Imperfect people in Gods perfect plan

Jacob - from deceiver to believer

Genesis 25-33

Theme: God has a plan for Jacob which he will work out despite Jacobs scheming
Aim: Stop bargaining with God, submit to him!

Gods amazing grace, his unmerited favour. God has promised us tremendous things which we have done nothing to deserve. In the light of these promises to us, how do we live? Are we trusting God day by day and submitting to his will, doing what he asks us while we wait for his promises to come true? Or are we just getting on with our lives and ignoring the part God wants to play?

 I'd like to introduce you to a surprising character. He is probably one of the most disreputable and untrustworthy characters in the entire Bible. Even his name means "deceiver". He is also one of the most significant characters in the OT and Gods whole people were named after him. We can point our fingers at him and act all superior but, in truth, we are not that dissimilar from this man. Most of us are experts in getting what we want and managing how other people regard us. Most of us are with Jacob somewhere along his journey from deceiver to believer.

 This man is named Jacob, although by the end of today's talk he, like Abraham before him, will have been renamed by God. Let's walk together through his first fifty or so years, which will take us from Genesis 25v21 through to the end of Genesis 33, since this is the time where Jacobs life is really under the microscope in Gods word. I'd like to tackle it in three stages, because it seems as though we have a cyclical pattern in Jacobs life. a pattern which gradually draws him closer to God.

Ignoring God(Gen 25-27)

Divine Encounter

Our story starts before Jacob is even born. Isaac and Rebekah, the mum and dad, have been longing for a child. Isaac prayed and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. Now, Jo tells me that an unborn baby can struggle and kick quite violently all by itself. Rebekah has twins, and even by baby standards they were so aggressive that she went to enquire of God about the problem.

Here we have the divine encounter at the start of Jacobs life. God gave her a message - the two children will be the heads of two divided nations who will always be struggling. And then the shocking bit of the message: the elder will serve the younger . That was completely topsy turvy. Everyone knew that the birthright, the leadership of the clan, the inheritance would all go to the eldest. That is how it always worked.

Yet, for no other reason than the grace of God, the promise is made by God that the younger child will be the one that has the first place. As it says in Romans 9v11 God made this choice before the children were even born to make it clear that it was nothing to do with their works , it was purely Gods grace and mercy .

Esau is born first, all red and hairy. Jacob is born second, with his hand clasped around his brothers heel. The name Jacob literally means "he grasps the heel", and figuratively it was a common expression for "deceiver". How well he is named!

Deceiving Relatives

Fast forward and we see Esau as the hunter, a real mans man. Jacob likes to spend time with his mum and the cooks. He is a bit of a namby pamby. Then one day Esau comes back from the hunt famished, and tells Jacob to give him some of the nice red stew he's just made. Quick thinking Jacob decides to strike a deal. Ignoring the fact that God has promised him top dog position he tells Esau that he can have the food if he swears his birthright over to him. Esau despises such concepts as mere words and immediately does so. How satisfied Jacob must have felt, moving himself a step closer to his goal. but it wasn't going to depend on his deceptive schemes, it was going to depend upon Gods grace.

Fast forward a bit more into chapter 27. Isaac is old and his eyes are dim so he can't see. He knows he doesn't have much longer to live and he wants to pass on a special blessing to his eldest son, Esau. Esau is the one he loves. A good strong outdoors lad, not like that namby pamby Jacob who spends all the time around the kitchen with his mother. Besides which, Esau can bring him food that he likes, and sadly it seems as if Isaac's main concern is for his stomach.

Jacobs mum hears of this, and as Esau goes out hunting she hatches a plan with Jacob. She knows that God prophesied that Jacob should be head of the clan after Isaac dies. But they completely ignore the fact that God has given such a prophesy, and work out how to deceive Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing. Jacob makes some objections to holes in the original plan (what if dad feels my smooth skin?) so the plan is firmed up. Jacob is dressed in disguise, takes in the meal, lies to his dad not once but twice (v20,24) even invoking the name of the LORD your God (not his God mind, but the God of Isaac only at this point). He receives by deception the blessing of Isaac. a blessing that had real spiritual power behind it. Jacob thinks that he has deceived his way. into that which God was going to give him anyway.

Departs in a hurry

Of course, Esau arrives back with the meal he has caught and finds that he has missed out. The birthright blessing he once despised seems more significant now the time has actually come! Despite his tears and cries he can't get back what has been given to Jacob. He is furious. You can see him planning in v41. "as soon as dad is dead, I'll kill my brother Jacob".

Rebekah hears of this and plans to send Jacob away in safety to his uncle Laban up in Haran where she came from. She complains to Isaac about Esau's local girl wives, and manipulates Isaac into sending Jacob up to cousin Laban. Jacob departs in a hurry.

I wonder how often we find ourselves in the same position as Jacob? We carry on with our lives oblivious of the way that God is working around us and in us. Christians who have met Jesus at the foot of the cross, accepted his salvation from their sin as a free gift - and then who have got up, walked away, and forgotten about the many and varied promises God has made about now and the future. They live their lives as if this life is all that matters. Gods amazing grace is ignored.

As we move on in Jacobs life we see another cycle.

Bargaining with God (Gen 28-31)

Divine Encounter

We pick up the cycle again as Jacob rests one night at Beersheba , on the way to Haran . He has a dream as sleeps, of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven. In this divine encounter the LORD God himself speaks directly to Jacob. God identifies himself as the God of his father and grandfather, he reiterates the promises he has made to his grandparents and applies them directly to Jacob. God even goes further and promises that He will be with him, will keep him wherever he goes and will bring him back safely.

Jacob has a personal message of Gods grace being poured out over him. What is his response? Check out v 20. If God will be with me, if he will keep me, if he will clothe me and feed me. then the LORD shall be my God and I'll give a tenth of all I have.

He is trying to bargain with God. Not willing to accept Gods gracious gift freely given, he sets conditions. He is not willing to take God at face value even now,

Deceiving Relatives

Jacob goes to work for uncle Laban, and has eyes for Laban's beautiful daughter Rachel. She's gorgeous. Jacob is accepted into the household, and starts to work for Laban. When L asks what he wishes for wages, Jacob doesn't even hesitate. "I'd like to marry Rachel" he says, "and I'll gladly serve you for seven years if I can have her hand in marriage". Jacob is so in love with Rachel that the years fly past. Ahh.

Problem is, Laban is just as tricky as Jacob, and when the wedding night comes and the bride is led to the darkened tent, it is not exactly who Jacob expects. the marriage is consummated that night but in the morning Jacob sees with horror that lying next to him is not beautiful Rachel but the older sister, ugly old Leah! As a result of this conniving, Laban is able to get Jacob to swear to another seven years labour if he gets Rachel's hand in marriage too. These two guys are as tricky as one another!

Without going into the sorry rivalry between the sisters which ends up with Jacob having eleven sons, we see the next act of Jacobs attempted deception. He wants to return home, and Laban wants to know what he wants for wages this time (he has learned - v27 - that he has been blessed by the LORD because of Jacobs presence). Jacob suggests that he gets all the sheep with blemished wool - spotty and streaky and so forth. Sounds good to Laban, especially since he takes the opportunity to smuggle all the eligible sheep away and keep them in a secret place. but Jacob has a special plan. Does it involve in relying upon Gods promises to be with him and prosper him? No! Instead he makes stripy sticks and lays them down before the sheep when they drink and mate, in the belief that if they see speckly patterns they will bear speckly lambs! By the end of ch 30 Jacobs flocks have grown huge and successful while Laban's have become sickly and feeble.

We know now, of course, that Jacobs tricks with the sticks wouldn't have any impact on the genetics of the lambs! In ch31 Jacob hears from God that he should return to the land of his fathers - and it has become clear to him that God has been behind the growth of his flocks, because every time that Laban changed the rules, the sheep miraculously started bearing the appropriate lambs.

Despite Jacob's attempts to manipulate his relatives, it is Gods hand which is really running the show.

Departs in a hurry

His flocks are huge, much of Laban's wealth is now in his hands. Jacob decides it's time to hightail it out of there. Once again we see Jacob fleeing from a blood relative who he has attempted to cheat by deception. Secretly he gets everyone together and they make a run for it towards Canaan without telling Jacob. We have come full circle once again.

Once again, I wonder to what extent this stage of Jacobs life represents our own? Does the idea of bargaining with God sound at all familiar? I'm sure that many of us have prayed something along the lines of "God, if you do THIS, then I'll do THAT". If you help me with my exams/cure me of this illness/give me a clear 'sign' about what I should do next.

The last of these is possibly the most common. It sounds very spiritual. not wanting to make a move until you have clear direction from the Lord. but in fact it is normally merely a bar to stepping out in faith, and trusting in the God who has already promised that he will be with us, that he will guide us and that eventually he will take us home to heaven. We pray and promise that if God gives us a sign we will do what he asks. when in actual fact we should just do what he asks.

By the way - what does God ask of us? To love him with all our mind and heart and soul and strength; to love our neighbours as ourselves, to break bread and drink wine in remembrance of Christ, to make disciples of all nations. I think we have plenty to be getting on with! 

Submitting to God (Gen 32-33)

Divine Encounter

Passing over Jacob's final encounter with Laban in the end of ch31, we find our third cycle starting at the beginning of Ch32. Jacob with his flocks, his extended family and all are nearing Canaan when they have a visitation from angels of God. We don't know any more details here, and a more significant encounter with God is still in the wings. We also see a change starting to appear in Jacobs attitude.

Deceiving Relatives

Jacob can't help thinking about Esau. It was twenty years ago that he left his brother who was feeling pretty murderous at the time. What will things be like now? He sends a message ahead to check out the lie of the land. The messenger comes back with news that Esau is headed this way with 400 men! Jacob is pretty frightened. He divides his company into two halves, so that if one is attacked and destroyed the other might survive. Then he does something both unusual and dramatic. He prays.

He calls on God, recognising both Gods faithfulness and grace towards him and his own unworthiness. He recognises that the first time he crossed this river he had only a staff. Now, by Gods grace, he returns with wives, children, herds, flocks, servants. and it is all Gods doing. Recognising that God has helped in the past, he asks for help now, with this threat of Esau approaching.

Our Jacob isn't completely changed. having prayed he can't help trying to make it easier for God, so he sorts through his entourage and puts together huge gifts for his brother, and sends them on first, in several waves, so that Esau will receive wave after wave of gifts before he meets Jacob. He then sent on his wives, maids and children across the stream. And Jacob was left on his own once more.

Departs in a hurry? No! the cycle is broken. God answers his prayer.

There, in the dark, all alone, he is attacked by a man who jumps him and starts wrestling with him. Jacob fights back against this surprise attacker, and they grapple backwards and forwards all through the night. Still fighting at morning, the stranger touches his hip and disables Jacob, but Jacob - recognising something strange is going on - says "I won't let you go unless you bless me". The stranger blesses him and changes his name from Jacob (deceiver) to Israel (contender with God). The stranger refuses to give his own name, but Jacob has no doubt about what has happened this night, and he names the place Peniel (which means face of God). He has seen God face to face (and struggled with him!) and lived.

He limps onwards and meets his brother Esau, who kisses him and rejoiced at his return. God had answered Jacobs heart-felt prayer; partly by wrestling with him and partly by changing the circumstances awaiting him. All that God had promised to Jacob had been delivered, none of it ultimately by his own hand, all of it by the grace of God. We close our chapter with Israel 's response. The first thing he does when he settles down is to erect an altar called El-Elohe-Israel. Meaning the mighty God of Israel. His God. Jacob has moved from deceiver to believer, and the old cycle is broken.

Submitting to God. That is what we see here. Coming to the recognition that all that we have is from God, that his grace is all that we need and all that we should trust in. All Christians need to answer this fundamental question. Is God able to fulfil his promises? Is God willing to fulfil his promises? So how much will I trust him? Trusting God doesn't ensure a problem free life - Israel would forever bear the crippling reminder in his hip of his struggle with God - but it is the appropriate response to almighty God who pours his grace out upon us.

Submitting to God will often cause us difficulties. Ronald Dunn, the author writes of this in his book "don't just stand there, have faith" p217

Where are you?