Transition Jacob?
by Dale Smelser
Jacob did not begin life with the character he possessed later in life. Jacob is first described as a “quiet man, dwelling in tents” (Genesis 25:27 ASV). The ASV footnote says for quiet, “harmless.” So the Pulpit Commentary adds, “harmless…of mild and gentle manners (activity).” “Dwelling in tents” meant “loving to stay at home…quiet, domestic, following domestic occupations.” He dwelt among the tents where the women were, as opposed to going out into the fields, as Esau. A modern expression, such as “home body,” might describe Jacob, male, but hardly the epitome of manhood.
In a government school of our age, a socially misguided teacher with only a B.A. and no real training in psychology, could take it upon her or himself to insist that Jacob transition, hiding this from Isaac and Rebekah, to begin a process of hormone therapy, name change, and feminine pronouns and attire, to cure the mistake that “nature” made in putting “her” in a wrong body. The folly of such haplessly devoted ignorance is seen in what the circumstances of life without that interference went on to make of Jacob. He went from homebody to being a man’s man.
You know, in the story, whatever Jacob’s atypical behavior, he was content without any suggestion of considering suicide. However, his life was in danger for his treachery in obtaining Esau’s birthright. To escape, he is fleeing to his family’s ancestral home of Paddanaram, where, at Rebekah’s desire, he might marry a daughter of Laban, Rebekah’s brother. Now, by our “enlightened” thinking, one might wonder what such a person might want with a wife. But I guess poor Rebekah was a case of terribly benighted Neanderthal ignorance.
We next see Jacob three days' journey north of Beersheba, his home. He had had time to think. And that night in lonely surroundings, he found a suitable flat stone he could cover (surely) to pillow his head in that desolate place. From events there, he would name it Bethel, or “house of God.” For there he had a vision of a ladder between heaven and earth with angels ascending and descending upon it. That would be fulfilled in Christ connecting heaven and earth, or thus, God and man (John 1:51). And God told him that all this land would one day belong to his descendants. It was a different man who awoke the next morning after that night in Bethel. And he had over 400 more lonely miles to ponder all that. How different it will be when he arrives at his destination.
There, he finds shepherds with their flocks in docile activity waiting at a well. A great stone covered the well, and the practice was to wait until all the flocks were present to open it and water them. At this juncture, Rachel, a daughter of Laban, comes with her father’s flock, and is so identified. So Jacob trashes the custom of waiting around, and quite contrary to it, moves the thing himself to water her sheep. While he does so, Rachel runs to tell her father that the son of Rebekah has come. A pretty bold action for a quiet homebody accustomed more to the presence of women than a bunch of hardy shepherds finding their custom disdainfully violated. Hmm. Evidence of gender transitioning is missing.
Rachel is beautiful and well-formed. And this former homebody is smitten with love for her, and his desire is so great that he will work seven years to obtain her as his wife. Perhaps people move too quickly to transition, rather than allowing natural adjustments to take place over time.
Next thing you know, this homebody is out there raising beaucoup sheep and cattle. The varieties that are to accrue to him multiply, and Jacob is now rich and wants to return home. He gathers children, wives, and cattle and moves out. Yes, the somewhat effeminate tending homebody now has wives and multiple children. Because of an action of Rachel, unknown to Jacob, his father–in–law pursues him. Jacob stands up to this man who had formerly cheated him and abused his employment, and obtains an apology. Yes, this was formerly a “quiet homebody.” What a mistake it would have been if some woke teacher had “compassionately” transitioned him. None of this would have happened. Instead, you would have a cross-dressing, new pronoun-bearing freak, prancing among the tents if he hadn’t committed suicide, as many transistioners do.
On his way home at the Jabbok River, halfway down the Jordan, Jacob hears Esau is coming to meet him. He takes precautions to protect his family. Esau, having prospered, is over it. But before knowing that, Jacob spends the night in prayer on the north bank. There he wrestles with a man, whom he will realize is the Lord, and in the match Jacob is not overcome, the Lord simply matching Jacob’s strength, which is considerable now. In Jacob’s tenacity, he is blessed with a new name, Israel, “striven with God,” instead of the pejorative, Jacob, supplanter. There are self-identified “scholars” who have missed the significance of this wrestling with God. But look at all that is signified by it. “You have struggled with God and man, and have prevailed.” Jacob, you were weak and deceitful, and it has cost you, but you persisted and overcame, with God and man. So, Jacob did transition. But our self-important, interfering, pretending-to- be-God teachers today would have messed up the whole thing.
By the way. Children often have identity problems growing up, even dissatisfaction with their gender. Left alone, 98% of them get it figured out satisfactorily. The other 2% are not in the wrong body, but in the wrong mind. The X and Y chromosomes are determinative. And being in the wrong mind can be corrected, as many studies suggest, e.g., “Development of Gender Non-Contentedness During Adolescence and Early Adulthood,” published in Archives of Sexual Behavior.
