Matthew Henry Commentary Genesis 28
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 28
Matthew Henry Commentary
Genesis 28
"And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother`s father. And take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother`s brother. And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a company of peoples. And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee. That thou mayest inherit the land of thy sojournings, which God gave unto Abraham. And Isaac sent away Jacob. And he went to Paddan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob`s and Esau`s mother." — Genesis 28:1-5 (ASV)
Jacob had blessings promised concerning both this world and the world to come; yet goes out to a hard service. This corrected him for his deception of his father. The blessing would be conferred on him, yet he would suffer for the indirect course taken to obtain it.
Jacob is dismissed by his father with a solemn charge. He must not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan: those who profess religion should not marry those who do not care for religion. Isaac also pronounced a solemn blessing.
Isaac had previously blessed him unknowingly; now he does so intentionally. This blessing is more full than the former; it is a gospel blessing. This promise reaches as high as heaven, of which Canaan was a type. That was the better country which Jacob and the other patriarchs had in view.
"Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram, to take him a wife from thence. And that as he blessed him he gave him a charge, saying, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan. And that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother, and was gone to Paddan-aram. And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan pleased not Isaac his father. And Esau went unto Ishmael, and took, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham`s son, the sister of Nebaioth, to be his wife." — Genesis 28:6-9 (ASV)
Good examples impress even the ungodly and malicious. But Esau thought, by pleasing his parents in one thing, to atone for other wrongdoings. Carnal hearts tend to think themselves as good as they should be, because in one particular matter they are not as bad as they used to be.
"And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set. And he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed. And behold, a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, Jehovah stood above it, and said, I am Jehovah, the God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south. And in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee, whithersoever thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land. For I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of." — Genesis 28:10-15 (ASV)
Jacob's conduct until now, as recorded, was not that of one who simply feared and trusted in God. But now in trouble, obliged to flee, he looked only to God to make him dwell in safety, and he could lie down and sleep in the open air with his head upon a stone. Any true believer would be willing to accept Jacob's pillow, provided he might have Jacob's vision. God's time to visit His people with His comforts is when they are most destitute of other comforts and comforters. Jacob saw a ladder which reached from earth to heaven, the angels going up and coming down, and God Himself at the head of it. This represents:
The providence of God, by which an ongoing interaction is maintained between heaven and earth. This let Jacob know that he had both a good guide and a good guard.
The mediation of Christ. He is this ladder; the foot on earth in His human nature, the top in heaven in His Divine nature.
Christ is the Way; all God's favors come to us, and all our services go to Him, by Christ (John 1:51). By this way, sinners draw near to the throne of grace with acceptance. By faith we perceive this way, and in prayer we approach by it. In answer to prayer we receive all necessary blessings of providence and grace.
We have no way of getting to heaven but by Christ. And when the soul, by faith, can see these things, then every place will become pleasant, and every prospect joyful. He will never leave us, until His last promise is accomplished in our everlasting happiness. God now spoke comfortably to Jacob.
He spoke from the head of the ladder. All the glad tidings we receive from heaven come through Jesus Christ. The Messiah should come from Jacob. Christ is the great blessing of the world. All that are blessed, are blessed in Him, and none of any family are shut out from blessedness in Him, but those that shut out themselves.
Jacob had to fear danger from his brother Esau; but God promises to keep him. He had a long journey before him, to an unknown country; but, Behold, I am with thee, and God promises to bring him back again to this land. He seemed to be forsaken by all his friends; but God gives him this assurance, I will not leave thee.
Whom God loves, He never leaves.
"And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely Jehovah is in this place. And I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. And he called the name of that place Beth-el. But the name of the city was Luz at the first." — Genesis 28:16-19 (ASV)
God manifested himself and his favor to Jacob when he was asleep. The Spirit, like the wind, blows when and where it pleases, and God's grace, like the dew, does not wait for the sons of men. Jacob sought to make good use of the visit God had made him.
Wherever we are, in the city or in the desert, in the house or in the field, in the shop or in the street, we may maintain our communion with Heaven, if it is not our own fault. But the more we see of God, the more cause we see for holy trembling before him.
"And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, so that I come again to my father`s house in peace, and Jehovah will be my God, then this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God`s house. And of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee." — Genesis 28:20-22 (ASV)
Jacob made a solemn vow on this occasion. In this, observe:
Jacob's faith. He trusts that God will be with him and will keep him; he depends upon it.
Jacob's moderation in his desires. He does not ask for soft clothing and dainty food. If God gives us much, we are obligated to be thankful and to use it for him; if he gives us only a little, we are obligated to be content and cheerfully enjoy him in it.
Jacob's piety and his regard for God appear in his desire that God would be with him and keep him. We need desire nothing more to make us comfortable and happy.
His resolution is also to cling to the Lord as his God in covenant. When we receive more than ordinary mercy from God, we should abound in gratitude to him.
A tenth is a fitting proportion to be devoted to God and used for him, though it may be more or less, as God prospers us (1 Corinthians 16:2).
Let us then remember our Bethels, how we are committed by solemn vows to yield ourselves to the Lord, to take him for our God, and to devote all we have and are to his glory!
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