Genesis, Message 26: Chosen, Dealt With, and Broken

Crystallization-Study of Genesis, Message 26:

"Chosen, Dealt With, and Broken"

Jacob is chosen by God. 

²¹ Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
²² But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.
²³ And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger." (Genesis 25:21-23 NKJV)

Abraham's story starts with God's calling, but Jacob's story starts with God's selection. God selected him before he was born. In fact, He selected him and also every one of us even before the creation. God selected us, and then predestined and called us, carrying out His sovereign selection.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,
⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love,
⁵ having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,
⁶ to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Ephesians 1:3-6 NKJV)

What a privilege we have! We are by no means small or unimportant in God's eyes. Even though we are not worthy of His selection, we are not worthless. We are so precious in His eyes. 

What is the purpose of our calling? Are we called so that we will have an easy and happy life? Jacob's life was not easy or happy at all, was it? He was called to be Israel, the prince of God. Even after he became Israel, his life was still not very happy. However, his life was gradually transformed so that God was expressed and represented through his life.

Happy life is not the goal of our calling, even though we surely have joy and peace as we fellowship with God and His many sons by God's grace and mercy. The real goal of our calling is that God and we become one. As a result of being one with God, our life is gradually transformed so that we will ultimately be conformed to the image of the Son. We are called to be kings and priests who represent and express Him on earth. And one day when He comes back, we are going to live in perfectly oneness with God and reign with Him forever.

²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:29-20 NKJV)

  

Jacob is transformed by God. 

God claims Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Exodus 3:15). In Abraham's life, we see God the Father as the source of everything. In Isaac's life, we see God the Son as grace. In Jacob's life, we see God the Spirit as the life transformer. The experiences of these three persons therefore represent one full experience of God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. Even though they were three distinct persons, we should consider them as one person so that we can see a full experience of God that we can have.   

The record of God's creation process takes only 2 chapter. But the record of the transforming work of God in Jacob's life takes as many as 25 chapters, which constitute a half of the book of Genesis. This underlines the importance of transformation, and implies that, unlike the once-for-all instantaneous justification, transformation is a lifelong gradual process.

Every person Jacob met and every circumstance he was in were under God's divine arrangement. There was no accident under God's sovereign rule. All the hostile situations were used by God to accomplish His purpose. Esau and Laban were also used by God to transform a supplanter (the meaning of "Jacob") into a prince of God (meaning of his new name, "Israel").

Transformation is not an outward change. It is an intrinsic metabolic change in life. The outward change is seen outwardly as the issue of inward transformation, not as a result of outward correction or improvement. Transformation is an inward transaction with the life-giving Spirit that gradually changes us by renewing our soul so that we will become more Christ-like.

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2 NKJV)

  

Jacob is broken by God

²⁴ Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day.
²⁵ Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him.
²⁶ And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
²⁷ So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
²⁸ And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed." (Genesis 32:24-28 NKJV)

In Genesis 32, we see an exciting moment when Jacob was fighting with the Angel, which was Christ Himself. They fought for the whole night. And at the dawn, because Jacob did not give in, God touched the hip of Jacob, one of the strongest parts of human body, and he became limb since then. After being broken, the supplanter was renamed as Israel, which means the prince of God. 

This experience of Jacob's portrays our experience of being broken as a part of transformation process. It is also noteworthy that this experience is not punishment by God. It is the process of life transformation. 

We all have the Holy Spirit within our spirit. However, we tend to suppress His work in our life by exercising our soul. We often care too much about our mind, will and emotion, and use them to accomplish our worldly desire and services for God. Our problem is not usually that we are too weak, but that we are too strong. If our soul is too strong, the Spirit cannot work in us. And if we still go on like this, God, out of His love for His children, may need to break our soul one part after another. Only when our soul is broken can the Spirit be expressed in and released from our life, and others thereby be built up. It may be painful but it's worthwhile, because it will definitely bring us to a greater glory. 

When we suffer, we tend to complain. But the lesson I learn from this week is that we must not complain in any circumstance. Is it not a better idea to be submissive to God's will in our life, knowing that His plan is always perfect and for our good? Therefore let's not complain. Only give thanks to The Lord, who is absolutely worthy to have our praise and thanksgiving. 

May I conclude with the sharing of brother Ron Kangas from an LSM radio archive on the life study of Genesis, message 69. It is his answer to the question: Is it possible for us not to complain?

"It is impossible for us in our natural life not to complain. The real meaning of complaining is that we are not satisfied with God's arrangement in our situation. However, if we allow the Lord to impart himself to us as grace, if we allow Him to live in us in our situations, it will be impossible for us to complain. We have no reason to complain.
Outwardly, the situation remains unpleasant. But we are enveloped by the God of peace and supplied by the God of grace. There is a deep rest in Him. And we are living Him. And He simply is not a complainer. The Lord Jesus never complained. He always accepted the Father's arrangement. When we allow Him to live in us and to fill us, he simply does not complain.
So the question boils down to this: Are we in ourselves, or are we in Christ? Are we living a natural life, or are we living the divine life we received through regeneration? Complaining or the lack thereof is an indicator of the life by which we are living in our particular situation."

Thirayost Nimmanon (Tony)

Further reading

• The Holy Word for Morning Revival: Crystallization-Study of Genesis, week 26.
• Life study of Genesis, Messages 66, 67 and 72.