Choosing God Instead of the World - Learning From the Lives of Jacob and JosephSample

Read: Genesis 26:34—28:9; Romans 9:6–18

SOAP: Genesis 28:3–4

“May the Sovereign God bless you! May he make you fruitful and give you a multitude of descendants! Then you will become a large nation. May he give you and your descendants the blessing he gave to Abraham so that you may possess the land God gave to Abraham, the land where you have been living as a temporary resident.”

Into the text

Even though God’s commands are clear and His blessing abundant, we often create situations through deception and manipulation that destroy our relationships. Jacob’s family’s actions offer us a warning: regardless of what we think we deserve, it is always better to trust God’s provision instead of trusting our plans.

God was clear in His choice to bless Jacob. Romans 9 explains how God chose to bless Jacob and not Esau, Isaac’s firstborn. Instead of believing in God’s promise and waiting for Him to act, Jacob trusted his plans and methods of receiving the blessing. He deceived his father and his brother and effectively shattered the family relationships.

God indeed had a plan to bless Jacob that didn’t include a moral failure. Yet despite Jacob’s sin, God blessed him. God allowed Jacob to obtain the blessing this way. Though God would later discipline Jacob, He showed him mercy by giving him the blessing. God is working in all aspects of our lives, even through our sin and disobedience. Even in our failure to trust Him, He can (and does) accomplish His purposes, but we may create unnecessary heartache and pain when we go our own way. When God makes a promise, He already has a plan to fulfill it.

As Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan Aram to find a wife, he reminded him of the promises God made to Abraham. God would make Jacob into a great nation, give him the land, and allow his descendants to be a blessing to all the people on the earth. God’s promises had not been thwarted by poor decisions. His covenant promise to the family of Abraham would continue. Though there were always threats to the promise, God always came through. He was faithful to Abraham and faithful to Isaac. He would continue to be faithful to Jacob and his descendants in the future, fulfilling the covenant He made with Abraham.

Even though we sin, God can use us. He can turn our conflicts into blessings and bring peace to shattered relationships. He can redeem and work for good through any act of sin, no matter how grievous it is. He is in the business of restoration. He is in the business of using broken people. The Bible truthfully records even the failures of the “heroes of the faith” so that we can see the merciful character of God. He redeems, restores, and rebuilds even the most shattered of hearts, relationships, communities, and nations. We can trust Him.