Jacob – Grace for the Deceiver

Have you ever said a white lie? Did you ever say something to manipulate a situation in your favor?

Today, we are going to be highlighting another messy member of God’s family tree. Jacob had an issue with lying, deceiving and manipulating people to get what he wanted.

Even though Jacob was the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham, you would think that his family was perfect but his family was far from perfect.

Jacob developed a great faith and relationship with God through his parents. Some things are good but some things are bad.

The truth is that all of us have learned some bad traits from our family and we pass those things down to our kids.

Before Jesus came to earth, HE knew all about Jacob yet he still chose Jacob to be a part of HIS wonderful linage. God still carried on that legacy of faith through Jacob.

Matthew 1:1–2 NLT

1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.

PRAY

God always uses imperfect people with their broken stories to fulfill HIS perfect plan.

The truth is that God wants us to learn from Jacob’s mistakes because HE does not want us to stay broken. God really wants us to become a healthy and loving people who are full of Jesus.

God wants us… To trust in HIS promise and not to manipulate others to get what we want.

God wants us… To communicate conflict in a clear and a loving way.

God wants us… To be patient with others knowing that it takes time to grow.

God wants us… to Patiently learn to be aware of and to embrace our own flaws and also graciously embrace other people’s flaws.

If God doesn’t have perfect people in HIS family who are we to expect perfection from others?

God sees the dysfunction and brokenness yet HE still wants to work through our messy lives so that HE can get all the glory.

Regardless of our past mistakes or family backgrounds God’s grace is always enough.

God’s purposes can prevail even in chaotic circumstances and God wants to show us that His faithfulness extends beyond our failures.

Jacob’s own life reflects the beauty that emerges from struggle, showcasing that Jesus came to seek and save the lost.

1. Deceptive Deals and Divine Blessings

Right at the beginning, Rebekah, Isaac’s wife knew that these twin boys were going to struggle to get along. Even as babies in the womb, Esau and Jacob struggled early on to get the upper hand.

So pregnant Rebekah sought the Lord about this rumbling in her tummy…

Genesis 25:23 NLT

23 And the Lord told [Rebekah], “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”

God told Rebekah that the younger would serve the older one.

Esau was born first but Jacob was grasping Esau’s heal, hence the name Jacob.

Esau was the hunter and outdoorsman so Isaac loved Esau. Jacob had a quiet temperament and preferred to stay at home so Rebekah loved Jacob.

Each parent had there favorites which fed this rivalry between the 2 brothers.

First Jacob steals Esau’s birthright for a bowl of lentil stew (Genesis 25:27-34)

And then Jacob deceives his father Isaac to get Esau’s blessing.

Genesis 27:1–13 NLT

1 One day when Isaac was old and turning blind, he called for Esau, his older son, and said, “My son.” “Yes, Father?” Esau replied. 2 “I am an old man now,” Isaac said, “and I don’t know when I may die. 3 Take your bow and a quiver full of arrows, and go out into the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare my favorite dish, and bring it here for me to eat. Then I will pronounce the blessing that belongs to you, my firstborn son, before I die.” 5 But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game, 6 she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the Lord’s presence before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you. 9 Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish. 10 Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.” 11 “But look,” Jacob replied to Rebekah, “my brother, Esau, is a hairy man, and my skin is smooth. 12 What if my father touches me? He’ll see that I’m trying to trick him, and then he’ll curse me instead of blessing me.” 13 But his mother replied, “Then let the curse fall on me, my son! Just do what I tell you.”

Rebekah and Jacob planned together to deceive dad in order to receive daddy’s blessing before he died. The firstborn would traditionally receive the better blessing from the father so they knew how important it was to receive this blessing.

So Rebekah prepared Isaac’s favorite dish, she coved his arms and neck with hair and put on Esau’s favorite clothes and went in to deceive daddy.

Genesis 27:18–24 NLT

18 So Jacob took the food to his father. “My father?” he said. “Yes, my son,” Isaac answered. “Who are you—Esau or Jacob?” 19 Jacob replied, “It’s Esau, your firstborn son. I’ve done as you told me. Here is the wild game. Now sit up and eat it so you can give me your blessing.” 20 Isaac asked, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?” “The Lord your God put it in my path!” Jacob replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come closer so I can touch you and make sure that you really are Esau.” 22 So Jacob went closer to his father, and Isaac touched him. “The voice is Jacob’s, but the hands are Esau’s,” Isaac said. 23 But he did not recognize Jacob, because Jacob’s hands felt hairy just like Esau’s. So Isaac prepared to bless Jacob. 24 “But are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “Yes, I am,” Jacob replied.

Jacob lied multiple times, deceived his father and received Esau’s blessing. When the real Esau returned from his hunt Isaac was surprised to see Esau bringing him stew and awaiting his blessing.

Genesis 27:32–36 NLT

32 But Isaac asked him, “Who are you?” Esau replied, “It’s your son, your firstborn son, Esau.” 33 Isaac began to tremble uncontrollably and said, “Then who just served me wild game? I have already eaten it, and I blessed him just before you came. And yes, that blessing must stand!” 34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged. 35 But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” 36 Esau exclaimed, “No wonder his name is Jacob, for now he has cheated me twice. First he took my rights as the firstborn, and now he has stolen my blessing.”

From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because of this. Esau said that Whenever my father dies, I will set out to kill my brother Jacob.

Rebekah again overhears Esau’s plans so she made plans to send Jacob away to her brother Laban’s house so that he could find a good godly wife and not one of the Canaanite women. Jacob was able to get sent away and avoid his brother’s wrath.

The truth is that all this extra drama could have been avoided if Jacob and Rebekah would have just trusted in God’s timing and believed in God’s initial promise from the beginning.

It’s like as if they felt like God somehow needed their help.

God doesn’t ever need our help he just needs our faith and obedience. Trust in God’s perfect and steadfast promises because God is faithful and able to fulfill HIS end of the bargin.

Even in our failures, God is able to provide for us and to bless. God is patient with us and is gracious toward us.

God still worked through Jacob’s dishonesty to ultimately fulfill His promises.

Jacob was wrong but we see that God’s grace can cover deception and failures. We just need to trust in God’s perfection despite our imperfections.

2. Dreams Defining Divine Promise

Jacob left for Laban’s house, an unknown place to meet some relatives that he never met.

Jacob left the only family he knew with nothing but a staff and his parents blessing but God shows up to Jacob and reveals HIS promise through a dream.

Genesis 28:10–15 NLT

10 Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. 11 At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. 12 As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway. 13 At the top of the stairway stood the Lord, and he said, “I am the Lord, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. 14 Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. 15 What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”

God gave Jacob the same promise he gave Abraham.

This land will belong to you and your descendants.

Your descendants will be numerous as the dust of the earth.

All the families on the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.

God promised Jacob protection and prosperity.

God sends Jacob out with a staff, his parents blessing, and God’s promise.

Genesis 28:16–19 NLT

16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” 17 But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!” 18 The next morning Jacob got up very early. He took the stone he had rested his head against, and he set it upright as a memorial pillar. Then he poured olive oil over it. 19 He named that place Bethel (which means “house of God”), although it was previously called Luz.

Jacob was not aware that the Lord was with him.

God reaffirms His covenant promise despite Jacob’s past actions. We see through Jacob that God is unwavering in HIS commitment to His purposes.

When life is full of confusion and chaos, God always remains faithful to HIS promise.

Genesis 28:20–22 NLT

20 Then Jacob made this vow: “If God will indeed be with me and protect me on this journey, and if he will provide me with food and clothing, 21 and if I return safely to my father’s home, then the Lord will certainly be my God. 22 And this memorial pillar I have set up will become a place for worshiping God, and I will present to God a tenth of everything he gives me.”

God will often get our attention in those lonely places. It’s in those desert places where God often speaks the loudest.

3. Complicated Companions Cultivating Grace

Then Jacob finally makes to Paddan-Aram, the land of the east and as he arrives, he meets Rachel as she is tending her father’s sheep. He introduces himself to her, falls in love with her on the spot and kisses her. That same day he meets Rachel’s dad Laban and seeks out dad’s blessing so he agreed to work 7 years tending Laban’s sheep so he could marry Rachel.

Genesis 29:16–30 NLT

16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel. 17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes, but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face. 18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.” 19 “Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.” 20 So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days. 21 Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.” 22 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. 23 But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.) 25 But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?” 26 “It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. 27 “But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.” 28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.

This quickly became a very complicated relationship for Jacob. Laban gave Jacob a taste of his own medicine. He tricked him to marry both Leah and Rachel and had Jacob on the hook to have to work for him for another 7 years.

If you think you have a messy marriage, look at Jacob. He was married to 2 sisters and living with his in-laws. Families can be very messy especially when marriage comes into play.

Yet, it is through this mess that God’s promise continues. It was stressful and chaotic, but God always shows things to us in the midst of our mess.

God dealt with things in Jacob’s life that needed to be dealt with so could grow and mature in his faith. God uses the hard and painful times to show us that HE is present and faithful to HIS promises.

Jacob worked for Laban for over 20 years tending his flocks and the Lord blessed Laban because of Jacob. He worked hard for Laban even though Laban changed his wages 5 times for the worse.

But, God spoke to Jacob to go back home to his parents so he took his flocks, his wives, his sons, his daughters and all his possessions and headed back home without telling Laban. Even though this did not go well, God protected Jacob and his family from harm and so they went their separate ways.

4. Wrestling into Redemption

Even thought Jacob was a blessed man, free from the in-laws, he still had to face his brother Esau.

Remember that last time he spoke to his brother, it was when Esau wanted to kill Jacob. So he smoothed things over by sending gifts to Esau because he knew that Esau was coming with 400 of his men. He separated into 4 groups in fear that Esau would kill him.

As Jacob was waiting that night…

Genesis 32:24–28 NLT

24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. 25 When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” 28 “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

Jacob wrestled with God all night long. Jacob would not let HIM go until HE blessed him.

Jacob was desperate for God to bless him and with that came a real transformation from fear and striving to receiving God’s blessing.

God’s blessing spoke of Jacob’s transformation from

Jacob - a trickster, a supplanter, a heal grabber too…

Israel - meaning God fights.

God has a way of turning our struggles into moments of divine empowerment and change. We no longer need to manipulate, lie, or cheat but we can rest in God’s power and watch God fight our battles for us. The key is for us to surrender our plan and yield to God’s perfect plan.

Jacob wrestled with God all night long so that he could receive God’s blessing from HIM.

Take Away:

How long are we willing to wait on God in order to receive God’s blessing?

Are we trying to speed up God’s plan instead of resting in God’s process?

If God had purpose in the pain, what are we learning from the suffering?

Be thankful that God chooses our mess to bring about HIS redemption.