God Spot

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God Spot
This Christian Resource Blog has been created by a group of friends from around the world. Our purpose is to provide links to useful resources, some commentary on topical or doctrinal issues, a place where anyone can come with questions and a means whereby we can share our faith. And above all, to grow and encourage each other. As Christians, we believe we bear God's image in this world, and seek to glorify God's name in this endeavour. Any Christian who wants to join with us is very welcome!

Friday, August 22, 2003

Rebekah and Jacob - #2

I've been trying to get back to this. Still feel there's a lot of depths to plumb, and hopefully learn some useful things in the process. Following is the tack taken by the BSF notes (which were written, it tells us, by Audrey Wetherell Johnson herself!)

Gen 25 closes with Jacob's legitimate but unworthy victory over Esau whereby he obtained by strategy the birthright which God intended for him and which he would have given in grace in His own time.

I was intrigued by the word "unworthy" used to describe Jacob's actions; this is not how I have been brought up to view this bit of the story. But on reflection, a few fundamental principles seem to be seeping into my thick skull, which are perhaps applicable to this event; to the next bit about R&J deceiving and lying to Isaac as well as blaspheming; and even to our modern lives as Christians today?

These are that God chooses to do His work by means of humans in a way that leaves it clear that it is His power accomplishing the thing (there are any number of examples in scripture; eg. walls of Jericho); by this means all glory is to God alone (we take no credit; eg. Matt.5:16); and God specialises in the "just-in-time" principle (ref. Abraham offering Isaac) which does a number of things for us:

- leaves us gasping in grateful wonder and amazement, full of praise;
- tests our faith, to what degree do we really trust and depend on our heavenly Father's power; and
- teaches us a lesson in dependency which we are unlikely to forget (note the lesson Joshua learned in Ex.17 when he won a momentous battle, but only while Moses held his arms aloft!).

With these things in mind, back to BSF notes on R&J:

Whereas Jacob's method of his craftily obtaining the birthright was at least allowable, his conniving to obtain the promised blessing was totally wrong. While God honoured Jacob's good points and some of Jacob's basic attitudes, such as J's appreciation of the glory of God's promised inheritance and J's all-consuming passion to have a part in that which was promised, God at the same time strongly disciplined J for his deceit, his cunning, and his lies.

Clearly the way R&J went about achieving what they knew was God's intention (that J get the "blessing") violated all of the priciples that I'd gleaned above! (the voice of human reasoning would say "but what else could Rebekah have done?". What else indeed! - therein lies the lesson, for me at least, I feel)

But I liked the summary they gave of Jacob:
We are made to see Jacob's sins, his faith, and God's dealings with him in grace, in chastisement, by revelation, and by rebuke as He molds Jacob's character into that of the dignified man of stature he eventually became.

Hey, I'm finding I can relate to that guy!

# posted by geoff @ 5:14 pm

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