‘DECEIVER’ JACOB’S NAME CLEARED

‘DECEIVER’ JACOB’S NAME CLEARED BY ‘UNDERSTANDING TIME-SPACE-MATTER’ & ‘PRE-ELECTION/ PRE-DETERMINATION’

BY DR. MERVYN ABREO

          Here is a very odd situation in the Bible in which Jacob, not only cunningly fools his earthly father Isaac, and receives his blessings, but manages to even ‘fool’ his heavenly Father, God, Who sustains the blessings. Blessings which Jacob had received from his father Isaac, by deception, deceit and fraudulence.

THE STORY OF JACOB & ESAU: (Genesis27: 1-36).

Sequence of events in this tale of deceit:

          Jacob’s mother Rebekah over hears her husband Isaac instructing their son Esau to hunt game, cook it and give it to him to eat, so that he could bless Esau ‘in the presence of the Lord.’

          So Jacob, under the tutelage of his mother, impersonates Esau, and obtains Isaac’s blessing.

          Esau explains to Isaac what had actually conspired.

          Isaac believes him, but does not revoke the blessings he had showered on Jacob.

          Jacob, now a blessed man, runs away, fearing for his life at the hands of his brother Esau.

 TIME-SPACE’ & ‘PRE-ELECTION’

[Reader advised to read ‘Understanding time-space-matter’ & ‘pre-election/pre-determination’ for a better understanding.]

THE BIRTH OF JACOB & ESAU: (Gen. 32: 22-28).

          They were twins. Esau was delivered first, immediately followed by Jacob, who had grasped Esau’s heel.

Wrong interpretation:

          “Jacob” means, he grasps the heel, figuratively, he deceives. If someone grabs you by the ankle while you are walking, you trip, and may probably fall.           So if someone causes you to trip or fall, in your walk through life, such a person is called a deceiver.

Correct Interpretation:

          Medically when we doctors want to examine new- born babies, we use ‘reflexes’, similar to the knee or ankle jerks that are used in adults. In babies, when their palm is tickled, they close their fist. This is called the grasp reflex.

           So, during the process of delivery, when Esau’s ankle accidentally came into contact with Jacob’s palm, it set off the palmer reflex, causing Jacob to grasp Esau’s ankle, which had acted as an ‘irritant’.
        Unfortunately, as a result of this natural response, Jacob received a stigma, which would have stuck with him for the rest of his life, hadn't God intervened.

EVIL DEEDS OF ESAU:
1) He sold his birthright: Esau comes home famished, just when Jacob is cooking a stew. Jacob is willing to give it to him in exchange for Esau’s birthright. Esau, despising his birth right, swears an oath selling his birthright to Jacob. (Gen.25: 29-34).

          For him his god was his belly.

2) He married a Canaanite woman: He did this especially because he knew how displeasing Canaanite women were to his father, Isaac. (Gen. 28: 6-9).


NOTE: There was no reason for Rebecca to have manipulated the situation. God knew the hearts of both Jacob as well as Esau and would see that ultimately Jacob would be the one to be blessed. But that’s what faith is all about, and is a lesson for you and me.

‘TIME’ and ‘PRE-ELECTION’:

          Because of our knowledge of ‘time’ and ‘pre-election’, we realize that God, Who is Omnipresent (outside our time dimension- and eternally present) knew that, in the future, Esau would reject Him, whereas Jacob would always be faithful to Him.

           And that is why, when Jacob used deceit to gain God’s blessing, as well as those of his father, He let the blessings stay.

FROM THE NAME ‘JACOB’ TO ‘ISRAEL’:

          Jacob wrestled the whole night with God, and would take nothing less than a blessing. And God blessed him.

           No more would he be called ‘Jacob’, the deceiver, but would henceforth be called by his new name, a name that God gave him: ‘Israel’, meaning he struggles with God and man and survives. (Gen. 32: 22-28).

          Jacob, who had been born a ‘deceiver,’ now, rose to the level of the father of the Israelite nation.

Author’s note: A name is very important and so special care should be taken when choosing a name for our new born infant.

One of my subsequent article is: “You are what your name is.”

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