Day 7: All in to Embrace God’s Plan

Genesis 32:24-31 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”The man asked him, “What is your name?”“Jacob,” he answered. Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?”Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

Jacob and Esau were a pair of twins that struggled with one another while they were still in their mother’s womb, and their struggle continued after they were born. This was particularly true for Jacob who coveted what belonged to Esau.

In Genesis 25 through 27, we see Jacob taking from his brother Esau three things. First, he bought his elder brother’s birthright. Next, he took his brother’s appearance in order to deceive Isaac into thinking he was Esau. Then he stole his brother’s blessings.

Each of these three things that Jacob stole from his brother represents something that defines a person:

The birthright represents position
The attire represents personality
The blessings represent purpose

In the account of Esau and Jacob, Jacob’s desire to be like his brother was obsessive! But why was this so?

Genesis 25:27-28, AMP:

“When the boys grew up, Esau was an able and skilled hunter, a man of the outdoors, but Jacob was a quiet and peaceful man, living in tents. Now Isaac loved [and favoured] Esau, because he enjoyed eating his game, but Rebekah loved [and favoured] Jacob.”

Jacob coveted Esau because Esau had the one thing that he did not: His father’s love and favour. This one thing set Jacob down a path of wanting to be someone else completely different from whom God intended for him to be.

Let us unpack the three things Jacob stole from Esau. He stole the position of the firstborn from Esau when God was actually going to give him a position far greater than just being a firstborn. God was going to attach His own name to Jacob. Up till today, we identify the Lord as the “God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”.

Jacob stole Esau’s personality when, in fact, Jacob had a unique personality suited for God’s call on his life. At Peniel, he would be counted as one who “wrestled with God and with men, and have prevailed”. Jacob was someone who was tenacious enough to move God.

Finally, Esau’s blessing was one of prosperity and authority, but Jacob’s portion was to inherit the Abrahamic covenant of the Promised Land and of descendants. God had a unique purpose for Jacob. He did not need to envy his brother.

Pause for a moment here, and let this sink in:

God has a unique plan for each of us just as He did for Jacob.

Now having said all that, there remains something puzzling about Jacob. Scripture tells us that his name was changed from “Jacob” to “Israel” twice. However, Scripture continues to call Jacob “Jacob” instead of “Israel”. This was not the case with Abraham or Sarah.

You see, Abraham’s change of name was an augmentation, from “an exalted father” to “the father of nations”. But to go from “Jacob” to “Israel” marked a transformation. Israel meant a “prince”, “royalty” and being “upright”. These qualities were the exact opposite of “supplanter” and “grabber”, which is what Jacob means.

God has a unique plan for each of us just as He did for Jacob.

Herein lies the struggle we all face.

In each of us, we will find Jacob. Like Jacob, we covet position, personality and purpose whenever we look at what the world can offer. Sometimes, the nature of Jacob takes over.

However, as Christians we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. We experience a transformation that changes the priorities in our lives, our value systems, and most importantly, our very nature.

Each day, we have a choice. Do we remain as Jacob – insecure, looking around us, and coveting what the world presents as being valuable? Or do we choose to be Israel – aware that we are royalty, secure in our relationship with God, and knowing that we can trust Him to truly satisfy our hearts?

This struggle is a continual one. It is an invitation for us to be All In when it comes to our witness as His people. It is an invitation to rise above our natural instincts to behave like Jacob and instead walk according to our new nature as Israel.

Let us pray.

Jesus, we come to You, and we thank You for who You’ve made us to be. We thank You that no longer are we “Jacob”, but You call us “Israel”. Help us to be secure in who You have made us to be, and help us to be effective witnesses for You in our nation. We ask this in Jesus’ name, Amen.

/ Reflect

On a day-to-day basis, do you find you are more “Jacob” or “Israel”? Reflect on how you can better live out your life as a new creation in Christ.
What are the temptations in this world that lure your Jacob nature to arise? Now that you are aware of them, reflect on how you will let God work in you to be holy as He is holy.
We are called to be All In for Jesus. Reflect on what this means practically as you live out your daily life as a believer.

/ Pray

For the Christian who feels insecure and inferior to others, that he understands what it means to be a “new creation in Christ”.
For the Esaus among us who are spiritually myopic, willing to sell our spiritual birthright for temporal pleasures, that they will treasure their spiritual inheritance above anything this world can offer.
For those who feel condemned or not good enough, that they will bring their pain to the Lord, and that their eyes will be open to who they are in Christ Jesus.