And Isaac called Jacob, and (a) blessed him, and charged him, and said
unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.
(a) This second blessing was to confirm Jacob's faith, lest he should
think that his father had given it without God's leading.... [ Continue Reading ]
And give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with
thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a (b)
stranger, which God gave unto Abraham.
(b) The godly fathers were continually reminded that they were but
strangers in this world: so that they would lift up their eye... [ Continue Reading ]
Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had
Mahalath the daughter of (c) Ishmael Abraham's son, the sister of
Nebajoth, to be his wife.
(c) Thinking by this to have reconciled himself to his father, but all
in vain: for he does not take away the cause of the evil.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he dreamed, and behold a (d) ladder set up on the earth, and the
top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending
and descending on it.
(d) Christ is the ladder by which God and man are joined together, and
by whom the angels minister to us: all graces are given to us by him,... [ Continue Reading ]
And, behold, the LORD stood above it, and said, I [am] the LORD God of
Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest,
to thee (e) will I give it, and to thy seed;
(e) He felt the force of this promise only by faith: for all his life
he was a stranger in this land.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he was (f) afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this
[is] none other but the house of God, and this [is] the gate of
heaven.
(f) He was touched with a godly fear and reverence.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had
put [for] his pillows, and (g) set it up [for] a pillar, and poured
oil upon the top of it.
(g) To be a reminder of the vision shown to him.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If (h) God will be with me, and will
keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and
raiment to put on,
(h) He does not bind God under this condition, but acknowledges his
infirmity, and promises to be thankful.... [ Continue Reading ]