Abraham
was the man of faith (Rom.
4:1,16). Through him we learn what it is
to believe God. Is there such a
life-lesson for us to see in the life of Jacob?
I believe there is and we see it from before he was even born.
·
v19-20: the story of Jacob and Esau is actually
the story of Isaac. It has to do with
his impact through his sons.
·
v21: Isaac pleaded
with the Lord for Rebekah who was barren,.
He did what a man should do in the context of his family (1 Tim.
2:8). His wife had a problem; as her
husband he took it to God.
·
v22: Once Rebekah conceived she also went to the
Lord. Something extraordinary was going
on (“struggled” is a word for something being crushed or broken; this was no
precious kick in the womb). Thus she inquired
of God. She was godly: she wondered so
she asked God.
·
v23: The LORD answered Rebekah quite
profoundly. There were twins who would be
2 nations of people. Most profound was
the statement “the older shall serve the younger”. Normally it would be the other way around
with the elder son having prominence in the family.
These words are
of great importance. They are the
revelation of God’s will for Isaac and Rebekah as well as for the twins. If they are to follow God they will need to
live according to these words. This is
on a par with Scripture. God has made
this choice (Rom. 9:10-13) and all involved must submit themselves to God in
the matter. Failure to do so will not
change God’s will, but it will result in added heartache, as we will see.
·
v24-27: The birth of the boys is important in
the story (that’s why it’s in the Bible).
The struggle in the womb is ongoing as Jacob grabs Esau’s heel on the
way out. Esau was called “hairy” (that’s
what Esau means). Jacob was called
“supplanter” because of his attempt to be born first.
·
v28-29: The boys grew according to their “bent”
from the Creator. While it is not
uncommon for one parent to connect more easily with one child more than
another, the favoritism spoken of here likely was the cause of some of the sin
and heartache that would be part of this family.
Our
question was, “Is there a life-lesson for us to see in the life of Jacob?” I believe it is bound up in his “names”. He was born Jacob, “supplanter”, the one who was moved to gain for himself, by
his own strength, what God had promised.
He would later be named Israel
(Gen. 32:28), a name that probably means “he struggles with God” (some still
hold to the interpretation Prince with
God). The point is that Jacob is the
father of that nation that had the same struggle: they could not wait upon the
God of grace. They pursued righteousness
in their own strength rather than by faith.
We would say Jacob was a man of the “flesh”, doing the best he can to do
what God has said He would do Himself.
Is
that a life-lesson for us? Without
question! For the glory of God may we
learn to live out of the grace of God.
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