In the previous messages, we saw God's working on Abraham and Isaac, and we began to see His working on Jacob with Joseph. In order for us to understand the book of Genesis thoroughly, we have to know the life of Jacob even more than the life of Abraham. The experiences of Abraham are not as subjective as those of Jacob. The book of Genesis has fifty chapters, and the last twenty-six chapters speak of Jacob's life. Jacob's history begins in Genesis 25 and is wrapped up with two persons—his father Isaac and his son Joseph. Jacob needed such a father and such a son to complete his life.

Genesis 25 shows us Jacob's birth and his gaining the birthright from Esau. Even from his mother's womb, Jacob was struggling to be the firstborn of the twins (vv. 22-26a). Genesis 27 shows us how Jacob struggled to receive the blessing of the firstborn son through his deceiving according to his mother Rebekah's device (vv. 1-29). Rebekah caused trouble for her husband and her two sons. Isaac, in a sense, lived a peaceful life, but in another sense, he did not because his second son was forced to leave him. From the time that Rebekah devised to send Jacob away to her brother Laban, she never saw Jacob again. This shows that if we exercise our natural, human wisdom and device, we will suffer.

We have seen that in God's working on Jacob, He loved Jacob and chose him before the foundation of the world (Mal. 1:2b; Rom. 9:10-13). It was the same with us. Ephesians 1:4 and 5 say that in eternity past before the foundation of the world God chose us and predestinated us. The phrase "in love" is in Ephesians 1:4. Just as He loved and chose Jacob, God chose us because of His love (1 Thes. 1:4).

Then God raised Jacob as an heir to Abraham and to Isaac (Gen. 28:13-14). God loved him, chose him, and ordained that he would be Abraham's and Isaac's heir. Jacob did not need to struggle to get the birthright, to be the heir, because God had already destined him for this. God was doing everything to raise Jacob up so that he could inherit God's promise to Abraham and Isaac and His covenant with them. Eventually, Jacob obtained the birthright, apparently because of his endeavoring. But we need to see that if God had not destined Jacob to receive the birthright, he could have never obtained it no matter how much he endeavored.

The history of Jacob is mostly a history of treachery, deceit, falsehood, and struggling. From the womb of his mother, he tried to come out first, but he did not make it. He was a person who was always deceiving, striving, and struggling with others. Through his cunning, he gained much cattle from his uncle Laban (30:31-43). Later, when he was about to confront the threatening situation with his brother Esau, he sent nine droves of cattle to him as a present (32:13-21). This present was actually a bribe. Jacob did not have a sincere, loving heart toward his brother. His present to Esau did not issue out of a heart of love but out of a heart of fear. Then as he was approaching Esau, Jacob put the handmaids and their children foremost, Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph last (33:1-2). The ones whom he loved the most were kept at the rear for their protection. This shows that he was still striving and struggling according to his self-effort.

God destined that Jacob should live a struggling life all his days. From his mother's womb to the end of his life, he was struggling. In the previous message we saw seven points concerning Jacob's life of struggling. First, he was destined from his mother's womb to struggle to be the firstborn of the twins (25:22-26a). Second, he struggled to receive the blessing of the firstborn son through his deceiving according to his mother's device (27:1-29). Third, he was forced by his brother's hatred and his mother's partial love and natural wisdom to leave his parents and go to his uncle Laban (27:41—28:5). Fourth, he suffered loneliness and homelessness in the journey to his uncle (28:10-11). Fifth, he arrived at his uncle Laban's home by suffering a long, lonely journey, indicated by his weeping to his cousin Rachel (29:1-14). Sixth, he married four wives and begot eleven sons by fourteen years of hard labor and much grinding under his wives (29:15—30:24). Seventh, he endeavored to become rich by deceiving his uncle Laban with his subtle skill (30:25-43). Now we want to see eleven more points in Jacob's life of struggling.