Bible biographies are an interesting and rewarding study. Unlike our contemporary biographies, the scriptures do not use cosmetics on their characters — they show warts and all. How thankful we should be to God for this. For the most part, the saints’ lives who are written about today are so high and lofty only an angel could achieve such a life. One can come away discouraged, realizing he can never reach such moral heights. But in Bible biography, there is an encouraged spirit, finding Bible believers were men and women of like passions as we are.
One such Bible character we all, for the most part, can relate to is scheming, manipulating Jacob. It would be difficult to find one who could top him in this area, unless it be his father-in-law, Laban. He would come in a close second. Jacob, like ourselves, found sooner or later you meet your own kind face to face. It is then we find out what it’s like to be on the receiving end of that kind of deplorable person. Much of Jacob’s life was spent in manipulating loved ones and friends, but even worse, God Himself! Are we not all familiar with trying to bring about God’s will by our carnal means?
But there is good news for each of us who are of Jacob’s seed. There are twenty-five exact references to, “The God of Jacob,” as well as many more, although not exact, but close. Such as, “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” God wasn’t ashamed to be called, “Jacob’s God.” And just why was this? Could it be that most of Jacob’s sins, faults, and failures had to do with spiritual matters? This unloveable character loved God with all his being, in spite of all the weaknesses of his flesh. God knew something about Jacob’s heart that none around him knew! And so we read, “JACOB HAVE I LOVED!”
“Leave Jacobs to their God. He is able to make a Prince out of such.”
(rds)
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