Nougat 23

Hello

I could reflect on Jacob’s life from so many angles and still miss several nuggets which reveal clues for our walk with God.

So there Jacob was, about to come face to face with his brother, Esau. They were fraternal twins and were as different as chalk and cheese. Jacob and Esau had been estranged for at least twenty years because of Jacob’s deception. He (Jacob) had zero idea what his reception would be like. What he did know was that he wanted to bury the hatchet (fix the relationship) and that he was afraid of Esau’s reaction.

This is where we are when we receive today’s Holy Nougat

“Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak … Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.”” Genesis‬ ‭32:24, 28‬ ‭NRSV

Having a sense of the background to what we read is helpful as we contemplate God’s blessings and purpose for us in this season. Many of us are already tired of Covid-19 restrictions and this plague has only been with us for a few months. How would we have coped had we been obliged to wait 21 or 40 years?

Jacob, received his blessings and inheritance (through foul means and divine right) and was obliged to leave it behind as he fled Esau. Twenty one years of servitude to an opportunist, disguised as an uncle, and father in law. Twenty one years as a shepherd, actually goatherd when he was a landowner of substantial means. Twenty one years of recognizing that the very same brother he stole the land from, would enjoy the management of his property. Twenty one years of slowly acquiring his own possessions just in case. Twenty one years of learning humility God’s way.

In a similar manner, Moses served forty years in the backend of the wilderness before coming into his own. Forty years as a lowly shepherd, tending his father in law’s sheep, forty years in isolation for a capital offense, forty years to reflect, forty years of learning humility God’s way.

Moses would not have missed the similarities. Especially when God insisted that he face his past by returning to Egypt, as the leader of the resistance to enslavement. And, had he heeded those stories taught by his mother and sister, he may have remembered that Jacob wrestled with God ALL night, and survived – with a blessing!

I remember being taught not to question God, nor to talk about my concerns about what God was doing in my life. And in one sense, we shouldn’t; for it may seem like a lesson in futility. And if we are of that mind, then we simply accept Covid-19 and hope that God will see us through. If that’s you, that is good. But Moses and Jacob’s lives assure us that God can handle our doubts, our fears and even our questions. God put up with Moses’s reluctance and fears; and then sent moses off blessed.

Like Abram, Jacob got a name change. But unlike Abraham, Israel the man received no new promise from God. Jacob, however wrestled with God and was blessed for it. An angel/the Spirit of God fought all night with Jacob – on Jacob’s turf/terms (had God met Jacob in godly glory, Jacob would have died immediately). Jacob elicited a blessing, which suggested he was the victor of the fight. God looks forward to our real talk, whether fearful, doubtful or hopeful. We have proof of that.

The God of Jacob willingly became human, allowing Jacob to understand that what God promises, God will deliver. The God of Jacob came as a baby, dwelt among us and died so that you and I might know we’re included in the promise. Yes we are. So we can pray, confident that God hears and cares. We can grieve, with confidence that we will be comforted. We can wait, watch and pray, assured that if God says yes, it will be done

God bless you

Good morning

In Christ’s love and grace . . .