We say, with all of our hearts, that we believe in grace through faith and not works. Yet, there’s always something in the back of our heads that wants it to be a little bit based on works. After all, we are good people, and if we are going to put in the effort to be good people, we might as well be rewarded for it over those that only care about themselves.
Enter Jacob. You might also know him as Israel. That’s right… The namesake for God’s people. The third in the line of “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” This is the one whose sons end up down in Egypt, truly planting the seeds for the explosive growth of the Hebrew people. Yet this week we realized that this guy is kind of a jerk.
Before he is born, God tells his mother that he will rule over his brother and be the blessed one. If you wanted to be the blessed son back in the day, you got yourself born first, but Jacob is born second, clutching the heel of his brother. From this point on, Jacob is supposed to be subservient to his brother– respecting Esau’s rights as the firstborn.
Yet, God chose Jacob– the second born, the scrawny one, the mamma’s boy.
God’s faithful promise is to come through for Jacob, no matter the cultural rules of the time. However, Jacob and his mother are so afraid that the cultural rules will overtake the will of God that they choose a path of deception. Instead of trusting, they get impatient. Jacob sells Esau a measly bowl of stew for his birthright! Jacob’s mother then dresses him in goatskins and Esau’s clothing in order to trick his father Isaac into blessing him. Jacob and his mother, out of their own free will, try to force the promise of God into effect, and though the promise is sustained, they both pay the price for their actions.
Over and over again, Jacob feels that he must fight for what he has. He burns bridges with his brother and father. Then he flees to his uncle’s house, where they fight over everything from goats and sheep to which daughter Jacob will marry. On the way back home, he even gets in a fight with God. We want our biblical heroes to be people of peace, patience, and wisdom. The idea that Jacob– the cunning, scrappy, aggressive son– is the one upon whom God’s blessing rests seems offensive. Yet, there are two key ideas here.
First, God’s grace is based solely on faith and not deeds. The reality is that when Jacob comes into contact with God, even when they fight, Jacob trusts God, has faith in God’s promises, and worships God. Second, as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, “But God chose what the world considers foolish to shame the wise. God chose what the world considers weak to shame the strong. And God chose what the world considers low-class and low-life—what is considered to be nothing— to reduce what is considered to be something to nothing. So no human being can brag in God’s presence.” Jacob is a living, breathing example of the fact that God doesn’t automatically side with power, influence, and ability.
This stretch of chapters touches on so many relatable things. It hits home for those with conflict in their families. It hits home for any that need to find reconciliation. It hits home for any who want to trust God but get impatient. It hits home for anyone who feels that if they ran into God in a dark field at night, they might have a throw down as well. Perhaps, though, the central and most key idea we can take away from it is that in the end God’s overarching will wins. The will that wants us to be reconciled with God, the earth, and one another; the will that allows us to make our choices and deal with the consequences; the will that cannot be overpowered by the powers, rules, and cultural designs of this world– that will, that loving will, wins.
