Moving on in Genesis, it’s time to encounter the next patriarchs: Isaac and Jacob. But before we talk about the guys, a word about the hero of the story:
Rebecca
Of the matriarchs, Rebecca emerges as the leader. Taking her destiny into her own hands, Rebecca first chooses to marry Isaac (sight unseen). In this we may see hints of local customs. Then, having overcome a brief period of barrenness (maybe that’s necessary to the matriarchs?), thanks to Isaac’s prayers, Rebecca bears the twins, Jacob and Esau. Most significantly, she is the one who recognizes which of the two should be the favored one. Interestingly, while we see that God has definitely chosen Jacob and rejected Esau, the deity makes no effort to intervene and make sure that Isaac makes the same choice. Is that because God can depend on Rebecca and Jacob to take care of the problem?
Why is Jacob the chosen heir? One answer is that Esau does give up his birthright, selling it for stew because he’s hungry. This story demonstrates that Esau’s priorities and personality aren’t necessarily patriarch material. At any rate, Isaac’s choice in the end is echoed by God’s, and Jacob will be the son of the promise.
However, a note of grace in Esau’s story–when the brothers meet again, Esau is the one who acts with forgiveness. Possibly it is a trick–Jacob seems to think so, as he sends his brother off with a promise to follow that he has no intention of keeping–but maybe it is simply an acknowledgment that Esau is where he belongs, in the land of Edom, just as Jacob moves into the land that will bear his name, Israel.
Jacob now encounters God. Jacob’s experience differs from his fathers. Both Abraham and Isaac hear the renewed covenant, although Isaac’s encounter is fairly brief and contains no new information. For Abraham the Covenant is tangible–he has the bloody covenant ceremony first, and then the sign of circumcision. Abraham also has the symbolic promise contained in the stars. Jacob gets the same information, that is, the election of the nation of his descendants. But his experience of God is different, containing something of mystery and otherness. The one who wrestles refuses to give his name. The ladder of angels is not a symbol of Jacob’s future, but a vision of God’s reality. We begin to see a God who is more than this covenantal relationship. Jacob’s response changes as well. When he first leaves home, his prayer is a bargain–bless me and I will tithe when I get back. His later experience invokes awe and wonder, even as he asks for a blessing.
Many of the stories in this section of Genesis have to do with names. Places and people are named–sometimes more than once. These names reflect local legends, providing each location with a pedigree–these are places with history, worthy of respect! We will soon see how names and blessings contain power, but at this point we see how the stories solidify the connection to the promised land. Although there are other people living there, these places belong to the patriarchs; that’s why they get to name them.
Some words about Laban and Jacob: these two tricksters are fairly matched! But within the terms of their rivalry, Jacob remains honest. He proposes taking the spotted goats and sheep, he just doesn’t tell Laban that he has a secret way of making the livestock reproduce that way. Laban’s tricks, like taking all the spotted livestock away so they won’t reproduce, just aren’t a match for Jacob’s blessing. Their final encounter results in a treaty, or covenant. Laban speaks the words of the “Mizpah blessing,” which is more of a threat than a blessing. Why does it end up our jewelry and posters?! Rachel offers a trick of her own–taking her father’s gods (think of them as lucky charms) and defiling them, thereby robbing them of their strength.
Our section ends with the sad story of Dinah. Here is a story that gives us a taste of a tribal, ancient culture! Whose actions are right–Jacob or his sons? Do Dinah’s preferences find any place in the story at all? More questions than answers.