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Page 1 of 8 If you really knew me, would you still love me?
The Life of Jacob 1.0
Genesis 27
by Eric Stillman
February 4th, 2007
 | Play |  | Download mp3 | We are beginning a new 6-week series today that will look at the life of Jacob as recorded in the book of Genesis. Jacob was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham, in case you’re not up on your ancient Israelite lineage. I love Jacob, because he is in so many ways the least likely person to end up honored in the Bible. Jacob is a scoundrel, a deceiver, a liar, a cheat, and a thief. He’s full of lust and anger and mean-spiritedness. Over the course of his life he will rob his brother, deceive his father, trick his father-in-law, mistreat his wife, and finally, get in a wrestling match with God. And by the end of His story, God has changed his name to Israel, and Jacob has become the father of 12 sons who will become the 12 tribes of Israel. I love the story of Jacob because it is unapologetically a story of God’s amazing grace – God’s undeserved love given by an unobligated giver. Jacob did not deserve God’s grace, his favor, or his blessing, and God owed him nothing. Yet God again showed himself to be capable of taking the lowliest scoundrel and showing him the most undeserved blessing, and in the process transforming Him into a person of grace and humility and great faith. The worst scoundrel becomes the father of many nations, so that when people refer to God Himself in the Bible they will call Him the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. There is such hope in the story of Jacob for all of us who know we are capable of being scoundrels ourselves, all of us who have lied, cheated, deceived, and hurt others. This morning we’ll be reading the account of Jacob as recorded in Genesis 27. Just to set the back story – remember that last summer, I preached through the life of Abraham about what it means to live by faith. You may remember that Abraham was chosen by God and was promised a son, even though he and his wife were very old. And God promised him that through his offspring, all people of the earth would be blessed. And so Sarah finally gave birth to Isaac, and eventually Isaac’s wife Rebekah had two children – Esau and Jacob. When they are born, Esau comes out first, with Jacob grasping his heel, a symbol of how they would fight for supremacy throughout their lives. And before they are born, God prophesies to Rebekah in Genesis 25:23 that "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." Even though in this culture it was the firstborn son that received the lion’s share of the estate and family blessing, God apparently has different plans, letting Rebekah and Isaac know that Jacob will be the greater of the two.
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