Genesis 27: the Con Man in God's Family
"He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?"
How can a religion with such high standards include so many people who fail to meet those standards? The life of Jacob, grandson of Abraham, certainly poses this question. A twin, Jacob enters the world with one hand grasping the heel of his brother Esau who precedes him. Later in life, he takes advantage of his twin brother's weakened state to gain the birthright, an inheritance document similar to a family will. Seeing that his father still favors the older Esau, Jacob- along with his mother Rebekah- contrive another trick: he gets his aging father to bestow upon him the blessing that rightfully belongs to his elder brother. In the process, Jacob flatly lies to his father and even takes the Lord's name in vain. Nevertheless, Jacob is now the beneficiary of a blessing that will one day produce a whole nation of God's favored people.
Apparently God's choice does not depend on how a person behaves. God simply chooses the people He wants. In this case, Jacob- the deceitful younger brother. Is this fair? In Romans 9, Paul raises this very question. He tells us that we have no right to find fault with God's choices because we no so little, especially compared to God's infinite understanding. We may not see why God chooses people like Jacob, but unquestionably His choices work for good. In this case, Jacob may be seen as a blessing channel. In other words, by selecting a few at first, God plans to extend His blessings to all, which is exactly what happens in Genesis. Abraham's small, fault-ridden family grows into a sizable, fault-ridden nation that brings forth, in the fullness of time, a faultless Jesus.
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus...There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed" Galatians 3:26, 28-29
Life Question: God has a habit of choosing flawed people to achieve great good. How might the hypocrites/ "con-men" of our day serve a greater purpose in our life?
"He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?"
How can a religion with such high standards include so many people who fail to meet those standards? The life of Jacob, grandson of Abraham, certainly poses this question. A twin, Jacob enters the world with one hand grasping the heel of his brother Esau who precedes him. Later in life, he takes advantage of his twin brother's weakened state to gain the birthright, an inheritance document similar to a family will. Seeing that his father still favors the older Esau, Jacob- along with his mother Rebekah- contrive another trick: he gets his aging father to bestow upon him the blessing that rightfully belongs to his elder brother. In the process, Jacob flatly lies to his father and even takes the Lord's name in vain. Nevertheless, Jacob is now the beneficiary of a blessing that will one day produce a whole nation of God's favored people.
Apparently God's choice does not depend on how a person behaves. God simply chooses the people He wants. In this case, Jacob- the deceitful younger brother. Is this fair? In Romans 9, Paul raises this very question. He tells us that we have no right to find fault with God's choices because we no so little, especially compared to God's infinite understanding. We may not see why God chooses people like Jacob, but unquestionably His choices work for good. In this case, Jacob may be seen as a blessing channel. In other words, by selecting a few at first, God plans to extend His blessings to all, which is exactly what happens in Genesis. Abraham's small, fault-ridden family grows into a sizable, fault-ridden nation that brings forth, in the fullness of time, a faultless Jesus.
"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus...There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed" Galatians 3:26, 28-29
Life Question: God has a habit of choosing flawed people to achieve great good. How might the hypocrites/ "con-men" of our day serve a greater purpose in our life?
.
God's plan can be extremely difficult to understand at times. I suppose human nature brings forth envy and jealousy when good things happen to "bad" people. Why did so and so move up in the company when we all know that he is a practicing flatterer? Or why did so and so graduate at the top of his class when we all know that he cheated his way through school? I'm guessing that we just have to put our faith in God and accept the fact that He knows what He's doing. The Bible is filled with "less than perfect" men and women, and yet God has used all of these individuals to lead us- here today- closer to Christ. So, maybe the next time that we encounter a "Jacob" in our lives, we should take the high road and try to understand God's ultimate purpose- a healthy relationship with His Son.
2 comments:
test
The issue for me is identity. My own sense of fairness says Jacob cheated and should be disqualified from the prize of God's favor; but God knows the future plans for failing humanity and for me in particular. Just as Jacob was undeserving to be the channel of blessing, I know the Lord is sure of my identity and purpose in His plans even though I merit none of His freely-given blessings. God truly has a different version of what it means to be firstborn.
Post a Comment