Jake the Snake
So we’v
e been studying the life of Joseph. Joseph, the clearest picture of redemption save for Jesus himself. And as I’m reading the last half of Genesis, I’m struck by the character of his father Jacob.
Maybe calling him Jake the Snake is a little over the top, but it’s uncanny how Jacob always focuses squarely non how every situation affects him. Looking out for numero uno.
For instance, consider the account of the sexual assault of his daughter Dinah, recorded in Genesis 34. Someone’s in the kitchen with Dinah, and they ain’t strummin’ on the old banjo. Here Dina gets mixed up with this guy named Shechem, and he ends up raping her. Shechem, being an honorable reprobate, decides he wants to marry Dinah. Shechem’s dad even goes to Jacob to arrange the bride price. Genesis doesn’t record any comments from Jacob that take exception to the treatment of his daughter. Before the negotiations can commence, two of Dinah’s brothers speak up, and propose that the entire male side of Shechem’s clan be circumcised as a condition of the marriage. Now how in the world does Shechem convince all his cousins & clansmen to agree to that? Looks like it was motivation for economic gain. But whatever the reason, Shechem’s family proves that they are some really good wingmen, and they all take one for the team. So while everyone is recovering without the aid of Tylenol, Dinah’s brothers ambush and kill every last man in the group. I could see Shechem, and possibly his enabling father, had some punishment coming. However, rubbing out all the men was an extreme, over the top, evil reaction. But how does Jacob react? Does he mourn the loss of his daughter’s virtue? Does he consider giving back the loot his boys have carried off? Is he concerned at the evil, murderous acts of his own sons? No, he is concerned with the trouble brought on himself. He scolds the brothers for putting him in a tough political spot. Instead of worrying about the lack of character in his own family, he worries about the Caananites getting good & ticked and joining forces to wipe him out. A valid concern, but you would think there would at least be some mention the distress he should have felt at the evil in his own house.
And it’s that way over & over with Jacob. Nearly every quote from the patriarch displays his concern for how events affect him. From Esau’s birthright to his family’s redemption by Joseph, he is always making sure that he comes out on top.
But he is the man who wrestled with God. He is the one who labored 14 years for his bride. He is the one who God blessed. And we’re comforted that God did not base his blessing of Jacob & his family on his actions. True, a man’s words & actions show what is in his heart. But even if our own hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts. God’s blessing & favor is not dependent on the character of the one receiving the blessing, but rather on the character of God. Jake the Snake shows up in all of us, but fortunately God loves us anyway.
Jacob’s family paid a long, hard price for the next 400 years in Egypt, but the blessing of God never left them. Not when they were a murderous clan, and not when they were worthless slaves. God’s love reaches way past what we are.
thanks for writing again. you have a gift, brother.
Thanks for the encouragement. I’m cooking something up about the similarities of the Thessalonian church & the Jesus Freaks of the 70′s. Maybe I’m back.
Thanks the author for article. The main thing do not forget about users, and continue in the same spirit.