STAR
OUT OF JACOB
Fourth
of nine devotions in Incarnation Parallel
Bible Study series
Numbers
24:17-19, Matthew 1:2
Numbers 24:17a: “I see him, but not now; I
behold him, but not near. A star will
come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.”
Scepter is a rod or sword. The “star” initially was David, rising (or
descended from) his ancestor Jacob. King
David was a mighty warrior and ruler. But
Messiah will be the final ruler who
will bring victory to His people over their enemies. “Then they gathered the kings together to the
place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon.” (Revelation 16:16).
Revelation 22:17 says, “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to give you [John] this
testimony for the churches. I am the
Root and offspring of David, and the bright and Morning Star.” Jesus makes it clear who He is. Jacob is the third Patriarch of Judaism and
Christianity that we studied, who claim belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Jacob was the younger twin, who came
into the world grasping the heel of his brother Esau. Their dad and mom, Isaac and Rebekah, chose different
twins as the favorite son.
Dad loved eating the meat Esau brought
home from hunting. Esau was hairy, and
was called Edom, because his skin was red. Mom adored Jacob because he quietly stayed around
the tents. The word Jacob stands for deceiver.
One day, Esau was starving. He begged Jacob for food. Jacob bribed him out of his birthright in
exchange for some stew. The birthright
was a big deal. The elder son got the
bulk of the father’s estate, and ruled the family after his father’s
death. Esau was so hungry that he agreed
to Jacob’s deal. He couldn’t eat a
birthright! “Whatever!” we can hear Esau
say, “Just feed me now!" (Genesis
25:29-34).
When Isaac was very old, Rebekah
overheard him promising Esau his blessing if Esau would bring fresh game home
to eat. Rebekah prepared some food, then
got Jacob to pretend to be Esau. Jacob
received the blessing Isaac meant for Esau. (Genesis 27:1-31). Esau wanted to kill Jacob when he found out!
God explained the twin’s rowdy behavior
during Rebekah’s pregnancy in Genesis 25:22-28:
“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples within you will be
separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the elder will serve
the younger.” Esau became father of the Edomites;
Jacob is father of the Israelites.
Take
Home Nugget
Check out the lesson
linked below to see how Jacob tried making up with Esau (after many years of
being apart). AND, how God changed
Jacob’s name to Israel.
God uses imperfect people to do
perfectly wonderful things.
J.D.
Griffith
A personal, private lesson
experience with our staff
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