Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau, your firstborn…." — Genesis 27:19
God’s plan, man’s way. Several things about this whole story trouble me. Each parent had a favorite. Isaac and Rebekah were miles apart. Isaac didn’t seem to perceive the will of God. Jacob was a cheat. And yet Jacob was God’s choice.
I contrast Jacob and David in my mind. What made David such a great man of God? He didn’t force God’s hand. He could have killed Saul, but he didn’t. He suffered persecution he didn’t deserve from a king who didn’t deserve to be a king, and he did nothing to change the situation, except obey God.
But Jacob listened to Rebekah, and followed her scheme to get the will of God past her husband Isaac.
I don’t know about you, but it was a painful lesson for me to discover that my heroes weren’t perfect. I came close to losing my faith, to be honest. I got so cynical and so bitter because Christian leaders were so flawed.
But the Lord showed what I needed to mend my heart. The same God who put these leaders in their office of leadership knows how to work around all their faults, just like He knows how to work around mine. God didn’t choose Jacob because he was perfect. Instead, God custom designed Jacob’s life to show us all that He knows how to lead and to purify us flawed human beings.
Be encouraged!
Dwight
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Visit DwightClough.com for more information. Dwight and his wife Kim are active members of Lake City Church in Madison.