He Is So Patient

“And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:” (Ge 32:9 AV)

“And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.” (Ge 32:31 AV)

“And he erected there an altar, and called it Elelohe-Israel.” (Ge 33:20 AV)

Praise God for His wonderful patience with those of weak hearts.  Latent fears have a way of erasing the mind of God’s promises.  God told Jacob to return to Isaac.  When he did, the LORD would deal well with him.  The promises given to Abraham and Isaac would fall upon him.  The boys are returning to their father in his old age, preparing to mourn his eventual death.  The last time Jacob saw or heard anything of Esau, Esau swore an oath to kill Jacob upon their father’s death.  As Jacob returned, he showered Esau with gifts.  He devised a defense strategy in case Esau was still bent on killing him.  Then Jacob wrestled with God for an entire night.  In earnest prayer, he laid before God the promises made to him and would not let God go until those promises were once more affirmed.  This wrestling in prayer cost Jacob a healthy hip.  God affirmed His promises, renamed Jacob to Israel, and assured him all would be well.  It wasn’t until the promise came to pass that Jacob finally believed God.  He was so overwhelmed by the LORD’s faithfulness that he built an altar and named it Elelohe-Israel.  That means the mighty God of Israel.  Jacob had a life-changing experience.  He experienced the faithfulness of God in the midst of doubt and fear.  God did not abandon him because of his fear.  He patiently affirmed His love and care for Jacob.

In one sense, Jacob brought this on himself.  He did not have the patience to allow time for God to work.  He manipulated the birthright of Esau; he manipulated the sheep of Laban, and now he is trying to manipulate a perceived threat.  Jacob’s pattern was to get ahead of God and finagle God’s blessing when there really was no need.  If he had simply waited for the LORD to do as He wanted to do, those things would have worked out, anyway.  The LORD would have worked it out in ways beyond Jacob’s imagination.  Jacob, because of his manipulation, made enemies of his brother, Esau, and father-in-law, Laban.  Now that he is faced with the reality of an hypothetical adversary with a superior force, and no way to manipulate it, he is forced to trust God.  Completely trust God.  Without any means to handle it on his own.  This was new for Jacob.  Yet, the LORD had patience with him.  He was learning.  These lessons come with difficulties.  These lessons are hard to learn.  Jacob learned what he should have learned twenty-plus years ago.  He learned that God would take care of him better than he could take care of himself.  Jacob never completely learned this lesson, by the way.  When his daughter was taken advantage of, it was his sons, Levi and Simeon, who exacted justice.  Jacob was too afraid to.  Yet God still loved and cared for Jacob in spite of his less than perfect faith.

The life of Jacob gives us hope.  All too often, we believe the faith of Abraham is required for God to bless.  We think we have to be perfect in all things before God will be faithful.  That is not so.  Our loving Father nurtures us no different from we do our own children.  We often overlook their immaturity.  We help them in spite of their flaws.  We put up with a lot in the process of making them into the adults God wants them to be.  Or at the very least, we set them on the path for God to take them to where He wants them to be.  God is no different.  I read this passage this morning with a heart of deep gratitude.  Perhaps I am a bit too much like Jacob.  The LORD knows how many times I wrestled with Him, even though He had promised and proved Himself faithful.  The LORD knows how many times fear got the better of me when the LORD had it in His hand all along.  God is so good!  Isn’t He?  He is so very patient with us.  He puts up with our fears and anxieties without taking offense.  Instead, as a patient Father would do, He affirms our worth to Him and His devotion to our welfare.  Jacob’s story brings a smile to my soul.  It even brings a chuckle to my heart.  I can see myself doing the same.  Fussing over circumstances, even though God has promised, all will be well.  Rather than getting frustrated with me, He assures me time and again that He has our six!