Q9. Why Did God Bless Jacob even though he cheated his Dad and Brother?

One of the more familiar Bible stories that I came across as a kid in Sunday School was the one involving Jacob and Esau.

Jacob and Esau were the 2 sons of Isaac and Rebekah.  We read in Gen 25:28 about how dad Isaac doted on the elder son Esau because he was the outgoing type who would hunt for game, while mom Rebekah doted on the younger son Jacob because he was the typical mummy's boy, a homebody who loved cooking.

We read also how Jacob (H3290 יַעֲקֹב Yaakob), which is Hebrew for "supplanter"

• tricked his brother into selling his birthright for a bowl of stew (Gen 25:29-34)

• tricked his dad into giving him the first-born blessing by disguising himself as his brother (Gen 27)

Yet we read later on how, in spite of his cunning ways, God chose to bless him, even more so than He did Esau.

In Gen 33, Moses records the reunion of two brothers.  In verse 9, we read Esau saying that he had "plenty" (H7227 רב rab). But Jacob replied in verse 11 that God had given him "everything" (H3605 כל kol).

Those of us with a sense of justice would feel a sense of injustice.  Esau was the victim of fraud, while Jacob was the confidence trickster.  Yet, Esau was penalised while Jacob got away scot-free.  Not only that, Jacob's name was changed to Israel, and he became the ancestor to what we know as the nation with that same name today.

To understand why God chose to do what He did, again we need to use that "scarlet thread" to "connect the dots".  (See the blog entry entitled "Connecting the Dots Via the Scarlet Thread")

I was having a discussion with my sister-in-law a week ago, and she used the phrase "God's perfect will".  Amen to that!  God's perfect will was to fulfil that first prophecy He declared to the devil in Gen 3:15 that a seed of Eve will defeat him.  Anyone that was in His "perfect will" of being in the genealogy of Jesus would somehow be protected, even though they may not have been perfect beings.  We can think of Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Judah, Tamar, Perez, Rahab, David, Bathsheba, and so on.  Those not in His "perfect will" (or even going against His "perfect will") would not be offered such undeserved favour of His protection, and we see the likes of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Esau, Reuben, Onan, Zerah and the elder sons of Jesse (ie. David's  brothers) falling into this category.

Having said that, those in the lineage of Jesus did not exactly get away scot-free if one looks at the bigger picture.  God is a God of justice, and a good judge does not sweep things under the carpet.  Rather, there is to be punishment for their wrongdoings, and this was meted out on the body of Jesus when He hung on the cross 2,000 years ago.  In that moment in time, Jesus became the bronze serpent.

He became the sum total of the worst sins ever committed in the history of mankind (and whatever sins to be committed).  Every rape, murder, act of adultery, etc was (and will be) inputed to Him, if that rapist, murderer, adulterer, etc turns to Him as the solution to their crimes.

On the cross, Jesus became the worst sinner and that was why God the Father had to turn His back on His Son.  This is evidenced by Jesus crying out, "My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me?"(Matt 27:46).

In conclusion, why did God bless Jacob even though he cheated his dad and brother?  It was because Jacob was part of God's "perfect will".

Next up, I will blog about one of, if not the most stumbling passages in the Bible -- Gen 38 -- about Judah and Tamar.  Stay tuned!  :-)