No Pat Answers

When Isaac attempted to bless his sons, he was tricked into blessing the younger over the older—contrary to custom and to what he intended. When that younger son, Jacob, blessed his grandsons, he chose the younger over the older too, but he knew exactly what he was doing. What was the difference between these two men? Did Jacob do it because that is what happened to him? Or did he have another reason?

This ‘blessing’ was no mere ‘nice’ ceremony. It held prophetic significance and was a very serious family matter. The eldest was given the ‘birthright’ which included becoming the priest of the family, a double portion of the inheritance, and any judicial authority the father may have.

As my devotional book points out, Isaac easily came into his blessing. It was promised long before he was born and even with a half-brother in the picture, there was never any real threat to the inheritance that was promised to him. He was a person of faith—without a huge battle with himself to get there.

Faith came much harder for his son, Jacob. First, he fought for his blessing. His mother favored him and wanted him to trick his older brother out of it, so he did, but then spent much of his life fearing brother Esau’s retaliation. Finally Jacob came to the point of wrestling with the Angel of the Lord and persisting because he wanted God to bless him. (Note: most theologians think this Angel was a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.)

Some think Jacob reversed the order when he blessed Joseph’s sons because that is what worked for him. That isn’t what I see. Both Jacob and Joseph, like most of us, expected God to work in certain ways. Through difficult circumstances, both found that God is not limited to convention, that God’s ways are not man’s ways. They learned the hard way to listen to God, not to what ‘everyone else is doing.’

Faith seemed handed on a platter to Isaac, but it took Jacob a lifetime of trials and discipline to learn how to trust God. But he did learn. Just before he blessed Joseph’s younger son over the elder, he said, “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads. . . .”

Joseph protested that he had his hands on the boys in the wrong order, but Jacob said, “I know, my son, I know.” He was very aware that God wanted the younger boy to receive the blessing. This was not a plot out of favoritism or a wrestling match with God. Jacob learned to listen and to obey. He also learned that he could not put God in a box.

One of the biggest threats to walking with God is the idea that, “This is the way we’ve always done it.” God is not limited to a procedure or set pattern. If I have a problem or a challenge, He has a solution that will fit it perfectly. He is far more creative than I ever can imagine. Besides that, He wants me to come to Him with each problem, not use old methods.

I’ve stopped reading what I call “Christian how-to” books. While I need encouragement that God is able, and reminders of general principles in how He works, if I copy specific applications that He gave someone else, I will miss the blessing of experiencing His unique guidance in my own situation.

I also identify with Jacob in that I’ve had to learn the hard way that God’s answers are far better than mine, and with each problem they are even better than His previous answer!