WHO AM I?

By John Stallings


“They say I’m so important that if you made a list of the Top 10 Most Important men in the Old Testament, my name would be near the top.

However, despite the fact that my life and times are so important, most folk know relatively little about me.

I don’t make a very good roll model and to be honest most people, by and large -ignore me. I can fully understand that. I accomplished quite a lot but was overshadowed by my Grandfather and one of my sons.

I’m one of four men who make up the backbone of the book of Genesis. I’m the Son of Isaac, Grandson of Abraham and the Father of Joseph.

I was named “Grabber” as I emerged from my mother’s womb because I was grabbing my twin brother’s foot trying to reposition myself to be born first. This would have given me an advantage. You might call me “the evil twin.”I spent the first part of my life cheating & conniving. Today I’d be like a Vegas card shark among other things. You wouldn’t have wanted to do business with me in my early days.

As time passed I lived up to my name. I grabbed my brother’s birthright in exchange for a bowl of stew. I was my mother’s favorite so she later helped me grab my brother’s blessing belonging to the firstborn. This could sometimes mean as much as two thirds of an estate.

The family I grew up in was dysfunctional; in short it was a mess. My parents set us up for devastating problems by engaging in favoritism. I was my mother’s favorite son.

Who am I?”-

I am…

JACOB

If you know Abraham, Joseph, Isaac and Jacob then you know Genesis chapters 12-50.

The interesting fact is that most of us know a great deal about two of those men and next to nothing about the other two. Abraham and Joseph stand like well-known bookends, while Isaac and Jacob are lost somewhere in the middle.

That’s understandable where Isaac is concerned since, unlike Jacob the Bible doesn’t describe his life in great detail. Esau doesn’t do many exploits because he was basically a passive individual. Can you imagine; he didn’t even have the motivation to go looking for a wife, his father had to send out a servant to find him a bride.

Jacob’s story begins in Genesis 25 and ends with his burial in Genesis 50—a life spanning fully one-half of the book.

Why Is Jacob Important?

1. Because so much is said about Jacob in the book of Genesis.
2. Because Jacob plays such a crucial role in the history of Israel.
3. Because Jacob is a Bible character whose story we can understand.

Beyond all question, he is one of the most “human” characters in all the Bible. As we trace his life, we will discover that he had as many defeats as victories. Unlike some other Bible characters who seem to march from victory to victory, Jacob’s life is a struggle from the very beginning. He comes out grabbing his brother’s heel and dies settling old scores with his children. In between he knows more than his share of sorrow and heartache. He cheats and is cheated, deceives and is deceived, angers and is made angry, shocks and is shocked. In short, here is man who lives life the way many of us do—two steps forward and one step back.

•He was a schemer and a dreamer.
•He had an eye for business and a heart for God.
•He was a businessman who was also a man of faith.
•He cheated his brother and he wrestled with an angel.
•He deceived his father and he heard the very voice of God.

Jacob’s life is a paradox, an enigma, a riddle wrapped in a mystery. He’s a man with warts, with scars, a man who has known the detours of life. We could rightly say that in matters of spirituality, Jacob was a “late bloomer.” He never had it easy, he never made it easy on himself, he made a thousand mistakes, and yet at the end he dies in the faith, which is why Hebrews 11 lists him as one of the heroes of the faith.

If you think about it in one way, to have Jacob’s name mentioned in this chapter of great faith exploits seems a bit incongruous. Why include a man who’s leaning on a staff & worshipping in the great Hall of Fame of believers? What Jacob is doing doesn’t look like a miracle of faith but that staff symbolized his helplessness & and dependence on God and reminds him of the night God broke him of his stubbornness & self-will.

Why was Jacob leaning? Well, the angel knocked his thigh out of joint in that wrestling match. They tell me a man has a problem walking or even standing if his thigh is out of its socket. God allowed that impediment to remain with Jacob for life. To put it bluntly, after Jacob’s encounter with the angel, he was a cripple. The story of Jacob’s life after the night he wrestled with the angel was- learning to lean on God.

There is both warning and encouragement in Jacob’s life—much to follow and much to avoid.

In the end we will discover that the real hero of the story is God. Not Jacob, but God. Jacob is merely the backdrop against which we see both the justice and mercy of God. In many ways he is the Peter of the Old Testament—the man whom God used in spite of himself. Over his life we should write in big letters—ROMANS 8:28—for if any man ever proved that “all things do work together for good"—it is Jacob. He’s the walking embodiment of that verse. Somehow God saw within him the potential for greatness.

In the end the schemer becomes a prince and the manipulator becomes a man of faith. When God is through with Jacob, he is transformed into a patriarch—the father of an entire nation.

After his death, the nation eventually called itself “Israel” in his honor—looking to him as its Founding Father. Later in the Old Testament, God often referred to the nation Israel as “the house of Jacob.”

Consider his resume’…

He is born clutching his brother’s heel.
He cheats his brother out of the birthright.
He deceives his father in order to obtain the blessing.
He spends 20 years in Haran where his uncle Laban cheats him.
He tries to bargain his way back into Esau’s good graces.
His children are involved in rape and murder.
His oldest son sleeps with his maidservant Bilhah.
His favorite son Joseph is kidnapped by his other sons.His heart is broken by sorrow.
In his youth he was a schemer.
In his middle years he was a hireling to Laban.
In his old age he was depressed and discouraged.
And he died in Egypt—not in the Promised Land.

If you looked at his story from that perspective, it would appear that his life was a failure. But it wasn’t. It’s his name after all that ends up in Hebrews 11—not Esau’s. That’s the wonder and glory of his life. Jacob was a man of faith.

If you need any other proof, consider this: When God wanted to identify himself to his people, he said… “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” That encourages me. I’m so glad our God is the God of Jacob, too. Not just of Abraham and Isaac. He’s also the God of Jacob. He doesn’t just run with the winners. Our God is also the God of those who struggle and scrap their way through life, sometimes barely making it, and hanging on by their finger-tips. That’s the kind of God he is—He’s the “God of Jacob.”

TWENTY YEARS OF PRAYER

The story of Jacob’s life begins before he was born. Genesis 25:19-26 tells the story of his birth with two chronological details: Isaac was 40 years old when he married Rebekah and 60 years old when Jacob and Esau were finally born. Married at 40, had children at 60. Verse 21 tells us…
“Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.”

We don’t totally understand that today, but in Isaac’s day the worst thing that could happen to a woman was to be childless. It was taken as a sign that you were outside God’s favor. Furthermore, to be childless meant you had no one to take care of you in your old age.

So Isaac prayed for his wife. Not once, but again and again he begged God to open Rebekah’s womb. What is to us only a small notice in the biblical record was to Isaac a crucial point. He prayed for his wife. Incidentally, so far as I know, this is the only time in the Bible where a husband is specifically said to have prayed for his wife. I’m sure it must have happened often, but this is the only time it is directly mentioned.

Rebekah’s inability to give birth presented Isaac with a dilemma. After all, God had promised Abraham that his “seed” would become a great nation. In Genesis 22 that promise was repeated to Isaac. But how would it happen unless Rebekah becomes pregnant?

One year passes.
Two years pass.
Three years pass.
Four years pass.

No children. Where is God? What about his promise? So Isaac prays harder … and the years pass quickly. No children. Where is God? Has he forgotten what he said? Was it all a kind of cruel cosmic joke by the Almighty? Has God changed his mind?

So Isaac prayed. The word means “to entreat” or “to beg.” “O God, remove the shame, remove the stigma. O God, keep your promise. Give us a child.”

GOD AND GOD ALONE

Why did Isaac and Rebekah have to wait 20 years for an answer? I’ll answer that when I know why our prayers are not answered immediately. We pray and pray and sometimes we pray for years … and still the heavens seem as brass. Where is God when we need him? Why doesn’t He answer?

What was God doing during those 20 years of waiting? Let me suggest three answers:

1. He was developing Isaac’s faith.
2. He was teaching Isaac patience.
3. He was arranging the circumstances so that when the answer finally came, God alone would get the credit.

Those three points help us understand why God’s answers are often delayed. He wants to develop our faith, he wants to develop our patience, and he wants to make sure that he alone
gets the credit when the answer finally comes.

WHY ME?

Verse 22 gives us the other side of the story. When Rebekah finally gets pregnant, she has a very rough time. I’m sure that at first she and Isaac had a great celebration. Perhaps her friends gave her the equivalent of a baby shower. But as the weeks passed, the babies began to “jostle” inside her. The word is stronger than that; it means to “go to war.” Her babies fought each other inside the womb. That frightened Rebekah so she asked God, “Why is this happening to me?”

Isn’t it interesting that after praying for 20 years, when the answer finally comes, it brings more questions and more difficulty? Isn’t it true that answered prayer can be as difficult to handle as unanswered prayer? I’m sure you’ve heard it said, “Be careful what you pray for because God may give it to you.”

—We pray for children and when our children come, they are nothing but trouble.
—We pray for a new job and when we get one, our boss is a jerk.
—We pray for a new house and when we move in, we discover termites in the foundation.
—We pray to be married and then we pray to be divorced. [too often.]

Often we pray for some cherished dream, thinking that it will make us happy. When God finally answers, we discover his answer only means more problems. Why is that; because God is not in the business of making it easy for his people to travel from earth to heaven? Rather, he’s in the business of using the journey to teach us holiness, righteousness and godliness. If he makes it too easy, we’ll never develop the right kind of character.

GOD'S AMAZING ANSWER

So Rebekah—feeling the struggle within—says, “Why me?” Verse 23 gives us God’s amazing answer. I can sum it up in four phrases:

#Two Nations—"Two nations are in your womb.”
#Continual Conflict—"Two peoples within you will be separated.”
#Differing Strength—"One people will be stronger than the other.”
#Role Reversal—"The older will serve the younger.”

All of that may not mean much to us, but to Rebekah this was shocking news—especially the last point. In the ancient Near East the first-born was always given certain inheritance rights. He received a double portion of the inheritance and was considered the head of the family upon the death of the parents. But here God is saying that the roles would be reversed—the rights normally given to the first-born would in this case be given to the second-born.

In Romans 9:10-13, Paul develops this point to show that salvation is entirely by God’s grace. He chose Jacob over Esau before the boys were born, before either of them had done good or evil. It is purely a choice made in God’s heart and mind and was not dependent on anything good he saw in Jacob or anything bad he saw in Esau.

When the babies were finally born, Isaac and Rebekah received another shock. The first baby to come out was red, “and his whole body was like a red garment.” That is, his body was covered with red hair—almost like a wild animal. They named him “Esau,” which means “Red” and can also mean “Hairy.” But that wasn’t the only surprise. As Esau came out, a little white hand was clutching his heel. So they kept on pulling and out came the second boy. They named him “Jacob,” which means “Heel-grabber.” Years later the name comes to mean “Supplanter” and “Cheater.”

None of this happens by accident. The way these boys come into the world reveals something of their character and destiny. Esau will become a successful hunter; Jacob will become a cunning businessman. Esau will feel most at home in the outdoors; Jacob will spend his life trying to push and pull his way to the top. Esau will build a mighty kingdom; Jacob will live by his wits. Esau will have a fiery temper, but will quickly get over his rage; Jacob will have a long memory and his guilty conscience will plague him for years.

Isaac and Rebekah knew none of this in the beginning. But no matter, the two boys will take on their own personalities soon enough. Before too many years pass it will become clear that this unusual birth foretold their ultimate destinies in life.

Two boys: “Hairy Red” and “Heel-Grabber.” From them will eventually come two great nations. Their destinies were decided before they were born.

PERSONALITY PORTRAITS

It’s remarkable to follow these two boys as they grow up. Esau turns out to be a hunter, an outdoors man, a strong, good-looking fellow, a natural leader, an extrovert, a simple man who lived with his emotions right on the surface. Esau was a man without guile. What you see is what you get.

By contrast, Jacob is somewhat shy and retiring. He prefers to spend his days around the tents—thinking, dreaming, watching, analyzing. Jacob is a complex man—what you see is not necessarily what you get. With Jacob you’re never really sure. He’s one thing and then he’s another. I want to call him eccentric but somehow the word “Odd” keeps coming to mind.

Suppose you looked at both boys from a human point of view, which one would seem most successful? Which one would seem to have God’s favor? On whom does God’s blessing rest? I think most people would say Esau. If you asked in childhood, which boy will turn out better, the answer would be Esau. If you asked who will be the better leader, the answer would be Esau. If you asked which one will do more with his life, the answer would be Esau.

And who will have more problems? Jacob. More difficulties? Jacob? More heartache? Jacob. If you just look at the story on the surface, what you see is Esau growing up, getting married, having children and building a vast empire. On the other side you see Jacob, like I said earlier—at the beginning he’s a manipulator, in the middle he’s a hireling, at the end he is depressed and discouraged. Finally he dies in Egypt.

On whose life is God’s favor resting? From that standpoint, we might say Esau. And we would be dead wrong. But that’s typical, isn’t it? Oftentimes we look at the prosperous people around us and we think, “How blessed they are.” And when we see someone going through incredible suffering, we often think, “They must have done something wrong.” But prosperity is not always a sign of God’s blessing. That helps us understand why God gave Esau material prosperity. He never sought to have a close relationship with God, so God gave him second best. He just gave him money.

On the other hand, God gave Jacob sorrow, difficulty and heartache. Why- Because God was preparing Jacob for something great.

We would have chosen Esau, but God chose Jacob. He said, “No, not Esau. Jacob is my man.” We would have picked Esau to be our leader. God said, “No, I want that man who’s back there by the tents. That quiet fellow, the one you’ve written off. He’s my choice.”

In the end God will make Jacob a prince but it will take a lifetime to get the job done. The story of his life is the story of the continual struggle between the flesh and the spirit, between doing things man’s way and God’s way, between self-sufficiency and God-sufficiency. It’s the difference between trying to manipulate things and waiting on God.

FOUR LESSONS FOR LIFE

Have you have seen those buttons that say, “Please be patient, God is not finished with me yet.” That could be written over Jacob’s life because he is truly a work in progress.

1. Behind the seemingly insignificant details of life stands God himself.

We see that clearly in this story. Two babies jostle in the womb, and two nations are born. If we had been there we would have seen two babies coming out of the womb and nothing more. Who would have dreamed that the course of world history would be affected by “Hairy Red” and the “Heel-Grabber?” Who knew?

There are no accidents in God’s plan. Nothing has ever happened to you by chance or fate or luck. Even the mundane things of life that you take for granted all fit into a larger, unseen plan that is slowly unfolding in your life.

2. When God decides to raise up a man, nobody can thwart his plans.

We would have chosen Esau. But God said, “It’s going to be Jacob.” We would have made Jacob the first-born, but God said, “I can choose the second-born if I want to.” We would have given Jacob an easier road, but God knew the hard road makes a strong man.
The same is true for you and me. When God gets ready to work in your life, the result will be the same as Jacob—trouble, trouble, trouble. John Newton understood that truth when he wrote, “Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. ’Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.”

3. When God decides to work in your life, He will not stop though it takes him a lifetime to finish the job.

It took him 80 years to get Moses in shape. It took him over a hundred years to get Jacob in shape. It takes him a lifetime with most of us because the clay is pretty lumpy—full of rocks and stones and useless material. When God starts shaping the clay of the human heart, He won’t stop until the job is done.

4. When you yield your natural weaknesses to God, they become the source of your greatest strength.

Look at Jacob’s life. His scheming became godly tenacity. His ambition for success became ambition for God. His unfocused desire became determination to do God’s will. His name was changed from Jacob "the cheater" to Israel "he who wrestles with God".

Isn't it wonderful that God condescends to be called the God of Jacob. Only God could see the princely qualities in a man like Jacob. God delights to begin where others have given up in despair. It’s a marvelous thing how God allows an imperfect man to leave the past behind, grow
in character & become an integral part of His plans & purposes.

Jacob’s story is all about the grace of God who never gives up. You may see yourself in Jacob. You are in the night of your struggle, feeling all alone, scared, and afraid. Are you tired of wrestling? Are you at the end of yourself? Are you ready to acknowledge your weakness, the futility of grabbing from behind? Can you see that when you wrestle with life you are indeed wrestling with God?

Maybe you feel inadequate, or guilty, or perhaps you feel your life is so tangled up that no one could ever straighten it out again.

If you feel unfit for God to use, congratulations! You're an excellent candidate for the grace of God.


Blessings,


John