ASHAMED OF JACOB??? NEVER

Psalm 20:1 – The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble, the name of the God of Jacob defend thee,

As I was reading McGee’s thoughts on Psalm 20, I was stopped short at this paragraph:

This is a psalm of David. How did old Jacob get in here? By the grace of God. God never was ashamed to be called the God of Jacob.  I would have been ashamed of Jacob because of some of the things he did. (What?) Maybe you have been ashamed of him, too, (What?) but God was not. God saved Jacob by His grace.

What?  Why? How? Where in the world did these thoughts come from? Why in the world would anyone even bring up the possibility of being ashamed of Jacob? Because he was deceitful and a liar? Hey, aren’t we all at times? What right do we have to condemn Jacob for being a sinner since we are ALL sinners? And why would God be ashamed of being the God of a sinner since that is exactly what He is: the God of sinners.

Let’s look at some facts: God chose Jacob to be the blessed son of Isaac. God early on stated the second son would be the first and the first son would kneel to the second. God chose Jacob to carry the line of blessing leading to Judah, David and finally to Jesus. That was His plan, not Jacob’s plan. The fact that Jacob finagled, deceived and lied in order to be blessed had very little to do with His actually being blessed. He was blessed before he was born!

We, too, were chosen.  We, too, were blessed before we were born. So let’s take a quick look at God’s relationship with Jacob:

God chose him before he was born. God blessed him even though he played the deceiver in getting that blessing. God was with him when he ran away from his brother. Rachel (also the chosen one) was waiting for him when he arrived at his destination. Her father welcomed him and then proceeded to deceive and manipulate him according to the father’s wishes. Jacob reached the point of no return in that relationship and God gave him the idea about building his flock of spotted sheep so that he “would become exceedingly prosperous.” (Gen 30:43 and 31) And there was deceit and treachery involved in what he did. But when he left, he left wealthy and ready to go back. God had promised to be with him on the return journey. And He was!

Near the end of the journey, it was time to set Jacob straight and God came down and did just that. Jacob wrestled with God all night and God blessed him for that. He also gave him a consequence for doing that: But He never left Jacob and He was never, ever ashamed of Jacob. He declared Himself to be “The God of Jacob”; even “The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”  That was who he was to the people of Israel and that is what His name was to them: ”I AM” the God of your Fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

God has also chosen us and He is not ashamed of us, ever. And He is always with us no matter how shameful we act. We are His chosen; we are His Beloved. That will never, ever change!!!! No matter how badly we mess up, He will never, ever desert us. And He will always be there to help us get back to Him. And while we are trying to destroy our own lives, He will intercede with thoughts of how we can get back into the Peace He offers us, even as He did with Jacob.

We truly are not alone. No matter how desperate we feel, He is there with us: He is in us and cannot leave us. Neither will He forsake us, even to our own ways of trying to control our own lives. NOTHING can separate us from His hand; not even us.

To God be the Glory that Jacob was in God’s hand all the while that he thought he was controlling his own life. Jacob was chosen and saved by GRACE and so are we. Praise be to God in the Highest, forever and ever. Amen.

May I suggest here that we all be very aware that we not ever feel that God is ashamed of us? May we find strength for each day in knowing that God was not ashamed of Jacob (or, David for that matter) and that nothing we can do will make Him ashamed of us.

We can hurt Him and we can hurt ourselves and others, but God always loves us and is always there to help us get up and out of any trouble we get into. Let us be determined, in the year, 2014, to be reassured and comforted by these truths about God in His relationship with us. In Jesus name, and for His sake, Amen.