Theological Commentary: Click Here
Today we
have the beginning of the redemption story of Jacob. Naturally, that doesn’t mean that Jacob is
going to get everything right in the future.
But it does mean that God does not abandon those who are dwelling in
sin. Do you remember all of the sin in
the story yesterday? God intervenes in
this chapter and begins to right that ship.
Isaac sends
Jacob away to his family back in the land that Abraham dwelled in. Remember, this is also the land that Jacob’s grandmother,
Sarah, came from. It is also the land
that Jacob’s mother, Rebekah, came from.
Jacob is really being sent among his kin to find a wife.
On the way,
God comes and visits Jacob. God gives
Jacob a vision. What is it that this
vision means? God is telling Jacob quite
literally that He and His messengers come and go from heaven to the earth and
back. In other words, God is aware of
what is happening on the earth. God
cares about what happens here. God is
powerful enough to do something about it, too!
But the
dream is more than simply an ancient infomercial regarding the nature of
God. The dream is also a call to
identity. In this dream God calls Jacob
to follow Him. God also promises to
prosper him as well. If Jacob is willing
to follow, God is willing to walk in life with Jacob.
God begins
to turn Jacob away from His sinfulness by challenging His identity. God begins to change Jacob by giving him a
vision of what could be. Jacob doesn’t
need to be perfect before God visits, God knows that His presence will be a
part of changing Jacob.
That’s how
it is with all of us, too. God knows
that we need not be perfect before He comes to us and calls us. His coming will be a part of our change. His vision for our new identity will begin to
mold us in His ways.
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