Readings for the day: Genesis 27, 28, 29
Someone once said, “The Christian faith is always one generation away from extinction.” Meaning unless we are intentional about passing on our faith to our children and our children’s children, Christianity itself could disappear. We see the same dynamic present as we read through Genesis. Each generation faces its own challenges. Each generation wrestles with its own crises. Each generation must come face to face with God in order for the covenant to be renewed. And the challenges are not just between the different generations but often there are dynamics in play within a generation that put the promise of God at risk.
So today we read about Isaac, Jacob and Esau. Isaac is getting old. His eyesight is gone. He cannot recognize his own children and one gets the sense that he has lost control over his home. His two boys are constantly fighting for primacy in the family. They can sense their father’s time grows short. There is much at stake beyond even the promises of God. There is wealth. Servants. Livestock. The future. Esau sold his birthright years ago but that incident seems long forgotten. Rebekah is very aware of the prophecy given to her and Isaac before the boys were even born that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob) and she seems bent on making it happen on her own. Together with Jacob, they scheme to take advantage of Isaac’s disability in order to secure the inheritance. Their timing is perfect and Jacob becomes officially recognized as the heir, leaving Esau high and dry. Esau’s in a rage and makes plans to kill his brother. It’s almost like we’re watching Cain and Abel all over again. But Rebekah delivers her favored son by getting Isaac to send him off to find a wife among Rebekah’s kinsmen.
It’s quite the soap opera. As readers, we are not given any answers as to why God continues to remain faithful to this family. Despite all the scheming and manipulation, God still visits Jacob in a dream. Still renews His promise to give Jacob land and offspring to fill the earth. Where’s the justice? Why does Jacob seem to get a pass? What’s going on here? Over and over again, God is reminding us that His decision to save is purely out of mercy. It has nothing to do with our work. Nothing to do with our moral character. Nothing to do with our thoughts, attitudes, or actions.
The grace of God is radical, friends. The love of God is unconditional. The mercy of God is unfathomable. It is not rational. It is not reasonable. It is not explainable. It simply is true. And we either believe it or we don’t. We surrender to it or we don’t. In the next few chapters, we will have a front row seat to the transformation God works in the life of Jacob. It takes years and many hard lessons along the way. Jacob eventually breaks before the grace of God - as we all do - and becomes a new creation.
Where is God’s grace at work in your life today? Where is God currently at work transforming you from what you are to what you will become? In what areas of your life do you see the new creation emerging? Perhaps your family is like Jacob’s. Full of dysfunction and conflict. Take heart! God is with you! He will not let His promise fail!