DAY 9: GOD CHOSE JACOB

 THE RHEMA WORD FOR TODAY

(A DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH PREACHER SAM)

 

TOPIC: GOD CHOSE JACOB

DATE: 9 SEPTEMBER, 2020

BIBLE READING: GENESIS 25:19-28

MEDITATION/MEMORY VERSE: ISAIAH 41:8 (ERV)

The Lord says, “You, Israel, are my servant. Jacob, I chose you. You are from the family of my friend Abraham.”

 

From our Bible reading, we understand that Jacob was chosen by God before his birth, even before the foundation of the world (Gen. 25:22-23), according to the foreknowledge of God. Now one other thing we must understand is that God did not choose Jacob because of his own background. Because when you examine the life of Jacob meticulously, you will discover that his name means ‘deceiver’- and he was not named ‘deceiver’ for nothing; he deceived his brother, Esau twice.

First, he took his birth right in exchange for a meal (though it was Esau’s fault- he gave no value to his birth right) (Gen. 25:29-34).

Second, he deceived both his brother and his father Isaac when he took Esau’s blessing. He disguised himself as Esau with the help of his mother Rebecca (Gen. 27:1-40).

And another lifestyle of Jacob is that he played favourites- he loved Rachael more than Leah and he loved Joseph more than all his sons.

So in every way, Jacob is definitely not a perfect person. But God chose him in anyway because of his (God’s) background; what background? As a Sovereign God who makes sovereign choice which no man can question.

Also, the background and nature of God is to take the glory- and we’ve discussed earlier when we started this journey that we were designed to bring him glory. It was God’s predestined desire to transform Jacob into His Image- Israel, the servant of God.

From scripture, we understand that it was when Jacob came to his dead end, that was when he went to wrestled with God in prayer; and it was there at Peniel that he had his hip joint injured, which caused him to depend on a walking stick- a staff (God as his Supremacy). It was there in Peniel that he found his purpose and his identity was changed.

Now God had dealt with him so he could become a yielded vessel. One other thing we could learn from Jacob’s is that God does not call the qualified (because Esau seems qualified over Jacob) but he qualifies the called –Mark Batterson.

 

Romans 9:13 NKJV

As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.”

 

Paul in his letters made it known that God has no favourites (Ref. Gal. 2:6; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25). And God, as we all know is all-loving (1 Jn. 4:8). So what was written should be; ‘… Jacob I chose or blessed, but Esau I held in disregard compared to Jacob.’ (AMP).

He held him in disregard because he was not chosen- not playing favourites. Esau had a nation too, but Jacob’s nation was chosen to bring redemption to the world. Look at Esau, he sold his birth right. How can a chosen nation sell his birth right?

God has chosen you before you were born. He chose you irrespective of your flaws. He loves you with an everlasting love, even when no one seems to love you. What you may be passing through, is His dealing to make you become His Image. This should give you hope. Glory!

 

DECLARATION: I AM CHOSEN! I AM LOVED! AND I AM HIS OWN FOREVER! GLORY TO GOD!

 

FURTHER STUDY: ROMANS 9