We see definitively in today's reading which line of descendance the covenant will flow through. It seems to be cemented interestingly enough in the choice of spouses for Jacob and Esau.
Last chapter, we saw how Rebekah was complaining of the Hittite women that her son Esau had married. So Isaac blesses Jacob again. Our confusion over the fact that Isaac seems to ignore his son's deceit from the previous chapter lends credence that chapters 27 and 28 would have originally been stories from two different sources that a redactor blended together.
Jacob is then sent out to marry cousins from his mother's family. We remember that Rebekah came from his father Abraham's family as well. They were worried less about genetic variance and more about cultural contamination.
Esau tries to emulate this practice and marries his cousin (a third wife) from his paternal uncle Ishmael's line. However, we see that even though this line will be numerous, it is not God's preferred lineage. It is as if Esau just can't seem to get things right.
We then shift back to Jacob. Like his father and grandfather, Jacob has his own theophany with a reiteration that the covenant would indeed be honored through him.
Some have claimed that the ladder or stairway or ramp that Jacob witnessed in his dream of angels ascending and descending would have been similar to the Babylonian ziggurats which were pyramid-like structures of which the tops were seen as the gates of heaven.
Jacob makes his own vows to God basically saying, "If you are with me, then I'm with you!"
Jesus makes a reference to this vision when he is calling Nathanael in John 1:51 as he states, "you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
This seems to move us from a fixated spot such as Bethel or the temple in Jerusalem to a more mobile faith in Jesus Christ who journeys with us. Matthew names Jesus as Emmanuel which means "God with us."
For me, there seems to be something in both ideas. There are geographic locations that seem to be infused with the holy for us. For some, these are mountain retreats or ocean-side areas. For others, these are chapels or sanctuaries that are tradition-rich places of worship. But we can also experience God in a variety of places and so the holy is not confined to a single space or area.
In all of these, when we experience transcendence in some way, it calls for a response. Jacob pours oil and marks a stone and makes a vow. We continue to make vows to God today when we join the church (formal vows) or when we pray (in our hearts, alone). If you had to write your own vows to God, what would they be?
Lord, thou hast given us thy Word for a light to shine upon our path;
grant us so to meditate on that Word, and to follow its teaching,
that we may find in it the light
that shines more and more until the perfect day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Last chapter, we saw how Rebekah was complaining of the Hittite women that her son Esau had married. So Isaac blesses Jacob again. Our confusion over the fact that Isaac seems to ignore his son's deceit from the previous chapter lends credence that chapters 27 and 28 would have originally been stories from two different sources that a redactor blended together.
Jacob is then sent out to marry cousins from his mother's family. We remember that Rebekah came from his father Abraham's family as well. They were worried less about genetic variance and more about cultural contamination.
Esau tries to emulate this practice and marries his cousin (a third wife) from his paternal uncle Ishmael's line. However, we see that even though this line will be numerous, it is not God's preferred lineage. It is as if Esau just can't seem to get things right.
We then shift back to Jacob. Like his father and grandfather, Jacob has his own theophany with a reiteration that the covenant would indeed be honored through him.
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The Devon Tower in Oklahoma City is impressive
as it seems to rise to heaven. There is something
awe-inspiring about such a height.
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Jacob makes his own vows to God basically saying, "If you are with me, then I'm with you!"
Jesus makes a reference to this vision when he is calling Nathanael in John 1:51 as he states, "you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
This seems to move us from a fixated spot such as Bethel or the temple in Jerusalem to a more mobile faith in Jesus Christ who journeys with us. Matthew names Jesus as Emmanuel which means "God with us."
For me, there seems to be something in both ideas. There are geographic locations that seem to be infused with the holy for us. For some, these are mountain retreats or ocean-side areas. For others, these are chapels or sanctuaries that are tradition-rich places of worship. But we can also experience God in a variety of places and so the holy is not confined to a single space or area.
In all of these, when we experience transcendence in some way, it calls for a response. Jacob pours oil and marks a stone and makes a vow. We continue to make vows to God today when we join the church (formal vows) or when we pray (in our hearts, alone). If you had to write your own vows to God, what would they be?
Lord, thou hast given us thy Word for a light to shine upon our path;
grant us so to meditate on that Word, and to follow its teaching,
that we may find in it the light
that shines more and more until the perfect day;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Prayer by Jerome, Christian priest, 4th-5th century
Photo by Ben Dunham via Flickr.com. Used under the Creative Commons license.
Just a quick comment to say that I’m really enjoying this daily devotional reading, Sam, thank you very much for this Lenten discipline. I look forward to pouring oil over many stones in my Christian life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment - I appreciate hearing that it has been helpful to you!
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