Jacob

https://odb.org/2024/07/05/grappling-with-god

I was on annual leave from work yesterday and couldn’t make the early morning slot to prepare and write my morning devotional commentary as after 7.00 a.m., I had to leave to travel to the smaller city for the weekend. But as I liked Jacob, I wanted to talk about him for today’s commentary.

First, I commend the writer of Genesis, attributed to Moses, for not glossing over Jacob’s character flaws, especially his cunning and conniving ways. I used to wonder how such a cunning man could be one of the patriarchs of the Jews? The wonder of Scripture is that it lays to bear for all to see, human weaknesses, and sin. For example, Abraham lied about Sarah to King Abimelech or the adultery of King David. Or even the murder of Abel by Cain.

Although there were sins, there was repentance. After this encounter with the angel (actually, it was God Himself in the form of an angel) where Jacob grappled and struggled with God and refused to let go until “the angel” blessed him, Jacob became a changed man. He became to be known as Israel. It was this same Jacob whose son was Joseph, who eventually became the prime minister of Egypt and saved his clan from extinction from the severe famine. The clan of 70 led by patriach Jacob, who settled in Egypt, became 600,000 abled bodied men 430 years later, meaning if you include the women and children, the children of Israel had grown to about 2 million by then.

The story of the bible is characterised by God’s love and compassion. Sin has its painful consequences, but God’s love remain intact always. If we repent of our sins and seek His forgiveness for our wayward and rebellious ways, He will forgive us and restore to us what the locusts have devoured.

The parable of the prodigal son illustrates this very well. Although the prodigal son took his inheritance and squandered it all away with reckless living, when he came home fully repentful (he was willing to live with and eat what the pigs ate), the father threw a feast of the best calf, gave him back his robe and placed a ring in his finger. The latter signifies restoration and redemption. Was that fair to the elder brother who stayed behind and faithfully served the father? The point is that what the father had was always the elder brother’s. More pertinently, Jesus said to Peter before – what is that to you if I want John to live until I return?

As much as sin has its consequences, as people after God’s heart, we must always be glad to see the restoration and redemption of a repentant sinner, no matter how cruel or terrible his past life was. Christian life is always about turning back to God and turning a new leaf.

As we close this week tomorrow, repent and return to God if we have strayed away from Him. Seek His forgiveness. It is good to start well, but in Christian life, it is essential that we end well. No matter what’s our present age and no matter how much we have wasted before in the past, we can start afresh today in God. Repent and return to Him, the path to eternal life remains open to us!