Jacob came out of the womb grabbing his brother's heel, and he spent years grabbing. He bought Esau's birthright for a bowl of stew and stole his father's blessing in disguise. Then he ran. In Haran his uncle Laban out-tricked him, and he spent twenty years working off the debt.
He loved deeply and unevenly. Seven years for Rachel seemed like a few days (Gen 29:20). He favored Joseph and nearly broke when he thought Joseph was dead. God met him in a dream, then in a wrestling match, and gave him a new name. He ended his life leaning on a staff, worshiping (Heb 11:21).
“
I will not let you go unless you bless me.
Name means
Jacob, “he takes by the heel,” with a sense of cheating (). Israel, “he strives with God” ()
Home
Beersheba, then Haran for twenty years, then Canaan, and finally Goshen in Egypt
Role
Third patriarch, father of the twelve tribes of Israel
Read in
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Jacob's story
The ladder at Bethel
Beginning
Grasping the heel
Born gripping Esau's heel, he later buys his brother's birthright with a bowl of stew.
Low point
Stealing the blessing
He wears Esau's clothes and lies to his blind father: “I am Esau your firstborn.” Then he flees for his life.
High point
The ladder at Bethel
Alone, he dreams of a stairway to heaven. God repeats Abraham's promise to him. He wakes and says, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.”
Turning point
Twenty years with Laban
The deceiver is deceived. Laban gives him Leah instead of Rachel and changes his wages ten times. God prospers him anyway.
High point
Wrestling at Peniel
Afraid to meet Esau, he wrestles a man through the night and will not let go without a blessing. He is renamed Israel and leaves limping.
Low point
Losing Joseph
Shown Joseph's bloody robe, he refuses comfort. Years later he says, “All this has come against me.”
Ending
Blessing in Egypt
He learns Joseph is alive, goes down to Egypt, blesses Pharaoh, and blesses his sons. He dies worshiping.
Starts as Jacob the heel-grabber. Ends as Israel, blessed by God and blessing others.
Where Jacob lived and went
Only places Scripture records. Softer, dotted pins are traditional or uncertain sites. Tap a pin for the passage.
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How Jacob is wired
The Achiever
Enneagram 3, Individualist wing
He wants to win, to secure the blessing, and to be valued for it.
This one is debated. Here's why we land here.
At their best, toward 6 Under stress, toward 9
Why we think so
1
He works the angles. He bargains for Esau's birthright when Esau is weak with hunger. ()
2
He manages his image. He takes on another man's identity to get the blessing. ()
3
He drives for results. He outworks Laban and uses breeding tactics to build his flocks. ()
The 4 wing shows in his intense, personal love and grief. He mourns Joseph and says, “I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” ()
The Loyalist. At his best he becomes loyal and dependent on God. He clings to God at Peniel and leads his household back to Bethel to worship. ()
The Peacemaker. Under strain he goes passive and silent. When Dinah is violated, he holds his peace until his sons come home. ()
The case for 8
His willfulness and his refusal to let go, even of God, could suggest a Challenger. He strives with God and with men and prevails ().
Jacob saw a stairway between heaven and earth, and Jesus said he is that meeting place.
At Bethel God came down to a runaway who deserved nothing. Jesus took Jacob's dream and applied it to himself: “you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” () Jacob also pictures how blessing comes to the undeserving. Through his son Judah came the royal line that leads to Christ ().
Questions to sit with
1
Jacob was blessed and wounded in the same night. How has God's blessing in your life come with a limp?
2
He spent years grasping for what God had already promised him. What are you still trying to grab?
Study Jacob with your group
Ready-to-lead group studies with discussion questions and a leader's note are on the way.
