Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/224

 206

Book of Genesis

TJie

promises to be with him upon the journey, and bring him back to his

And,

to his

in

time to

father's house.

as these writers constantly imply, (lod does not mani-

Himself

fest

home land and

them or because

to individuals out of

solicitude

He

has

for

their

some deep,

mere personal welfare,

individual yet

unrevealed

interest in

but

only

])urpose

with

He had

been

them.

Already a change

is

manifest

in

willing to hazard his relations with

own

secure his

selfish

prayer are that he house.

He

may

ends. return,

Jacob. his

family in order to

But now his one desire and and in peace, to his father's

seems vaguely conscious that this journey, the which he can not suspect, is to be the neces-

real duration of

sary preparation for this return and reconciliation. mother had bidden him leave home for a few days, his

brother's

anger should have passed.

Little

did

His until

either

imagine that these few days would become twenty years, and that they should never see each other again. The ironic tragedy of the situation

is

readily apparent.

But even more is implied in this situation, and in the words of Jacob's prayer (XXVHI, 20-22). God had said that He would be with Jacob on all this journey. The subsequent story shows how^ faithfully Ciod kept His word. It tells also that only at the end of twenty years did God bid Jacob return to his home land and to his father's house. It implies thereby that Jacob had remained away all these years under God's providence and in accordance with God's will and purpose. What God's pur])ose was, must be determined later.

The

story continues with the account of Jacob's meeting

The delicate touch of romance, which the compilers understood so well how to employ, is apparent in the picture of Jacob serving seven

with Rachel and their mutual love.

vears for Rachel, and in the words,

him but

a

"And

few days, for the love he had

to

they seemed unto

her"

(XXIX,

20).