Today’s devotional author is Prince of Peace member, Scott Tunseth.
This week the Narrative Lectionary served up two stories that are focused essentially on Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah. The first story in Genesis 27 involves some family shenanigans, and as the oldest of three brothers, I’m not particularly pleased with the outcome. Jacob, the younger of two twins, tricks his aging and blind father Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn, which was by rights supposed to go to the older twin Esau. And more, Jacob is helped in the scheme by their mother Rebekah. She prepares a tasty meal of goat for Jacob to serve his father, which took the place of the meal of wild game that Esau usually brought to his father.
The story is a trickster tale and meant to be humorous, but it also raises questions, such as “Does God play favorites?” or “Is there some theological purpose for trickster tales like this?” I think we’d generally agree that God doesn’t play favorites and is not a capricious God who acts impulsively. But this is not the only place in the Bible we run into the concern that God chooses some and not others. This is sometimes referred to as “election.” But the sneaky and manipulative Jacob is not a poster boy for the “elect.” His actions alone make him anything but deserving of the chosen one status. But being chosen by God is not directly related to how good we are or how impeccably we act. God, in Christ, loves us despite ourselves.
The story of Jacob and his brother Esau is a very real and human story. And the story is also about the people, the community of Israel. After all, Jacob’s very name is later changed to Israel after is his wrestling match at Peniel (Gen. 32:27-28). According to Genesis and other parts of the Old Testament, God has chosen Israel. It’s true. But this choosing is not simply about status; it is also about blessing. From the very beginning, God said to Abram, “I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing . . . in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen 12:2-4).
As God’s people we also claim this promise, not to hoard or glory in our blessings, but to be instruments of blessing in the world. And that goes for first-borns, second-borns, and every other “born” down the line.
God, we give thanks that you have a sense of humor. How else could you love us? Amen.