28:1 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.
28:4 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 eyes to the heavens where they have a
certain dwelling.
28:9 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.
28:12 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, and we ascend to heaven
by him.
28:13 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.
28:17 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.
28:18 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.
28:20 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.
