When we think about Israel our thoughts may be drawn in the direction of one of two tracks, people or land.  But let us keep in mind that after his all-night encounter wrestling with God his name was changed to Israel.  Furthermore, the land grant covenant promised to his grandfather (Abraham) also came to rest on him.  From a theological perspective, we might think of Jacob as the federal head of the people and the land – both named Israel.

In the scriptures, both stories (people and land) are told in parallel, likewise in this series we will alternate between them.  In our last post, we focused our attention on the Biblical origins of the city and the land, so in this installment we introduce Jacob the man as the representative head of Israel – the people. 

What a Scoundrel
As we follow the lineage of Abraham we meet Jacob, grandson of Abraham through his father Isaac (wife Rebecca). It is with Jacob and his older brother Esau that we pick up the storyline.  He was known as a deceiver or trickster (his name literally means “heal grabber”.)  A fascinating story is told of Jacob deceiving their father Isaac so that he could steal his brother Esau’s blessing (Gen. 27). After the deception was exposed Esau cried out.

As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?”
Genesis 27:34-36

I recall really being offended by this story! Jacob was renamed Israel, he became the father of the twelve tribes, the ancestor of Jesus, a patriarch of the coming kingdom.  And yet he was a lying, cheating, scoundrel of a man – I’m to believe that God chose this guy to accomplish his magnificent plan? It’s too much, I just don’t get it!

But then I read the story again.  Esau had literally sold his birthright as firstborn son to his younger brother for a bowl of stew.  I think this complicates the matter. Jacob was a cheating scoundrel, but he valued something priceless (birthright). Esau, driven by pure instinct (hunger) despised that which was priceless. What if the story is not really about Jacob or Esau? Maybe the story is about a God who reads our hearts and asks, “what do I value above all else?”  Is it my own appetite or that which is eternal?

And that is what we discover as the story continues.  The God who made a land covenant with Abraham, renews that same covenant to Jacob, because despite his character flaws he values what God values.

And behold, the LORD stood above it (Jacob’s ladder) and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Genesis 28:13-15

For both Jacob and his descendants the cheating and conniving would eventually be addressed. If you continue to read the narrative it is almost humorous how God deals with Jacob through his uncle Laban.  Remember Jacob was working for Laban so he could marry the youngest daughter, Rachel. One unforgettable scene happens on the wedding night when Uncle Laban switches the oldest daughter Leah in place of Rachel.  Jacob is expecting Rachel and wakes up in horror to find Leah at his side.  Apparently, Leah wasn’t the only one with “bad eyes.” I wish I could have listened to the spirited conversation at breakfast the next morning. Did it dawn on Jacob that Uncle Laban had performed the same sinister trick to him and he had done to his brother Esau to steal the blessing?

Yet Another Transaction
Jacob’s life had been a series of transactions, with his father Isaac to acquire the blessing, with Laban to acquire a wife and his wages, and with his brother Esau to win back favor after cheating him and being estranged fourteen years. He now tries the same approach with God as they wrestle all night. Could not the almighty have pinned Jacob to the mat during the first watch of the night? Certainly, he could have overpowered or outmaneuvered the shyster, but that is not God’s way. He would leave Jacob with a limp all his days until he recognized that he had encountered the grand champion of wrestling.

It seems Jacob is still wrestling today, but Yahweh is a fierce competitor.  Obviously, as a result of this all-night struggle, Jacob was renamed Israel.  The name Israel is thought provoking. Are we talking about a man, a people group or a land, because this name is used for all three?  And as we shall see, the struggle continues and will continue as we approach the end of the age. There will come a time when Israel admits defeat against her stronger adversary, but that defeat will be turned into victory for her and the world.

For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'”
Mathew 23:39

Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
Romans 11:13-15

Conclusion
If we take a moment to reflect on where we’ve come from. God was faced with a dilemma after the events of Genesis chapters 3 – 11. He loved humanity and wanted mankind to be part of his family, but how does he bring them back from their evil ways?  His plan was to begin again with the family of Abraham.  As we see in the life of Jacob, Abraham produced a dysfunctional family tree. But isn’t that just the point, God is not afraid to step into the messiness of the human experience. If he sees that we have desire to know him, that we value that which is eternal he will move heaven and earth to work through our dysfunction. I’ve experienced this personally and seen it over and over again in believers lives.

In this section we have focused primarily on the people of his choosing. But in the next post we will begin to introduce the concept of kingdom. Biblically, kingdom is based on family relationships among the people; this should remind us of the patriarchs and the twelve tribes of Israel. And let us not forget that each of those tribes had territorial rights (people and land).