[Romans 15:4 KJV] “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”
The Bible teaches us that Rebecca concieved by the seed of one man and gave birth to twins. These were twins born by the seed of one man, yet one excelled and the other failed. Why did Jacob excel and Esau fail? It is the same reason why many children of God fail in life.
Many children of God fail because they are seeking power and yet they have rejected wisdom. Many people travel miles in search of power but will not butt an eye to get wisdom. The Bible rather teaches that wisdom is the principal thing and in all thine getting get wisdom; get knowledge!
[Proverbs 4:7 KJV] “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: And with all thy getting get understanding.”
We want to study the wisdom of Jacob, not Jesus Christ. I chose to start with Jacob because we can relate more with a man like Jacob than with Jesus.
- Jesus had a divine birth but many of us share the birth of Jacob.
- Jesus had a perfect past but many of us, like Jacob, have flawed pasts
- Jacob had to live with a disability he was not born with; he was a limping man
- There was so much that could have worked against Jacob, but he rose from the ashes to excel!
What was the wisdom of Jacob
- Jacob had respect for spiritual things. He had respect for the birthright, he believed in tithes and God’s blessing; when he was escaping from his brother, he committed his sojourning to God and vowed.
- Jacob chose to please his parents. I agreed not to marry a Canaanite woman, but from the tribe and place that his parents approved of.
- He was afraid of curses. He knew what just a word spoken by a man or woman of authority can do to him.
- He was a warrior. Listen, hard times produce strong men, strong men produce good times, good times produce weak men, and weak men produce hard times. One day a man driving Mercedes asked his father, “what does the future look like for my children?” His father looked him in the eyes and said “My grandfather walked 50 miles to work and back; my father walked 5miles to work and back; I drive a Cadillac, my son drives Mercedes; his son will drive a Ferrar, but my great-grandkids will walk 5 miles to work and back.” “You know why? hard times produce strong men, strong men produce good times, good times produce weak men, and weak men produce hard times.”
- Jacob had respect for dreams. When he saw the ladder with angels in his dream, he respected it. When he saw the angel teaching him how to determine what the cattle will give birth to, he respected it. It might seem irrational but he believed in spiritual things.
- Jacob believed in dialogue. When his uncle worked with him, he dialogued on his wages; when a man raped his daughter, he was ready to dialogue. When he was returning home, he sent gifts to pacify his brother, Esau. When Reuben slept with his younger wife, he waited for years that at least his son will come to say sorry, but he never came.
- Jacob believed in prophecy and prayer. He prayed and prophesied to Ephraim and Manasseh; he prophesied to his sons
Stay blessed
