Monday, January 08, 2018

Bible reading Reflection (Gen 27-33)



Jacob had such a hard life.  God chose him over his older brother, but that did not make life easier for him.  Jacob was always reaching for more.  He was always striving to advance and get ahead.  Whether it was trying to find ways to obtain what rightfully belonged to his brother, or to scheme on how he might obtain his father-in-laws wealth, Jacob was always wrestling, fighting, and striving. 


However, God has promised to be with Jacob and the bless him.  God made a promise to him at Bethel when Jacob saw the vision of the ladder reaching into Heaven.  However, Jacob still continued to wrestle and fight for everything.




What characterized Jacob was not going up and down that ladder, but wrestling, struggling, and fighting all the time.  At the fork of the Jabbok river, Jacob even wrestled with God, the one who promised to bless him and be with him.  This match lasted all night, yet Jacob was spared, to his amazement.  So, Jacob called that place, "Peniel" (face of God).  God could have simply overpowered him, but he did not.  Instead, God put Jacob's hip out of joint so that he would walk with a limp for the rest of his life.  Jacob would always remember every time he walked. 



Can an injury inflicted by God ever be a blessing?  I guess when we fight against God, we may come away with a limp as well.  We may have our own "Peniel" in life that may break us.  But, perhaps this is part of the life-long process that God uses to remake us?

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