Torah portion: Genesis 32:3-36:43
Through just two weeks we have covered more than 20 years of Jacob’s life. The majority of that time he was in Padan Aram. At the beginning of the account Rachel was a young girl, and Leah her older sister. Jacob served Laban for 14 years for his two wives. His sons and his daughter were born and Jacob acquired large flocks and enough servants to help him, and then began his journey back to Canaan.
This week we pick up the story of the journey back to the Promised Land. It was not an easy journey in the physical sense with such a large community and such large flocks, and it was not an easy journey in the spiritual sense either. God was moulding the character of Jacob.
Caught in a Crucible
He had made an enemy of his brother Esau 20 years previously and now he had to face him. He had made an enemy of Laban over the 20 years in Padan Aram and now he had to escape from him. He had family enemies behind and before him. He was in a crucible. But this was surely God’s doing.
Jacob had met with angels at Bethel (Gen 28:10-22) and angels were with him on his journey home (Gen 32:1). He had a supernatural experience wrestling with a ‘man’ at Peniel, through whom he was blessed but by whom he walked with a limp for the rest of his life.
Later, his much-loved wife Rachel died in childbirth at Ephrath (Bethlehem). What earthly sorrow to achieve the higher purposes of God!
As it turned out, despite all his fears and human scheming, Jacob was able to come to an agreement with Laban and was reconciled with Esau. Despite his humanity, which God was moulding along the way, Jacob was brought out of these seemingly impossible circumstances, though crucially this was via a period of brokenness.
Being Moulded by God
We too are moulded by God through circumstances - and let us not forget that God’s purposes are higher than our survival on this earth. We are being prepared for a heavenly Kingdom where all the striving will cease, where all the evils of this world will be gone and where we will be made perfect.
Jacob had a significant role in the covenant purposes of God. Like Isaac and Abraham before him he was the bearer of the covenant promises. God’s working in the lives of these three patriarchs was different for each one, but to the same purpose: of making them the forefathers of all who live by faith.
Each of us personally is called to enter into this family of faith and be moulded by God according to His purposes for us. This takes us to the teaching of the Apostles in the New Testament where we are reminded constantly that our characters are being moulded to be more like our Saviour Yeshua (Jesus). For example, Peter exhorts us in 1 Peter 4:12-19), beginning:
Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when his glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.
The whole world is suffering many trials and we can compare this with the crucible in which Jacob found himself with Laban behind and Esau before him. This is especially so for Jacob’s physical offspring Israel (named after Jacob’s new name given at Peniel, which has the connotation of struggling with God).
God is fulfilling His covenant purposes and that is the chief reason for all earthly struggles. All who are called into covenant relationship with Him are gradually being perfected through a walk of faith in Yeshua, and one day will emerge through these struggles into glory: that is the chief goal of God.
Author: Clifford Denton
