9/22/2024 The Blessing of Holding on to God and Overcoming
/The Blessing of Holding on to God and Overcoming
I’ve been meditating on Isaac since last week, and it struck me that the generation we are living in here in America resembles Isaac’s generation.
On this continent, where the Pilgrims risked their lives to find a new promised land, they walked the pioneering path, much like Abraham. After many wars and historical challenges, by God’s blessing, an unprecedented new nation was born.
And we, the next generation, have been enjoying the prosperity of this nation, which has become the strongest in nearly every aspect — militarily, technologically, and economically.
Yet, this prosperity no longer moves us deeply. When autumn comes, the cool breeze, the abundance of water, the clean air, and the blue sky are all taken for granted.
Even among Christians who verbally acknowledge these rare conditions and prosperity as blessings from God, in reality, there is little deep gratitude for such abundance or for these long, peaceful days.
When we experience small inconveniences, the irritation and complaints that rise up so quickly reveal how long we’ve lived with countless blessings as our baseline, feeling no emotion.
No matter how intact it seems, if salt loses its flavor, it is thrown away. And even if the most delicious meals are prepared for us every day, if we no longer enjoy them or feel any excitement, it becomes a misfortune and a curse.
In this abundance, we have everything, yet we become spiritual blind men who can’t truly enjoy anything.
So if God blesses us, it will not be with a more stable and prosperous life that brings no deeper emotion. He will lead us beyond Isaac’s blessings to the blessings of Jacob, who held tightly to the Lord and lived depending on Him.
Today, we will encounter the God of Jacob — the God who completes an era of history through Jacob, following Abraham and Isaac.
This translation preserves the original message and tone of your reflection on Isaac, American prosperity, and the spiritual insights you drew from these observations.
As we saw last time, Jacob was born in the land of Canaan as a twin with Esau.
Esau’s name seems to be derived from the Hebrew verb ‘עָשָׂה’ (’asah), which means “to do,” “to complete,” or “to make.” Therefore, Esau’s name can be interpreted as describing his appearance at birth as “already complete” or “mature.”
In contrast, Jacob’s defining characteristic was that he was born holding onto this perfect child. Thus, he was named Jacob, meaning “one who grabs the heel” or “one who holds with his hand.”
Several hundred years later, in the book of Deuteronomy, it is written that in Jewish law, the eldest son would inherit twice as much as the other children. At that time, however, we can see from the fact that Abraham gave almost all of his inheritance to Isaac that, not only in Abraham’s family but also in the local culture, the eldest son was expected to inherit nearly everything.
In such a culture, Jacob, who was born as a twin, must have felt very unfair. Though he was born almost at the same time, he had to follow Esau as his elder brother for life and was destined to receive very little inheritance.
However, the Bible says that their mother, Rebekah, loved Jacob more than Esau. This may have been due to a greater maternal affection for Jacob, who was always trailing behind, but it is also possible that Rebekah remembered the words God had spoken when she prayed in the midst of great pain during her pregnancy. God had clearly said, “Two nations are in your womb, and the older will serve the younger.”
To Jacob, who always felt discouraged by being constantly compared to the physically strong and confident Esau, their mother Rebekah would have reminded him of God’s promise: “It’s not Esau, Jacob. You will be the one to succeed your father Isaac. In the end, Esau will serve you.”
However, looking at the reality, there seemed to be no possibility of this happening. So, the Bible shows that Jacob was always looking for an opportunity to take Esau’s birthright. Eventually, through his plan, Jacob secured Esau’s oath and took the birthright.
Yet, when the day came for Esau to receive his birthright, he disregarded that oath, and Isaac, who particularly loved the strong Esau, ignored the agreement between his sons and intended to give Esau the birthright and blessing.
Though his eyesight was nearly gone and he sensed that his time was short, Isaac intended to have a blessing ceremony that should have involved the entire family with only Esau present, intending to finish it privately between the two of them. This shows that Isaac was not unaware that what he was doing might be against God’s will, not merely opposing his wife Rebekah.
At that moment, Rebekah overheard the conversation between Isaac and Esau.
[Genesis 27:6-13]
God blessed the midwives who risked their lives and lied to the king in order to save the children.
[Genesis 27:18-19]
18 Jacob went to his father and said, “My father.” And Isaac said, “Yes, my son. Who are you?”
19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”
In this scene, Isaac could not see, but he recognized that the voice was not Esau’s. Suspecting that it was Jacob, he asked, “Who are you?” and called him closer to confirm.
[Genesis 27:22-24]
22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him.
24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. Jacob replied, “I am.”
Isaac shows an astonishing level of naivety. Even though Jacob was in disguise, he could not tell apart two sons who were very different from each other.
[Genesis 27:27-29]
27 So Jacob went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew and earth’s richness—an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”
Isaac poured out a tremendous blessing upon Jacob. But he did so thinking that Jacob was Esau.
Immediately after this, Esau, unaware of what had happened, brought the game he had hunted and cried out in anger. He asked his father if there was any blessing left for him. Isaac replied that there was nothing left, and he spoke words that were almost like a curse.
[Genesis 27:41]
Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
Esau was so consumed with rage that Jacob’s survival was in danger if they met.
However, we must make one thing clear. No matter how Isaac was deceived into blessing Jacob, could God Himself be deceived?
It was God’s original plan for Jacob to receive the blessing through Isaac, and that is why it was fulfilled.
In fact, Isaac also knew that he should bless Jacob, but his heart was more inclined toward Esau.
In this situation, Rebekah prevented Isaac from committing the sin of going against God’s will.
Additionally, Rebekah overheard the conversation between Isaac and Esau about the blessing ceremony. Even though Isaac was blind, the fact that he couldn’t tell the difference between their voices and was fooled by the goat hair disguise—these things all show that God’s hand was involved in the whole process.
This leads us to an important question: Does this mean Jacob was innocent despite the schemes and lies he told when Isaac asked multiple times if he was truly Esau?
The Ten Commandments clearly prohibit lying, but the Bible also records exceptions to this.
[Exodus 1:15-20]
15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,
16 “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.”
17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.
18 Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”
19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”
20 So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous.
God blessed the midwives who lied to the king in order to save the children, risking their own lives in the process.
[James 2:25]
This scene is reminiscent of when Joshua sent spies to Jericho, and Rahab, the prostitute, lied to the soldiers, telling them the spies had already left in another direction when, in fact, she had hidden them. Because of this action, the Bible says that Rahab was considered righteous before God.
God extended grace to those who lied, and in Rahab’s case, it even says she was declared righteous.
This suggests that in certain situations, where someone is clearly opposing God’s will, a lie may be permitted in order to fulfill His purpose. However, most lies that are told to protect one’s pride or personal gain do not fall into this category.
And, it is certainly not the case that Rebekah and Jacob’s method was entirely right. We can see this when Jacob leaves his home and heads to Haran, where his uncle Laban, from his mother Rebekah’s hometown, lived. There is a saying, “There is always someone smarter than the clever one,” and Laban was exactly that kind of person.
If Jacob was cunning, then Laban was a full-fledged swindler and thief.
Laban had two daughters, the elder Leah and the younger Rachel. When Jacob arrived in Haran and saw Rachel leading the flock, he immediately fell in love with her. So, he proposed to Laban that he would work for seven years in exchange for marrying Rachel. After seven years, they held the wedding, and according to custom, the bride’s face was veiled, and the groom would spend the first night in a state of heavy intoxication.
The next morning, something like a scene out of a movie happened. What occurred? When Jacob woke up, he realized that the woman beside him was not Rachel, but Leah. While Leah’s situation was unfortunate, how shocked must Jacob have been?
Jacob, who had deceived his father, never expected to be deceived like this after working for seven years for this marriage. Furious, Jacob confronted Laban, who had anticipated this situation and, without shame, said:
[Genesis 29:26-27]
Laban was truly a master of schemes. Without any apology, he forced Jacob to work another seven years. So, Jacob ended up working a total of 14 years, and because he couldn’t accumulate any wealth during that time, he worked another six years, spending a total of 20 years with his deceitful uncle. Through this time, Jacob painfully learned how the life of deception he had once lived, constantly tricking others for personal gain, actually brought misery to those around him and was a shameful way to live.
God, through these blessings and experiences, taught Jacob many lessons, leading him toward a transformed life.
The name “Jacob” means “to grasp firmly.” Even while he was at home, he clung to his mother’s words that, though he was weak and small, he was destined to become the firstborn. Throughout his life, Jacob, true to his name, always held onto something. Though he received Isaac’s blessing, he ended up with nothing and had to flee from Esau to Haran, living as a fugitive. He found himself sleeping with a stone as his pillow, only to encounter God in a dream.
[Genesis 28:12-15]
Jacob must have felt amazing. After a miserable night, it was surely a morning filled with hope. What did Jacob do? He held on tightly!
[Genesis 28:20-22]
This scene is reminiscent of when Isaac, who had always worshiped the God of his father, built an altar and called on the name of the Lord at Beersheba.
But Jacob did more than just call on God; he clung to Him and made a covenant with God. Not only was He the God of Abraham and the God of his father, but Jacob said, “If You bless me and protect me, You will become my God as well, and I will worship You and give a tithe of everything You provide.” Jacob seized this opportunity to enter into a covenant with God and didn’t let it slip away.
As time passed, Jacob grew weary of Laban’s continual deception. Then God appeared to Jacob again in a dream, instructing him to leave Laban and return to his father’s household. Now, 20 years later, Jacob was preparing to return home with his wives and children.
And yet, we see Jacob once again devising clever strategies.
At first, Jacob sent messengers ahead to meet his brother Esau, instructing them to say, “I seek to find favor in my lord’s eyes and will present oxen, donkeys, flocks, and servants as gifts.” But when the messengers returned, they told Jacob that Esau was already on his way to meet him with 400 men.
Upon hearing this, Jacob was seized with great fear and distress. He divided the people and animals into two groups, thinking that if Esau attacked the first group, the second group could escape.
However, Jacob was no longer a man who relied solely on his own strategies.
He began to pray.
[Genesis 32:9]
He prayed, reminding God that he was following the Lord’s will, and pleaded for protection and grace as promised. Jacob held onto God’s promise in his prayer.
After that, he carefully prepared gifts for Esau, sending them ahead in three separate groups, each at a distance, accompanied by a message of blessing. After sending the gifts, and finally his family, Jacob remained alone at the Jabbok River crossing.
[Genesis 32:24-27]
This scene surpasses the covenantal relationship between God and Jacob.
Jacob held on to God’s angel with all his strength and did not let go until daybreak. Even after his hip was dislocated, he refused to release his grip.
He said, “I won’t let go unless You bless me! Until You promise to protect us when I meet Esau, I won’t release You!”
[Genesis 32:28]
It’s not that Jacob had the strength to defeat God. However, considering that God only gives us trials we can bear, it seems that God met Jacob at a level where he could succeed if he fought with all his heart and strength.
Thus, Jacob, who had once relied on his mother’s wisdom and his own cunning, became one who held onto God. He now had a new name, “Israel,” meaning “one who wrestled with God and won,” or “one who obtained God.”
After that tumultuous night, when the morning finally came, Jacob met Esau. But instead of the confrontation he expected, Esau ran to Jacob, weeping and embracing him, saying that he didn’t need any gifts.
If some of you have accepted Jesus but still live your life solving problems using your own wisdom and strategies, you are living as Jacob. But the Lord desires for us to become Israel. We must become Israel.
Jacob’s long-standing hope was to avoid Esau. He wished never to face him. But the Lord made Jacob meet Esau, and even with a weakened body, limping as he walked toward Esau.
It was a scene Jacob could never have imagined, nor could Esau. Yet, because Jacob had held onto and relied on God fully, entering into a new dimension of faith, he became Israel. This was a miracle and blessing brought about by God.
Through Abraham, we saw the courage to embark on the journey of faith and the absolute direction that faith must take. We also learned that true love for all things in this world only comes when we honor and love God above all. Though Abraham faltered in fear, he became the father of faith through God’s continued guidance, showing that we, too, can attain such faith.
Through Isaac, we saw the limitations of mechanical obedience, even amidst great blessings. True blessing and eternal benefit come from walking the path of faith and obedience that begins with a personal trust in God’s will, which is always right. Only those who love God can experience true joy and freedom beyond material blessings.
Through Jacob, we see the type of person who pleases God. It is the one who does not let go of the opportunities God gives, the one who holds onto God’s promises, and ultimately the one who holds onto God Himself to obtain grace! This person is given a completely new name, becoming the one who obtains God—Israel.
Only when we become Israel do all the promises made to Israel in the Bible become promises for us.
Those who believe in and receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior—the true Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—have already been planted with the seeds of all these blessings.
Because we belong to Jesus Christ, we are Christians.
[Revelation 21:7]
The overcomer… Israel did not defeat God, but rather overcame the self that wanted to give up on God. He overcame the self that sought only blessings while keeping God at a distance, treating Him in the third person. By touching and holding onto God, he became the true Israel, a person whom God would hold onto for the rest of his life.
Are you still Jacob? Or have you become Israel?
Let us pray.
