OF SIN, DIVINE MERCY, PAIN AND BLESSING....THE JACOB STORY
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SIN AND SUFFERING
Jacob had deceived his blind father into giving him his deathbed blessings instead of rightfully to Esau his elder brother, from whom Jacob also cheated his birth-right.
Shortly after his father’s death, Jacob left Canaan to look for his mother’s brother, Laban. There he took his uncle’s daughters (Leah, and then Rachel) as wives, and tolled as a shepherd. For the 20 years he worked for Laban and he suffered much.
Gen 31:38-41 - "These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. 39 That which was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself; of my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night. It was like this with me: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters, and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed.”
Gen 29:23-27 - He was also cheated by Laban, after 7 years of labour, who gave him Leah instead of Rachel whom he loved.
Gen 31:2 - Laban was no longer as friendly, people were against Jacob.
So here, we find Jacob who had arrived at his uncle’s land with a blessing by his father on his head. Yet he lived 20 years suffering.
- The punishment of sin takes the same form of the sin itself.
- Jacob cheated his father and Esau.
- Jacob in turn was being cheated repeatedly for 20 years.
- In the 20 years Jacob was cheated over and over, he suffered, he was in misery, tolled hard, he couldn’t sleep well. He had reached the stage where he couldn’t go on. And finally the Lord inspired him to return home (Gen 31:3).
- It was necessary to return to the place where he had cheated others, to go back to do reparation, to repent sufficiently and to ask pardon.
- In all of the 20 years, in spite of his suffering, Jacob was protected.
- God’s mercy was there (Gen 31:5, 42) protecting him throughout all the 20 years.
- But the blessing which Jacob inherited was not operating. Sin was operating in his life.
DESPITE SIN OPERATING, DIVINE MERCY IS WORKING
- The will/plan of God and the mercy of God are two different things.
- Even when the plan of God is not being accomplished, God’s mercy is operating.
- Unless we return, repent, ask pardon, make reparation for the wrongs we have done, we are not allowing the plan of God and the blessing of God to take place in our lives.
- In Jacob’s case, divine mercy was making him return.
THE PAINFUL INCIDENTS OF OUR LIVES ARE CONNECTED WITH BLESSINGS AND SALVATION
Gen 32:22-32 - The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man[b] said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel,[c] for you have striven with God and with humans,[d] and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel,[e] saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle.
Just before reaching home, we see Jacob sending his family and herds ahead of him. He was alone when a stranger entered into a wrestle with him and during this encounter his name was changed. He came out of this encounter limping because his hip bone was damaged. Jacob said he saw the face of God, and named the place Peniel (the face of God).
For 20 years, Jacob had been in a particular sin - he had cheated someone and he had not gone back to ask for pardon. To do this, one needs to humble oneself to obey the will of God. It is not easy.
"What does Jacob’s wrestling and refusing to let go mean?” Fr Bobby referred to St Augustine who said this that this was because “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” Mat 11:12 (NRSV)
Fr Bobby pointed out:
- To wrestle means to hold on to Christ, to love one's enemy. We hold on to Christ here and now if we love our enemies, if we are ready to forgive.
- The angel in the person of the Lord was wrestling with Jacob. When Jacob got the upper hand and holding him fast. The hollow of the thigh was injured.
- The stranger said let me go, but Jacob won’t let him go until he received the blessing.
- The stranger changed Jacob’s name to ISRAEL. In Hebrew IS=Man. RA=evil/sin. EL=God.
- Between man and God, sin is blocking. Israel is a constant reminder that our sin is blocking our coming together with God. The blessing of the Lord was blocked because of sin.
Jacob comes out as a blessed person but limping.
- This one single person in one respect is withered up and limping in pain and in another he is blessed to give him vigour.
- Once he was ready to obey the Lord in returning back to the place where he had sin, to ask pardon, to humble himself, that same night he was blessed. And then the blessing starts operating in him.
BLESSINGS AND PAIN
The blessing and the painful experiences in our life (the limping) - they are connected.
The Lord reminds us that every limping experience in our lives - the struggles that we have, the painful incidents in our lives - they are connected with blessings and salvation. Pain and faith are interconnected.
Mat 16 - He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you.” Then Jesus proceeded to give Peter the keys of Heaven and that on this rock Peter he will build his church. Jesus also began to reveal that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering. Peter rebuked Jesus saying “God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.” And Jesus reprimanded him extraordinarily sternly “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me…"
- As soon as Peter proclaimed Jesus is the Son of God,
- authority was given to him.
- Jesus reveals his impending suffering.
- Jesus who had just said to Peter, “Blessed are you…and you are rock...”, tells the same Peter, “go behind me, Satan”
- Peter accepted the blessings, but wanted to deny the suffering
- And Jesus says this denial of suffering is not from God, it is from the evil one.
When we deny suffering, when we run away from it, we say we don’t need it, that it should not happen...we are not with the Lord, we are not on the side of blessing, we are not on the side of salvation, we are working against the Lord.
- END -
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