The Reaffirmation of God's Covenant to Jacob
-- T O R A H P O R T I O N --
Last week, Jacob’s family came safely to Shechem in the land of Canaan. But sadly, his daughter Dinah was debased by the prince of the Hivites, the son of Hamor. Upon hearing the news, Jacob held his peace, but his two sons, Simeon and Levi, were angry. Hamor spoke to Jacob and his sons and convinced them to give their daughters and make marriages with them. But the sons of Jacob made a condition with the Shechemites—to undergo circumcision.
When the men of Shechem were in pain on the third day, Simeon and Levi killed them.
To spare the family of Jacob from the inhabitants of the land who would hunt and kill them, Adonai YHVH told Jacob to go to Bethel and dwell there.
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Our Torah portion starts with the appearance of Adonai again to Jacob. He had made some appearances to him since Jacob left his place. The first time Adonai appeared to him was in Haran through a dream. The question is, why did Adonai appear again to Jacob?
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To bless Jacob – Remember in Gen. 28:1–4, Isaac called Jacob and blessed him with this: “May God Almighty bless you.” This time, Adonai YHVH would be the one to bless Jacob. His life is proof of many blessings, like having a huge family. Imagine, during the great famine, his favorite son became the governor of Egypt, and Adonai allowed this opportunity so they could overcome the famine period. Jacob's legacy remained through his twelve sons and their offspring until they reached the Promised Land.
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To remind Jacob of his new name – After he wrestled with the Angel of Adonai (Gen. 32:22–28), his name was changed to Israel, for he struggled with Him and with men such as his brother Esau, his father Isaac, his wives Rachel and Leah, and his uncle Laban. But because of the grace of Adonai, he prevailed. I believe the reason why Adonai reminded Jacob of his new name was because he would encounter another struggle—the death of Rachel and Isaac, plus the sin of Reuben with Bilhah. But surely, he would prevail again. This point reminds us that since we have God in our lives, we can overcome any obstacles. He is always the source of our strength that we need to endure hard times. In fact, God promised that He won't leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
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To tell Jacob that He is “El Shaddai” – In Gen. 17:1–2, Adonai YHVH appeared to Abraham as “God Almighty.” He repeated this to Jacob to assure him that He is the faithful and true God of his father Abraham and Isaac.
He is Almighty because He is powerful (Omnipotent). He can do any task He wants. He can change lives from darkness to light. -
To show Jacob that He is true to His covenant – Adonai promised to Abraham that He would make him a great nation (Gen. 12:2). He also promised to Abraham in Gen. 17:6 that He would make nations of him, and kings would come from him. Now, Adonai YHVH would fulfill these promises through Jacob. He already had 11 sons, plus the addition of Benjamin. It would be easy for them to be fruitful and multiply. And from one of his sons, the lineage of a king would come. He would be the King of kings, the Root of Jesse, the father of King David, and He is YESHUA, the Lion of Judah.
After the appearance of Adonai to Jacob came the new struggles in his life and family.
But these are not just struggles to be told; they have a deep meaning. The sin of Reuben is a picture of man’s wickedness and the need for a savior. That’s the reason why Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, which means “Son of the right hand,” as a foreshadowing of Yeshua sitting at the right hand of Adonai YHVH as a Mediator. Rachel was buried at Ephrath, which is Bethlehem, where Yeshua was born.
From the death of Isaac, we can see the transition of the Patriarch. This time, Jacob was the only one left, and now his sons were complete. His eldest son Reuben failed as a firstborn, so it was time for Joseph, the favorite son of Jacob, to take over the role and also be the foreshadowing of Yeshua as Messiah Ben Yosef (the Suffering Servant).
Our Torah portion ends with the family of Esau as the fulfillment of Adonai’s word to Rebekah that two nations were in her womb.
God doesn’t just visit us in victory—He reaffirms His promises in the valleys of our greatest pain.
Reflect on a recent struggle or loss in your life. How did God reveal His presence through it?
-- H A F T A R A H P O R T I O N --
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Our Haftarah starts with the two words “But now,” because there was a transition from Adonai’s anger to being merciful. He was angry with His people Israel because of their wickedness, but this time, He shows mercy because:
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He is their Creator – The Hebrew word for “created” is Bara, which means “to create, select, be qualified, and to shape.” Adonai not only created Israel, but He selected them from other nations to be His chosen people, and He keeps on shaping them in the likeness He desires.
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He is their Redeemer – He redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt, and because of that, they don’t need to fear.
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He is their companion – Remember how Adonai saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar, and how He saved Israel when they crossed the Red Sea.
These are the reasons why Israel should not fear. Since the time Adonai YHVH made a covenant with Abraham, then to Isaac, and to Jacob, He has always been with them. Eventually, He will gather His chosen people Israel from different nations to show the world that they are still the apple of His eye.
You were not just created—you were chosen, shaped, and loved through the fire, by the One who calls you by name.
The One who formed you also walks through the fire with you—He never sends you where He won’t be.
-- APOSTOLIC P O R T I O N --
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In the Apostolic portion, there were people who rejected Yeshua as the Messiah, and they were the Jewish leaders. They felt they were wise and prudent, but in reality, they were boastful, and maybe they were teaching that salvation could be gained through proselyting. This is the reason why Yeshua made an invitation to those who were burdened by this kind of teaching. He called His true followers “babes” or “infants” in other translations (Matt. 18:2–5), because babes or infants have simple faith and are helpless.
The Greek word for “come” is Deute, which means “follow.” To follow Yeshua means to believe in Him and obey His teachings. He promised that once we follow Him, He will give us rest—and the Greek word for “rest” is Anapausis, which means “refreshment, calm, and quiet,” and we can relate this to Psalm 23:2b, where Yeshua as our Shepherd leads us beside the quiet waters.
The way of the world exhausts us; the way of Yeshua restores us—because His yoke doesn’t crush, it carries.
The connection of our parasha is about our relationship with God. In the Torah, Jacob had a covenant relationship with Adonai; that’s why He appeared to him again to reaffirm His promises. In the Haftarah, Adonai created, formed, redeemed, and called Israel because of their relationship with Him. In the Apostolic portion, Yeshua talks about His relationship with His Father. Once we come to Him, we can have that relationship as well.
Adonai YHVH could also appear to us—not even like how He appeared to Jacob—but through the Scripture, with lots of promises, so we could feel Him and experience His faithfulness.
When God reaffirms His covenant, He is not just repeating a promise—He is reigniting your purpose, restoring your identity, and reminding you that you are never forgotten.
Trust that the same God who spoke to Jacob, redeemed Israel, and offered rest through Yeshua is speaking to you today.
Shabbat Shalom,
Topher
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