VaYeitze
and he departed
Genesis
28:10-32:4
The saga of Jacob continues. This
week’s Torah portion is the narrative of Jacob outside of the promised land.
At the beginning, he is leaving the land in order to find a wife. The passage
concludes with Jacob returning to the land.
The life of Jacob serves as a paradigm or model of the struggles of the
Jewish people in history.
Some might say that the story of Jacob is the story of “what goes
around comes around.” While it
is true that there was deception in the actions of Jacob and his mother as
well as deception in Jacob’s relationship with Laban, the point that we
should find in these stories is that God is faithful to His covenant.
At the beginning of the portion,
Jacob leaves his parents and begins his journey to Paddan-Aram to find a wife.
He rests at a spot that he names “Beth-El”. While there he has a dream of
a ladder to heaven with angels going up and down the ladder.(28:10-12), with
the Lord present at the top of the ladder. In the dream, god reiterates His
covenant with Abraham. The ancient Sages had differing views on the
significance of the angels. Some held that the angels represented the four
world empires of the book of Daniel who would ultimately be defeated.
The ascending of the ladder represented their rise and the descending
represented their demise. Rashi
had a different view of the ascending and descending angels. The angels
ascending were angels of the
land
of
Israel
who protected Jacob in the land. The angels descending from heaven were angels
who protected Jacob when he left the land.
Rashi’s interpretation helps us to understand that no matter where
Jacob was, in or out of the land, God was maintaining His covenant
faithfulness. Even when it seemed
that Laban was in control while Jacob was out of the land, and made him serve
additional years, God was at work.
In the 32nd chapter of Jeremiah, God tells the prophet that
nothing is impossible with God. Although that statement is usually applied to
the victory of His people, in Jeremiah it is applied both to God’s work in
orchestrating the defeat of
Judah
as well as bringing about redemption. (See Jeremiah 32:26-44). The point here
is that God maintains His covenant faithfulness whether it is the context of
chastisement or blessing. In our Torah portion, God is at work in the life of
Jacob while under the authority of Laban.
It is not as if God was absent because things did not go exactly as
Jacob may have expected. In fact,
Laban observed that God had blessed him mightily while Jacob was with him.
Also, it was in this situation that the sons of
Israel
were born. Although it may have seemed unfair and wrong, God was at work
bringing His will to pass. It was not impossible for God to work through Laban
and it was not impossible for God to bring about the miraculous situation
which allowed Jacob to leave and return to
Canaan
.
The close of today’s Torah portion has Jacob once again confronted by
angels. (32:1) Rashi says that
these are the angels that were ascending up the ladder earlier - the angels of
the
land
of
Israel
. He contends that they came to escort Jacob back to the land.
It is no coincidence that the portion ends at 32:4. It is obvious that
the point here is that angels were protecting Jacob as he left the land and as
he was returning to the land. In
this way we are reminded that God is always at work in
Israel
- even when it seems that He is absent. He
always maintains His covenant faithfulness. In our own lives, we participate
in this covenant relationship through Yeshua the Messiah. We can be comforted
in this passage that whether you realize it or not angels are protecting you.
God is at work in your life, even if you are in a situation like Jacob was
with Laban. Is there a “Laban”
in your life? Are you “out of the land”. Remember that the God of Israel
neither slumbers nor sleeps. For He will give His angels charge concerning
you, To guard you in all your ways.
They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot
against a stone. Psalm 91:11-12.
May you be able to experience the
peace that is beyond understanding as you trust in the Messiah of Israel,
Yeshua. Remember - nothing is
impossible with God. Shabbat Shalom!