BaptistWay Bible Series for May 16: Jacob: Deception and blessing

A background of deceit

“Jacob” means “he grasps” or “he deceives.” Born grasping the heal of his older brother, Jacob’s early life is characterized by deceit—both perpetrated by him and upon him. He takes advantage of his brother’s hunger to bargain for the older brother’s precious birthright (Genesis 25:30-34). He conspires with his mother to defraud his father into giving him his brother’s blessing (27:8-29).

Later, he carries out a complicated plan to manipulate the breeding patterns, places and times of Laban’s flocks in order to produce more speckled or spotted calves that will belong to him (30:37-43).  

None of this paints Jacob in a good light. He is selfish, scheming, dishonest, manipulative and downright mean.

Jacob has his turn on the receiving end of deceit, of course, when Uncle Laban slips the “weak-eyed” Leah in place of Rachel under cover of darkness (and no doubt with the aid of some good wine) (29:23). Jacob awakes sober and expecting to gaze upon Rachel, and there is Leah instead (29:25).

These stories are intended to make a point. God’s blessing is not reserved for the blameless. Jacob is a long way from blameless. Still, the promise of God to his grandfather Abram means Jacob is a crucial part of the line of patriarchs—he receives the blessing of God notwithstanding his own complete unworthiness. As we do, Jacob lives a life worthy of condemnation. God has other plans.

Bethel, part one

Before Jacob meets his Uncle Laban and Leah and Rachel, Jacob is fleeing Esau. Stopping for the night to rest, Jacob has a dream. He sees a ladder going to heaven, with angels moving up and down —the literal “stairway to heaven.” He hears, for the first time in his life, God’s recital of his promise to Abram, now repeated to Jacob: “I am God, the God of your father and his father. I will give you this land, and the number of your descendants will be as the dust. Wherever you go, I will bless you” (28:13-15).  

Awakening, Jacob does a curious—and instructive—thing. He recognizes the presence of God. “Surely the Lord is in this place … . This is none other than the house of God, the gate of heaven” (28:16-17). Out of the mouth of the deceiver—the liar—comes this truth that faces each of us: God is here, and we need to take notice of it. This place that hours before seemed no more than a place to stretch out and lay our head on a rock is in fact the place where angels tread, where God moves. It is a sanctuary.

So Jacob builds an altar and names the place Bethel, “the house of God.”  He promises allegiance to God and offers a tithe. God has chosen him, and Jacob recognizes God is present.

Peniel

Fast forward now to Jacob’s journey away from Laban, with his speckled flocks and his two wives. Having long ago blessed Jacob, God now returns to visit Jacob in a most unusual way—as a wrestler.

Jacob wrestles with God. The metaphor here for own lives is strong. We start out as Jacob, a deceiver. We become Israel, one who struggles with God. We humans, who have a deceitful and manipulative nature, will inevitably struggle with God. God blesses us despite our failings, but God does not want us to remain as we were. God meets us on our road and touches us.

Struggling with God is not taboo. God can handle our questions, our anger and our attempts to dislodge him from his place in our lives. Like Jacob, we find ourselves alone with God, and we fight. Like Jacob, we come out of this fight with two marked changes:

•    First, we find that our name has been changed. God no longer sees us as the deceiver; God knows we are a struggler. We do not “win” the struggle or change God, but our very nature is changed. God speaks to us differently. We are Israel.
•    Second, we find that our walk is changed. Jacob, now Israel, walks with a limp. In struggling with God, Israel has had his body touched. When we struggle with God, we will find that our way of doing things has changed. The more manipulative we have been—the more we embodied the grasping, deceiving “Jacob” within us—the more that change will hurt, at least initially. Changing the ingrained can be painful.  

Again, Jacob recognizes the significance of the place and of the presence of God, and he names the place Peniel, for there he has seen the face of God (32:30).

Bethel, part two

Going back to Bethel is a critical part of Israel’s life. Israel is in trouble. His sons have exacted revenge for what they believe is the defilement of their sister (34:1-31), and Isreal fears reprisal. He hears the word of the Lord that it is time to go back to Bethel (35:1).

Bethel is the place of Jacob’s ladder, where he had first heard the covenant of God. Bethel reminds Israel not only that God is with him but that God has blessed and protected him (35:3). When Jacob arrives again at Bethel, God reminds him of both his name change and the covenant. Jacob’s nature is changed—he is no longer the grasper, he is the struggler. He is Israel. God’s covenant still is sure, and God’s plans are not changed.

In “Les Miserables,” Jean Valjean steals silver candlesticks from the bishop, but the bishop forgives the transgression and sets Valjean free, giving him the candlesticks to take with him as a sign the bishop has “bought your soul for God.”

In the stage production, the director always makes sure the candlesticks remain prominent for Valjean, and the audience, to see: the reminder of the sacrifice made and the time when Valjean first understood the presence of God is never far away.  

We Christians all have markers in our walks, places and times in our journeys that have signified the very presence of God to us. When we are in trouble, we need to find that marker, to look at our candlesticks. We often need to go back to Bethel.