“Then he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’”

Exodus 3:6a
When I think of Abraham, I am inclined to think, “Sure he was a sinner, but he wasn’t that bad.” And Isaac seems to play a smaller role in Genesis. But Jacob? You’ve got to be kidding me! How could God possible identify Himself with a conniving, lying, scheming, selfish, faithless man? How could He even allow Jacob to be one of His people?
Of course, the answer is found back in Genesis 28:14 where the Lord says, “I will not leave you until I have done all that I promised you.” There it is again: God’s actions in history are bound up in His promises. And He always keeps His promises. It is who He is.
Out of sheer grace He made a covenant with Abraham. By sheer grace He extended that even to a guy like Jacob. And that is good news for you and me because we tell lies, we act selfishly, and we hurt others. Like Jacob, we need someone who will wipe away the record of our sin and make us right with God. That’s Jesus. By faith Jacob became a citizen of heaven (Hebrews 11:9), and by faith we become children of the living God.



Insight

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8)

Bible In A Year

  • Genesis 18-19
  • Psalm 9
  • Matthew 14-15

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