Summary:
Genesis 28 verses 1 to 9 talk about how Isaac ,Jacob’s father has send Jacob to Padan Aram to find a wife amongst; Laban his uncle’s daughters ( Rebekah’s brother). Because Isaac did not want Jacob to marry any of the daughters of Canaan. In verses 3 to 4 Isaac is blessing Jacob , giving the blessing of multiplying and being fruitful. Later in verses 6 to 9 Esau hears that his father blessed Jacob and told him not to marry the daughters of Canaan. Therefore Esau goes and does according to what his father had told Jacob and does not marry a women from Canaan but married the daughter of Ishmael , who was named Mahalath.
Later on in verses 10 to 22 Jacob has a dream about angels going up and down a ladder to heaven. Jacob thought the dream meant that the place in which he was standing was Holy ground . Later in verse 20 Jacob makes a promise to follow God and to tithe as long as God is with him and provides for him.
Facts:
- Isaac send Jacob to marry one of Laban’s Daughters
- Esau marries Mahalath
- Laban is Rebekah’s brother
- Jacob dreams about angels ascending and descending a ladder
- Jacob promises to follow God
Observation:
- Isaac does not tell Esau not to marry a woman from Canaan , yet he does just as his father had told Jacob to do.
What Happens in this Chapter:
- In this chapter Esau gets married and Jacob is blessed by his father Isaac and later blessed to have a dream in which he sees angels ascending and descending from a ladder going to heaven.
Ideas:
In Genesis 28 the major focus centers around Jacob and his dream about the ladder. The ladder could represent a few different objects or ideas. For example, the ladder is a direct contact between earth and heaven. Because of this, the ladder could be a representation of the covenant between God and Jacob. Subsequently, this ladder also could stand to represent any covenant previously made in Genesis in a physical way. Additionally, the ladder not only represents the link between heaven and earth but also proves as a way of transportation for the angels. The angels can freely move up and down the ladder. This is represented when Jacob sees the ladder covered with Angels and realizes that he is a having a vision from God