In the last message we pointed out the difference between transformation and maturity. Transformation is the metabolic change in life, and maturity is the fullness in life. Maturity is the last stage of transformation. As we are being transformed, we are also being filled with life. The more we are transformed, the more we are filled with life. No one can be filled with life without being transformed. The degree of the filling is in proportion to the degree of transformation. When we have been completely transformed, we shall be filled with life in its fullness.
From chapter twenty-five to chapter thirty-two we see no change in Jacob's life. According to the record of chapter twenty-five, Jacob began supplanting even before he was born. Jacob's transformation began from the time God touched him. This took place in chapter thirty-two. Although in chapters twenty-five to thirty-two there is no transformation, no change in life, these chapters are full of dealings. Remember, Jacob spent twenty years under the hand of Laban. During those years he suffered one dealing after another. After those twenty years of dealings, one night, at Peniel, the Lord came and touched Jacob's strongest part, his thigh, and Jacob became lame. That marked the beginning of Jacob's transformation, and the process of transformation continued from chapter thirty-two to chapter thirty-seven. In these chapters we see a picture of how Jacob was being transformed. However, after the time Jacob lost Joseph in chapter thirty-seven, we see no further change in Jacob's life. The reason for this is that at that time his transformation was nearly completed. Thus, in chapter thirty-seven Jacob's maturity began.
There are three distinct periods in Jacob's life: the period of dealings, the period of transformation, and the period of maturity. If you compare three chapters, twenty-seven, thirty-seven, and forty-seven, you will see the dealings, the transformation, and the maturity. In chapter forty-seven Jacob's maturity reaches its peak and it is fully manifested. In this message we shall consider the manifestation of Jacob's maturity.