Profile of a limper: more on Jacob

I gave the sermon at my church this past Sunday, and appropriate to the general concept of this blog, the focus was on the story of Jacob. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity to speak on a part of Jacob’s narrative. I already did a blog post on Jacob in the form of a “Profile of a limper”, which I intend to do on a number of biblical characters. After saturating myself further in the details of Jacob’s story, I came across a few more tidbits to share, and hence a Part 2. 

Look at just about every major character in the Bible, and you will notice that he or she has flaws in some way that would disqualify the person from the calling given by God. If you are not a Bible reader, or you only read the happy stuff found on coffee mugs and bumper stickers, you miss how the Bible refuses to air brush the messiness out of the narratives. Jacob is unique in that he became the inheritor of the promise originally given to the spiritual giant that was Abraham. Prior to having a dream in which God repeated the promise almost verbatim to Jacob that God had given to Abraham and Isaac, Jacob was a scoundrel. It is completely unexpected and, frankly, unadvisable that Jacob would be the one to father the nation that would be God’s covenant, redeemed people. Let’s look at that dream and Jacob’s response, in Genesis 28. 

Here are the words directly from God:

“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (v.13-15)

Now let’s look at Jacob’s response. He initially rejoices and builds a little memorial, calling it Bethel. Then he makes an interesting vow:

“If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” (v.20-22)

Isn’t it a little curious that Jacob is drenching his vow with a big “if” when it comes to God’s involvement? Doesn’t it seem like Jacob took mostly the same content of God’s promise and shifted it into the language of some kind of a business deal? Is Jacob 100% certain that God will follow through on all of this? Or is Jacob simply restating what God is offering and declaring what Jacob will do in response to God’s faithfulness?

Here is what I believe. It is the difference between a covenant and a contract. I have a contract with my phone company, cable provider, etc. Professional athletes have contracts with their teams. A certain amount gets paid out in exchange for a service or performance. The conditions and stipulations are clear, there are consequences if the terms are broken, and the document has legal ramifications.

A covenant, on the other hand, is a mutual promise, and there is no breaking it. I am in a covenant relationship with my wife, and we are joined in a way that a legal contract could never articulate. While a contract works well because of the adherence of the parties involved, a covenant works because of the faithfulness of the people involved.

Jacob is still thinking in terms of contracts. It is almost as if Jacob heard the promises of God’s covenant, and it initially didn’t make sense to him. Wait, what’s my part in this deal? What happens if you don’t deliver? What are we doing anyway?

Jacob slowly figures it out, but the old Jacob still takes over from time to time. When God gives Jacob a dream, he responds. When God tells him to get up and go, Jacob goes. He prays, and he recognizes God as the source of his blessings. But when Jacob runs into trouble, he resorts to manipulation. He tries to bribe his older brother Esau into forgiving him for past transgressions. He sneaks out of his uncle’s town and flees rather than leaving gracefully and trusting that God will take care of potential conflict. He takes the long, scenic route, but he slowly grows in his understanding of his relationship with God as a covenant. The scoundrel eventually got a new name and new identity, and fathered a great nation that would be called God’s covenant people.

And here is what I’ve learned from this story. God establishes a covenant with God’s people, and it is not a cold, legal contract. It is based on love, and has nothing to do with my qualifications or prerequisites. And it is not based on my, or anybody else’s, ability to stay perfect in the agreement. God is actually drawn to the people on the fringes, those who have a bad resume, the unlikeliest of candidates to fulfill God’s purposes.

When we take this viewpoint and look at the New Testament, we see that God created a redemption movement by picking Jesus, and then a bunch of scrubs that couldn’t make the team. God continues to do this today. It might not make the news, it might not even be the great stories flashy churches like to tell. But God is in the business of establishing His covenant with those who do not deserve it, and then working with them as they figure out what it all means.