his father, Isaac, said to him, “You will live away from the fat of the land, and away from the dew of the heaven above.
40 You will live by your sword, and you will serve your brother and when you decide to break free, you will shake his yoke from your neck.”
This revolt did occur in the days of Jehoram (850 BC) but understand that Edom is modern day Turkey and Bible prophecies tend to be dual, many to be fulfilled during the final days of man's rule on the earth. This may suggest that Turkey will bolt from the West and join with an enemy against America and the Jewish nation.
41 From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing and Esau began to plan. “I will wait for my father's death and then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
42 Rebekah heard Esau’s plans and sent for Jacob and told him, “Listen, Esau is consoling himself by plotting to kill you.
43 So listen carefully, my son. Get ready and flee to my brother, Laban, in Haran.
44 Stay there with him until your brother cools off.
45 When he forgets what you have done to him, I will send for you to come back. Let me not lose both of you the same day.”
This could mean both Jacob and Esau, or both Jacob and Isaac! Esau is going to wait until the death of his father, and kill Jacob that same day, so she might mean the latter!
46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I'm disgusted with the local Hittite women! I would rather die than see Jacob marry one of them.”
Genesis 28 "in the beginning" 28
Jacob leaves home
1 So Isaac called for Jacob and greeted him and commanded him, "Do not take a wife from the Canaanite woman.
God does not normally intend for people to choose their spouses, marriages were to be arranged. Adam did not choose his wife, and fathers are to act like gods to their children and arranging for them who they should marry. God does permit us to reject spouses for personal reasons, but for the most part marriages based originally on love alone is not biblical and in a real sense not practical for young people to do.
2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother.
Paddan Aram is Mesopotamia where Abraham's family is from.
3 May God Almighty (Hebrew: El-Shaddai, not Elohim) bless you and make you fruitful and numerous until you become a nation of nations.
This is a prophecy concerning that nation of Israel that indeed it would be nations, plural! Israel is not one nation with many people, it would be a nation made of many nations within it. Like The USA!
4 May he give you and your descendants the same blessings that he gave to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live, the land that God gave to Abraham."
Here we see for sure that Jacob has both the blessings of GRACE and RACE. The house of Jacob would get both blessings and be heir to Abraham.
5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.
6 Now when Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that 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;
Ironically, the Canaanite women were actually more displeasing to his mother than his father. The funny thing here is that Esau can do nothing right! Instead of finding a wife from his mother's side of the family like Jacob, he goes now and marries an Ishmaelite! She maybe related to Abraham yes, but we saw earlier that Sarah's lineage was more important! Also, he didn't put away his pagan wives as well.
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.
See Psalm 83:6, as it mentions an alliance of these Edomites against Israel by the "clans of Edom and the Ishmaelites."
Jacob's meets God in a dream... Jacob's Pillar Stone
SEE NOTE AT BOTTOM OF THE PAGE:
10 Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran.
11 When he came upon an unkown place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.
Unkown place, again it means it is a place chosen by God because it is where Jacob happened to be when the sun went down!
12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway to heaven resting on the earth, and the angels of God (Elohim-The God Family) were ascending and descending on it.
One of the most well-known stories of the Bible is Jacob's "stairway to heaven" dream (also known as "Jacob's ladder"). It occurred while Jacob was fleeing the wrath of Esau, his brother. Esau was the older, and therefore would have been foremost in line for their father Isaac's inheritance. The first part was a direct statement by God that Jacob's receiving the blessing and birthright was God's will. It had been part of the plan all along - it was not something that Jacob and Rebekah, of themselves, brought about. God's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 22:15-18), that carried on through his son Isaac, would now continue through Jacob - who God renamed Israel (Genesis 35:10). God then promised that the land of Israel was to be rightfully occupied by Jacob's seed - fulfilled today by the descendants of Jacob's son Judah, who are now commonly called Jews. God also revealed that the entire world would benefit from the descendants of Jacob, which they indeed have through the other tribes - the so-called "Lost Ten Tribes" of Israel. (The USA and Great Britian) The dream had an ultimate messianic application - the very reason for it. Jesus Christ was humanly descended from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is our stairway to heaven that will provide us with the way to get from down here to up there. He directly referred to Himself as the true object of Jacob's dream - "He then added, "I tell you the truth, you will see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." (John 1:51)
13 There beside him stood the LORD (Jesus), and He said: I am the LORD (Jesus), the God (Elohim- the God Family) of your grandfather Abraham and the God (Elohim- the God Family) of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.
God tells Jacob He has accepted him as heir to Abraham. It is now LEGAL!
14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the ground, and you will migrate 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.
This is the promise that was not fulfilled until Great Britain and America set up their nations around the entire world. "The sun never sets on the British Empire." No other peoples have ever fulfilled this promise!
15 Remember tonight, 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.
This promise has NOT been totally fulfilled in duality. It was fulfilled once after Egypt, but will be fulfilled again during the Millennium when Israel and Judah rejoin. (Ezekiel 37:19)
16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, and said, "Surely the LORD (Jesus) is in this place, and I was not aware of it."
17 In fear he said, "How awesome is this place! This is the house of God (Elohim- the God Family); this is the gate of heaven itself."
Bethel means "the house of God." Heaven in this sense is the third heaven, where God lives. The first heaven is the sky. The second is outer space, and the third heaven is God's home.
18 Early the next day, Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it.
19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.
Bethel means "the house of God."
20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God (Elohim- the God Family) will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am on and will give me food and clothes,
21 that I may return safely to my father's house, then the LORD (Jesus) 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."
Two points here. Point one is that Jacob's heart is still not totally right with God, and is still trying to make bargains with him. This is Jacob living up to his new name to come, Israel, meaning struggling with God. Jacob's life is one of his struggling with God. The second point is that he names this one stone to be the location of God's house and people!
Jacob's Pillar Stone:
In his dream, God made great promises to him that impressed Jacob so much that he considered the place the "House of God" (i.e. Bethel) and "Gate of Heaven". He set the stone upright (no doubt from a reclined position as held by the other stones) and anointed it with oil. Although the Bible does not say that he took the stone with him, it would be hard to imagine that he would haphazardly forget about it as the years passed on, especially since this place made such a supernatural impression on him. In Genesis 31:13, God associated Himself with the place of Bethel and the stone that Jacob anointed. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. As a matter of fact, it is not difficult to find oodles of scripture where God compares himself (as does Christ) to a stone or rock. The anointing of the stone of Bethel has Holy Spirit connotations. In Genesis 35 we read: And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments: And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went…… And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother……And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. We see from this scripture that Jacob returned to Bethel and built an altar amongst other things. Again God reiterated some of the great promises (the birthright promises) that applied to his future physical descendents. Since Jacob returned there, he could have very well been in the position to take the stone with his company (we shall look at scripture that Paul quoted about this soon). This is especially plausible in light of the fact that he erected other monuments when he returned.When Jacob gave his deathbed blessings to each of his twelve sons (to become the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel), we see that his son Joseph was associated with a "stone" blessing. Thus we read, Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall: The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him: But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel). Further indications that this stone was in the company of the Israelites are found in Exodus 17 and again in Numbers 20. While they were traveling to the Promised Land, we read in these passages, And the people thirsted there for water; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, Wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our cattle with thirst? And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. God supplied water to the thirsty, grumbling Israelites when Moses was told to smite "the" rock. And again in Numbers we read, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock? And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. This time Moses was instructed to speak to the rock, but he smote it instead. Most Bible commentators have the insight to see that the first time the rock was smitten which represented Christ being smitten for us. The second time Moses was supposed to speak to the rock but he struck it instead. Once Christ died on the cross, he was resurrected and we have a risen, victorious Lord enabling us to speak with God through Christ. To strike Christ a second time is akin to the thought in Hebrews 6:1-6. I don’t think anybody seriously denies the association of the rock with Christ. But notice that the definite article "the" was used. God did not say "a rock" or "that rock over there" or "any rock". Indeed, the definite article "the" shows us that this was a specific rock that the Israelites were already familiar with, not some random cliff that Moses struck (as paintings would have us believe). Knowing the nature of people (including Israelites), whenever some instruction is unclear, people make their interpretations and follow what they think is being said. So if this was any rock, Israelites would be as hard-headed as most of us and some would go here to one rock, others over there to another rock, others arguing which rock God meant, etc. However, the usage of the word "the" left all of them without any question. In addition, the apostle Paul clearly associated the rock with Christ. In I Corinthians 10:4 we read, And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. Not only did Paul connect the rock with Christ, but he claimed (and no theologian will deny there was such a legend) the rock followed them. The Greek word indicates the idea "to accompany". The only way I know that a rock would accompany them is if it was carried with them. I suppose that God could have caused a miracle and had it float along side of them, but either way there would still be a physical rock that accompanied them.
So if we review the scriptures thus far regarding Jacob and Moses, we see that there is this rock, or pillar (the Bible used it interchangeably) which God associated himself with at Bethel. We see that this rock was entrusted to Joseph. And we see that there was this rock that accompanied the Israelites through their journeys that Paul distinctly associated with Christ just as God associated himself with the rock (or pillar) at Bethel. There is only one God, and one Christ and thus one rock. The Bethel pillar was anointed as Christ was anointed and filled with the Holy Spirit. The connections are too overwhelming to deny that this had to be the same rock.
There are other curious, albeit passing references to a pillar stone throughout scriptures that are easily overlooked. However, I will point out a custom that these Israelites had involving the pillar when their kings underwent coronation ceremonies. Such a passage is found in II Kings 11:14, And when she looked, behold, the king stood by a pillar, as the manner was, and the princes and the trumpeters by the king, and all the people of the land rejoiced, and blew with trumpets:…… And the Chronicles version says, And she looked, and, behold, the king stood at his pillar at the entering in, and the princes and the trumpets by the king: and all the people of the land rejoiced, and sounded with trumpets, also the singers with instruments of musick, and such as taught to sing praise.
It seems here that kings stood by a pillar (or as Chronicles says his pillar) for coronation ceremonies where they would make a vow to God and the people would rejoice. The phrase "as the manner was" indicates that this was an ongoing custom where the pillar was utilized for this purpose even though there is no mention of it in the Bible beforehand.
This explains the enigmatic text in Hosea 3:4 that says, For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:……
The words "memorial stone" or "pillar" are amongst other definitions of the original Hebrew word (see Young’s Exhaustive Concordance). Other authorities on the language give the definition "pillar-rock" or "pillar-stone". In fact, although the tribe of Joseph had guardianship of the stone, this passage of Scripture states that it would not be in their presence for awhile. Indeed, the Northern house of Israel voluntarily separated itself from Judah (and the house of David) and because of their exile, there was no Davidic king with them and certainly not Jacob’s pillar stone since they were separated for a time. However, as our other two messages said (The ‘Eternal Throne of David’ and ‘The Three Overturns of the Throne of David’), God would plant that ‘tender twig’ in the mountain of the height of Israel. This is that "place" promised to King David that the "Lost Tribes" would migrate to and claim as their new homeland. Thus saith the Lord GOD; I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the top of his young twigs a tender one, and will plant it upon an high mountain and eminent: in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a goodly cedar: and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell. In doing so, the Davidic king would once again reign over the house of Israel (where the tribe of Joseph was) and the stone would once again be in their possession once their wanderings took them to the appointed place.
We have the biblical background and references to this rock. What became of this rock (and the Davidic Throne)? We already dealt with the eternal nature of the Davidic Throne. It would stand to reason that amongst the scripture and history that proclaimed Jeremiah’s calling and role, that the stone naturally would be involved somehow. Indeed, that is just what we find in many of the ancient Irish records. The old man "Ollam Fadhla" (Jeremiah) and his company carried with them some strange furnishings. Amongst them was a harp, a chest (the Ark of the Covenant), and a stone. If Jeremiah transplanted the Throne of David, he most assuredly would have taken the coronation stone that the Bible made reference to. My personal belief is that if we can accept the transference of the throne, it would not be difficult to believe that the stone went with that office of the throne. I would even say that the stone accompanying the king’s daughter would be a "given", something that could safely be assumed. However, the historical records assure us here that yes, indeed a stone was seen with this old man. When we look at a picture of the removed stone (from the coronation chair), we see a groove and well worn rings that could not be from transporting this stone from Ireland, Scotland, and Britain alone if the stone was native to the area. That stone must have been subject to excessive carrying around for years to show that much wear and tear. Undoubtedly, a pole was inserted through the rings and carried by some men in front and in back of the stone. There may have been yokes attached to the pole so that several men could be positioned on each side of the stone. I’ll let the reader figure out how many men it would take to transport 336 pounds comfortably.
From this point onward, the rest is history. Some may think that the stone "Lia Fail" is a more recent legend. However, this is not true in light of the fact that this stone was known as Jacob’s Pillar as far back as history of the isles go. Much like the transference of the Davidic Throne, the real key is the link of Palestine with Ireland. We know the general history from that point onward. As I have said in the message about the three overturns, there are somewhat sketchy or foggy accounts of the arrival of Jeremiah and his company (along with the stone). But one thing that is agreed on is King Eochaidh and his Queen Tea Tephi (King Zedekiah’s daughter brought to Ireland by Jeremiah) were crowned King of Ireland upon this stone.
All through history, the Irish kings, Scottish kings, and the British kings were crowned on this stone as the throne overturned. Is this all coincidence? I want to conclude this message with the lyrics of a song from the album "Stone of Destiny" by Steve McDonald. This is a secular Celtic music album that tells of the important events in their history in songs. I will insert my comments in brackets within the lyrics, but I feel this song wraps up the history of the stone quite nicely.
In the curragh and off we go
O’er to Scotland’s shore we row
And build a chapel there,
For the stone.
Story tells of long ago
Jacob slept upon the stone
And dreamed of angels telling him of the future.
Brought to Ireland’s Tara Hill
Where it was named Lia-Fail [first overturn]
Then on to Iona, by MacEarca. [second overturn]
[Chorus] Then the Scotland kings will reign
where ever the stone remains. Then, the coronations will enthrone
And through all who come and go
Let none take the power of the stone.
So the telling tale unfolds
Of kings and queens
And days of old
And those who would make claim,
By aggression.
Then the tyrant army came
And took the stone away again
They never knew the promise
Of succession.
[third overturn by King Edward "Longshanks" who
took the stone. The overturn was realized when James VI
of Scotland became James I of Britain]
Leaves are falling
Seasons calling
Time will wait
For the stone
From: "Stone of Destiny," by Steve McDonald.
From: "Stone of Destiny," by Steve McDonald.
If we want to call all this a "legend", then so be it. However, we can see by the lyrics in this song (and one can get the album anywhere Celtic music is sold) that the idea of David’s Throne and the associated stone is well-ingrained in Celtic legend and history.
Genesis 29 "in the beginning" 29
Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram
1 Jacob continued on his trip and came to the land in the east.
This is near Haran, where Laban lived.
2 He looked around, and out in a field he saw a well with a large stone over the opening. Three flocks of sheep were lying down near it, because the flocks were watered from that well.
3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the stone would be rolled off the opening of the well so that the sheep could be watered. Then the stone would be put back in place over the opening of the well.
4 Jacob asked some people, "My friends, where are you from?" "We're from Haran," they replied.
5 He asked them, "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?" They answered, "We do."
6 "How is he?" Jacob asked. They replied, "He's well and prosperous. Look, here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep."
7 "Look," he said, "it's broad daylight and it's not time to gather the flocks. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture."
8 "We can't," they said, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep."
9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess.
A rare occupation for a girl, even then.
10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep.
11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and broke into tears.
This is the only place in the Bible that a man is mentioned kissing a girl other than his wife or mother! The tears are of joy, because he realizes that this is the girl God has selected for him, and most likely she was a "ten." It appears that many of the girls in the line of Sarah were absolutely the most beautiful girls in the world, and no doubt Rachel was just one more.
12 He had told Rachel that he was her father's relative and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.
13 As soon as Laban heard about Jacob's arrival, he rushed out to meet him and greeted him warmly. Laban then brought him home, and Jacob told him his story.
14 Then Laban said to him, "You are my own flesh and bone." And Jacob stayed with him for a month.
This was an adoption phrase of the time, like "my own flesh and blood."
JACOB MARRIES LEAH AND THEN RACHEL
15 Then Laban said to him, "Just because you're my relative doesn't mean that you should work for nothing. Tell me what your wages should be."
16 Laban had two daughters. Leah, the oldest, and Rachel, the younger one.
Leah means "mistress" or possibly "cow" and Rachel means "ewe" or "beautiful lamb"
17 Leah had unflattering eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful.
Leah was not ugly, but her eyes didn't have the glow or sparkle. I think it may also mean that she had dark black eyes, where Rachel may have been a blond, blue-eyed beauty who really stood out.
18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work seven years for you in return for Rachel."
19 Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other guy. Stay here, live with me."
20 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days because of his love for her.
21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to wed her."
22 So Laban gathered all the people in one place and gave a great wedding feast.
23 Evening came, and he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob had sex with her.
It was dark, and Jacob was probably quite drunk. God's Law says that if you sleep with a virgin, you are married to her and can never divorce her. This is found in Mosaic Law, but like most of the Law, it was in force at this time, showing us that it was a part of God's original law of marriage. Also note that the act of sex, and not the ceremony, that makes people married. By having sex with the woman, makes her your wife. God did not intend in the beginning to have marriage vows and wedding services. We see that by New Testament times, marriage ceremonies are customary and Jesus at one wedding feast turned water into wine, but the sex act is what marries you, not a ceremony!
24 And Laban gave his slave girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maid.
25 When the break of dawn came, he saw Leah there! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I worked for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?"
deceived, a play on his own name!
26 "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one," Laban answered,
27 "Finish her bridal week. Then we will give you the younger girl also, in return for another seven years of work."
Jacob did not have to wait another 7 years to marry Rachel, he could have her in one week, but he had to work yet another 7 years as a slave, in reality.
28 Jacob agreed. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife also.
By finishing the week, Leah would have a better chance of getting pregnant, which would hopefully make Jacob love her more.
29 Laban gave his slave girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her servant.
30 Jacob had sex with Rachel also. He loved Rachel much more than he did Leah. And he worked another seven years for Laban.
Jacob's Children
31 When the LORD (Jesus) saw that Leah wasn't loved, he made her fertile. Rachel was barren.
Made her fertile, or "opened her womb" may imply that like Rachel, she was barren for a time, adding to the intense tension in the home.
32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "I do so because the LORD (Jesus) has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now."
Reuben sounds like the Hebrew for he has seen my misery and also means "son." The Nation of Reuben is France today.
33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the LORD (Jesus) heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon.
Simeon probably means one who hears .
34 Again she got pregnant again, and when she gave birth to another son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi.
Levi sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for attached, but there is no real word that Levi comes from. It has really been lost in history so we assume it means this.
35 She again got pregnant, and gave birth to another son she said, "This time I will praise the LORD (Jesus)" So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
Judah sounds like and may be derived from the Hebrew for praise. No reason is given for this, but Gen 30:14 suggests that Jacob may have stopped having sex with her and worked full-time trying to get Rachel pregnant, as she wasn't very happy by now with the way things were working out.
Genesis 30 "in the beginning" 30
Polygamy in the Bible:
Many today are in a state of confusion as to what the Bible teaches, does not teach, or is silent on pertaining to the practice of polygamy. Polygamy is simply defined as, "The practice or condition of having many or several spouses, especially wives, at one time." The first law God gave man was to have children (be fruitful and multiply). One cannot escape the fact that God not only allowed polygamy, He condoned it, made it happen and in some rare cases required it to happen! In Leviticus 18:22-28 we read "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it is confusion. Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit any of these abominations; neither any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourner among you: (For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which were before you, and the land is defiled;) That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that were before you." These are the kinds of things that God doesn't approve of. But notice that having more than one wife is not mentioned or even alluded to.
In Deuteronomy 21:15-17 we read, "If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his. "Right there, in the Law of Moses, we have a clear seal of approval to the practice of polygamy from God Himself. Considering how important the Law of Moses was, it is extremely hard to explain why God once permitted such a practice but then afterward changed His mind because it was an abomination in His sight. To accept such a conclusion we would also have to believe God is fallacious and changeable in His laws. But if we say that God is unchanging and consistent in all that He does, then He could not have seen anything wrong with the practice of polygamy since He made provisions for it in the Law He gave to Moses. To say it was a custom of the times, and no longer a custom stretches the truth! Abraham was completely obedient to God. If this was an unlawful act, God would have stopped him like He did before killing Isaac.
Since the Bible declares that God is the same yesterday, today and forever, (Hebrews 13:8) and He doesn't change (Malachi 3:6) therefore it's impossible for him to consider something an abomination in one generation and but perfectly acceptable in another. The real question we need to ask is: WHY did Sarah give her husband another wife? The Bible clearly states, so he could HAVE OFFSPRING. That is the real principle behind the law of polygamy. Let's consider the great lawgiver, Moses. He also had more than one wife. Certainly, he, more than anyone else, knew and kept the law which God gave on Mt. Sinai. Here's what the Bible tells us in Numbers 12:1-15: "And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married: for he had married an Ethiopian woman. And they said, Hath the LORD (Jesus) indeed spoken only by Moses? Hath he not spoken also by us? And the LORD heard it (Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.) And the LORD (Jesus) spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. "And the LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the LORD (Jesus) will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD (Jesus) shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the LORD (Jesus) was kindled against them; and he departed. "And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous. And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb. And Moses cried unto the LORD (Jesus), saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee. And the LORD said unto Moses, If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be ashamed seven days? Let her be shut out from the camp seven days, and after that let her be received in again. And Miriam was shut out from the camp seven days: and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again." There are two interesting things to note about this story. The first is that Miriam was not angry because Moses had married another woman (having already taken Sephora for his wife). She was angry because he married an Ethiopian woman, who was not of the tribe of Israel. The second thing is that, although Miriam and Aaron complained about this, the LORD (Jesus) didn't. In fact, God punished Miriam because she complained about the second wife of Moses. If having more than one wife is truly an abomination before God, surely He would have condemned Moses for practicing it. Instead, God declared that Moses was "faithful in all mine house" (Numbers 12:7), even though he had two wives.
There's another place in the Bible where God Himself made a very special declaration regarding this topic. In the story of David and Bathsheba, God says this to David concerning his sin (of murder and adultery): "And I GAVE thee thy master's house, and thy master's WIVES INTO THY BOSOM, and gave thee the house of Israel and of Judah; and if that had been too little, I would moreover have given unto thee such and such things. Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the LORD (Jesus), to do evil in his sight?" God said that HE GAVE DAVID his wives! What is more plain than that? This sentence can't be misinterpreted or explained away. It was GOD who gave David all the wives that he had! As such, God approved, sanctioned, and blessed this practice! David's only sin was that he took a woman who was already married to another man. In other words, he took a woman without the consent of the LORD (Jesus). The Bible clearly and unambiguously states that God condones and allows the practice of polygamy.
It's true that several things in the law have changed because of Christ's atonement, but this doesn't mean that what has been changed is now considered an abomination in the eyes of God. Some will still argue that such a practice was only valid during the Old Testament times. Then let's look at what Jesus had to say (or not say). Jesus spoke out rather harshly at times for the way the Pharisees and Sadducees miskept the law, and on several occasions He talked about divorce and marriage. But when it came to the subject of polygamy, there is no record of Him having uttered one negative word. In fact, in one of his parables, Jesus uses an example of one man marrying ten women!
As Christians we believe that Jesus is Jehovah, and it was Jehovah who gave the law which the Jews obeyed. Could Jesus repudiate Himself? Speaking of the future, the prophet Isaiah prophesied, "And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach" (Isaiah 4:1). These are not ungodly women here, it is the opposite! These are godly women, realizing that God commands them to marry only godly men, and in the end times there will be more godly women than godly men, forcing polygamy!
It is in your Bible, and I can't make it go away! When Isaiah says "in that day," he is referring to the future. But how far into the future is he referring? In the very next verse he says, "In that day shall the branch of the LORD (Jesus) be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel." Obviously the day which Isaiah is referring to hasn't happened yet. But then he continues in the next verse saying, "And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remain in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem." The Hebrew word for "holy" is the same word we translate as "saint" in the New Testament. That means, Isaiah prophesied that in that day it shall come to pass that those who remain in Jerusalem shall be called saints.
Today's Christian churches claim that the first saints didn't practice polygamy. If they're correct, then this prophecy couldn't have been fulfilled during the time of Christ. And if that is so, then when will the saints practice polygamy as Isaiah prophesied? If polygamy existed before the law was given to Moses and it was also contained in the Mosaic law, but it wasn't practiced among the early Christians, (although we can't be positively sure about that) does that imply that polygamy has been done away with? The answer is no and yes. Paul says that an elder should be married to one woman (that alone implies polygamy is acceptable) in 1 Timothy 3:2: “A bishop, must be blameless, the husband of one wife.” Jesus shows us that Mosaic Law, which allowed for divorce was instituted because of the stubbornness of mankind, but that God didn't intend it that way. In Mark 10:5 he said"It was because your hearts were hard that Moses wrote you this law," Jesus replied. 6 "But at the beginning of creation God `made them male and female.' This demonstrates that the only way to abolish Mosaic Law was to find an earlier law that took residence over the latter. This is how our legal system works even today! In the beginning, God made one male and one female. God did not make a polygamous union in the beginning! So an argument can be made that for the most part, Christians are under the original law of God, over the man-made potions of Mosaic Law. This would imply that God intends that one man and one woman make up the Christian marriage with these exceptions, in my humble opinion:
- Seduction: Exodus 22:16 states "Whenever a man seduces a virgin
These are the two reasons polygamy are mandated to this day. If you don't want to be polygamous, you don't have to be. You do have the right to turn down your brother's wife (then the next closest relative must marry her) but you can't refuse to marry a seduced girl! So stay out of bed with anyone other than you wife, and you can remain monogamous!
Rachel pleads for children
1 When Rachel saw that she was barren, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I'll die!”
2 Then Jacob became angry with Rachel. “Am I GOD (Elohim-The God Family)?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”
3 Then Rachel said, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me, and through her I can have children, too.”
4 So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a concubine, and he slept with her.
Concubine: in the Old Testament, for instance, a legitimate spouse, if of an inferior social grade, or a bondwoman, is often given the appellation of concubine, not to call in question the validity of her marriage, but to indicate that she did not share in her husband's rank or property nor in the administration of the household to the same extent as the principal wife. From Genesis 21:9-14, we see that her dismissal and that of her children was permissible. But in those Scriptural times such a concubine was not the only marriage partner. Thus Leah and Rachel, the first two spouses of Jacob, had the full social standing of wives, while Bilah and Zilpah, both bondwomen, were his concubines, married for the purpose of bearing children for Rachel and Leah (Genesis 30:3, 9, 13). Here, therefore, the main difference between the state of legitimate marriage properly so called and that of legitimate concubinage is to be found in the disparity of rank which characterized the latter. Cohabitation of a man and a woman without the full sanctions of legal marriage. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the term concubine has been generally applied exclusively to women; Western studies of non-Western societies use it to refer to partners who are sanctioned by law but lack the status of full wives. Today, traditional Western laws do not acknowledge the legal status of concubines, but rather only admit monogamous marriages. Any other relationship does not enjoy legal protection; the woman is essentially a mistress.
5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son.
6 Rachel named him Dan, for she said, “GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.”
Dan means “he judged” or “he vindicated.” The modern nation of Denmark includes the descendants of Dan, and they still refer to themselves as the Danes and the Danish people.
7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son.
8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I'm winning!”
Naphtali means “my struggle.” Most likely the children of Naphtali make up the nation of Norway, but some suggest Sweden
9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a concubine.
10 Soon Zilpah presented him with a son.
11 Leah named him Gad, for she said, “How fortunate I am!”
Gad means “good fortune.” Gad is Sweden, although again, with the den on the name, I consider Sweden a part of Dan.
12 Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son.
13 And Leah named him Asher, for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”
Asher means “happy.” Most experts say Scotland is the nation of Asher.
14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”
Mandrakes are the Viagra of the ancients! Mandrake is the common name for members of the plant genus Mandatory belonging to the nightshades family (Solanaceae). Because mandrake contains deliriant hallucinogenic tropane alkaloids such as hyoscyamine and the roots sometimes contain bifurcations causing them to resemble human figures, their roots have long been used in magic rituals, today also in neopagan religions such as Wicca and Germanic revivalism religions such as Odinism. The mandrake, Mandragora officinarum, is a plant called by the Arabs luffâh, or beid el-jinn ("djinn's eggs"). The parsley-shaped root is often branched. This root gives off at the surface of the ground a rosette of ovate-oblong to ovate, wrinkled, crisp, sinuate-dentate to entire leaves, 5 to 40 centimetres (2.0 to 16 in) long, somewhat resembling those of the tobacco-plant. A number of one-flowered nodding peduncles spring from the neck bearing whitish-green flowers, nearly 5 centimetres (2.0 in) broad, which produce globular, succulent, orange to red berries, resembling small tomatoes, which ripen in late spring. All parts of the mandrake plant are poisonous. The plant grows natively in southern and central Europe and in lands around the Mediterranean Sea, as well as on Corsica. They are sold to this day for the same purpose! (Jamieson)
15 But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn't it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”
Here implies that Jacob may have stopped having sex with Leah, and the Mandrakes were a way to get him exited when they did sleep together (but not have sex). The verse below shows that Rachel is going to make sure Jacob has sex with Leah that night. Jacob is bound by the laws of marriage to have sex with his wives, and maybe Rachel is going to remind him of that because the inference here is that Rachel gets the mandrakes, not Leah, but Jacob is still going to have sex with her. Reading between the lines, it looks as if he was not having sex with Leah and he is being ordered to---by Rachel!
Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob screw you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”
"lie with you" Means to have sex, but the actual word Rachel is using to Leah is Hebrew for the F word! I decided although the F word is what she was saying (in Hebrew of course) I would clean it up some. The fact remains, that there is tension between the two, and even today, one can imagine two women talking in this vulgar way over a man!
16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You are to come with me tonight and sleep with me! I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he has sex with Leah.
17 And GOD (Elohim-The God Family) answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob.
18 She named him Issachar, for she said, “GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has rewarded me for giving my slave girl to my husband as a concubine.”
Issachar sounds like a Hebrew term that means “reward.” Today either Finland or Switzerland is identified with Issachar. Many today would not want to agree with her statement, but the fact is that God obviously was rewarding her for her gift of obedience!
19 Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob.
20 She named him Zebulon, for she said, “GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.”
Zebulun probably means “honor.” Holland is Zebulon.
21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.
Dinah is probably not the first girl born, there are probably others, she is mentioned here to introduce the reader to her for chapter 34!
22 Then GOD (Elohim-The God Family) remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children.
The Bible does not tell us why God allowed Rachel to suffer for so long, but now He is going to grant her what probably is her greatest wish... A son.
23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “GOD (Elohim-The God Family) has removed my disgrace,” she said.
24 And she named him Joseph, for she said, “May the LORD (Jesus) add yet another son to my family.”
Joseph means “may he add.” Joseph is the tribe to get the blessing of RACE. Today Joseph is the United States, and the British Commonwealth!
25 Soon after Rachel had given birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Please release me so I can go home to my own country.
26 Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them by slaving for you, and let me be on my way. You certainly know how hard I have worked for you.”
27 “Please listen to me,” Laban replied. “I have become wealthy, for the LORD (Jesus) has blessed me because of you.
28 Tell me how much I owe you. Whatever it is, I'll pay it.”
29 Jacob replied, “You know how hard I've worked for you, and how your flocks and herds have grown under my care.
30 You had little indeed before I came, but your wealth has increased enormously. The LORD (Jesus) has blessed you through everything I've done. But now, what about me? When can I start providing for my own family?”
31 “What wages do you want?” Laban asked again.
Jacob replied, “Don't give me anything. Just do this one thing, and I'll continue to tend and watch over your flocks.
32 Let me inspect your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the black sheep. Give these to me as my wages.
33 In the future, when you check on the animals you have given me as my wages, you'll see that I have been honest. If you find in my flock any goats without speckles or spots, or any sheep that are not black, you will know that I have stolen them from you.”
34 “All right,” Laban replied. “It will be as you say.”
35 But that very day Laban went out and removed the male goats that were streaked and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted or had white patches, and all the black sheep. He placed them in the care of his own sons,
Verse 25 of chapter 30 begins a peculiar story that very few seem to understand. But understanding Jacob's reasoning in his strange deal with Laban can help us to better see Jacob's character development. Jacob had served Laban 14 years. Now he wished to depart and return to his father in Canaan. Laban, however, was eager to have Jacob remain, for God had blessed everything Jacob did while in Laban's household, and Laban had grown rich. "Name me your wages, and I will give it," Laban said (verse 28), hoping to entice Jacob to stay. "You shall not give me anything," Jacob replied. This is essential to understand, for an inattentive reading of the story can make it seem as if Jacob separated the colored and spotted sheep from Laban's flock and took them for his payment. He most emphatically did not. Jacob took out the colored and spotted sheep and gave them to Laban, whose sons took them away a distance of three days' journey (verse 36). This left Jacob with only the pure white sheep.The last clause of verse 32, "and these shall be my wages," is a little confusing. The Hebrew literally says, "it shall be [i.e., in the future] my wages." Jacob was not saying that the spotted and colored sheep he removed from the flock would be his wages. Instead, "You shall not give me anything," were Jacob's words. The spotted and colored sheep were given to the sons of Laban, who drove them three days' journey away. Instead, Jacob was saying that in the future any spotted or colored sheep born in the flock that Jacob would tend would be his wages. But this seemed impossible to Laban—Jacob was left with only the white sheep! How could white sheep bear spotted and colored sheep? That is why Laban so hastily agreed to the deal: "Oh, that it were according to your word!" (verse 34).Now, the beginning of verse 33 is most important. "So my righteousness will answer for me in the time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you...." This telling declaration marks a profound advancement in Jacob's character development. When Jacob arrived in Padan Aram he was a grasping manipulator who relied upon his own innate abilities and craft to obtain what he wanted. But 14 years of service for Laban—during which Laban consistently outwitted him, and during which God blessed him in all that he did— had produced a change in Jacob. He had now progressed to the point where he relied upon his righteous conduct to secure blessings and prosperity from God. That is a dramatic change of heart, a major development in right character!Verse 37 begins the equally odd business of the poplar, almond and chestnut branches. Many commentators suggest some kind of magic practice, or that the peeled rods were intended to cause the sheep to imitate the partly colored rods by bringing forth partly colored sheep. Yet this is certainly not what Jacob was engaged in here. Notice verse 38: "And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink." The word "conceive" is translated from the Hebrew yacham, literally meaning "to be hot," and which, when speaking of animals, can mean "to be in heat." By peeling the fresh cut rods (verse 37), Jacob caused the sap-filled meat of the rods to be exposed, thus possibly allowing the sap of the rods to mingle with the water in the watering troughs. Perhaps he believed this additive in the water would help to bring the animals to heat. It has also been suggested that the peeled rods were used as a sort of corralling fence, set up when the flocks came to drink to keep them together longer for mating. Verses 41-42 also inform us that Jacob practiced selective breeding, ensuring that the best of the flock would be subject to his treatment of the water.But all this did not produce the spotted and colored sheep. These actions only aided Jacob in selecting which sheep would breed at what time. God caused the unusual coloration of the sheep. As Jacob said: "My righteousness will answer for me." The production of colored sheep was God's response to Jacob's righteousness. Indeed, we later find out that Laban, seeing the results, kept changing the deal about which sheep Jacob would get— and, in every case, God followed suit with the coloration of sheep produced. Jacob explained to his wives: "God did not allow [Laban] to hurt me. If he said thus: 'The speckled shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore speckled. And if he said thus: 'The streaked shall be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked. So God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me" (31:7-9).
SOURCE: http://www.ucg.org/brp/brp.aspget=daily&day=2&month=March&year=2002&Layout)
36 who took them a three-days’ journey from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for the rest of Laban’s flock.
37 Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them.
38 Then he placed these peeled branches in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, for that was where they mated.
39 And when they mated in front of the white-streaked branches, they gave birth to young that were streaked, speckled, and spotted.
40 Jacob separated those lambs from Laban’s flock. And at mating time he turned the flock to face Laban’s animals that were streaked or black. This is how he built his own flock instead of increasing Laban’s.
41 Whenever the stronger females were ready to mate, Jacob would place the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of them. Then they would mate in front of the branches.
42 But he didn't do this with the weaker ones, so the weaker lambs belonged to Laban, and the stronger ones were Jacob’s.
43 As a result, Jacob became very wealthy, with large flocks of sheep and goats, male and female servants, and many camels and donkeys.
It is obvious that this isn't witchcraft. It is God doing this!
SELECTIVE BREEDING This also shows that Jacob understood the science behind selective breeding...
