Bible Characters – Jacob
(Genesis 25 to 37 – Note: Jacob is mentioned in Genesis 36:6-8;37;42-43; 45-49)
The story, life and events surrounding Jacob, one of the four major patriarchs in the Bible, if viewed from a simple human perspective, focuses on deception (that is, deceiving and being deceived). A closer look, however, reveals that Jacob’s life is essentially one of a growing walk of faith, which we discover in his relationship with God.
The theme of deception, can be seen when Jacob steals his brother Esau’s blessing (Genesis 27:1-40) forcing Jacob to flee to his uncle Laban, where deception and trickery prevail on many levels (Genesis 29 to 31). Notably, family struggles, disobedience and acts of evil, continue throughout Jacob’s lifetime (Genesis 34; 37; 38) that is foremost in his extended family, his offspring, which become the original 12 tribes of Israel. Yet, God remains and is always sovereign.
As we read these events of Jacob’s life carefully, we see that Jacob’s walk of faith grows over time (even if gradually) as God reveals Himself to him. Similarly, in Genesis 30, God also reveals Himself to his wives, Leah (Genesis 30:17) and Rachel (Genesis 30:22). We learn that God does answer prayers, especially at a major turning point in Jacob’s life, as he surrenders to God in prayer (Genesis 32:9-12), since he is afraid that his brother Esau might kill him. He speaks directly to God: “O Lord, please rescue me . . .” (Genesis 32:11). This, then culminates with Jacob wrestling with God (Genesis 32:22-32) when God not only, amazingly, lets Jacob live, but also blesses him. Here God changes the name from Jacob to Israel, bestowing upon him unmerited favor. God makes promises here and later fulfills them Himself, in order to work on behalf of Jacob’s descendants.
To sum up, while there are many significant points we can see developing in the life of Jacob, such as the sovereign guidance of God – by means of hardship and persecution – this culminates later in the arrival of our Messiah, Jesus Christ, as God in the Flesh. Jesus’ walk of faith echoes that of Jacob, and all of us – as believers – yet, what is different, is that Christ, obeyed God, even to the point of death on a cross. Here, God remains silent, during Jesus’ pleas in the garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-46), just hours before his crucifixion. Jesus died and was resurrected, so that we know, that by placing our faith in Him, He has defeated death, sin, Satan, evil and – uniquely and importantly – endured the ‘silence’ of God in Gethsemane, so that we, as fallen human beings, can trust Jesus Christ fully, as our personal Lord and our Savior. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
For further study:
Gardner P. New International Encyclopedia of Bible Characters: The Complete Who’s Who in the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001.
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