Bible Characters - Jacob (Daily Devotional)

Greetings and welcome once again to Living Supernaturally. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to come together and ponder on God’s word and pray together. This week, we have been talking about bible characters and we have looked at a few bible characters from the Old Testament. Today, we will look at this wonderful man named Jacob. The book of Genesis records the life of Jacob and his brother Esau. As Jacob grew up, his life began to take on a very different course than that of his brother Esau. Not only did Jacob and Esau have different interests and personalities but their parent’s favoritism likely fueled their sibling rivalry and in the back of Jacob’s mind, there was probably often a reminder of God’s response to Rebekah, a prophecy saying that the older will serve the younger. Jacob took steps to secure the blessings for himself, as Esau whose hunger for soup overruled his common sense, cooperated by selling his birthright. Jacobs’ deception got him his fathers’ blessings, but it also damaged his relationship he had with his brother and the people around him. Esau now plans to kill him after their father died. When Jacob arrives at Bethel, he is a broken, young man. As he goes to sleep that night, he is alone and discredited, hardly a candidate to bless anyone, much less, bless the people of the earth. But that night, in his dream, Jacob catches a surprising glimpse of God who has far more in store for him than he has ever imagined. God assures Jacob that all His covenant promises will be fulfilled. Jacob had become very good at hiding; throughout his life, he was a schemer, he knew how to manipulate people to get his way. Finally, in a strange wrestling match, God forced Jacob to recognize who he was. It is interesting that when his earthly father asked him the question who he was, he said he was Esau, but when his Heavenly Father asked him, he said my name is Jacob. From that day onward, Jacob began to live the new identity, one given by grace. 20 years have passed since Jacob and Esau saw each other. Genesis chapter 33, verses 3 and 4 says, ‘But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.’ What a beautiful picture! Perhaps, like Jacob we often see God’s blessing as something we should have or maybe we even deserve, but blessings from God is an undeserved gift. It cannot be purchased by any price other than the blood that Jesus shed on the cross. God changed Jacob’ identity to Israel and He is willing to change us if we come to the cross. A few thoughts as we close, God knows who you are, God has not forgotten you, God still has a plan for you. Let’s pray, Father, we thank you, thank you for these wonderful men and women of God and their lives, that we can learn from. Thank you that you are a God who doesn’t look at our failures, but you look at what we can become, that you have a plan and a purpose for our lives and I pray that even as we journey together to recognize that plan, that you will lead us by your Holy Spirit, that we will be sensitive to your leading and that we will honor you, glorify you, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

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