†. Gen 28:16-17a . . Jacob awoke from his sleep and said: Surely the
Lord is present in this place, and I did not know it! Shaken, he said:
How awesome is this place!
Actually Jacob was very frightened. I believe that place gave him the creeps.
It isn't unusual for an encounter with God to unnerve people. Even the very
best saints get shook up by it. Daniel just about fainted when God talked
with him (Dan 10:17. And Moses was very frightened when God descended
upon Mt. Sinai. (Heb 12:18-21)
†. Gen 28:17b . .This is none other than the house of God, and that is
the gateway to heaven.
The Hebrew word for "house" is somewhat ambiguous. It can indicate one's
dwelling, and it can indicate one's entire estate. For example; Pharaoh's
house at Gen 12:15 consisted of a palace while Abraham's house at Gen
14:14 consisted of all that he owned and possessed. Jacob apparently
assumed (probably correctly) that the site where he met with God was a
favorite of God's in Canaan, and had it staked out for himself: and who's to
argue with that?
†. Gen 28:18a . . Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he
had put under his head and set it up as a pillar
The word for "pillar" is from matstsebah (mats-tsay-baw') which is
something stationed; viz: a column or (memorial stone)by analogy, an idol.
All over the Mojave Desert in California are man-made stone monuments
that mark the location of historical events and/or sites. One of my favorites
is the Foot And Walker pass where Butterfield stagecoach passengers had to
disembark and walk because the slope was too steep for horses to pull the
coach with them inside it.
Jacob's pillow stone became a souvenir of his very first close encounter with
the Bible's God. To set it up, he would need something to elevate it and
make it prominent. So he probably gathered more stones into a pile, like a
cairn, and then put his pillow block on the very top as the cap stone.
†. Gen 28:18b . . and poured oil on the top of it.
The Bible doesn't say where Jacob got the idea to pour oil on his historical
marker; so we'll just have to take an educated guess at it. It's very likely,
considering the situation, that anointing the pillow stone with oil (probably
either an edible, or medicinal oil rather than a petroleum based lubricant)
dedicated it as a memorial to Jacob's contractual bond between himself and
God.
There's reported to be widespread evidence (I haven't seen it for myself)
from the ancient Near East, for the use of oil in international treaty
relationships, and in effectuating business contracts. The practice seems to
have been a token of peace, friendship, and assumed obligation. In Jacob's
case, the anointing is connected with the making of a vow that bound him to
specific commitments.
†. Gen 28:19 . . He named that site Bethel; but previously the name
of the city had been Luz.
Luz retained it's original name for a long time afterwards. On his way back
home after twenty years with Laban, the name hadn't yet been changed to
Bethel (Gen 36:6). Precisely when the site's name was officially changed to
Bethel is difficult to ascertain.
The word for "Bethel" is from Beyth-' El (bayth-ale') which means (what
else?) house of God.
According to Jewish folklore, the stone Jacob chose for his pillow was
actually one of the stones Abraham used to construct the altar where he
bound Isaac. Jewish folklore also believes the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to
be the site where Abraham offered his son. Those lore imply that Bethel and
the Temple Mount are geographically the same. But it's highly unlikely. The
Temple Mount is in Jerusalem; and Bethel was about 12 miles to the north.
The exact geographic location of the offering of Isaac is totally unknown at
this time.
In the days of Solomon's rule, Israel became divided into a north and a
south, sort of like America's fracture during the Civil War. A king named
Jeroboam ruled the northern part and another king named Rehoboam ruled
the southern part. The northern part was called Israel, and the southern part
was called Judah. Jeroboam became concerned that his subjects in the north
might change sides because the Temple was in the south. So this is what he
did.
†. 1Kgs 12:26-29 . . Jeroboam said to himself: Now the kingdom may well
return to the House of David. If these people still go up to offer sacrifices at
the House of The Lord in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will turn back
to their master, King Rehoboam of Judah; they will kill me and go back to
King Rehoboam of Judah. So the king took counsel and made two golden
calves. He said to the people: You have been going up to Jerusalem long
enough. These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of
Egypt! He set up one in Bethel and placed the other in Dan.
Point being, the Temple Mount was at Jerusalem in Rehoboam's realm; and
Bethel was on Jeroboam's turf in the north; and if the people really wanted
to get on God's bad side, they worshipped in the north.
†. Amos 4:4 . . Come to Bethel, and transgress
†. Gen 28:20-21 . . Jacob then made a vow, saying: If God remains
with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making, and
gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safe to
my father's house-- Yhvh shall be my God.
What's he saying? That the Lord has not been his god up to this point? Not
necessarily. It wasn't uncommon in those days for people to worship other
gods right along with Yhvh. This practice was later strictly forbidden by the
first of the so-called Ten Commandments.
†. Ex 20:1-3 . . And God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other
gods before me.
Jacob's uncle Laban (the very father of his beloved Rachel) was notorious for
polytheism. On the one hand, he recognized Yhvh's divinity (Gen 24:50 and
31:29) while on the other hand he harbored a collection of patron gods in his
home (Gen 31:19 and 31:30). In the ancient Semitic world; patron gods
were equivalent to Catholicism's patron saints-- objects of devotion
venerated as special guardians, protectors, and/or supporters; viz:
alternative sources of providence.
Jacob knew about Abraham's god and believed that He existed (Gen 27:20).
But that's merely an educated consent, and nothing personal. It's like
knowing and believing that Mr. Barak Hussein Obama is the President of the
United States. But so what? Has the President ever come to your home for
coffee or dinner? Have the two of you been to a movie together or to a
picnic? Where was he when you were sick, down and out, and/or feeling
helpless, hopeless, despondent and depressed? See what I'm saying?
Lots of people glibly venerate the Bible's God. But very, very few can
honestly say: The Lord is "my" friend, He cares about me, He cares about
my life, He protects me and provides for me wherever I go. I am His, and He
is mine.
Jacob's vow reflects a personal decision of his own volition to make Yhvh the
sole object of his religious devotion to the exclusion of all the other gods
that people commonly venerated in his day. So we could paraphrase Gen
28:20-21 to read like this:
"If God remains with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am
making, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safe
to my father's house-- then Yhvh shall be my only patron."
Cont.
/
Lord is present in this place, and I did not know it! Shaken, he said:
How awesome is this place!
Actually Jacob was very frightened. I believe that place gave him the creeps.
It isn't unusual for an encounter with God to unnerve people. Even the very
best saints get shook up by it. Daniel just about fainted when God talked
with him (Dan 10:17. And Moses was very frightened when God descended
upon Mt. Sinai. (Heb 12:18-21)
†. Gen 28:17b . .This is none other than the house of God, and that is
the gateway to heaven.
The Hebrew word for "house" is somewhat ambiguous. It can indicate one's
dwelling, and it can indicate one's entire estate. For example; Pharaoh's
house at Gen 12:15 consisted of a palace while Abraham's house at Gen
14:14 consisted of all that he owned and possessed. Jacob apparently
assumed (probably correctly) that the site where he met with God was a
favorite of God's in Canaan, and had it staked out for himself: and who's to
argue with that?
†. Gen 28:18a . . Early in the morning, Jacob took the stone that he
had put under his head and set it up as a pillar
The word for "pillar" is from matstsebah (mats-tsay-baw') which is
something stationed; viz: a column or (memorial stone)by analogy, an idol.
All over the Mojave Desert in California are man-made stone monuments
that mark the location of historical events and/or sites. One of my favorites
is the Foot And Walker pass where Butterfield stagecoach passengers had to
disembark and walk because the slope was too steep for horses to pull the
coach with them inside it.
Jacob's pillow stone became a souvenir of his very first close encounter with
the Bible's God. To set it up, he would need something to elevate it and
make it prominent. So he probably gathered more stones into a pile, like a
cairn, and then put his pillow block on the very top as the cap stone.
†. Gen 28:18b . . and poured oil on the top of it.
The Bible doesn't say where Jacob got the idea to pour oil on his historical
marker; so we'll just have to take an educated guess at it. It's very likely,
considering the situation, that anointing the pillow stone with oil (probably
either an edible, or medicinal oil rather than a petroleum based lubricant)
dedicated it as a memorial to Jacob's contractual bond between himself and
God.
There's reported to be widespread evidence (I haven't seen it for myself)
from the ancient Near East, for the use of oil in international treaty
relationships, and in effectuating business contracts. The practice seems to
have been a token of peace, friendship, and assumed obligation. In Jacob's
case, the anointing is connected with the making of a vow that bound him to
specific commitments.
†. Gen 28:19 . . He named that site Bethel; but previously the name
of the city had been Luz.
Luz retained it's original name for a long time afterwards. On his way back
home after twenty years with Laban, the name hadn't yet been changed to
Bethel (Gen 36:6). Precisely when the site's name was officially changed to
Bethel is difficult to ascertain.
The word for "Bethel" is from Beyth-' El (bayth-ale') which means (what
else?) house of God.
According to Jewish folklore, the stone Jacob chose for his pillow was
actually one of the stones Abraham used to construct the altar where he
bound Isaac. Jewish folklore also believes the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to
be the site where Abraham offered his son. Those lore imply that Bethel and
the Temple Mount are geographically the same. But it's highly unlikely. The
Temple Mount is in Jerusalem; and Bethel was about 12 miles to the north.
The exact geographic location of the offering of Isaac is totally unknown at
this time.
In the days of Solomon's rule, Israel became divided into a north and a
south, sort of like America's fracture during the Civil War. A king named
Jeroboam ruled the northern part and another king named Rehoboam ruled
the southern part. The northern part was called Israel, and the southern part
was called Judah. Jeroboam became concerned that his subjects in the north
might change sides because the Temple was in the south. So this is what he
did.
†. 1Kgs 12:26-29 . . Jeroboam said to himself: Now the kingdom may well
return to the House of David. If these people still go up to offer sacrifices at
the House of The Lord in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will turn back
to their master, King Rehoboam of Judah; they will kill me and go back to
King Rehoboam of Judah. So the king took counsel and made two golden
calves. He said to the people: You have been going up to Jerusalem long
enough. These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of
Egypt! He set up one in Bethel and placed the other in Dan.
Point being, the Temple Mount was at Jerusalem in Rehoboam's realm; and
Bethel was on Jeroboam's turf in the north; and if the people really wanted
to get on God's bad side, they worshipped in the north.
†. Amos 4:4 . . Come to Bethel, and transgress
†. Gen 28:20-21 . . Jacob then made a vow, saying: If God remains
with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am making, and
gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safe to
my father's house-- Yhvh shall be my God.
What's he saying? That the Lord has not been his god up to this point? Not
necessarily. It wasn't uncommon in those days for people to worship other
gods right along with Yhvh. This practice was later strictly forbidden by the
first of the so-called Ten Commandments.
†. Ex 20:1-3 . . And God spoke all these words: I am the Lord your God, who
brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other
gods before me.
Jacob's uncle Laban (the very father of his beloved Rachel) was notorious for
polytheism. On the one hand, he recognized Yhvh's divinity (Gen 24:50 and
31:29) while on the other hand he harbored a collection of patron gods in his
home (Gen 31:19 and 31:30). In the ancient Semitic world; patron gods
were equivalent to Catholicism's patron saints-- objects of devotion
venerated as special guardians, protectors, and/or supporters; viz:
alternative sources of providence.
Jacob knew about Abraham's god and believed that He existed (Gen 27:20).
But that's merely an educated consent, and nothing personal. It's like
knowing and believing that Mr. Barak Hussein Obama is the President of the
United States. But so what? Has the President ever come to your home for
coffee or dinner? Have the two of you been to a movie together or to a
picnic? Where was he when you were sick, down and out, and/or feeling
helpless, hopeless, despondent and depressed? See what I'm saying?
Lots of people glibly venerate the Bible's God. But very, very few can
honestly say: The Lord is "my" friend, He cares about me, He cares about
my life, He protects me and provides for me wherever I go. I am His, and He
is mine.
Jacob's vow reflects a personal decision of his own volition to make Yhvh the
sole object of his religious devotion to the exclusion of all the other gods
that people commonly venerated in his day. So we could paraphrase Gen
28:20-21 to read like this:
"If God remains with me, if He protects me on this journey that I am
making, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safe
to my father's house-- then Yhvh shall be my only patron."
Cont.
/
