Author Archives: twerper890

The Rich Man, the Camel and the Needle

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I am sure you are familiar with Jesus’ statement, “It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” It is an interesting statement to be sure. Jesus’ encounter with the rich man is recorded in Matthew 19:16-26, Mark 10: 17-27 and Luke 18: 18-27. Here is the story in Mark:

As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good,” Jesus asked. “No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “who then can be saved?”

Jesus looked at them and said, “with man this is impossible, but not with God; with God, all things are possible with God.”

Peter said to him, “We have left all we had to follow you!”

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus said to them, “no one who has left home or wife or brothers or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God will fail to receive many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life.”

The man was familiar with the Jewish terminology regarding inheritance, which is used throughout the Bible and, in the spiritual sense, has to do with the gifting of God’s promises and blessings. In the story above, Jesus directed the man’s attention to God’s goodness and then listed six of the ten commandments which, not incidentally, have to do with our relations with others. In doing so, Jesus establishes some important basics, and that is to recognize God for his goodness and do well with others. All indications are that the man has done well. However, Jesus wanted more. He wanted the man to completely turn away from his current life and follow him in an act of faith, similar to other instances in the Bible such as Abraham, who is described in Genesis 12:1 as leaving his country, his people and his father’s household to go to a land that God would show him. Abraham is also mentioned in Hebrews 11, which is known as the Heroes of Faith chapter, for his obedience to God in this regard.

The story twice mentions that the disciples were amazed at Jesus’ words, and the primary reason is because Jesus turned away wealth. The first time was after Jesus said, “how hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God.” The second time it says the disciples “were even more amazed”, after Jesus made the comment about the camel and needle, meaning it was impossible for the rich to enter the kingdom. In that day and age, just like here in America, money was the bedrock of their economy. [*] The people worked hard to earn it and relied on it to purchase everything they needed. Survival was difficult without it, so imagine how the disciples must have felt when they saw this extremely wealthy man who, even if he contributed a small portion of his money, could help with their nascent movement. And, after witnessing this interaction with this man who could obtain anything he wanted in this world, it is no wonder the disciples asked the question, “who then can be saved?”

Jesus often illustrated his kingdom lessons using familiar elements from the natural world, and his use of the camel and needle fits in that mold. The people of ancient times (and even now in the modern age) used camel wool to make clothing, tents and many other textiles. Matthew 3:4 states that John the Baptist wore camel hair and many believe that 2 Kings 1:8 reveals that Elijah did also.

Though wool producers, camels were primarily used for transportation. Referred to by some as ships of the desert, they can carry heavy loads over long distances. Their bodies are equipped to allow water storage, and their humps are primarily made of fat, which allows their bodies to have fuel when there is little or no food available. Their nostrils can close to keep the sand out, and their feet are designed to enable them to traverse over desert landscape. Camels produce milk and are used for food. However, the Jews were prohibited from eating them due to their dietary laws (Leviticus 11:4) and they were not typically owned by the poor. As primarily service animals, ownership of camels often indicated economic advantage and  symbolized wealth and status. Jesus’ imagery made an especially poignant and vivid impact on his followers and puts an exclamation point on the fact that wealth has no standing for entering the kingdom of God.

Three pillars of the Christian belief system are represented in this story: faith — the man leaving his current life to follow Jesus, sacrifice — the man giving his possessions to the poor, and service — represented symbolically by the camel. All three were non-starters for the rich man, but why would Jesus put forth an impossible requirement that the man give away all of his possessions? Being rich is not a sin, and turning someone away does seem to contradict Jesus’ ministry. After all, aren’t we all sinners and subject to the same grace? Would Jesus want you and me to give away everything we have? The story also mentions that the disciples gave up everything to follow Jesus, Would Jesus require that of us too?

These issues seem extreme. However, Jesus never asked us to do anything that he would not do himself. Consider Ephesians 5:30 – 32:

For we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery, but I am talking about Christ and his church.

Paul referenced Genesis 2:1 of the creation story to make this point. It was God’s desire from the beginning that Christ would leave the splendors of heaven to come to earth and die for us, be resurrected from the dead, and give us his Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. Now he wants us to be his hands and feet, his smile, his tears, and his hugs as we minister to and serve others. In that regard we should always give him credit when we serve someone for the kingdom — just like Jesus’ example above, where he gave God the credit for being good.

After this encounter, there is no more mention of the rich man, but fortunately there is more to the story, which Jesus alluded to when he said that with God all things are possible. Let’s take a look at a few verses to help shed more light on the idea:

  • Col 3:1 — “If you then be risen with Christ, then seek those things above, where Christ sits at the right hand of God”
  • Col 2:12 — “…having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.”
  • Eph 2:6 — “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

In the above verses Paul used the past tense when he wrote “risen” and “raised” to these people over 2000 years ago. Of course the promised bodily resurrection has not yet occurred, but the idea is that these people had already joined Christ in his victory. And in order for resurrection to occur, there must first be death:

  • Col 3:1-4 “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”
  • 2 Tim 2:11– “If we died with him, we will also live with him.”

Romans 10:9-13 says,

That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe with your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

This simple act of faith is all it takes to enter the kingdom of God because through Christ’s death and resurrection, the impossible became possible. Titus 2:11 says “For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people,” which means the rich man would have had the same opportunity as everyone else. Please note, however, that the Christian life does not end there. Paul writes extensively in the New Testament that Christians are to live worthy lives. The following verses encapsulate the simultaneous ideas of grace and works in the Christian life:

  • Eph 2 8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith — and this not from yourselves. It is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works
  • 1 Thes 2:12 “…encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory.”
  • Phil 2:12-13, “Therefore my dear friends, as you have always obeyed — not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence – continue to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
  • Titus 3:4-8 “…he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy…so that having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life….And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing good.”
  • Heb 13:15-16 “…let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

It is clear that as Christians we not only have salvation, but we also work out our own salvation and look forward to future salvation. We begin our journeys in Christ’s victory, live victorious lives and look forward to victory.

So what about the rich man’s money? Does the requirement to give it all away still apply? As stated earlier, the money stood in the way of the man giving his heart to Jesus. Fortunately, through the cross God provided a way to remove all barriers, and simply by believing and confessing the man is able enter Christ’s kingdom. As far as the money goes, Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Since the cross, I am sure  Jesus would say the same thing but a little differently:, “where your heart is, there your treasure will be also,” because when Jesus gets a heart, he also gets a pocket book. This being said, there are no requirements to pay any particular amount or percentage like many tithing teachers want us to believe. Paul says in Col 2:13: 

God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and was opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross.

Paul also said in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery,” which means the rich man is not under anyone else’s rules or expectations in regards to his money. Rather he is free to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in this regard.

Jesus wanted the rich man’s heart, and he knew he was not going to get it by simply allowing the man to add eternal life to his accumulation of treasure. Jesus wanted from him what he wants from us, and that is transformed lives in which we follow him in faith, recognize and give credit to God for his goodness, and do well with others in genuine acts of sacrifice and service.

[*] For more regarding the economy of that era, read my post, “Money in the New Testament.”

Money in the New Testament

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I would venture to say that most people who read the New Testament do not pay much attention to the subject of money. However, skipping over this topic can leave us vulnerable to unscrupulous tithe teachers who try to tell us that we should pay at least 10 percent to our churches. I believe that before we allow them to try to control our pocketbooks that we should take a look at this important subject. In this post I intend to show that money was essential and inseparable from the economy, and also provide contextual background that I can make reference to in some of my future articles.

Many passages in the New Testament imply money without using the actual terms, which in the New Testament are coin, silver, gold, copper, drachma, denarius, talent, pennies and minas (terms from the NIV). Passages that explicitly mention money are: Matthew 6:19-24, 10:9, 17:24-27, 18:23-34, 20:1-15, 21:12, 22:17-21, 28:12-15; Mark 12:14-16, 12:41-43, Luke 12:59, 14:28, 15:8-9, 19:11-26, 21:1-2; John 13:29 and Acts 16:19. When considering the other passages where money is implied rather than explicitly stated, the total number of references is much higher. For example, words like possessions and purse would most likely include money, and oftentimes the value of something strongly implies money. All together, specifically stated or implied, I found roughly 140-150 passages that discuss money.[*] Not included in this list are references to tithing, which never consisted of money.

In order to get a sense of the breadth and depth of this topic, it is necessary to not only consider what the NT describes as money, but to also consider the role it played in the social, cultural and economic life of the time. The economy was much larger and robust than just small businesses and farms. It was an advanced, full fledged, market driven system spanning thousands of miles around the Mediterranean Sea, connecting Northern Africa, Asia Minor and Southern Europe.

Trade and commerce flowed freely in this international community that was populated by people in all segments of the social and economic strata – poor, middle income and rich – and money was earned in various ways. There were skilled and unskilled laborers, investors, entrepreneurs and professionals. There were some who were highly educated and some who were not. If we just look at the shipping industry and the cargoes that were transported we get a pretty clear picture of the goods and commodities that existed and the types of jobs that were necessary for their production, acquisition, and disposition. For instance, the Apostle John writes in Rev 18: 11-17:

The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes anymore–cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; articles of fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and artifacts of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and human beings sold as slaves. They will say, “The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your luxury and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered.” The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: “Woe! Woe to you, great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!” Every sea captain, and all who travel by ship, the sailors, and all who earn their living from the sea, will stand far off.

The above passage mentions gold, silver, precious stones, bronze, iron and marble, which indicate a mining industry. The fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth suggest a strong textile industry. And the fact that the cloth is a commodity that is somewhere between a raw material and a finished product, shows an industry that was divided into specialized components for efficiency and economy of scale. There were most likely traders and other business operators in support of these industries who purchased these items and sold them to the next step in the chain, eventually making their way to end consumers.

In this capitalistic economy, the profit motive required these ships to be fully loaded as they navigated to and from various ports. And these ports would have had ship maintenance experts and large numbers of dock workers to perform loading and unloading. Land based transportation companies were needed to move the goods to and from the docks. Also, as mentioned above and evidenced by Paul’s missionary journeys by ship and overland, there would have been a vibrant travel industry, complete with supporting food and lodging industries. 

In describing the economy of the time, it is important to look at the fundamentals — what the people wore for clothing and what their diet consisted of. The poorest of the poor wore garments made of camel hair, as evidenced by the description of John the Baptist in Matthew 3:4. From there, depending on who could afford them, there were clothes made of fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth as mentioned in the ships cargoes above. The reference to John the Baptist also states that he ate locusts and wild honey, which would not require money to obtain. On the other hand, depending on a person’s income and what they could afford, there was a tremendous variety of very tasty and delightful food. For example, the ship cargoes mentioned above contained cattle, sheep, cinnamon and spice, wine and olive oil, fine flour and wheat. In addition, other passages mention pigs — Matthew 8: 28-34, reptiles and birds — Acts 10: 9-16. bread and fish — Matthew 14: 13-21. mint dill and cumin — Matthew 23:23, salt — Matthew 5:13. Fruit is mentioned several times and, since the population lived in close proximity to the sea, we can also infer that seafood was abundantly available. And, as with most everything else, food was bought and sold — Matthew 14: 13-21.

Undergirding this diverse and well-developed economic ecosystem was a strong financial industry that supported both local economies and also international trade. I am sure you are familiar with Matthew 21:12 and John 2:15 where Jesus entered the temple and overturned the tables of the money changers. Traditional teaching usually focuses on Jesus’ reaction to the money changers, but from a money point of view these people were dealing with international currencies, and the passage clearly shows that the economy of that time was not only local but also international in scope. A large financial industry like this would require educated professionals — skilled in mathematics, accounting and bookkeeping. To show how ingrained money was in the society of that time, Consider John 12:3-5:

Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.’”

Notice there is no discussion about possibilities of exchanging or bartering. It was simply stated that the perfume could be sold for money – the most practical and convenient method of conversion – without giving any thought to anything else. This passage summarizes in one place the idea that money supported the disposition and acquisition of everything from pure luxury items for the well-to-do to basic necessities for the poor.

To further cement the idea that money was essential to the way of life of that place and time, consider Mark 12:41 – 44 about the widow and her two coins:

Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything — all she had to live on.”

Notice this passage states “all she had to live on.” In other words, in order for this woman to live independently, she needed money — because it was essential in that society.

As as you can see from this brief overview, the robust economy of the New Testament was both local and international in scope. People worked and earned their livings in countless vocational occupations such as general laborers, dock workers, miners, carpenters (Jesus was a carpenter) and stone masons. There were entrepreneurs of all sizes of businesses. There were commodities traders, engineers and builders. There were those who were skilled in the culinary arts, and there were physicians (Luke for example) and professionals skilled in handling money and related aspects of business. At the core of this economy was money, which was more than a common denominator that allowed trade and commerce to thrive, It was essential to the way people lived.

I mentioned earlier that tithing is not included in my list of money passages. But I think it is important to at least touch on the four New Testament passages that mention it in case you are questioning why. Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42 describe the same account, while Hebrews chapters 7-8 and Luke 18:9-14 describe separate events. These all mention tithing, but they are somewhat different and warrant separate discussions. Let’s look at the first account as described in Matthew 23:23:

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. (KJV)

Notice the description of food items, especially in light of the fact that the NT economy was entirely, or at least almost entirely, money driven. While there may have been isolated instances where someone may have used something like food as a payment instead of money, it would have been extremely rare. This is not one of those cases, however, because notice that Jesus used the plural when he said “you scribes and Pharisees,” which suggests a group of people performing something in a systematic manner, not an isolated case. Also notice that Jesus mentioned, “matters of the law.” The tithing in this passage was required under the Mosaic Law, to which Christians are not obligated, and the Jewish scribes and Pharisees were attempting to fulfill this requirement the best way they knew how by carefully counting out their spices. If tithes had anything to do with money or income, the food would have been sold at the market using common weights and measures and then 10 percent of the money paid. Also, tithing in the Law had an instruction manual, so to speak, which contained many detailed rules regarding not only what it consisted of (only food and produce raised on God’s holy land) but also who paid it, who received it and what the recipients were to do with it, which included animal sacrifices.

Now let’s take a look at Hebrews chapters 7-8, which discuss the account in Genesis 14:20 where Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. Abraham was a much revered patriarch to the nation of Israel, and to the Jews there was no one greater except God. In Hebrews 7-8, the writer explains that since Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, that the scriptures are showing that there is someone greater than Abraham, and that someone is Christ. There are no instructions in this passage for anyone to tithe, nor is the writer using this as an example to follow. Also, if you read the account in Genesis you will see that the tithes were spoils of war and not money, it was a one-time event, and there were no instructions from God.

Luke 18:9-14 is a parable:

To some who were confident in their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and one a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed, ‘God, thank you that I am not like the other people – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God have mercy on me, a sinner.’ I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all those who humble themselves will be exalted.

The above passage is from the NIV version and uses the word, “tenth.” Many other versions use the word tithe, which I actually prefer because this man was a Pharisee, and this group steadfastly adhered to the Mosaic Law, which required tithes. In any case, note that Jesus did not think much of this type of self righteousness, and this again is not any type of instruction for Christians to follow.

Tithing is a fairly in depth study, and in the interest of staying on the topic of this post, I will stop here and refer you to the Links tab at the top of this page where you can find more information.

Hopefully this post was interesting to you. It certainly was for me. The subject of money in the New Testament opened my eyes a little wider and gave me a broader understanding of life in that day and time. Money was indispensable and inseparable to people’s lives because that is how the economy operated.

[*] New Testament references to money:

Matthew 5:46, 6:1-4, 6:19-24, 9:9-11, 10:9, 10:29, 11:16, 11:19, 13:44-45, 14:15, 16:26, 17:24-27, 18:17, 18:23-34, 19:21-24, 20:1-15, 21:12, 21:31-32, 22:17-21, 25:9, 25:14-30, 26:6-9, 26:14, 27:7, 27:57, 28:12-15

Mark 1:20, 2:14, 2:15-16, 4:19,6:8, 6:36-37,  10:21-24, 11:15-16, 12:14-16, 12:40-43, 14:3-8, 14:10, 15:46,

Luke 3:12-14, 5:27-30, 6:20, 6:24, 6:34-35, 7:25, 7:29, 7:34, 7:41, 8:3, 9:3, 9:13, 10:4, 10:35, 11:21, 12:16, 12:33-34, 12:44, 12:59, 14:13, 14:18-19, 14:14:21, 14:28, 15:1, 15:8-9, 15:11-14, 15:30, 16:1, 16:9-14, 16:19-23, 18:22-25, 19:2, 19:8, 19:13-25, 19:45, 20:9, 20:22-23, 20:46-47, 21:1-4, 22:35-36, 23:2,

John 2:13-16, 6:7, 8:20, 10:12, 12:3-6, 13:29

Acts 2:45, 3:2-4, 4:32-5:11, 8:18, 8:27, 9:36, 10:2, 10:4, 10:30, 11:29-30, 16:14,19:19, 20:32-35, 21:23-27, 22:28

Romans 12:13, 13:6-7, 13:8, 15:23-29, 16:1-2

1 Cor 3:12, 7:30, 9:6, 9:14, 16:1-4

2 Cor 2:17, 8:1-15, 12:14-18

Gal 2:10

Eph 5:3

Phil 4:10-19

1 Thes 2:3-10

2 Thes 3:6-13

1 Tim 5:3-9, 5:16-18, 6:3-10, 6:17-19

Titus 3:13

Philemon 2:18-19

Heb 13:5

James 1:9-11, 9:27, 2:1-7, 2:14-18, 4:13, 5:1-8

1 Peter 1:7, 1:18, 5:2

2 Peter 2:2-3, 2:14

1 John 2:16, 3:17

3 John 1:5-8

Rev 2:9, 3:17-18, 5:12, 17:3-5, 18:3, 18:11-22, 21:11-21

Tithing is False — Overview

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Christians may disagree on many aspects of their faith, such as which spiritual gifts we get, or whether the earth is young or old. And some may say that the issue of tithing, the paying of 10 percent of one’s income, is just another issue on which there is disagreement. In fact, according the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) article titled, “Evangelical Leaders say Tithing Not Required” dated April 6 2011,  58 percent of evangelical leaders say the Bible does not require a tithe, while 42 percent do. Through my posts I intend to show that this particular topic is more than just a topic for which there is disagreement. I intend to show that the teaching of tithing is potentially very harmful to a lot of people and also to the Christian church in America.

The foundation for my argument is that I believe tithing for Christians is false, as summarized below:

  • Tithing in the Bible never consisted of money, even though the people had money. For example Joseph, in Genesis, was sold for 20 pieces of silver.
  • Many tithe teachers point to Abraham’s tithe of the spoils of war to Melchizedek as instructional for Christians today. However, in the narrative there is no instruction from God for Abraham to do this. There is no record of Abraham paying tithes to anyone before or after this incident. There is no pattern of tithing on an on-going basis, only a one-time tithe on a special event. Also, a fact in this story that is ignored by tithe teachers is that Abraham paid the other 90% of his war gains to Sodom.
  • The only instruction from God for anyone to tithe is in the Old Testament Law, which does not apply to New Covenant Christians. Tithing in the Old Testament Law only consisted of food and produce from God’s holy land, not money. In addition to the rules of what tithing consisted of, there were many rules on who was to pay it, who received it and what they were to do with it. Sadly, Christian tithing of money is taught today as God’s command, but does not meet any of the rules God specified.
  • Tithing is not taught at all in the New Testament (which officially begins after Jesus’ death on the cross). If tithing is so important, then why didn’t Paul, Peter or James mention it?

One argument that tithe proponents use as sort of a trump card, is the story of the widow’s two coins found in Mark Chapter 45 and Luke Chapter 21. They say that Jesus commended the widow because she gave everything she had. However, to say that Jesus commended her is inferring a meaning from the text that is not there. I believe the context in which this story is told shows that Jesus was, in fact, very distressed at the current religious system that was devouring widows’ houses. John MacArthur explains this very well in his video titled, “Abusing the Poor.”

There are several good books and web sites where you can find out more detailed information regarding what the Bible says about tithing. One such site is Should the Church Teach Tithing? by Dr. Russell Kelly.

The Wonderful Name of Jacob — Introduction

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According to the US Social Security Administration, Jacob was the most popular boys name in America from 1999 – 2012. Thirteen years at the top may sound surprising given that many churches across America teach that Jacob means deceiver. For many years I have pondered this because a person’s name is their identity, and why would a mother and father name their child something with such a negative meaning? The answer is — they didn’t. The Bible does not teach that Jacob’s name means deceiver. Rather, Jacob is remembered in scripture as an honored and revered patriarch of the nation of Israel. In fact, the only place I can find a reference to “deceiver” is in the help notes at the bottom of my bible page. Here it says that deceiver is figurative, meaning it is like a metaphor. But for some reason this meaning has come about by common usage and has become widespread in Christian churches. We would be much better served to use the actual meaning of his name, which is “he grabs his heel” or in essence “one who comes after.” For this actual meaning aligns much more closely with scriptural themes and helps us in our understanding of God’s word.

In Part One of this three-part series, I explain that Jacob’s name was given to him by his mother to identify him in accordance with God’s promised blessing. Part Two looks at Jacob’s deception story and reveals his mother’s remarkable faith and God’s amazing grace. Part Three shows Jacob’s excellent character traits and explains how the meaning of “one who comes after” helps us understand God’s nature in the Holy Spirit.

The Wonderful Name of Jacob, Part One — God’s Promise

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Background

In order to understand the meaning of Jacob as “one who comes after”, it is necessary to begin with some background on his ancestry. Jacob is one of the patriarchs of the nation of Israel whose name is mentioned throughout scripture, sometimes by himself and many times as part of a thematic phrase — “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. Often we see these men referenced in other phrases such as “the patriarchs” and the “God of our fathers.” All together these men are mentioned hundreds of times. Their life stories are found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible, and by reading chapters 12-22 you will see that All three of these men are spoken of as heirs of God’s promise. Abraham was promised that he would be a father of a multitude and that he and his wife Sarah would have a child in their old age (Isaac). The promise was passed through Isaac and then Jacob as a result of God’s promise to the second born. Jacob’s birth is described in Genesis 25:20-34:

…and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Padan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ So she went to inquire of the Lord.

The Lord said to her, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.’

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

Notice verses 25-26 describe the brother grasping Esau’s heel, “so he was named Jacob.” Here we see that the true, actual meaning of the name Jacob is “he grabs his heel” or, in essence, “one who comes after.” Throughout history most cultures, including this one, bestowed special duties and blessings on the first born. In this case however, God’s blessings were promised to the second born, and I believe that since they were twins, Rebekah felt the need to permanently identify her second born the best way she knew how — with a name.

Jacob Receives the Blessing

Many believe that Jacob means deceiver based on the story of how he received the birthright and blessing instead of Isaac’s first born son Esau. Let’s begin with a look at Chapter 25 of Genesis, verses 29-34:

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished! (That is why he was also called Edom.)

Jacob replied, ‘first sell me your birthright.’

‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’

But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Now let’s take a look at Chapter 27 where it describes the deception:

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, ‘My son.’

‘Here I am,’ he answered.

Isaac said, ‘I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. Now then, get your weapons – your quiver and bow – and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.’

Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, ‘Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau,’ ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.’

Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘But my brother Esau  is a hairy man, and I’m a man with smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.’

His mother said to him, ‘ My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.’

So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

He went to his father and said, ‘My father.’

‘Yes, my son,’ he answered. ‘Who is it?’

Jacob said to his father, ‘I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.’

The story continues for a few verses, and we pick it up again in starting in verse 30:

After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, ‘My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.’

His father Isaac asked him, ‘Who are you?’

‘I am your son, ‘he answered, ‘your firstborn, Esau.’

Isaac trembled violently and said, ‘Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him — and indeed he will be blessed!’

When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me — me too, my father!’

But he said, ‘Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.’

Esau said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?’ He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!’ Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’

Isaac answered Esau, ‘ I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?’

Esau said to his father, ‘Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!’ Then Esau wept aloud.

Notice what Esau tells his father: “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?”  In other words, isn’t he rightly identified as the second born? Esau is reminding his father of the birth order and, as the first born, he should get the birthright and the blessing. Now notice Esau’s lie: “He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” This is interesting because remember we saw previously that Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup — and now Esau is pinning the blame on his younger brother! You may say well, this is interesting but wasn’t Jacob lying? And the answer is — absolutely, but take a look at how scripture remembers the event. In the New Testament book of Hebrews Chapter 12, verse 17 we see the following: “See that no one is sexually immoral, or Godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son.” Scripture remembers Esau’s role but not Jacob’s.

As the scriptures above show, the actual meaning of Jacob’s name, “he grabs his heel” or, in other words, “one who comes after,” is rich in contextual meaning and identifies him with God’s promise. Also, at the time of Jacob’s birth, his mother did not have any knowledge about anything good or bad that might occur in his life. She only knew that God said her second born would receive the blessing and she named him accordingly. In fact, scripture verifies this in Romans 9:6-13:

It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: ‘At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.’

Not only that, but Rebekah’s children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad — in order that God’s purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls — she was told, ‘The older will serve the younger.’ Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’

You are probably wondering what the promise is and what it means for us today. I believe the promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Consider Hebrews 11:8, which says:

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Issac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundation, whose architect and builder is God.

Galatians 3:29 says, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Part One Conclusion

In conclusion, a person’s name is their identity, and that is exactly why Jacob received his name — it identifies him with God’s promise.

In Part Two, the next installment of this series, we will take another look at the story of Jacob receiving the blessing and see that it is a remarkable illustration of his mother’s faith and God’s amazing grace.

The Wonderful Name of Jacob, Part Two — a Mother’s Faith

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In Part One of this series we saw how Jacob identifies with God’s promise, and now we are going to see an amazing story of a mother’s faith. In Part One I posted the below passages from Genesis chapters 25 and 27. They are posted again here for your convenience.

Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, ‘Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished! (That is why he was also called Edom.)
Jacob replied, ‘first sell me your birthright.’
‘Look, I am about to die,’ Esau said. ‘What good is the birthright to me?’

But Jacob said, ‘Swear to me first.’ So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Now let’s take a look at Chapter 27 where it describes the deception:

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, ‘My son.’

‘Here I am,’ he answered.

Isaac said, ‘I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. Now then, get your weapons – your quiver and bow – and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.’

Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, ‘Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau,’ ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.’

Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, ‘But my brother Esau  is a hairy man, and I’m a man with smooth skin. What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.’

His mother said to him, ‘ My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.’

So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. She also covered his hands ad the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

He went to his father and said, ‘My father.’

‘Yes, my son,’ he answered. ‘Who is it?’

Jacob said to his father, ‘I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.’

The story continues for a few verses, and we pick it up again in starting in verse 30:

After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, ‘My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.’

His father Isaac asked him, ‘Who are you?’

‘I am your son, ‘he answered, ‘your firstborn, Esau.’

Isaac trembled violently and said, ‘Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him — and indeed he will be blessed!’

When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me — me too, my father!’

But he said, ‘Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.’

Esau said, ‘Isn’t he rightly named Jacob?’ He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!’ Then he asked, ‘Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?’

Isaac answered Esau, ‘ I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?’

Esau said to his father, ‘Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!’ Then Esau wept aloud.

There is something very noteworthy occurring here that is easily overlooked — for this is a story of a mother’s faith. If you remember from Part One, Rebekah believed God’s promise that his blessing would be given to the youngest son instead of Esau, and she acted on it by naming him Jacob, which means “one who comes after.” In the story above, she is again faithful to God by acting on his promise. In both stories she does not know how it will all turn out. And if you read Hebrews 11, known as the Heroes of Faith chapter, you will see the same criteria listed for at least a couple of the heroes. For example, Abraham believed God’s promise and left his home for another land, and Noah believed God’s promise and built the ark. Both men did something different with their faith, even though both used the same criteria — they believed God’s promise and acted on it. Also if you notice in Hebrews 11, many of the faith heroes were described as looking forward to better things, and I believe Rebekah was doing the same.

In this story Rebekah must act quickly. She has no instruction manual, which I am sure may resonate with you because I have no doubt there were times in your life when you needed to act but did not know exactly how. God, though he gave us the Bible, does not give us instructions in every situation we encounter. Here we see a mother who has worked hard over the years keeping her family fed and clothed, and now she uses those familiar items in a faithful act. Isn’t that remarkable? She used what she had available and made the most of it.

At this point Rebekah does not know anything about how Jacob’s life will go. She is simply acting on her faith. And although it seems as if she may be contributing to the deception, I believe her motives are pure because she is not doing this for herself. Don’t get me wrong, but sometimes perfect is the enemy of the good, and I have to think of how I might accomplish this if I were in Rebekah’s situation. How would you act? Unless we can come up with a better solution, I do not think we can criticize. Also notice that when Jacob expressed concern that he might be recognized and bring a curse down on himself instead of a blessing, Rebekah said she would take the blame. She did not say she would be willing, she just did it — she said it’s on me. She sacrificed for her son. Isn’t that what mothers do?

Rebekah’s faith is as real as it gets. Now let’s look more closely at this story to see something else very interesting. Notice how Rebekah covered Jacob to hide him from his father, so Jacob could get the blessing. Also notice the animal skins used. In the Mosaic Law, which was in effect for centuries before Christ came, animal sacrifices were used in the temple to atone for the sins of the people. Then Christ arrived and fulfilled scripture by becoming a sacrifice once and for all. And as I am sure you know, God hates sin and it is impossible in our fallen, sinful state to be in his presence — unless we have accepted Christ’s payment, which is his shed blood. Hebrews 9:22 says, “…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.” The concept is that a sinner is covered by Christ’s shed blood, so when God looks at the sinner he does not see the sin, and the sinner is able to approach the throne of grace.

Now let’s summarize the roles of the three people involved:

  • Jacob       –> sinner (as are all of us)
  • Isaac       –> grace (unmerited favor)
  • Rebekah –> faith (believed God’s promise and acted on it)

Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it  is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” The gospel of Christ is clearly in view, which is that a sinner is saved by grace through faith. 1 Cor 12:9 states that faith is a spiritual gift, so some bible teachers say the sinner has saving faith. I am not sure I agree with that position, because there is no scriptural support for it. But here in the story of Jacob, we see that faith is present, but it is not Jacob’s, it is his mother’s faith that carries the day. Also notice how Jacob does not present a list of accomplishments to his father — the blessing is simply a birthright and strictly by grace.

Something else is this scene is very important. Notice that once Isaac gave the blessing, nothing Esau says can change Isaac’s mind to take it back. The blessing is permanent and irrevokable. In Romans 8:38-39 Paul says:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I would like to add that Rebekah is not only Jacob’s mother, but she also brings the church into view because she is Isaac’s bride. And just as with Rebekah, churches should be in the business of presenting sinners to the Father for salvation and blessing. (The story of how Rebekah became Isaac’s bride is found in Genesis Chapter 24, where Abraham [the father] sent his chief servant Eliezer [representing the Holy Spirit] to find a bride for Isaac [who represents Jesus].)

I am sure Rebekah knew her actions would cause a rift in the family, but her faith was strong. And if you read the rest of the story, you will see that it has a happy ending because Jacob and Esau made peace with each other and both were extremely successful. Also, according to Paul in Hebrews 11:20, both of the boys were blessed by their father:  “By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.” The brothers were together at their mother’s funeral, and I think they must have hugged each other and talked about how remarkable she was.

Rebekah’s story resonates with me because I have seen many times how Christians tend to discount the small things they do, thinking they don’t count as faith because they aren’t big. We are somehow conditioned to think we are not giving in faith unless we give more than we have available, or we may hold jobs in the church that do not seem like much. I have seen members of small groups who do not credit themselves enough for showing up for an hour to encourage others. Rebekah’s story is a prime example that our faith is not measured by how much or how big. She used very little in terms of resources, just food and clothes, which are a basic as you can get. She did the best she could with what she had, but in terms of impact her faith accomplished more than she could have ever imagined.

So what do we make of Jacob’s deception? There is no question that it occurred, but I think it serves the purpose of highlighting God’s grace. The Bible says we are all sinners — for example, Paul said in Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Something else to consider is that Jacob’s deception is not remembered in scripture after this event. It’s as though God has given Jacob a clean slate. Psalm 103:12 says, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” 

The Wonderful Name of Jacob, Part Three — the Advocate

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In Part One of this series we established that God promised Rebekah that the second born of her twins would receive the birthright and blessing. And Rebekah, believing in God’s promise, identified him with the name, “he grabs his heel,” which in essence means “one who comes after.” We also saw that the phrase, “Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” is mentioned many times throughout scripture. God himself spoke these names from the Burning Bush, and in that iconic scene he also said, “this is my name.” In other words, this is my identity; if you want to know who I am, look at these three men. In this post we look at some of Jacob’s excellent character traits and also see that the real meaning of Jacob as “one who comes after” is a perfect fit and helps reveal the Holy Spirit.

Let’s take a look at the Burning Bush story in Exodus Chapter 3, beginning with verses 1-8:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, ‘I will go over and see this strange sight — why the bush does not burn up.’

When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, ‘Moses! Moses!’

And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’

‘Do not come any closer,’ God said. ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.’ Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’

And then again in verses 13-17 God says,

Moses said to God, ‘suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’

God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you.’

God also said to Moses, ‘Say to the Israelites, the Lord, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you. This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’

In the story above, God uses three names to identify himself, which correspond with the fact that the God of the Bible is revealed in three persons: the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Next I will briefly explain how Abraham and Isaac reveal the Father and Son, then how Jacob’s life reveals the Holy Spirit.

Abraham and Isaac – Revealing the Father and Son

As described previously in Part One, God promised Abram that he would be the father of many nations, and he changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which means “the father of a multitude.” God also promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son together, even though they were advanced in age. This promise came to pass and their son Isaac was born. Now see the following story in Genesis Chapter 22 where Isaac is offered as a sacrifice:

Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham.’

‘Here I am,’ he replied.

Then God said, ‘take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.’

Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, ‘Father?’

‘yes, my son?’ Abraham replied.

‘The fire and wood are here,’ Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’

Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, ‘Abraham! Abraham!’

‘Here I am,’ he replied.

‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear god, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

The above passage foreshadows God the Father presenting his only son as a sacrifice (compare John 3:16), and we also see that a ram was substituted — a picture of Jesus, the lamb of God (John 1:29), becoming a sacrifice for us. Now that we’ve established that Abraham and Isaac reveal the Father and Son, let’s see how Jacob represents the Holy Spirit.

 Jacob – Revealing the Holy Spirit

John 14:26 says, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” After Jesus’ went to Heaven and sat down at God’s right hand, he sent the Holy Spirit back to earth to build his church (The book of Acts is a good read if you would like more information on the beginning of the church.) So if it is true that Jacob represents the Holy Spirit, his name “one who comes after” is an exact fit. In fact, Abraham’s and Isaac’s names also fit perfectly:

  • Abraham:  father of a multitude –> represents God the Father
  • Isaac:         he laughs (victory)      –> represents Jesus
  • Jacob:        one who comes after –> represents Holy Spirit.

So far, so good. Now let’s take a look at some events in Jacob’s life story to provide further evidence that Jacob reveals the Holy Spirit.

  • The Stone Rolled Away. Genesis Chapter 29 tells the story of how Jacob rolled the stone away so the sheep could get water. Compare Matthew 28:1-10, which details the the story of Jesus’ resurrection and empty tomb from which the stone was rolled away.
  • The Brides. As mentioned previously, the New Testament teaches the Holy Spirit is here in this world and is working to build the church, the bride of Christ. And someday, at the end of the church age, this bride will go to be with Jesus. Compare Genesis 28:1-5, where Isaac sends Jacob to find a bride. If you continue reading Genesis, you will see that Jacob actually returns with two brides, Leah and Rachel, whom I believe represent Israel and the church.
  • The Miracle of New Birth. The New Testament teaches that the Holy Spirit miraculously changes hearts to follow Jesus, and Jesus said, “you must be born again.” Genesis Chapters 30 – 31 describe how Jacob peeled the bark from the branches and when the sheep came to mate, their offspring would get the markings that Laban agreed for Jacob to have. It was through miraculous new birth that Jacob was able to claim the animals for himself.
  • Gifts. The New Testament describes gifts of the Spirit. Consider Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 and 1 Corinthians 12:28, and compare with Genesis 32:1-21. Here Jacob is returning to the land of his father with his wives and possessions, and he has received word that Esau, with 400 men, is coming to meet him. Jacob is afraid that Esau may try to harm him and his group, so he equips his people with gifts and sends them ahead (verses 13-21).

The Advocate

In Genesis 32:22-32, Jacob wrestles with a man and receives his blessing. The passage indicates the man was God, and I believe Jacob was interceding for his people.

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man.

Then the man said, ‘Let me go, for it is daybreak.’

But Jacob replied, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me.’

The man asked him, ‘What is your name?’

Jacob, he answered.

Then the man said, ‘Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.’

Jacob said, ‘Please tell me your name.’

But he replied, ‘Why do you ask my name?’ Then he blessed him there.

So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‘It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.’

The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

At first glance it appears that Jacob is only concerned with himself when he says, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” However, I believe in this context “me” means all of Jacob. In other words Jacob is referring to everything he is, which includes all of his people, animals and property. It is all-inclusive. Nothing is left out. As a supporting text, I would offer a previous verse, Genesis 32:16 where Jacob says, “I had only my staff when I crossed the Jordan. Now I have become two groups.” It is clear from this verse that the “I”, similar to “me”, means all of Jacob, all of his people.

I find it comforting knowing the Holy Spirit prays for everyone who belongs to him and nobody is forgotten. Notice also that he does not go to the other side of the river until he is sure everyone else gets across and nobody and nothing is left behind. But even though he stayed, his prayers are going ahead as he advocates for his people. Notice also that when he sent his people ahead that nobody questioned him, they just went. In the same way, Christians are often sent into the face of uncertainty, but we can take comfort knowing the Spirit has our backs.

The New Testament affirms that the Holy Spirit advocates for us. For example Romans 8:27 says, “and he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”

Now back to Genesis, resuming in Chapter 33:

Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants. He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.

Jacob, who previously stayed behind, now goes ahead of his people to meet Esau. I think it is awesome to think that the Spirit equips those who belong to him with gifts, advocates for them, has their backs and goes before them.

In studying this story, I couldn’t help but realize that Jacob’s mother taught him well. For if you recall the story where Jacob received the blessing, you will see some striking similarities. Remember that while she stayed behind, Rebekah helped prepare Jacob to go forward to receive his father’s blessing. And when Jacob expressed concern about possibly getting a curse instead of a blessing, Rebekah interceded for him by saying, “Let the curse fall on me.” Then Jacob proceeded with full assurance that she had his back. Similarly in the story above, Jacob prepared his people to go forward, and when there was concern (about Esau and his 400 men), Jacob sent them ahead while he stayed behind and had their backs by advocating for them.

It takes a tremendous amount of love and courage to say, “Lord, if there must be an injury or illness, as much as possible please let it be on me.” Indeed, this is the type of prayer a mother would say for her children, and a behavior that Jacob learned from his mom. Also notice the tenacity that both showed. Rebekah waited approximately 20 years from the time God made his promise until the time Jacob received his blessing, and then did everything in her power to see it through. It is obvious that she trained Jacob well, because he also showed staying power by wrestling the man until he secured the blessing.

Part Three Conclusion

Jacob was a man of tremendous character, and we can see that his name, meaning “one who comes after,” identifies with God’s promised Holy Spirit. And thanks to both Rebekah and Isaac, Jacob was instilled with an excellent work ethic, people skills, values and traits that allowed him to go into the land of Laban and return very successful.

 

The Wonderful Name of Jacob — Conclusion

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While In the Bible it is common for people to be given new names, the meaning of a name never changes. And Jacob’s name has always meant “he grabs his heel” or in essence “one who comes after.”  Jacob was the second born of a set of twins, and his mother named him accordingly as a faithful response to God’s promise of blessing. Jacob sinned, like we all do, but he developed into a man of solid character. Some highlights of Jacob’s story are:

  • The real meaning of Jacob’s name, “he grabs his heel” or in essence “one who comes after,” correctly aligns with scriptural themes and helps us better understand God’s word.
  • Jacob identifies with God’s promises.
  • Jacob’s deception was a sinful act, not the meaning of his name.
  • Jacob’s sin is integral to the story because it highlights God’s grace.
  • Jacob’s mother Rebekah illustrates what practical faith looks like.

When I began writing this series, I could not have imagined that a name meaning “he grabs his heel” could be so interesting, and I hope you have enjoyed reading this series as much as I did writing it. I particularly enjoyed Rebekah’s story. She was not one of the major characters, but her role was essential. For mostly overlooked and tucked away in the pages of the Bible is the story of a mother with strong faith, who honored God and placed her family above herself.

All in all a pretty good series, and I am confident that I disproved the idea that Jacob means deceiver. Jacob is a wonderful name, simple yet powerful in meaning. And if your name is Jacob, you should be extremely honored and proud.

Tithing Abuse — Malachi Misused

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Note: all scripture passages quoted here are from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible (bold emphasis mine).

Any discussion about tithing would be incomplete without considering the book of Malachi. This book gives us insight into understanding God’s heart and passion for his people, and it also shows that he wants to be honored, respected and treated like someone of high ranking should be. However, I believe the tithes mentioned in this book are not applicable to New Covenant Christians for two reasons: 1) tithing only consisted of food from the herds, flocks and crops produced on God’s holy land and 2) tithing was integral to the Mosaic Law, to which Christians are not obligated. Consider Chapter 3, verses 10-12, which is a favorite for tithe teachers:

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, how are we robbing you? In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse – your whole nation – because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that their will not be room enough to store it.”

This passage is often preached without any explanation or historical context. And combined with the culturally pervasive idea that Christians should tithe, church members can easily be misled to believe that they are to pay at least 10 percent of their income. The problem here is that this passage, like any other tithing text in the Bible, is not talking about money. Although the people of the Old Testament had money, God required tithes to consist of only food and produce from his holy land. In addition, Christians are not expected to follow the directives of the Mosaic Law, which contained a myriad of other rules for tithes including who paid it, who received it and how offerings from it were to be made. Let’s go back a little bit to Chapter 1, verses 1-6, which supports the fact that Malachi is talking about food:

“A son honors his father and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me? Says the LORD Almighty. It is you priests who show contempt for my name. But you ask, how have we shown contempt for your name? By offering defiled food on my alter. But you ask, how have we defiled you? By saying that the Lord’s table is contemptible. When you offer blind animals for sacrifice, is that not wrong? When you sacrifice lame or diseased animals, is that not wrong? Try offering them to your governor! Would he be pleased with you? Would he accept you? Says the LORD Almighty. Now plead with God to be gracious with us. With such offerings from your hands, will he accept you? – Says the LORD Almighty. Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my alter!”

And to prove that this book is talking about matters of the Mosaic Law, consider what it says in Chapter 2, verses 7-9:

“For the lips of a priest ought to preserve knowledge, because he is the messenger of the LORD Almighty and people seek instruction from his mouth. But you have turned from the way and by your teaching have caused many to stumble; you have violated the covenant with Levi, says the LORD Almighty. So I have caused you to be despised and humiliated before all the people, because you have not followed my ways but have shown partiality in matters of the law.“

Contrast the above with Galatians 3:25 which says, “now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the Law.” This verse and many others like it in the New Testament prove that the Bible is very adamant that Christians are under no obligation to obey the Law. Based on this and the descriptions in Malachi, Christians are not required to pay 10 percent of their income to their church. There is simply no Biblical authority given or implied that would allow for the substitution of money.

While it is clear that Christians are not under the Law and its tithing requirement, the Apostle Paul’s frequent discussions about money reveal how important it is to the Christian life. For example, consider Second Corinthians 9:7 where he said, “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” If you are a Christian, I hope you can see that you have the freedom and flexibility to make your own decisions regarding how much to give, and I hope you make room in your family budget to consistently and generously support your local church and its mission.