Many people today believe that idol worship is a thing of the past, something practiced by uneducated and unenlightened people. The first time we find the mention of idol worship in the Old Testament is in the story of the Patriarch Jacob when his wife Rachel steals her father’s idols. These idols were physical objects, usually made of valuable materials, that represented the owners status in the family or tribe, and in many cases represented gods that were worshipped for prosperity and protection.
As Christians we should be more than aware of the fact that worshipping or putting anything before our LORD and Savior is a form of idol worship. And, we should also understand that Satan and his demons look for things in our lives that can serve as ‘strongholds’ where they can oppress believers. We may think that idol worship is a thing of the past and something that does not affect our modern world today, but is it?
Bible Study Points:
Read Genesis Chapters 27-30
Ch. 27: Jacob’s trickery to get his father’s blessing
Jacob was second born, yet he had already taken the birthright from his older brother Esau earlier in exchange for some stew, and here he would scheme for the blessing, which included the Covenant Promise from God, with help from his mother Rebekah, and even though Isaac wanted to give it to Esau he does not change the blessing even after finding out that Jacob deceived him.
When Esau finds out that Jacob had taken the blessing he pleads with his father, but instead Isaac prophesies what would happen to Esau’s descendants in the future:
Then Isaac his father answered and said to him,“Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, and away from the dew of heaven from above. “By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; but it shall come about when you become restless, that you will break his yoke from your neck.”
This prophecy would play down through the centuries. Esau’s tribe would continually try to keep Israel from fulfilling the promise of God and would support many pagan nations later on. Esau intermarries with wives from the family of Ismael and these two groups would unite to make up the Arab Nation we know of today.
Ch. 28: Jacob runs from Esau’s wrath
Esau vows to kill Jacob, so Isaac and Rebekah send Jacob away to get a wife from Rebekah’s family (the same trip Abraham’s servant went on to find Rebekah for Isaac). Along the way Jacob has a dream at Bethel where he sees a stairway to Heaven with angels coming up and down on it. It is here where the LORD speaks to him for the first time to give the Covenant Promise:
He had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:12-15
Note: Cross-reference with John 1:51 where Jesus says to his disciple Nathanial: “And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” Jesus himself is the bridge between heaven and earth, the “mediator between God and men” 1 Timothy 2:5
Ch. 29-30: Jacob marries Leah and Rachel and the twelve tribes are born
When Jacob arrives in Haran he meets Rachel and falls in love with her; Rachel’s father Laban, a bigger deceiver than Jacob, tells him to work seven years for her, but Laban deceives Jacob and gives him Leah, the older daughter, instead on the wedding night. Cultural note: The norm was the veiling of the bride even on the wedding night so Jacob did not know until the morning whom he had married (not to mention the drinking he did at the wedding party). Laban tells Jacob that he will give Rachel for seven more years of service, so Jacob works a total of fourteen years for Rachel, plus six more. In that 20 years Jacob becomes rich in possessions (through selective breading and God’s intervention).
From 29:31-30:24 there is a battle of the wives as to who would have the most children (including the use of their maidservants as Jacob’s concubines).
Note: It is important here to point out that God never condones polygamy/bigamy; it is the culture that permits it and we are reading a historical narrative on this culture. The lesson from Scripture is that every time we see multiple wives things go very bad in the story and in the relationships, which is the consequence for living life outside of God’s will.
Ch. 30:25-31 Jacob flees
In growing fear of Laban and his sons Jacob flees in the middle of the night with his wive, his children, and the great wealth he accumulated. Laban pursues him, but the LORD appears in a dream and tells him to not harm Jacob, so they make a treaty and draw a line of no crossing between them.
It is at this point we hear the first mention of idols. Rachel has stolen her father’s idols, and even though Laban searches relentlessly for them, she prevents her father from finding them. These idols will remain with Jacob for some time until a point where Jacob tells his family to rid themselves of all idols (Genesis 35:2-4) to worship the LORD alone.
IDOL WORSHIP: From what I have studied about New Age beliefs, crystals, mediums etc., is that we are NOT to partake or even have those types of items in our homes. What do they attract? Demonic activity. Non-Christians can become possessed, and even though Christians cannot be possessed we can be oppressed by them. These items become strongholds for demons to infect our lives and those around us. Why even give them a foothold?
Bible Study:
- What kind of relationship did Jacob have with his brother Esau and his parents? What did Jacob do to deceive his father and brother? (Gen. Ch. 27:1-40) What does Hebrews 11:20 say about Isaac?
- Why was Jacob sent away and where did he go and why? (Gen. Ch. 27:41-28:5)
- On Jacob’s journey God gives him the Covenant Promise. What happened in this story? (Gen. Ch. 28:10-22) Cross-reference John 1:51—what did Jesus say?
- Summarize the story of Jacob, Rachel, and Leah. How was Jacob deceived by Laban on more than one occasion? (Gen. Ch. 29:1-30) The competition between the wives of Jacob was intense, which is always true when you go outside God’s will. Did Jacob have a favorite and was it obvious to the other?
- The sons born to Jacob became the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Summarize what happened between Jacob and Laban after Joseph was born to Rachel? (Gen. Ch. 30:25-31:55)
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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