From selfishness to submission

 

One preacher described spiritual growth in seven stages, first like a honeymoon, then eventually a realization of having much sin to deal with finally being formed into the image of Christ and becoming consistent in worship and obedience. Another says there are five stages. MacArthur describes three stages using Jacob’s life as an example. He calls those stages: a stolen blessing, a conditional commitment, and a sincere supplication.

God intended to bless Jacob however his name describes the first part of his life. Jacob means “trickster,” “supplanter,” or “usurper.” In his younger years he lived up to that name, tricking his father into blessing him instead of his older brother, Esau. (See Genesis 27). Then he fled from his angry brother and spent fourteen years taking care of sheep for his Uncle Laban.

Even as he traveled towards Laban’s house, God appeared to him in a dream and giving him the covenant promises made earlier to his grandfather, Abraham, and then to his father, Isaac. Jacob’s response is revealing:

Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God. (Genesis 28:20–21)

I can remember in my early Christian life trying to bargain with God and praying words like, “If You will do . . .  then I will do . . .” and finally realizing God will bless me without me trying to bribe Him, but like Jacob, I had to be humbled and realize that His blessings are not about my performance, but they also are not something I can dictate. He knows best. How good to be able to say what Jacob finally said:

I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. (Genesis 32:10)

As he left Laban with his two wives, family and servants plus livestock, the Lord appeared in the form of a man and wrestled with Jacob all night (v. 24). Jacob refused to let Him go until he received a blessing. That was not a selfish request. Jacob finally had a heart devoted to being all God wanted him to be. At that, the Lord changed Jacob’s name to “Israel,” which means “he fights or persists with God.”

At the end of his life, the NT says, “By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.” (Hebrews 11:21)

He never saw the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises just as Abraham and Isaac before died without seeing that end, yet on his spiritual journey from Jacob to Israel, from selfishness to submission, he learned to trust God and in faith wait for Him to keep His promise.

PRAY: Jesus, I can see all sorts of parallels in my own life and even now am waiting for You to answer certain prayers knowing that I might die before You answer them. However, like Jacob, I am certain that You hear my requests and that You are at work in the lives of the people that I pray for, just like You worked in Jacob’s life. You can bring the most stubborn and selfish people into a yielded relationship with You. Your Word gives much evidence of Your power to change lives. My experience also tells me this is true and I rejoice that nothing is impossible with You. For that, I am deeply grateful.

PONDER: Last night, a dream threatened, another one of those “stop praying” attempts to keep me from trusting God by making my emotions feel as if I’d been in a war zone. God enables me to focus on Him, realizing that my enemy is not flesh and blood, nor is it my imagination, nor vivid and horrible dreams. My enemy is “the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) and my weapons are “not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. I can destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, and be ready to punish every disobedience, when my obedience is complete” (2 Corinthians 10:4–6) all because of Jesus Christ and His power.