There's a Little Rebecca in Each of Us! The Good the Bad and the Ugly, PART TWO
Read: Genesis 27:41-45; Genesis 28:10-19
Last week, we looked into the life of Rebecca and discovered that in many ways, we can relate to her. We observed times of sweetness and trust as well as a time of scheming and deception. As it is true in our own lives, we watched Rebecca take steps of faith as she demonstrated her trust in God. We also observed her as she took control rather than waiting for God to bring about His will in His way. Highs and lows. Those words surely describe both Rebecca's life and also our own.
It is interesting that Rebecca's desire that her son--the one whom she favored--had been chosen by God to receive the blessing, and Rebecca was well aware of that fact. There was no need for her intervention. Yet, when Rebecca overheard her husband Isaac making a plan to give the blessing to his favored son, Esau, rather than allowing God to bring about His will, Rebecca sprang into action, and her plan worked. Because of her trickery and how Jacob went along with her scheme, Jacob did receive the desired blessing, but getting the results she desired was only the beginning. What Rebecca instigated opened the door for consequences. We'll look at the difficult consequences first. Followed by the consequences which put God's love and grace on display!
The first fly in the ointment that Rebecca experienced is not obvious because we don't read about it; yet, it is a consequence that is most likely a part, from time to time of each of our experiences. When Rebecca took control of the situation, she missed the joy of seeing what God would have done to bring about His desired will. Please know that I'm not chiding her or placing myself above her. I too have "helped" rather than waiting for God's direction and timing. Remember FOMO? The fear of missing out? Rebecca demonstrated that she didn't have FOMO concerning what God might do. Rebecca feared that Jacob might miss out on receiving the blessing, but she did not fear missing out on God's best. Therefore, she missed seeing what God could do to bring about His desired outcome. I can relate to that.
The second [SR1] unintended consequence that was a part of Rebecca's story came quickly after the deception. Esau's anger. His desire to kill his brother, Genesis 27:41-45. Esau's thirst for revenge was the reason Rebecca sent Jacob away. A cooling off period until Esau's anger subsided, Genesis 27:44. No doubt, she hoped that this chasm between Esau and Jacob would close quickly. There was no way for this mother to know that she would never see Jacob again. The short time she had hoped for turned into decades of separation. Such a painful consequence. Yet, God was still at work.
Bringing His blessings into this difficult set of circumstances; so, let's look at God's grace. The sweet favor poured out into both Jacob and Rebecca's lives. In spite of their deception. No, this grace didn't directly touch mama Rebecca, but we all know that when a mother's child is blessed, that is a special gift for the mama too. Even when the sons are no longer young! How good God is to shower down grace driven consequences into the lives of those, like Rebecca and Jacob and us whose actions have displayed anything but trust in the Lord.
Can we picture Jacob fleeing from his home and his brother's wrath? We don't know his feelings, but the circumstances were surely not what he had wanted. When the traveling for the day had ended, Jacob laid down on the ground with a rock on which he rested his head. Weariness with little comfort. Then this man on the run had a dream. A heavenly message was a part of this dream. Wouldn't we expect that God would speak words of censure to Jacob? Wouldn't Jacob deserve condemnation or at least scolding for giving in to his mother's plan? Those would be the consequences that Jacob had earned. Yet that isn't what happened. Instead, Jacob received gracious words from the Lord. So unexpected, but such beautiful consequences. Could there be sweeter words than God's renewal of the covenant that had been given to Jacob's ancestors Abraham and Isaac? A renewed promise that Jacob's people would possess the land where he stood and that through his people, blessing would come to all nations. There was more. God would be with him and care for him. God would also bring him back home again. In spite of his trickery, God's promises, presence and love would not be withdrawn from Jacob.
Rebecca's taking matters into her own hands did not keep God's grace from being poured out into Jacob's life. Someone might say that Jacob didn't deserve these good consequences. How true! That's the beauty of grace! We receive what we don't deserve and can't earn for us. Ephesians 2:8-9 spells this truth out clearly. God's gift of salvation is completely undeserved and unearned. What do we deserve as a consequence for our sin? Separation from God. Rejection! Yet, what does God hold out? A place in His family and a place in His kingdom, John 1:11-12; 1 John 3:1. This gracious treatment Jacob received shouldn't surprise us. God began pouring it out in Eden. When Adam and Eve were still in the Garden, God allowed them to receive both the hard consequences of their sin and the grace to go on. Remember how God sought them out when they were hiding in shame and fear, Genesis 3:7-10. Grace! Remember how God made them coats of skin to cover then, Genesis 3:21. Grace! Remember how God promised that He would send the Deliverer to crush the evil one, Genesis 3:15. Grace. Remember how God drove them from the garden so they wouldn't eat from the tree of life and live forever in their sin, Genesis 3:22-24. More grace! That's the pattern we see from the beginning! Yes, there are hard consequences, but if we long to be embraced in it, there is grace. The same grace that drenched the undeserving Jacob is there for us!
Psalm 103:10-12 is merely one of God's reminders of grace poured out to undeserving people like us.
He does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
Lord, Thank You for grace. Help us to allow the grace You so freely give us to pour out into the lives of others so they will see glimpses of what You are like!
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