9 JULY GENESIS 28
- Werner Jansen van rensburg
- Jul 9
- 4 min read
Bethel – From Exile to Encounter
Genesis 28 begins with a departure and ends in a divine encounter. Jacob, having received the blessing through deception, is now sent away. Yet in exile, God reveals Himself—not in judgment, but in covenantal affirmation. This chapter reflects that God’s grace is greater than our beginnings.
Isaac Sends Jacob to Find a Wife
Genesis 28:1–5 (NIV) “So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: ‘Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. May He give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.’ Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.” Isaac, now seeing God’s hand on Jacob, formally affirms the Abrahamic covenant over him: fruitfulness, land, and divine favour. The wording closely parallels God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 and 17.
Esau’s Attempt at Reconciliation Genesis 28:6–9 (NIV) “Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, ‘Do not marry a Canaanite woman,’ and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. Esau then realised how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.” Esau attempts to recover favour through religious conformity, marrying within the broader family. But his action reflects fleshly reasoning, not spiritual repentance. His union with Ishmael’s line, while technically Abrahamic, is outside the covenantal blessing.
Jacob’s Journey and the Vision at Bethel
Genesis 28:10–11 (NIV) “Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.” Jacob, alone in the wilderness, sleeps with a stone for a pillow. He is physically displaced and spiritually unformed, yet he is precisely where God intends to meet him.
Genesis 28:12–15 (NIV) “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the Earth, with its top reaching to Heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and He said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the Earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on Earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’” This is Jacob’s personal call into covenant. Though he has deceived, God affirms the promise. The stairway (often called "Jacob’s ladder") is a visual revelation of heaven’s connection to earth—and of God’s presence in unexpected places.
John 1:51 (NIV) “He then added, ‘Very truly I tell you, you will see “Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”’” Jesus identifies Himself as the fulfilment of this vision, the ladder between heaven and earth. Jacob’s dream foreshadows Christ as the mediator of divine encounter.
Jacob’s Awakening and Vow
Genesis 28:16–17 (NIV) “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. ’He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of Heaven.’” Jacob’s revelation is transformative. What he saw as wilderness is actually a holy place. God was present, even though Jacob had not invited Him.
Genesis 28:18–19 (NIV) “Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.” Bethel means “House of God.” The stone, once a pillow of discomfort, becomes a pillar of worship. Jacob then makes a vow, imperfect yet sincere.
Genesis 28:20–22 (NIV) “Then Jacob made a vow, saying, ‘If God will be with Me and will watch over Me on this journey I am taking and will give Me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to My father’s household, then the Lord will be My God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give Me I will give You a tenth.’”
Although Jacob does not yet walk in full maturity, his vow is conditional, unlike Abraham’s unqualified faith. Nevertheless, this marks the beginning of his personal journey with God.