The purpose of this article is to strengthen our courage and confidence by helping us to see our temporary physical lives as a pathway to fulfilling what God’s eternal plan is for us. The Book of Ecclesiastes reveals the thorns in our life, the paradoxes, and the quandaries that hit us. Solomon talks about the dilemmas which we all face, the difficulties, predicaments and roadblocks that affect us all (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). And that everything that happens in our life is not unique.
At the end of his book, Solomon is ready to state the culmination of the reason for his book and for our lives: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: “Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man’s all. 14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Jacob’s life is a great example of what Solomon was trying to convey. This patriarch was always striving to take the advantage.
“Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah as wife… 21 Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” So she went to inquire of the Lord, 23 And the LORD said to her: “Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger” (Genesis 25:20-23).
In conceiving two sons, God set up a scenario of conflict that became apparent before they were delivered from the womb. From the very beginning, God made it clear that these two individuals would be different as night and day. God was very aware that flipping the younger son’s rule over the older was setting up that natural conflict between the two: “So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. 25 And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over; so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob…” (Genesis 25:24-26).
Note that the characteristic about Esau was a physical characteristic; he was red. Jacob’s name, though, wasn’t about the physical. It was about his character. It was spiritual. In the New King James Version, the footnote for Jacob reads, “supplanter or deceitful. Or literally one who takes the heel.” It’s noteworthy what the Bible Knowledge Commentary states about the name:
“The second twin was born grasping Esau’s heel. It seems appropriate to give this child a name that would preserve the memory of this event. The verb, which means, “to watch from behind.” That’s what Jacob can also mean. So, Jacob’s name would take on a different sense, later on in life, as his deceptive nature became evident. His deceptive nature was about gaining advantage. Trying to profit more. So, Jacob was an individual who would sit back, and he observed and schemed, and then move in to take the advantage at the right time. Jacob lived his early life, striving to gain for himself with his wits, those things that were already rightfully his. As if an “all conflict” between brothers weren’t enough, the parents added to this conflict. They weren’t thinking spiritually. They were thinking physically.”
Jacob’s first manipulation of Esau also begins in Genesis 25: “Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 30 And Esau said to Jacob, “Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom. 31 But Jacob said, “Sell me your birthright as of this day.” 32 And Esau said, “Look, I am about to die (He was dwelling on this physical existence.) so what is this birthright to me?” 33 Then Jacob said, “Swear to me as of this day.” So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. 34 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew…; then he ate and drank, arose…Thus Esau despised his birthright: (Genesis 25:29-34).
These verses demonstrate both Esau and Jacob’s initial characteristics, as they were described when they were born. Esau allowed his physical appetite to overcome his desire for the birthright promises, thus he despised it by not valuing it. Though Jacob wasn’t deceptive, he was cunning. He tempted his brother and gained the birthright, which was his motive in the first place.
The next time Esau and Jacob are mentioned is in Genesis 27. It details how Jacob and Rebecca deceived Isaac into blessing Jacob instead of Esau. The Bible Knowledge Commentary summarizes it this way:
“God expects His servants to carry out their spiritual responsibilities by faith. Unfortunately, faith is not always present and then matters become complicated. This chapter portrays an entire family attempting to carry out their responsibilities by their physical senses, without faith. This is the familiar story of how Jacob got the blessing of his father Isaac through deception. It is a story of the fragmenting of a family over spiritual matters! By trying to accomplish it physically, in a sense, Rebecca and Jacob won. They gained nothing that God would not have given them anyway, but along the way, because they forced life, they lost much.”
The emphasis of this entire episode in Jacob’s life was the means he chose, which did not result in God’s goal for him. Esau said, “Hey, when dad dies, you’re dead.” But, Jacob’s father (Isaac) sent him away to take a wife from his Uncle Laban’s daughters. However, during his 20 years with Laban, Jacob realized that Laban was more deceptive than Jacob himself. So, a deceiver was deceived by a deceiver. Jacob got a dose of his own medicine. Through it all, God blesses Jacob and eventually Jacob escapes Laban with a large family, with servants, and with livestock. He begins travelling home and as he approaches Canaan, his homeland, again He realizes that he must face Esau, who vowed to kill him. At Bethel, God validated Jacob’s blessing and confirmed that he would guide Jacob through his travels and bring him back to the blessing in the homeland. As Jacob had returned in preparation to meet Esau, Jacob still hasn’t fully learned his lessons.
Jacob sent messengers to tell Esau that Jacob was coming back to his homeland: “Then the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he also is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him. 7 “So Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people that were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two companies. 8 And he said, ‘If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the other company which is left will escape’ ” (Genesis 32:6-8) So, he’s still thinking strategically of how he can save himself.
Jacob finds himself facing the consequences of his sin. He knew he was powerless to stop Esau’s 400 men. He had women and children, and some men, and some servants, but not on horseback. Yet he attempts one last strategy by splitting his family and livestock into two groups. However, he does manage to pray (Genesis 32:9-12). Jacob finally realized that his continual tactics of trying to gain an advantage in life, was a total failure. After sending the groups of his family to the other side of Jordan, he remained alone to wrestle with a Man, God Himself (Genesis 32:24-28). At this point his name is change to Israel.
“God’s fight” is the meaning of Jacob’s new name. This meant first, that God chose it because of the patriarch’s stubbornness and pride to fight against Him. And second, it meant that God would fight for Israel. Basically, God was saying to Jacob, “If you want to fight me and the purpose I’ve given you, bring it on.” And he fights with Him till daybreak. And Jacob thinks he’s winning because he’s still hanging on. But God reaches over and taps his hip, giving him a limp that is with him for the remainder of his life. Jacob did not prevail in his fight against God.
And just like Jacob, God intends for us to gain lifelong scars in this temporal life, obtained when we strive to live our life without Him. We all tend to want to enforce our will, to live life our way, regardless of the fears, and compromises we impose upon our ourselves. God wants us to learn from our scars which our way imposes on us. God asks us to: “Rely on me. I prevail. I fight for you. Hold on to me. Follow me.”
This article is titled, “Let God Prevail” because another way of translating Israel is in fact, “Let God prevail.” God wants us to let Him prevail in our lives so it accomplishes His purpose for all humanity. If we try to grab ahold our our lives, we’ll have an inferior, poor, portion of life with a little advantage that every other man has. However:
“. . . all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Romans 8:28-30).
Our goal needs to be allowing God to prevail in each of our lives so that all things work together of our good.
Bill Hutchison