Genesis By The Slice

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Gen 27:1-4

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†. Gen 27:1a . .When Isaac was old

Just precisely how old Isaac was at this time, is difficult to tell. But I think
we can come close enough for government work.

Jacob spent 20 years with Laban. (Gen 31:41a)

Joseph was born during that time. (Gen 30:22-24)

At just about the time Joseph was born, Jacob and Laban worked out an
arrangement concerning shares of the livestock to compensate Jacob's
labors. (Gen 30:25-34)

That deal with the livestock went on for six of the twenty years Jacob served
Laban. (Gen 31:41b)

Joseph was 30 when he became prime minister of Egypt. (Gen 41:46a)

When Joseph went to work for Pharaoh; a 14 year period began, consisting
of two divisions-- seven years of plenty, and seven years of famine. After
the seven years of plenty, and two of the years of famine, when he was
about 39, Joseph brought his dad down into Egypt. (Gen 45:6-9)

When Jacob arrived, he stood before Pharaoh and told him he was 130 years
old. (Gen 47:7-9a)

Now we can do some arithmetic.

Jacob arrived in Egypt at 130. Subtracting Joseph's age of 39, we get 91;
which was Jacob's age when Joseph was born. After subtracting 14-- the
years Jacob worked for Laban up to the deal they made concerning the
livestock --we're left with 77; which is Jacob's approximate age when he
indentured himself to Laban.

Allowing for a generous intermission of 2 years-- encompassing Rebecca's
scheme, Jacob's flight to Haran, and his eventual indenture to Laban -
Jacob's age in the section of Genesis we're in today, can very reasonably be
put at 75.

Isaac was 60 when Jacob was born. (Gen 25:26)

So adding 75 to 60, puts Isaac somewhere in the neighborhood of 135 years
old at the beginning of chapter 27.

Everyone involved in this next episode was getting up in years and thus
quite mature. Jacob and Esau, though 75 years old, were, nonetheless,
vigorous men and, gerontologically speaking, relatively young in terms of
the aging process as it existed in those days. Even Isaac wasn't as near
death as he feared since he lived another 45 years to be 180 when he died.
(Gen 35:28)

†. Gen 27:1b . . and his eyes were too dim to see,

The word for "dim" is from kahah (kaw-haw') which means: to be weak; viz:
to despond and/or grow dull.

So Isaac wasn't actually blind, as some have proposed. It's far more likely
he was stricken with cataracts, macular degeneration, and/or some other
vision disorder very common among people his age even today.

†. Gen 27:1c-2 . . he called his older son Esau and said to him; My
son. He answered: Here I am. And he said: I am old now, and I do
not know how soon I may die.

Die from what? Was he having a bad day or something? Isaac went on to
live another 45 years. Maybe he was just depressed because of his eyesight.
People often lose interest in life when they become handicapped. It's really
not unusual; and to be expected.

†. Gen 27:3-4 . . Now then, please take your gear, your quiver and
your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me; and prepare
a savory dish for me such as I love, and bring it to me that I may
eat, so that my soul may bless you before I die.

The part about "my soul" is a curious statement. The word for soul is
nephesh (neh'-fesh) which is a very common word for creatures in the Old
Testament beginning at Gen 1:20. Nepesh never refers to inanimate life;
viz: it only refers to fauna, never to flora.

A pretty good paraphrase of that portion of the passage would be "that I
may bless you from the bottom of my heart".

Esau was Isaac's favorite and I don't think he ever did care too much for
Jacob. If he had purposed to bless Jacob, I think it would have been done
with a very grudging spirit. This particular blessing regards Esau's
inheritance. He already sold the patriarchy to Jacob for a bowl of lentil soup.
Whether or not Isaac was aware of the deal the brothers struck, is not said.

What takes place next in chapter 27 is difficult to believe. To think that two
grown-ups, one at least 75 and the other very likely 115 years old, took part
in this incredibly clownish deception. I could understand young,
inexperienced kids doing something so stupid. But it is difficult to understand
how supposedly mature adults like Rebecca and Jacob could ever seriously
ponder such a silly scheme.

It is simply moronic that Rebecca would even remotely consider that her
crafty little plan had even the remotest chance of success. Conducted under
false pretenses, and a fake ID; it would only be a matter of hours before the
scam was uncovered, the ill gotten blessing of course retracted, and the
perpetrators soundly excoriated . . unless . . unless there is more to this
incident than meets the eye; and there most certainly is.

Ninety-five years prior to this point in time, God personally selected a
vibrant water girl up in Haran to be Isaac's spouse. The wisdom of that
selection is now going to become apparent as we begin to realize who
actually wore the spiritual pants in Isaac's house. If spirituality were a
martial art, Rebecca would be a black belt. Her discernment regarding
matters of Heaven is just incredible. Was she really a silly female? Far from
it.

In spite of God's mandate in chapter 25 concerning Jacob, and in spite of the
plainly obvious superiority of Jacob's character, and his spiritual
discernment, and his convictions, and in spite of Esau's blatant indifference
to his birthright, and to his spiritual heritage, and to the mind of God; Isaac
was nevertheless apparently determined to give both the patriarchy and the
inheritance to Esau-- clearly the wrong choice; not to mention a direct
affront to God. The inheritance was one thing, but the patriarchy was a
whole other matter altogether.

Esau even married impious women from among the pagan Canaanites. A
horrible choice considering the potential danger that such spouses
threatened to the future of Abraham's covenant. And Esau no doubt made
that choice against the counsel and consent of his parents; proving all the
more just how head-strong and self-willed the man really was. Motivated by
the gain of temporal advantage, and the gratification of carnal appetites;
Esau had no spiritual vision at all. Well; Rebecca is fixin' to give Mr. Isaac,
and his secular son Mr. Esau, the wake-up call of their lives!

Esau was a man's man. I think if any of us met him, we would be instantly
drawn by his charisma and virility. And I think that Isaac saw in him the kind
of man he always wished he was himself. But in the coin of heaven, Esau
had no more worth than a dilapidated old shoe.

It's difficult to comprehend how favoritism, on the part of such a presumably
spiritual man as Isaac, could be based upon such a carnal motive as the
taste of venison. But it wasn't just the meal, but rather the way it was
obtained.

We get runs of Salmon up here in Oregon's rivers at various times of the
year. Last time I checked; you could buy fresh Coho Salmon in local
supermarkets for about $12 a pound. But no; guys prefer instead to spend
all day on a river shivering in the freezing cold just to catch one Salmon in
the wild. But the river fish means something that the supermarket fish can
never mean. Yes, both are edible and both make great eating and honestly
you can't tell the difference. But one is obtained with a shopping cart. The
other by a man's own bare hands: with fishing tackle, by personal energy
combined with risk, skill, and cunning. All those are important to a "real"
man's feelings of personal worth.

It was customary in Jacob's day to mark solemn occasions with a feast; like
the one Isaac prepared for Abimelech when they swore an oath together in
chapter 26. And since the blessing Isaac resolved to bestow upon Esau was
such an important one, it seemed appropriate that the solemnities should be
marked by a feast of wild meat provided by Esau's own personal hunting
skills. However, father and son didn't reckon on the God factor, and they
surely didn't reckon on black-belt Rebecca. Their little party is not going to
happen because this sharp gal from up north anticipated this very day and is
all set to implement a little fiesta of her own.

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Gen 27:5-13

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†. Gen 27:5a . . Rebecca had been listening as Isaac spoke to his son
Esau.

There is no way Isaac and Esau caught this woman by surprise. Uh-uh. I
believe Rebecca had a contingency plan all well thought out in advance long
before now. She didn't go nuts wondering what to do. No siree Billy Bob.
Rebecca instantly escalated to DefCon 1; pulled out her operation plan, and
followed it right by the numbers.

We might ask: Why was Rebecca so concerned anyway? Didn't God decree
the firstborn's rights to Jacob? Then Jacob will get them anyway; won't he?

Yes. Jacob would eventually end up with the firstborn's rights anyway; but
the problem was: the outgoing patriarch had to impart the blessing and
obviously Mr. Isaac wasn't inclined to do so. It appears to me that Isaac was
actually going to attempt to circumvent God's wishes and I honestly think it
was because he was afraid of alienating his favorite son.

Rebecca wasn't stupid, nor inclined to superstition. I seriously doubt she was
silly enough to believe the words of the blessing themselves held sufficient
magic to confer the firstborn's rights upon Jacob just because he happened
to be in the room and hear them as they were spoken in his direction. After
all, it was all done under false pretenses and a fake ID. No court in the land
would uphold anything obtained by a fraud like that. But her scheme was
designed to do something else entirely. I believe her intent was to wake
Isaac up and make him return to his senses. The man did fear God. That
much is beyond question. But he was lax in his patriarchal duties. Before this
is over, he will regret his laxity very, very much.

†. Gen 27:5b-7 . .When Esau had gone out into the open to hunt
game to bring home, Rebecca said to her son Jacob: I overheard
your father speaking to your brother Esau, saying: Bring me some
game and prepare a dish for me to eat, that I may bless you, with
the Lord's approval, before I die.

That's not really what Isaac said. It appears that Rebecca embellished a little
and added "with the Lord's approval." Compare Gen 3:3 where Eve
embellished God's testimony in Gen 2:17 where He didn't forbid them to
"touch" the fruit; no, only to eat it.

†. Gen 27:8 . . Now, my son, listen carefully as I instruct you.

I tell you this woman scares me. Cool as an undercover vice cop, Rebecca
executes Plan A with the step by step precision of a well arranged sting. I
can just visualize her grip upon Jacob's arm, gazing up into his face with a
most intense look, as she gears him up to get started on his part of the
scheme.

†. Gen 27:9a . . Go to the flock and fetch me two choice kids,

Why two? Well, deer produce a much larger quantity of meat than a little
bitty kid. It's true Isaac couldn't possibly eat the whole thing, but she can
only use parts of the kids that best resemble the venison cuts Isaac prefers.
And Esau more than likely cooked up a whole lot more than just one serving.
I think he typically brought his dad a heaping buffet and let him pick out
what he wanted. Rebecca is going to have to duplicate that setting as best
as she can. And she will too. After all, who was it taught those two boys how
to cook in the first place? None other than Becky Crocker.

†. Gen 27:9b . . and I will make of them a dish for your father, such
as he likes.

This is additional evidence that it wasn't merely the flavor of Esau's cooking
that made Isaac love him. Rebecca could duplicate the taste of venison with
goat meat so that you couldn't tell the one from the other.

†. Gen 27:10a-11a . .Then take it to your father to eat, in order that
he may bless you before he dies. Jacob answered his mother
Rebecca: But . .

Jacob straight away sees where his mom is going with this and likes it.
However . . there's just one problem: Rebecca can duplicate Esau's cooking;
but how will Jacob duplicate Esau? They didn't have the benefit of slick
Hollywood make-up artists in those days so how are they going to make
Jacob look (or rather, feel) like his brother? Well, they have Isaac's poor
eyesight to their advantage; so Jacob's appearance won't have to be all that
accurate. But they will need at least one prosthetic: body hair.

†. Gen 27:11b-12 . . my brother Esau is a hairy man and I am
smooth-skinned. If my father touches me, I shall appear to him as a
trickster and bring upon myself a curse, not a blessing.

Isaac might get the wrong idea and think that Jacob is poking fun at his bad
eyesight by playing a dumb trick on him. That would hurt the old boy's
feelings a great deal to think that his 75 year-old son thought so little of him
as to perpetrate such a cruel prank; which of course would warrant a curse;
because it is not only cruel to play tricks on the blind, but, even worse, to be
cruel to one's parents.

†. Gen 27:13 . . But his mother said to him: Your curse, my son, be
upon me! Just do as I say and go fetch them for me.

That's the oldest ploy in the book. It's the very same reasoning the German
military guards used to justify their duties at Auschwitz and Dachau. "You
can't blame us" they said; "We only did what we were told." That seems
reasonable enough. After all, the ones in charge are really responsible;
right? Wrong. The midwives of Ex 1:15-17 could have used the very same
excuse; but didn't. And God commended them for fearing Him. If they had
obeyed Pharaoh, they would have received condemnation instead. Everyone
bears their own personal responsibility and has a duty to raise conscientious
objections. In other words: it is a sin to violate your conscience. Yes,
soldiers and minor children are to obey their superiors-- but to the point of
sin? Never! Besides, Jacob was no minor child. He was a grown man.

But Rebecca needed some leverage to keep Jacob in the game. By playing
the "filial authority" card, she persuaded Jacob to stay on track. Luckily, he
wasn't too bright at the time and failed to appreciate his own personal
accountability. After all, the man was at least 75 years old; not just a little
kid. But then again, I think Jacob the supplanter really wanted to pull this
thing off and just needed a way to appease his own misgivings about it; so it
wasn't too difficult to win him over.

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Gen 27:14-27

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†. Gen 27:14-15 . . He got them and brought them to his mother, and
his mother prepared a dish such as his father liked. Rebecca then
took the best clothes of her older son Esau, which were there in the
house, and had her younger son Jacob put them on;

The word for "house" is from bayith (bah'-yith) which means: a dwelling (in
the greatest variation of applications), including family.

Does that mean Rebecca lived in a permanent structure? I don't think so.
Bayith doesn't always mean what we think. In Gen 6:14 it implicates the
interior of the ark. At Gen 7:1 it implicates Noah's family, and quite possibly
even all their belongings-- a regular Noah's Family Robinson. At Gen 15:2,
bayith implicates Abraham's entire estate: his tents, his livestock, and his
servants.

Some have proposed that Esau's best clothes were special-- for religious
observances --like the garments that priests might wear. But that certainly
doesn't fit Esau's character. I think it was just a nice outfit of some sort,
maybe even the one he got married in. But anyway, they sure didn't get
washed often because his clothes usually smelled like the outdoors-- and
that could mean anything from plain old dirt to wild flowers and meadow
grass.

But why were those clothes (viz: his cleanest dirty shirts) in Rebecca's
home? I believe it was because Rebecca anticipated this very day and kept
them right there handy so she could put them on Jacob when the time
came. And that is why she never washed the smell out of them. Jacob of
course was very likely a tidy sort of guy and kept his clothes clean. But Esau
was a rugged outdoor type who's clothes you would expect to have an odor.

†. Gen 27:16 . . and she covered his hands and the hairless part of
his neck with the skins of the kids.

Those hides would still be raw and untreated. So Rebecca had to scrub and
scrape to get all the fat and blood off so they wouldn't have a visceral smell
to them. Yuck! That's reminiscent of scenes from Silence Of The Lambs.

†. Gen 27:17 . .Then she put in the hands of her son Jacob the dish
and the bread that she had prepared.

Yummy. From the kitchen of Becky Crocker; with biscuits and gravy too.
Well, this is as far as Rebecca can go. Now it's all up to Mr. Jacob to pull this
off. Good luck dude. Don't chicken out now.

†. Gen 27:18-19a . . He went to his father and said: Father. And he
said: Yes, which of my sons are you? Jacob said to his father: I am
Esau, your first-born; I have done as you told me.

That boy makes me proud. No mumbling, no stuttering, no hesitation-- right
to it. Yes; he is a big fat liar. But I love it. You watch. Any day now he'll get
a letter in the mail from CIA recruiters praising his moral flexibility.

NOTE: When Jacob called out to his dad; he used what is known as a
"vocative" which Webster's defines as: of, relating to, or being a
grammatical case marking out the one addressed. In other words: a
vocative is intended to get the attention of a specific person in a room rather
than everybody in the room.

This may seem superfluous, and I guess it isn't germane to a study of
Genesis; but the principle has an important application in Christianity.
Compare Rom 8:15 and Gal 4:6 where the Aramaic vocative Abba indicates
that the Father's children don't call out to Him as merely a clan's
paterfamilias, but rather, like Jacob did with Isaac: as one's very own papa.

†. Gen 27:19b-20 . . Pray sit up and eat of my game, that you may
give me your innermost blessing. Isaac said to his son: How did you
succeed so quickly, my son? And he said: Because the Lord your God
granted me good fortune.

What did he say!? My golly that man had chutzpah! He actually dragged the
name of God into the lie. Now Jacob will be condemned to the lower regions
for sure; or will he?

"I say unto you: that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit
down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt
8:11)

†. Gen 27:21-23 . . Isaac said to Jacob: Come closer that I may feel
you, my son-- whether you are really my son Esau or not. So Jacob
drew close to his father Isaac, who felt him and wondered: The voice
is the voice of Jacob, yet the hands are the hands of Esau. He did not
recognize him, because his hands were hairy like those of his
brother Esau; and so he blessed him.

So then, in spite of their twin-ness, there was enough of a difference in the
brothers' voices to be discernable. However, Rebecca somehow attached
size-cut pieces of young goat skin on the backs of Jacob's hands and fingers
with some sort of toupee adhesive so it would feel to Isaac as if it were a
man's natural hairs. That was a pretty good trick; and would probably land
her a job as a Hollywood make-up artist.

†. Gen 27:24 . . He asked: Are you truly my son Esau? And when he
said: I am,

Some people are of the opinion that Jacob was a mama's boy. Well, maybe
he was. But one thing he had that most mama's boys don't; and it's a level
head under stress. Jacob was as calm and calculating as a test pilot all
during this incident.

I tell you, that man amazes me. I bet Rebecca was just outside the door
sweating bullets while all this was going on; hoping and praying that Jacob
not lose his cool and bolt out of the room in a panic. This is just the kind of
cool under fire that the Secret Service looks for; but then, you need a pretty
high IQ to work with those guys.

†. Gen 27:25 . . he said: Serve me and let me eat of my son's game
that I may give you my innermost blessing. So he served him and he
ate, and he brought him wine and he drank.

The wine was probably out in the kitchen. When Jacob went back to get it,
don't you think Rebecca hugged him and gave him a great big thumbs up? I
do. Those two were a team! The original Mission Impossible task force.

While Isaac was eating, he and Jacob probably chatted. About what; I don't
have a clue. But Jacob managed to pull it off like a pro. Isaac really thought
he was talking with Esau.

†. Gen 27:26-27 . .Then his father Isaac said to him: Come close and
kiss me, my son. And he went up and kissed him. And he smelled his
clothes and he blessed him, saying, Ah, the smell of my son is like
the smell of the fields that the Lord has blessed.

Esau probably always smelled like that and Rebecca took full advantage of it.
He should have washed his clothes once in a while. Good grief the man had
two wives. What the heck did they do all day? Neglect their chores to watch
Game Shows, Oprah, Dr. Phil, Judge Judy, and the Soaps? I bet if you
visited Esau's home the kids were running around in dirty underwear and
snotty noses all the time. You probably had to kick a path to walk and
wouldn't dare sit down because something might stick. Poor Rebecca. What
a pair of daughters-in-law. I bet when they all got together on holidays,
Judith and Basemath sat around on their tushes and gossiped while Rebecca
and Jacob did all the cooking and the dishes.

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Gen 27:28-29

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†. Gen 27:28 . . May God give you of the dew of heaven and the fat of
the earth, abundance of new grain and wine.

The Hebrew word for the "fat" pertaining to Abel's offering is cheleb (kheh'
leb); or cheleb (khay'-leb) which don't always indicate fleshly fat, but mostly
mean the richest or the choicest parts.

The Hebrew word for the "fat" pertaining to Isaac's blessing is mashman
(mash-mawn') which, again, doesn't always indicate fleshly fat; but also
richness; e.g. a rich dish, a fertile field, and or a robust man. In other
words; Isaac's blessing is agricultural.

The benediction, first of all, regards things in nature necessary for prosperity
in an agrarian economy-- rain, fertile soil, and abundant yields. Rain is an
especially precious resource in the country of Israel where today it's confined
to just one season a year lasting only three months. In the old days, they
had two rainy seasons; the early rains and the latter rains.

City slickers hate rain. It's so inconvenient. It gets their hair wet; they have
to run the wipers; it floods their streets and storm drains, their gutters
overflow from clogged downspouts, they can't wear flip-flops-- caring little
that the foods available in the supermarkets and convenience stores are
utterly dependent upon adequate rain. I think that some people actually
think their foods are manufactured in sweat shops rather than grown in the
dirt. They just can't make the connection.

†. Gen 27:29a . . Let peoples serve you, And nations bow to you;

Jacob's progeny has exercised dominance over many nations in the past,
most especially during Solomon's period. Today they're in a slump. But that
benediction isn't dead yet; no, not by a long sea mile. In the future, Israel
will be the seat of world power and the center for religious studies. You'd
never know it to look at Jacob's condition today; but it's going to happen.

†. Gen 27:29b . . Be master over your brothers, and let your
mother's sons bow to you.

The magic words! --and the very ones I'm sure Rebecca was anxiously
waiting to hear. His "mother's sons" right then only amounted to (in Isaac's
mind) just one: Mr. Jacob. But Rebecca became a grandma and today her
sons can't even be numbered. Every one of them are supposed to honor
Jacob and bow in respect because he, along with Isaac and Abraham, is a
member of the elite league of senior patriarchs.

The bestowal of the patriarchy upon Jacob was done with God as a witness,
who has, so far, neither interfered nor intervened; nor has He seen fit to
alert Isaac to Jacob's deception, nor said a single word about the whole
fraudulent business. In short, the Almighty God, of all people, is apparently
condoning Jacob's funny business. It seems to me, that the only way to
understand this situation is to conclude that, whatever may be wrong with
the stratagem and deception of Jacob and Rebecca, the sin of Esau and
Isaac was infinitely more grievous.

Yes, it's true that God doesn't usually condone lies; and I'm sure Jacob and
his mom well knew it. They were spiritual people; both of them. But I really
think that as bad as deception might be in God's sight, it had become a
desperate necessity in this case to prevent a much worse sin: that of
blasphemously presuming to impart the most holy of God's offices to a man
who neither appreciated its depth, nor would honor it-- and to do so directly
in the face of God's commandment against it. Such an eventuality surely
would have incurred God's most severe judgment upon both Isaac and Esau;
and I am convinced that Rebecca felt she must prevent that occurrence at all
costs, even if it meant alienating her husband and infuriating Esau to the
point of seeking Jacob's death.

Isaac, because of the solemn nature of what he was doing, (conveying holy
covenant promises and blessings to a son, who in turn would be responsible
for their transmission and implementation in his own family) was no doubt
under the influence of the power of God that day and was carried along in
the scheme even though he half suspected the son in the room with him
wasn't Esau. No. Jacob was getting that blessing, and there was nothing
short of Heaven and Hell themselves that could prevent it.

The Almighty Himself, who had made His solemn covenant with Abraham,
and renewed it with Isaac, certainly was present in that room during the
whole affair. What would have happened if Esau was instead standing there
that day we can only surmise. But it seems highly probable that the
consequences would have been tragic for both father and son. The Almighty
God's holy promises and covenants are never to be dispensed as trifles,
subject to the whim and preference of self centered mortals who are swayed
to make important decisions simply upon the taste of their favorite foods.

†. Gen 27:29c . . Cursed be they who curse you, blessed they who
bless you.

That the blessing upon Jacob was definitely the same as the blessing given
to Abraham and Isaac is clear from the words spoken here in the final part.
First, Isaac conferred the material aspects of patriarchal life: prosperity. I
am sure that Esau would have loved that part of it. However, there is
nothing in the wording of the blessing to suggest that it included an actual
bequeathal of Isaac's assets. Isaac's closing statement echoes God's own
words to Abraham in Gen 12:3

Some have wondered why Isaac didn't include the balance of the Gen 12:2
-3 blessing at this time; which goes like this:

"I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your
name great, and you shall be a blessing . . and all the families of the earth
shall bless themselves by you."

Sad to say, I think Isaac knew very well it would be like blessing a dead pig.
There is no way Esau would ever become a great nation, and especially ever
become a blessing to all the families of the Earth; nor that they would bless
themselves by him. Yet even knowing that, Isaac was, for all intents and
purposes, still determined to confer the patriarchy upon Esau, the unholy
son with no future. I hate to say it, but I strongly suspect Isaac was
becoming somewhat deranged; especially because of the feelings he
entertained about his supposedly imminent death.

Anyway, he did pronounce the blessing upon Jacob; and did so under the
very inspiration of God, though Isaac himself was trying to thwart the will of
God all the while he was speaking. Just so, many years later, the infamous
prophet for profit, Balaam, in Numbers 22, 23, and 24, was forced to bless
Israel even against his own will. And in the days of Jesus of Nazareth (John
11:49-52) the high priest spoke prophetically of the meaning of Jesus'
death; though the priest himself did not understand the real import of what
he was saying; nor even put any stock at all in his own words.

The blessing which, by God's edict, should have gone to Jacob in the first
place, was indeed finally pronounced upon him by his father in spite of
Isaac's lack of willingness to do so. He was tricked into it, yes; but by
thunder that shouldn't have been necessary.

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Gen 27:30-38

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†. Gen 27:30-33a . . No sooner had Jacob left the presence of his
father Isaac-- after Isaac had finished blessing Jacob --than his
brother Esau came back from his hunt. He too prepared a dish and
brought it to his father. And he said to his father: Let my father sit
up and eat of his son's game, so that you may give me your
innermost blessing. His father Isaac said to him: Who are you? And
he said: I am your son, Esau, your first-born! Isaac was seized with
very violent trembling.

According to Jewish folklore, Isaac's first impulse, upon realizing he blessed
the wrong son, was to retract the benediction from Jacob and give it to the
son for whom it was intended; and would have except at that moment he
saw Hell open beneath his feet, thus signifying that God was very displeased
with his intentions; and if he persisted any longer to bless the wrong boy, he
would suffer dire consequences. I would not be one bit surprised if that were
true.

It began to dawn on Isaac what had happened. The truth suddenly came
home to him like a frigid blast of icy wind. In spite of all his intentions, God
overruled Isaac, and he blessed the younger instead of the elder; like he
was supposed to do in the first place.

Furthermore, he realized he had been deceived by his true love Rebecca,
and by his faithful son Jacob, whom he really hadn't appreciated very much
up until now. I think he realized, that they, level-headed and sensible people
that they were, deceived him in order to prevent the head of the house from
doing what he very well knew he had no right to do. And God was in on the
whole scheme, and had blessed Jacob through Isaac in spite of himself to
the contrary. Jacob would indeed be blessed, just as he should have been all
along.

†. Gen 27:33b . .Who was it then-- he demanded --that hunted game
and brought it to me? Moreover, I ate of it before you came, and I
blessed him; now he must remain blessed!

This was clearly the will of God and there was nothing Isaac could do to
change it. He had tried to, but God stopped him. As the impact of these
thoughts came over him, Isaac became very shaken. Emotions of all sorts
must have overwhelmed him-- anger with Jacob, concern for Esau's future,
heartbreak over Rebecca's treachery, resentment at having his own plans
thwarted, and shame for having played the fool in such an important
spiritual matter. All those feelings surely contributed to his trembling.

Isaac quickly realized God had spoken to him in judgment, and that he had
incurred great peril to himself in so ignoring the will of God. He had betrayed
the trust of his father Abraham and had practically destroyed his own home;
all because of a carnal appetite and parental adulation of a favorite son's
physical exploits. No wonder the poor man was shaking so badly.

†. Gen 27:34a . .When Esau heard his father's words, he burst into
wild and bitter sobbing,

The word for "sobbing" is wayits'aq which is from tsa' aq (tsaw-ak') and
means: to shriek.

I have a feeling the shriek that wrenched up out of Esau's lungs is the very
same hysterical emotion that millions of damned will feel at The Great White
Throne judgment of Rev 20:11-15 when the grim reality of their fate finally
sinks in that they have lost Heaven forever. It's beyond words.

At the first, Esau entered his dad's room with cheerful anticipation. Then
quite bluntly, Isaac blurts out that someone beat him to it. Watching his dad
shivering, and seeing the look of fear wash over the patriarch's face, the
awful truth became only too apparent and Esau gave vent to his
disappointment with a dreadful scream.

†. Gen 27:34b . . and said to his father: Bless me too, Father!

In Esau's mind, his dad really hadn't intended to bless Jacob; and was
actually hoodwinked into it; so surely God couldn't possibly honor the
fraudulent blessing. Isaac could just simply retract his words and bless the
older son like he wanted to. But no. It was far more serious than either Esau
or his dad imagined; which by now, via God's Spirit, Isaac was fully aware.

†. Gen 27:34c . . But he answered: Your brother came with guile and
took away your blessing.

That was really only a half truth; no doubt told with the intent to prevent
alienating his eldest son. The fact of the matter is: Isaac couldn't change
anything now even if he wanted to; and he knew it too because by now he
was fully reminded of God's original mandate regarding the two boys even
before they were born. Hardly knowing how to explain his wanton error to
Esau, he simply blamed Jacob for it. But it was Isaac's fault all along. He
should never have led Esau to believe he would get the blessing. So many
dads cannot admit they made a mistake in the way they raised their kids.
Isaac was certainly no better.

†. Gen 27:36a . . [Esau] said: Was he, then, named Jacob that he
might supplant me these two times? First he took away my
birthright and now he has taken away my blessing!

Esau bitterly recalled that Jacob had taken away his birthright-- of course
conveniently forgetting that he saw no value in it and traded his privilege for
a measly bowl of lintel porridge.

†. Gen 27:36b-38 . . And he added: Have you not reserved a blessing
for me? Isaac answered, saying to Esau: But I have made him
master over you: I have given him all his brothers for servants, and
sustained him with grain and wine. What, then, can I still do for you,
my son? And Esau said to his father: Have you but one blessing,
Father? Bless me too, Father! And Esau wept aloud.

It must have been a strange sight to see such a virile, strong, athletic he
man screaming like a woman and bawling like a little girl. Agonizingly, he
begged his dad for a blessing of some kind for himself, probably hoping that
somehow God, through his father's intercession, could be persuaded to
change His mind. The portion of the blessing, which no doubt appealed to
Esau the most-- that of political superiority and material security-- had been
irrevocably given to Jacob; and all the blubbering in the world couldn't
change the situation now.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 27:39-45

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†. Gen 27:39-40 . . And his father Isaac answered, saying to him:
See, your abode shall be [away from] the fat of the earth and [from]
the dew of heaven above. Yet by your sword you shall live, and you
shall serve your brother; but when you grow restive, you shall break
his yoke from your neck.

The words in the brackets don't actually appear in the Hebrew text. But
according to a foot note in the 1985 JPS Tanakh; the meaning of the Hebrew
is just what you see. Jacob's side of the family was granted the best water,
fertile soils, and abundant yields. In contrast, Esau's side of the family would
live in regions plagued with geological shortages of water, arable land, and
natural pastures.

Isaac's prediction was fulfilled by the very nature of the rugged region that
came to be known as the land of Edom. The Edomites, in general, lived in
violence and subjection to Israel; remaining essentially independent until
David's time, but then were subjugated permanently after that in spite of
frequent rebellions and temporary partial freedom. Finally, Edom
disappeared as a nation by that name: the little prophecy of Obadiah
explains why.

Esau's life of indifference to spiritual matters-- in spite of being born to one
of the most privileged heritages possible --had finally caught up with him
and it was too late even for regrets.

†. Gen 27:41 . . Now Esau harbored a grudge against Jacob because
of the blessing which his father had given him, and Esau said to
himself: Let but the mourning period of my father come, and I will
kill my brother Jacob.

Well, he had a long wait ahead of him. Isaac lived another 45 years.

But isn't it odd how the human spirit desires to kill-- not just desire for harm
and misfortune; but to the gravest extreme?

A few years ago, out here on a highway in Oregon, traffic was slowed. So a
man tried to get ahead of it by driving on the shoulder to pass everyone. As
he went by a pick-up truck with some men in it, one of them threw a paper
cup at him. He dropped back and fired a gun into the pick-up, killing one of
the passengers.

That is so typical of the feelings that overwhelm human beings when they're
angry. They want blood, and no other form of revenge will satisfy. Is it
possible that there is anybody out there who has never wished that
somebody would die?

Esau's personality changed dramatically. He went from an indifferent,
carefree outdoor sportsman to a bitter, vindictive neurotic. The thought of
his sissy brother ruling over him-- the superior son who was always admired
and idolized for his strength and prowess --was just too much for Esau to
bear.

†. Gen 27:42a . . When the words of her older son Esau were
reported to Rebecca,

You know, if criminals would just keep their mouths shut they might get
away with a whole lot more crimes. But no, they just have to tell somebody
about it. Esau must have vented his bitterness to some of the servants who,
in turn, leaked it to Rebecca.

†. Gen 27:42b-43a . . she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to
him: Your brother Esau is consoling himself by planning to kill you.
Now, my son, listen to me.

Again showing herself to be a woman of quick decision, Rebecca called Jacob
and told him exactly what to do. Not wishing for a war between her sons,
she thought it best to send Jacob away for a while.

†. Gen 27:43b-45 . . Flee at once to Haran, to my brother Laban. Stay
with him a while, until your brother's fury subsides-- until your
brother's anger against you subsides --and he forgets what you have
done to him. Then I will fetch you from there. Let me not lose you
both in one day!

The Hebrew word for "fury" is from chemah (khay-maw') and/or chema' (khay
maw') which means: heat. The word for "anger" is from 'aph (af) which
means: the nose or nostril; hence, the face, and occasionally a person; also
(from the rapid breathing in passion) ire.

(chuckle) Ol' Esau was indeed a passionate man. But his was not the
lingering passion of a scented candle, or of a Yule log, which burn slowly for
a long time. His rage burned more like a tumbleweed; a flashing,
momentary flame that would soon pass. Esau might hold a grudge, but he
wouldn't go on red faced and breathing heavy about it for very long.

Moody, introspective people, often stay upset for long periods of time; which
really exasperates the Esau types who usually get over things quickly. The
Esau types are happy to let personal conflicts blow over and then move on.
But the moody types are always wanting to dredge up unresolved hurts and
argue about them again and again for the Nth time until someone finally
listens.

Some lawsuits, like the one between President Clinton and Paula Jones,
often cannot be settled out of court because personalities like hers want an
admission of guilt and an apology. Money is out of the question, and an
insult to boot, because people like Paula Jones are never satisfied with
anything less than a public hanging.

Knowing Esau's nature, Rebecca figured his rage would pass away quickly
and he would soon return to his typical carefree ways. Unfortunately, it was
past twenty years before Jacob came back home, and there is no record that
he ever saw his mom again. Rebecca's stratagem was indeed costly, but it
could have gone much worse if Jacob had stayed home. Surely any attempt
by Esau to kill Jacob would have resulted in Esau's death; the Lord
protecting Jacob for future use. But I think Rebecca feared Esau might
succeed and then become permanently alienated from the family like Cain
was after killing his brother Abel. So she would, in effect, lose both boys in
one day just as grandma Eve did.

Rebecca-- the bright, discreet lass that she was --no doubt had counted all
the costs of her scheme; and believed the issue was vital enough to require
her to do what she did. As a matter of fact, later events proved that she was
correct. Esau did soon get over his rage, and he prospered quite adequately
in a material sense. Jacob never did really lord it over him, which was
probably all Esau really cared about anyway. Both boys survived this
calamitous event: hubby Isaac too. And Jacob went on to spawn the people
of Israel, thus making a line to Messiah; by whom the Serpent's head would
be crushed, and the entire world blessed beyond measure.

They say all's well that ends well. Maybe. Rebecca's family was fractured,
and she lost the companionship of a really good son. Hers was a sacrifice of
the heart. I would really like to see Rebecca compensated for that some day.

NOTE: There's no record in the Bible of Rebecca fetching Jacob from Haran.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 27:46

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†. Gen 27:46 . . And Rebecca said to Isaac: I am weary of living
because of the daughters of Heth. If Jacob take a wife of the
daughters of Heth, such as these which are of the daughters of the
land, I might as well die.

Abraham purchased a cemetery plot from Heth's clan back in chapter 23.

I think Rebecca was becoming very lonely for the company of daughters-in
law of a kindred spirit. Christians considering marriage should really give
some serious thought to how their parents feel about a prospective spouse.
It's just not fair to force your choice down there throat with the haughty
protest: It's MY life!

No man is an island, entire of itself;
Every man is a piece of the continent:
A part of the main.
John Donne, 1624

All that people do, everything they say, every decision they make; has a
ripple effect.

You know, Isaac really wasn't a bad man. But something happened to him
that made him lose interest in his patriarchal duties. I really do think the
man was having problems with depression; which may have been associated
somehow with his eyesight.

What if you could never again see Orion and the Milky Way, nor a sunset,
nor the colors of the rainbow, nor watch the flight of migrating geese or a
buzzing humming bird, nor see the bees busily collecting their pollen, nor
the wind shaking the trees, nor the fluorescent colors of Autumn foliage, nor
the splendor of the Grand Canyon, nor a spider's web illuminated from
behind by morning sunlight, nor the ocean's waves, nor fireworks on the 4th
of July? And what about all the things you haven't seen yet? Defective
eyesight would prevent you from ever seeing the things that you missed.

There is a well known syndrome that occurs in men called male menopause;
and also known by it's other name: andropause. Although male menopause
is related to the aging process-- with resultant hormonal reductions --men's
problems aren't caused by the very same kinds of changes that occur in
women. Women's menopausal difficulties are chiefly chemical. But with men,
it's mostly psychological.

One of the primary symptoms of andropause is depression. Not just bouts of
depression that come and go, but the chronic kind. Every day, every night:
feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness plague men afflicted with chronic
depression. They feel useless, they feel they'll never be any good again,
they feel expendable; and they feel unnecessary. But worse, they feel
unlovable; viz: not only do they feel like no one cares whether they live or
die, but they feel it is impossible for anyone to care about them at all.

It isn't unusual for men to rapidly deteriorate and die during the first
eighteen months of their retirement years. Why? Because their jobs, and
their careers, made their lives worthwhile; and gave them a reason to live.
It gave them strong feelings of value, it made them creative and gave them
feelings of self worth and self esteem, and feelings of belonging in a man's
world. At career's end, they feel expended and expendable; actually losing
interest in living and it's almost as if they will themselves to pass away
because there's nothing left to live for. Women no more give them a second
glance, and people marginalize them treat them like children.

When we're young and spry, we look forward to the future with optimism
and anticipation. But when we're older, there is nothing in life to look
forward to anymore but falling apart and leaving it. All the good stuff is over.
And it doesn't help having our bodies deteriorate along the way.

By the time most men reach fifty or fifty-five, they've lost a good deal of
hair; plus picked up about twenty-five to forty pounds of belly. Their faces
are pouchy, their skin pasty, their breath smells, and most of their teeth are
either yellow or false, filled, crowned, or even totally gone; and their gums
have receded enough to make their front teeth take on the appearance of
pegs. The corners of their mouths turn down so that they wear a perpetual
scowl; and their muscles are so atrophied, and their joints have lost so much
cartilage, that they can't even run a softball base path, let alone two or
three blocks of jogging.

Most guys anticipate an eventual tryst with a very hot babe. Well, the day
finally comes when they realize their dream is never going to happen. The
season has past, that ship has sailed and they missed the boat, and for
better or for worse, what they see in their wives is what they've got to work
with from now on. Some men sneak around and begin dating younger
women to compensate. They buy a nifty car or a husky motorcycle, color
their hair with Grecian formula, and shop for smart, youthful-looking
couture. But those are silly, desperate measures that close their eyes to the
inevitable-- they're old and unattractive; and it only gets worse, not better.

I'm approaching 72 as I write this; and every time I see elderly citizens in
their mid 70's and early 80's, I'm only reminded of my own not-too-distant
future; and how much I don't want to go there. I recently underwent a total
knee replacement, and trust me, that was no walk in the park.

I really think that Isaac's handicap robbed him of all reasonable optimism;
and he saw no reason to go on living; especially at his age. Because of that,
he had no spirit for patriarchal duties. When the boys brought him food that
day, both of them asked their dad to sit up and eat. Sit up!? What the heck
was he doing lying down? Well, I think he was lying around all day feeling
sorry for himself, that's what. Life had become uninteresting to Isaac, and
he was no longer one tough cookie; but rather, one whipped puppy.

But not so Rebecca. No, No; not that quick-stepped Aquarius girl. She was a
fighter, she was a Rocky Balboa. Becky had a head on her shoulders. Ever
the strong decisive woman, she put a bug in Isaac's ear to send Jacob away
to find a spouse. Yes, she was being cunning again; but in the right of it too:
as usual. It was a whole lot better for Jacob to depart with his dad's good
will than running away from home without saying good-bye.

Now that the blessing had actually been dispensed, and it was very clear to
Isaac that Jacob was God's choice to perpetuate Abraham's covenant, there
was no excuse to delay any longer in the matter of finding his son a suitable
wife because men don't live forever, Their children have to take up the flame
and carry it forward. Jacob was a virile man at this point in his life; but
that's getting ready to change. This fact, combined with the immediate
danger of another Cain-and-Abel episode, was more than enough reason for
Isaac to send Jacob away.

Rebecca's personal desire for Jacob to have a wife from her own people, one
with whom she could have fellowship rather than the continual friction she
experienced with Esau's Hittite wives, compelled her to convince Isaac that
her own life wouldn't be worth living anymore if Jacob married the same
kinds of impious women as his brother's.

Was Rebecca a good wife? Even though she tricked her husband? And even
though she was strong and decisive? I really believe she was because even
in the US Navy, sometimes an ill Captain needs his First Officer to take over
and run the ship till he's better.

"The Lord God said; It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a fitting
helper for him." (Gen 2:18)

Isaac benefited from his dad Abraham's wisdom; and he had the providence
of God to thank in the selection of his wife. Rebecca really saved the day,
and got Isaac back up on his patriarchal feet. If it wasn't for her, nothing
would have turned out right. She was indeed the perfect mate for that
particular man.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 28:1-7

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†. Gen 28:1a . . So Isaac sent for Jacob and blessed him. He
instructed him:

This is the first time, at least on record, that Isaac has shown any real
interest in Jacob's spiritual condition. You just have to wonder if Jacob
received any religious instruction at all from his dad. I would not be
surprised if Rebecca has been Jacob's only tutor up to this point.

Isaac went through a very traumatic experience. I think he was shaken, and
it appears to have succeeded in bringing him back to his senses. Now he
renders upon Jacob the full extent of Abraham's blessing; which he really
should have done a long time ago.

†. Gen 28:1b-4 . .You shall not take a wife from among the Canaanite
women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel, your
mother's father, and take a wife there from among the daughters of
Laban, your mother's brother. May El Shaddai bless you, make you
fertile and numerous, so that you become an assembly of peoples.
May He grant the blessing of Abraham to you and your offspring,
that you may possess the land where you are sojourning, which God
assigned to Abraham.

It would have been much wiser of course, if circumstances had permitted, to
keep Jacob at home and dispatch a trusted servant up to Haran to fetch a
wife back down to Canaan like Abraham did for Isaac. But at this point, I
guess that option was out of the question. Isaac's patriarchal laxity is having
quite a domino effect upon Jacob's future. He's going to be tricked into
taking two wives, sisters at that, and squander twenty years of his life
indentured to a very crafty, dishonest man.

†. Gen 28:5 . .Then Isaac sent Jacob off, and he went to Paddan
aram, to Laban the son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of
Rebecca, mother of Jacob and Esau.

I just have to wonder if Isaac would have thought of Laban at all if not for
Rebecca putting a bug in his ear.

Not only was Laban an Aramean, but so were Abraham, Lot, Sarah, and
Rebecca. The boys (Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and Esau) were born in Canaan.
So of what country were they? Canaan wasn't a united sovereignty like the
USA. It was a frontier territory. Along the coast were Philistine colonies; the
remainder populated by many communities scattered all over the place
much like Native American peoples were in America's early days.

I don't know about Ishmael and Esau, but Isaac and Jacob looked ahead to a
future country that they would call home. That country didn't exist just yet
in Jacob's day, but it would eventually, and he would be a somebody there--
Abraham's covenant guarantees it. Those men haven't missed out on
anything. According to the New Testament's Jesus, they will all return some
day and live in that land as citizens in land promised to Abraham.

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take
their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of
heaven." (Matt 8:11)

The writer of Hebrews said, that although those three men were pilgrims in
Canaan, they will one day live inside it as citizens in a town of their own.

"By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his
inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was
going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a
foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs
with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with
foundations, whose architect and builder is God." (Heb 11:8-10)

I don't know exactly how much detail those men knew in their day; but that
"city with foundations" is going to be some piece of work. (cf. Rev 21:2-27)

†. Gen 28:6-7 . .When Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and
sent him off to Paddan-aram to take a wife from there, charging him,
as he blessed him "You shall not take a wife from among the
Canaanite women" and that Jacob had listened to his father and
mother and gone to Paddan-aram,

That had to shake Esau up even more. Up to this point, for many, many
years, he had been daddy's little boy. Now, practically overnight, Jacob
takes center stage. It must have been very disturbing and I have no doubt it
made Esau feel extremely insecure; probably for the first time in his life.

Jacob listened to his parents. The difference between Jacob and Esau really
shows in that respect. Esau did pretty much whatever he pleased. But Jacob
wasn't like that. Even at 75 years old he took his parents advice. American
kids today are famous for ignoring their parents guidance; and they usually
end up regretting it too.

I once heard a story about a know-it-all kid who, while living at home and
attending college, thought his ol' dad was behind the times and just a big
dummy. Well, eventually the boy went off on his own and out into the
workaday world. Some years later, he returned home to visit his parents and
was heard to remark: Dad sure got smart while I was gone.

His dad was smart all along, but the boy was to immature at the time and
didn't know how to recognize true wisdom . He thought smartness came
from IPods, rap music, books, education, couture, sitcoms, The Simpsons,
social networking, and computer science. But none of those really prepared
the boy to pick his friends with care, hold down a job, to select a spouse, nor
to keep a marriage from falling apart. His hep-smarts made him wise in
culture but not wise in life.

Although Esau was Isaac's favorite, I really don't think he ever disciplined,
scolded, nor lectured his eldest son for anything. I think he let Esau run wild
so as to avoid stressing their relationship. Even though Esau's wives were a
misery to Isaac and Rebecca, apparently no one ever spoke up and said
anything about it till now; and as a result; Esau fell for the oldest ruse in the
book:

A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong;
Gives it a superficial appearance of being right.
-- Thomas Paine --

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[WebersHome]

Gen 28:8-12a

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†. Gen 28:8 . . Esau realized that the Canaanite women displeased
his father Isaac.

Now that Esau no longer enjoyed the status of a pampered athlete, he's a
little more attuned to the opinions of others around him; most especially to
the dad who at one time gave the impression his eldest was so wonderful.

†. Gen 28:9a . . So Esau went to Ishmael and took to wife, in
addition to the wives he had,

Some feel that Esau did that to create an alliance with Ishmael; since he too
was a disfavored son. But Ishmael was already deceased by this time. He
was at least fourteen years older than Isaac, who was by this time around
135. Ishmael died at 137; twelve years prior to this chapter. It is much more
likely that Esau betrothed a woman from Ishmael's family in an attempt to
redeem his marriages to the Hittite girls. Ishmael's girls, at least, were kin.

†. Gen 28:9b . . Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham,
sister of Nebaioth.

Ishmael being long dead; his son Nebaioth made the arrangements for
marriage.

You know, life sometimes dealt cruelly with girls in that day. Romance was
out of the question. Even if there was a boy in the neighborhood that took
their breath away, the girls weren't allowed to even date, let alone marry
him. They had to marry a man their dads or their brothers selected--
oftentimes a total stranger and often someone quite a bit older than
themselves. You'll often see it said in the Bible that so and so loved a
particular girl; but hardly ever will you see where she loved him back.

I believe that Abraham was a conscientious parent and made certain
Ishmael received religious training. By the time Ishmael was evicted at
fifteen or so, he had a pretty good basic knowledge regarding Abraham's
god. And his mom Hagar was familiar with Him too. So it would not surprise
me if Mahalath was pretty sound in the correct beliefs. She was a much
better choice than the Hittite girls, and she is never once said to be a
heartbreak to either Isaac or Rebecca. I would like to think Mahalath was
very good company for Rebecca; which would have been a real comfort to
her now that Jacob was gone.

Unfortunately, Mahalath was too little too late. It was like closing the gate
after the horses have run out of the corral. I'm sure Mahalath was okay; but
Esau's new wife could never change God's decree concerning Jacob. Esau
lost out: and he lost out big.

†. Gen 28:10 . . Jacob left Beer-sheba, and set out for Haran.

It's difficult for me to believe that Jacob made the 450 mile trip to Haran all
by himself. He may have, I don't know. I'm not saying he didn't. After all,
Hagar was apparently traveling alone when she ran away from Sarah back in
chapter 16. But that was a very dangerous, foolish thing to do. A lone
person in wild country is just asking for trouble. What if they were to fall and
break a leg? Or were attacked by brigands and wild animals?

The route to Haran was used by caravans so Jacob may have traveled along
with one for safety's sake; and if not then maybe with travelers on foot like
himself sort of like the pilgrims who trek the El Camino de Santiago de
Compostela in Spain.

†. Gen 28:11a . . He came upon a certain place

According to Gen 28:19, the "certain place" was Bethel. The site started out
as Luz; but later came to be known by the name Jacob gave it. Today it's
commonly believed Bethel was somewhere around Beitin, about twelve miles
north of Jerusalem and maybe two and a half miles northeast of Ramallah.
At this point, Jacob was maybe sixty miles from Beer-sheba-- probably the
second or third day of his journey.

†. Gen 28:11b . . and stopped there for the night, for the sun had set.

Travel at night without a car with good electric headlights was not a good
idea in those days. Palestine was once the habitat of bears and lions; and
the odds were against you of getting lost and losing your way in the dark.

†. Gen 28:11c . .Taking one of the stones of that place, he put it
under his head and lay down in that place.

I doubt the stone was very large. Probably just enough to elevate his head a
little so he wouldn't lie with his cheek right down on flat dirt. That is so
uncomfortable. Try it. Put a towel or something down on the floor and lie
down on the side of your head. It's much more comfortable to stack a few
books first and then put the towel down. He probably did it like that and
cushioned the stone with a bag or a coat.

†. Gen 28:12a . . He had a dream;

In the book of Genesis, dreams are a common means of communication
between God and human beings. Is that still going on? I really don't know.
But if it ever happened to me, I would consider it a nightmare.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 28:12b-15

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†. Gen 28:12b . . a ladder was set on the ground and its top reached
to the sky, and angels of God were going up and down on it.

The word for "ladder" is from cullam (sool-lawm') which is actually a
staircase. This is the one and only place in the entire Old Testament where
that specific word is used. One of the problems with Old Testament Hebrew
is that scholars are not quite sure what some of the ancient words really
mean. Cullam could just as easily mean an elevator or an escalator. In
Jacob's era, even ziggurats were a common staircase to heaven. (cf. Gen
11:4)

There's something very conspicuous about the staircase in Jacob's dream:
there were no people on it-- only the angels of God. So what does that
mean? Well . . the staircase was, after all, merely a figment, not a reality.
But it has to signify something real or it would be just a big fat waste of a
perfectly good vision. I would say the staircase clearly represents, at the
very least, an avenue to God.

But why show Jacob a stairway to heaven if human beings weren't using it in
his day? I think that the very existence of a pathway to God meant that one
day not only angels, but human beings too would be using it-- because, in
reality, that stairway represents Christ; Jacob's great, great, great grandson.
(cf. John 1:45-51)

†. Gen 28:13a . . And behold, Yhvh stood above it and said: I am
Yhvh God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac;

On the page of Scripture, this is Jacob's very first close encounter with his
father's god. Till now, Yhvh had been merely data in Jacob's head;
something he picked up in home-school yeshiva.

I started out in life baptized an infant into Roman Catholicism; subsequently
attending catechism and completing First Holy Communion, and
Confirmation. But with all that training; God remained remote, distant, and
alien. I experienced the very same disconnection that Mother Teresa
experienced during her whole five decades as a missionary in India. (see
Mother Teresa / Come and Be My Light. by Brian Kolodiejchuk, MC. ISBN
978-0-385-52037-9)

But then in 1968 at the age of 24; events led me to a Conservative Baptist
church in Portland Oregon where I kneeled down front at the rail with the
pastor and some elders, and prayed a really brief, stupid prayer that went
something like this:

"Lord, I'm a sinner. I would like to take advantage of your son's death."

While saying my brief, unrehearsed prayer, I became strangely aware of a
heavy, overstuffed chair just in front of the rail, suspended maybe about
four feet up in the air, and a bit off to my left, with a lone figure sitting on it
looking in my direction. I couldn't really make out the face, but the person
intently observed me speak every single syllable of my stupid, naïve prayer.
The apparition didn't speak a single word and vanished as quickly as it
appeared. I was thoroughly unraveled by the image, and could hardly wait
to get up and get out of there. Needless to say; I told no one what I saw.

Man is a very psychological creature. It's entirely possible I was just
experiencing a strong mental aberration brought on by emotion or some
kind of anxiety attack; who really knows for sure. But I know what I
experienced; and I have always believed at that instant the Bible's God
made Himself real to me in a very special way. It was the very first time in
my life that God was ever so nearby, and it really shook me up; I kid you
not.

Exactly why God chose to become personal with Jacob at just that moment
in his life is a mystery. But the moment came not around the dinner table at
home with family; but actually when Jacob stepped away from his family. It
was as if Jacob's own family-- the holiest family on earth at the time-- the
keepers of the knowledge of the one true god --was actually hindering
Jacob's spiritual progress; and if anything is to be learned at all from his
experience, it's that his own father, the spiritual head of the house, was the
one to blame for it. It certainly wasn't Rebecca; no, not when it was to her
that God revealed the eldest of the two lads would serve the younger: and I
really have to question why God didn't repeat His edict to Isaac.

†. Gen 28:13b-14 . . the ground on which you are lying I will assign
to you and to your offspring. Your descendants shall be as the dust
of the earth; you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the
north and to the south. All the families of the earth shall bless
themselves by you and your descendants.

Those are essentially the very same promises that God originally made to
Abraham. The most important one, that of blessing to all nations, has been
passed on down, not to all the descendants of Abraham, but only to special
ones. Beginning with Isaac, then Jacob, then to Judah, and eventually to
David, and then to Messiah. Not all Hebrews are a blessing to all the families
of the earth. Only those Hebrews who inherited the patriarchy are a blessing
because it is through them that Messiah's line has existed. The other
Hebrews really don't count for much in that respect except that the nation,
as a whole, is credited with safe-keeping the Bible. (Rom 3:1-2)

†. Gen 28:15 . . Remember, I am with you: I will protect you
wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. I will not leave
you until I have done what I have promised you.

Actually, hardly any of those promises were fulfilled in Jacob's lifetime-- his
offspring didn't become as populous as the dust of the earth, nor did they
spread out to the east and the west and to the north and to the south. Nor
did all the nations of the earth bless themselves by Jacob and his
descendants. So what gives? How could God say: "I will not leave you until I
have done what I have promised you"

I believe God has continually associated with Jacob to this very day, ever
since the day of their first close encounter at Bethel. That didn't stop with
Jacob's demise. No, their association has gone on and it continues to go on.

"Now even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are
raised, when he called the Lord "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and
the God of Jacob." For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all
live to Him." (Luke 20:37-38)

In order to live "to" God (viz: live unto God) it is necessary to be in
existence. God has always been with Jacob, and never left him even once--
all these many years; better than three-thousand of them by now. And all
this whole time Jacob has lived under God's protection because God
promised He would protect Jacob wherever he went; and in order for that
promise to be meaningful, it has to include the afterlife. (cf. Ps 139:7-10,
Matt 16:18)

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[WebersHome]

Gen 28:16-21

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†. 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 due to the Temple being located in the south. (1Kgs
12:26-29)

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.

"Come to Bethel, and transgress" (Amos 4:4)

†. 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)

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. We are one; we are together.

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."

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[WebersHome]

Gen 28:22

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†. Gen 28:22a . . And this stone, which I have set up as a pillar, shall
be God's abode;

Jacob's pillow stone wasn't really meant to be a dwelling or a container as
we typically think of human habitat or animal cages. It was meant to be a
sort of monitoring device. An 8th century BC Aramaic treaty inscription from
Sfire, in Syria, terms each upright stone on which the treaty is inscribed as
an abode of the gods. The Hebrew word for "God" is 'elohiym (el-o-heem')
which is a plural word meaning gods of all descriptions; both the good and
the bad; and the true and the false. So that we could translate Gen 28:22a--
"shall be the abode of the gods."

The stone(s) symbolize a divine presence monitoring fulfillment and/or
infractions of the terms of a treaty or a vow. So Jacob's pillar was not only
the custodian of his vow, but was also its regulatory agency taking note
whether Jacob and Yhvh keep their promises to each other. The very same
thing turns up again in Gen 31:44-52.

†. Gen 28:22b . . and of all that You give me, I will set aside a tithe
for You.

This is probably the very first Biblical instance of the so-called "faith
promise". Though coming from a wealthy family; and heir apparent to his
father Isaac's personal fortune, the fulfillment of this particular vow was
contingent, not upon what Jacob possessed already; but upon God's future
providence.

Jacob didn't promise a set dollar figure, but promised a "tithe" which in
English Bibles is commonly translated a tenth; but in reality the Hebrew
word 'asar (aw-sar') just means to apportion; which Webster's defines as: to
divide and share out according to a plan; especially to make a proportionate
division or distribution of.

The value of a nondescript tithe therefore is left up to individual discretion.

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God prefers a whole-hearted giver."
(2Cor 9:7)

"And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year
you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now
finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by
your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is
there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to
what he does not have." (2Cor 8:10-12)

Jacob was under no obligation to reciprocate and compensate God for the
promises. Their fulfillment was dependent neither upon Jacob's generosity
nor his piety. Fulfillment was dependent solely upon God's own personal
integrity. So why should Jacob dedicate a tithe? Well; like I said, he didn't
have to. Jacob's response was totally spontaneous and voluntary. His tithe
was motivated from a sense of fair play, rather than a response to Holy
mandates. In other words: Jacob reciprocated God's kindness with kindness
of his own.

A faith that gives out of friendship, rather than obligation, is much better
than a religion that mandates a tithe. And the gift should be given where the
giver feels whole-hearted about it; viz: they should have some say in where
their offering goes, and they should be able to feel quite satisfied about it
rather than feel as though their pockets were picked.

So; how was Jacob going to transfer some of his assets into God's account?
There was neither Temple nor synagogue in his day, and certainly no
Aaronic priesthood. Abraham did his business with Melchizedek but there is
no record of either Isaac or Jacob doing business with one of Mel's
successors.

When all else fails, a very, very good way to give to God is by helping people
less fortunate than yourself; in other words: pay it forward.

"He who is generous to the poor makes a loan to Yhvh: He will repay him his
due." (Prv 19:17)

There are lots of charities benefiting disadvantaged people. United Way lists
quite few to pick from. Believe me, those causes are a whole lot more
satisfying than just mindlessly tossing money into a basket passed around
on a Sunday morning.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 29:1-8

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†. Gen 29:1 . . Jacob resumed his journey and came to the land of
the Easterners.

The geographic region in Turkey where Jacob went wasn't actually east by
his reckoning. It was just about dead north. But the people who populated
that region had roots in the east. Here's another version.

"Then Jacob went on his journey, and came to the land of the sons of the
east."

Many of the peoples in and around Haran, although they lived northward
from Canaan, were actually descendants of early pioneers who migrated out
west from the world of Babylon; just as Abraham and his dad Terah had
done many years prior to Jacob's birth. (cf. Gen 11:1-2)

†. Gen 29:2a . .There before his eyes was a well in the open.

The balance of Jacob's trip, from Luz to this well, is passed over in silence.
Apparently nothing of significance occurred along the way. If Jacob traveled
at, say, 25 miles per day, it would have taken him about eighteen days to
reach Haran. If he stuck to the trade route, he could have stopped in
Damascus and took in some of the local sights and maybe stayed at a
"motel" before pushing on. Food wouldn't really be a problem because there
surely were plenty of settlements and/or vendors along the trade route.

Major highways, like the old US routes 66, and 101, always had lots of
merchants offering overnight accommodations, plus all the goods and
services a traveler would likely need to see them through. I wouldn't be a bit
surprised if there existed in that day fast food equivalents of McDonalds and
Burger King.

†. Gen 29:2b-3 . .Three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it, for
the flocks were watered from that well. The stone on the mouth of
the well was large. When all the flocks were gathered there, the
stone would be rolled from the mouth of the well and the sheep
watered; then the stone would be put back in its place on the mouth
of the well.

Apparently this well wasn't fed by an artesian source but was a variety that
kept itself filled by seepage out of a substrate aquifer. A well like that--
which is more like a cistern --can become rancid very quickly by bird
droppings, dead critters, and debris if it's not kept covered. Although
structuring the watering time created a rush hour, it was sensible. That way
the well wasn't left open for too long a time and there was less chance of
polluting it.

†. Gen 29:4a . . Jacob said to them: My friends, where are you from?

Exactly what language Jacob spoke in his greeting isn't said; but during his
era; Akkadian was a common language in Mesopotamia where Laban lived.

I don't think this well is the very same one where Abraham's servant met
Rebecca. For one thing, it's out in the open, not actually connected with any
specific town. If it had been, then Jacob could have assumed the shepherds
lived nearby and not asked them where they were from. This particular well
was within walking distance of pasture land. Any grasses close in to the
towns were likely over-grazed. That's just one of the natural results of
progress and urban sprawl.

†. Gen 29:4b-6a . . And they said: We are from Haran. He said to
them: Do you know Laban the son of Nahor? And they said: Yes, we
do. He continued: Is he well?

Laban's location, and his state of affairs, would of course be Jacob's primary
concern. After all, he just traveled nearly 500 miles to find him. If the man
was dead or moved away, then the trip was all for nothing; and in those
days, there was no way to call ahead.

†. Gen 29:6b . .They answered: Yes, he is; and there is his daughter
Rachel, coming with the flock.

According to Gen 31:1 Laban had sons too, not just daughters. But the boys
may have been too young at the time to go out in the fields alone. So big
sister had to do all the ropin' and brandin' till her little brothers grew a few
more hat sizes.

Does that maybe indicate Rachel was a bit of a tomboy? Maybe. Personally;
I think she was. But I don't think she was one of those hard, masculine
kinds of tomboys, like some tough she-male working shoulder to shoulder
with roughneck oil drillers, or packing a 9mm Glock, a nightstick, and a can
of pepper spray as a cop, or putting out fires with a hook and ladder
company, or dressed full-out for combat in Afghanistan.

I think Rachel was one of those women who can survive in a man's world if
need be; yet retain their feminine side too. They still like cosmetics, dinner
out, husbands, family and children, pampering themselves with a trip to the
beauty parlor, and shopping for new shoes and a purse-- but don't mind
running a lawn mower, trimming the hedges, or firing up a leaf blower when
they have to. There's a lot of single moms out there nowadays who haven't
much choice but to wear a man's hat now and again-- not to prove a point,
but just to get by.

Herding sheep out in the open is risky for a lone woman. But apparently
Rachel wasn't afraid of any of the local men; who no doubt were motivated
by male chivalry to look out for her; and besides, we're going to see just up
ahead that her dad was not a man to trifle with. Anybody who messed with
Rachel would have to answer to Laban; and he was a man who took nothing
lying down.

Jacob is going to fall for this tomboy-ish angel in a very short time; and no
surprise. Men often hook up with women that resemble their moms. That is
so weird because some of those very same guys were brought up by moms
from hell. But that's what they're used to. So, without even thinking about
it, they often gravitate to those very same attributes in a girl. Well, Rachel
and Rebecca were like peas in a pod. They were both confident, fearless,
and decisive: not to mention tens to boot. I think Jacob felt very secure with
women like that.

†. Gen 29:7 . . He said: It is still broad daylight, too early to round up
the animals; water the flock and take them to pasture.

Jacob just blew into the neighborhood and he's already telling strangers
what to do! No doubt an attitude he brought with him from Isaac's ranch.
Down there the servants jumped when Jacob said something. Up here in
Haran though, things were just a wee bit different.

†. Gen 29:8 . . But they said: We cannot, until all the flocks are
rounded up; then the stone is rolled off the mouth of the well and we
water the sheep.

Actually, someone may have owned that well; and set the rules for it's use.
In those days, whoever dug for water usually had the rights to it; somewhat
like a prospector's claim in the gold fields out in 1850's California.
Apparently the owner didn't mind people using the water as long as they
respected his feelings about it. But Jacob had a mind of his own, and
seemed to care very little for the property rights of others.

I've seen that very attitude in privileged kids born with a silver spoon in
their mouth. It's a superiority complex brought on by being the son of a
wealthy business man with the hired help all bowing and scraping to the
father; and giving his son a degree of collateral respect he never earned.
Well; that's going to change. Jacob is entering the school of hard knocks,
and he's going to learn a thing or two from professor Laban. But when it's
all over, Jacob will be a better man for it.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 29:9-17a

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†. Gen 29:9-10 . .While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came
with her father's flock; for she was a shepherdess. And when Jacob
saw Rachel, the daughter of his uncle Laban, and the flock of his
uncle Laban, Jacob went up and rolled the stone off the mouth of the
well, and watered the flock of his uncle Laban.

That was an irresponsible thing to do. The shepherds were there ahead of
Rachel, and no telling how long they'd been waiting. Word of Jacob's poor
sense of fair play would surely spread.

Jacob got off on the wrong foot in Haran from day-one. Coming from a
privileged family; he was accustomed to doing pretty much as he pleased.
But arriving in Haran, Jacob was a nobody: a homeless drifter. Now he's
going to learn what it's like to be just another guy; and he is going to learn
what it's like to do as you're told. Unkie Laban is just the bull o' the woods
for some long overdue rich-kid attitude adjustment.

†. Gen 29:11 . .Then Jacob kissed Rachel, and broke into tears.

Poor Jacob. He'd been under a lot of stress lately; and probably feeling very
alone in the world. His cousin must have seemed to him like an angel of
mercy come to rescue his soul from the abyss. First he helped water her
flock; for no apparent reason to Rachel other than courtesy; which she
seemed to accept without any fuss. But then he impulsively kissed her (on
the cheek I hope) and started sobbing. Rachel must have stared at Jacob
like a man gone mad from a brain tumor.

†. Gen 29:12 . . Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's kinsman,
that he was Rebecca's son; and she ran and told her father.

Zoom! Out of there like a bottle rocket. Boy that girl sure takes after auntie
Becky. Rachel lit out of there like the critters sent from Jessie the Cowgirl to
fetch Sheriff Woody in Toy Story2.

†. Gen 29:13a . . On hearing the news of his sister's son Jacob,
Laban ran to greet him;

I seriously doubt that Laban sprinted. The man was over 100 by now and
near the age of Jacob's mom; maybe even older than her. Isaac and
Rebecca were married twenty years before she became pregnant for the
very first time, and Jacob is around 75 at this point. For a man Laban's age
"rushed" seems more reasonable than ran.

†. Gen 29:13b . . he embraced him and kissed him,

Foreign customs often offend Americans. I was visiting the home of a
Portuguese man in San Diego a number of years back when his son and
daughter-in-law showed up unexpectedly. Dad and son greeted each other
with a hug; and kissed full on the lips. I just about died; it was so gross. And
then he kissed the daughter-in-law full on the lips too. I think you have to
grow up in those kinds of customs to really be comfortable with them.

†. Gen 29:13c-14a . . and took him into his house. He told Laban all
that had happened, and Laban said to him; You are truly my bone
and flesh.

Adam said the very same thing about Eve at Gen 2:23 because she wasn't
created from the dust as he had been, but was manufactured from already
existing human tissue amputated from his body. Thus Eve was just as much
Adam as Adam; viz: Laban was saying that he and Jacob were one heart and
mind just as Adam and his wife had been one heart and mind because when
Uncle Laban heard how Jacob tricked Isaac and supplanted his brother Esau,
he was elated. Just the thing he would have thought of himself had he been
in Jacob's shoes.

†. Gen 29:14b . .When he had stayed with him a month's time,

Well now . . isn't that a coincidence? Just when the rent was due.

†. Gen 29:15 . . Laban said to Jacob: Just because you are a
kinsman, should you serve me for nothing? Tell me, what shall your
wages be?

I have no doubt Jacob was already helping out and making himself useful
around the place to compensate Laban for room and board. Being
industrious just came natural to Jacob. If anybody could spot a conscientious
worker, it was Laban. He wanted Jacob on the payroll, and probably with the
intent of keeping him on permanently.

Unfortunately, some people are prone to take advantage of their relatives.
My dad was a home-delivery milk man back in the late forties and all
through the fifties. He took my brother and I along to help him on
Saturdays, holidays, and summer vacation. We alternated. My brother was
on Mon-Wed-Fri, and I was on Tues-Thurs-Sat. Dad got us up at 4 am and
we returned home around 6 or 7 pm. We were just kids, putting in twelve to
fourteen-hour days. You know what my dad paid us? Two dollars. That
amounts to roughly 14 to 17 cents an hour. Our friends were earning more
money than that just by trading in pop and beer bottles they found along the
road.

†. Gen 29:16-17a . . Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the
older one was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah
had weak eyes;

According to Jewish folklore, Leah had weak eyes from crying all the time at
the prospect of being forced to marrying Esau.

The word for "weak" is from rak (rak) which means, variously: tender, soft,
weak, and/or gentle.

So rak doesn't necessarily mean that something is feeble. It can also mean
that something is kind and/or gentle as opposed to harsh and/or cruel. And
in this case, where the beauty of two girls is being compared, I don't think the
author of Genesis meant to convey that Leah's eyesight was weak; only that
she had nice eyes, but little else to offer. Pity. She was a good girl; but just
about bankrupt in what really matters to most guys; and as any woman with
assets can vouch; most men think better with their eyes than with their
brains. In other words: when it comes to women, men's brains switch off
and it's all about the view after that: if you know what I mean.

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Gen 29:17b-23

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†. Gen 29:17b-18a . . Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Jacob loved
Rachel;

Duh. Why does that not surprise us? You know, Jacob was fortunate about
something. In those days, a man didn't have to win a woman's heart. He
had to win her custodian's heart. So men could pick out a girl like they might
pick out a shirt or a new car. All it took was something of value. Neither the
men's own looks nor their personality mattered. So a girl could easily get
stuck with a man who was ugly, boring, gross, mean, stingy, smelly, and too
old. I don't have a clue what Jacob looked like at seventy-five. But there is
something very missing in this story-- Rachel's love for Jacob. The man was
ga-ga over her. But how did she really feel about him?

†. Gen 29:18b-19 . . so he answered; I will serve you seven years for
your younger daughter Rachel. Laban said; Better that I give her to
you than that I should give her to an outsider. Stay with me.

Done! And just like that; a girl became engaged. Jacob traded seven years
of his life for Rachel. But it wasn't really about money, and they actually
dickered over wages later. What Jacob actually proposed was a service
commitment; like the contracts musicians sign with recording companies;
and professional athletes sign with big league teams like the Blazers or the
Mets; and like the terms of service to which young men commit themselves
to the armed forces. So Jacob didn't really buy Rachel with money. She was
more like a bonus for signing up as a full-time employee with Laban. And the
seven years weren't Laban's idea. They were Jacob's; and I think he made it
so many years because he wanted to offer Laban a deal so lucrative that he
couldn't possibly refuse it.

†. Gen 29:20 . . So Jacob served seven years for Rachel and they
seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her.

It's a proven fact that men will sell their souls to satisfy their carnal lust. But
I'm sure there was more to Rachel than just her looks. After seven years
living in such close proximity, Jacob still wanted her. If she had been witchy,
thin skinned, defensive, obtuse, chafing and demeaning, I'm pretty sure he
would have lost interest by then. I say "pretty sure" because there are some
men who will live with a witch in spite of the abuse they endure just so's
they can have the woman of their dreams.

†. Gen 29:21 . .Then Jacob said to Laban; Give me my wife, for my
time is fulfilled, that I may cohabit with her.

The word "cohabit" is not actually in the Hebrew. It should read "go near".
What Jacob said, in the common colloquialism of our day, is what men
sometimes say when they want to sleep with a particular girl. They
sometimes say: Wow! I'd sure like to get next to that! (chuckle) Very
expressive.

†. Gen 29:22-23 . . And Laban gathered all the people of the place
and made a feast. When evening came, he took his daughter Leah
and brought her to him; and he cohabited with her.

Jacob has got to rank as just about the dumbest groom in history. He knew
both of those girls like the back of his hand. For seven years he lived right
next door and saw them both every day. Leah and Rachel didn't even
resemble each other. The one was shapely and beautiful. The other was not.
Even if he couldn't see well enough in the dark to tell the difference, he
certainly should have been able to feel the difference; and to recognize the
difference in their voices. Was that man so totally plastered with booze from
the reception that he couldn't even tell who, or what, he slept with that
night? Haw-Haw-Haw-Haw-Haw

But the real mystery was Leah. Wouldn't you think that she would have
spoke up and said something before things got out of hand? That sly girl.
(chuckle) Personally I think she had a big crush on Jacob. Later on Leah will
try very hard to get Jacob to transfer his affections to her and forget about
Rachel.

This so reminds me of Sadie Hawkins' day in the Little Abner comics of the
old days. In the town of Dog Patch, men didn't grow on trees; there just
wasn't enough to go around; and on top of that, some of the hillbilly girls
weren't much to look at either. Subsequently, some of the local gals had a
tough time getting husbands. So, in memorial of an old spinster lady named
Sadie Hawkins, a special day was set aside each year wherein the
bachelorettes had a chance to get hitched. All they had to do was run down
one of the unattached men; and whoever they caught, absolutely had to
marry them; no exchanges and no returns.

But hey! Where was Rachel!?! Was she tied up out in the barn or something?
Well; I hate to say it, but I really don't think she ever did want to marry Mr.
Jacob. He was at least 82 years old by this time. Abraham and Sarah were
only ten years apart but it's really impossible to know Rachel's age. She
hadn't been through menopause yet, that much can be known; but that's
about all. I really think she was in on the whole scam all along and I think
Rachel was seriously hoping Jacob would settle for Leah and forget all about
her. But alas; such was not to happen. Jacob was very determined. He
accepted his fate with Leah, but went after Rachel anyway.

NOTE: The covenant that Yhvh's people eventually agreed upon with God as
per Lev 18:18 protects sisters like Rachel and Leah so that men are not
permitted to cohabit with both girls at the same time.

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Gen 29:24-30

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†. Gen 29:24 . . Laban had given his maidservant Zilpah to his
daughter Leah as her maid.

Zilpah didn't say anything either. In fact she very likely assisted Leah to
bathe and prepare for her wedding night. Poor Jacob. He was so defeated. It
was like the whole world, and even the stars above in their courses, were in
a grand conspiracy to dupe the old boy that night.

†. Gen 29:25 . .When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to
Laban: What is this you have done to me? I was in your service for
Rachel! Why did you deceive me?

There is really no one to blame for this situation but Jacob himself. They say
to never look a gift horse in the mouth. But I think your wedding night has
to be the exception. For crying out loud, you'd think the man would have
enough sense to make sure the woman in his bed was the one who was
supposed to be there. Yes, Laban was a rascal. But then so was Leah, and so
was Zilpah; and Rachel too. And maybe this gave Jacob cause to remember
how he tricked his own dad back home into giving him Esau's blessing.
(chuckle) There's an old saying: What goes around, comes around.

†. Gen 29:26 . . Laban said; It is not the practice in our place to
marry off the younger before the older.

Our? To whom does "our" refer? You mean all those wedding guests? Don't
tell me they were all privy to the scam too? Haw-Haw-Haw-Haw. By golly;
they were, weren't they? Jacob was probably well aware of local customs
having lived in "our place" for seven years already. So Laban was just
reminding him how improper it would have been to marry off Rachel ahead
of Leah. Perhaps Jacob expected the locals would make an exception for him
because he was a rich boy from down south. But no; local custom was local
custom, and even Mr. Silver Spoon In Your Mouth was going to have to
accept it. Jacob may have had his way uncontested back at the well; but this
time? Nope.

†. Gen 29:27 . .Wait until the bridal week of this one is over and we
will give you that one too, provided you serve me another seven
years.

Serving Laban seven years for Rachel was Jacob's idea; except that instead
of getting Rachel; he got Leah. Now Laban's proviso is that Jacob serve yet
another seven years for Rachel; which will total fourteen for a girl he was
supposed to get in seven. I think most any normal red-blooded man would
have refused.

But Jacob was an Ethan Frome kind of guy. I don't think he wanted to hurt
Leah, and maybe even felt partially responsible for her predicament. That's a
crummy reason to marry a girl, but I don't think Jacob could have lived with
himself if he threw Leah back now. After all, Jacob was her first love, and it's
not like she was used goods or anything.

Who were the "we" that would give Rachel to Jacob? Probably Laban's sons.
Dads and brothers were the ones to give away brides in that culture. But
what chutzpah that weasel had! Should Jacob serve another seven years?
Jacob should've stood up to Laban, collected his legitimate bride, and gone
home. He was so strong when he and Rebecca tricked Isaac. But now; no;
now he's going to cave.

†. Gen 29:28-29 . . Jacob did so; he waited out the bridal week of the
one, and then he gave him his daughter Rachel as wife. Laban had
given his maidservant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maid.

Maidservants weren't just female commodities. They were actually a part of
the household, and often treated with a pretty fair degree of respect.

†. Gen 29:30 . . And Jacob cohabited with Rachel also; indeed, he
loved Rachel more than Leah. And he served him another seven
years.

I'm sure Jacob never mistreated Leah. But he wasn't crazy about her in a
romantic way. It's like the relationship between Robert Philip and his fiancé
Nancy Tremaine in the Disney movie Enchanted. Nancy is neither a bad girl
nor a bad choice-- the chemistry just isn't there.

Unfortunately, human nature being what it is, Jacob's situation probably led
to some favoritism. And in this case, I think Jacob began spending most of
his time with Rachel and leaving Leah out in the cold; so to speak; viz: she
was in the unenviable limbo of a burden to her husband. However, since
Jacob chose to keep Leah, he was morally obligated to treat her as if he
loved her, even if he really didn't.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 29:31

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†. Gen 29:31 . .The Lord saw that Leah was unloved and he opened
her womb; but Rachel was barren.

God didn't make Rachel barren. She was already that way. And Leah was
too. In fact, every one of the matriarchs were barren women. It must have
been in their genes. But The Lord elected to repair Leah and leave Rachel
out of whack for a while longer.

I really don't think what The Lord did was punishment against Jacob and
Rachel. I think it was a countermeasure to force Jacob to pay a little more
attention to Leah. It's very important for spouses to bond. Allowing Jacob to
focus too much of his attention on Rachel would soon make Leah the odd
man out; and a very lonely woman.

But why would God do that-- take an interest in Leah's problems? Because,
as Hagar discovered, Abraham's god is a sensitive god who sees people (Gen
16:13-14). And it seems very obvious to me that He was sympathetic to
Leah's circumstances.

And that tells me something. It's true that Leah was in on the scheme to
trick Jacob. But God didn't get upset with her for that. In fact, it looks to me
like He was actually very pleased that she married Jacob. After all, it was
through Leah that the man predicted in Dan 7:13-14 would come, not
Rachel. I believe that is very significant.

I would even go so far as to say that Leah was the one God Himself would
have picked for Jacob if he had only sought a wife in the very same manner
that Abraham had sought one for Isaac. But no. Jacob took matters into his
own hands, came to Haran in person, and fell in love with the wrong girl.
Well; he ended up marrying Leah anyway in spite of his feelings for Rachel;
just like his dad ended up blessing Jacob in spite of his feelings for Esau.

Most guys have visions of the girl they would like to marry. She's young,
gorgeous, shapely, and compliant. But the reality is: most will never find a
girl like that. So they settle for what they can get and become resigned to
missing out on life. Big mistake. Leah was no less a woman just because she
wasn't Miss Haran circa 1770 bc. And when the chips are down in life, your
very best friend had better be your wife. Beauty means nothing when a man
is out of work, or coming down with cancer. That's when guys need a faithful
friend rather than strictly a girl toy.

Unbeknownst to Jacob, he was destined to father the twelve tribes of Israel.
Up to now, It had been one patriarch fathering just one descendant. But that
all changed with Jacob. The nation of Israel quite literally started with him.

(chuckle) That guy lived solo for better than eighty years of his life and then
all of a sudden, WHAM, in just one week's time, four women moved in with
him. Then, in just seven years time, he had a posse of juveniles running
around the house. Awww-Haw-Haw-Haw-Hawww

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[WebersHome]

Gen 29:32-35

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†. Gen 29:32 . . Leah conceived and bore a son, and named him
Reuben; for she declared: The Lord has seen my affliction. Now my
husband will love me.

Reuben's name is from Re'uwben (reh-oo-bane') which means: Look; a son!

Children do have a way of bonding a (normal) man to their mother. It
doesn't always work, but often does.

†. Gen 29:33 . . She conceived again and bore a son, and declared;
This is because The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me
this one also. So she named him Simeon.

Simeon's name is Shim'own (shim-one') which means: hearing. Leah was
obviously a woman of prayer and had no reservations about sharing her
personal problems with the god of her choice.

†. Gen 29:34 . . Again she conceived and bore a son and declared;
This time my husband will become attached to me, for I have borne
him three sons. Therefore he was named Levi.

Levi's name is Leviy (lay-vee') which means: attached; viz: bonded.

Jacob was indeed a family man now. In spite of his romantic passions for
Rachel, he would never again feel the same way about Leah. She could
never be just another woman in the house now that she was the mother of
his children. Jacob couldn't help but feel bonded to her. God's idea worked.
You say: how do I know it worked? Because the next boy was named in
gratitude to God for saving the marriage.

†. Gen 29:35 . . She conceived again and bore a son, and declared;
This time I will praise The Lord. Therefore she named him Judah.
Then she stopped bearing.

Well done! And Judah was a real honor too. His became the tribe of Israel's
kings; and from them descended David, and Christ.

The scheme God implemented to bond Jacob to Leah would probably not
work with men like Esau. Not all guys are cut out to be family men. But
Jacob was definitely cut out for it because he was a man who liked being
home at night (Gen 25:27).

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[WebersHome]

Gen 30:1-6

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†. Gen 30:1a . .When Rachel saw that she had borne Jacob no
children, she became envious of her sister;

Sibling rivalry is bad enough. But when siblings compete for the affections of
the same love object, it's all the worse. I don't know what it is about kin, but
it's much easier to compete with someone outside the family than those
within. Rivalry within family is not just a competition; it is more like the
passions of a blood feud. The feelings run deep, and hot, and painful. People
who never had a brother or sister cannot understand this. You just have to
live it to know what it's like.

†. Gen 30:1b . . and Rachel said to Jacob: Give me children, or I shall
die.

Somehow Rachel felt the fault was Jacob's as if he were doing something to
deliberately prevent conception. According to Jewish folklore, it was a
common practice in that day for a man with two wives to give the prettier
one some sort of birth control herb to prevent her from getting pregnant and
losing her figure. Thus the prettier of the two was reserved for pleasure; and
the other for bearing children. Genetically, that was a pretty dumb idea since
the practice results in the perpetuation of inferior stock. I seriously doubt
you'll ever see breeders of dogs, cats, livestock and/or race horses
conducting their business like that.

Jacob wasn't doing anything to Rachel. She was just simply unable to have
children. If only she had followed her sister Leah's example in prayer instead
of getting in one of those moods, then she wouldn't have been so ready to
rag on Jacob for something over which he had no control.

†. Gen 30:2a . . Jacob was incensed at Rachel

Jacob's anger was no doubt an unpleasant mixture of hurt and indignation.
He really did love Rachel. She wasn't just a girl toy. For her to insinuate that
he was keeping her around just for pleasure must have bitten deeply into his
soul. Romantic love can easily turn into hate-- very suddenly and very
quickly; like turning a page in a book.

Romantic love is very different than the love of a loyal friend. Romantic love
seeks its own best interests and is very fragile and easily wounded. Fraternal
love is much better. It's all about loyalty rather than passion. It's like a
strong anchor. The more a storm buffets the ship, the deeper the anchor
digs into its moorage.

†. Gen 30:2b . . and said: Can I take the place of God, who has
denied you fruit of the womb?

I'm sure that just as soon as Jacob lashed out at Rachel he regretted it. His
retort implied that she was a sinner who didn't deserve children. What an
ugly thing to say. But he was upset and felt betrayed by his best girl. So his
reaction is understandable. But isn't there a better way? Yes.

Instead of attacking her husband in an attempt to put blame, Rachel would
have been much better off just finding a nice quiet spot and telling God how
she was feeling about her sterility-- how it was hurting her and making her
feel inferior to her sister: and threatening her marriage. Would God respond
to that? Yes. Because that is exactly what Rachel did do eventually. It's just
too bad she didn't think of it sooner.

If Rachel felt that God cared about her at all, then she would have
recognized that barrenness was serving some sort of Divine purpose; even if
she couldn't think of one at the time. But Rachel's circumstances were
causing her feelings to override her thinking; and making her emotional and
reactive instead of objective and rational.

†. Gen 30:3-5 . . She said: Here is my maid Bilhah. Consort with her,
that she may bear on my knees and that through her I too may have
children. So she gave him her maid Bilhah as concubine, and Jacob
cohabited with her. Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son.

That was indeed a strange custom, and a cruel one at that. Why is it nobody
ever thought to ask the maids how they felt about it? I just don't think it's
ethical to subjugate women to the status of mere breeder stock.

Those who give their babies away in adoption, often don't want to see them
when they're born-- not even a glimpse; they don't even want to know their
gender. They want their baby delivered and whisked out of the room
immediately with no more feeling than doing their business in the lou.
Women who get abortions typically do not want to see a sonogram of their
babies nor listen to its heartbeat because that's just too bonding and
sensitive. Pharaoh's daughter (Ex 2:6) fell apart when she gazed upon baby
Moses weeping. What normal woman can resist something like that?

The maid's baby would be legally Rachel's, but she would never be the
biological mother. Nothing can ever change a thing like that.

†. Gen 30:6 . . And Rachel said: God has vindicated me; indeed, He
has heeded my plea and given me a son. Therefore she named him
Dan.

Dan's name means judge, and/or the past tense: judged. (or possibly: a
judgment)

In Rachel's mind, Bilhah's success proved that God wasn't withholding
children from her for being a sinner, as Jacob had insinuated. But Dan
wasn't really Rachel's child. He was only hers by adoption.

But who was going to nurse Dan? There was no such thing as formula in
those days. Somebody had to be his wet nurse. Well . . what about Dan's
biological mom? Didn't she just go through a pregnancy? So Dan remained
with his biological mother at least until he was weaned; and probably longer
too. It wasn't like they all lived miles apart. All four women were practically
living under the same roof.

So although Dan was reckoned legally Rachel's child, he wasn't taken away
from home. Trouble is; Bilhah became a single mom with no husband. But
she wasn't really alone. At least she had Dan; and her boy had Jacob; and
everyone was together, in one way or another. (chuckle) That sounds like
lyrics from the Beetles' song "I Am The Walrus"

I am he,
As you are he,
As you are me,
And we are all together.

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[WebersHome]

Gen 30:7-16

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†. Gen 30:7-8 . . Rachel's maid Bilhah conceived again and bore
Jacob a second son. And Rachel said; A fateful contest I waged with
my sister; yes, and I have prevailed. So she named him Naphtali.

rayyyrrr! scratch! Man that woman was scrappy! No second place winner;
Rachel would keep kicking at you even if her arms were pinned down on the
mat. Move over Chyna! (Chyna used to be a WWF professional female
wrestler)

"Naphtali" is from Naphtaliy (naf-taw-lee') which means: my wrestling. Not
just any wrestling, but "my" wrestling. Apparently Rachel took things very
personal. The bitter rivalry between her and Leah had become the total
focus of Rachel's life.

†. Gen 30:9 . .When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she
took her maid Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as concubine.

Since Jacob favored Rachel, when did he find time for Leah and Zilpah? Well;
don't women have a certain time of the month? It was very unsanitary in
those days to sleep with women during their period and, in fact, was later
forbidden by the laws of the covenant that Yhvh's people agreed upon with
God. (Lev 15:19-24, 18:19)

So every month, like clockwork, Jacob was forced to sleep with Leah
whether he liked it or not. I guess he could have slept on the couch, but that
would look stupid. So Leah got a shot at him at least one week a month. And
she made the most of it, you can be sure of that! So now she farmed him
out to Zilpah's bed for that week to see what would happen. If Rachel could
have children by her maid, then by golly Leah was going to do it too. Boy,
those sisters were really at war!

†. Gen 30:10-11 . . And when Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son,
Leah said: What luck! So she named him Gad.

Gad is from gad (gawd) which means: a troop. (chuckle) Leah was having
enough boys to field a recon squad.

†. Gen 30:12-13 . .When Leah's maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son,
Leah declared: What fortune! meaning, Women will deem me
fortunate. So she named him Asher.

Well; what had the local women been deeming her up till then? Women can
be so cruel to each other. Leah wasn't attractive, and she was getting up in
years before she met Jacob. Women in Leah's neighborhood very likely
made her the object of sneering gossip: "Oh, here comes that old maid.
Hasn't she found a husband yet? Poooooor thing; tsk." And they would put
on their best pity faces for Leah as she walked by.

The name "Asher" is from 'Asher (aw-share') which means: happy.

†. Gen 30:14 . . Once, at the time of the wheat harvest, Reuben came
upon some mandrakes in the field and brought them to his mother
Leah. Rachel said to Leah: Please give me some of your son's
mandrakes.

Mandrake is the common name for any of a genus of herbs. The species to
which the name is particularly applied has two varieties, vernal and
autumnal, both native to the Mediterranean and Himalayan regions and
especially to Greece. The whole plant has a fetid odor. As late as the Middle
Ages, a dose of the oddly shaped root was sometimes given to patients as a
narcotic before surgical operations. In the United States, mayapple is often
called mandrake.

The mandrake has traditionally been an object of superstition, largely
because of the resemblance of its forked root to the human figure. Used as
an aphrodisiac, the mandrake was also variously regarded as a charm for
pregnancy-- a sort of fertility drug --also for invulnerability, and for
discovering treasure.

Leah certainly didn't need mandrakes to have children. She was doing just
fine without a charm or a fertility drug. But she may have wanted them
around the house for medicinal purposes and home remedies. Rueben was
trained to recognize mandrakes and he brought them home because he
knew his mom would want them: and of course Rachel would want them too
because she was infertile.

†. Gen 30:15a . . But she said to her: Was it not enough for you to
take away my husband, that you would also take my son's
mandrakes?

Of the two sisters, Leah is the only one to label Jacob "my" husband.
Personally, I don't think Rachel ever really thought too much of Jacob.

One of the very first social skills children learn from their parents is sharing.
Jacob's family was so bitterly divided that his wives, two blood kin sisters,
were not even disposed to display even the simplest of graces towards each
other. In other words, Leah was saying: if you want some mandrakes, go
out and find your own!

†. Gen 30:15b-16 . . Rachel replied: I promise, he shall sleep with
you tonight, in return for your son's mandrakes. When Jacob came
home from the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and
said: You are to sleep with me, for I have hired you with my son's
mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

Haw! Jacob became a gigolo in his own home. His wives were not only
fighting amongst themselves because of him, but they were bartering for
him like a commodity too. Jacob was sure in a pickle. He was probably like
most men; just wanting peace and quiet in his own home. If that's what the
women arranged for him that night, well alright; if it made them happy and
kept the noise down then what the hey.

You would think the home life of the patriarchs would be the most sterling
role models you could ever want. But no. They were actually pretty
disappointing. And why was that? Becuz they were people. They weren't a
celestial breed of supernatural beings whose home planet was located out in
space somewhere between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort Cloud. No, the
patriarchs didn't fall down from Jupiter as a superior race of extragalactic
agents, not did they draft in on the tail of a comet and drop off in the land of
Palestine. None of that. They were just as human as anybody else and they
were all slaves to human proclivities and predilections right along with the
rest of the Adams' family.

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