God Hasn't Given Up on You Yet

Read Genesis 27-28

Suddenly the Lord was standing on the staircase (ladder) and said, ‘I am the Lord…” –Genesis 28:13

I don’t really like Jacob. If you’ve been reading along with me in the book of Genesis, you know why. Jacob was a mama’s boy. He took advantage of his brother Esau in a time of need and acquired Esau’s birthright. He deceived his father into giving him a blessing that was meant for Esau. When it appeared that Jacob was finally going to get what was coming to him (Esau was out to kill him), his mother protected him and sent him away to Haran.

On the way to Haran, Jacob stopped for the night and had a dream in which he encountered God. Now, if you were hoping that God appeared in this dream to criticize Jacob for taking advantage of his brother and bartering for his birthright, you’re disappointed. If you thought that God was going to punish Jacob for deceiving his father Isaac into giving him a blessing meant for his brother Esau, you’re mistaken. If you were thinking that God was going to threaten Jacob, that if he didn’t get his act together he’d be in trouble, you thought wrong. Instead, God blessed Jacob.

Well, at least Jacob awoke from this dream and was a changed man, right? Maybe he’ll respond to this undeserved blessing and seek forgiveness from God. Maybe he’ll acknowledge that he shouldn’t have done what he did. Maybe he’ll pledge his immediate and unwavering commitment to God.

I hate to be the one to tell you this, but he didn’t. Instead Jacob said, “IF God is with me, IF God protects me, IF God gives me clothes to wear and returns me safely to my homeland, THEN the Lord will be my God.” This might be the God of Abraham and Isaac, but he won’t be the God of Jacob until God has blessed him in the ways that God promised.

Have I presented a strong enough case for not liking Jacob? Let me give you one more reason why we don’t like Jacob: he’s like you and me. We’ve done things that have not honored God and that have been hurtful to others. And despite our waywardness, in times too many to count, we’ve been treated better than we deserved…at least by God. Like Jacob, we’ve had opportunities (whether we’ve taken them or not) to reflect back on our lives and say, “God was with me and I didn’t even know it.” We have often failed to realize that God’s presence doesn’t depend upon our perception of it. We have experienced the unconditional and undeserved love and grace of God and yet remained unwilling to embrace God as Lord until what God promised has come to pass.

We’re all a lot like Jacob. I’m not suggesting that we should be, but we are. And even when we’re not all that God wants us to be, the blessings of God are still available. So is God’s grace.

Maybe you’ve been avoiding God because of your past. Maybe you’ve been afraid of what God would say to you. Maybe what you need to hear today is a word of grace. Maybe you’re not ready to make a full commitment to God. Maybe you’re still not sure that God can be trusted. Maybe you’re still wrestling with God. You’re in good company. Yes, you’re in the company of Jacob. But you’re also in the company of God. And God hasn’t given up on you yet.