"I am the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob." God refers HIMSELF as the God of Jacob. If Jacob really meant supplanter or deceiver, then why would God refer HIMSELF as the God of such a person? Many mainstream Christians erroneous teach that the name of Jacob is such. When we see the story of Jacob through the eyes of the Holy Spirit, we see Jacob as one who was quiet, jealous for the things of God, humble, and lowly.
Genesis 25:24-26 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red all over like a hairy garment, and they named him Esau [hairy].
26 Afterward his brother came forth, and his hand grasped Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob [supplanter]. Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them.
The name Jacob is given because in the womb, he had grasped his brother's heel. In the amplified, we see the modern day scribes translating the name Jacob as "supplanter." But the true definition of Jacob is referring to the heel. What and why the heel? Many Christians view the grasp of Esau's heel as one who supplants. The heel represents the low part of the human body. It represents the bottom. The heel represented humility and lowliness. Jacob was grasping humility even in the midst of the struggle within the womb. In order to defeat Satan, we defeat and overcome through humility.
Romans 16:20 And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) be with you. them.
We will not crush Satan with our minds nor our own strength. But by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will crush Satan under our feet. The "under our feet" is the heel. Only through our humility will we crush Satan.
Esau grew up to be a skillful hunter. He would go out most of his day and hunt or do other activities. Jacob, on the other hand, was a quiet and plain person who spent most of his time in the tent. The tent represents the house of God. Jacob spent most of his time with his father, Issac, learning the things of God. Jacob had spent most of his time growing up in tents. He spent most of his time with God.
Genesis 25:27 When the boys grew up, Esau was a cunning and skilled hunter, a man of the outdoors; but Jacob was a plain and quiet man, dwelling in tents.
Esau was a prideful man as he had become a skillful hunter. He spent most of his time outside the tent. He had spent most of his time with the world. Spending his time outside the tent hunting represented his abundant time in worldly things. Then one day, he had come home famished and as Esau stated, "to the point of death."
Genesis 25:32-34 Esau said, See here, I am at the point of death; what good can this birthright do me? 33 Jacob said, Swear to me today [that you are selling it to me]; and he swore to [Jacob] and sold him his birthright.34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils, and he ate and drank and rose up and went his way. Thus Esau scorned his birthright as beneath his notice.
In verse 34, Esau had scroned his birthright. He had no respect for his position as first born nor did he care for the duties of being Godly. Something in the fields had occured and he was afraid and thought he was near death. Since he thought he was in trouble, his birthright had no value to him. Jacob who was jealous for the things of God and he saw his brother's disrespect his birthright. How did Jacob trick Easu into selling his birthright for a bowl of soup? No, Esau disrespectfully gave it away at a cheap price. Jacob had done nothing to deceive or trick his brother. Jacob was honoring God by sustaining the birthright since Esau had contempt for it.
When Issac was old and dim, he called for Esau to bless him. But his wife, Rebekah, had called Jacob to disguise himself as Esau. In fact, in verse 12 of Genesis chapter 28, Jacob was actually resisting Rebekah. The whole idea of deceiving, Issac, his father was not even Jacob's idea. This was all his mother's idea. Why did Rebekah move to have Jacob receive the first heir's blessing? In fact, when Jacob obeyed his mother, he now had to lie to his father. But was this really lying? How can the God of Jacob be represented by a liar? If he was lying and if he had stolen the blessing that was contrary to God's will, then why was God blessing Jacob throughout his journey? Where is his repentance in the bible? When King David was rebuked by the prophet Nathan, he immediately repented. But we do not see it written anywhere in the bible in which Jacob had to repent. In fact, he was blessed and his uncle, Laben, was blessed because of Jacob.
Genesis 27:18-19 So he went to his father and said, My father. And he said, Here am I; who are you, my son?19 And Jacob said to his father, I am Esau your firstborn; I have done what you told me to do. Now sit up and eat of my game, so that you may proceed to bless me.
This blog was our Sunday sermon for Dec 28, 2014, and on the drive to church, I was asking God about Jacob's answer to his father, Issac. Jacob had said, "I am Esau your firstborn." I was asking the Holy Spirit, was Jacob lying. Instantly, this fell into my spirit. Jacob was answering in the spirit. He is answering as the firstborn and the heir since Esau had reliquinished it. He is answering in such a way because God had spoken it even before he was born. This was all God's will.
Genesis 25:22-24 [Two] children struggled together within her; and she said, If it is so [that the Lord has heard our prayer], why am I like this? And she went to inquire of the Lord.23 The Lord said to her, [The founders of] two nations are in your womb, and the separation of two peoples has begun in your body; the one people shall be stronger than the other, and the elder shall serve the younger. 24 When her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
Rebekah already knew the birthright belonged to Jacob. God had prophesy the older shall serve the younger even before they were born. God had already told Rebekah who would be the heir and who would be blessed. Moreover, she observed the two boys as they grew up and she saw that Esau had contempt for his birthright. Rebekah observed Jacob, the younger twin, grow quietly, humbly, and spending a lot of time with God in the tents. Esau and Jacob were twins. But since Esau came out first, he was considered the older but spiritually, the birthright and heir belonged to Jacob even before birth. They were twins but since Jacob already possessed a spirit of humility, he had took the second position and was born after Esau grasping his heel. There was already a struggle in the womb even before birth (verse 22). But Jacob took the lowly position and was born second.
It is Esau who speaks falsely of Jacob since he is no longer able to receive the first blessing. Esau was speaking in the flesh. Issac was also upset. Jacob never took his birthright. Esau had sold it to him voluntarily. Jacob is not a trickster. Jacob is actually very wise and clever. Just because Esau is speaking in the flesh, many modern day scribes are definiting Jacob's name based on what Esau is saying in anger.
Genesis 27:35-36 [Isaac] said, Your brother came with crafty cunning and treacherous deceit and has taken your blessing.36 [Esau] replied, Is he not rightly named Jacob [the supplanter]? For he has supplanted me these two times: he took away my birthright, and now he has taken away my blessing! Have you not still a blessing reserved for me?
When Jacob reached his uncle Laban, it was his uncle who deceives Jacob, is it not? Jacob agrees to work for seven years for the hand of Rachel but at wedding time, Laban weds his older daughter Leah to Jacob. Now, Jacob is forced to work another seven years for the hand of Rachel. In fact, Jacob works a total of 20 years for Laban. During the twenty years, Jacob states that it is Laban who has cheated him ten times over his wages. In fact, Jacob stated, when Laban's flock were injured or killed, it was Jacob who took the loss. Does this sound like Jacob the deceiver? What about the spot and streaked flock that Jacob takes?
Genesis 31:7-12 But your father has deceived me and changed my wages ten times, but God did not allow him to hurt me.8 If he said, The speckled shall be your wages, then all the flock bore speckled; and if he said, The streaked shall be your hire, then all the flock bore streaked. 9 Thus God has taken away the flocks of your father and given them to me.10 And I had a [a]dream at the time the flock conceived. I looked up and saw that the rams which mated with the she-goats were streaked, speckled, and spotted.11 And the Angel of God said to me in the dream, Jacob. And I said, Here am I. 12 And He said, Look up and see, all the rams which mate with the flock are streaked, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban does to you.
We see that God is protecting Jacob as Laban is the one who is the trickster and supplanter. In fact, Jacob is the one blessed by God. Jacob is not the one who can supernaturally turn the rams, goats, and other flocks to be spotted or streaked. This was a supernatural occurance in which God was with Jacob. As we see in verse 12, God tells Jacob of all that Laban had done to him. Jacob was a humbled man. He was tricked by Laban but he faithfully, quietly, and humbly worked for him for 20 years taking any loss for himself and not complaining.
Jacob lived a life dedicated to God. He was one who lived faithfully, quietly, humbly, and in lowliness. He took the loss when he tended Laban's sheep. He worked another seven years to marry Rachel. He did not argue or resist. He took the loss and worked the extra seven years. At the end, God vindicated him and blessed Jacob abundantly with wealth and children. This is why God refers HIMSELF as the God of Jacob.
Glory to HIM
Pastor Steve Yong Kim
Fire of God Church
Fremont, CA USA
Dec 29, 2014
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