Jacob's name means trickster.
He tricked Esau out of his birth right. He fell in line with
his manipulative mother. Lied to his father (and oh what an elaborate lie it
was!). And he took the blessing that didn't belong to him (which was apparently a very big deal).
Then he ran. Yeah, he was “going to find a wife” but
honestly, he ran. His brother wanted to kill him, so to
save his own neck he obeyed his mother and left.
Now, up to this point I’m tracking in the story.
Jacob=loser. Esau=victim. I’m on Esau’s side. He begs his father for a blessing, even a leftover one. He even takes a wife of the tribe of Ishmael, Isaac’s half
brother, in an effort to please his father.
But God blesses Jacob.
And this morning as I read the story in Genesis it made
me mad. Jacob was a no good sinner. He didn't deserve God’s favor. He wasn't repentant. He was stuck out in the
wilderness away from home, and it was HIS OWN FAULT!
As I wrestled with this story, I asked God, “Why? Why did you bless Jacob?”
And God answered,“The same reason I blessed you.”
And God answered,“The same reason I blessed you.”
Ouch. You see this morning I woke up in a not-so-good mood.
My kids got up an hour early, and I didn’t like it. I was short tempered with
them. I begrudgingly made them breakfast. I didn’t give them the time or
attention they needed. I tuned them out and let my husband pick up whatever pieces he could
find to salvage our morning.
But then my husband left for work, so I ran.
I was angry and tired. I put Cupcake to bed and Rooster in his room,
and I camped out in the bathroom. I shut the door so I wouldn't hear them yell
for me. I got in the shower determined to hide from what I thought was their bad morning.
And God blessed me. It only took a few moments of quiet,
before I heard that still small voice singing my new favorite song.
“Jesus, I am resting, resting in the joy of what thou art. I
am finding out the greatness of thy loving heart.”
Ten minutes later I was a new mom. Still tired, but
repentant. I got out of the shower, ready to apologize to my kids. To my
surprise, I found Cupcake fast asleep, and Rooster playing contentedly in his
room. God graciously gave me another hour to relax, read my Bible, and simply
rest.
You see. I’m like Jacob. I’m a no good sinner who doesn't deserve
the Lord’s blessings. However, God looks down on me and blesses me even when I’m
unrepentant.
My heart change this morning wasn't because I realized how
wrong I was and turned to God. Rather God came to me. He showed me His goodness
and gave me rest, even when I didn't deserve it.
Take a minute and look at the promises God makes to Jacob in
Genesis 28:13-14.
“And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and I you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.
Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
God came to Jacob when he least deserved it and promised to
give him everything, to bless him, to be with him.
It’s not until Jacob is face to face with the goodness and
glory of God that Jacob repents. Scripture doesn’t give us much information
about the condition of his heart, but look at what Jacob says.
“Then Jacob made a vow saying, ‘If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God.”
When Jacob ran from his sin, he also ran from everything he
loved the most: his family, his friends, his home. And when God comes to bless
him, Jacob asks for one thing: restoration to his father’s house in peace. I
honestly believe that in that moment Jacob realized just how much his sin cost
him and just how gracious God was to him.
Today, as I finished my Bible reading, I found myself very
thankful that I serve a God who is gracious to sinners. When I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. When I was lost without hope, he sent his Spirit to find me and save me. And when I was hiding in the shower this
morning, he came to give comfort and joy to my weary heart.
I truly am finding out the greatness of his loving heart.
Thank you for the encouragement! Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading and commenting! I'm glad you liked it :)
DeleteIt wasn't that long ago that I was reading the Jacob & Esau story and thought the exact same thing. Why, when all Jacob did was lie and steal, was he the one that received the greater blessing? Thank you so much for putting it into perspective.
ReplyDeleteI've often wondered too. I just forget that none of us deserve the blessings of God, whether we are the "good" kid or the "bad" kid, lol.
DeleteBeautiful song! And don't you love that God can catch us even when we are running? Great is Thy Faithfulness!
ReplyDeleteAmen! This has been my theme song over the past few weeks. Love it!
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