Understanding the Allegory
The premise of this allegory is that three of the major figures of the Jewish faith (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) are representative of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. But that’s a topic for another study. For this one, we will focus on Jacob, and in particular, his family.
Before we get into it though, a good principle to keep in mind when reading these allegories is that women usually represent relationships. Their children are the fruit of the relationship. And then the meaning of the allegory is discovered by understanding the meanings of their respective names, the roles they play, and the sequence in which they appear.
Here in this familiar Old Testament story, God explains a marvelous facet of His character. He uses Jacob’s family -consisting of two wives, their two maidservants, and the resulting thirteen children- to describe the work of the Holy Spirit within each believer.
The Background
Most of Jacob's life story is found in chapters 25 through 35 of Genesis.
When Jacob was born, his mother (Rebekah) favored him over his slightly older, twin brother Esau. He was a quiet, gentle, indoor person. But his father, Isaac, liked his brother Esau better because he was a hunter, a man of the world, a real man's man.
From his birth, Jacob was known as a deceiver –even his name means trickster. This was painfully apparent when Isaac was old, near death, and Jacob impersonated Esau in order to receive his father's birthright and blessing. Esau became so angry that he wanted to kill Jacob.
Jacob’s mother and father provided an excuse for him to go away, probably saving his life. They had him return to the family’s homeland and marry a daughter of his mother's brother, Laban. It was at Laban’s home that a fourteen year saga took place.
Jacob agreed to working for seven years as payment for marrying Rachael --his true love. His tricky father-in-law swapped daughters on the wedding night so that Jacob ended up marrying Leah, the older sister. In order to marry Rachael, he had to continue working for Laban for an additional seven years. During that time, Jacob worked as a shepherd and acquired a large flock. He also became a father of thirteen children.
Next: The Short Story...