God of the Impossible Messes

Monday, 13 July 2009

Sally is doing morning devotionals for us each morning on the life of Jacob from Genesis. Here is what struck me about Jacob as I was thinking through what she was saying and what God’s word says about him:

Genesis 25:23 “And the Lord said to [Rebekah], ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall serve the younger.’”
25:27 “When the boys grew up, Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field, while Jacob was a quiet man, dwelling in tents.”

Jacob was quiet, probably sitting back and observing all that was going on, figuring ways to work his family to his advantage. He cheated his brother out of his birthright. He lied and schemed to steal his Father’s blessing which also belonged to his brother. The Lord ordained from the beginning of time that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob) and all of this would be accomplished through Jacob’s sin. Bottom line: Jacob was a liar and a cheater.

So, when God refers to Himself as “The God of Jacob,” He is saying that He is the God of the liar and the cheater. I find that incredibly encouraging! Perhaps He really can be trusted to work in areas where things seem to be out of control or where we think we have crossed some self-defined point of no return. Perhaps He truly is the God of impossible messes!