For the Lord has chosen Jacob unto himself,
and Israel for His peculiar treasure.
Psalm 135:4
One thing is for sure, God's ways of doing things are not like the ways people would do them...
and Israel for His peculiar treasure.
Psalm 135:4
One thing is for sure, God's ways of doing things are not like the ways people would do them...
While God despises sin and in no way condones it, yet as an all-knowing being, He is able to see the end from the beginning. He can look at an individual who is behaving badly and has what can be referred to as "bad character," and in spite of this, will choose that person to do something good later in his life.
In last night's Bible study, I had the class look at the life and character of Jacob. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the brother of Esau. Although they were twins, Jacob and Esau were as different as night and day. Esau was shown to be the physically stronger of the two, while Jacob was something of a "mama's boy."
But the day came when their father Isaac was getting up in years. As was the custom back then, what was known as a "birthright" was traditionally passed on to the eldest son. Since Esau was the first one to come out of his mother's womb, it was his to receive. But Jacob managed to talk Esau out of it by taking advantage of him when he was hungry.
Later, Jacob would trick his father, who was now close to death, into thinking he was Esau. Taking advantage of his elderly father's feebleness, Jacob stood in his older brother's place, hoping to con the almost completely blind parent into thinking he was Esau. Jacob did this in order to get the birthright, which in those times was a prized thing to have.
Jacob, as the story goes, succeeded with his ploy. But when Esau found out what Jacob did, he wanted to kill him. Who could blame Esau? His own brother swindled him. By today's standards, this would be like conning another member of one's family out of his inheritance.
When Isaac realized he'd been deceived by his younger son, he cried to Esau, "Your brother tricked me and stole your blessing" (Genesis 27:35 CEV). Esau, now filled with rage and hatred towards his brother, said, "Just as soon as my father dies, I'll kill Jacob" (Genesis 27:41 CEV).
Fearing for his life and at the urging of his mother, Jacob left town in a hurry. He settled in a land called Haran, where he took shelter in the home of his mother Rebekah's brother, Laban. Here he would end up spending twenty years under Laban's roof, working almost like a slave. Laban, as it turned out, was just as much a deceiver and cheater as Jacob was. Now he was getting a taste of his own medicine.
But to fast-forward to the end of the story, Jacob and Esau were finally reunited. Twenty years had passed since he ran away. Yet, the time came for Jacob to seek his brother's forgiveness. A terrified Jacob still thought his brother was out to get him. But when they saw each other, they embraced. The old wounds of bitterness and resentment were healed.
As the class read and discussed the story, we saw what an obvious liar and cheater Jacob was. But an interesting aspect to it was that throughout all this time, God never took His eyes off Jacob. God's plan for him came to pass at the right moment.
I said, "Brothers, it's the same with us." God chose Jacob even before he was born. He knew Jacob had character defects such as deceitfulness and selfishness, and how much trouble he would end up bringing upon himself and others because of his lies and schemes.
Like Jacob, we put ourselves through much pain. Yet God did not reject us. Unlike some of the members of our families may have done once we got arrested and sentenced to prison for our crimes, the Lord stood by us. He did so even when we did not have a relationship with Him. Still, He knew the day would come when we would open our hearts and welcome Him into our lives as Savior and Lord.
Once Jacob made things right with both God and Esau, he became a new person. The once deceitful second son of Isaac was renamed by the Lord as "Israel." His new name was meant to signify a new life. "And this is exactly what the Lord Jesus did with us," I said.
Just like it says in the New Testament, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away (they ceased to exist the moment we repented of our sins), and behold, all things have become new (at the very moment we placed our faith in the Lord Jesus)" 2 Corinthians 5:17.*
D.B.
*The words in parentheses are my own.
In last night's Bible study, I had the class look at the life and character of Jacob. He was the son of Isaac and Rebekah, and the brother of Esau. Although they were twins, Jacob and Esau were as different as night and day. Esau was shown to be the physically stronger of the two, while Jacob was something of a "mama's boy."
But the day came when their father Isaac was getting up in years. As was the custom back then, what was known as a "birthright" was traditionally passed on to the eldest son. Since Esau was the first one to come out of his mother's womb, it was his to receive. But Jacob managed to talk Esau out of it by taking advantage of him when he was hungry.
Later, Jacob would trick his father, who was now close to death, into thinking he was Esau. Taking advantage of his elderly father's feebleness, Jacob stood in his older brother's place, hoping to con the almost completely blind parent into thinking he was Esau. Jacob did this in order to get the birthright, which in those times was a prized thing to have.
Jacob, as the story goes, succeeded with his ploy. But when Esau found out what Jacob did, he wanted to kill him. Who could blame Esau? His own brother swindled him. By today's standards, this would be like conning another member of one's family out of his inheritance.
When Isaac realized he'd been deceived by his younger son, he cried to Esau, "Your brother tricked me and stole your blessing" (Genesis 27:35 CEV). Esau, now filled with rage and hatred towards his brother, said, "Just as soon as my father dies, I'll kill Jacob" (Genesis 27:41 CEV).
Fearing for his life and at the urging of his mother, Jacob left town in a hurry. He settled in a land called Haran, where he took shelter in the home of his mother Rebekah's brother, Laban. Here he would end up spending twenty years under Laban's roof, working almost like a slave. Laban, as it turned out, was just as much a deceiver and cheater as Jacob was. Now he was getting a taste of his own medicine.
But to fast-forward to the end of the story, Jacob and Esau were finally reunited. Twenty years had passed since he ran away. Yet, the time came for Jacob to seek his brother's forgiveness. A terrified Jacob still thought his brother was out to get him. But when they saw each other, they embraced. The old wounds of bitterness and resentment were healed.
As the class read and discussed the story, we saw what an obvious liar and cheater Jacob was. But an interesting aspect to it was that throughout all this time, God never took His eyes off Jacob. God's plan for him came to pass at the right moment.
I said, "Brothers, it's the same with us." God chose Jacob even before he was born. He knew Jacob had character defects such as deceitfulness and selfishness, and how much trouble he would end up bringing upon himself and others because of his lies and schemes.
Like Jacob, we put ourselves through much pain. Yet God did not reject us. Unlike some of the members of our families may have done once we got arrested and sentenced to prison for our crimes, the Lord stood by us. He did so even when we did not have a relationship with Him. Still, He knew the day would come when we would open our hearts and welcome Him into our lives as Savior and Lord.
Once Jacob made things right with both God and Esau, he became a new person. The once deceitful second son of Isaac was renamed by the Lord as "Israel." His new name was meant to signify a new life. "And this is exactly what the Lord Jesus did with us," I said.
Just like it says in the New Testament, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation. Old things have passed away (they ceased to exist the moment we repented of our sins), and behold, all things have become new (at the very moment we placed our faith in the Lord Jesus)" 2 Corinthians 5:17.*
D.B.
*The words in parentheses are my own.
