THE ORIGIN OF THE SERVANT NATION – (3)
(PART THREE OF THREE)
JACOB had been gone twenty years but still he greatly feared Esaü had not forgiven him, therefore he prayed to be protected from the hand of his brother. Since he did not know whether his prayers would be answered he showed his human weakness by trying a little bribery. He gathered together great many cattle, goats, camels, etc., and sent them on ahead as a gift to Esau. Sending his wives and children over a certain brook, Jacob remained on the other side. At that time something extremely important happened, probably the most important event in the life of the great Patriarch. Scripture tells us, “And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.” This was no ordinary man and when He saw that Jacob was not subdued He asked Jacob to let Him go as dawn was about to break. Jacob would not let him go until he received a blessing. So, this “Man” asked Jacob his name and when Jacob told Him, He said that Jacob would no longer be his name, for he was to have a new name which was to be “Israel,” from the ancient texts meaning, “having power with God (El), but that God is in command.“ This was a momentous occasion because it was the first time the name Israel appeared in the scriptures. Jacob was so awed by the experience that he called the name of that place, “Peniel,” which means, “I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.”
It seems that Jacob’s fears concerning Esau were unfounded because when he and Esau finally met, Esau greeted him with great affection. Esau even had to be urged to accept Jacob’s gift. After this historic meeting Jacob and Esau went their separate ways; Esau returning to Mt. Seir, (ancient home of the Edomites, the descendants of Esau). These same people, in the following centuries, were to become mortal enemies of the nation, Israel.
‘The meeting of Jacob and Esau’
from the painting by G. F. Watts
Jacob then journeyed to Succoth and from there on to Shalem, a city in the Land of Canaan. While there, Dinah, the daughter of Jacob, was seen, desired and defiled by a Prince of the land. What happened as a result of this violation is detailed in Chapter 34 of Genesis. The important point to remember is that this was a strong attempt by the Canaanites (the accursed seed of the Hamitic line) to integrate with the family of Jacob and thereby destroy them through mongrelisation. How this plan was thwarted makes pretty strong reading and serves to point up the fact that segments of Israel were capable of great violence and cruelty. Jacob, on his death-bed, condemned these tendencies on the part of his sons, Simeon and Levi.
After this, Jacob was told to return to Bethel where he was to build an altar unto the Almighty. But before he could leave for Bethel, Jacob had to gather together all the strange ‘gods’ that were among his family. This proves that idolatry had made inroads into the life of Jacob’s family. Evidently it was necessary that Jacob’s family put away and bury their household idols if they were to continue to enjoy the blessings and protection of The Almighty God. By cleansing themselves of their idolatry the Israelites once more came under Yahveh’s protection. He caused terror to fall upon the Canaanites so that they did not pursue and avenge the slaughter done by Jacob’s sons, in the city of Shechem, the Canaanite Prince.
At Bethel, Jacob built an altar to the Almighty God and called the place, Elbethel, for it was there the Almighty had appeared to him and confirmed the promises made unto Abraham and to Isaac. As they journeyed from Bethel, Jacob’s wife, Rachel, went into hard labour with her second son. Rachel died in child birth, but the child lived and Jacob named him Benjamin. This was Jacob’s last son. Rachel was buried on the way to Ephrath, at the site of the town of Bethlehem, where the Christ child was to be born. Finally, Jacob returned to his father’s house in Hebron and Isaac died at the age of 180 years. Esau returned and he and Jacob buried Isaac in the family burial cave, where Abraham, Sarah and Rebekah were buried.
Jacob and his family had to move from time to time in the land of Canaan because their huge flock required great quantities of fodder. At the time Joseph was about seventeen, strife began to develop between him and his brothers. In part, it was due to jealousy because they knew that Joseph was Jacob’s favourite. Chapter 37 of Genesis tells of this favouritism and how it effected Joseph’s future. It was at this time that Joseph had two dreams. The first concerned Joseph and his eleven brothers binding sheaves in a field and the sheaves of the eleven brothers bowed down to Joseph’s sheaf. This caused the brothers to hate him more than ever, since it seemed to them that Joseph thought himself greater than they, great enough to rule over them. The second dream was even more powerful. Joseph dreamed the sun and the moon (father and mother figures) and eleven stars (the brothers) bowed to him. Even Jacob chided Joseph for this dream, but the Bible tells us Jacob observed and considered the portent of this dream.
The story of how Joseph’s brothers sought to rid themselves of that dreamer, is quite famous and well known. They would have slain him but Reuben intervened and, instead, Joseph was sold into slavery. This was all according to the Almighty’s plan for the development of the nation Israel, “in a land not theirs.” Joseph was to play a great part in this plan, for he was sold into slavery in Egypt.
And Jacob-Israel mourned for his favourite son because his elder sons caused him to believe Joseph was dead, torn by a wild animal. Jacob was not to know until years later that his son was very much alive and greatly blessed.
The story of Jacob and his family continues to develop in Genesis Chapters 38 (which is Judah’s story), 39, 40, 41, which deal with Joseph’s progress in Egypt. After this, famine developed in the land of Canaan and Jacob’s family was sorely in need of food. Jacob sent ten of his sons down into Egypt to buy food, thereby partially fulfilling Joseph’s first dream of the sheaves. When the brothers came to Egypt to buy food they did bow down to Joseph, although they did not recognise him. Joseph, by this time, was ruler of Egypt, second only to the Pharaoh. How Joseph finally revealed himself to his brothers and requested that Jacob and his household come down to Egypt and dwell, is covered in Genesis Chapter 45.
Jacob was indeed shocked to learn that his beloved son Joseph was alive and so greatly blessed by God. He decided to accept Joseph’s offer but not before journeying to Beersheba and sacrificing to the Almighty Yahveh. There, God told Jacob not to fear going into Egypt, for in that land, He would make Jacob-Israel a great nation. Jacob trusted The Father because the Bible tells us he and his whole family (70 souls) went down into Egypt with all their herds and possessions. Pharaoh gave Jacob and his family the Land of Goshen, a choice area, in which to live. In that part of Egypt, the Israelites grew into a great multitude.
Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years. When Jacob knew his time was short he called for his son Joseph and his grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh. He adopted them, giving them his name, in order to bring them into the family of the Israelites.
Before his death, Jacob called all his sons together and prophesied what would happen to their descendants in the latter days, the time in which we now live. It is very important to read Genesis Chapters 48 and 49 and to try to understand the great truths contained therein.
We are told Jacob lived 147 years, a wonderful life, full of God’s blessings because Jacob trusted in the promises of The Almighty and never once was he disappointed. When he gave up the ghost (spirit) and was gathered unto his people, Jacob’s body was buried in the family burial cave, in the field of Machpelah, in the Land of Canaan.
Courtesy: The American Institute of Theology
