The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 3 · Section 23 – Section 24
SECT. XXIII.
ISaac was now arriv'd at the age of 136, and his Eyes(y)Iſaac was 60 when Jacob was born, and Jacob was now 76. were very dim. Blindneſs indeed is incident to old age; yet this ſeems to have happened to Iſaac by the ſpecial Providence of God, that Jacob might be bleſſed by him. For Iſaac lived after this above 40 years, as may be collected from Ch. 35.28. The Patriarchs having received the promiſe of Grace for themſelves and their Seed after them, were wont before they died, in the Name of God, and by the ſpirit of Proſpheſie to fore-ſhew with which of their Seed this Covenant ſhould continue, and ſo did as it were by way of Will and Teſtament paſs over the right of the Covenant and the promiſe of Grace to thoſe their Children who were to be heirs thereof, and in whoſe Families the Church was to be continued till the coming of Chriſt. Whence that phraſe, Heb. 12.17. of inheriting the bleſſing. And thus Iſaac now intended to bleſs his Son Eſau, not underſtanding (as 'tis probable) the Will and purpoſe of God herein, ſo plainly as Rebecca did from that Oracle. Gen. 25.23. where the Lord ſaid unto her two Nations are in thy Womb, and two manner of people ſhall be ſeparated from thy bowels, the one people ſhall be ſtronger than the other, and the elder ſhall ſerve the youger. And being her ſelf perſwaded thereby that God intended the bleſſing to the younger, without doubt ſhe did labour to perſwade Iſaac thereof. But though God inlightned his underſtanding by a prophetical illumination, as concerning the bleſſing he was to pronounce, yet withall he did not ſo clearly ſhew him the right perſon on whom it was to be conferred, but left him therein to his own ſpirit, which carried him to conſider Eſau's Prerogative in being his Firſt-born; and having a great affection for him (as we have ſeen Sect. 19.) he intended to tranſmit the bleſſings and promiſes made to his Father Abraham unto him. But the Providence of God ſerving it ſelf upon the better illumination and Faith of Rebecca, by her means doth diſappoint Iſaac's purpoſe, that it might appear that it was not by the will of Man, but of Gods free Grace, and ſingular favour that Jacob had the bleſſing. But to return, Iſaac now intending to bleſs Eſau, he bad him go out into the Field and take him ſome Veniſon, and to make him ſome ſavoury meat, ſuch as he loved. For being aged and feeble, 'tis like he deſired this refreſhing meat to chear his Spirits, that he might be the fitter Inſtrument of the holy Spirit of God in pronouncing this Prophetical Bleſſing. Rebecca underſtanding this, and being ſtrongly perſwaded that the bleſſing belonged to Jacob, 1. By Gods declaring to her when the Children ſtrugled in her Womb, That the elder ſhould ſerve the younger. And 2ly, By Jacob's holding his Brother by the heel when he was born. And 3ly, By Eſau's ſelling his Birthright to Jacob. And laſtly, By Eſau's profaneneſs and Jacob's Piety, and perceiving that Iſaac was now ready (through miſtake) as much as lay in him to croſs the Counſel and purpoſe of God, ſhe reſolves to indeavour to diſappoint her Husband; And though the ſubtilty and deceit ſhe inſtructs Jacob to uſe therein, be not juſtifiable, yet thus far ſhe is praiſe-worthy, that underſtanding rightly the Oracle of God, ſhe ſought to prevent the Error of her Husband, and to procure the bleſſing for him to whom God had appointed it. Hereupon ſhe calls Jacob, and bids him fetch her two young Kids from the Flock, and ſhe would of them make ſavoury meat for his Father, which he ſhould ſpeedily carry to him, and ſo receive the bleſſing from him. Jacob humbly told her, That there was a great deal of difference between Him and his Brother as to their perſons; For his Brother was an hairy man, and He himſelf was not ſo; and poſſibly his Father would feel him when he went to carry the meat, and ſo being diſcovered, he ſhould (in all likelihod) bring a Curſe upon himſelf inſtead of a bleſſing. His Mother being confident (as it ſeems) of a good iſſue, anſwered, Ʋpon me be thy Curſe, only obey my voice, and do as I command thee. Hereupon he fetched the Kids, and gave them to her, and ſhe made ſavoury meat of them, ſuch as Iſaac loved. Then ſhe took a Suit of Raiment that belonged to Eſau, (which was there in the houſe with her) and was well ſented with Odors, and put it upon Jacob. Then ſhe put ſome part of the skins of the Kids upon his Hands, and the ſmooth of his Neck, and ſo gave him the ſavoury meat to carry to his Father. When he had brought it to him, Iſaac ask'd him, Who he was? He anſwered, I am Eſau thy Firſt-born; I have done according as thou didſt command me; Ariſe I pray thee, Eat of my Veniſon, that thy Soul may bleſs me. Iſaac replies, How is it that thou haſt found it ſo quickly my Son? Jacob anſwers, Becauſe the Lord thy God hath brought it to me. (z)Mendacii peccato Jacobum voluit implicari Deus, operibus ne tribueretur aut Electio aut Benedictio. Iſaacum porro falli ac ſtupore perſtringi, ut amoris ipſum puderet in Eſau praepoſteri, tum ut conſtaret quam fruſtra obſiſteretur Deo. Anonym. in V. T.And thus out of fear of being diſcovered he is further inſnared. Iſaac (as it ſeems) being yet ſomething doubtful, calls him to him, that he might feel him, and having felt him, ſaid, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Eſau. Yet notwithſtanding having ſome miſtruſt, he asks him, Art thou my very Son Eſau? He anſwered, He was. So then Iſaac bad him bring him his Veniſon, and he did eat thereof, and he brought him Wine, and he drank thereof. Then being refreſhed, he bad him come near unto him and kiſs him, and ſmelling the ſmell of his Raiment, he ſaid, The ſmell of my Sons Garment is as the ſmell of a Field which God hath bleſſed, namely, with Flowers and Fruits. Then in a way both of prayer and propheſie, he ſaid,(a)The efficacy of the bleſſing here did not depend upon the intention of Iſaac, no more doth the efficacy of the Sacrament depend upon the intention of the Miniſter. God give thee of the dew of Heaven, and the fatneſs of the Earth, (b)Which Promiſes of temporal good things were alſo types of ſpiritual bleſſings extending to all that were within the Covenant made to and with Abraham. And though theſe Promiſes according to the letter were not fulfilled ſo much in Jacob's perſon, as in his Poſterity, nevertheleſs the ſpiritual benefits typified thereby were common to him with all believers.and plenty of Corn and Wine. Let people ſerve thee, and Nations bow down unto thee. Be thou Lord over thy Brethren, and let thy Mothers Sons bow down unto thee, curſed be every one that curſeth thee, and bleſſed be every one that bleſſeth thee. Iſaac had no ſooner made an end of bleſſing Jacob, but Eſau came with his Veniſon, and deſired his Father to eat thereof and bleſs him. When Iſaac heard this, he trembled exceedingly, and in a kind of Conſternation asked, Where is he that hath taken Veniſon and brought it me, and I have eaten thereof before thou cameſt, and have bleſſed him, yea, and he ſhall be bleſſed. Eſau hearing this, burſt out into a bitter cry, and ſaid, Bleſs me, even me alſo, O my Father. He deſires a ſhate in the Birth-right-bleſſing, though he could not have it alone. But He did not conſider that he had freely of his own accord ſold his Birtht-right to his Brother, and conſequently the bleſſing belonging to it. Iſaac anſwers, His Brother came with ſubtilty, and had taken away the Bleſſing. Eſau replies, My Brother may well be called Jacob (a Supplanter) for he hath twice ſupplanted me; firſt in getting away my Birth-right, and now in taking away my Bleſſing. But O my Father (ſays he) Haſt thou never a bleſſing reſerved for me? Iſaac anſwered, Behold I have made thy Brother thy Lord, and all his Brethren have I given to him for Servants, and with Corn and Wine have I plentifully furniſhed him, that he ſhall have enough. And now the chief and principal bleſſing, viz. the Divine Covenant, and the Inheritance of the Land of Canaan, being ſetled on thy Brother Jacob, what ſhall I do for thee my Son? Alas all other bleſſings are comparatively nothing to this. Eſau anſwered, What, my Father, haſt thou but one bleſſing to beſtow? Then weeping bitterly, he cried out, O I beſeech thee bleſs me, even me alſo. But all his crying and weeping could not move Iſaac to repent of what he had done, or to recall the bleſſing which unwittingly he had conferred on Jacob, ſee Heb. 12.17. However Iſaac tells Eſau that plenty of earthly bleſſings ſhould be his portion. Canaan alſo was a Type of the heavenly Canaan.Thy dwelling (ſays he) ſhall be the fatneſs of the Earth (Mount Seir was ſuch a place, though much inferior to Canaan) and thou ſhalt be bleſſed with the dew of Heaven from above, and by thy Sword ſhalt thou live (that is, by thy valour ſhalt defend thy Eſtate and Country) and ſhalt ſerve thy Brother, viz. in thy Poſterity. For when the Children of Jacob ſhall inherit the Land of Canaan, they ſhall make the Edomites Tributaries to them, [ſee 2 Sam. 8.14. and Obad. v. 18, 19.] but it ſhall come to paſs when thou ſhalt have the Dominion, thou ſhalt break his Yoke from off thy Neck, that is, after the Edomites thy Poſterity ſhall have been a long time in ſubjection to the Iſraelites, they ſhall at length become more mighty than they had been, and ſhall then Caſt off the Yoke of the Iſraelites, which was accompliſh'd in the days of Jehoram King of Judah, 2 Kings 8.20. In his days Edom revolted from under the hand of Judah. [See 2 Chron. 21.8.]
Things thus happening between theſe two Brothers, Eſau hereupon hated Jacob, (c)This hatred continued in his Poſterity. See Obad. v. 10.11, 12, &c. Herod was an Idumaean, and exerciſed his Tyranny in Judaea for 38 years.becauſe of the bleſſing wherewith his Father had bleſſed him. And at firſt he ſecretly determined in his own mind, but afterwards (not being able to contain himſelf) he uttered it in ſo many words, that the days of mourning for his Father were at hand, that is, his Father could not in likelihood live much longer, and as ſoon as he was dead he was reſolved to kill (d)See how wicked men do harden themſelves againſt the known will of God, as we ſee an inſtance in Saul, 1 Sam. 18.28, 29. Saul ſaw and knew that the Lord was with David, and yet he became Davids enemy continually.his Brother Jacob. Theſe threatning words coming to Rebeccas ears, ſhe immediately ſent for her Son Jacob, and told him what Eſau intended againſt him, and how he comforted himſelf with the thoughts of killing him, not only becauſe revenge (yea the very purpoſe of it) is ſweet to inraged wicked men, but becauſe he flattered himſelf with hopes by this means to recover his Birth-right again. Therefore ſhe adviſes him to flee preſently to her Brother Laban, who dwelt at Haran in Meſopotamia, and to tarry there a few days, (e)But it proved to be above 20 years, as we ſee Ch. 31.38.till the wrath and fury of his Brother was appeaſed, and then ſhe would ſend, and fetch him home again. And ſhe further intimates to Him, that ſhe plainly foreſaw that if they continued together, they would in all likelihood quarrel and fight, and poſſibly one of them might kill the other. And if Eſau killed him, they could then account no better of Eſau then as of a dead man, ſeeing Divine Vengeance in all probability would follow him, becauſe of that Fact; or the Sword of Juſtice would cut him off; or he would withdraw himſelf from her preſence, as not daring to look her any more in the face, and ſo ſhe ſhould be deprived of them both in one day. And Rebecca, that ſhe might diſpoſe Iſaac to be willing that Jacob might go to Padan-Aram, tells him not of what ſhe heard of Eſau's bloody intention to kill his Brother (leſt ſhe ſhould grieve him thereby in his old Age, or inrage him againſt Eſau) but ſhe tells him, that ſhe was weary of her life by reaſon of Eſau's Wives, and therefore leſt Jacob ſhould marry among the Canaanites as Eſau had done, (to their continual grief and vexation) ſhe deſires that Jacob might go and ſeek a Wife among her Kindred at Haran. Iſaac hereupon calls Jacob to him, and charging him to go to Meſopotamia, and to take a Wife of the Daughters of Laban, he now wittingly and willingly confirms the bleſſing which he had before given him unknowingly. He deſires the Lord to bleſs him, to make him fruitful, and to multiply him, [ſee Ch. 35.11, 12. & Ch. 48.4.] and to confer on him all thoſe bleſſings, both Spiritual and Temporal, which were promiſed to Abraham and his Seed, and eſpecially the bleſſing of the promiſed Meſſias. And that he might inherit the Land given to Abraham by promiſe. For though he Himſelf ſhould be only as a Stranger in this Land, wandring here and there, yet to him it ſhould be given, and to his Seed after him. Jacob having thus received his Fathers bleſſing, ſtole away privately, leſt Eſau ſhould lie in wait for him by the way; and began his Journey from Beerſheba, towards his Uncle Laban, with his Staff in his hand. (f)Vacuus dimiſſus eſt, ut tutius latitaret, & emineret divina benedictio.[Ch. 32.10.] As he travelled on he came to a Place near Luz, about 50 miles from Beerſheba, and about eight miles North of Jeruſalem, but being overtaken with the night, He was fain to lie all night in the Field; and he took one of the ſtones of the place, and put it for his pillow, and ſo lay down to ſleep. And he dreamed and had a viſion of a Ladder, the foot of which ſtood upon the Earth, and the top of it reached to Heaven, and the Angels of God aſcended and deſcended on it. By which Viſion probably was repreſented to Him how the Providence of God reached from Heaven to Earth, and governed the World by the Miniſtry of the holy Angels; and particularly Gods provident Care over Him, and that thorow the mediation of the promiſed Seed, Chriſt hereby typified, (g)The top of the Ladder reaching to Heaven, repreſented Chriſts Deity, the foot of it touching the Earth, his Humanity, Joh. 1.51. Chriſt reaches to Heaven in his Divine Natur…, and to Earth in his humane. In his two Natures perſonally united, Heaven and Earth are as it were joyned together. By him alone God is reconcil d to Man. To him the Angels miniſter. By his Merits and Interceſſion the Saints obtain the Gifts of the Holy Ghoſt, the Guardianſhip of the holy Angels, and all ſpiritual bleſſings, Pſal. 91.11, 12. Heb. 1.13, 14.he ſhould injoy the Guardianſhip of the holy Angels, and be by them defended both in his going out and returning. And in this Viſion Jacob ſaw Jehovah ſtanding on the top of this Ladder, and ſaying to him, I am the God of Abraham thy Father, and the God of Iſaac; the Land whereon thou lieſt, to thee will I give it, and to thy Seed; and thy Seed ſhall be as the duſt of the Earth, and ſhall ſpread and multiply exceedingly, Eaſt, Weſt, North, and South, and in thy Seed ſhall all the Nations of the Earth be bleſſed. Thus he renews the promiſe to him, and ſtates it in him which was formerly made to Abraham and Iſaac, Ch. 12.3. & 22.18. Acts 3.25. Further the Lord ſays to him, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whether thou goeſt, and will bring thee again into this Land. For I will not leave thee until I have done all that which I have ſpoken to thee of. Jacob awaking and conſidering the glorious Viſion he had ſeen, cried out, Aſſuredly God is in this place in a more peculiar manner, though I did not apprehend, or imagine to have met with ſuch a glorious manifeſtation and Revelation of Himſelf to me here; and being ſtruck with a Reverend aw and fear of the Majeſty of God, who had thus appeared to him, he cries out, How dreadful is this place? This is none other but the Houſe of God, the very Gate of Heaven. As if he ſhould have ſaid, This ſeemeth to be a place where God manifeſts himſelf in a more eſpecial manner to the Children of Men, and whence they may by praying unto him, and worſhipping of him as by a Gate aſcend up into Heaven, and Converſe with him above. And upon this account he thinks this a fit place for the building an Houſe to God, as we may ſee verſ. 22. Riſing up therefore early in the Morning, he takes the ſtone which he had laid under his head, and ſet it up as a Pillar,(h)This in likelihood being af erwards demoliſhed, he erects about 30 years after a new Pillar of ſtone upon another Apparition in the ſame place, Ch. 35.14, 15. This Pillar was a religious Sign and Monument as Altars were, Eſay 19.19. There were alſo Pillars for civil uſe, as Rachels Pillar on her Grave, Ch. 35.20. And Abſolon's Pillar, 2 Sam. 18.18. The Pillar Galeed, Gen. 31.45, 47, 52. But when the Law was given by Moſes, Pillars for religious uſe were forbidden, Levit. 26.1. Deut. 16.22. And the Pillars of Idolaters commanded to be broken down, Deut. 12.3. & Ch. 7.5. and as a memorial of that Viſion, and then poured out a little of the oil upon it (which he had taken with him for his proviſion by the way) as an Oblation and Offering of thanksgiving to God, having no other Sacrifice at hand. And he did the ſame thing afterwards at the ſame place again about 30 years after, [ſee Ch. 35.14.] and called the Name of the place Bethel, that is, the Houſe of God, whereas the City near to it was before called Luz. Then Jacob made a Vow unto the Lord, That if he would pleaſe to be with him, and to keep him in the way wherein he was now to go, and to give him Food and Raiment, [1 Tim. 6.8.] and bring him back again to his Fathers houſe in peace, it ſhould be a new and ſtrong Obligation, and Ingagement upon him to worſhip and ſerve the Lord faithfully all his days, and that ſtone or pillar now erected by him ſhould be Gods Houſe, (i)See the performance of this, Ch. 35.7.viz. that place ſhould be conſecrated to his Worſhip and Service, for him and his to worſhip him in; and that he would give the tenth (k)Thus we ſee Tythes paid by Abraham and Jacob before the Law of Moſes. Decimas non ſacerdoti pendendas, ſed in uſus pios, aras, holocauſta, &c. Levit 27.30. Numb. 18.24. Anonym. in loc.of all that he ſhould have to God, that is, for the maintenance of the true Worſhip of God, and for pious and charitable Ʋſes.
Gen. 27. whole Chapter.
Gen. 28. from 1. to 6. and from 10. to the end.
SECT. XXIV.
ESau underſtanding that his Father Iſaac had bleſſed Jacob, and that he had ſent him away into Meſopotamia, there to take a Wife of his own Kindred, (expreſly forbidding him to marry any of the Daughters of the Canaanites,) and that Jacob had expreſs'd his readineſs to obey his Father and Mother therein; He to pacifie his Fathers mind (who was much offended with him for taking for his firſt Wives, the Daughters of the Hitties, ſee Sect. 21.) went to the Iſhmaelites, (Iſhmael himſelf being now dead) and took another Wife, viz. Mahalatha, the Daughter of Iſhmael the Son of Abraham; And it ſeems he did this either to pleaſe his Father by matching into his Kindred, or elſe to ſtrengthen himſelf by this new alliance with the Iſraelites againſt his Brother Jacob.
Gen. 28. from 6. to 10.