Martinez 1 Carolina Martinez Instructor Kat Gelsone WHUM 101- Honors May 17, 2012 Standing on the Promises

Many stories in the Bible have an overall theme of having a relationship with God. Aspects of such a relationship include promises, grace, and fearing or obeying God. These three concepts of Christianity are covered in the stories of Abraham and his sons and Noah. The book of Genesis displays the prominently taught ideas of promises, or covenants, grace, the fear of, and the obedience to God through other stories as well, like the account of Jacobs life. From before Jacob was even born, God expressed what would result from Rebekahs womb. Isaac, a son of Abraham, married Rebekah and prayed they would conceive. While pregnant, Rebekah felt much turmoil within her. When she inquired to God as to what was happening to her, he said to her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. (King James Version, Gen. 25. 23). In other words, it was prophesized that Jacob and his brother Esau would struggle with each other and encounter trouble. As they grew older, they became more and more unlike each other. One day, Jacob set off what triggered the prophecy and laid out the rest of their lives. As Esau came home one day, he was so hungry that he gave in to Jacobs deal of giving up his birthright in exchange for some soup, being that Esau was the first-born and Jacob was the second born. However, Jacob did not stop

Martinez 2 there. Later on, Jacob also steals Esaus blessing from their father, Isaac. From this moment on, Esau wished to kill Jacob. Their mother Rebekah was deeply affected by this and became so concerned she persuaded Isaac to let Jacob go to the land of Haran. Jacob then went on to live with his uncle Laban. On Jacobs way to Haran, he decided to stop in Bethel for a night of rest. This is where we see a promise made by God to Jacob in a dream. In this dream, Jacob sees a ladder from earth leading into heaven as well as angels and God himself. God tells Jacob this is to be his and his descendants land, and that Jacob will have many children and make it so all the families of the earth be blessed. He promises to be with Jacob wherever he goes and bring him back to this land to fulfill his plan. From what we know of Gods covenants, they are a link between God and whomever he makes the promise to. For Abraham, God had told him his people would be taken care of because they are the chosen people. In the covenant to Noah, God promised the world would not end from a flood. A covenant from God can be seen as a foundation for a relationship with him, as it was for Abraham and Noah, and now Jacob. Still, a covenant is between God and man because man repays or promises God something as well. If it were not like this, then there would be no relationship or link to a relationship. For example, Abraham was compliant and obedient to God by circumcising every male in his household and setting forth that custom. Noah also returned something to God through his obedience and by building an altar for sacrificial offerings. In the same way, as Jacob awoke from his dream, he vowed that if God fulfilled his promise, took care of him, and brought him back home he would make the Lord his God, proclaim this place as Gods house, and return a tenth of what he was given to God. (King James

Martinez 3 Version, Gen. 28. 20-22). This action of wanting to return something to God makes the covenant even stronger and encourages man to stand on the promises of God. When Jacob finally reached Haran, he spent many years trying to marry Labans daughter, Rachel. As time passed by, Laban tried to cheat Jacob many times. In one case, they had agreed for Jacob to take any speckled, spotted, or dark colored sheep or goat. However, Laban kept removing the speckled, spotted, or dark colored flock. Despite this, Jacob had a plan for the animals to bear speckled, spotted, or dark colored offspring. However, this was not by any ordinary means. Jacob utilized branches to encourage the animals to mate, but really, God was the one backing up Jacob. Despite the life Jacob led before, as a cheater and liar in situations with his own brother, God showed him mercy and grace. Jacob was getting much more than he deserved, and he knew it! In praying to God while preparing to meet with Esau after so many years, Jacob was scared for his own life. Jacob acknowledged he was not worthy of the least of all mercies. (King James Version, Gen. 32. 10). Jacobs faith furthered when he then wrestled with a stranger, who was actually God. Being renamed Israel, God and Jacob saw how much Jacob had struggled. Gods grace to Jacob was especially apparent when Esau showed to be forgiving and no longer mad at Jacob. In fact, he actually greeted him with a hug and a kiss. Jacob thought his relationship with his brother had gone completely sour, but thanks to the grace of God, they were both delighted to see each other. After seeing so many blessings, Jacob is obedient to God and goes back to Bethel. Compiled with his obedience was a newfound fear of God after wrestling with him and ending up with a limp. He fulfills his promises to God and does so blissfully; being that God was fulfilling his promise in protecting him. In the end, God reinstates his initial

Martinez 4 covenant of Jacob being fruitful and having land. All throughout the account of Jacobs life, we see covenants, grace, and the importance of fearing and obeying God, all prominent aspects of other bible stories. While it was all based on prophecy, Jacob made his own decisions through everything he experienced. This itself is the role of man; it is on the individual to respond to God and the relationship that is meant to be there. This focus on the individual is also what defines Christianity and sets it apart from Judaism. Jacobs story is truly worth a lot more than it is perceived to be, and can be used to teach a lot about Christianity.

Martinez 5 Works Cited King James Version Bible. Carroll, Robert and Stephen Prickett, ed. New York: Oxford University Press Inc., 1997