Genesis 27-29

The theme of family dysfunction continues as Jacob with the help of Rebekah outwits Esau and Isaac to secure Isaac's special blessing near the end of his life. Jacob's "deception"--his "ruse"--makes him heir to God's covenant.  Esau, for his part, will be forced "far from the fertile  earth" and will have to serve his brother.  On his way to find a wife, on Isaac's instructions, Jacob falls asleep and has the dream that provides the title for this blog. This stairway to heaven (no Led Zeppelin jokes, please) reminds me of something I read a long time ago in the writings of Teresa of Avila, and which I am sure to misquote to some degree here--but the gist was "every sin is but another step on the spiral staircase to God."  How comforting those words have been to me over the years. Here, God's messengers descend and ascend the staircase, which I take to mean they bring God's message to us (ultimately a message of salvation embodied in Christ) and then serve to guide us on the path back to Him. It is a path from this place, to which God banished Adam and Eve, up to heaven.  Jacob goes on to the dwelling of Laban, his mother's brother, where he is the victim of a deception himself.  He is tricked into marrying Laban's daughter, Leah, when it is her sister, Rachel whom he loves--loves so much that Jacob "burst into tears" the first time he kisses her. Laban's deception causes Jacob to have to stay an extra 7 years serving Laban. But as this section of the story ends, it is Leah who bears son after son in an effort to please Jacob and win his love, while Rachel remains barren.  

Genesis 24:28-26:35

The Lord God has a direct hand in ensuring that Isaac marries a woman who is very beautiful. A woman who, it seems, turns out to be perfect for him. Indeed, "in his love for her, Isaac found solace after the death of his mother, Sarah."  As a husband, I find it comforting to think that in this way God can work in our own lives, to help us find and choose a mate who can be a help and solace to us. In contrast, I am distressed by the reference, after the story of the birth of Esau and Jacob, to the fact that Isaac favored Esau and Rebekah favored Jacob. Really? As a father, it is incomprehensible to me to think that I would favor or love one of my children more than the other.  This does not resonate with me at all, and we can already feel the echoes of the Cain and Abel story. So far, Genesis is not filled with particularly good modeling for parents. Although Abraham has other children after Sarah dies, it is to Isaac that he leaves everything he owns. And God makes it clear that Isaac is the heir of the covenant God made with Abraham.  Finally, I find some comic relief in the story of Isaac and Rebekah visiting the king of the Philistines, Abimelech. This poor guy is again lied to, this time by Isaac, who tells him that Rebekah is actually Isaac's sister.  Just as Abraham had done years before.  And once again, Abimelech and his retinue nearly commit the grave sin of lying with a married man's wife.  Eventually, seeng how prosperous Isaac and his relatives have become, Abimilech sends him away.