Theological Commentary: Click Here
When I think
about Genesis 35, I think about grace and mercy. I also think about God’s perspective and
vision. Each of these topics leads me to
think about hope.
God’s grace
and mercy can be seen in several ways.
First of all, we know that Jacob didn’t have the best track record for
righteousness when it came to family.
Yet, God looks past that. God
forgives. God creates something new in
Jacob. God takes Jacob and molds him and
shapes him. That’s what God can do in
us, too. The truth is that we have God’s
grace and mercy because he believes in us more than we do, certainly more than
we deserve.
This leads
me to think more broadly about God’s perspective and vision. God sees us through His grand perspective,
which allows him to be able to embrace us with grace and love. Because His vision is so grand, He can avoid
getting caught in the moment. In truth,
this is a great lesson that I’ve learned throughout the ages. If I want to be gracious and merciful to
people, I need to be able to see beyond the moment and look ahead into what
could become through grace and mercy.
Perspective and vision make grace and mercy easier.
Naturally,
this leads me to hope. God looks to
Jacob, changes his name, and then reminds him that kings will come from him. God makes a guy who steals from his brother
into a king-maker. If God can do that in
Jacob, He can do that in each of us as well.
He can take us in our dark hours and bring us into a better place. If that isn’t a reason for hope, I don’t know
what is!
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