People haven’t changed much since time began. God teaches us right from wrong, but we choose wrong most of the time. We all know about Adam and Eve and the trouble that came from them disobeying God. The Old Testament has many lessons to teach; a study of Jacob’s life holds many and is worth the time to learn from his mistakes.
Jacob’s trouble began in the womb. He was a twin, and his mother, Rebekah, suffered much during the pregnancy because of the fight between the twins even before they were born.
“And the children struggled together within her; and she said If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to enquire of the LORD. And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people, and the elder shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:22-23).
Esau was born first and was favored by their father, Isaac, and Jacob was the younger and favored by their mother, Rebekah. When the time came that Isaac was facing death, one son had to be given the blessing, and Isaac was going to bless the elder son, Esau. Rebekah wasn’t happy and pushed Jacob into taking Esau’s birthright, and then to deceive Isaac into giving him the blessing that was to be given to Esau.
Esau was very angry and wanted to kill Jacob, so Rebekah told him to go stay with her brother, Laban, for a few days. We know that God chose Jacob, and He would have worked it out so that Jacob would have been blessed anyway. Jacob did leave and went to work for Laban. While there, Jacob fell in love with Laban’s daughter, Rachel. Because Jacob was a good worker and the flocks thrived, Laban didn’t want Jacob to leave. So, a deal was made between Laban and Jacob that Jacob would continue to work for Laban seven years, and then he could marry his daughter.
Jacob honored his agreement, but at the end of seven years, Laban switched daughters, and Jacob ended up marrying Leah, the older daughter. Jacob wasn’t pleased at all, but he took Leah as his wife. He was married to Leah, but he loved Rachel. It’s a very complicated story, but eventually Jacob had twelve sons and a daughter from four different women. God can even use our bad choices for His glory, and Jacob is an example of this truth.
Jacob ended up working twenty years for Laban and became wealthy while there. After a time, Laban wasn’t happy with Jacob. God told Jacob that he needed to go home, so he packed up and took his family and servants and flocks away without telling Laban.
“And Jacob stole away unawares to Laban the Syrian, in that he told him not that he fled. So he fled with all that he had; and he rose up, and passed over the river, and set his face toward the mount Gilead” (Genesis 31:20-21).
When Laban found out, he was livid. He accused Jacob of kidnapping his daughters. That seems odd since his daughters were married to Jacob. So Laban took out after the “kidnapper.” When he caught up with them, things could have been bad, but Laban and Jacob reached an agreement and made peace. Was Jacob’s trouble over? Not hardly. After 20 years of being away, he was headed back to his home and would have to face Esau.
There are many lessons found in Jacob’s life. The choices we make are important. Jacob could have let God work in him and through him, but he listened to his mother’s voice instead of going to God, and his choices made his life more difficult. God would have worked it all out so that Jacob would have been given the inheritance.
In spite of Jacob’s poor choices, God was with him and protected him. Along the way, Jacob matured and came to trust God. Some lessons only come from experience, and they can be hard lessons to learn.
Jacob was the son God chose to inherit God’s promise to Abraham; God knew that Jacob would have twelve sons who would establish the great nation of Israel. God also knew that the Messiah would be born from the tribe of Judah. It would have been much easier if Jacob would have chosen to trust God and allowed Him to work out the details, but Jacob made mistakes and paid the price for those mistakes.
Too many people think their sins in life are too big for God to forgive. That’s wrong. God wants all people to come to Him. He will use our sins and mistakes, just like He used Jacob’s.
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).
If you’ve sinned (we all do), repent and ask for forgiveness through Jesus, then serve the Lord.
I often wonder what Jacob thought during his rebellious years. He had been told the family history of how his grandfather, Abraham, had been called from a pagan life to establish a nation and how Abraham and his wife, Sarah, were very old and hadn’t had any children, so they tried to help God by having a child with Sarah’s maid, Hagar. Lots of trouble came from that child, but God blessed Abraham and Sarah, his wife, with a son, who was the son promised by God. That son was Isaac, who was Jacob’s father.
Jacob should have learned to trust God from listening to his family history. Did he think Esau was the one to continue the promise from God? Jacob was busy living his life when God saw it was time for him to understand that he was the one who was chosen. Jacob had to stop running from God.
That’s how it is for all of us. We cannot serve God on our own terms. Jacob was about to get a lesson from God that he would never forget. He had sent all of his family away from him, and he was alone. But he wasn’t alone; someone was there.
“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him” (Genesis 32:24-25).
Jacob knew the “man” was God, but struggled anyway. We all wrestle with God. We choose to work our own will rather than saying, “Thy will be done.” Life would be so much more satisfying if we didn’t fight God’s will.
Jacob had to be alone in order for God to deal with him. Then Jacob wrestled with God. God allowed the struggle until Jacob was ready to submit. Still, the struggle left a mark on Jacob. His thigh was never the same but was a reminder of his fight with God. Jacob knew who he was fighting and had wrestled all night.
When Jacob was at the end of the fight, God told him to let go. But Jacob wouldn’t give up until God blessed him. “And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said Jacob” (Genesis 32:27).
Of course, God knew Jacob’s name, but Jacob had to say it out loud. Names are important, and the name Jacob means “heel holder” or “supplanter.” The name was given to him because he had fought at birth to be the firstborn and held onto Esau’s heel. By saying his name out loud to God, he was actually confessing to a lifetime of fighting. God knew him better than he knew himself, and changed his name.
“And he said Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed” (Genesis 32:28).
The name Israel means “God prevails.” At any time during the night of wrestling, God could have ended the fight but allowed Jacob to fight until the fight was taken out of him. Then his name was changed to Israel. The twelve sons of Israel are the tribes that comprise the nation of Israel.
In Scripture, God sometimes refers to the nation as “Jacob” and sometimes as “Israel.” When the nation is in rebellion, it’s called “Jacob,” but when it’s in a right relationship with God, it’s called Israel. Today, that nation has been established under the name of Israel, although they are mostly opposing God, but God will never turn from them. Although they will face some very troubling times, known as the time of Jacob’s trouble, God will fight the battle when they call upon Him. One day they will recognize that Jesus came to them first as their Messiah, but they rejected Him. When they finally call upon Him, He will finish the final battle.
The final seven years of Earth history is known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, not the time of Christians’ trouble. Just as Jacob sent his family away prior to his wrestling with God, Christians will be taken away, and Israel will stand alone in the final battle…until they submit to God.
Christians are in a battle, too. Like Israel, we quite often wrestle with God. Today, there is much apostasy within the church. God’s truth is being questioned, and sin is being accepted. This is one of the signs that we will be taken Home soon. The Rapture will take us away from the time of Jacob’s Trouble, but until then we battle against Satan. Or at least we should. Actually, we need to let God battle for us against the wiles of Satan.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (James 4:7-8).
Remember, Satan was defeated at the cross. Jesus is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and He will prevail. Today, Satan knows he was defeated but is too prideful to give up. He still wants to destroy as many humans as he can. When he puts temptation in your path, resist. When he plants thoughts in your mind that you aren’t good enough for God, resist. God never gave up on Jacob, and He will never give up on you.
Christians have a wonderful blessing, and that is the Holy Spirit living inside of us. King David could pray that the Holy Spirit wouldn’t be taken from him, but Christians are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Certainly, there is evil in the world, and Satan’s minions cause problems, but we don’t have to fight them alone.
“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4).
When you wrestle with God, or are tempted to sin, remember that God is your strength. Lean on Him.
God doesn’t want us to be ignorant of the fact that we fight spiritual battles every day, but He wants us to be armed and trained to fight the spiritual battle. The war was won at the cross, but we still have spiritual battles to fight, and we need to know who the enemy is. Paul told us who we wrestle with.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
The enemy is evil and part of the unseen spiritual realm. We can feel the evil but don’t often see it. As we draw near to the Rapture and the subsequent Time of Jacob’s Trouble, evil spirits seem to be manifesting more often. Put on the armor of God, and don’t take it off. Don’t let your guard down.
If you or someone you know is going through tough times, find out who the fight is against. Are you fighting God by choosing sin and expecting Him to bless you? Have you made choices in life that have caused problems in your life now? Learn from Jacob. Submit to God and let Him lead you. Don’t blame God for the results of your own choices. If you rob a bank, you go to jail; if you engage in sexual sin, your health is affected. If you dabble in the occult, you’ve invited demons into your life.
Life turned out good for Jacob after he quit fighting God. He still faced many more challenges in life, but God prevailed.
God bless you all,
Nathele Graham
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