The story of Jacob is fascinating to read. With all its twists and turns of life, how this man became someone that God loved, despite his glaring shortcomings, is a subject worth studying. What was it that made God meet with Jacob? While many young men were probably more devout and pious, what made God favor Jacob?
Who is Jacob?
If someone asked me about a friend I knew, I would perhaps describe her personality, what she was good at, and maybe her family and what she was doing currently. Now, if someone asked about Jacob, the kind of description that people gave about him was not at all pretty.
By all probability, their report about Jacob was that he was “devious, deceptive, and crooked.” He walked amidst friends and family with not only a name that meant “supplanter,” but he lived up to his name to the utter resentment of his brother Esau.
Imagine being Jacob. Scriptures tell us that he was not his dad’s favorite. In a patriarchal society back in biblical days, quite evidently, this in itself was a big blow. Also, after his first deception of Esau over the birthright, things must have taken a turn for the worse with his father and relatives. I can almost see Esau telling his relatives and neighbors about how Jacob had deceived him. That could have possibly estranged Jacob further away from his friends and family. Jacob must have been an unwelcome family member because of his bitter confrontations with his brother. Jacob was probably the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons. But God still loved Jacob — the question still lingers, Why?
In this fallen world that we live in, can you quickly recollect a couple of people to whom you would attribute the characteristics of Jacob — “devious, deceptive, cheat?” I’m not sure who came to your mind when I mentioned these three words, but the name that should top the list is “our own.”
When God asked Jacob, “What is your name?”, it wasn’t a casual question. The God who knows the end from the beginning pointedly asked Jacob, “Who are you?” All of his deceptions, crookedness, and vileness must have flashed across the mind of Jacob. I don’t think Jacob must have given his name right away. He must have paused, thought about all of his past, and as one wretched and helpless man, fell at the feet of the master, confessing, “I am Jacob.” And that made all the difference.
“The LORD upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.” (Psalm 145:14)
It is no surprise to God, the wretchedness of man’s heart. God knows the hearts of men. The fact remains that Esau was just as wretched as Jacob. For the scriptures clearly tell us that the heart is deceitful above all things ( Jeremiah 17:9).
But the difference was, while Esau trusted in his good reputation with his earthly father and the society in general as a merit for God’s blessings, God lightly esteemed the same. Whereas, what God was looking for was that simple, humble, helpless confession like the psalmist says:
“You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” (Psalm 16:2)
The story of Esau and Jacob reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son. The older son, like Esau, worked day and night for the father and was righteous in all that he did. While this is commendable, even without his own realization, he began to trust in his own righteousness as a merit for his father to bless him. But the younger son, like Jacob, lived a wayward life far from the sight of his father. But eventually, there came a point when he realized he wanted nothing more than just being a servant in his father’s house. So saying, he came and fell at his father’s feet with a heart full of remorse. The father, being full of compassion and mercy, lifted him and clothed him with honor and splendor.
The reason I believe God lifted Jacob was because of that helpless confession. Jacob knew the wretchedness of his heart. He knew he had no hope without God. Helpless and desperate, he confessed, “Lord, I am Jacob…. But, please bless me!”
In many aspects, we are no different from Jacob. The supplanter nature of Jacob is intertwined within us, which is impossible to get rid of, except by the grace of God and the power of the cross. And just like Jacob, when we helplessly cry out to God, “Lord, I am Jacob… I am Jacob… Have mercy on me,” the grace of God steps in to bless us.
“And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:” (Genesis 32:28)
To those relatives of his who knew Jacob’s deceptive schemes of the past, this encounter that Jacob had with God and the blessing with which God blessed Jacob, would most certainly seem unfair. But that doesn’t change God’s stance.
The sinner who runs to Him finds grace, while the righteous who think they are good enough are still far from grace.
From being hated by everyone because of his unforgivable actions, he was changed to becoming a blessing to the nations, all because he dared to confess who he truly was at the feet of a loving Savior.
