Other men and women in every dispensation have had to wrestle at some point in their lives for blessings, greater truth, and light from God. Events on the eve of that life crisis caused Jacob to wrestle for a blessing, just as Enos and Alma would do. 18:9ff. Though encounters with translated beings in Jacobs day are not explicitly recorded, those beings certainly existed. Nighttime seems to magnify challenges; at night problems seem to weigh particularly heavy on the mind. By what Name did God reveal Himself to Abraham? No one saw God's actual face. Genesis 35 GW - Jacob's Fifth Encounter with God - Bible Gateway In other words, Rebekah saw all her lifes work, all her planning and teaching about the importance of the Abrahamic covenant, all her care in guarding and guiding its perpetuation according to divine desires, as worthless and wasted if Jacob were to follow in Esaus footsteps. . Verse Concepts. He slept, using a stone for a pillow (verses 10-11). So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved (Genesis 32:2930). 1. Though God has revealed Himself as one who lives in unapproachable light ( 1 Timothy 6:16 ), the burning bush symbolized His intent not to consume or destroy His people, but to be their savior, to lead them out of bondage in Egypt and into the Promised Land. That night, as Jacob was settling down, inspiration came. It was only at the point where Jacob sensed great danger and where it seemed impossible to stay in Shechem that Jacob was willing to listen to the voice of God reminding him of his duty to return to Bethel. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, The sacrifice required of Abraham in the offering up of Isaac, shows that if a man would attain to the keys of the kingdom of an endless life; he must sacrifice all things.[10] Furthermore, in an 1833 revelation, the Prophet wrote, Therefore, [the Saints] must needs be chastened and tried, even as Abraham (D&C 101:4). The Revelation on Mount Sinai - Chabad.org That was the basis for his request. 22 George Bush, Notes on Genesis (Minneapolis: James Family, 1979), reprint, II, p. 205. In spite of his dramatic encounter with the Angel of Jehovah in chapter 32, Jacob quickly lost any sense of urgency about doing what God had commanded. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ( 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.). Creation Reveals God. He intended his own glory: Ye shall know that I am the Lord. The angelic ministration during Jacobs return trip appears to have been a sign and a reminder of divine protection and assistance in what surely must have seemed to Jacob an inevitable and intense confrontation with Esau. For the sons of Jacob and all those who were in his household, this may have been the first clear evidence and explanation of the faith which he possessed but so poorly practiced before them. Somewhere between Bethel and Bethlehem, Rachel went into hard labor. He pleaded for deliverance from the impending catastrophe, reminding God that He had told Jacob to leave Padan-aram and that He had also promised Jacob that his posterity would be as innumerable as the sands of the sea. How Has God Personally Revealed Himself to People? 2 Jacob said to his household and to everyone who was with him, "Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you. No mention is made of her youthfulness or attractiveness. In Exodus 13:21-22, God revealed Himself to Israelites in a pillar of a cloud to guide them and fire for light while in the desert. [9] Joseph Smith, The Words of Joseph Smith, comp. Luke 9:57-62). And the king arose to meet her, bowed before her, and sat on his throne; then he had a throne set for the kings mother, and she sat on his right. Joseph Smith taught that all that were ever saved, were saved through the power of this great plan of redemption, as much so before the coming of Christ as since; if not, God has had different plans in operation, (if we may so express it,) to bring men back to dwell with himself; and this we cannot believe.[16]. First, there was no need for a tithe here. God's Revelation to Jacob. 2. I have served you in the day when drought consumed me and at night in frost and sleep departed from my eyes . It matters a great deal. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendants after you. Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him. 3. Jacob's Odd "Breeding Program" of Genesis 30 They were lost years, for they were a time of independence and disobedience on Jacobs part. The tragic and painful events of chapter 34 greatly improved Jacobs ability to hear and obey God. 2022 14 Sep The Bible reveals the story of a loving God who's been pursuing His children since the beginning of time. Jacobs descendants would bring blessings and benefits to the entire world (Genesis 12:3). Fourth, Jacob learned that if he kept the covenant, God would be with him everywhere he went, that God would fulfill everything He promised to do for Jacob, and that God would bring him back to the land of his inheritance. While the sentence may have been delayed in its execution, it is my conviction that Rachels death is the result, to one degree or another, of these words spoken by her husband. Spiritually, however, Jacob was not near to God at all. Had the tragedy regarding Dinah not occurred or the slaughter of the Shechemites angered the surrounding Canaanites, I am convinced that Jacob would have been content to remain amongst the Canaanites, and worse yet, to have become one of them. As we have already seen, the term man (Hebrew, ish) used in Genesis 32:24 to describe Jacobs visitor, was a word sometimes used anciently to refer to God. He would be fruitful and would become a nation and a company of nations, and the land promised Abraham would be his and his descendants. To add an RSC website shortcut to your home screen, open the website in the Safari browser. The explanation is to be found in the great terror that came from God. 27-29Finally, Jacob made it back home to his father Isaac at Mamre in Kiriath Arba, present-day Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac had lived. A nationa whole company of nations! will come from you. Used by permission. Bible Survey Exam 1 Flashcards | Quizlet Why does God refer to Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob More careful calculations inform us that there was something like ten years or so between Jacobs return and his fathers death.21 Moses simply did not care to stress this fact. What is my sin against you? Jacob would later use that key to unlock a spiritual door. (For further information on this subject, consult the series Guidelines For Guidance, which I did some time ago.). God Reveals Himself to Jacob Perhaps the most difficult thing in the world for Jacob to do was to stand before his father, whom he had deceived in order to obtain the blessing. First, Jacob yearningly prayed to God for safety; second, he wrestled that night for a desperately needed blessing at the hand of Deity (see Genesis 32:913, 2430). that when any man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, . The chickens, I am compelled to remind you, do come home to roost. In fact, the ancient rabbis believed that man was one of the many titles of God. Jacob was asked first to disclose his given name, and then he was given a new name, Israel, which symbolized his struggle before God and men for a blessing. You see, while all of the men of the city of Shechem had been put to the sword, the women, children, and cattle had been taken as booty (34:28-29). A second passage is even more striking. After bemoaning the fact that Jacob took his family away before he could give them a proper farewell, he got to the real bone of contention demanding the return of his gods. God may thus have chosen to let this promise pass by. We are not told why or when she came to stay with Jacob. Surely, the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not; . ), suffering, and sorrow (II Corinthians 6:4-5; 12:7-10). Thus, Gods appearance to Jacob the second time is recorded as though it happened shortly after he returned to the land of Canaan. In fact, these adversities and afflictions are the very things which draw us nearer to God and strengthen our faith (cf. Psalm 20:7, 33:13-22; Isaiah 30:1-3, 15, 31:1, 41:10-16; Jeremiah 5:17, 17:5-8). Jacob was then presented with a new name. or angels who appear at first only as men [but] afterwards speak with divine authority (Gen. God wanted Israel to serve as a model nation. And then His purposes will be realized in our lives. Genesis 35:7. 4-5They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods theyd been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Sin is never worth the price. In Jacobs mind, his family, as well as the covenant itself, faced annihilation. What Jacob thought about on this first leg of his travels we do not know, but one supposes it was about the covenants of the Lord and promises of obedience. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.". He is the God of Jacob. Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. First, trees were not all that numerous there, and so it may have been the only tree around. Answer In about a dozen places in the Bible, the Lord God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (e.g., Genesis 50:24; Exodus 3:15; Acts 7:32 ). This great endowment came in accordance with the principle described in Ether 12:6: For ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. As President Young might have said, after the wrestle comes the bursting of the veil. Amplified Bible There he built an altar [to worship the LORD], and called the place El-bethel (God of the House of God), because there God had revealed Himself to him when he escaped from his brother. . After more than twenty years of labor under the household rule of the scheming and jealous Laban (see Genesis 31:115, 38), Jacob finally left Padan-aram to return to the land of his covenantal inheritance. Genesis 28:16 Commentaries: Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said They were still quite a ways from Ephrath when Rachel went into laborhard, hard labor. That is why the scriptures speak of God first opening the heart of men (cf. Jacob (Genesis 25:19-49:33) The threat of a vengeful brother probably cannot be overestimated, for it was a life crisis of staggering proportion. Even more, they are also the gates to heaven for all of our unendowed kindred dead. It need not concern us here, except as it points out Jacobs patience and loyalty to God in the face of frustrations, challenges, and manipulations. But his departure was not without a final confrontation with the father of his two wives, who hotly pursued Jacobs caravan. ; Josh. Walking in the path which God has revealed to us is not strolling along some rose petal-strewn pathway, free from the adversities of life. 34:1ff.). Jacob was finally given an additional blessing, and the divine being was not heard from again. Second, there cannot be renewal without separation. President Brigham Young said that all of us are situated upon the same ground, in that we must struggle, wrestle, and strive, until the Lord bursts the veil and suffers us to behold His glory, or a portion of it.[12] And so it was with Jacob on that lonely night near the River Jabbok, when he began to wrestle with a divine visitor for a blessinga blessing that would, in President Youngs words, burst the veil and shower down on him greater light and glory from God. Joseph Fielding Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1938), 3045. 45 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!". The events described in chapter 32 of Genesis may be seen as the culmination of a process begun twenty years before at Bethel, when Jacob first encountered God and became a candidate for exaltation by vowing to live according to the Abrahamic covenant. What does Isaac name mean? 23 The command of our Lord, This be doing in remembrance of Me (Luke 22:19, my translation), is a present imperative, suggesting a continuing observance through the ages, till He comes (cf. But it . 34:1ff.). Moreover, this promise has also been fulfilled as Jacobs seed have become Melchizedek Priesthood ministers and missionaries of the name and gospel of God, which gospel will ultimately bring salvation, even eternal life, to everyone who receives it (see Abraham 2:1011). and the Lord will teach him face to face, and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; and this is the state and place the ancient Saints arrived at.[14]. Starting in Genesis 30:25 we see that Jacob is wanting to leave the service of Laban and return to his homeland. Jacob was asked for his name, and he disclosed his own given name to a divine being or minister. . In the story of Moses and the burning bush, God reveals Himself as the Lord of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And He blessed him there. Jacobs resolve was great, and his fortitude enduring. He heard the voice of the Lord Jehovah, the premortal Christ, and, as the Apostle John later taught, the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10). I do not wish to imply that I am in favor of no military defense system or in a weak or obsolete one. The vision of Gods instruction to leave Padan-aram bears a significant similarity to one given to Abraham, in which he also was told to leave a country and go to Canaan (see Genesis 1:1113; see also Abraham 1:1618). You shall not have the gods of others in My presence. Ascending and descending on the ladder were the angels of God, sentinels to the portals of heaven. ( Genesis 32:24-25, 28-30) Many theologians refer to the appearances of God in these passages, and others like them, as "theophanies" (Greek: theos = "God" + phaino = "appear") or . Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.. The Doctrine and Covenants tells us that these patriarchs have entered into their exaltation, according to the promises, and sit upon thrones, and are not angels but are gods (D&C 132:37). And the being could not have been a one-time mortal who was now a resurrected being because Christ was the firstfruits of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20), the first of our Heavenly Fathers children on this earth to be resurrected. [7] Smith, Doctrines of Salvation, 2:11011. 14-15Jacob set up a stone pillar on the spot where God had spoken with him. How could this promise come to pass if Jacob and his family were annihilated? By contrast, Jacob trifled not with sacred things (see D&C 6:12). The final event of the chapter seems to have been inevitablethe reconciliation of Jacob, his father Isaac, and his brother Esau: And Jacob come to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned. Through these three persons, God tells us that He is the God of Abraham (the best persons), the God of Isaac (the common persons), and the God of Jacob (the evil persons). The second appearance (again") was also at Bethel, as recorded in verses 10-13. We may be like those in the church at Ephesus, who have lost their first love (Revelation 2:4), or those at Laodicea who, due to their wealth and security, considered themselves to be doing well spiritually when they were destitute, cold, and indifferent (Revelation 3:15-17).