Day #22 - This post is part of a year-long series where we are reading chronologically through the Bible. Click here to learn more. You are most welcome to join along at any time.
Today's text from the ESV Study Bible: Genesis 30-31.
It seems to me that if we consider the life of Jacob thus far, we will find a man not yet grounded in who he is, and worse, not yet fully in submission to God.
Earlier we learned that Isaac seemed to favor the rugged firstborn Esau, and we find Jacob in the favor of his mother.
In fact, some of the renaissance painters will paint Jacob as somewhat effeminate during this stage of his life. I am not suggesting that his is, just presenting an observation.
Consider also that Jacob tricks Esau out of his birthright, and lies to obtain the blessing that should have been Esau's. And then we find Jacob running for his life to Paddan-aram so that he won't be killed by this older brother for this deception.
On his way to Paddan-aram, we also get a glimpse of Jacob's immature, and perhaps even disrespectful behavior to God when he builds a pagan-like pillar to God, after his dream, rather than a proper alter.
If we think about Jacob's life thus far, it seems that he lacks the bold character of a patriarch, and certainly the resolved submissive fear of God that his forefathers possessed.
Think about how Jacob must have felt after he spent 20 years in labor to Laban, only to have Laban reduce his wealth to nothing by having his sons sneak away all of Jacob's herd.
Consider Jacob's character as he rebuilds the herd only to sneak away while Laban is away.
In regards to his faith we find that for some unknown reason his wife carries away idols, and once a truce is built between Laban and himself, he erects another pillar instead of an alter.
God isn't done molding Jacob yet, and in tomorrow's reading we are going to see Jacob's character refined to boiling in the melting pot of Yahweh.
As I consider my life, I can look back upon various places where God had placed me in his refiners fire to melt away impurities in my life.
While it certainly isn't fun, and brings with it generally great pain, afterwords, while we are licking our wounds, we are able to see the hand of God, and the good of it for our lives.
Our Creator desires that we live our lives in total submission. Our fallen nature desires that we live in submission to our own will and desires, apart from God.
Hint: in the end, our fallen nature will lose.
Agree?
