Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau’s heel, so his name was called Jacob
– Genesis 25:26
Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.”
– Genesis 27:36
Jacob gives a clear picture of a selfish natural man. Such a person is for himself not only in his dealings with man but also in his dealings with God. Even before Jacob was born, he selfishly grasped his brother’s heel, struggling to be first. Due to this, he was given the name Jacob, which means heelholder or supplanter (Gen. 25:26; 27:36). After he was born, he was for himself in his father’s home, when he worked for Laban, and as he returned to the land of Canaan. He gradually stopped thinking about himself only after wrestling with God at Peniel (Gen. 32:24–31).
Adapted from A Sketch of Genesis, by Titus Chu, page 141.
Monday: “Supplanting for the Birthright”