The story of Jacob in the Bible has all the elements of high drama, true love thwarted,

family division, a deceiving father-in-law, a tight escape.

If it was a movie, you'd want to watch it.

But it's much better than a movie because overarching all, it is the story

of the covenant in the lives of real people. Hello, we're Scott and Maureen Proctor, and this

is Meridian Magazine's Come Follow Me podcast, where today we'll talk about Genesis chapters 28 through 33.

The Bible covers 2,000 plus years of history in 12 chapters and then zeros in on Abraham, Isaac,

and Jacob, and their posterity for the rest of the 1,184 pages for this reason. The Old Testament is about the covenant

blessings and obligations as they play out over generations. The idea is to teach us what this

covenant is, what it means, and the consequences of purposely turning your back on it. We hear of the

blessings of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but we could say

instead the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, because the renewal of the covenant was made fresh with each one.

Even if you are born in the covenant, it is not an entitlement. Ultimately, this is a promise that each has to choose and live worthy of.

The covenants we make in the temple are consistent with these ancient covenants.

Though the delivery may have been modified somewhat,

our covenants have these ancient origins.

That is what makes the Old Testament so particularly relevant to Latter-day Saints.

We understand the power and blessings of covenants better as we see them play

out in the lives of individuals and nations. The new and everlasting covenant existed before the

creation of the world. When we understood that to advance meant that we would be cut off from God's

presence, it is the new and everlasting covenant

through the atonement of Jesus Christ that would allow our return in a higher and holier state.

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