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  Jacob (Israel) and the Magical 10% 

         Abraham had his second son Isaac at the age of 100 years old.

     His first son, Ishmael, was sent away on Abraham's wife Sarah's insistence because his mother, Hagar, was not Abraham's wife but only his concubine (and also Sarah's maidservant).  

         Before Abraham died he arranged for his heir Isaac to obtain a wife, Rebekah, the daughter of Bethual of Padan-aram.

     Genesis 25:20 "And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padan-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.  21 And Isaac intreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren; and the Lord was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived,"

     22 "And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus?  And she went to inquire of the Lord."  The Bible doesn't tell us exactly where Rebekah went to "inquire of the Lord" but wherever it was, and whoever may have served as a priest or prophet there, may have lived not far from a well named Lahairoi, the same well where Hagar met an angel of the Lord in Gen. 16:13,14.  This well was located between Kedesh and Bered. According to Arab tradition, it may possibly be identified with modern 'Ain Muweileh, about 7 miles west of Kadesh-barnea and about 47 miles southwest of Beer-sheba (D.D. Gerard, "Beer-Lahai-Roi," ISBE 1:448).

      23 "And the Lord said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be seperated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.  24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb."

      25 "And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.  26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob; and Isaac was threescore (60) ears old when she bare them."

      27 "And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.  28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved Jacob."

     Rebekah conspired with the younger of her two twin sons Jacob to defraud Esau of the birthright by dressing Jacob in Esau's clothes and covering his arms with hairy animal skin and cooking some meat to resemble venison for the now blind Isaac to eat.   So Isaac gave the birthright blessing to Jacob instead of Esau.   Soon afterward Jacob found an opportunity to leave his home to escape Esau's hostility. 

      Genesis 28:1 "And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and charged him, and said unto him, Thou shalt not take a wife of the daughters of Canaan.  2 Arise, go to Padan-aram, to the house of Bethuel thy mother's father; and take thee a wife from thence of the daughters of Laban thy mother's brother---"

      10 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and laid down in that place to sleep."

The British have in their possession a square stone, about the 

size of a pillow, that they use in coronation ceremonies, that 

they claim is the very stone Jacob used as a pillow!

     Genesis 28:12 "And he dreamed, and behold a 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."

       Genesis 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 will I give it, and to thy seed;  14 And thy seed shall be of the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.  15 And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of."

       Genesis 28:16 And Jacob awakened out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.  17 And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place!  this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."

Once Israel gained control of the Golon heights north and east of the

Sea of Galilee they found this ancient rock structure which most feel 

resembles Stonehenge in Britain.   Some sort of "Gateway to Heaven"

in the Astrological sense, as Jacob said in Genesis 28:17

This is perhaps where Jacob spent the night with his stone pillows!

     Genesis 28:18 "And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up as a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.   19 And he called the name of that place Beth-el: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first."

       Genesis 28:20 "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,  21 So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God;  22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee."

Congratulations, Jacob --- You have just made a Devious Divine Transaction!