A Narrative Analysis of Genesis 28:10–22

SINGAPORE BIBLE COLLEGE EXPOSITION PAPER: NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF GENESIS 28:10–22 AN EXPOSITION PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR SAMUEL GOH IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OT522 OT STUDIES I BY TAN CHING SUENG BELINDA MAILBOX #83 SINGAPORE 6 MARCH 2012 INTRODUCTION This paper is an exposition of Genesis 28:10–22 by way of narrative analysis. By considering the literary elements of the story therein and how these elements converge to convey the message of the narrator, the following questions may be addressed: (1) What is revealed about the character of God? (2) What is the role of Jacob in the narrative concerning the Abrahamic line? (3) Where Jacob’s failures, frustrations and hopes for the future are relevant today, what message does this passage hold for the modern reader? This passage, which centres on a nocturnal theophany in which Jacob encounters the God of his fathers for the first time at the start of his exile from the land he is meant to possess, as well as Jacob’s response to the divine encounter, should yield some fruitful answers. 2 SETTING There are two levels to the temporal setting of Genesis 28:10–22. The first, ‘macro’ level is in the context of the larger narrative concerning Jacob, as this episode in the text takes place after he is forced to leave his family and before he finally comes to his maternal relatives in “the land of the people of the east” (Gen 29:1). Jacob is truly alone for the first time in his story, being bereft of all human companionship (the only one to affirm him up to this point is his mother, Rebekah, but he would never see her again). He is at his lowest point, having been compelled to travel over 800 kilometres1 ostensibly to find a wife, but really to escape Esau’s wrath. This makes God’s promise that “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Gen 28:152) all the more compelling for the reader — it is the promise of divine companionship and guidance in uncertain days. Moreover, that it is God who approaches Jacob at this time tells the reader that it is He who finds Jacob when he is lost, when he is not even seeking Him. The second, ‘micro’ level of the temporal setting is in how this passage begins at night and ends “early in the morning” (Gen 28:18), thus echoing the night on which God made his covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15) and foreshadowing the night on which Jacob wrestled with God at Peniel and emerged with a new name (Genesis 32) before the sun rises. The link with Abraham is a way to emphasise that Jacob, not 1 As measured using the Map in Accordance Bible Software. All biblical quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible Anglicised Edition, unless stated otherwise. 2 3 4 Esau, is the recipient of the divine blessing; the link with the night at Peniel forms an inclusio, a unit of meaning in the narrative that we could imagine takes the shape of a crucible in which Jacob is refined by God to become a worthy patriarch of the Abrahamic promise. What the reader could note here is the need for God’s instruments, which are chosen through His grace rather than on their merit, to be purified for His use. The reader also note the fact that the night at Peniel takes place just as Jacob is about to re-enter Canaan — this mirrors the night of Genesis 28:10–22, which occurs just when Jacob is about to exit the borders of the same land3 as set by Abraham under God’s directive in Genesis 12:6–9. Thus it can be seen that the physical setting of the passage also works at the macro and micro levels. At the macro level, Jacob is retracing Abraham’s steps from Haran to Canaan. This ties the Abrahamic promise of the land to Jacob. At the micro level, the physical setting of Jacob’s first personal encounter with God is described as simply “a certain place” (Gen 28:11). The narrator only tells us that it contains stones — it is what Fokkelman calls a “nothing” place that is only transformed into “something” holy through the divine presence4. What Hamilton notes as the apparent “randomness”5 of the place, as emphasised by the repetition spotted by Wenham of the word “place” three times in verse 11 and then in verses 16, 17 and 19, emphasises that it is divine appointment and not human agency that is responsible for the theophany that takes place there. Only later in verse 19 does the narrator reveal the place to be the erstwhile Canaanite city of Luz, when it is renamed 3 T.D. Alexander, From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch, 2nd ed. (Carlisle, Cumbria: Paternoster Press and Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2002), 138–139. 4 J.P. Fokkelman, Narrative Art in Genesis: Specimens of Stylistic and Structural Analysis, 2nd ed. (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2004), 67. 5 Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50, New International Commentary on the Old Testament. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1995), 238. 5 by Jacob as Bethel. The reader is left in no doubt that the God of Abraham and Isaac has the power to redeem any place, whether it is known as “nothing” or pagan, for His purposes. As Mathews puts it, this God is able to transform “the mundane … into the sacred by his inimitable presence”6. The setting within Jacob’s dream bears examination. Since “dreams were an important means of revelation in ancient Israel”7, and in fact were considered “a point of contact between the divine and human worlds”8 in the ancient Near East, the encounter between God and Jacob depicted here is meant to be real. The “stairway resting on earth” (Gen 28:12 NIV), on which “the angels of God were ascending and descending” (Gen 28:12), generally signifies the influence of God on earthly matters — a connection that is only possible when God reaches down to the human level. The constant traffic of angels suggests divine interest and steady involvement with the human. Both Mathews9 and Hamilton10 note a potential reference to the ancient Near East ziggurat or temple-tower and thus an allusion to the Tower of Babel, which would pit a reminder of ill-advised human ambition against the supernatural reach of God’s plans and purposes for humanity. All in all, the reader gets a sense of the divine truth behind everyday reality. 6 Kenneth A. Mathews, Genesis 11:27–50:26. E. Ray Clendenen, ed. The New American Commentary; Vol. 1B. (Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005), 449. 7 William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger Jr., eds, Monumental Inscriptions from the Biblical World, The Context of Scripture; Vol. 2. (Leiden: Brill, 2003), 433. 8 William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger Jr., eds, Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World, The Context of Scripture; Vol. 1. (Leiden: Brill, 2003), 52. 9 Mathews, Genesis, 449. 10 Hamilton, Book of Genesis, 240. PLOT The events in Genesis 28:10–22 continue from Jacob being established as a trickster, having cheated his elder twin brother of his birthright and then tricking his blind, elderly father into giving him the blessing meant for his firstborn, favoured son. The events in this passage are leading to Jacob himself being swindled in turn by Laban into years of hard labour as well as being given over to family strife because of his contentious wives, Leah and Rachel. Jacob is hemmed in by circumstances of his own making. Meeting Yahweh is the furthest thing from his mind11 at this juncture in the plot, but it is just at this point that God Himself comes to him and reaffirms the covenant He had made with Abraham. Jacob then wakes and is struck with fear and awe to be on holy ground. He responds by setting up and consecrating a pillar, and making a vow to God. The events in this passage confirm for the reader that Jacob does indeed possess the firstborn blessing no matter how low he stooped to get it. However, he is not exempt from the consequences of his misdeeds. It appears in the events that follow in Haran that God will use Jacob’s mistakes to address the causes of those mistakes. But first, it is in Jacob’s utter vulnerability at this point in the plot that God identifies Himself and makes expansive promises. The point made to the reader through this is that God’s blessing is contingent not on Jacob’s obedience but on God’s grace. 11 Hamilton, Book of Genesis, 238. 6 7 The plot structure of the passage easily fits into Aristotle’s model of beginning (Gen 28:10–11, which introduces the setting, Jacob and the theme of loneliness and uncertainty), middle (Gen 28:12–15, which comprises the dream in which Jacob encounters the heavenly reality behind the place he is resting in, and is given assurance of God’s plan for him, his offspring and all humanity) and end (Gen 28:16– 22, which is a somewhat paradoxical ending since, on the one hand, we have Jacob making a decisive vow to God, but on the other, the reader knows God can be trusted, but the question remains, can Jacob?). However, beyond this linear structure, Waltke has observed a parallelism between the events leading up to and of the theophany in verses 10–15, and Jacob’s response to the theophany in verses 16–2212. The multiple mentions of an anonymous “place” in verse 11 are paralleled by Jacob’s overwhelmed response to the “awesome” place where he becomes aware of the presence of God (Gen 28:16–17); the divine encounter is paralleled by Jacob’s response of setting up and consecrating a pillar; God’s promises to Jacob are paralleled by his response with a vow. The message conveyed to the reader is that Jacob does not turn away from this divinely initiated confrontation; he in fact responds to it in an appropriate manner — fear, reverence and worshipful action. That is, he takes God at His word — he begins to have faith. If we look beyond this passage, we can see the inclusio in the plot structure noted by Bar-Erfat13 and Dorsey14. Jacob’s departure from and return to Canaan form the beginning and end markers of the inclusio, which highlights the theme of “Jacob’s 12 Bruce K. Waltke and Cathi J. Fredricks, Genesis: A Commentary. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2001), 387. 13 Shimon Bar-Efrat, Narrative Art in the Bible. (London and New York: T&T Clark International, 2004), 135. 14 David A. Dorsey, The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis–Malachi. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 1999), 58–59. 8 exile and how God graciously protected and blessed him”15. While the turning point is noted by Dorsey as Jacob’s escape from Laban and subsequent return home, the parallel pertinent to this exposition is with Genesis 35, where once again we have God’s promises, the setting up of a pillar, and the repeated action of Jacob calling the place Bethel. The overall inclusio highlights for the reader “Yahweh’s gracious protection of Israel’s weak and scheming ancestor, emphasised by the matching of Yahweh’s two gracious appearances to Jacob at Bethel and by Yahweh’s key role in Jacob’s escape at the story’s centre”16. 15 16 Dorsey, Literary Structure, 59. Ibid., 59. CHARACTERISATION There are only two characters to focus on in the passage — Jacob and God. (The angels of God are setting providers for Jacob’s dream.) Jacob Jacob’s first action of bedding down at “a certain place” (Gen 28:11) with the help of a stone was a ‘random’ one that was actually divinely led, so it is in his response to the theophany that reveals him to the reader. That he “rose early in the morning” (Gen 28:18) to set up and consecrate his stone as a pillar shows it was an urgent and important action to him. Some scholars claim that Jacob sees the pillar as “more than a mere witness [but rather] … a cult object endued with divine power and representing God himself”17. If so, this would show that, at least at this point in the narrative, Jacob does not really know the God with whom he is ‘dealing’, apart from the fact that He is the God of his fathers and is to be feared. It is more likely, however, that as Mathews explains, the anointing of the stone means nothing more than a ritual of sanctification18. Jacob also renames the place Bethel, that is, “House of God”, thus claiming and dedicating this piece of Canaanite land for Yahweh. In memorialising and renaming, Jacob in some sense assumes the mantle of leadership of his unique clan, once and for all settling it for the reader his claim to Abraham’s inheritance. 17 Gordon J. Wenham, Genesis 16–50, Word Biblical Commentary. (Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1994), 224. 18 Matthews, Genesis, 453. 9 10 While Jacob’s quick response to God’s revelation can be viewed positively, certain aspects of his vow suggests to the reader that he does not fully understand the grace that is involved in the divine promises. It is not that vows are perceived negatively by the Deuteronomic author — “Mosaic law provides for votive sacrifices … these vows also signify a commitment to continue relationship with God even after being delivered from adversity”19. But while Jacob honours God, at this point it is on his own terms and in his limited understanding. Rather than a wholesale subscription to Wenham’s stance that Jacob’s vow shows a right response, the reader should observe that in the fuller context of the overarching narrative, Jacob has yet to grapple with God and arrive at a true knowledge of His faithfulness; he has yet to learn from his years in Haran that however much he struggles for love and acceptance, it is only God who can provide the redemption and reconciliation he craves. Jacob has many years to go as an exploited alien in Paddan-aram before he can return to “take possession of the land where you now live as an alien — land that God gave to Abraham” (Gen 28:4). Still, Jacob should be credited for the budding faith he displays, which has been noted beforehand. Jacob’s speech in verse 17 betrays his fear and awe at being in the presence of God. As Wenham points out, “when sinful man meets the holy God, he is overawed and often becomes acutely conscious of his sin and unworthiness to stand in the divine presence”20. The words of his vow, however, shows a glimpse of him reverting back to his old way of looking out for himself first and foremost — he tacks on a provision for food and clothes in verse 20 and vows conditionally, which does not seem to be an apt response to the unconditional promises put forward by God. There is a doubt betrayed here about the power and promises of God, which again informs 19 20 Waltke, Genesis, 397. Wenham, Genesis, 223. 11 the reader that Jacob does not quite know who this God is. He seems dangerously close to treating Yahweh as a household god that he could enter into a deal with — a reciprocal relationship of ‘bless me and I will bless you’. Moreover, he seems to think that a mere stone can function as a temple and is apparently happy with his generosity at promising a mere tenth of what belongs to God anyway. The question hanging in the air then is what other gods have put themselves forward to Jacob in a persuasive and powerful way like Yahweh, that he seems to think he has a choice of which God to worship? On the other hand, there are other ways of looking at Jacob’s vow. Perhaps his stipulation of provision for basic necessities is just restating God’s promise to “keep you wherever you go” (Gen 28:15). Jacob’s refinement of the promised return to Canaan as coming again “to my father’s house in peace” speaks of his yearning for reconciliation. Both needs are amply met by God by the time Jacob returns to Bethel in Genesis 35, showing the reader that Jacob’s request is granted by God. Also, “God’s house” in verse 22 need not be taken literally to mean a temple but could have been used as a metonym, as suggested by Mathews21. Jacob is still a ‘work in progress’ — this in fact makes it quite possible for the phrase “then the LORD shall be my God” to be apodosis instead of Hamilton’s suggestion of protasis22 in the vow. In any case, Jacob is indeed moving away from being a “suspicious bargainer”23. Waltke notes using Fokkelman as support for his comment that Jacob’s promise to tithe is “an important moment in his transformation — [he is] no longer grasper but giver”24. The reader may note the very human tension 21 Matthews, Genesis, 454. Hamilton, Book of Genesis, 248. 23 Robert, Alter, The Art of Biblical Narrative. (New York: Basic Books, 1981), 151. 24 Waltke, Genesis, 394. 22 12 between the Jacob who is promised yet yearns for companionship, and the Jacob who doubts yet acts on his belief in God’s promises. God God taking the initiative to go to Jacob speaks of the theme of His faithfulness, for throughout Genesis, the Pentateuch and the Old Testament, He proves Himself to be steadfast in keeping His covenant with Abraham. Hamilton argues persuasively for translating verse 13 to show that while God does stand over all in His authority, in the dream He has come down to Jacob’s level and is standing over him, rather than at the top of the “stairway”. The fact that God chooses to reach down to Jacob after he had committed sins against both brother and father reveals not only His graciousness, but His modus operandi when it comes to humans — the embrace of grace comes before any covenantal relationship is even made with us, after which the work of setting apart and sanctifying us begins. God’s repetition of His promises shows not only His faithfulness, but also His graciousness — the unconditional promises (seen in the many repetitions of “I will”) to Jacob come when he is at a moral low. The reader does not hear words of condemnation for Jacob here; instead, God makes a declaration of who He is and the promises He will fulfil, stating who He is (the God of Jacob’s fathers), what He is giving (the land Jacob lies on and offspring like dust spreading across the earth), what He will do through Jacob and his offspring (bless all the families of the earth), where He will be (with Jacob wherever he goes) and what He will do for Jacob personally (watch over him, bring him back to the land and never leave him). At the same time, God is not shown as condoning Jacob’s behaviour. Hamilton shows that His mention 13 of being “the God of Isaac” contains the implied, terrible accusation that in exploiting his father, Jacob has also exploited His God25. Yet God’s grace proves more than sufficient. He not only promises Jacob blessings and protection that will “outlast all his journeyings”26, but does not speak a word about gathering glory to Himself or even explain why He is promising such honour for Jacob and his descendants. Surely this is a reflection of the character of God — not a ‘heel-grabber’ like Jacob but a giver to the very end, out of the abundance of His grace. Because of this God, Jacob is seen here by Hamilton to be in a posture of no longer grabbing but receiving blessing27. The reader is given a witness in the text of the transformative grace, power and faithfulness of God. 25 Hamilton, Book of Genesis, 243. Wenham, Genesis, 223. 27 Hamilton, Book of Genesis, 242. 26 POINT OF VIEW The narrator’s exclusion of all other geographical details except those of Beersheba, Haran and “a certain place” (Gen 28:11) in which the theophany takes place informs the reader that this episode rather than any other incident Jacob might have encountered on the way to Haran is a key turning point in the patriarch’s journey and life. Hamilton notes the shift from the narrator’s point of view to that of Jacob in the dream28 as does Fokkelman through the use of the Hebrew “hinneh”29. This shift in point of view gives us a close-up perspective of Jacob’s first personal encounter with Yahweh, whom he would only have heard of through Isaac and Rebekah’s stories of their experiences with Him. The reader can thus see clearly how Jacob is afraid and in awe, but also responds to God in a way that suggests an understanding of His worthiness despite lesser knowledge of His character. From God’s point of view, His covenant with Abraham is to be kept no matter what, in a way that is consistent with His character — Jacob’s unworthiness at this point in the narrative is not an obstacle but an opportunity for reshaping a soul. What the reader then perceives from this is that even when we are unfaithful, He remains faithful, and even though we are unworthy, He chooses to reach down, lift us up and place our feet on a broad place. 28 29 Hamilton, Book of Genesis, 239. Fokkelman, Narrative Art, 50–51. 14 REPETITION Some instances of verbal repetition in the passage have been noted, such as with the word “place”. There are others as well. The “I will” of God is echoed by the “I will” of Jacob. The “tenth” promised by Jacob is a repeat of the “tenth” given by Abraham to Melchizedek in Genesis 14. Renaming Luz as Bethel references Abram being renamed as Abraham in Genesis 17:5 and Jacob being renamed as Israel in Genesis 32:28. While in the latter two cases, God is the one doing the renaming, the point to note here is that each of the three examples contains a connection between the divine and the human. God’s earlier promises in Genesis are also repeated verbally in Jacob’s dream and even expanded. There is a repetition in the passage, for example, of the multi-directional spread of offspring and the “dust of the earth” analogy in Genesis 13:14–17. This repetition emphasises the serious and abundant nature of God’s promise. Place names like Bethel and Beer-sheba are repeated throughout the Old Testament, highlighting their significance to the nation. Finally, a New Testament allusion to this passage would be Jesus’ reference to the stairway in John 1:51. The theophany in this passage is a type-scene that often appears in Genesis, so the focus on repetition can be narrowed to divine encounters that specifically take place at night or in a dream. King Abimelech of Gerar is warned about Sarah “in a dream by night” (Gen 20:3–4), Isaac has the Abrahamic blessing affirmed when God appears to him at night (Gen 26:23–24), and Laban is warned by God in a dream (Gen 31:24). The strongest repetition of this type-scene with the passage, however, has been noted under Plot — that of Jacob’s second encounter with God at Peniel. 15 SUMMARY The place of this passage in the wider narrative of Jacob and the Pentateuch is in the stirrings of transformation of a character vital to the spread of the Abrahamic blessing. The provenance of this blessing and transformation must always be kept in mind — it is God who initiates the encounter with Jacob and takes on the covenant of blessing in the first place. Throughout the passage, it is God’s initiative that redeems the character — He meets Jacob at his lowest point emotionally and morally, and gives him a purpose in life when his plans for familial and social acceptance has failed. This is not through any merit on Jacob’s part, but entirely from the grace of God. It is the power of God that effects transformation not only of the character, but also of the place of encounter. Jacob in finally coming to a personal knowledge of God but still has a long way to go in the narrative, and uncertainty lies in how he would respond in the long run to God’s plan for him. The later part of the biblical narrative, however, will show that Jacob does indeed cooperate with God’s work of transformation and ends his days calling Him “The God before whom my ancestors Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day” (Gen 48:15), thus taking his place as an honoured patriarch in Israel’s history. 16 THEOLOGICAL MESSAGE Genesis 28:10–22 cannot be read as a standalone capsule; otherwise, it devolves into a mystical encounter, an endowment of supernatural promises and a hurried human response to the divine. The reader would then miss the wider implications of this passage, which sees Jacob treading the path taken by Abraham in reverse, though not in accordance to his own plan but that of God. Although Jacob’s problems seem intractable for now, they are needful in order to change the character God intends him to be — “the ambitious Israel who prevails through prayer to God and humble shrewdness in his dealing with people”30. For ever so often in the biblical narrative and also today, “the obstacle to fulfilling God’s covenant promises is his own people”31. Yet we may rest assured that God’s purposes will prevail in His salvation plan. In the passage, we also see a personal promise from God to Jacob to be his companion without end. This is echoed by Jesus later in Matthew 28:2032 and is a clear message about the personal nature of God and His interest in and wish to be involved in our lives. Finally, it is through encounters with this personal God that any real and lasting change is effected in our lives. The need to respond to these encounters, however, is paramount. It could be argued that Jacob has to respond to God’s promises in order for them to be realised. Jacob’s problems do not cease upon his right response, but his life is transformed by the awareness of God’s presence33. 30 Waltke, Genesis, 387. Ibid., 386. 32 Ibid., 395. 33 Ibid., 396. 31 17 BIBLIOGRAPHY Alexander, T.D. From Paradise to the Promised Land: An Introduction to the Pentateuch. 2nd ed. Carlise, Cumbria: Paternoster Press and Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2002. Alter, Robert. The Art of Biblical Narrative. New York: Basic Books, 1981. Alter, Robert. The Five Books of Moses: A Translation with Commentary. New York and London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004. Anderson, John E. “Jacob, Laban, and a Divine Trickster? The Covenantal Framework of God’s Deception in the Theology of the Jacob Cycle.” Perspectives in Religious Stories 36, no. 1 (2009): 3–23. Bar-Efrat, Shimon. Narrative Art in the Bible. London and New York: T&T Clark International, 2004. Berlin, Adele. Poetics and Interpretation of Biblical Narrative. Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 1994. Dorsey, David A. The Literary Structure of the Old Testament: A Commentary on Genesis–Malachi. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 1999. Edersheim, Alfred. The Bible History: Old Testament. Vol. 1. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 1969. Fokkelman, J.P. Narrative Art in Genesis: Specimens of Stylistic and Structural Analysis. 2nd ed. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2004. Freedman, David Noel, Allen C. Myers, and Astrid B. Beck, eds. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2000. Hallo, William W. and K. Lawson Younger Jr., eds. Canonical Compositions from the Biblical World. The Context of Scripture; Vol. 1. Leiden: Brill, 2003. Hallo, William W. and K. Lawson Younger Jr., eds. Monumental Inscriptions from the Biblical World. The Context of Scripture; Vol. 2. Leiden: Brill, 2003. Hamilton, Victor P. The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18–50. New International Commentary on the Old Testament; Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1995. Kidner, Derek. Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries; Vol. 1. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 1967. 18 Mathews, Kenneth A. Genesis 11:27–50:26. E. Ray Clendenen, ed. The New American Commentary; Vol. 1B. Nashville, Tennessee: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2005. Sailhamer, John H. Genesis. Frank E. Gaebelein and J. D. Douglas, eds. Expositor’s Bible Commentary; Vol. 2. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1990. Waltke, Bruce K. and Cathi J. Fredricks. Genesis: A Commentary. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2001. Wenham, Gordon J. Genesis 16–50. Word Biblical Commentary; Waco, Texas: Word Books, 1994. 19