Jacob's Spiritual Awakening
Throughout the course of Jacob's employment with Laban, Jacob acts with the utmost integrity. But that was not always in his character. Names in the Bible are almost always significant, and the name Jacob sounds like the Hebrew word for "deceiver". Jacob had a twin brother, Esau, who was born first, making Esau entitled to the rights of the first born son. They had quite a sibling rivalry going and Jacob cheated his brother materially not once, but twice. The second time, his brother is so angry with him that Jacob has to flee for his life with nothing but a walking stick! Which is how he ends up headed to Paddan-aram to stay with his uncle, Laban. (See Genesis 25-28)
On the way to Paddan-aram, Jacob has a supernatural encounter with God. In a dream, God identifies himself to Jacob as "the God of your grandfather, Abraham and the God of your father, Isaac." (Genesis 28:13) Jacob has been raised hearing stories about God and His faithfulness; of how God had personally intervened in the lives of his father, Isaac, his grandfather, Abraham, and many other close relatives ... but he has yet to experience God himself. I'm guessing these seem like no more than "stories" to him; God doesn't really seem real or personal. God makes a promise in the dream to be with Jacob - to protect him and to bless him, and to bring him safely back home. He also promises to give Jacob ownership of the place he is currently resting in (which Jacob names "Bethel", meaning "house of God").
This encounter with God has a major impact on Jacob, and he makes a vow to God; "If you do this for me - if you stay with me and protect me - if you will provide me with food and clothing, and if you help me return safely home, then you will be not just the God of my father or grandfather, but my God. And I will worship You and give You a tenth of everything You bless me with." (Genesis 28:20-22) Basically, Jacob is saying, "If You do this for me - if You help me out of this pit I have managed to get myself into - I will follow You!" I think a lot of encounters with God start out this way!
Jacob's business dealings from that point forward are of the highest level of integrity. Even though his employer, Laban, is not treating him with integrity, Jacob continues to work hard, patiently follow God, and do the morally right thing, even when it may be difficult. Something in Jacob's character has changed; in Genesis 30:33, he says, "you'll see that I have been honest."
At times, Jacob must have felt very blessed; God had definitely provided food and clothing for him, and he had been blessed with devoted wives and many children. I get the sense that, contrary to his attitude before his encounter with God, he was very grateful for all God had done and continued to do for him. But, over time, it must have also seemed like, at least in some ways, God wasn't necessarily making good on His promise. For 14 years, he worked hard for Laban and handled himself with integrity, but Laban repeatedly took advantage of his work ethic and cheated him out of his wages; in terms of wealth, he had little to show for his hard work. I'm guessing he must have wondered at times, "Why do I bother trying to do the right thing? I just can't seem to get ahead!"
It also must have seemed to Jacob like perhaps God was "punishing" him for his past behavior; he seemed to be getting a taste of his own medicine, so-to-speak. He had significantly cheated his brother, Esau, twice, and now, he had significantly been cheated by Laban twice.
I could be wrong, but my sense is that this is not about "punishment", but rather, it's some "Divine Discipline". God wants to change Jacob's character; in His sovereignty, He may have allowed Jacob to experience first-hand what it felt like to be on the receiving end of things; to "walk a mile" in Esau's shoes. It's how we develop empathy and compassion for other people and helps us to develop Godly character. Let's be honest: Discipline (which means "to teach") is typically painful, but we are better for it in the long run! (Hebrews 12:11)
When the time is right, God follows through on all of His promises by supernaturally blessing Jacob financially, in spite of Laban's attempts to cheat Jacob out of anything he is due. It doesn't specifically say this in scripture, but I get the sense that Jacob has experienced God as "Jehovah-Jireh" - his Provider. Literally translated, it means, "God will see to it." Ultimately, your provision does not come from your employer, your job, or even your hard work! Jacob had worked hard for Laban for 20 years and without God's supernatural intervention, he would have had very little to show for it.
At this point, Jacob has another supernatural encounter with God, and God tells him it is time to leave. I can't stress enough the importance of waiting on God's timing; it is critical! Jacob could have gotten angry and stormed out after the first 7 years of employment when Laban deceived him the first time. But there are plenty of reasons why God may have wanted him to stay besides just transforming Jacob's character, one of which being the impact it could have had on Leah and Rachel if he had left. God's timing is always perfect, and Jacob may have been repeatedly cheated by Laban, but he left Laban's employment a very wealthy man with a large, devoted family. God had indeed protected him, provided for him, and blessed him, and, as promised, he arrived safely back at home.
When Jacob returned home, the very first thing he did was make amends to Esau for what he had done in his past. He didn't make excuses, and he didn't rationalize it or justify it. He humbly recognized the harm he had caused Esau and insisted on making amends for it, even when Esau told him it was unnecessary. (Genesis 32-33) It's important to note that this didn't happen right away; it took 20 years for him to make amends to Esau. Why? Because it took 20 years for Jacob's heart to be in the right place! After 20 years, Jacob was a changed man ... and that's really what God was after all along!
God blesses him even more - beyond anything Jacob could have imagined - and true to His Word, Jacob indeed was able to purchase the land at Bethel. I think it's safe to say that by this point, Jacob has had a "spiritual awakening"; God is no longer the God of his father or grandfather; He is real, He is personal - He has become his God - the "God of Jacob". He has another supernatural encounter with God, and God changes his name from Jacob to Israel. Israel means "God fights" or "he wrestles with God". Jacob is no longer known as "the deceiver"; God has given him a new name - and a new identity. And, as always, his new name seems appropriate because, over the course of his lifetime, he has, indeed, "wrestled" with God!
© I Lift My Voice, 2022.
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