Dear Amy,
Who is your least favourite Bible character?
Many of the kings of Israel were thoroughly wicked, and Jezebel was an absolute shocker, evil beyond imagining, but for me there is one who stands out, a truly vile and revolting little man: Jacob.
Jacob was a man without integrity. Even his name means “he cheats”. He manipulated his starving brother Esau to give up the birthright to him. He tricked his aging, blind father to give him the blessing that was due to Esau, lying brazenly even as he was receiving it. His household was defined by immorality and unfaithfulness, as he fathered children through each and every one of Leah, Rachel, and the two servant girls Bilhah and Zilpah. He stole Laban’s livestock through a dirty little scheme of corrupting their breeding process, after which he ran away. And years later, when Esau had graciously forgiven him and was offering an emotional reconciliation (revealing the noble heart his brother lacked) Jacob still continued with his tricks and lies. What a despicable little man he was (Genesis 25-33).
After all this what then happened?
God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” So he called his name Israel. And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come from your own body. The land that I gave to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you, and I will give the land to your offspring after you.”
― Genesis 35:9-12
Isn’t this simply astonishing? The Lord’s covenant promise to Abraham, that man of great faith, was continued through this despicable little man. Is the Lord such a terrible judge of character that he made a rather poor choice here? By no means!
Here’s the key to understanding this.
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
― 1 Corinthians 1:27-31
We would do well to remember this. The Lord demonstrated his sovereign power through Jacob, that despicable little man, and he continues to demonstrate it through us, in all of our foolishness and weakness and nothingness. Because of him we are in Christ Jesus. Let us boast in him, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption!
Pursue love and holiness, Amy, and leave it to the Lord to work out how he will achieve his Kingdom plans and purposes! 🙏