JACOB

JACOB. I have never understood the appeal of this name. Apologies to all the Jacobs of this world. It has nothing to do with you. In the past reading about Jacob in the Bible has left me with one and only one word connection. You say, "JACOB," I say, "DECEIVER." He deceived Esau and obtained his birthright. He deceived Isaac and obtained his blessing. I even wonder are there other events not recorded in Scripture of his deceit? It seems like Jacob had developed a pattern of getting by trickery. He sounds like the type of guy I would caution my kids to avoid.

Yet, it is to this deceiver, this trickster, that God revealed the staircase going up to heaven, with angels ascending and descending. Further, God promises: 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. This kinda rubbed me the wrong way. Like, why does this guy get away with this stuff? Certainly, God's gotta know what is in his heart. Terrible things happened when Abraham failed to trust God and sought his blessing in alternative ways. Hagar anyone?

We all know what happens next. Jacob gets a taste of his own medicine with his relative Laban. He gets tricked into marrying both Leah and Rachel and working for a sum total of 14 years, not to mention having his wages changed repeatedly. Through all this hardship, God is with him and blesses him.

When Jacob finally runs away from Laban, it seems that this deceiver has undergone a significant heart change. Terrified of Esau, who years earlier had wanted to kill him because of his deceit, he prays to God. This prayer is very revealing: I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant. Then, later that very night, he wrestles with God, saying, I will not let you go unless you bless me.

Now, I really like this guy. I guess that's not quite right. I really like what God has done in this guy. I like that he sees himself correctly before the holy God. He sees that he is a sinner, undeserving of God's love and faithfulness. He also sees his position in God's kingdom. Although he is the next chosen patriarch of God's people, he sees himself as God's servant. Lastly, he sees so clearly that his greatest need is God's blessing. Convinced of this, he wrestles and fights with all that he has for God's blessing. No longer is he trying to obtain this blessing through deception. Rather, he humbles himself and begs and pleads and understands that God's blessing is conditioned upon one thing and one thing only: God's covenantal love and faithfulness.

So, if your baby-making factory is still open, I endorse the name Jacob for your progeny.