Isaac and his blessing

Genesis 26:1-6; 27:1-28:5; Romans 9:1-16

Of Course! of course it just so happens to be the day that it's my turn to blog that we have to stumble upon these verses. I have wrestled with these scriptures since i was a junior or senior in high school. How could a loving God say, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated"? How could a story of deceit be a good story? And by all means, how could God lift up Jacob as much as he is lifted up, ie. "Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" our forefathers, when he was such a cheating, lying deceiver? Do you wrestle with these questions? Clearly we have some villains in these passages. It's almost like a movie where you spend the entire time wondering who you should like! Esau is the victim at the beginning but he turns so hateful and wretched it's hard to side with him. Rebekah is some sort of dysfunctional mother who clearly favors one son at the expense and loss of another. Jacob must not have much of a moral compass at that point since he is unwilling to turn away the proposal of his mom. And even sweet, old Isaac is slightly irritating that he can't figure out the situation...He even says something about it being Jacob's voice buy Esau's hairy feel. Come on, dad...can you really be that easily fooled! Seriously, who is likable in this scripture!

For the years that i have wrestled with these passages, i have come to only one conclusion that i can sit with. I can't focus on the underdog, Esau because then life just seems unfair. But as we read in Romans 9 we are told that God was not being unfair because he said from the beginning with Moses, "i will show mercy to anyone i choose and i will show compassion to anyone i choose." Really??!! I don't really get it, but ok! And this is why i'm ok with it: If i were God, I think i would have been ticked at the conniving little punk in Jacob. I would have felt sorry for clueless Esau and maybe even thrown a goat in his path a bit sooner in the story so he could have foiled the plan. But luckily for all, i'm not God. I don't even come close! I'll never claim to understand God, and i think we're created that way on purpose. But from all i have learned, God claims to work all things for GOOD! maybe not always my human and finite definition of "good," but good according to God. And as frustrating as it may be for me some days that i can't understand that, i'm learning to rest in the truth that God is good, and that God is full of grace and mercy. And that no matter how much it may not seem that way to me at times, history (both mine and that of Scripture) proves it to be true. Jacob goes on to be an incredible leader and figure in our religious history. Maybe Esau would have mucked everything up! It's when i think i have the right answer that i am reminded that God knows so much more than me and my responsibility is not to know, but to trust!

So, maybe you are at a place today that makes you think God is being unfair...Maybe you've just had an Esau moment at work or school, or an Esau week, maybe even some Esau years. I pray that we can all find ways to quit asking the "why" questions and wanting the "answers" and focus more on learning to trust!

Blessings on your Thursday,
Kelly