被迫离开慈母和父家
看一看雅各经历的图画。以扫作他的哥哥，以撒和利百加作他的父母，都不是他的选择。父亲以撒，母亲利百加，哥哥以扫，都切合雅各的需要。我们看过，雅各在母腹中挣扎，并在神主宰的手对付之下。他从一生的开端就被打败。那就是他变化的开始。
雅各的父亲是个享受的人，他不太运用辨别力。他是个简单的人，只是成天享受恩典。他不喜欢思想、考虑或操劳。他只要能吃，能享受，就满足了。当雅各装作以扫来到他面前，他也不运用辨别力。当利百加担心雅各会娶赫人的女子为妻（创二七46），以撒就叫雅各来，嘱咐他不要娶迦南的女子为妻，并且打发他到他母舅拉班那里去。以撒的简单是为了雅各的益处。以撒若不是这么简单，而施行更多的管制，雅各便很难取得长子名分并领受祝福。 我们已经指出，利百加与以撒相反，她满有思想。她可能日夜思想，怎样为雅各取得长子名分。她可能一直观察，看以撒如何对待以扫。她若没有观察，怎能听到以撒和以扫关于祝福的谈话？（创二七1-5）。当她听到以后，立刻叫雅各来，告诉他怎么作（创二七6-13）。因着以撒和利百加是那样不同，雅各才得了长子名分，并且承受了祝福。
以扫是个粗心的人。关于长子名分，他似乎说，“雅各，你要长子名分么？这对我没有多大意义，你若给我一些东西吃，我就将长子名分给你。”由此我们知道，以扫是个粗鲁大意的人。简单的父亲、精明的母亲、粗鲁大意的哥哥，使雅各受苦，并且受对付。
雅各抓夺了长子名分（创二五27-34），和父亲的祝福后（创二七5-29），以扫恨他，想要杀他（创二七41）。这事给利百加知道了，她就叫雅各到舅父拉班那里去，直到以扫的怒气消了（创二七42-45）。她这样告诉雅各以后，马上操纵作父亲的把雅各打发走。这样就把雅各带进神变化的坑中。要叫雅各离开慈母和父家，是很困难的事，他是被迫逃走的（创二七42-二八5）。当雅各在拉班的家中，他是在火炉里。拉班、利亚、拉结、使女、以及所有的儿女，都被神用来在各面烧雅各。雅各从各个角度、在每个角落、在每一方面都受苦。神把他放在这样一种环境中，为要使他变化。
信息重点：雅各出生在什么家庭、有什么父母、有什么哥哥，都不是偶然的。神主宰地安排了一切环境，为要变化他。
应用祷告：主啊，感谢你安排我人生中的每一个环境。即使有我不明白的事，也让我相信这一切都在你的手中，为着成全你的旨意。
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Jacob’s Experience — Being Dealt With (4) — Gen. 27:41
Forced to Leave His Beloved Mother and Father’s House
Consider the picture of Jacob’s experience. Esau as his older brother, and Isaac and Rebekah as his parents — none of these were his choice. Father Isaac, mother Rebekah, and older brother Esau all perfectly fit Jacob’s needs. We have seen that Jacob struggled in the womb and was under the dealing of God’s sovereign hand. From the very beginning of his life he was defeated. That was the beginning of his transformation.
Jacob’s father was a man of enjoyment who did not much exercise his discernment. He was a simple man who simply enjoyed grace all day long. He did not like to think, consider or labor. As long as he could eat and enjoy, he was satisfied. When Jacob came to him disguised as Esau, he did not exercise his discernment either. When Rebekah expressed concern that Jacob might take a Hittite woman as his wife (Gen. 27:46), Isaac called Jacob and instructed him not to marry a Canaanite woman, and sent him to his mother’s brother Laban. Isaac’s simplicity was for Jacob’s benefit. Had Isaac not been so simple, and had he exercised more control, it would have been very difficult for Jacob to obtain the birthright and receive the blessing. We have already noted that Rebekah was the opposite of Isaac — she was full of scheming. She may have been thinking day and night about how to obtain the birthright for Jacob. She may have been watching closely to see how Isaac treated Esau. What else could she have heard the conversation between Isaac and Esau about the blessing? (Gen. 27:1-5). Once she heard it, she immediately called Jacob and told him what to do (Gen. 27:6-13). Because Isaac and Rebekah were so different from each other, Jacob obtained the birthright and received the blessing.
Esau was a careless man. Regarding the birthright, he seemed to say, “Jacob, do you want the birthright? It doesn’t mean that much to me. Give me something to eat, and I’ll give you the birthright.” This shows us that Esau was a rough and careless man. A simple father, a shrewd mother, and a rough and careless older brother — these all caused Jacob to suffer and be dealt with.
After Jacob grasped the birthright (Gen. 25:27-34) and his father’s blessing (Gen. 27:5-29), Esau hated him and wanted to kill him (Gen. 27:41). When Rebekah heard of this, she sent Jacob to her brother Laban until Esau’s anger had subsided (Gen. 27:42-45). After telling Jacob, she immediately manipulated his father to send Jacob away. This brought Jacob into the furnace of God’s transformation. To make Jacob leave his beloved mother and father’s house was no easy thing — he was forced to flee (Gen. 27:42–28:5). While Jacob was in Laban’s household, he was in a furnace. Laban, Leah, Rachel, the maidservants and all the children — God used them all to burn Jacob from every angle. Jacob suffered from every direction, in every corner, in every aspect. God placed him in such an environment in order to transform him.
Message Focus: The family Jacob was born into, the parents he had, the older brother he had — none of it was accidental. God sovereignly arranged every circumstance in order to transform him.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for ordaining every circumstance in my life. Even when there are things I do not understand, help me to trust that everything is in Your hands, working to fulfill Your will.