We will see today from the story of Jacob: this is the part of his life after he had deceived Isaac, his father to get the blessing that Isaac meant to be for Esau. The passage i am going to covered is from Genesis 28-35, but let’s focus first on this word from God to Jacob when he was in Bethel. In his dream, God said to him in Genesis 28:13-15, saying:
“I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
God reiterate and pass his blessing that He had promised to Abraham and Isaac to Jacob, and God finish it by saying that in saying so.. He will be with Jacob, He will be Emanuel to Jacob, keeping Jacob, watching over him, and bring Him back to this promised land - He won’t leave jacob by himself. Note that and keep that in mind as this is important as we journey through the life of Jacob later on.
The next chapter, Jacob arrived in Padan-Aram and stays with his uncle Laban, Rebekah's brother. Jacob loved Laban’s daughter - Rachel, and he said to Laban that he will serve him for 7 years to get Rachel for his wife. After 7 years, the story told us that Laban did not give Rebekah and instead gave Leah by making a reason that it was not a custom that he gave the younger first before the older. Many commentaries said that Laban deceived Jacob here. Jacob then agree to work another 7 years for Rachel. Once Jacob had Rachel as his second wife, things was not getting well. The story told us that Leah and Rachel fight on each other - Leah did not feel loved, and Rachel was barren. Leah was blessed to have children, and so she thought many times that by giving children, Jacob will love her - but apparently she did not receive what she wanted; Rachel on the other hand envy with her sister because she can’t have any child from her. Things getting messy in Jacob’s family. I would imagine each day whenever Jacob return to home after he is working, there is a fight in the house - can you imagine how frustrating things can be? Look on Chapter 30 verse 1 and 2, when one day Rachel gets angry and told Jacob: “Give me children, or I shall die!” The Bible noted that Jacob's anger was kindled against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” Oh what a frustrating situation there in Jacob’s family.
On the same passage later on, the story unfold to us that Laban became to dislike Jacob, Laban’s attitude has changed toward Jacob, and he cheated Jacob 10 times (Genesis 31:7), and so Jacob decided to sneak away from Laban to go back to Canaan. Before they went back, the bible also noted that Rachel, his beloved wife stole his father’s household gods - which indicate that they are still an idol worshipper. In fact, The Bible also noted in Genesis 35 that his family also are an idol worshipper.
Now, you might think, is that it? We see later on, Dinah, his daughter from Leah was being defiled / raped by Shechem, and Simeon and Levi, his sons took revenge and slain and plundered the city, and so the bible noted what Jacob said to them in Genesis 34:30 that they have brought trouble on him by making him stink to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites.
Next after that, the story unfolds to us that upon having the last son that is Benjamin, Rachel died - it must be really hard for Jacob because she was his beloved one. Many commentators said that Jacob did not have any chance to meet his mother anymore since he left his home back then in Genesis 28. And to add more to this messy life, if we sneak peak on what his children do to him later on: there are lots of things that most of us will say, i hope that does not happen in our life, from having one of his son, Reuben that slept with Jacob’s concubine, and then their children deceived Jacob because they sell Joseph away. Oh what a messy life!
Do you see things were well in Jacob’s journey? From being alone when he went from his home to Laban, being deceived many times, having a family that’s always fighting toward each other, to have a family that still worship an idol, and moreover in 1 sentence, Jacob has a dysfunctional family. But do you see God’s blessing in here? We have to agree, that God blessrd Jacob, he journeyed without having anything, now he became very rich, because God was with him; from this dysfunctional family that Jacob had, God overcame it later time in the history, his descendant, the Israelites will be God’s chosen people, and that through his descendant, Jesus Christ was born.
Let us go back to God’s promised to Jacob in Genesis 28. Did God promise that all of this things will not happen to Jacob? No. God had not promised such things. God promised that He will give this land to him, that Jacob will have lots of descendants, that Jacob will be a blessing, and in saying so God will be with him - that’s it.
There is this hymn song called “God hath not promised”, and each lyrics it says these:
Verse 1
God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain
Verse 2
God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
Many a burden, many a care.
Verse 3
God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain, rocky and steep,
Never a river, turbid and deep.
Yes, God did not promise smooth roads, swift, easy travel.. never a mountain.. but this is what God hath promised, the refrain in the song says it beautifully.
But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love.
For Joseph, God has shown His promise by helping him from above: even Jacob cheated on him many times, God has blessed Jacob’s work, God provides Jacob with success so that he got many animals; when there is trials that he had to face his brother Esau, God met his struggle, and bless Him when he was alone (Gen 32:22-32), God has shown his grace and give Jacob assurance. God has helped Jacob not just from Laban, and Esau, but he helped Jacob after Simeon and Levi’s act to go to Bethel - the Bible said in Genesis 35:5 that a terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. God gave to jacob one grace upon another, one assurance upon another. God reveals Himself as being faithful, although Jacob and his family was not faithful. Such an amazing God!
Do you realise, often we pray for God to guide us? Do you realise what it means for God to guide us? When do we use the word guide? If our path is straight, and very clear, do we need any guidance? If we are going to a place that we know of, do we need any GPS when driving? we use GPS to a place we are unfamiliar with, the same thing with guidance. Guidance is needed because things are unclear.. there may be rocky road.. there is mountain, there is hill, there is a pit. It is not an easy travel.. things can get messy, but we trust in God’s guidance because He can be trusted. Trust His Heart! for He is faithful. Will we put our trust in Him? Will we rest on His promise? Praise Him who works in a miraculous way to draw us nearer to Him; Praise Him who guides our path.
Amen,
Paul Hartono
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