When was Jacob saved? I believe he had faith when he bought the birthright from Esau; that's why he bought it from him. Esau's lack of faith was why he sold it. People get wrapped around the wrong issue when they look at Jacob's purchase as some form of fraud. Economically, Esau got more tangible out of the sale than Jacob did. He got a bowl of soup. What did Jacob get? For the person lacking in faith, Jacob got nothing. Esau defrauded Jacob. It's a matter of value. Jacob saw the substance of things hoped for and had the evidence of things not seen, the very definition of faith, so he bought the birthright.
Some say he was converted when he saw the ladder going to heaven, a symbol that Jesus said applied to Himself in John 1. Therefore, as Jacob was leaving his family to go to Laban's and find a wife from his mother's family, he saw a vision of Christ Himself. What about the wrestling match with the man before he met Esau, whom he was told was coming to meet him with hundreds of soldiers. The "man" changed his name, and when Jacob saw Esau, he said he saw the face of Esau as if it was the face of God. Had his whole perspective of life changed? I still think Jacob approached life and these particular events with faith; he did not gain faith from them, except in the sense of having his faith strengthened.
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