 Wednesday: Choosing Israel
Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel.
Genesis 32:28
Good things happen. Sometimes they happen in spite of us. That probably sounds
like a strange statement, but consider it in this context. A woman conceived
twin sons. The boys began fighting even before they were born. She asked
God to explain what was happening. The Lord told her that her children would
be contentious, and that the older child would serve the younger.
The twins were still fighting at birth. As the first arrived, the second
was grabbing his heel. The older twin was named for his appearance. He was
Esau, or "hairy." The younger twin was named for his conduct. He was Jacob,
which means "heel grabber." Being a heel grabber wasn't just a silly name.
It was a phrase for someone who tricks or deceives other people, much like
"pulling your leg" today, but without a humorous side.
Over the years, the boys grew into their names. Esau became hairier; Jacob
became trickier. Jacob's tricks eventually enraged Esau to the point that
Jacob had to run for his life. Even as he ran, though, God gave Jacob a vision
of blessing. For the next several years Jacob began amassing wealth while
working for his uncle, Laban. He also learned about being on the receiving
end of schemes and tricks when his uncle switched brides on him at his wedding.
Eventually Jacob began a journey to return home. Before the journey's end,
he got into a fight with God. He struggled with God all night, and insisted
on receiving God's blessing. At the end of the fight, God gave Jacob a new
name. Instead of being the heel grabber, he became Israel, the one who contends.
Jacob contended with Esau and Isaac. He contended with Laban. He even contended
with God. Through it all, God was shaping and molding him. God had chosen
Israel to be a part of God's plan to bless the world. Being able to contend
and overcome would be important for God's people, and it remains important
today in the Christian era.
On our pilgrim journey we will encounter obstacles and difficulties. We may
try to rely on our own craftiness for a while, but in the end we have to
learn to face God and deal with His rules and demands. To fulfill God's calling
in our lives, we have to set aside trickery and deceit and seek God's blessings.
God, thank you for your blessings. Thank you for giving me a hunger to
be blessed. I am sorry for those times when I try to trick my way into receiving
your blessings. Help me to remember that I will only realize your greatest
blessings when I set aside all deceit and face you honestly. In Jesus' name
I pray, Amen.
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