So I'm reading through the Bible in chronological order this year (with 150 of my best friends) and I came across Genesis 27 this morning. It's the story of Jacob and Esau. If you're familiar with the story at all, you might recall that Jacob is a lying cheat and Esau is a bit slow on the uptake. At least, that's my perspective.
For anyone less familiar, you got Jacob dressing up like his brother in order to deceive their blind and aging father to give him the good blessing. I guess it's a good thing Jacob didn't have a sister whose blessing he was trying to steal. But I digress.
Jacob is successful in deceiving his father and getting the blessing. Esau comes later and cries a lot, but it doesn't do any good. As Isaac says, "I blessed [Jacob]-and indeed he will be blessed" (Genesis 27:33). Here's my question. Do we really think that God couldn't have changed this? After all, tell this story to children and they might get the idea that lying is ok as long as it works. Couldn't God have blessed whomever He wished to, no matter what the brothers did and no matter whom Isaac blessed?
It's my understanding from reading the whole of Jacob's story that God wanted him to get the blessing. But certainly God does not endorse lying in order to achieve His goals. Do we really believe that God is not able to work around things like birth order?
I think a lot of us are like Jacob. We know that God promises good stuff to us, but then we mistakenly assume it's up to us and our own devices in order to see the good stuff happens. It's not. We should stop living like it depends on us. It doesn't. We should depend on God to do in us what He wants to. It's always worked better that way. It always will.
For anyone less familiar, you got Jacob dressing up like his brother in order to deceive their blind and aging father to give him the good blessing. I guess it's a good thing Jacob didn't have a sister whose blessing he was trying to steal. But I digress.
Jacob is successful in deceiving his father and getting the blessing. Esau comes later and cries a lot, but it doesn't do any good. As Isaac says, "I blessed [Jacob]-and indeed he will be blessed" (Genesis 27:33). Here's my question. Do we really think that God couldn't have changed this? After all, tell this story to children and they might get the idea that lying is ok as long as it works. Couldn't God have blessed whomever He wished to, no matter what the brothers did and no matter whom Isaac blessed?
It's my understanding from reading the whole of Jacob's story that God wanted him to get the blessing. But certainly God does not endorse lying in order to achieve His goals. Do we really believe that God is not able to work around things like birth order?
I think a lot of us are like Jacob. We know that God promises good stuff to us, but then we mistakenly assume it's up to us and our own devices in order to see the good stuff happens. It's not. We should stop living like it depends on us. It doesn't. We should depend on God to do in us what He wants to. It's always worked better that way. It always will.
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