Jacob​—Tinghae Long Olketa Spiritual Samting

LAEF bilong Jacob hem fulap witim raoa and trabol. From twin brata bilong hem kros tumas and laek for killim hem dae, Jacob mas ranawe for sevem laef bilong hemseleva. Winim wei for maritim girl wea hem lovem, olketa trikim hem for maritim nara girl firstaem and gogo hem garem fofala waef and diswan kosim planti problem. (Genesis 30:1-13) For 20 year hem waka for wanfala man wea ravem hem. Hem stragol witim wanfala angel and from datwan hem garekil and diswan stap witim hem for olowe. Samwan rapem dota bilong hem, olketa son bilong hem bihaenem wei for killim dae planti pipol, and hem sorre tumas from favorite son and waef bilong hem dae. From wei for no garem kaikai kamap hem mas muv go long nara ples nomata hem olo finis, dastawe hem sei olketa day bilong laef bilong hem “no staka and fulap witim sorre.” (Genesis 47:9) Nomata evriting hia kasem hem, Jacob hem wanfala spiritual man wea trust long God. Waswe, wei wea hem trustim God, hem stret? Wanem nao iumi savve lanem taem iumi ting raonem olketa samting wea kasem Jacob?

Barava Difren From Brata Bilong Hem

Problem hem kamap witim brata bilong hem, bikos Jacob hem tinghae long spiritual riches, bat Esau ting daonem. Jacob interest long covenant promis wea God mekem witim Abraham and hem want tumas for protectim and provaed for datfala famili laen wea God chusim. Dastawe Jehovah “lovem” hem. Jacob hem “no garem blame,” wea minim hem showimaot fasin wea stret evribit. Long wei wea difren, Esau nating tinghae long datfala spiritual present so hem sellim go long Jacob for price wea cheap tumas. Esau hem barava kros tumas taem Jacob, long wei wea God appruvim, tekem right for olsem firstborn and kasem tu blessing wea brata bilong hem shud kasem. So Jacob mas lusim evriting wea hem lovem, bat samting wea happen bihaen barava encouragem hem.—Malachi 1:2, 3; Genesis 25:27-34; 27:1-45.

Insaed wanfala dream, God showim Jacob olketa angel wea go ap and kam daon long wanfala ladder or maet “olketa step” wea start long earth and go ap long heven and hem sei hem bae protectim Jacob and seed bilong hem. “Thru long iu and thru long seed bilong iu evri famili bilong graon bae barava blessim olketa seleva. And mi stap witim iu and mi bae keepim iu long evri ples wea iu bae go long hem and mi bae tekem iu kam long disfala ples, bikos mi bae no lusim iu go kasem taem mi duim finis wanem mi talem long iu.”—Genesis 28:10-15; footnote.

Datwan mas barava encouragem hem! Jehovah strongim moa hao olketa promis wea hem givim long Abraham and Isaac bae mekem famili bilong Jacob rich long spiritual wei. Jacob luksavve hao olketa angel savve helpem man wea God appruvim, and hem sure hem bae kasem protection from God. From hem tinghae long diswan, Jacob promis for faithful long Jehovah.—Genesis 28:16-22.

Jacob nating tekovarem present bilong Esau long wei wea no stret. Bifor tufala boy hia born, Jehovah talem hao “datwan wea first bae servem datwan wea young winim hem.” (Genesis 25:23) Samfala ask, ‘Waswe, hem no isi for God mekem Jacob for born first?’ Samting wea happen long datfala taem hem teachim samfala important point. God hem no givim blessing long olketa wea tingse olketa nao garem right for kasem, bat hem savve showimaot kaeness wea man no fit for kasem long man wea hemseleva nao chusim. Dastawe Jacob nao kasem datfala right bilong firstborn, no brata bilong hem wea hem really firstborn, wea nating tinghae long datwan. Long sem wei tu, from nation bilong olketa Jew garem sem wei for tingting olsem Esau, Jehovah changem olketa witim spiritual Israel. (Romans 9:6-16, 24) Distaem tu wei for fren gud witim Jehovah no kam from samting narawan pasim kam long iumi, nomata sapos iu born insaed wanfala famili wea fraet long God. Evriwan wea laek kasem blessing from God mas trae hard for followim God and tinghae long olketa spiritual samting.

Laban Welkamim Hem

Taem hem arrive long Paddan-aram for faendem wanfala waef long olketa relative bilong hem, Jacob meetim kasin bilong hem Rachel, dota bilong Laban, long wanfala well and hem aotem hevi ston wea kavarem wata mekem olketa animal wea Rachel lukaftarem savve drink.a Rachel hem ran go bak long haos for talem olketa abaotem Jacob, and Laban kwiktaem kam for meetim hem. Sapos Laban tingse hem bae kasem planti riches olsem lastaem wea servant bilong Abraham kam, hem bae feel sorre, from Jacob no garem eniting. Bat luk olsem Laban luksavve long samting wea hem fit for mekius long hem—man for waka hard.—Genesis 28:1-5; 29:1-14.

Jacob storyim samting wea happen long hem. Bible no talem klia sapos hem storyim tu wei wea hem kasem right olsem firstborn long brata bilong hem, bat bihaen hem herem “evri samting hia,” Laban sei: “Tru nao, iu bon bilong mi and body bilong mi.” Wanfala savveman sei hao toktok hia savve minim hem hapi for welkamim Jacob for stap or, from Jacob hem relative bilong hem, Laban mas protectim hem nao. Nomata wanem, Laban kwiktaem ting raonem hao nao bae hem mekius long nephew bilong hem.

Then Laban storyim wanfala samting wea bihaen hem kamap samting wea tufala feel nogud abaotem insaed next 20 year. Hem ask olsem: “Waswe iu brata bilong mi, and waswe bae iu waka free for mi? Talem mi, wanem nao bae wages bilong iu?” Nomata Laban act olsem wanfala kaenfala uncle, hem deal witim Jacob, no olsem wanfala relative, bat hem mekem hem kamap wanfala wakman bilong hem. From Jacob hem lovem Rachel, hem ansa olsem: “Mi willing for servem iu for sevenfala year for young dota bilong iu Rachel.”—Genesis 29:15-20.

Man savve kamap engage taem hem peim bride-price long famili bilong datfala girl. Bihaen, Law Bilong Moses markem 50 silver shekel olsem price bilong eni young girl wea samwan spoelem. Long tingting bilong savveman Gordon Wenham diswan hem nao “barava hae bride-price” bat planti taem diswan hem “moa low.” (Deuteronomy 22:28, 29) Jacob no fit for peim diswan. Hem sei long Laban hem bae waka seven year for hem. Wenham go ahed for sei hao “long taem bilong Babylon olketa wakman savve kasem haf shekel or maet go kasem wan shekel evri month,” (samting olsem 42 go kasem 84 shekel insaed sevenfala year) “so Jacob offerim long Laban barava hae bride-price for Rachel.” Laban kwiktaem acceptim.—Genesis 29:19.

Sevenfala year hem olsem “tu-thri day” nomoa long Jacob, from love bilong hem for Rachel hem big tumas. Bihaen datfala taem, hem tekem waef bilong hem wea werem kaleko for kavarem hed, and hem nating savve Laban trikim hem. Tingim hao hem mas barava seke fogud taem hem lukim hao hem no sleep witim Rachel, bat hem sleep witim Leah, sista bilong hem! Jacob tok strong olsem: “Wanem nao iu duim long mi? Waswe, no Rachel nao mi waka for kasem? So why nao iu trikim mi?” Laban hem ansa: “Hem no kastom bilong mifala for girl wea moa young for marit first long girl wea firstborn. Celebrate for full week witim disfala woman. Bihaen datwan bae mi givim iu disfala nara woman and iu bae waka for mi for sevenfala year moa.” (Genesis 29:20-27) From hem insaed trap hia finis and no garem eni wei for defendim hemseleva, Jacob mas acceptim nomoa samting wea Laban talem sapos hem laek for kasem Rachel.

No olsem first sevenfala year, next sevenfala year barava nogud tumas long Jacob. Hem hard tumas for Jacob forgivim nogud trik bilong Laban. And tu, Leah, wea agree join insaed trik bilong hem. Laban barava nating wari abaotem trabol wea hem kosim for future bilong Leah and Rachel. Hem wari abaotem hemseleva nomoa. Gogo jealous fasin join go witim kros bilong Rachel taem Leah kwiktaem for garem fofala son, bat Rachel no savve garem eni pikinini. Then Rachel, from hem laek tumas for garem pikinini, hem givim go girl servant bilong hem for garem pikinini for hem, and from hem laek for winim hem, Leah tu duim sem samting. Jacob gogo garem fofala waef, 12 pikinini, and famili wea no hapi. Bat diswan hem start bilong wei wea Jehovah mekem Jacob for kamap wanfala bigfala nation.—Genesis 29:⁠28–30:24.

Jehovah Mekem Hem Kamap Rich

Nomata hem kasem olketa trabol, Jacob luksavve hao God stap witim hem olsem hem promisim. Laban lukim diswan tu, from taem Jacob no kam yet hem garem nomoa samfala animal bat bihaen nephew bilong hem Jacob lukaftarem, olketa kamap staka. From hem les for Jacob go, Laban askem Jacob for talem hem wanem nao bae wages bilong hem, then Jacob ask for tekem from olketa sheep bilong Laban evri sheep wea garem olketa difren kala. Long datfala ples, planti taem olketa sheep savve white kala nomoa and olketa goat olketa blak or dark brown; and only samfala nomoa olketa difren kala. So from hem tingse hem bae win long diswan, Laban agree and kwiktaem muvim go olketa animal bilong hem wea kalakala for stap farawe from olketa sheep wea Jacob lukaftarem. Hem tingse Jacob bae kasem lelebet samting nomoa from datfala agreement, no datfala 20 percent long olketa baby goat and sheep wea olketa shepherd bifor olketa kasem olsem wages. Bat Laban hem rong, from Jehovah stap witim Jacob.—Genesis 30:25-36.

Witim help bilong God, Jacob mekem olketa animal hia garem olketa baby wea strong and wea garem olketa difren kala. (Genesis 30:37-42) Olketa idea bilong hem saed long wei for duim diswan hem rong. Nomata olsem, wanfala savveman Nahum Sarna hem sei hao “saed long science, diswan savve kamap sapos man hem putim tugeta olketa sheep. . . wea garem wanfala kala nomoa bat wea garem datfala gene wea savve mekem olketa difren kala olsem kamap, and man fit for luksavve long kaen animal olsem from wei wea . . . [olketa] strong and grow kwiktaem.”

Taem hem lukim samting wea happen, Laban trae for changem agreement abaotem olketa wanem kaen animal nao nephew bilong hem savve tekem—olketa wea body bilong olketa difren kala. Hem luk aotem moa wei for kasem samting for hemseleva, bat nomata haomas taem Laban changem kontrak bilong tufala, Jehovah mek sure Jacob kasem evri gud samting. Laban kanse nao. No longtaem nomoa Jacob kasem staka riches, olketa sheep, servant, camel, and donkey, no from savve bilong hemseleva, bat bikos Jehovah saportim hem. Bihaen, hem sei long Rachel and Leah: “Dadi bilong iufala mekful long mi and hem changem wages bilong mi tenfala taem, bat God hem no letem hem for spoelem mi. . . . God go ahed for tekem olketa animal bilong dadi bilong iufala and givim long mi.” Jehovah talem Jacob hao hem lukim finis evri samting wea Laban duim bat hem sei Jacob no need for wari. God hem sei: “Go bak long land bilong iu and olketa relative bilong iu and bae mi deal witim iu long gudfala wei.”—Genesis 31:1-13; 32:9.

Bihaen hem lusim datfala man for laea, Laban, Jacob go bak long hom bilong hem. Nomata 20 year go pas finis, hem still fraetem Esau, and diswan kamap moa big taem hem herem hao Esau kam witim foa handred man. Wanem nao Jacob savve duim? From hem evritaem spiritual man wea trust long God, hem duim samting followim faith bilong hem. Hem prea and talem Jehovah hao hem no fit for kasem kaenfala fasin bilong hem and hem askem God for rememberim olketa promis bilong Hem and sevem hem and famili bilong hem from Esau.—Genesis 32:2-12.

Then samting wea hem no expectim hem happen. Wanfala stranger, wea really hem wanfala angel, stragol witim Jacob long naet, and hem tasim nomoa Jacob and mekem leg bilong hem miss. Jacob no willing for let go. Hem sei angel mas blessim hem firstaem. Bihaen, profet Hosea sei hao Jacob “hem krae, mekem hem savve askem samting for hemseleva.” (Hosea 12:2-4; Genesis 32:24-29) Jacob savve hao wei wea olketa angel savve showim olketa seleva hem join witim wei for datfala covenant bilong Abraham fulfill thru long seed bilong hem. So hem trae hard thru long wei for faet witim datfala angel and gogo hem kasem blessing. Long datfala taem, God changem nem bilong hem for kamap Israel, wea minim “Man for Stragol (No Givap) Witim God,” or “God Stragol Witim.”

Waswe, Iu Willing for Stragol?

Wei for stragol witim wanfala angel and wei for meetim bak Esau hem no only trabol wea Jacob mas winim. Bat, olketa samting hia wea happen showimaot wanem kaen man nao hem. Esau hem man wea no willing for hangre for lelebet taem for keepim datfala right olsem firstborn, bat Jacob stragol for full laef bilong hem for kasem olketa blessing, nomata gogo hem stragol witim angel. Olsem God promisim, Jacob kasem help and protection bilong God, and kamap laen dadi bilong wanfala bigfala nation and tu laen dadi bilong Messiah.—Matthew 1:2, 16.

Waswe, iu willing for stragol long tokpiksa wei for trae hard for kasem blessing bilong Jehovah? Laef distaem hem fulap witim problem and hevi for olketa wea laek for duim will bilong God, and samfala taem man mas stragol for disaed long stretfala wei. Bat, nambawan example bilong Jacob muvim iumi for hol strong long hope for kasem reward wea Jehovah putim front long iumi.

[Footnote]

[Olketa Piksa long page 31]

Jacob stragol for full laef bilong hem for kasem olketa blessing