11 Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. 12 Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. 13 Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. 14 And may God Almighty[a] grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
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“May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man… [and] as for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”
Jacob Wrestles with an Angel
What a moment. I wonder if this is the moment that Jacob the deceiver, now Israel who struggled with God, has finally quit struggling.
This man’s name relates directly and explicitly to his determination to wrestle with God. His history is one of friction, terse ambition, and conflict. Yet he is the one who is favored. His name will be the name of a nation of people. His name will be known for thousands of years beyond his own life.
The picture I’ve linked to- it’s called “Jacob Wrestling with an Angel” by Gustave Dore. I love it. I don’t know much about painting, or criticism. I have no idea if it’s any good, or if it’s trite. But I love it. So I guess it’s good. I love how Jacob is on the lower ground, and his body looks tense, like he’s really working, but the angel has his wrists in his hands. And his face is totally … blank. Like he’s not really exerting himself.
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Though he struggled, fought, schemed, managed, and argued, he was the recipient of favor. There was struggle and contention within the womb of his mother. He “grasped” his brother’s heel, even at the moment of birth. Rather than emulate his older brother, he actually turn away from his brother’s habits and pleasures- while Esau would hunt, and boy scout about, Jacob would stay near the house, and learned more … domestic arts.
He seemed opportunistic, taking any chance to gain something for himself. Like a claim to birthright. Like a blind father’s blessing. He wanted that badly enough to stand in front of a blind man and lie right to him.
When that plan turned bad, he ran away from home, fleeing to his uncle’s home several days journey from his angry brother. There he attempted to gain a wife, and was in contention with his uncle, turned father-in-law, when his bride turned out to be somebody other than he’d agreed to.
Then his wives were in struggle between themselves, each straining for the favor of her husband. And then his children- they too struggled between each other, jockeying for favor. Jockeying for position in the line of succession, the line of blessing.
In all this- the story of his life up to this point, is like holding up a mirror to the race of humanity. Struggle. Against. God.
And now… there’s no more energy to fight. No more energy to struggle. Joseph is gone, Simeon is gone, all of their food is gone, and now he struggles to protect Benjamin from a similar fate. But there are no more alternative routes. No more victories. So he finally gives in.
May God grant you mercy and if I am bereaved, then I am bereaved.
—
I think it is more than appropriate to say that Jacob/Israel, as much as anybody, can serve as an adequate representative for the race of humanity. And the gem is less in how Israel represents us to God, but rather how God relates to him in spite of the struggle, in spite of the constant friction.
God chose Jacob to be a special kind of conduit to the people of the world. He blessed Jacob abundantly, taking a poor man with a knap sack and a strange dream in the desert and giving him 2 wives, at least 13 children, and more goats than you could shake a stick at. Important to distinguish between the children and the goats- though it’s an easy mistake to make. Both climb everything, eat grass, crap where ever the spirit moves them to, and do nothing but bleat all the time. Moving along.
God was determined to make a way. He had made a promise to Eve that somebody would come along who would take back the life she’d given away. He had promised Noah that he would be a blessing to the whole world. He had promised Abram a family that rivaled the stars in the sky and the sands of the deserts. He actually promised Abram much more- He promised that He himself would be torn and shredded if He did not keep His promise to Abram. God promised Jacob that he would never be alone. Ever, no matter what. God had a stack of promises. Promises He initiated, promises that He was bound to. Promises that He was BOUND to keep.
All of His promises were connected to the abundance of LIFE. And not the striving, stressed out life that was usually happening- but a LIFE that was better. God makes promises to us that we will gain something awesome from living His LIFE.
What we learn too, is that sometimes God’s promises, as solid and true as they may be, aren’t necessarily what we expect, or when we expect. Abram was promised a nation of families- but it took decades. Decades of years passed before Isaac was born. And Isaac was only one child. But then Isaac had a child. Two. And they fought. But then Isaac had a grandchild. And another. And another. And then…
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Passages like this one, and those around it, can seem baffling when taken out of the context of the whole book. Or even out of context of the whole Pentateuch. But what I see, having combed through everything leading up to this point, and knowing what’s coming- is a God that can be trusted even when I can’t be.
God is building his answer to the first promises and like any good builder, He’s building it carefully, using the materials He has, and the place that He has them. And He has a plan. The boards are warped, and full of knots. The ground is rolling and far from flat. The rocks are shaped in peculiar ways, and don’t stack well. The nails are different lengths, different guages, and piled up loosely in the bottom of a cracked pail. But this will be a mansion with many rooms when God is done. A city of mansions. Filled with Jacob’s who finally stopped struggling, and called on the mercy of God. And when the struggling stopped, and the calling began, the blessings just kept coming, as they always had. But now, all the dams were broken, all that blocked and slowed and diverted the flow of God’s word and work were cleared away, and they could finally move. Finally run, without bends, turns, oxbows or reservoir.
—
On the surface, these stories appear to be about Joseph, or about his brothers, or about Jacob. But really, this whole book, and every story in it, is about God the Father, the Creator, the Promiser, the LIFE lover, and Busted-Stuff-Repairer. Sometimes, you just have to back up a little bit to see it.
