The Transformation

Genesis 33

“Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two female servants. 2 He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear.3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.  4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept.”

Jacob and Esau could never have reconciled without the transforming hand of God.

Esau had sworn to kill Jacob.  Jacob had hidden himself from Esau for 20 years.  During that span, God had worked in both of their hearts, giving Esau the ability to put aside his pride, anger, and his quest for vengeance, and giving Jacob the courage to accept responsibility for his actions and the vulnerability to seek to be reconciled with his brother.

God is a transforming God who can transform us despite the things that have transpired in our pasts.  God can use our past to inform our future. He can take something tragic, such as a broken relationship, and use it for His good purpose.

 May the love of Christ be with you

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Spiritual Struggle

Genesis 32: 22-26

22 That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

We all want things to go smoothly in our lives.  We don’t like problems and there are times when we ask God, “Why?”

Jacob had a large problem in front of him by the name of Esau.  This is a problem he created and now Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men.  Jacob of course was worried that he and his loved ones would be killed (as Esau had sworn to do).  

The struggle between Jacob and the stranger all during that long night symbolizes, in many ways ,Jacob’s struggle with Esau, his struggle with himself, and his struggle with God.  Jacob’s hip was injured and he walked with a limp.  But I am sure each time he felt a twinge of pain, he remembered that fateful night.

Our wounds from our spiritual struggles can serve as reminders that God was present during our darkest times; reminders of our times of deepest need and deepest fear and of finding God even in those depths.

May the love of Christ be with you

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Spiritual Path

Genesis 27: 41

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if Esau had killed his brother, Jacob?  Would that have solved Esau’s problems or would it have compounded them?

As it turned out, Esau, over the course of time, found it in his heart to forgive Jacob.  Both lived productive, prosperous lives.  Both founded nations.  Would any of this have been possible if Esau had exacted his revenge?

Forgiveness is the spiritual path.  Revenge is the material, earthly path.  One path leads to God.  The other path leads away from God. 

The choice is ours.  

May the love of Christ be with you

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God Never Deserts Us

Genesis 27: 18-24

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”  “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau, your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked. “I am,” he replied.”

Even though Jacob’s mother hatched the plan to deprive Esau of his blessing, as soon as Jacob said, “ I am Esau your firstborn” Jacob was as guilty as his mother in this lie.  Before he uttered those words, Jacob had a choice, to walk the path of truth or to walk the path of the lie.  He chose to lie.  

As a result, he had to flee; to leave his mother and his possessions behind; to journey to a foreign land that he had never seen.  Jacob met God on this journey and his life changed. He was transformed from a conniving mama's boy to a man who walked with God.

We may think that our sins cause God to desert us, or that they make us beyond the reach of God.  Neither of these is true.  

God touched Jacob’s heart.  He can touch ours.  

May the love of Christ be with you

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

The Material Struggle

Genesis 25:29-34

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country,famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)  31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?” 33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.”

Have you ever been so hungry that you thought you would die?  Have you ever smelled a stew that you would sell your future possessions to eat?  Esau walked into the perfect storm, and walked away a poorer man.  Jacob, knowing that Esau would be hungry, had the stew waiting and used the opportunity for his personal gain.

Esau was a man who was led by his passions and was focused only on the moment.   Jacob was a man who was led by his cunning and scheming and was willing to exploit the weaknesses of others, even his brother and Father.   Esau does not seem to regret what he lost and Jacob does not seem to regret his ill-gotten gain.

Both Esau and Jacob are lost and only concerned with the material struggle.  But it is only through the  spiritual struggle that they will find salvation.

And so it is with us.

May the love of Christ be with you

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God Knows No Favorites

Genesis 25: 24-28

“24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.” 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game,loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

Seeing and holding your child for the first time is quite an experience.  For nine months you have thought about that moment.  But, nothing can prepare you for the unconditional love that comes pouring forth from your heart when you hold your child to your breast.  

Rebeckah, Isaac’s wife, gave birth to twins who were vastly different in appearance and in personality. As they grew, Esau became more like his father and Jacob became more like his mother and, as a result, Esau was Isaac’s favorite child and Jacob was Rebecca’s favorite child.  Jacob and Esau struggled and fought for love and recognition for most of their early lives. 

God’s love is not like human love.  Scripture tells us that God loved us before we were born. God’s love knows no favorites, and  extends to all people in all countries, of all races and ethnicities.

We are all worthy of God’s love, and all are invited to become members of His kingdom.

May the love of Christ be with you

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God Knows No Favorites

Genesis 25: 24-28

“24 When her time to give birth was at hand, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy mantle; so they named him Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out, with his hand gripping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.” 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

Seeing and holding your child for the first time is quite an experience.  For nine months you have thought about that moment.  But, nothing can prepare you for the unconditional love that comes pouring forth from your heart when you hold your child to your breast.  

Rebeckah, Isaac’s wife, gave birth to twins who were vastly different in appearance and in personality. As they grew, Esau became more like his father and Jacob became more like his mother and, as a result, Esau was Isaac’s favorite child and Jacob was Rebecca’s favorite child.  Jacob and Esau struggled and fought for love and recognition for most of their early lives. 

God’s love is not like human love.  Scripture tells us that God loved us before we were born. God’s love knows no favorites, and  extends to all people in all countries, of all races and ethnicities.

We are all worthy of God’s love, and all are invited to become members of His kingdom.

May the love of Christ be with you

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)