Jacob turned Israel (Genesis 25-37)

Jacob being the final patriarch in Genesis is where we will end our time together to move on to Matthew. In this depiction of Jacob’s life, we will see a man who goes from being a heel-catching deceiver to a man who honours God. It has been a wonderful journey getting to know these heroes of the faith in the Old Testament, and to see that faith is a journey that we are on once we make a commitment to make God our God and receive Jesus as our Lord and our Saviour. And from that place, God takes hold of our lives, walking with us and growing us in our love and devotion toward Him.Another takeaway from our time in Genesis, and especially with Jacob, is we see that even through difficulties, deceptions and mistreatment, God is still at work in His people’s lives. He will certainly bring about good, and that good for us will be adding to our faith, our perseverance and devotion to our God. On the outside, Esau received wealth and comfort, but he was devoid of God whereas alternatively Jacob had a difficult life, God using that difficulty to transform him and to mould and shape him. By the time they meet again, Jacob has a transformed heart and becomes a more godly man. For us, this is good to see and understand that in our hardships, God is bringing us closer to Him and the world may go on and outwardly be doing very well but what is life without a relationship with God?