You ever have those "Aha!" moments in the Word of God, those ever-so-sweet times of revelation from Him, where you literally want to fall out of our chair? Technically I've been sitting on the couch, but you get my point, haha. Anyway, this morning was one of those times. I picked up my Bible to continue my daily reading in Genesis 35 and barely made it past the first couple of verses. After just having read chapter 34 (go and check it out for yourself), I was astounded! I felt like God sucker-punched me in the gut and took my breath away (not in a violent way, but in a "holy cow!" sort of way, if that makes sense). The words just began popping off the page and I could feel Him reminding me of such beautiful, needed truth.
What He was practically speaking through a megaphone into my heart was, "Annie, my love and grace for you are SO relentless, and it's all in spite of you."
Wow, what comfort. I need this reminder daily!
Here's what hit me so hard: It is amazing to me that literally RIGHT after Jacob's major failure as a dad and the leader of his family, right after he has allowed his daughter Dinah to be raped and his sons Simeon and Levi to kill all of the men in the city, right after this DISASTER, the Lord calls out to Jacob to return to Bethel, the place where He appeared to him beforehand. And not only this, but God instructs Jacob to build an altar there, basically inviting him into worship and communion with Himself. Wait, are we talking about the same Jacob here???? The Jacob of chapter 34? The one that made massive mistake after massive mistake?! Yes! And the story gets even better...
On top of all that craziness, this is the very moment God chooses to rename Jacob as "Israel", the name He set apart from that point forward for His very own, beloved, chosen people- blessed above any other nation for all of eternity.
Did anyone just say "huh" and scratch your head like I did in utter confusion and disbelief? Seriously, when I stop to think about this, this is CRAZY, this is world-changing. I think that it absolutely should make us stop dead in our tracks, because no other god is like our God.
This is why I was left in such astonishment this morning as the beauty, depth, power and consequences of this passage hit me square in the heart. It is so beautiful to see that even at Jacob's very worst, right after he has screwed up big time, it is then that the Lord- holy, blameless, righteous and perfect- calls out to Jacob and gives him probably one of the most sacred names, besides the name of Jesus, in all of the Word. Say whaaaaa?? Is anyone feeling me here? :-) Boy is His love for us furious. It cannot be contained, neither by the power of hell nor by anything that we could ever do.
{No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything in all of creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.} Romans 8:37-39
That includes ourselves and our own shortcomings. Oh I am so thankful! He amazes me beyond words in that He willingly chooses, each and every day, to step into my mess, like he stepped into Jacob's, and calls me to do one of the most intimate things, to enter into worship and fellowship with Him. He pursues me AND gives me a new name- the most sacred and special of names that I could receive- His daughter, beloved of the Most High. And the exact same goes for you! :)
It's also so cool to see how Jacob gets this, how he lets this love of our God penetrate deep down and it therefore revolutionizes his life. For when his son Ben-Oni is born halfway into the chapter, his name meaning "son of my trouble", Jacob renames him Benjamin, meaning "son of my right hand". What is so amazing about this is that this is exactly what Jesus does with us. Mmmm... so sweet this love, so sweet this Savior. We are born as sons and daughters of trouble- far from Him and stuck in our messes of sin- yet it is then, at that very unfitting moment that He calls us the sons and daughters of His right hand.
It gives Psalm 73:23 an entirely new meaning:
{Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.}
Praying that we can begin to soak up this truth... let it penetrate deep in our bones, and live it out!
