I had many opportunities to step out in faith, and I blew it every time.
I chose my own understanding again and again, when God was calling me to trust Him.
I try to live a faithful life, but I get scared and I choose to do things my way, because it’s familiar to me.
Why would God continue to waste His time with me, when I ignore Him so often.
I listen to my own fears and ideas instead of just trust that His ways are higher than mine.
Surely, it is too late for me to live a life of faith in Him now.
There is no reason for God to invest in me.
Do you ever have thoughts like this?
We just blew every chance to be faithful to God!
Well, today we are going to learn that we are not alone.
In fact, even those who eventually became great men of faith in the Bible, struggled in their faith.
Men like Jacob!
We know that Jacob was the man whose name God changed to Israel and he had 12 sons.
We now know that Israel ultimately covered the name of all God’s people and in Israel there were 12 tribes.
the nation of Israel was made through Jacob!
Jacob plays a huge role in our history!
I want us to look at his life because, like all incredible and monumental historical influencers, he must have a victorious backstory!
David faced a giant and Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only son, all in faith!
Its only natural to assume that Jacob’s story is full of times when he had to face terror, yet still stand in faith; and I am sure he did so boldly!
Let’s begin at his birth in Genesis 25.
We find that he was a twin and inside the womb he struggled with his brother.
In verse 26, we learn that Jacob was born holding onto his brothers heel, because he did not want to be born 2nd.
The name Jacob means Supplanter; which means to take the place of another by force.
We see this name was fitting because, when the boys grew older, Jacob tricked his brother into selling him his birthright.
In chapter 27, when they both grew to a mature age, Jacob and his mother devised a plan to trick Isaac into giving the firstborn blessing to Jacob instead of the real firstborn, Esau.
After what Jacob did to his brother, Esau sought to kill him!
Which is why in chapter 28, Jacob ran off to get himself a wife.
On the way to find a wife, he had a real encounter with God!
In chapter 29, Jacob worked 14 years to earn the hand of his true love, Rachel. However, he was tricked by Rachel’s father, into taking both her and her sister as wives.
In his marriage to these sisters, he boldly favored Rachel and disregarded Leah.
When he was blessed with children, he favored the children that he had with Rachel and he did not treat the children that he had with Leah, like they were very important to him.
In chapter 30, he tried to outwit Rachel and Leah’s father.
In chapter 31, he took everything that he had and snuck away from Rachel and Leah’s father, because he was too afraid that he would take his wives away.
In chapter 32, he fearfully faced his brothers wrath but sends people ahead of him to meet with Esau first. He does remember God’s promise when he faced this fear.
In this chapter he also wrestled with God.
In chapter 34, he was more worried about how the nations saw their family than about his daughter (who was born from Leah’s side) when she was dishonored and taken advantage of.
Jacob’s favoring of Joseph and disregard for the 10 other sons that he had, leads to the brothers throwing Joseph into a pit.
Doesn’t really sound like the story of a man who God made a whole nation out of.
Jacob doesn’t strike me as courageous and boldly confident in God…
He strikes me as sneaky and working on his power and understanding for most of his story!
That’s why I love his story!
God used a man, who reminds me a lot of myself oftentimes, to change the world!
Jacob is not like Abraham!
I cannot see a great man of faith in Jacob!
Yet God still made him the patriarch of Israel!
Let’s keep looking into Jacob’s life.
In chapter 42, we skip to the part of Jacob’s story where he believes that his son Joseph had been dead for years; but in reality, Joseph is now promoted to a high position in Egypt, and his brothers were sent there to get food.
Joseph demands the 10 brothers to bring Benjamin to him.
Benjamin is the second son on Rachel’s side; whom Joseph never met because he was sold into slavery as a teenager.
Jacob used to favor Joseph but ever since Joseph left and Benjamin was born, Jacob favored Benjamin way more and kept him safe from any harm.
Back in chapter 35, verse 18, we recall that when Rachel gave birth to Benjamin, she died in the process.
Then in verse 29, his father Isaac died.
Jacob lost Joseph, then he lost the love of his life, when she gave birth to Benjamin, and then he lost his father.
Jacob lost so much that mattered to him.
I know that Jacob had 11 other kids that he could appreciate and another wife that he could love, and I know that it’s his fault, for only valuing Rachel and the children that he had with her.
I am able to see something that he didn’t see, but who am I to judge what Jacob chose to value?
He worked for Rachel and loved her very much! She was all he wanted, Leah was a bonus that he didn’t ask for.
Jacob wanted to have a family with the woman he loved!
I mean, at least Jacob did have a commitment to one woman!
We get mad when men can’t be with just one woman, and Jacob seemed fine if all he had was Rachel.
Now look at him!
He lost the son that he waited for, and now he lost the woman that he loves and is now left with only the parting gift of Benjamin.
Of course he treasured Benjamin and wanted to keep him from harm, after what happened to Joseph.
Jacob was human, he was scared, he was tired of losing what mattered to him and he could not sneak his way out of these circumstances.
Now, some Egyptian ruler wanted to see Benjamin…
Why?
If I were Jacob and I didn’t know the Joseph side of the story, I would feel like, God was picking on me.
God was letting all guns point at what mattered to me, until I had nothing left.
These emotions were so real to Jacob!
Jacob didn’t know why the son he was trying to protect was being called to a different land!
He must have thought that, of course they are looking for a strong young man to take as one of their workers or slaves.
After all, Egypt held all the cards in this worldwide famine.
I would not have thought,
“Oh okay, the governor of Egypt just wants to meet the random Hebrew boy, Benjamin.”
I would have thought,
“The targets are pointed towards my boy!”
I would have done the same as Jacob!
No way, are you taking the only thing I have left, that matters to me in this world!!!
I have done that!
I have fought tooth and nail to hold onto the things that matter to me, especially after losing so much.
Golly, it feels like your limp body is using any bit of strength left, just to hold onto what you have left.
It feels like, no matter how much you hold onto what you love, it is still ripped out of your arms.
Jacob was hurting badly and he was not about to let the only thing that he had left, be ripped away from him.
Finally in chapter 43, Jacob ran out of food and the brothers refused to get more for the household, without Benjamin, because Joseph would deny them anyway.
Jacob was desperately clinging to Benjamin and didn’t want to risk losing him.
Eventually, Jacob acknowledged that he couldn’t fight this…
He could continue to be angry that his sons mentioned Benjamin to the Governor, but he realized that it’s not getting him anywhere.
The governor for some reason needed to see Benjamin…
Here it is in Genesis 43:11-14!
Jacob got to the very end of himself.
He couldn’t manipulate the situation, like he had done in the past.
He can’t trick anyone or sneak out of this problem.
He decided to face the terrifying chance that he could lose the last thing that he had left, that mattered to him.
He was now broken.
He was not leaning on his own understanding.
He now used…
FAITH!
He let go of what killed him to let go of and trusted it in God’s hands.
Jacob was not like this before!
He avoided risky situations and when he faced fears he only did so with safety precautions.
This time, Jacob used complete faith in God!
it wasn’t until he reached rock bottom.
I mean, his heart was on the edge of death, at this point, that’s how broken he was. We see it in chapter 44, when the brothers explain why they need to return Benjamin to their father.
Ultimately, in chapter 45, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers and he welcomed them and Jacob to live with him.
Read in verse 26, When the brothers tell Jacob that Joseph is alive.
“And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them.”
Genesis 45:26 NKJV
Jacob’s heart practically stopped beating when he heard that Joseph was alive!
He was only revived when he saw the carts, sent to pick him up and take him to Egypt!
This is faith!!!
God guides us to the very end of ourselves.
The end of our understanding.
Until we hit the lowest low, only so we have an opportunity to choose to trust Him.
When we can’t do anything to manipulate the situation or sneak around the circumstances, we have the opportunity to actually use faith!
We don’t use faith if we already know how we can work the problem.
We use faith when all signs say “dead end” and we cannot imagine there being anything good up ahead.
God was not only thinking about Joseph or the future of His people in this moment…
He was still walking closely with Jacob.
He never stopped leading Jacob to trust in Him with his whole life!
It may have took Jacob’s whole life basically, but Jacob finally stepped out in nothing but pure faith and trusted that no matter what happened, God would be with him!
God not only gave him Benjamin back… but He also returned Joseph back to him!
God didn’t kill them both in order to show Jacob that he should’ve appreciated Leah and her children too.
God is not out to say, “I told you so!”
Oh my goodness, our God is so merciful and caring!
Even when our priorities are messed up and we treasure things more than we should, God isn’t excited to take them away from us.
He does so, to show us that He is the only one we can put our hope in and build our lives on, but God loves to give to us!
God loved to give Jacob more than what he prayed for!
God loved to bring back what Jacob treasured!
God just wanted Jacob to remember who was actually the provider.
Jacob spent so long working things out for himself, that God had to remind him that only He has authority over everything in his life.
God was reminding Jacob that He was still there and He is still his God.
Faith pulls us closer to our Father!
It takes faith in Him and trusting Him to build our relationship with Him!
That was all God was doing in this story!
The lengths that God goes through, just to keep us close to Him.
This is how God is chasing after you!
Photo by Zachary DeBottis
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
