Topical Bible: Servants: Good: Jacob

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Topical Encyclopedia

Jacob, a patriarch of the Israelite nation, is a prominent figure in the Bible known for his role as a servant of God. His life, as recorded in the Book of Genesis, exemplifies the qualities of faithfulness, perseverance, and obedience, despite personal flaws and challenges. Jacob's journey from a young man with questionable ethics to a mature servant of God provides a profound narrative of transformation and divine purpose.

Early Life and Calling

Jacob, the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the twin brother of Esau, was chosen by God to carry forward the Abrahamic covenant. Even before his birth, God revealed to Rebekah that "the older shall serve the younger" (Genesis 25:23), indicating Jacob's future prominence over Esau. This divine selection underscores Jacob's role as a servant chosen by God for a specific purpose.

Service through Perseverance

Jacob's life was marked by trials and perseverance. After obtaining Esau's birthright and blessing through cunning means, Jacob fled to Haran to escape Esau's wrath. During his time with his uncle Laban, Jacob demonstrated remarkable perseverance and diligence. He served Laban for twenty years, enduring deception and hardship. Despite Laban's attempts to cheat him, Jacob remained steadfast, trusting in God's promise. As he later recounted, "If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed" (Genesis 31:42).

Transformation and Obedience

Jacob's encounter with God at Bethel marked a turning point in his life. In a dream, God reiterated the covenant promises made to Abraham and Isaac, assuring Jacob of His presence and protection (Genesis 28:13-15). This divine encounter instilled in Jacob a deeper sense of obedience and commitment to God's will. His subsequent wrestling with God at Peniel further transformed him, earning him the name Israel, meaning "he struggles with God" (Genesis 32:28).

Faithfulness in Family and Legacy

Jacob's role as a servant extended to his family, where he fathered twelve sons who became the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. Despite familial strife and personal shortcomings, Jacob's faithfulness to God's covenant remained unwavering. His blessings upon his sons, recorded in Genesis 49, reflect his understanding of God's plan and his role in it.

Final Years and Testament

In his later years, Jacob's faith matured, and he became a patriarchal figure who guided his family with wisdom and foresight. Before his death, Jacob expressed his faith in God's promises, instructing his sons to bury him in the land of Canaan, the land promised to his ancestors (Genesis 49:29-30). His final words and actions demonstrated his enduring commitment to God's covenant and his role as a faithful servant.

Jacob's life, with its complexities and divine encounters, serves as a testament to the transformative power of God's grace and the importance of faithfulness and obedience in the life of a servant of God. His account is a reminder of the enduring legacy of those who serve God with perseverance and trust in His promises.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 31:36-40
And Jacob was wroth, and strived with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that you have so hotly pursued after me?
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

How Joseph, the Youngest of Jacob's Sons, was Envied by his ...
... sheaves ran to bow down to it, as servants bow down ... 4. And thus did Jacob make a
judgment of this vision ... a certain stranger, that was to those good things which ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 2 how joseph the.htm

Jacob, a Prince of God.
... Jacob and Rebekah to deceive, for we may not do evil that good may come. ... Poor Jacob! ...
He sent his servants again to meet Esau with great presents of flocks, and ...
/.../lathbury/childs story of the bible/chapter v jacob a prince.htm

Meditations for Household Piety.
... godly servants; for Laban perceived that God blessed him for Jacob's sake (Genesis
30 ... Yet the common complaint is, that faithful and good servants are scarce to ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/meditations for household piety.htm

The Way to Honor
... Jesus Christ claims us in the same way as Jacob claimed that ... Remember that I also
said we are his servants and he our ... Was it not a good day in which you said ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the way to honor.htm

Jacob Jones; Or, the Man who Couldn't Get Along in the World.
... who will, for the chance is too good to be ... and commencing housekeeping in a small
way, Jacob saw but ... go in debt for genteel furniture, and keep two servants. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arthur/words for the wise/jacob jones or the man.htm

Jacob and Doubting Souls --A Parallel
... be the greatest joy of all to old Jacob; and this is ... brethren are come: and it pleased
Pharaoh well, and his servants. ... me: and I will give you the good of the ...
/.../spurgeons sermons volume 42 1896/jacob and doubting soulsa parallel.htm

How Jacob Deceived his Father
... to the flock and bring me from there two good kids, and ... Is it not because he was
named Jacob, which means ... given to him all his relatives as servants and grain ...
/.../sherman/the childrens bible/how jacob deceived his father.htm

The Trouble and Rest of Good Men "There the Wicked Cease from ...
... time they proceed to deeds; treating the servants as their ... Such is the state of all
good men while on ... Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the Prophets, do not revile ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 127 the trouble and.htm

Good News
... them to come in." The great King bids his servants to seize ... Jacob to come to him
in Egypt, Jacob could not ... Pharaoh, ruler over all Egypt, seemed too good to be ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/good news.htm

Psalm CXXXV.
... the house of Israel; for he who is Jacob, the same ... His people, by separating the
evil and the good; that is ... He shall be called upon among His servants." By whom ...
/.../augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm cxxxv.htm