Friday, November 13, 2009

How God Humbled a VerySmartMan

Of the Old Testament patriarchs, I related to Jacob the most. He didn’t share grandfather Abraham’s extreme faith, or daddy Isaac’s apparent naiveté. Instead, Jacob likes the illusion of control. He thinks, and then overthinks, in attempt to finagle this situation to his advantage.

Like the time when his drama queen of a brother, Esau, was simply “staaarving,” and said if Jacob didn’t feed him, he “would diiie” (I imagine him whining.) So Jacob said, “Here, bro. I’ll trade you some soup for your inheritance.” I wonder if Esau thought he was kidding at first. In any case, Jacob supplanted his brother and got the birthright.

Jacob’s lives by his wits, seemingly doing pretty well for himself…until his brother decides to put a hit on him. He flees to Paddam-aram to go visit some relatives, where he falls in love with a pretty girl. The girl’s father is cunning too, so he sets the boy to work for seven years: Jacob’s service in trade for the girl.

All’s well and good, as Jacob and the girl’s dad are cut from the same cloth. That is, until the wedding, when Jacob discovers that beneath that veil is his girl’s nearsighted older sister. Yes, he was outfoxed. Someone made a switch. But does it mean that with a taste of his own medicine, Jacob sees the error of his ways? Sorry, not yet. Even getting the wrong girl in a marriage contract doesn’t teach humility.

Seven years later, with his girl finally under his wing (along with her older sister, who is unfortunately the sad part in this love triangle) Jacob flees from Paddam-aram. The relatives have gotten just a bit too cozy. With cunning, he sneaks out. That plan fails, as his father in law catches up with him on the road; but God is near, and Jacob’s family comes out okay.

Arriving back home has its difficulties too. Old brother Esau has grown his family to a small army, and Jacob knows his clock would be cleaned in a fight. God says, “Go ahead anyway,” so Jacob does, with fear and trembling...and cunning. He sends Esau an extravagant gift ahead of time to smooth the way, just in case God’s promise of “I will be with you” wasn’t quite enough.

But the very night before Jacob would confront his brother and know whether he was to live or die, a man tackles him. They wrestle, though I’m sure Jacob has no clue why. He’s just competitive like that.

As the sky just begins to go pink at dawn, the man dislocates Jacob’s hip with one withering touch. At last, Jacob knows who he’s dealing with and says, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.” Obviously, this person with supernatural ability could get away if He wanted, but appreciates Jacob’s panache. He blesses Jacob and says, “You’ve struggled with God and won.”

Clutching his hip, Jacob staggers back to the camp with newfound wonder. No one has ever come that close to God; not even righteous Abraham. And Jacob, who thought himself oh-so-smart, had dared to punch Deity. Why was he still alive?

A million questions ran through his mind, and would run until the end of his life. For forever after, he limped; a constant sign that God was the one with the power.

Of all the patriarchs, Jacob’s story touches me the most. He’s got a donkey’s stubbornness and tends to think better of himself than he ought. In the end, God chose to wound Jacob rather than leave him be.

God’s nature is revealed in this story. He proves how He uses mostly fools (1 Corinthians 2), and the “smart” people he chooses must be made fools before they become useful. It’s not until he gives up on his own abilities that we see a glimmer of why God chose to make a nation from Jacob’s descendants.

And even more, the story reveals God’s humility—that he would deign to wrestle with a cocky little man—so the man might finally see rightly. It doesn’t happen every day. But then again, maybe it does.


Painting by Chris Cook.