Psalms 135:4

“FOR THE LORD HATH CHOSEN JACOB UNTO HIMSELF, AND ISRAEL FOR HIS PECULIAR TREASURE.”

Luke 1:31 to 33

“And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and HE SHALL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOR EVER: and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”

The Bible has very much to say about Jacob, about God’s covenant with Jacob. God is called “the God of Jacob” several times. Psalms 20:1— Psalms 81:1— Psalms 84:8— Psalms 94:7— Psalms 114:7— Psalms 132:2 and 5.

The Lord Jesus is yet going to reign over the house of Jacob. Many times in the Bible we find the term, “the house of Jacob.” The word “Jacob” is found 380 times in the Bible. Note several statements concerning God’s relation to Jacob:

Isaiah 41:8

“But thou, Israel, art My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham My Friend.”

Psalms 75:9

“But I will declare for ever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.”

Psalms 47:4

“He shall choose our inheritance for us, the excellency of Jacob whom He loved. Selah.”

Malachi 1:2

“I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, Wherein hast Thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob.”

Micah 2:7

“O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the Lord straitened? are these His doings? do not My words do good to him that walketh uprightly?”

Amos 9:8

“Behold, the eyes of the Lord God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith the Lord.”

Jeremiah 30:10

“Therefore fear thou not, O My servant Jacob, saith the Lord; neither be dismayed, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity: and Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid.”

The word “Jacob” means “supplanter” or “cheater” and until God wrought a change in him Jacob lived up to his name. We cannot understand why God ever chose Jacob, but He did. But can we understand why God should choose us and save us? We are so glad that God calls Himself “the God of Jacob” and “the God of all grace” I Peter 5:10. And we are glad for the truth of:

Romans 5:6 and 8

“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Ephesians 2:4 and 5

“But God Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved).”

II Timothy 1:9

“Who hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.”

Let us think over these “grace” statements and rejoice in the truth of:

Philippians 3:3

“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

Now before we study the history of the man Jacob, let us note:

Jeremiah 46:27 and 28

“But fear not thou, O My servant Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel: for, behold, I will save thee from afar off, and thy seed from the land of their captivity: and Jacob shall return, and be in rest and at ease, and none shall make him afraid. Fear thou not, O Jacob, My servant, saith the Lord: for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.”

Jeremiah 30:7

“Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.”

When the Scriptures here speak of Jacob, they speak of the Nation, or that part of the Nation Israel that shall be on the earth after God has accomplished his purpose during this present reign of grace. God is now calling individual Gentiles and Jews to receive Christ and be members of His Body. Ephesians 2:11 to 17. In this day of grace in the Body of Christ there is neither Jew nor Gentile. We are all one in Christ. Galatians 3:28.

Note these words:

Romans 11:25 and 26

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. An so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:”

Jacob and Israel are one and the same. Today we call Israel “the Jews.” There are nearly 18 million Jews on earth today. There are about 1800 million Jews and Gentiles. So about one per cent of the population of the earth are Jews. Palestine is called, in the Bible, “the land of the Jews.” Acts 10:39.

Note what Christ on earth said about the land of the Jews and the Jews:

Luke 21:24

“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

This has been fulfilled for more than 18 centuries. The Jews are scattered among all nations. They are having much trouble. The Gentile nations seem to think that the Jews are causing them much trouble. This will continue until “the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

Civilization is headed for Jacob’s trouble and the end of “the times of the Gentiles.” Jacob’s Messiah will come and save Jacob out of their trouble. “Call His name JESUS.” “He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever.”

Let us be careful not to confuse “the house of Jacob” with “the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” I Timothy 3:15. This House is the Body of Christ. Christ is the Head of this Body. The house of Jacob is made up of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Christ is the King of Israel.

JACOB AND ESAU

Genesis 25:29 to 34

“And Jacob sod pottage and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:

And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.

And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.

And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Genesis 26:34 and 35

“And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite:

Which were a grief of mind unto Isaac and to Rebekah.”

Hebrews 12:16 and 17

“Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright.

For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.”

GENESIS 27:18 TO 29

“And he came unto his father, and said. My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son?

And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me.

And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the Lord thy God brought it to me.

And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou by my very son Esau or not.

And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.

And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands: so he blessed him.

And he said, Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.

And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son.

And he came near. and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed. Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over they brethren, and let thy mother’s sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee.”

HEBREWS 11:21

“By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the tap of his staff.”

Jacob and Esau were the sons of Isaac and Rebekah. They were twins. The story of their birth is recorded in Genesis 25:19 to 26.

The story of the courtship and marriage of Isaac and Rebekah is a very interesting one. When Abraham was a very old man he made his faithful servant swear that he would go to Abraham’s country and get a wife for his son Isaac. Genesis 24:1 to 4 and 24:9. The servant went to Mesopotamia. His camels were kneeling down by a well of water and while the servant stood near the well the daughter of Bethuel (Bethuel was Abraham’s nephew) came to draw water from the well. Her name was Rebekah. Abraham’s servant asked Rebekah for a drink of the water she drew from the well. Then Rebekah watered the camels of the servant.

Genesis 24:22

“And it came to pass as the camels had done drinking, that the man took a golden earring of half a shekel weight, and two bracelets for her hands of ten shekels weight of gold.”

Genesis 24:29 and 31

“And Rebekah had a brother, and his name was Laban: and Laban ran out unto the man, unto the well.”

“And he said, Come in thou blessed of the Lord; wherefore standest thou without? for I have prepared the house, and room for the camels.”

Read this very interesting story in the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis.

Genesis 24:51

“Behold, Rebekah is before thee, take her, and go, and let her be thy master’s son’s wife, as the Lord hath spoken.”

Genesis 24:56 to 60

“And he said unto them, Hinder me not, seeing the Lord hath prospered my way; send me away that I may go to my master. And they said, We will call the damsel, and inquire at her mouth. And they called Rebekah, and said unto her, Wilt thou go with this man? And she said, I will go. And they sent away Rebekah their sister, and her nurse, and Abraham’s servant, and his men. And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister; be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.”

Isaac meets Rebekah:

Genesis 24:64 to 67

“And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she lighted off the camel. For she had said unto the servant, What man is this that walketh in the field to meet us? And the servant had said, It is my master: therefore she took a vail, and covered herself. And the servant told Isaac all things that he had done. And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac was comforted after his mothers death.”

Here we have one of the beautiful love stories of the Bible.

But now for another story.

JACOB LEAVES HOME

In this story is another story of love in the family of the brother of Rebekah, Laban. Let us see the circumstances that drove Jacob to Laban’s home. First we quote:

Genesis 27:41 to 44

“And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father blessed him: and Esau said in his heart, The days of mourning for my father are at hand, then will I slay my brother Jacob. And these words of Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah: and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him, Behold, thy brother Esau, as touching thee, doth comfort himself, purposing to kill thee. Now therefore, my son, obey my voice; and arise, flee thou to Laban my brother to Haran; And tarry with him a few days, until thy brother’s fury turn away.”

Genesis 28:5

“And Isaac sent away Jacob: and he went to Padan-aram unto Laban, son of Bethuel the Syrian, the brother of Rebekah, Jacob’s and Esau’s mother.”

Now let us follow Jacob:

GENESIS 28:10 to 22

“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran.

And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.

And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.

And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.

And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.

And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.

And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set It up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.

And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.

And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on.

So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”

GENESIS 28:9 TO 11

“Then went Esau unto Ishmael, and took unto the wives which he had Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebajoth, to be his wife. And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep.”

Genesis 28:14

“And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

JACOB AND LABAN

Then Jacob bargained with Laban to give him seven years for Rachel, his daughter. At the end of the seven years Laban gave his oldest daughter, Leah, to Jacob. Then Jacob served seven other years and Laban gave him Rachel also. Read the story in Genesis 29:16 to 35. The first four sons born to Jacob and Leah were Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Genesis 29:32 to 35. Unto Rachel were born Joseph (Genesis 30:22 to 24) and Benjamin.

Genesis 35:18

“And it came to pass as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.”

Two other women were the mothers of Jacob’s other four sons, Bilhah and Zilpah. Genesis 35:25 and 26. The sons of Leah were Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah, Issachar and Zebulun. The sons of Rachel, Joseph and Benjamin. The sons of Bilhah, Dan and Naphtali. The sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid: Gad and Asher.

The twelve tribes of Israel came from the twelve sons, but we shall see in another lesson how Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph, were brought in for special blessing.

JACOB AS A BUSINESS MAN

The very interesting story of the business transactions between Jacob and Laban are recorded in Genesis 30 and 31. Some have spoken of Jacob as having been very clever. Others have called him crooked or dishonest. But his good management brought prosperity to Laban. Note Jacob’s words in Genesis 30:30: “For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?”

Note again:

GENESIS 31:1 to 7

“And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s: and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory.

And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before.

And the Lord said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock,

And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.

And ye know that with all my power I have served your father.

And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.”

Then note Jacob’s statement to Laban:

Genesis 31:41 and 42

“Thus have I been twenty years in thy house: I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle; and thou hast changed my wages ten times.

Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.”

Genesis 32:1

“And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.”

JACOB AFRAID OF ESAU

Jacob very much feared his brother Esau, whom he thought would slay him. Note Jacob’s payer to God.

Genesis 32:10 to 12

“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.”

God heard Jacob’s prayer for deliverance.

Genesis 33:4, 9 to 11

“And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.”

“And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thy self.

And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.

Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.”

Jacob had a very wonderful experience at that time:

Genesis 32:24 to 32

“And Jacob was left alone; wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.

And he said, Thy name shall be no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell until the me, I pray thee, thy name? And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh. Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.”

GENESIS 33:18 to 20

“And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.

And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamer, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.

And he erected there an altar, and called it Eleloheisrael.”

GENESIS 35:6 to 8

“So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.

And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel; because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.

But Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.”

THE COVENANT RE-STATED

Genesis 35:9 to 15

“And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padanaram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name; and he called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land. And God went up from him in the place where he talked with him. And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he talked with him, even a pillar of stone: and he poured a drink offering thereon, and he poured oil thereon. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.”

THE TWELVE SONS OF JACOB (Israel)

Genesis 35:27 to 29

“The sons of Leah; Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah. and Issachar, and Zebulun:

The sons of Rachel; Joseph, and Benjamin:

And the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid; Dan, and Naphtali:

And the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid; Gad, and Asher: these are the sons of Jacob, which were born to him in Padanaram.”

Genesis 25:27 to 29

“And Jacob came unto Isaac his father unto Mamre, unto the city of Arbah, which is Hebron, where Abraham and Isaac sojourned.

And the days of Isaac were an hundred and fourscore years.

And Isaac gave up the ghost, and died, and was gathered unto his people, being old and full of days: and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.”

Some other statements about Jacob:

Genesis 37:1

“And Jacob dwelt in the land wherein his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.”

Genesis 42:1 to 3

“Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? And He said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt, get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. And Joseph’s ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt.”

GENESIS 46:1 to 7

“And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

And he said, I am God the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation.

I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:

His sons, and his sons’ sons with him, his daughters, and his sons’ daughters and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.”

Genesis 47:7 to 12

“And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.

And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.”

JACOB’S PROPHECIES AND BLESSINGS

GENESIS 49:1 to 33

“And Jacob called unto his sons, and sale Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.

2 Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

3 Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

4 Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy fathers bed; then defiledst thou it, he went up to my couch.

5 Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

6 O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united, for in their anger they slew a man, and in their selfwill they digged down a wall.

7 Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel.

8 JUDAH, THOU ART HE WHOM THY BRETHREN SHALL PRAISE: THY HAND SHALL BE IN THE NECK OF THINE ENEMIES; THY FATHER’S CHILDREN SHALL BOW DOWN BEFORE THEE.

9 JUDAH IS A LION’S WHELP: FROM THE PREY, MY SON, THOU ART GONE UP: HE STOOPED DOWN, HE CROUCHED AS A LION, AND AS AN OLD LION; WHO SHALL ROUSE HIM UP?

10 THE SCEPTRE SHALL NOT DEPART FROM JUDAH, NOR A LAWGIVER FROM BETWEEN HIS FEET, UNTIL SHILOH COME; AND UNTO HIM SHALL THE GATHERING OF THE PEOPLE BE.

11 Binding his foal unto the vine, and his ass’s colt unto the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes:

12 His eyes shall be red with wine, and his teeth white with milk.

13 Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the sea; and he shall be for an haven of ships; and his border shall be unto Zidon.

14 Issachar is a strong ass couching down between two burdens:

15 And he saw that rest was good, and the land that it was pleasant; and bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant unto tribute.

16 Dan shall judge his people, as one of the tribes of Israel.

17 Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward.

18 I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.

19 Gad, a troop shall overcome him: but he shall overcome at the last.

20 Out of Asher his bread shall be fat, and he shall yield royal dainties.

21 Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words.

22 Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall:

23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him

24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:)

25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb:

26 The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren.

27 Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.

28 All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.

29 And he charged them, and said unto them, I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite,

30 In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Cannan, which Abraham bought with the field of Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a buryingplace.

31 There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah.

32 The purchase of the field and of the cave that is therein was from the children of Heth.

33 And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and was gathered unto his people.

In our next message we will study concerning Joseph and his brethren in Egypt.

But note verses 8 to 10 above. Jacob’s prophecy concerning the coming of Shiloh from the tribe of Judah. In Revelation 5:5 Christ is called the Lion of the tribe of Judah.”

QUESTIONS—LESSON NINE

1. Name three verses in which God is called “the God of Jacob.”

2. What kind of a treasure was Jacob unto God? Give Scriptures.

3. What does Jacob mean? What is the meaning of the new name God gave Jacob?

4. According to Luke 1:31 and 33, what place was Christ to occupy with respect to the house of Jacob?

5. To what House do Christians of this age belong?

6. What is the present condition of the house of Jacob? Is this condition to be changed?

7. Mention three facts concerning Jacob’s dealings with Esau. What did Esau sell to Jacob?

8. What did Abraham say to his servant concerning a wife for Isaac? Where did that servant find Rebekah?

9. How was Laban related to Isaac? To Jacob?

10. Why did Jacob flee to Laban’s home?

11. What name did Jacob give to Luz? Why?

12. Who was Jacob’s youngest son and what happened to Rachel at his birth?

13. How many years did Jacob serve Laban for Leah and Rachel? How long in all?

14. Whom did Jacob fear when he left Laban to go home? How was Jacob delivered?

15. What happened to Jacob at Peniel and what does Peniel mean? What does Bethel mean?

16. Name the twelve sons of Israel and Joseph’s two sons.

17. Where did Jacob send his sons for corn? Did Jacob himself go to that country?

18. What did Jacob say concerning Judah when he was blessing his sons?

19. Who is called the lion of the tribe of Judah? Quote verse.

20. What is to happen to the house of Jacob according to Jeremiah 30:7 and Jeremiah 46:27 and 28?

For more articles by Pastor J. C. O'Hair, visit the J. C. O'Hair Online Library.