"By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped" (Heb. 11:21).
Jacob's life can be outlined in three phases: A stolen
blessing, a conditional commitment, and a sincere supplication.
From the very beginning it was God's intention to bless
Jacob in a special way. But Jacob, whose name means "trickster,"
"supplanter," or "usurper," tricked his father into blessing him
instead of his older brother, Esau (Gen. 27:1-29). As a result,
Jacob had to flee from Esau and spend fourteen years herding
flocks for his Uncle Laban.
As Jacob traveled toward Laban's house, God appeared to him
in a dream (Gen. 28:10-22) and made him the recipient of the
covenant promises first made to his grandfather, Abraham, then to
his father, Isaac.
Jacob's response is revealing, for he "made a vow, saying,
'If God will be with me and will keep me on this journey that I
take, and will give me food to eat and garments to wear, and I
return to my father's house in safety, then the Lord will be my
God'" (vv. 20-21, emphasis added). Jacob's conditional vow said
in effect, "God, if you'll give me what I want, I'll be your
man."
Despite Jacob's selfish motives, God did bless him, but He
humbled him too. By the time he left Laban's house, Jacob was
ready to yield to God's will unreservedly. Note his change of
heart in Genesis 32:10: "I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness
and of all the faithfulness which Thou hast shown to [me]."
Then the Lord appeared in the form of a man and wrestled
with Jacob all night (v. 24). Jacob refused to let Him go until
he received a blessing. That wasn't a selfish request, but one
that came from a heart devoted to being all God wanted him to be.
That's when the Lord changed Jacob's name to "Israel," which
means "he fights or persists with God."
Like Abraham and Isaac before him, Jacob never saw the
fulfillment of God's covenant promises. Yet on his spiritual
journey from Jacob to Israel, from selfishness to submission, he
learned to trust God and await His perfect timing.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Pray for grace to consistently pursue God's will, and patience to
wait on His perfect timing.
For Further Study:
Read Jacob's story in Genesis 27-35.
From Drawing Near by John MacArthur Copyright © 1993. Used by permission of Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60187, www.crossway.com.