Saturday, 21 December
Daily Testament Newspaper
THE STORY OF JACOB: THE REDEMPTION
In the book of Genesis. One of the most
memorable and classics of the Old Testament
was the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob is known
for his claiming his brother’s birthright from
father, Isaac, who was blind and about to die
soon. However, as Jacob flees out of Beersheba
to escape his brother’s wrath, it seems that Jacob
eventually seems to go through many struggles
and hardships. This turned him into one of the
heroes of the Old Testament. His escape from
his brother’s rage and hunger to kill his brother
intensified, their mother, Rebekkah, told Jacob to
leave to stay with his uncle, Laban, in Haran. As Jacob walked alone with his staff in the border desert, he had
come to a rest one evening and laid his head down on a rock to sleep.
He continued to have a dream where God reaffirms his promise to him and that He is guiding Jacob throughout
his journey. The next morning, Jacob took the rock he paid on for rest, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil over
as an offering to God. He named the place Bethel and promised to God, “If God really will go with me and will
keep me in the way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and will bring me to my father's house in peace, then
the Lord shall be my God: and this stone shall be the house of God, and of all that God gives me I will give back
to God one-tenth as an offering."
As Jacob continued his journey, he eventually reached the city of Haran. He sees a young woman coming to get
water for her sheep. He helps to lift the flat stone off the watering hole. He then found out the young woman
was Rachel, his cousin, and Laban’s daughter. This gave him the utmost joy and had instantly fallen in love with
her. Jacob eventually arrived to meet his uncle, Laban and had asked to work for him on the fields for seven
years and in reward, the permission to make Rachel his wife. Laban replies, “It is better that you should have
her, than that a stranger should marry her." Jacob continued to fulfill his promise to work in the fields for seven
years. His love for Rachel seemed to make the time
pass by quicker.
When the day of the wedding came, the bride wore a
thick veil that concealed her face and could only be
removed the next morning. When the morning came,
he discovers that it was not Rachel, it was her older sister, Leah. This revelation made Jacob very angry - this was
a reminder of how he cheated his brother and exploited his father’s weakened condition to claim his brother’s
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Saturday, 21 December
birthright. Jacob goes to Laban and Laban continues to explain that the oldest child should marry first. He gave
Jacob another seven years to work then will have Rachel’s hand at last. He had both Leah and Rachel as wives,
Leah gave him many sons but Rachel struggled to conceive.
This lead to the women giving their servants to Jacob to bear more children. Eventually, Rachel gave birth to
her firstborn son and youngest son of Jacob, Joseph, which made him Jacob’s favorite son. The descendants of
Jacob were called Israelites. They were believed to have walked in the ways of God. He had eleven sons and
became great, as God prophesied. Years later, he was able to make amends with his brother, Esau, whose
descendants, the Edomites, were ruled under the Israelites but made themselves free. Although Jacob’s success
and relevance came at the expense of his brother, he overcame hardships and continued to believe in God’s
promise and did the right thing in the end. Jacob’s character development was gradual but it true depiction of
someone who could change for the better in the name of the Lord.
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