Legacy

The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. Genesis 25: 27

Enough sermons have been made about the stark difference between these two boys who were the forebears of the Christian and Muslim religions. Let me just say the obvious one more time: God looks at people differently.

Outwardly, Esau was far better than Jacob in many respects. He was rough, more active, more aggressive, probably a better fighter. If the people of God were to survive the desert for forty years, Esau’s skills outdoors seemed more important than Jacob’s home making skills.

What could a Momma’s boy do? Can he give a legacy that would fuel Israel to grab hold of their inheritance? Well, the answer is actually a big YES.

Jacob left a legacy of faith to his twelve sons. Isaac and Rebekah had no idea how it turned out for Jacob since they died before he embraced God’s plan for his life. The fact is no one in that era really understood the impact of Jacob’s legacy of faith on his children.

Only we can see that thousands of years later. Jacob’s contemporaries may have looked at him like he was a wimp. Now we look at him as a hero of our faith, a shining example of how God can use even the most ordinary home buddies whose résumé probably consisted of cross-stitching and healthy salad recipes.