Read: Genesis 28
At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, “I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”(Genesis 28:13-15 NLT)
Jacob in Hebrew means "one who follows on another's heels; supplanter."
In reading Jacob’s story in the book of Genesis, one may ask ‘Why was he blessed by God even though he was a trickster?’ or ‘Why would God choose a bad person to bless?’
We are all familiar that during those times, a birthright is one of the most precious possession the eldest son may have for he would have the double portion of the inheritance his father would be leaving behind. In the early part of the life of Jacob, we saw his elder brother Esau sold his birthright to him just because he (Esau) was famished. In the later chapters, we would see how he agreed with the plan of his mother Rebekah to be blessed by his father instead of his elder brother and how, when Esau found out, made his brother upset and angry.
Another is when he fell in love with Laban’s younger daughter and made him serve his uncle Laban for a total of 14 years just to get what he wants – Rachel, and forgetting his first wife, Leah.
Indeed, Jacob’s life is like reading a telenovela. It is very relatable and very true as we may know somebody who seems to have a life like this too.
But our focus tonight is not about Jacob but how God moved in the life of Jacob despite all the circumstances he has been through and, how God fulfilled his covenant with Jacob.
In Genesis 25:23 And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.” This was God telling Rebekah about the sons she has in her womb. From here, we would already know that Jacob was chosen by God regardless of his birth-order.
While pondering and going through this story, I was just deeply moved as to how God would mold and give beauty to someone’s life despite the misery and all the bad choices one had made. I am not saying that we keep on doing bad choices because it is fine, but, with this realization, we should all the more strive to persevere in keeping our relationship with God deeper and stronger.
As seen in the life of Jacob, God made him utter his name when God wrestled with him during that time wherein he was hesitant to cross-over to meet his elder brother. Remembering how he introduced himself to his very own father as Esau twice, but in Genesis 32 wherein Jacob was wrestling with God he was asked, “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel because you have fought with God and with men and have won.” As he utters his name to God, he tells God that he is a deceiver, a bargainer then God blessed Him making his name now Israel for he had fought with God.
So as I end this, ‘‘Why would God choose a bad person to bless?’ this I cannot answer. But one thing is for sure, God really wants to bless you. You have the choice to let go of what you have been holding on to for the longest time so you may know who God is and how much He loves you.
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