I used to think of Jacob as one of the great Patriarchal figures in the Bible because of his great faith and other virtues. I was wrong ... in a sense.
Jacob led a rough and bitter life. He "worked" hard to get what he had for a large part of his life:
- eyed the birthright from very early on (Gen 25)
- deceived his dad Isaac to get the blessing associated with the birthright (Gen 27)
- schemed (? too strong a word) to get what he believed should belong to him (Gen 30)
- secretly left (or tried to leave) Laban, his uncle/father-in-law/employer (Gen 31)
- hid behind his family when facing danger (he splitted them into 3 groups: (i) servants + gifts, (ii) the less favorable children/wives, (iii) his beloved son/wife, and then himself at the end (Gen 32)
- lied to his brother Esau after the reconciliation (Gen 33)
- reacted interestingly when his daughter Dinah was assaulted & after his sons schemed revenge(Gen 34: 5, 30).
Far from being tamed, respectable, upfront, and godly, Jacob was calculating, shrewed, & secretive. What's amazing and enlightening is that God uses Jacob's story to tell us what kind of people He could save.
P.S. From studying with the BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) group in Pasadena for several months, which went thru the book of Genesis last year, and 李思敬's 創世記 CD set, I gained this new perspective. Imagine who would be a good actor to play him if his story's made into a movie - Anthony Hopkins, 石堅, 呂良偉, 萬梓良?
2 comments:
God chose Jacob out of no virtue, this revealed Him as a God of grace. He is the God of even greater grace when he choose me out of nothing good I am. So the issue comes to how should we respond to God as His chosen people.
I don't watch a lot of movie so I don't know many actors. But James Wood's face just occurred in my mind. He would be a good choice to play the character of Jacob.
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