“Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” Matthew 6:34
We will reference Jacob’s experience to illustrate Christ’s teaching, regarding living by faith, one day at a time.
Genesis 25:29-34 records the event of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a mess of pottage. Hebrews 12:16-17 says this was due to Esau being a profane person, that he lacked respect for the spiritual privileges and opportunities that this birthright conveyed. As Genesis 25:34 states: “thus Esau despised his birthright.”
So, Jacob became the rightful heir of the birthright blessing. But when it came time for Isaac to bestow the birthright blessing, Esau was going to step in and claim it. Genesis 27 records how their mother, Rebekah, stepped in and made sure that Jacob received the birthright blessing instead of Esau. Though the means she devised to do this was marred by human imperfection, nevertheless it secured the birthright unto Jacob, the rightful heir, just as God had foretold, as stated in Romans 9. Esau’s response to all of this was: “The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then will I slay Jacob.” Genesis 27:41
Those words were told to Rebekah, who then intreated Isaac to send Jacob away to her brother, Laban’s place, to find Jacob a wife, as well as to abide there until Esau’s anger was abated. So, Jacob set out for Padan-aram.
But the time came when God commanded Jacob to return to his father’s house, in the land of Canaan, Genesis 31:3. And as far as Jacob knew, Esau still intended to kill him.
In Genesis 32, we find Jacob fearing the worst, making contingency plans for the worst case scenario, and praying to God for deliverance. God made Jacob a cripple, rather than a giant, thus unable to stand up to Esau, and this left Jacob with no other recourse but to be totally dependent upon God to preserve him.
As Jacob realized his situation was now out of his hands, and he fully resigned himself to being in God’s hands, he found the needed peace, strength, and assurance: “And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Genesis 32:30
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