THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #6 | JACOB: THE FATHER OF HOPE #3

Pastor Christopher Choo

Lesson 3687

THE LIVES OF THE PATRIARCHS #6

JACOB: THE FATHER OF HOPE #3

What Jacob sowed, he reaped.

Galatians 6:7 tells us, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” This is applicable to everyone and Jacob is no exception.

God has already determined that Jacob will rise higher than his elder brother, Esau (Genesis 25:23). However, He did not wait upon the LORD to fulfill this prophecy, but he took it upon himself and dealt deceitfully. He made Esau sell his birthright to him and through a cunning acquisition, he also got Esau’s blessings.

As cunning as Jacob was, he met his match in the person of Laban, his mother’s brother. For about 20 years, Laban has outwitted Jacob and turned him into a servant. Just like Jacob who used deceit to take advantage of his father Isaac and Esau, Laban also used craftiness and trickery to take advantage of Jacob.

Remember that Isaac was “old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see” (Genesis 27:1). For this reason, Rebekah and Jacob were able to steal Esau’s blessing. We can see later that Jacob was also “blinded” by the darkness of his wedding night. Instead of Rachel, whom he loved, Laban gave him his older daughter, Leah, to Jacob. In addition to this, Jacob was also deceived by his own children when they faked the death of their brother, Joseph.

What is our spiritual lesson from Jacob's example?

Believers are also subject to the law of cause and effect. 

Every action you take, be it good or bad, will eventually yield an effect. 

The effect would greatly depend on the actions you take.

We could see that Jacob later repented and had a converted heart.

However, we must also realize that the consequences of our bad decisions would potentially remain in our lives even after we have remorsefully repented and regretted our actions.

God can forgive the spiritual effects of our bad decisions, but we may never be able to erase its physical effects. So the next time you do something, remember this one thing holds true: sow goodness, and you will reap goodness. Sow evil, and you will reap evil.