Today's Reading:

Genesis 27
Genesis 28
Genesis 29

 

Isaac’s time was coming to an end, and he wanted to give Esau his first born son a blessing. Could the goatskin sewn to his arms fool Isaac’s touch, the scent of Esau’s clothing on him, the voice- the voice was of Jacob’s. In an instant Rebekah and Jacob’s trickery could have ended in wrath and rage. Grace came in and blessings poured out. In the middle of the lie the God who sees, feels and hears all hidden agendas chooses grace, turning fraud into an eternal promise.

 

After Isaac blessed Jacob (by mistake), Jacob did not leave his side. This was a legally binding belief, and the blessing was meant for the first-born child. The covenant blessing included lordship over his brothers, abundance of grain and wine, and nations bowing down to him. Jacob had become God’s sovereign choice- the younger over the older just like God had told Rebekah before the twins were born (25:23). Esau sold the Birthright for the soup, and now his Blessing, the covenant crown, was stolen with goatskins and a lie. The Blessing was a much greater loss than the Birthright as it was irreversible- the blessing carried the Seed (Jesus) forward. Esau vowed to kill Jacob, so his mother sent Jacob away until Esau’s fury cooled.

Isaac realized God’s sovereignty and officially blessed Jacob again as the heir and sent him to find a wife from Rebekah’s family line (again did not want to ruin the family line with a Canaanite woman). It was Isaac’s way of reiterating that Jacob now carried his father Abraham’s blessing forward. Along the way Jacob dreamt of a stairway that reached heaven with angels going up and down it. The ladder with the Lord Himself standing above it. The ladder was ultimately Jesus- God was coming down to mankind and opening the way up to Him. Sin had shut the door, (Garden of Eden and Tower of Babel) but God has opened the way again. Jacob names the place Bethel, “House of God”- where God and man met. Jacob made a conditional vow to God- “IF God will be with me…THEN the Lord will by my God” and showed the honesty of a man who did not fully trust in the Lord and the patience of a God who reacted with the idea of I’ll keep my promises and one day you will call me yours.

Jacob continued on to Harran and met Rachel, and it was love at first sight. He agreed to work for his uncle Laban (Rachel’s father) for seven years for her hand in marriage. On their wedding night though Jacob was tricked and Laban gave him his daughter Leah (disguised- either it was dark or maybe she had on a veil). Leah was “weak in the eyes” (not as beautiful) as Rachel. One week after the consummation of marriage to Leah, he was given Rachel but had to agree to work an additional 7 years, leaving Leah feeling slighted. God stepped in as he had done for Sarah, Rebekah and saw Leah’s misery. He opened Leah’s womb and kept Rachel barren. Jacob’s first 4 sons came from the less loved Leah: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. When Leah finally stopped pleading for Jacob’s love and simply stated “This time I will praise the LORD.”, she stopped bearing children for a time. The royal tribe in the future came from Judah as this was when Leah looked away from Jacob and towards God in praise. Tears turn into worship. The fourteen years of rivalry between Jacob’s household led to a desperate Rachel giving her maid, and jealousy and tears turning wombs into the twelve tribes of Israel. Each not born out of love, but because God kept his promise through the very brokenness to the end.

Today's Discussion question: 
Jacob basically says, “God, if You keep me safe and provide for me, then You’ll be my God.” It’s so honest—he’s not all-in yet. Many of us start our walk with God with conditions too. What helped you move from “if You do this” to simply “You are my God”?

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