Jacob

“Few and hard have been the years of my life,” Jacob summarizes his life when he stands before Pharaoh in Egypt. The tragic tone of this statement is a rare glimpse into Jacob’s perception of himself and his journey, with all its trials and tribulations. However, the reader of Jacob’s story (Genesis, chapters 25–36) will see a far more complex journey: a journey accompanied by angels who teach him that it is possible to walk between heaven and earth; a journey where he meets the love of his life by a well as he flees for his life from his brother; and above all, a journey in which he fathers the twelve tribes and the nation that is founded upon them, a nation named for his literal and figurative struggles. Jacob’s story is a turbulent and stormy one, a tale of wanderings and upheavals, alongside quite a few moments of grace and kindness. His stories move relentlessly between personal and family tragedies and close divine protection; between pain and distress and inspiration;