The pages in my Bible that contain the story of Jacob are well-traveled and heavily annotated. I love this story. In many ways it is my own story. What continues to blow me away about this story is how it is always fresh for me. I don't ever come away with boredom. There are issues of deception, conditional obedience, and poor conflict resolution. But what stuck out to me today was the family legacy.
Take for instance, the moment when Jacob steals the blessing. Look at how not only Jacob, but Rebekah, Isaac and Esau factor into the story. First, Esau. Now you might think that he is the innocent one in this story. But if you go back a couple of pages, you see how he tosses his birthright aside for a bowl of stew. You see how little he thinks of his family and of God as he focuses purely on his immediate impulses. Jacob (who already has devious tendencies) now has an easy mark. He sees that his brother is someone he can take advantage of. Then there is Rebekah. He hears the prophecy when her boys are in utero, but figures that God needs a little help making things happen. She figures that she will give God a hand by suggesting this whole crazy plan in the first place. Then when Jacob objects to the plan (not because it's wrong, but because he thinks he will be caught), she disrespects God again by saying, let the curse fall on me. Then there is Isaac. Three separate times he is skeptical that this is actually his firstborn son, and yet he ignores those concerns and blesses him anyway.
Jacob gets most of the blame here (and deservedly so) but this is a colossal failure on the part of this entire family. And then when Rebekah sends Jacob away, the lying and scheming just keep going. It only gets worse. And if you read Jacob's story to his death, you will see that he deals with the effects of these horrible decisions for his entire life. As a parent of young children, this kind of freaks me out a little. The pressure is on. Even the small decisions I make now have the possibility to cause negative (or positive) ripples for the rest of their lives. This is the part of the story that I'm going to wrestle with this time around, but I'm sure that Jacob and I will step in the ring together again soon.
But, this is fertile ground. How did God speak to you through this passage? Please share your insights in the comments.
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