The Text
Last Time on Tales of Faith
Last time, we heard about the birth of Isaac, and his name which means ‘laughter.’ Isaac, the son of Sarah and Abraham, was circumcised on the eighth day and became the favored son. Haggar and Ishmael (the enslaved Egyptian and her son) were again cast out, and again God saw them and gave them protection, promising that Ishmael too will be a great nation. God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, which he complied with; at the last minute, however, God revealed that it was all just a test (sus). Perhaps unsurprisingly, there are no recorded conversations after that between Isaac and Abraham. Abraham sent a servant back to the area where he grew up to get Isaac a wife, and the slave found Rebekah. She agreed to go with him to Canaan, and married Isaac. Rebekah was barren, but instead of all the nonsense that Abraham and Sarah went through, Isaac prayed to God, and God opened her womb. It is a tough pregnancy, and Rebekah cried out to God, getting the (cryptic) answer that two nations were fighting within her, and that the older will serve the younger. This oracle makes more sense when she gave birth to twins, Esau and Jacob. Esau and Jacob are sibling rivals, Jacob tricked Esau into giving up his birthright. When Jacob tricked Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing, Esau vows to kill Jacob. Jacob flees to Padan-Haram (The old homestead), but on the way out was blessed by God (which Jacob was cautious about). In Padan-Haram Jacob met the woman of his dreams, Racheal, and his trickster match in Laben, his father-in-law/uncle, who tricked Jacob into marrying both his daughters. The daughters had their own sibling rivalry which eventually leads to the birth of twelve sons and one daughter (with the assistance of their enslaved women). Jacob is now returning to Canaan to make things right with his brother, but Esau is waiting with 400 men.
Overview of Genesis
Ch 1-11: Prehistory: Why is the world the way it is?
11:10-23:20 The Abraham Saga: A Chosen Nation
24:1-26:35 The Isaac Saga: The (mostly) Obedient Middle Patriarch
25:19-36:43 The Jacob/Israel Saga: The Crafty Heir
25:19-23 Rebekah’s warring womb
25:24-28 Jacob and Esau are born and grow
25:29-34 Esau sells his birthright for a bowl of stew
26:1-33 Isaac is blessed by God, but repeats some of the same mistakes Abraham did
26:34-35 Esau marries Hittite women, and Rebekah is not a fan
27:1-4 Isaac tries to bless Esau in secret
27:5-29 Rebekah and Jacob trick Isaac into giving the blessing to Jacob
27:30-40 Esau gets sloppy seconds
27:41-28:5 Esau pledges to kill Jacob, Jacob flees to Paddan-Haram
28:6-9 Esau marries an Ishmaelite woman
28:10-22 Jacob’s dream of God, divine blessing on Jacob, Jacob's deal with God
29:1-14 Jacob meets Racheal at The Well™
29:15-20 Laban cuts a deal with Jacob, seven years enslavement for Racheal
29:21-30 Bait and Switch, Jacob marries Leah (all night long), and works another seven years for Racheal too
29:31-30:24 Sister-Wive’s Drama: Jacob gets a lot of sons and a daughter
30:25-43 Laban tries to swindle Jacob, but it backfires
31:1-21 Jacob tries to go back to Canaan quietly (with 4 wives, 12 children, and a big herd)
31:22-42 Laban catches up to Jacob for a proper goodbye (also where did my idols go?)
31:43-32:2 Jacob and Laban make a covenant
32:3-8 Jacob tries to appease Esau, Esau is waiting with 400 men
32:9-21 Jacob prepares
32:22-32 Jacob wrestles at Peniel, and gets a new name
33:1-17 Esau’s surprising welcome (and forgiveness) of Jacob
33:18-34:12 Dinah is raped, an attempt at restitution
34:13-31 The men of the city of Shechem get circumcised, and then murdered.
35:1-15 Jacob returns to Bethel and makes an altar
35:16-26 Benjamin is born, but Racheal dies.
35:27-29 Isaac (finally) dies
36:1-43 Esau’s line, and the nation of Edom
37:1-50:26 The Joseph Saga: #TheImageofGod
Characters
Isaac (laughter)
Rebekah (captivating, or snare)
Esau (red)
Jacob (heel, to follow, to supplant)
Israel (to struggle with God)
Racheal (ewe, female sheep)
Leah (delicate or weary)
Bilhah (trouble, calamity)
Zilpah (frailty)
Today’s Story
Sibling Rivalry:
The story of the sibling rivalry between Jacob and Esau goes all the way back to the womb, where they were wrestling so much that Rebekah cried out to YHWH, “If this is to be the way, why do I live?” YHWH responds, “Two nations are in your womb,/ and two peoples born of you shall be divided;/ the one shall be stronger than the other,/ and the elder shall serve the younger.” When the two were born, Esau was red and hairy, and Jacob was holding onto Esau’s heel. It is as if Jacob is trying to be the first one out.
As they grow, they cannot be more different. Jacob is a home-body, he stays in the tents and helps cook. Esau is a man’s man, he likes the outdoors, hunting, fishing, football, and drives through my neighborhood way too fast in a doolie. This sibling rivalry is heightened by the fact that Isaac loves Esau, and Rebekah loves Jacob.
This rivalry and parental favoritism is highlighted most in the story where Isaac tries to grant the blessing onto Esau in their own private feast, but Rebekah has Jacob impersonate Esau to get the blessing himself. It is successful, and in Isaac’s understanding of how the blessing works, there is not enough to go to both.
This turns a simple rivalry to a whole new level, and Esau vows to kill Jacob after his father dies. It is so serious that Jacob goes back to Padan-Haram, where Rebekah came from, to flee his brother’s fury. Jacob has his own adventures in Padan-Haram, but we have not heard anything about Esau, as far as we know he still holds a grudge against his brother. So when Jacob receives the report that Esau is waiting to meet him, with 400 men (i.e. an army), Jacob freaks out.
Trickster Patriarch:
Western literature does not employ the ‘trickster’ character type as much as the rest of the world, but Marvel Comics/Movies has reintroduced the concept through Loki, son of Odin, brother of Thor. In these trickster myths, the trickster is a hero, of sorts, but one who uses their cunning rather than their brute strength to get out of trouble. In the biblical narrative, this cunning and wit is more closely associated with the serpent of the garden, which perhaps makes us think that we should be rooting for Esau, and yet the narrative unquestionably centers on Jacob. The trickster is not the biggest or the strongest, in fact, they are often under threat of those who would use their power against them. Brer-Rabbit is under real threat from Brer-Fox and Brer-Bear, but uses the skills at his disposal, sometimes in morally questionable ways, because that is the only power at his disposal.
In the ancient world, the first-born son had the authority. They got the majority of the inheritance, but they were also in-line to lead the family into the future. In the case of the line of Abraham, there was also the matter of divine blessing that would be granted to them (though this is more about the conception of that blessing as a limited commodity, than the abundance of true blessing, but that is another point).
There are a series of stories that establish Jacob as a trickster, but also tells us a lot about Esau. Esau has the right of the first-born, he will be the head of the household when Isaac dies, it is his birthright. Yet one day he comes in from the field famished. Jacob is making a stew, and offers to give it to him in exchange for his birthright. Now, if he was being rational and wise, Esau would know that this was not a great deal, but he makes the trade anyway. We have now clearly established Esau as not particularly bright or forward thinking, and someone who makes rash decisions (not exactly the best person to be the patriarch for the family). We then hear about his choice of wives. Already in Genesis, a big deal has been made about how terrible it is to marry one of the local girls, instead of a good cousin-wife from Haran/Padan-Haram. When Abraham wanted a wife for Isaac, he sent an enslaved person back to the family to get a wife, rather than a Canaanite one. This speaks to a growing cultural purity in which intermarying with other people-groups would be prohibited. The reason is often that such marriages bring in the worship of other gods, as well as unwanted cultural influences. However, Esau maries not one, but two Hittite women, and “they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.” Again, Esau is not presented in a particularly good light. But he has the assumed birthright, he is bigger and stronger, and he has the current patriarch’s support.
Perhaps it is unsurprising then that there is turmoil in the household when Isaac’s health is in decline (though he will live many more years). There is a clear disagreement between Isaac and Rebekah on who should be the next leader of the family. However, there is also a clear power differential between the two as well. Isaac is unquestionably in charge of the family, what he says goes. The cunning and trickery which Rebekah and Jacob use to take the blessing, and thereby supplant the patriarchy, is the only power they have at their disposal.
Jacob then goes to Padan-Haram, and meets his match in uncle/father-in-law Laben, also a trickster. Laben promises to let Jacob marry Racheal if he works for him seven years, then bait and switches daughters so that Jacob shtups Leah instead of Racheal. He signs another contract for seven more years, in which Laben and Jacob try to mutually rip each other off.
Even when Jacob is returning to Esau, he is trying to trick his way into it, he splits up his wealth into groups, and sends them to Esau as bribes, then splits his family by wife (of which there are now 4), so that he and his favorite wife, Racheal, can escape if Esau attacks the others. He is always looking for an angle, always looking to scrappily grab everything he can, because he knows (feels) that the deck is stacked against him.
So when some rando shows up in the middle of the night, Jacob wrestles with him. Why not? He has wrestled with everyone else. The man has a trick of his own, putting Jacob’s hip out of joint, but still Jacob tenaciously holds on, demanding a blessing. The man gives him a new name, Israel, he who struggles with God, and then gives Jacob/Israel a blessing.
Blessing:
Another major theme in this story, as well as the Jacob Saga, is that of blessing. It is the blessing that Isaac wishes to give to Esau that is a major focus. This is the blessing that God gave to Abraham, and Abraham passed on to Isaac, and now Isaac wants to give it to Esau. Rebekah and Jacob, however, conspire to get the blessing for Jacob through an elaborate ruse. When Esau returns from his quest to hunt and prepare a feast, he finds that the blessing has already been given out, and there is nothing left.
Inherent in this conflict is a misunderstanding of divine blessing. Isaac assumes that just like the cultural practice of birthright, the blessing can only be passed to one son. The narrative has already suggested otherwise when Ishmeal, Isaac’s half-brother, was also blessed to be a great nation by YHWH (Gen 21:8-21). This misunderstanding will continue into the next generation when Jacob will bless one son (Joseph) above the others, and that does not go so well.
When Jacob leaves for Padan-Haram, he stops for the night in what will eventually be known as Bethel (house of God). That night he has a dream of a stairway or ladder to heaven, and YHWH at the top. YHWH pronounces over Jacob the divine blessing of the land, multiplied offspring, blessing of all the nations, and divine presence (Gen 28:10-22). This last one is especially important at the moment “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land” (v.15), because Jacob is leaving the land of Canaan, the assumed territory of YHWH. The ancient conception of gods was that they, like kings, had clear territories and jurisdictions. Jacob was leaving the land of YHWH, and going to another god’s land, yet YHWH promises to be with him wherever he goes.
Always looking for an angle, Jacob makes a counter-offer to YHWH, “If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then YHWH shall be my God…” (Gen 28:20-21). It is a conditional statement, if God actually does what they say they are going to do, then (and only then) will they be my god. Jacob not only treats this blessing as a commodity, but also as a bargaining chip.
In today’s text, set in the same place, Bethel, Jacob demands a blessing from the stranger he has been wrestling with. When Jacob asks their name, they ask, “Why is it that you ask my name?” (Gen. 32:29) While the text does not directly say it, tradition holds that this is another theophany, the stranger is YHWH. Jacob renames the place Paniel (the face of God), because “I have seen the God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” God was indeed with him wherever he went, has blessed him with four wives, twelve children, and multiple flocks. Jacob has returned to his father’s land, and will even be reconciled with the brother who wanted to kill him.
Wrestling:
Jacob has not made it easy for himself. He is the type that is always ready for a fight, and is not bothered with things like ‘a fair fight.’ He is scrappy, he fights for every millimeter from the very beginning. We get the picture of him wrestling with his brother in-utero, and he is born grasping onto his brother’s foot (almost as if he wanted to hold him back and get out first). He uses his cunning to barter a bowl of soup for Esau’s birthright. He disguises himself as Esau to get the blessing from Isaac, their father.
Even when he first encounters YHWH at Bethel, and he is granted divine blessing of wealth, a great nation, blessing for himself and all of humanity, and the land he is leaving; Jacob wrestles and bargains with God, “If God will be with me, and [if God] will keep me in this way that I go, and [if God] will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then YHWH shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house (Beth-El); and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you” (Gen 28:20-22). Jacob can’t possibly receive the blessing that God has given him, he has to make it into a conflict, into a bargain.
When Jacob meets Racheal, he offers Laben seven years of labor (i.e. indentured servitude, enslavement) for her hand. Interestingly, this is one time when there is no bargain or trick (on Jacob’s part). However, when the time comes for the marriage, Laben switches out daughters, so that Jacob consummates with Leah (the cow-eyed older sister). Jacob finally gets a taste of his own medicine. He pledges another seven years to marry Racheal as well, and the next few chapters are full of struggle. Jacob and Laban try to counter swindle each other, switching which sheep and goats are whose. Through all of this, God blesses Jacob, and his flock flourishes (much to the anger of Laban’s sons).
There is also a beautifully tragic list of the children of Leah, Racheal, Bilhah, and Zilpah. Leah is wrestling with her own self worth in a story told in the names of her sons: Reuben (behold a son, “because YHWH has seen my affliction, surely now my husband will love me”), Simeon (God hears, “Because YHWH has heard that I am hated, God has given me this son also”), Levi (joined, “Now this time my husband will be joined to me, because I have born him three sons”), and Judah (let YHWH be praised, “This time, I will praise YHWH”). Racheal and Leah then wrestle with each other, played out in their own bodies, and using the bodies of their enslaved women.
Jacob tries to leave and return to Canaan, but does not do so on the ‘up and up,’ he tries to sneak away, and Laben finally catches up with him. He is ostensibly upset because he did not get to kiss his daughters and grand-children goodbye, but he is also upset that his household idols have gone missing. Racheal (who stole the idols) and Leah conspire to hide them by feigning menstruation.
Now Jacob returns to Canaan, and finds out that Esau is waiting to meet him, with four-hundred men. We eventually learn that Esau has already forgiven Jacob (“By the sword you shall live, /and you shall serve your brother;/ but when you break loose,/ you shall break his yoke from your neck” Gen 27:40), but that does not mean that Esau is not going to mess with his brother a little. Jacob takes the bait and freaks out, he hatches plans within plans, sending gifts to appease him, and splitting his family up so that he can escape, with his favorite wife and son, if (when) Esau attacks.
This wrestling nature is exemplified in this strange story of Jacob wrestling with a stranger at Penuel. We know nothing about this stranger, especially at the beginning, all we get is “and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” Who? What man? Where did he come from? Why is Jacob wrestling with him? None of these questions is even attempted to be answered in the beginning, and yet it all seems perfectly reasonable as far as what we have seen from Jacob. He is the scrapper, the wrestler, the one who struggles with God and human beings, and this is the pronouncement from the man, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel (to struggle with God), for you have striven with God and have prevailed.”
Interestingly, it is certainly suggested that this man is God in human form, but it is not actually stated (some Rabbis suggest it was Jacob’s guardian angel). When Jacob asks for the man’s name, the answer is, “Why is it that you ask me name?” Jacob then names the place Penuel, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” It is almost as if the author(s) are inviting us to wrestle and struggle with the text as well.
Continued Struggle:
It is interesting to note that this invitation into struggle is an ongoing one. This new name, Israel, becomes the name of the people of the covenant. They are called into the struggle with God and one another, as they seek to be a covenant people. Much of the history of the Hebrew Scriptures is a history of struggle, a struggle passed down in the Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, etc. These rabbinic wrestlings with the texts have been passed down from generation to generation. In this conversation of interpretations, a rich and textured reflection on torah is presented. This tradition clearly communicates the value, and even necessity to struggle with the text, to consider deeply, and to examine it from other perspectives. While the Talmud is currently ‘closed,’ faithful Jewish people continue to reflect on it, and even add their own perspectives to the conversation.
I recently had a conversation about my preaching style which is more of an ‘invitation to wrestle’ (i.e. let’s explore this passage and consider ways that God may be calling us to action) rather than a ‘message’ (i.e. here is the one thing that all of us need to learn from this passage). This is not the first time I have heard the same feedback (sometimes given more abrasive than others). There are certainly those who prefer a clear and direct ‘message,’ from their pastor/priest/rabbi/etc, to tell them what to believe and how to apply it. It is certainly a lot easier, especially from a congregant/consumer mentality. It can also be a pre-packaged fast-food quick-and-dirty version of biblical interpretation, readily to consume and agree (or not) to. It is particularly popular in more authority/authoritarian minded communities, where the preacher (who is definitely a man) is to be listened to, where obeying is the highest good, and (incidentally?) where abuses (of many and various types) are allowed to fester. These easily digestible message nuggets can be the ‘light beer theology’ of Rev. Dr. Tripp Fuller’s Homebrewed Christianity Podcast, rather than the ‘ingredients to brew your own brew.’
A preached invitation into the text, on the other hand, is not as straightforward. The listener is invited into the conversation, to consider the way(s) in which the Holy Spirit is calling them to meditate, to respond, and even to wrestle with scripture. It is a way of modeling discipleship, coming along to see where Jesus is living, working out one’s own salvation. This mode of preaching is more of a trip to the grocery store than a trip to MacDonald’s, and allows the listener into menu prep, and to decide what and how they will feast on the word.
We are called to be wrestlers, wanderers, sojourners. Those who seek a relationship with God and one another in our lives of response.
Pop Culture References
As mentioned above, Loki, and his relationship with Thor, is a great example of both the trickster character, and this similar sibling rivalry/love as is evident in the Jacob and Esau story. I especially love this interplay in Thor: Ragnarok, which is less adversarial.
More Links
The Bible Worm Podcast 503; Episode 103 (2019)
Bible Project: Genesis 12-50 (Read the Bible Series)
Bible Project: Genesis 12-50 (Torah Series)
Bible Project Podcast: “Wrestling With God for a Blessing” (Genesis Scroll Series)
Bible Project Podcast: “Why Can’t Jacob and Esau Both Be Blessed?” (Genesis Scroll Series Q&R)
Bible Project Podcast: “Power Grabs and Patriarchs” (Firstborn: the Last Will Be First Series)
Faith Adjacent Podcast: “Jacob Wrestles God (?)”
Faith Adjacent Podcast: “Jacob and Esau”
Hymn Suggestions
Earth And All Stars (GTG 26)- This is our ‘hymn of the month’ which we sing through the month.