In recent blog entries, we have studied God’s unconditional covenant with Abraham and Isaac. This covenant was not just for them, for that time and place, but was also to continue with their descendants. It is a spiritual law that God’s Word and Promises must come to pass; He is not a liar, nor does He go back on His Word. We can see the continuation of these unchangeable promises with Jacob, the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham.

Genesis 27 describes the story in which Jacob stole his twin brother, Esau’s, birthright. Essentially, Jacob tricked Isaac into speaking the blessing of the birthright over him, which was actually Esau’s because he was born minutes before Jacob.   We must understand how important and binding one’s word was in those days. The issue of a spoken blessing or covenant was legally binding – in fact, very much the opposite of today!

Though we may think it unfair, God’s promise was to be realized through Jacob, as we see in Genesis 28. Here, we learn that after Isaac, Jacob is to inherit that promise that God made to Abraham, his grandfather. The chapter opens with Isaac sending Jacob to go and hide from his brother; however, we can see that the true purpose was for Isaac to find a wife who was not from the Canaanites, but rather from the tree through which God has chosen to continue His blessing:

“So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. “Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. “And may God Almighty (The provider) bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. “May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you; that you may inherit the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.” Genesis 28:1-4

Again we see how God repeats the promise again in order for us to understand that He has chosen a specific line in which to fulfill the blessing; it was first given to Abram in Genesis 12, then to Isaac, and now, here in Genesis 28, to Jacob and his descendants.

Please do not miss the key fact that the covenant included 1) a people, and 2) a land (which ultimately belongs to God)! God gave this Land to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as an inheritance. They are to obey God, be a people set apart unto Him, and remember that their job was – and still is – to care for the Land that God gave them.

God is always faithful to His promises; He is not a liar, nor does He go back on His word. That is a great promise in itself, on which we can completely rest!

Shabbat Shalom,

Moran