Before chapter thirty-two, there is no record that Jacob prayed. In 32:3-4 Jacob sent messengers to Esau, commanding them to address Esau as his lord. The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him" (32:6). When Jacob heard this news, he was afraid and prayed about it to the Lord. Fearing that Esau was planning to kill him and his family, Jacob was forced to pray. According to the record of Genesis, this is the first instance of Jacob's praying. Before this, Jacob did not pray because he had always had his own way. When it came to fleeing from Laban, he used his skillful way, talking to his wives in a very convincing tone and persuading them to stand with him against their father. Unlike Esau, Jacob was not a good fighter, but he certainly was a good speaker.
The record in Genesis 31 exposes our own situation, giving us an accurate picture of what we are. This surely is the word of life. Although the word life is not mentioned in this chapter, the very life in the Gospel of John, the Gospel of life, is found here. In John 10:10 the Lord Jesus said, "I came that they may have life and may have it abundantly." The way to have life abundantly is in Genesis 31, not in John 10. Genesis 31 is a revelation of our being.
Throughout all my years in the ministry, I have seen many cases concerning the relationship between husband and wife, and often I have been asked to mediate between a husband and wife. Every sister who has asked me to mediate between her and her husband has expected that after I prayed for them, her husband would be changed into an angel. Many of us still cling to this concept. Some sisters may say to themselves, "My husband is so pitiful. Surely if the elders and the leading sisters pray for him, the Lord will change him into an angel. If my husband cannot be an elder in the church, he can at least be a deacon." Although the Lord will certainly answer this prayer, He will not answer it according to our way, but according to His way. The Lord's way is not magical. Do not expect that in one day your husband will be changed into an angel and that you will be able to testify about it in the next church meeting.
Many of you have been in the church life for several years. Perhaps you have been praying for yourself, asking the Lord to transform you. Have you been transformed? You must admit that you are still somewhat natural. In the meetings, we all appear to be transformed, but how do you appear at the dining table with your wife? Many of us must admit that we are exactly the same as the Jacob in Genesis 31. I praise the Lord that there has been a significant change in many of the saints throughout the years. But where are you today—in Genesis 48 or in Genesis 31? You must admit that, at best, you are in chapter thirty-one. We cannot have the maturity of life, the transformation of life, overnight, or even in a few years. It is a life-long matter. It does not grow like a mushroom.
If you study the biography of Jacob, you will see that even when he was in his mother's womb God began to deal with him. The natural life of Jacob realized that two were in the womb. Although he tried his best to be born first, God allowed his brother to come out first. Since that time, in chapter after chapter, we see the striving of Jacob. But at the end of the book of Genesis, Jacob's striving is over. As Jacob worshipped God, the supplanting hands now leaned upon the top of his staff, the sign of his pilgrim life on earth (Heb. 11:21). At the end of Genesis, Jacob was thoroughly transformed. Only at the end of his lifetime was his transformation complete. Transformation requires our whole lifetime. Do not expect it to be accomplished in a few years. I believe that every day and even every hour something is working for our transformation. Nevertheless, this takes a long time. Of the fifty chapters in this book, the record relating to Jacob occupies more than half of them. This is the long record of a transformed life. The Lord Jesus can save us instantaneously, we can consecrate ourselves quickly, and we may even come into the church life in a very fast way. But it takes a long time to be transformed. We need to have a great many ups and downs. Sometimes within one day we may have three ups and three downs. This is our natural being, our natural life.
In the matters of God's selection and transformation, Jacob is the prototype in the Bible. Romans 9 tells us this. But throughout the generations not many Christians have seen this, thinking that the chapters dealing with Jacob's history are merely interesting stories. Few Christians view these chapters as the record of the model of a transformed life.