Jacob
Favor. Acceptance. Kindness.
I have many happy memories of Sunday mornings spent watching "Wrestling at the Chase"1 with my big brother, Sean. We’d sit way too close to the television, eating our puffed rice and shouting at the screen, booing enthusiastically at every blatant dirty trick (i.e., a thumb in the eye, a tweaked nose, a knee to a “sensitive” area).
We were very invested in the outcome of the world’s worst-kept secret:
It was all an act.
A couple of weeks ago, those memories came flooding back when I attended my very first live wrestling match. I went with a small entourage to cheer on a friend and professional wrestler, Lamont, aka “Shaft,” who was retiring from the sport after 40 years. (I have a wide variety of friends. 😁)
That evening, there were a total of eight matches, all leading up to Lamont's final contest, the grand finale.
After it was over—Shaft won, a fitting end to the evening and his storied career—all the wrestlers gathered in the ring to congratulate him and give speeches, singing the praises of our friend who had long been a champion of the sport. We were so proud of him!
And it was FUN! We got to sit in the second row of a packed house. Even up close, every skillful move seemed authentic, causing us to wince every time a body was slammed into the mat or tossed out of the ring.
Lamont assured us that, in reality, no one had been hurt.
When Jacob wrestled with God, it wasn’t an act.
Having read a good bit about Jacob in the Bible, in my opinion, the wrestling match found in Genesis Chapter 32 between God and Jacob was long overdue. If anyone deserved a smackdown, it was Jacob, and this divine tussle was anything but fake. You can read the entire account HERE.
Jacob’s legacy.
He was a little shifty. From birth, apparently.
24 When her days to give birth were completed, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25 The first came out red, all his body like a hairy cloak, so they called his name Esau. 26 Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding Esau's heel, so his name was called Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them.
—Genesis 25:24-26, ESV
I love that the Biblical authors made sure we knew Jacob grabbed Esau’s heel, providing the framework for his name. According to the footnotes in the English Standard Version, Jacob means: “He cheats.”
I don’t typically think of our ancestors in terms of their sense of humor, but that had to have been tongue-in-cheek, right?
Regardless of intent, he certainly lived up to his name. The following is just a sampling of his rather wily resume:
He took advantage of his brother’s hunger, swindling Esau out of the rights of the firstborn. For a bowl of soup—that’s bold. (Gen 25:31) The birthright was no small matter. “The firstborn son inherited both the leadership of the family and the legal authority of the father, as well as twice the material inheritance (Deut 21:17).”2
With his mother's help, he deceived his father, Isaac, to illegitimately gain the blessing meant for the firstborn. This ceremonial passing of the torch from Isaac to Jacob instead of to Esau, the rightful heir, was significant. Isaac’s blessing was considered binding, regardless of Jacob’s subterfuge. (Gen 27:35)3
Jacob manipulated his father-in-law, Laban, to gain a greater increase in his flocks (Gen 30:37-43), though some might consider that turnabout fair play, given Laban’s equally deceitful behavior. You may remember that Laban tricked Jacob into marrying his first wife, Leah, by disguising her as Rachel, whom Jacob loved, on their wedding night. (Gen 29:25-26)
In light of these examples of Jacob’s underhanded ways, am I the only one cheering for God in this long-ago desert wrestling match? And no surprise, God did win—but He cheated.
Yep, God cheated the cheater by using His supernatural power to wrench Jacob’s hip, thereby winning the match. (Gen 32:25) I’d only be guessing, but it seems to me if a thumb in the eye is prohibited in wrestling, then hip-wrenching would be a pretty big no-no.
But that’s not the point of this essay; I just find it fascinating.
The moral of the story.
Other than the mention of God’s blessing, we don’t really get a sense of how God and Jacob “made up” after their scuffle until later, when he met with his brother Esau. The last time these guys had seen each other, Jacob had made himself persona non grata4 for, you know, swiping Esau’s inheritance and all…
Given their history, Jacob approached the meeting with understandable wariness, unsure if he would be met with anger or acceptance. After receiving a surprisingly warm welcome, he expressed his relief.
10 “‘…please,’ said Jacob. “If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably.
—Genesis 33:10, NIV (emphasis mine)
The Christian Standard Bible puts it this way: “…since you have accepted me.” (33:10, CSB)
And the New American Bible says, “… you have received me so kindly.” (33:10, ASB)
An unexpected response.
Esau’s big-hearted greeting was unexpected—Jacob knew he didn’t deserve his brother’s forgiveness. And yet, twice in one day, he had received remarkable grace. Esau’s expression mirrored Jacob’s earlier experience with God exactly.
“For to see your face is like seeing the face of God…” (Gen 33:10b)
After God pinned Jacob to the mat and their match was finished, they dusted themselves off. Jacob looked fearfully into God Almighty’s eyes, expecting to die (Gen 32:30). In purely transactional terms, that’s what he deserved. Instead, this rather unworthy, slippery character found “favor,” “acceptance,” and a “kindly” reception.
Just to clarify, I'm not advocating for a lifestyle of unrestricted unrighteousness without accountability. That’s not the moral of this story.
These chapters are often understood to be all about Jacob, but they're really more about God, whose default position toward humanity—His pinnacle creation—is characterized by:
Favor. Acceptance. Kindness.
I hope you feel all of those. Regardless of your day, your month, maybe even your last couple of decades.
If Jacob received them, can we not expect the same?
That’s all I have for today.
Does God’s response to Jacob challenge your understanding of acceptance? What aspects of Jacob's story resonate with you the most, and why? I’d love to hear your thoughts—please comment below! And if you haven’t subscribed yet, what are you waiting for? It’s free!
Latin, “person not welcome”
Nice Job with this! I was reminded of a poem I wrote earlier this year, loosely based on the story of Jakob and Esau. I’d be honored if you would check it out.
https://open.substack.com/pub/theeverydaymystic/p/a-song-of-shadows-and-light?r=1migu6&utm_medium=ios