以撒再次向雅各肯定亞伯拉罕的祝福，也像他的父親亞伯拉罕一樣（24：3），叫雅各不要娶迦南地的女子為妻，而要回到他們的親戚，利百加的哥哥拉班家，在那裡娶一個敬虔的妻子。雅各順從父親的指示前往巴旦亞蘭，那也是他母親原先的意思，因為怕以掃會殺他。以掃聽見父親指示雅各不要娶迦南地的女子，他才終於瞭解自己的迦南太太帶給他父親多大的煩惱。為了取悅父親和表示對他的尊敬，以掃也娶了自己的親人（28：8~9）。他娶的是伯伯以實瑪利的女兒，這位三太太應會知道亞伯拉罕之上帝的事。以掃可能已經學到了教訓（雖然是從痛苦中學習），開始比較認真考慮屬靈的事。

         在雅各的旅途中，有件不尋常的事發生在路斯，該地後來被他更名為「伯特利」，就是「上帝的殿」的意思。那座天使上上下下的梯子可以代表雅各的需要和禱告上達天聽，和上帝的幫助及對他禱告的回應降臨於他。梯子說明了天和地之間的關連。耶穌對他的門徒之一，來自加利利地之迦拿的拿但業說：「我實實在在的告訴你們，你們將要看見天開了，上帝的使者上去下來在人子身上。」（約1：51）耶穌應是用雅各天梯的故事來表明祂就是那梯子，因為祂說：「我就是道路、真理、生命，若不藉著我，沒有人能到父那裡去。」（約14：6）

        毫無疑問，雅各應該知悉在他未出生前母親就得到的有關他的預言，但一直到那時，上帝才親自向他確認曾賜給亞伯拉罕和以撒的約和所有的應許。儘管雅各不配得，又有許多罪，但上帝憐憫和赦免的聲音給了他勇氣繼續前進。雅各醒來後，在上帝面前發了一個有條件的誓：如果上帝在他所行的路上與他同在，賜給他一切的需要，又使他平平安安的回到父家（意指與他的哥哥和好），那麼他就以耶和華為他的上帝。

         上帝的確為雅各做了他所祈求的事，但那些事都是上帝早已應許要做（28：15），也一定會做的。雅各提出那些條件表現出他的缺乏信心和屬肉體的天性。不過，他發誓將所有的十分之一奉獻給主則十分可取，也一定很討上帝的喜悅。這個十分之一的原則遍及聖經，如果我們想討上帝喜悅，也應立誓奉獻十分之一給祂。

         當雅各抵達他舅舅拉班的地方，我們看見上帝的引導。拉結在上帝的計畫中，領著他父親的羊比平常還早出來，與雅各同時到達井旁。所以雅各見到的第一個親戚就是拉結，他未來的妻子。拉結非常美麗，雅各對她一見鍾情。拉班也同意在雅各為他工作七年之後要將拉結給他為妻。我們看見這個騙人的人如何被騙。在那個時代，新娘必須將臉完全遮住，雅各就在不知自己被耍的情況下娶了拉結的姐姐利亞。拉班的藉口是，在他們那個地方，還沒有小的比大的先嫁的例。不過，七天的婚禮慶典過後，雅各也得著拉結為妻，但他必須再為拉班工作七年。因為他深愛拉結，這七年就如同幾天一樣（29：20）。

         雅各並沒有打算要成為一個多妻的人，他是被騙不得不如此。多妻在那個時候很普遍，聖經雖沒有直接反對多妻，但聖經確實藉著多妻導致的諸多問題和罪惡來教導人們不要多妻。雅各為他的欺騙付出代價，娶了一個他不愛的妻子、辛苦工作，又要忍受痛苦（31：40~42），服侍他的岳父長達二十年。上帝見利亞不得寵，就使她生育，她懷孕生了四個兒子（以色列的四個支派）。

        「人種的是什麼，收的也是什麼」（加6：7），這是聖經的原則。雅各誠然收了他欺騙父親、兄長的惡果。讓我們小心，在一切我們做的事上誠實不欺。

         全能的上帝，求您給我們誠實的恩典，使我們向您誠實的認罪，也使我們對己、對人都誠實不貳。奉主耶穌基督聖名，阿們！

English

         Isaac reaffirmed to Jacob the blessing of Abraham, and, like his father Abraham (24:3), Isaac told his son to not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan, but to return to their relatives, to the household of Rebekah’s brother Laban, in order to marry a godly wife. Jacob obeyed his father’s instructions and left for Padan Aram, which was where his mother had already told him to go out of fear that Esau would kill him. Esau heard his father instructing Jacob not to take a wife from the Canaanites and finally realized the grief his Canaanite wives had caused his father, so he tried to please him and show respect by marrying a relative as will 928:8, 9). He married his uncle Ishmael’s daughter who would have learned about the God of Abraham. Possibly Esau had learned his lesson (although the hard way) and had begun to consider spiritual things more seriously.

        On Jacob’s journey, an unusual thing happened at Luz, which he renamed “Bethel”, meaning “house of God”. The ladder, with angels ascending and descending, could represent Jacob’s needs and prayers ascending before God, and God’s help and answers to prayer descending upon him. The ladder illustrates the connection between heaven and earth. Jesus said to one of His followers, Nathanael from Cana of Galilee, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (john 1:5). Jesus would have been referring to this story of Jacob’s ladder, and saying that this ladder represents Him, for as Hw said, “I am the way, the truth and the life, No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).

        No doubt Jacob was aware of the prophecy concerning him that his mother received even before his birth, but not until this time did he have the covenant and all the promises (which had been given to Abraham and Isaac) personally confirmed by God Himself. Despite his unworthiness and sins he heard the merciful and forgiving voice of God which gave him the courage to carry on. After awakening, Jacob made a vow with conditions before the Lord; if the Lord was with him in his going, provided all his needs and brought him back to his father’s house in peace (meaning peace with his brother), then the Lord would be his God.

        The Lord did indeed do for Jacob what he had asked, but these are things the Lord had already promised to do (28:15) and would have done, so these conditions expressed Jacob’s lack of faith and carnality. However, his vow to give a tenth of all he had unto the Lord was commendable, and it must have been pleasing to God. This principle of tithing goes throughout the Bible and we, if we desire to please the Lord, should vow to tithe to Him as well.

        We see the guidance of the Lord when Jacob arrives in his uncle Laban’s territory. Providentially, Rachel went to the well much earlier than usual with her father’s flock, arriving at the same time as future with. She was very beautiful and it was love at first sight. Laban had agreed to give her in marriage to Jacob after he had worked seven ears for him. Then we see how the deceiver himself was deceived. In those days, the bride kept her face completely veiled and, unaware that he’d been tricked, Jacob married the older sister Leah. Laban used the excuse that in their country the younger is never married before the elder. However, after the seven days f the wedding celebration were over, Jacob took Rachel to be his wife as well and had to work an additional seven years, but because of his great love for her, the years seemed but a few days (29:20).

        Jacob did not choose to become a polygamist, he was deceived into it. Polygamy was common in those days, and although the Bible does not command directly against it, the Bible does teach against it through examples of the many problems and evils it has caused. Jacob paid for his deceptions by getting a wife he did not love and by working hard and enduring afflictions (31:40-42) like a servant for his father-in-law for twenty years. The Lord saw that Leah was unloved and so he opened her womb. She conceived and gave birth to four sons (four tribes of Israel).

        There is a biblical principle that, “whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Jacob reaped the deception he had sown to his brother and father. Let us be careful to be honest in all out dealings.

         Almighty God, please give us Your grace of honesty in our confessions unto You and in our dealings with ourselves and others.