Daily Manna With Pastor Paul Torres

Jacob wrestled a mysterious character till the break of dawn at the ford of Jabbok. Down the ages, people have debated who this figure could be.

Jacob was scared by the report that Esau was coming to meet him with a company of 400 men.

After more than 20 years, Jacob begins coming home when he hears that Esau is on his way to meet him.

After years of his abuse and lies, Jacob can no longer hold his tongue and gives Laban a piece of his mind.

We see that the tough times in Laban's home have taught Jacob humility as he consults his wives about future decisions.

Jacob cuts a deal with Laban to begin building his own flocks and herds.

As Jacob realizes he has served Laban for 20 years and has nothing to show for it, he becomes impatient to return to strike off on his own.

We continue following the story of Jacob and the fallout from his decision to live in polygamy.

Although many of the heroes of the Bible practiced it, God's plan was never for polygamy to be His model for the family - and it brings heartache and problems to Jacob.

Though God was guiding and blessing Jacob in his new surroundings, the patriarch was already beginning to reap the bitter fruit of his deception.

As Jacob awakes from his dream, he prioritizes worship.

With Jacob on the run for his life, the LORD appears to him in a spectacular vision that would give him encouragement for the hard days ahead.

In the fallout from his deception of Isaac, Jacob must flee for his life to Haran as the most difficult part of his story begins. But even in his flight, he will have a special encounter with God.

Pastor Paul discusses some of the aspects of the story of Jacob's deception that may not be apparent without some knowledge of the language and culture of the times.

When Isaac realized that he had been fooled into blessing Jacob rather than Esau, he trembled because he knew that God had intervened - even if Jacob had done the wrong thing by tricking him.

Pastor Paul shows us that Jacob's motivation for seeking the blessing was good, even if his decisions were not.

Continuing with our discussion from Genesis 27, we consider the long-term damage to their family that Rebecca and her son Jacob unleashed on the family with their deception.

When Rebecca heard Isaac's plan to bless Esau, she plots with Jacob to "help" God out and get His plan back on track.

Isaac reopens the wells that his father Abraham had dug and confronts conflict.

Isaac lies about Rebekah's identity in order to preserve them from their enemies.