Jacob and Elijah
Jacob and Elijah Jacob was born to be a deceiver. He came out of Rebekah's womb grasping the heel of his older brother Esau, setting the pattern of deception his life would soon take. But he was also born of God's promise, born to be the father of Nations and revered by his people. How can a trickster inherit such a high place of esteem without earning God's approval through pious prayer and obedience? Elijah the prophet was also special to God; but it was not his patronage that was highly valued, it was his heart after God that won His favor. God rewarded Elijah's obedience with the rare and holy gift of eternal life- but where was his covenant, his descendants that would live eternally? Jacob and Elijah are as different as night is to day; one is a trickster, the other a prophet. One relies on his wits, the other is totally dependant upon God's guidance. Yet, they are both highly rewarded by God. How can this apparent contradiction in the degree of reverence and obedience required in a sincere relationship with God be explained? When Rebekah, wife of Issac, was pregnant with twins she asked the Lord why they jostled her so much. The Lord answered by foretelling that both children would sire a nation, and the elder child would se
With the exception of the great victory on Mt. When Jacob is going to meet Esau, we have seen his desire for the birthright, his love of Rachel, and his interest in wealth. Also, unlike Jacob, Elijah is holy enough to be the temple of the Spirit of the Lord which is shown when he ran ahead of Ahabs chariot. No one else has be so self- sacrificing, so representative of God's word, as Elijah. But Elijah is weak and the Angel of the Lord comes to him, not to wrestle with him, but to feed him and encourage him. Yet I think most would agree that Elijah more then earned it. Clearly the Lord cherishes Elijah dearly. Carmel over the priests of Baal, Elijah's life had not been a bed of roses over the preceding years. One of the first things you notice in Elijah's life, is that he has regular communion with God. Carmel, he parts the Jordon with his cloak and a chariot of horses and fire take him up to heaven. But here, with the prospect of death looming before him, suddenly the importance of his children rises vividly in his mind, even to the point of conflating his own being with theirs. In this first and only time Jacob speaks of God, he does not acknowledge Him as his own and has the gall to use the Lord God in his falsehood. Sent off to seek a wife, Jacob goes empty-handed, trusting only to his wits. Though he has become the head of a sizable clan, this was the doing of his jealous wives, mostly of the one he did not love or want. Instead he relies on his own cleverness, and indeed, gets tricked repeately because of it.
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Acceptance Essays
