Genesis 28

Genesis 28:11, 16, 17, 19, That place…this place. Heb. hamakom. Explained above in verse 11. 

Genesis 28:19, Bethel.. In Hebrew Bethel means “house of El.” Although there were at least two towns by this name in the land of Israel, this is not the name of a town, but rather a prophetic designation for Mount Moriah as “the house of El,” which is where the future Solomon’s temple or House of El (as it came to be known, see 2 Chron 3:3; 4:11, etc.) was eventually built on the present Temple Mount in Jerusalem. That this location was in Jerusalem and near Bethlehem (or Ephrath, as it is also known, which is only five miles south of Jerusalem) is suggested in Genesis 35:16 and 19. Bethel was also a city 12 miles northeast of Jerusalem, which may be referenced in Genesis 12:8 and 13:3. Christian scholars believe this to be the spot where Jacob had his ladder to heaven dream (Gen 28), while Jewish tradition places the spot of Jacob’s dream on the present Temple Mount. Another Bethel (or possibly the Bethul of Josh 19:4) or Bethuel (1 Chron 4:30) was located in the territory of Simeon (1 Sam 30:27).

Genesis 28:22, I will surely give the tenth. To whom would Jacob ultimately tithe? We don’t know, but Jacob may have been making a prophecy about his descendants bringing their tithes and offerings to the house of El or the temple that would eventually be built on that exact spot.

Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28 was his first, life-changing personal encounter with the Elohim of his fathers (Gen 28:10ff). What was his response? It was to serve YHVH and to worship him by giving him one-tenth (a tithe) of his increase (verse 22). What prompted this response on Jacob’s part? Why was such a response appropriate? Let’s answer this question with a question. When did you have your first encounter with your Heavenly Father and Master? In following the example of Jacob, have you faithfully used the first fruits of your increase to honor, worship and express your gratitude to him ever since? If not, why not? Scripture calls not tithing “robbing Elohim” and that as a result a curse may be on one’s finances (see Mal 3:8–11). Proverbs 3:9 lays out a solid truth about how tithing is a form of worshipping the Creator. “Honour [glorify] YHVH with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.”

The Scriptures reveal the importance of the spiritual law of reciprocity; namely, you reap what you sow (Gen 8:22; Gal 6:7–9). If you don’t sow you will not reap. If you sow evil or good you will reap the same. Jacob had to learn this law the hard way. In Job 4:8 we read, “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.” Jacob gained the birthright through posing as Esau (a deception) and Laban in turn deceives Jacob by putting Leah under the veil posing as Rachel in Jacob’s marriage bed. It is very easy to see the principle of reaping and sowing in others’ lives, but it is extremely difficult to see this principle at work on our lives. We are prone to concoct every excuse and argument imaginable to justify our sinful actions and then blame the results on others. In psychological terms this is known as projection. Prayerfully take a long and hard look at your life, examine hardships and trials, and then honestly ask yourself the question: Am I reaping what I have sown? It is never too late to repent and make a course correction—to bring your life into agreement with YHVH’s Word and will, so you can start reaping Elohim’s blessings.

Honesty, patience and submission to authority are fruits of righteousness. What did YHVH have to teach Jacob about these fruits of the Spirit? Jacob was impatient in submitting to YHVH’s will and waiting for the birthright to come to him in a righteous way. How did YHVH use Laban to correct these character flaws in Jacob? Jacob had to go into the Babylonian world for a season in order to be refined before being ready to be a patriarch worthy of honor and an example of righteousness as the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. What is YHVH allowing you to go through to refine you of character flaws and defects to prepare you for the future mission he has for you? Are you submitting to his refining fires that are burning the wood, hay and stubble out of your life (1 Cor 3:12–15), or are you resisting him thereby forcing him to “turn up the heat” of his discipline to help you “to get the point” and learn your lesson? (Read Heb 12:5–15.)

Jacob was forced to go east (toward Babylon) as a form of exile and punishment for his sins. After serving as almost a bondservant to Laban for 20 years, he returned westward to Canaan, the land of promise. This eastward-westward movement was a pattern followed by Jacob’s descendants later on several occasions. Even Abraham left Babylon and went west to Canaan. What are the prophetic implications of this in the end times when YHVH is calling his people to “come out” of spiritual Babylon (Rev 18:4)? Yes, YHVH is calling his people to leave the Babylon of this world and spiritually to cross over the Jordan River and back into his holy land of righteousness and obedience to him, so that his blessings can flow in our direction.

While in Babylonia, Jacob builds a complete family in “exile” consisting of twelve tribal leaders. To return to the Promised Land of Canaan, he had to encounter Esau (or Edom), who is the father of many of the modern day Arab peoples. This is this a prophetic picture of what? Indeed, history repeated itself hundreds of years later when the Jewish exilic remnant again encountered Esau’s descendants when they come back from Babylon under Ezra and Nehemiah. Is this not happening again in our time as the exiled Jews return to Israel—their ancestral and Elohim-given homeland? Who currently is opposing their return and is openly vowing to annihilate them? Yes! The modern spiritual and biological descendants of Edom! Consider Edom’s opposition to Jacob past, present and future. What (or who) is really behind this opposition to Israel’s (Jacob’s) inheriting his birthright that includes a land inheritance whose borders are from Egypt to the Euphrates River in modern Iraq?

Jacob vowing to tithe to Elohim was his acknowledging his submission to Elohim and to his will—that Elohim was the Lord over his life. Complete submission to Elohim came hard for Jacob. The same is true for us, and when we tithe, this is an act of worship of Elohim and acknowledgement that we have come to a higher place of surrender in our lives and are back living in his holy land, so to speak.

Genesis 28:1–22 and 29:1, Jacob’s journeys. Jacob was fleeing from his spiritual home, Beth-el or House of El, and was heading east some 500 miles on foot as a lone traveler and fugitive en route to Babylonia (definitely not the House of El). What is the spiritual and prophetic significance of this? What is there for us to learn? As prodigals, when we stray from Elohim, sometimes we, like Jacob, have to spend a season in bondage in the pig pen Babylon of this world. Once we have been disciplined, learned a few hard lessons and come to our senses, our loving Father in heaven will bring us back to our spiritual roots and back into relationship with him as Jacob learned the hard way. Today we refer to this process as “learning via the school of hard knocks.”

Elsewhere the Scriptures refer prophetically to Babylon as “the habitation of devils and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird” (Rev 18:2). Through his own human effort, Jacob had connived to procure the birthright blessing and in so doing had stepped out of the will of YHVH by trusting in himself instead of having faith in divine Providence to bring about YHVH’s perfect and blessed will for his life. Out of the YHVH’s perfect will, Jacob, like the prodigal son, found himself in spiritual filth and pig pen of Babylon. But YHVH is gracious and often blesses us in spite of our human foibles and weaknesses. For example, YHVH had been gracious to Isaac earlier when he stepped out of YHVH’s perfect will for his life in attempting to flee Canaan for Egypt. YHVH graciously comforted him and redirected his steps back to a more favorable spot (Gen 26:1–6). Likewise, YHVH met the lonely Jacob and encouraged him at the outset of his long journey, for in Genesis 29:1 we read, “Jacob lifted up his feet and came into the land of the people of the east” (KJV, marginal reference). 

What can we learn about the ways of YHVH from these examples? May we learn to be in tune with YHVH’s methods of operation in our lives. The more we study the word of YHVH, and the examples of the lives of those showcased therein, the more we will learn about our own lives. So study the recorded events about the lives of YHVH’s servants of old to learn wisdom for your daily life and spiritual walk. In so doing, we will learn how to stay in YHVH’s perfect will for our life, and when we happen to stray off of his path, if we open our eyes and hearts, we will see him mercifully and graciously attempting to redirect us back to him.

Genesis 29–30

The meanings of the names of the 12 patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel are instructive and pregnant with prophetic meaning.

Genesis 29:32–35:18, The birth of the Jacob’s twelve sons and the meaning of their names. The Scriptures record that the gospel message was preached not only to the first century believers in Yeshua the Messiah, but also to ancient Israel (Heb 4:2), and to the Patriarchs (Gal 3:8). Before us is yet another example of this in the meanings of the names of the twelve sons of Jacob. His twelve sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin (who was not born until Gen 35:18). The meanings of their names and the statements the Bible attaches to those meanings reveal YHVH’s glorious plan of salvation for mankind. The Scriptures call this message “the good news” or “gospel.”

• Reuben, Jacob’s first son, means “see or behold a son” (Heb. combination of two words: ra’ah meaning “to see” and ben meaning “son”).At the birth of her first son, Leah proclaimed“surely YHVH has looked upon my affliction” (Gen 29:32). The gospel message here is that YHVH Elohim saw the affliction of sinful man and gave us Yeshua, his Son. 
• Simeon means “hearing” (Heb. from shama meaning “to hear”).Leah named her second son thusly because “YHVH has heard that I was unloved” and she was hoping to receive her husband’s affection (Gen 29:33). The gospel message in this is that as a sinner, one comes to Yeshua in a lost and unloved state and separated from Elohim, and that when one hears about the Son (Yeshua the Messiah) in the gospel message, it’s at this point they receive the Father’s love. 
• Levi means “joined” (Heb. from lavah meaning “to join”). Leah named her next son Levi in the hopes that “now this time will my husband be joined to me” (Gen 29:34). With regard to the gospel, this can infer the union between a redeemed believer and the Father and Son that occurs at the time of one’s salvation. The good news message is the reconciliation and union of man and Elohim through the atoning death of Yeshua and by the work of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life who helps us to conform our lives to the Word of Elohim. 
• Judah means “praise”or “now I will praise YHVH” (Gen 29:35; Heb. from yadah meaning “to give thanks, laud, praise). This is the response of the redeemed believer upon being joined to Yeshua as one is spiritually regenerated. 
• Dan means “judgment.”Rachel named Bilhah’s son Dan and exclaimed “Elohim has judged my case” (Gen 30:6; Heb. from diyn meaning “to judge, contend, plead”). The gospel message is that when a new believer receives salvation from sin’s death penalty through Yeshua’s atoning blood, the Just Judges of the Universe’s sentence against sin has been lifted from them. 
• Naphtali means “wrestling,”upon his birth, Rachel proclaimed, “With great wrestlings have I wrestled” (Gen 30:8; Heb. from pathal meaning “to be twisted, wrestle”). This prophetically speaks of the believer’s life as he struggles against the world, the flesh and the devil endeavoring to walk in a righteous and sin-free relationship with Elohim. 
• Gad means “troop or company” (Heb. from guwd meaning “to invade, attack”). At his birth, Leah exclaimed, “A troop comes” (Gen 30:11). This prophetically foretells the fellowship of believers as sons and daughters in the spiritual family of Elohim.
• Asher means “happy” (Heb. from ashar meaning “to pronounce, call blessed”), for when he was born, Leah declared “I am happy and I will be called blessed.” (Gen 30:13). True inner happiness come to the redeemed believer who is now walking in right relationship with Elohim and in fellowship with other believers while together they pursue the hope of eternal life and inclusion in the kingdom of Elohim. 
• Issachar means “hire” (Heb. nasa or nasach meaning “to bear, carry, to be lifted up” and sakar meaning “hire, wages, pay, reward”). At his birth, Leah declared, “Elohim has given me my wages” (Gen 30:18). Once one is a part of the spiritual body of believers, one is equipped for works of service in advancing the kingdom of Elohim as a bondservant with the ultimate reward for a lifetime of service being eternal life and inclusion in the family of Elohim. 
• Zebulun means “dwelling, exalt and honor” (Heb. from zabal meaning “to exalt, honor, dwell exaltedly”). Upon the birth of her sixth son, Leah triumphantly proclaimed, “Elohim has endowed me with a good gift, and now my husband will dwell with me” (Gen 30:20). This speaks prophetically of the gift of eternal life YHVH has for those who faithfully serve him and the honor and exalted status they will have as the bride of King Yeshua the Messiah and as kings and priest in his eternal kingdom.
• Joseph means “adding” (Heb. from yacaph meaning “to add, increase, do again’).When he was born, Rachel declared, “Elohim has taken away my reproach and YHVH shall add to me another son” (Gen 30:24). This can again be a prophetic reference to the expansion of Elohim’s spiritual family comprised of individuals who have been redeemed from the consequences and penalty of sin and who have become YHVH’s spiritual sons and daughters. This spiritual family will have its highest and fullest manifestation in the New Jerusalem heaven on earth.
• Benjamin, which means “son of my right hand”(Heb. from ben meaning “son” and yamiyn meaning “right hand”) was born in Bethlehem (or Ephrath, Gen 35:18), which was the birthplace of Yeshua the Messiah. This is a clear prophetic reference to Yeshua who sits at the right hand of YHVH, and to believers who are seated with Yeshua in heavenly places by faith (Eph 2:6). To be united with Yeshua in an eternal spiritual relationship ruling and reigning with him over his kingdom is the ultimate reward of the saints. It’s interesting to note that as she was dying, Rachel named her son Benoni meaning “son of my sorrow” and Jacob changed the name to Benjamin. It’s likely that Rachel died prematurely because of the curse Jacob unwittingly placed on her for hiding her father’s idols (Gen 31:32). Within the context of the meaning of the twelve patriarchs’ names pointing prophetically to the gospel message, it’s possible that there is a not so oblique allusion in the name Benoni to the sorrowful fate of idolators who refuse to accept Yeshua, the son of Elohim’s right hand, as their Redeemer and Lord. They will perish under Elohim’s hand of judgment, like Rachel (?), in the lake of fire, for we read that idolators will have no part in the New Jerusalem (Rev 22:15).

When the meanings Scriptures attaches to the names of the twelve tribes are combined, the following (gospel) message is proclaimed: 

Behold or see the son. Surely YHVH has looked upon my affliction. YHVH has heard that I was unloved. My husband will be joined to me. I will praise YHVH. Elohim has judged my case. With great wrestlings have I wrestled. A troop comes. I am happy and I will be called blessed. Elohim has given me my wages. Elohim has endowed me with a good gift, now my husband will dwell with me. Elohim has taken away my reproach and he shall add to me another son who will be son of his right hand.

The gospel message in the names of the twelve tribes starts with Yeshua the Son of Elohim and ends with him, for he is the Aleph and the Tav (or the Alpha and Omega), the Beginning and the End, the Author and Finisher of our faith! Let’s give him the glory! Please pause and reflect on the higher spiritual message in these names. Selah.

Is it possible that the mind of man could have cleverly devised the meanings of these names and in the proper order, so they prophetically proclaim the gospel message some 1800 years before the birth of Yeshua? The laws of statistical probability determine the impossibility of this feat. If this doesn’t loudly attest to the hand of Elohim at work in the writing of the Scriptures, then what does? If this doesn’t strengthen our faith, then what will?

In your own spiritual walk, where are you in this twelve-step divine-inspired, spiritual recovery program? Have you passed through the reality of each of the twelve steps represented by the names of the twelve tribes of Israel? Perhaps this was the world’s original “twelve-step program”!

Genesis 31

To be continued…