Let’s return for a moment to the four foundational truths which were reiterated in Jacob’s tardemah of utter grace - truths that became the foundation for the healing of his past:
Security – His secure standing in the patriarchal line was reaffirmed. (Genesis 28:13)
Hope – He received his personal promise that the land would be given in perpetuity to both he and his descendants. (Genesis 28:13)
Influence – Jacob’s fruitfulness was guaranteed to affect all future generations. (Genesis 28:14)
Favor – He received the assurance of God’s personal presence for the rest of his life (Genesis 28:15)
The promises of security, hope, influence and favor will now become the sacred ingredients of the healing balm used for the redemption of Jacob’s past!
THREE POINTS OF GRACE
God and Trust
God answers Jacob’s issues of trust, not by punishing him, but by continuing over and over to demonstrate His own trustworthiness. Despite Jacob’s lapses, God uses the continuity of His own covenant faithfulness as the means of healing the ‘trust breech’ in Jacob’s soul.
God and Fear
God approaches the great fear of Jacob’s life with love. Far from rejecting or abandoning him because of his sins, God instead reconfirms His covenant love by assuring Jacob of his full acceptance in God’s generational plan of redemption! It is perfect love alone that drives out fear. Only the assurance of unconditional acceptance can remove the paralyzing effects of fear.
God and Deception
How did God deal with Jacob’s deception? Just as He didn’t punish him for mistrust nor reject him for his fear, so God didn’t demean Jacob for his deception, rather He transformed him!
God doesn’t brand him as worthless. In fact, God is the very one who will change Jacob’s name so that all men for all time may know that God is a God of patience and loving kindness! Far from demeaning or shaming Jacob, God confronts him with the question his father had asked years before: What is your name? Jacob, now all alone with God and surrounded by the security of God’s love and direct presence, finally acknowledges the mistrust, fear, and deception of a lifetime! ‘I am Jacob!’
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