Bible Text: Psalm 46:11 | Speaker: Dr. Harold J. Sala | Series: Guidelines For Living | The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Psalm 46:11

Heroes can be larger than life itself, and it doesn’t take a public relations firm or a good photographer who can doctor the negative to turn the rascal into a hero. Such was a character who lived long ago. He was a twin, a grandson of Abraham, whose name was Jacob. His very name meant “heel catcher,” “trickster,” or “supplanter.”

At least nine times he is mentioned in the book of Psalms, and when the writers mention his name they use the expression, “The God of Jacob.”   Why is this important? Well, notice first of all that not once in the Bible do you find the expression, “The God of Daniel,” or “The God of Moses who rolled back the waters of the Red Sea,” or “The God of Elijah who hitched a ride to heaven in a chariot of fire”—something that only computer animation could make happen apart from the supernatural. These individuals were giants of epic proportions, yet 22 times Jacob is mentioned in the Bible.

Who was Jacob, anyway? After his marriage to Rebekah, Isaac, Abraham’s son, desperately wanted a son of his own. But nothing happened. Finally, as the result of earnest prayer, Rebekah became pregnant. Eventually, two little heart beats were heard and it became obvious that there were two infants in her womb. When they were born, the first came into the world, no doubt, howling at the top of his lungs. Then before the women attending the birth could lift the newborn to his mother’s breast, the second child was born, and this one was holding on to the heel of his brother. The first was named Esau, because of his reddish complexion; the second was named Jacob, whose name means literally, “heel catcher,” as someone would be called who purposely stuck out his foot to trip someone.

Was the name self-fulfilling, a kind of prophecy of what was to come? If you remember your Old Testament you will, no doubt, remember that Esau became a hunter, and a good one. No wonder he became his dad’s favorite. His venison and wild meat were delectable. But one day, Esau came in exhausted and famished with hunger. Stupidly, Esau bartered his birthright as the first son for a bowl of stew—something which Jacob didn’t forget when the boy’s father was old and ready to pass on the estate.

But to get the larger portion of the inheritance, Jacob had to lie to his dad, and deceive him, thus making him think that he was really his brother Esau. God has His payday someday, and Jacob had to flee for his life, and for the next 14 years he lived in Mesopotamia, a long ways from home. Eventually, Jacob made peace with his brother, and peace with God, too.

When you think about the phrase, “the God of Jacob,” you are talking about someone who was less than a role model, less than a benchmark, not exactly someone you would hold up as an example for your son to follow.

When Jacob was absolutely desperate he turned to God, and God changed his life. I’m glad that God chose to be identified as “the God of Jacob,” something that gives me hope, because if God could change Jacob’s life, he can change yours and mine as well.   It was the physical touch of the Almighty that changed Jacob’s life, and when God changed his heart, He gave him a new name, Israel, the name borne by the nation today.

That phrase, “The God of Jacob,” is a window of hope, the assurance that your past isn’t important when you cry out in desperation and God touches your life. It’s still true.

Resource reading: Genesis 25