Barnabas Ministries UK

                                          Rev. E. Anderson

KNOWING GOD

This is a further series on Knowing God, the most important and vital knowledge that any person can possess in life. To come to know God and His ways is fundamental to the fulfilment and pleasure of life.

The Bible discloses in its history and pages the great truth and fact of people coming to know God in their day and generation. They were different, living at different times and situations, but God broke through into their lives and made all the difference to life, to their view of things and the way they conducted themselves. Knowing God brought a radical shift in their thought, belief and behaviour and so they contributed greatly to the society of their day for good and so made a difference.

God came to them differently thus showing that He knows each one personally and that He is not restricted to one way of breaking through into an individual’s life.

We shall be taking a bird’s eye view with regard to them and see what we can discover and learn from their personal encounter and experience with God.

JACOB  – THE MAN WHO FOUND GOD THROUGH MUCH DIFFICULTY

Genesis 28 ; 32

Introduction

SIGNIFICANT: Jacob lived quite a different and singular life amongst the patriarchs and the rest of the people that are mentioned in the Scriptures. It was a significant life because so many chapters are ascribed to his life story and so there is so much to learn about him and his personal experience and dealings with God. Without doubt, his was a unique character that formed a real basis for the birth and development of the nation of Israel. His twelve sons were to be the foundation on which the promises made to Abraham would be brought to pass.

STRANGE: Reviewing what is written, this individual appears to encounter a tremendous amount through the course of his life span. He had to go through some strange situations before he finally reached his spiritual climax in God. He was a twin with a rather complex nature that landed him into real bother and created great difficulties. Quite a number of the problems created were of his own doing. His scheming mind worked continuously in order to find the better of things, until he had his personal confrontation with the Lord.

SPIRITUAL: At the heart of this man, in spite of this untoward spirit, mind and attitude was a desire to know God and to experience His hand of blessing. He had difficulty living with himself with the sort of nature he possessed and must have longed secretly within to be changed so that he could attain to a greater and better lifestyle. It was to be by a chequered, complex and thorny route that this would come about so that he would emerge a spiritual man with inspired, prophetic powers and the capacity to bless.

It is good to see how this man came to know God in such a personal and dynamic way.

1/. HE CAME TO KNOW GOD IN SPITE OF PERSONAL DEFECTS AND FLAWS – Gen 25; 27

The stories are known on how he sought to cheat his twin brother twice thus exposing the weakness of his character, yet indicating where he considered the real values of life were. Whilst not agreeing with his actions, one is appreciative of what he felt most important. He must have been aware of what grandfather Abraham had received in sacred covenant and agreement and had been passed on to Isaac, and he wanted to be in on this above everything else. Inspiring and spurring him on was this motivation but before it could all occur he required sorting out by the Lord and He was ready to achieve this over a long process. The fact that he was prepared to buy the right of the firstborn and act in accord with his mother’s wishes to obtain the divine blessing indicates a significant fact about his inward bent and tendency.

2/. HE CAME TO KNOW SOMETHING OF GOD WHILST EVIDENTLY ON THE RUN – Gen 28: 10-22

      He has to flee from a brother who is in vengeful mood and has to spend a lonely night under the stars away from everyone but the Lord. God’s grace was towards him and begins to set him up for knowing Him and experiencing His workings within his life. In that deserted place he has his first dynamic experience of God in a wonderful realistic dream that produces a major commitment – vv20-22. His vow is birthed as a blessed consequence of this unique encounter that becomes a spiritual turning point in his affairs.

3/. HE CAME TO KNOW GOD THROUGH EXTENTUATING CIRCUMSTANCES – Gen 29 -31

      In a quiet dramatic way things appear to come immediately together as he draws near to where his relatives live. Of all people to immediately meet was Rachel who he came to love and marry. It was during this long period spent with Laban that he had to go through some very trying times and later on Jacob had to admit that it was the Lord who had brought him through – “Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely you had sent me away empty” – Genesis 31: 42. He had problems with regard to his marrying Rachel and Leah, then such with them in the outworking of the families, difficulties with Laban regarding his wages and then the attitude of his sons when he began to prosper – Genesis 31:1, 2. Amidst it, Jacob had to learn to lean on God.

4/. HE CAME TO KNOW GOD IN A GREATER WAY IN A POWERFUL ENCOUNTER – Gen 32:

      He receives a summons and direction to leave Laban – Genesis 31: 3. Just when things are at their height the Lord breaks in to relieve the tension and give a sure word of guidance. But there was more than a Laban to leave; there was an Esau to confront. His scheming mind immediately gets to work to bring appeasement to his twin. What a lavish gift was arranged – vv6-20. It was rather an expensive bestowment that was totally unnecessary with God in overall charge! He was to meet more than Esau: he was to have a real spiritual conflict that would utterly drain and change him – vv 24-32. He was to be transformed into a prince with God and possess a new name!

5/. HE CAME TO KNOW GOD THROUGH A SERIES OF PROVIDENCES –Gen 37- 49

      Returning home was to be no easy going affair as the story unfolds. His sons were to land him in some difficulties but the Lord protects. One son arises to give him pleasure and cause some sense of pride, Joseph. This young lad revealed a great depth of spirituality and he was able to talk and deposit good things in him. During the next years, as the narrative reveals, he would have to trust God in an extraordinary manner. The departure and seeming death of Joseph was a great loss and Jacob must have wondered what was happening and what was the Lord doing. However, at the end, he was to know that the Lord had been working when he saw Joseph. He was able to bless Pharaoh and then his sons – Genesis 47: 7; 48:48: 11-20; 49. How well he finished up as the mouthpiece of the Lord over his family!

CONCLUSION

      This life indicates that God is able to work over the period of years to reveal Himself to those who desire Him, in spite of weaknesses, and make them into a choice person and an agent through whom He can forward His immense purposes.