Readings for today: Genesis 31:17-32:12, Matthew 10:24-11:6, Psalms 13, Proverbs 3:16-18
There comes a time in every person’s life when their sin catches up to them. The bill for their mistakes and misdeeds finally comes due. You cannot run forever. You cannot hide forever. You cannot escape from your past. It must be faced. Jacob had spent his entire life scheming to get ahead. A master manipulator, he had robbed his brother of his birthright. Robbed Laban of his flocks and herds. Done everything in his power to get ahead. Secure his own future. He even tried to “deal” with God. "If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you." (Genesis 28:20-22)
Now Jacob’s caught between a rock and a hard place. He’s burned his bridges with Laban so he can’t go back. The stone they set up serves as a constant reminder of his past sins. He is afraid to go forward. His past is coming back to haunt him. Esau, his brother, is on his way with four hundred men. Doesn’t sound like he’s forgotten everything that happened all those years ago. Jacob is stuck. He’s out of options. No more games. No more cards to play. He’s got to face the music. (That’s a whole lot of cliches...) God has him right where He wants him.
God is sovereign. He orchestrates all things for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Jacob has been called. Jacob is loved. Jacob is about to meet God face to face. Unbeknownst to Jacob, God has been looking forward to this moment. God has been planning for this moment. God has brought Jacob to this point because God wants to do something in Jacob’s life that will change him forever. But Jacob has to be broken. Jacob must be forced to submit. Jacob must be brought to the end of himself and meet God on His terms.
How many of us are facing a similar situation? We’ve schemed and manipulated our way as far as we can go. We’ve accumulated wealth and possessions along the way but it has come at no small cost. We’ve left some bodies in our wake. We’ve damaged our own souls in the process. All of us know what this feels like. It’s the way we shade the truth just a bit to come out ahead. The way we take credit for someone else’s work. The way we tell our stories as if we were the hero. It’s the way we orchestrate life, primarily for our own benefit. We probably have even tried to bargain with God. None of us are clean. All of us have a little Jacob in us. And most, if not all of us, will face a reckoning. A moment in time when the house of cards we’ve built comes crashing down. Our marriage fails. Our business crumbles. Our creditors come calling. Our kids call us out. We come face to face with the consequences of our addictions.
The great news is God is waiting for us there. He is waiting for us in that space. Waiting to meet us face to face. Deal with us mano y mano. He has been patiently waiting. Patiently working. Patiently bringing us to this point where have no other choice but to surrender. It’s a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. It’s also the best thing for us. Stop running. Stop hiding. Stop pretending. Turn and face your fear. Turn and face your God. Let Him transform your life.
Readings for tomorrow: Genesis 32:13-34:31, Matthew 11:7-30, Psalms 14, Proverbs 3:19-20