Stories of the Weak Overcoming Great Odds in the Bible

The Bible is filled with stories of the weak overcoming great odds on their way to success. Jacob the son of Isaac is a character who must overcome is physical faults to gain his fathers favor. Judith uses her weakness of being a woman to save her people and land from invaders. Both characters typify a major theme of the Bible, which is the ultimate triumph of the weak. Jacob the youngest of Isaac’s sons is portrayed as being weak when compared to his brother Esau, “Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the fields; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents” (King James Bible, Genesis 25.27). What Jacob lacked in physical prowess he made up in cunning and guile. Jacob is able to strip his brother of his birthright, which is to be his fathers heir, by trading for it in exchange for saving his brothers life. On his death bed Isaac tells Esau to go out and kill a deer and bring back the venison so that he can bless him before his death. While Esau was out hunting Rebekah has Jacob disguise himself as Esau and bring his father some goat meat so that he, not Esau will receive Isaac’s blessing. This act of deception while morally wrong does allow for Jacob to become the owner of his fathers land and lord over his older brother Esau. Jacob then leaves for fear of his brother’s reprisal and flees to his mother’s brother’s house. There he makes a deal with his mother’s brother Laban to work for him for seven year for his youngest daughter Rachel. When the seven years were up Laban tricks Jacob into marrying his eldest daughter Leah. Jacob agrees to work another seven years so that he may wed Rachel. Jacob makes another deal with Laban, for his wages for the years he has worked for him he will have all of the striped, and spotted animals from Laban’s flock. Laban agrees and so Jacob uses his cunning to help breed a large flock from Laban’s. Jacob uses striped and spotted rod that he places in front of the animals as they breed so that his flock