Portraits of the Trinity: Jacob

Purpose Media Productions

Portraits of the Trinity: Jacob; Spirit of Israel

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:9

The Holy Spirit is referred to in the above passage as the Spirit of God and as well the Spirit of Christ. This caused a great controversy between the Orthodox Church of the East and Catholic church of the West. Whereas the West included in their Creed that the Spirit proceeded from both the Father and Son, the Eastern church argued and disagreed that the Spirit proceeded from the Father alone. Nonetheless, a close look at John 14 and 16 which contain the greater passages of the promise of the release of the Spirit explicitly reveals Jesus used the terms interchangeably. Thus, the Spirit’s proceeding from the Father is as similar as the Spirit proceeding from the Son. Paul understood this and he could say that the Spirit of God is also the Spirit of Christ.

Isaac was sixty years when he birthed Esau and Jacob. Esau was red so he was named Edom but while Esau was born, Jacob held to his heel and as a result, he was given the name Jacob, meaning supplanter. Esau grew to become a hunter while Jacob stayed at home. Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his recipe while Rebecca loved Jacob. One day, Esau went out to the field as usual and came back exhausted. He saw Jacob making a red stew and he asked for a lentil. There and then, the bargain for his birthright was accomplished. Moses had not yet come with the law but it appears it had been imprinted in their hearts that the inheritance or covenant belonged to the firstborn, an opportunity that Jacob was never willing to miss.

The boys are now forty years old and Isaac was old and his eyes getting dim. He wanted to bless his son before his death and sent him to get the bush meat as he loved it prepared but Jacob through the help of his mother hijacked it. This brought about a great hatred between Esau and Jacob. Jacob fled to Laban for refuge and married his two daughters. Eventually, he had the two maids of his wives for concubines and he became the Father of the twelve tribes of Israel.

Like it has been said and cannot be overstressed that the overview of the lives of these men fall far short of the symbolic revelation their lives stand for, it would be said again that their lives were a faint or poor reflection of the heavenly realities. In the life of Jacob, there are some theological realities like his dream in Bethel where he saw a ladder depicting Jesus Christ, and the angels of God who are ascending and descending on Him. Gen. 28:10-19 c.f John 1:48-51; 14:6. Another major mark of Jacob’s life was when he returned to Canaan and he heard of his brother coming to waylay him and take vengeance of his offence of twenty one (21) years. He went alone to pray all night and there he wrestled with God. Gen. 32:21-31. It was here that he was given the name; Israel. Jacob can thus be referred to as the Spirit of Israel. It is no surprising that long after Jacob was dead, the Bible will still refer to his descendants as Jacob, as though he was still alive. This was very common in the prophecy of Isaiah: Fear not O Jacob, and be not dismayed, O Israel.. Isa. 41:14.

Jacob portrays the personality of the Holy Spirit by birthing the race of Israel. The Holy Spirit births the church. Anyone who claims to be an Israelite must have his root in Jacob through his twelve sons. Anyone who is to be a Christian must be birthed by the Spirit. This is what it means to be born again, born by the Spirit and water (the gospel). If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, such does not belong to Him. I appreciate the word that Paul used that the Spirit is the Spirit of Christ, meaning He extols and magnifies Christ through His word. It is not just any mystical spirit that dishes out revelations arbitrarily contrary to the written word of God, this is mysticism and occultic. This is why John would ask us to test every spirit because not all that is claimed as “the spirit told or revealed to me” is actually the Spirit of God. 1 John 4:1. How did John tell us we will recognize the Spirit of God? In the next verse he said the Spirit of God will confess Christ as Lord. He will honour and magnify Christ. But the spirit of the Antichrist, that is, the spirit of error, will not confess Christ for who He is. Verse 3.

When we look intently into the Scriptures, we see wonderful and great mysteries wrapped in His word. He has given us all that we need. It is very unfortunate that many, especially the youths of our generation will not sit with the Holy Spirit to learn from His feet but will be seeking sporadic revelations or prophecies outside the word thus dining with the devil. If Scripture was not important, Jesus will not at all recommend Mary for sitting at His feet and reprimand Martha for her diverted attention. The surest way to hear the Holy Spirit is in the Scripture because it is His book.

© Purpose Media Publications, 2020