January 12

Genesis 27-28

Trouble between Jacob and Esau

I think that we can all make the mistake of thinking that people in the Bible were somehow spiritually superhuman. I know I’m guilty of it. God must have chosen Abraham because he did the right thing all the time, right? God must have chosen David to be king of Israel because he never sinned, right? God must have chosen Paul to bring the gospel to the Gentiles because he never struggled with sin, right? WRONG! People in the Bible are just like us: flawed, sinful, stubborn people who God used for His glory and purposes in spite of themselves. This especially includes Isaac and his family.

Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, and Jacob were a typical dysfunctional family. Yesterday, we read that the parents chose favorites among their kids. Esau was Isaac’s favorite, and Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite. In today’s reading, Rebekah and Jacob trick Isaac into giving a blessing to Jacob that was meant for Esau. Esau became so enraged, he threatened to kill his brother. Jacob then ran for his life. These family members manipulated each other, deceived each other, threatened each other… How can they possibly be used by God?

This is one of the many amazing things about God. He can take people who are flawed, selfish, deceitful and use them as part of His perfect plan. This is wonderful news for us today, because we are just as screwed up as Jacob was! This gives up hope, knowing that God will never give up on us. He will always give us the opportunity repent of our sinful, dysfunctional ways and be a part of His story.