A Radical Change

The Significance of Jacob

For the past few semesters, Christian Students on Campus has been discussing and fellowshipping about Genesis in their Thursday night Ministry Series. Recently, we went over God’s dealing and breaking of Jacob in Genesis. Like most Christians with a desire for contentment, the subject of dealing is not one that I would actively seek out for study. In fact, normally I would intentionally avoid this topic and thus live as if my Christian life were complete and perfect the way it is, wallowing in self-imposed ignorance of my need to be broken for God to grow in me. The fellowship on this topic on Thursday, though initially off-putting to my idealistic mind, found a spiritual resonance in me as it developed.

Broken for Growth and Transformation

Jacob was a “supplanter,” a scheming and rather nasty individual until God began to slowly but surely transform him into the trusting and faithful Israel. Whereas Abraham was sovereignly called by God out from his worldly situation and Isaac received all the riches of his father, Jacob’s life was dominated by one hardship after another. I was aware of this before the Ministry Series began, but I certainly did not want to connect Jacob’s experience to my own life. Despite my reluctance, during the sharing I received a revelation of something very significant. I realized that if God did not deal with me, there would be no way for His life to grow, spread in me, and transform me. This is related to Jacob, whose life was radically changed when God touched him. Jacob wrestled with God, but by touching Jacob’s thigh, God made Jacob dependent on Him. However, after God wrestled with Jacob, He continued to deal with and break him through ordeals with his sons and his wife. It was by this dealing that Jacob became fully transformed and expressed God.

A Change in View

For me, this struck with the force of a sledgehammer. I knew that I had been regenerated, and in that way I was already somewhat dependent on God. But now God needed to break through my attachments, my worldly desires, my soul-life. By ignoring the matter of breaking, I was actually hindering the Lord from working in me, and my development as a Christian was at a standstill. I immediately found it necessary to ask the Lord to take into account my stubborn nature, and to ask him to begin touching me regarding my worldly affections.

God knows I have plenty of those. But now, thanks to His generous revelation regarding this matter of breaking, I have faith that He will start chipping away at my attachments, making me more and more fully dependent on Him until He can truly say that there is one more individual on the earth who puts Him above all other things.

By: P. Bixby