Rev. Charles Lehmann + Genesis 32:22-32 + Reminscere
In the Name of + Jesus. Amen.
From the very beginning, Jacob was a thief, a cheat, a momma's boy, and a
spoiled brat. He grew up to be a man who played favorites with his wives and
their children. He was always looking out for number one. When his twin
brother Esau was born, Jacob was already holding onto his older brother's heel.
When Jacob and Esau were young men, Jacob talked his brother into giving up
his birthright in exchange for a pot of stew. And when, a few years later,
their father Isaac was about to die, Jacob plotted with his mother to trick him
into giving Jacob the blessing that he had intended to give to Esau.
If you would have confronted Jacob and Rebekah for their treachery at the
time, they would have probably said that they were just making sure that the
prophecy about Jacob was fulfilled. Before Jacob and Esau were born, God had
said to Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you
shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other, the older shall
serve the younger.”
Though in this case she shouldn't have, Rebekah was following in the
footsteps of her mother-in-law, Sarah. When God had promised that through
Abraham's descendants all the nations of the earth would be blessed, Sarah was
sure that God couldn't accomplish that through her. She was an old woman and
had never had children. Sarah didn't believe that God's promise was more
powerful than her physical infirmity. So she talked Abraham into having a
child with her servant Hagar. But Hagar's son was not the one that God had
promised. The promised son was Isaac, and Sarah would give birth to him
fourteen years later.
Though God had set his promise upon Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, doubt was a
constant companion of these men and their families. They were always second
guessing God and flirting with the sin of unbelief. They were in the habit of
assuming that God couldn't accomplish His promises on His own. They thought
that the Lord needed their help.
And so Jacob and Rebekah's lies and manipulations were nothing new.
Jacob's grandparents had been involved in the same sort of subterfuge. If you
look at Jacob's behavior up until the time of today's reading, there was very
little that was commendable. He had left a road of pain and deceit in his wake.
But now, Jacob is finally beginning to recognize the damage his sin has
done. He has just returned from living with his father-in-law Laban for twenty
years. When he comes home, Jacob finds that Esau has raised an army of four
hundred men, and he knows that he cannot stand against them.
Jacob knows that he cannot avoid his brother forever. He sends a generous
gift of livestock ahead of him, hoping that Esau will recognize that Jacob
wants to heal their relationship. But if Jacob is honest with himself, he also
knows that Esau is under no obligation to forgive him. Through extortion and
deceit, Jacob had stolen Esau's birthright. When Jacob sends his wives,
servants, and children across the river ahead of him, he doesn't know if he'll
ever see them again.
Today's reading begins with Jacob camped at the ford of the Jabbok. He
probably expects to die when he sees Esau the next morning. Though he
remembers that God promised that Esau would serve him, right now God seems far
off. With the situation this bad, Jacob can only see the dire nature of his
situation. What Jacob can do to improve the situation, he has done, but he
knows it isn't really enough. He has divided his family and sent them away.
He hopes that at least a few will survive. But Jacob stands alone. He has no
army to help him survive his brother's attack.
All Jacob has is the Lord's word. Jacob knew what the Lord had said to his
mother before he and Esau were born. He had even heard the promise with his
own ears when his father Isaac had said, “Let peoples serve you, and nations
bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may your mother's sons bown
down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be everyone who
blesses you.”
But now it seems like God is against him. His family is scattered and
Jacob is completely defenseless. Esau can have his revenge whenever he wants
it, and there is nothing that Jacob can do to stop it.
Though you have probably not have come to a point in your life when your
brother was lying in wait to kill you, we have all experienced situations where
it seemed like God had left us. You might even be facing that feeling right
now. Many are losing their jobs. Retirement funds are melting away. Our
economic futures don't look good, and our personal struggles often show up in
the lives of our families. Our fears and uncertainties can drive wedges
between us and those whom we love. At those times it's easy to ask, “God,
where are you? I need you! Why aren't you helping?”
And though it might sound like a Hallmark card, at these times of despair,
God is not far but near. He has not abandoned us. In fact, even in our times
of greatest suffering, God is doing what is best for us. When God sees us
place an idol between Himself and us, he destroys the idol. If we look to our
financial security for hope, God might take away our job. If our good health
causes us to think we don't need Him, God might afflict us with disease.
In our reading today, God has brought Jacob to a point where he cannot get
out of his predicament by his own efforts. There is no one that Jacob or his
mother can manipulate to get out of the situation. God has destroyed all of
Jacob's idols.
The Scriptures tell us that the Lord our God is a jealous God. None of our
idols can give us the good gifts that God can give. He knows that we are
sinners. He knows that we are in need of the forgiveness that Jesus won for us
on the cross.
At the height of Jacob's despair, a strange thing happens. A man appears
to him and wrestles with him all night long. We don't know if Jacob knew right
away that he was wrestling with God. We do know that Jacob knows that the man
is special in some way. He demands a blessing, and after he receives the name
Israel, Jacob calls the place Peniel. He says, “I have seen God face to face,
and yet my life has been delivered.”
Jacob knew when he received the name that he had been wrestling with God.
The name means, “He wrestles with God.” When God gave him the name He had
said, “You have striven with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
At that point Jacob must have been shocked. Even if he didn't know that it
was God he'd demanded a blessing from, he knew it now. God had not abandoned
him. God was not going to allow Esau to kill him. The Lord was delivering
Jacob from certain death. He was keeping His promises.
What goes for Jacob should go for us. When suffering strikes us, we
should not ask what particular sin that God is punishing. Do not think that
God is sitting at His computer with His finger ready to hit a “smite” button
whenever you step out of line. God is near. He knows your struggles, and He
knows your suffering. He works all things for your good.
If you feel that God has abandoned you, you can know with certainty that He
has not. The Lord is faithful. He does not leave you in the dust. He does
not expect you to save yourself. He is a merciful Father and He does not count
your sins against you. He has sent Jesus into your flesh to die your death.
Jacob lived because Jesus died. And even though it would be nearly two
thousand years before Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, Jesus' death had
already redeemed Jacob from the hands of Esau.
The Lord's promises to you are firm and unbreakable. They are sealed in
blood. Christ's blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. It cries
out that God's justice has been served. Christ has suffered the death that you
deserve. He has carried all the wrath of God in His body. You are free from
the demands of the law. Your sins will not come back to bite you in the end.
They are forgiven forever.
Rejoice, people loved by God. Jesus has died your death. There is no one
left to fear. Jesus is risen from the grave, and you will live with Him
forever.
In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and
minds in faith in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Rev. Charles R. Lehmann
Pastor, Saint John's Lutheran Church, Accident, MD
http://chaz-lehmann.livejournal.com
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