Day 10 --Genesis 31-33

We take up the saga of Jacob at the point where he is ready to part company with his Uncle Laban. He sneaks away while Laban is away shearing his sheep. When Laban returns home and hears that Jacob and his large household have absconded, Laban pursues them in anger, though God speaks to him in a dream, telling him, "Take heed that you say not a word to Jacob, either good or bad" (31:24). Again the message is this--the Lord is looking after the Chosen One, the Child of Promise.

But unbeknownst to Jacob, Rachel has swiped Laban's household gods. These are family heirlooms as much as they are objects of worship. Whoever possessed these gods had a right to claim sole inheritance of the family property. Laban does not mind letting his daughters go, but he does not want Jacob to be his sole heir. He wants the gods back.

A search is made of Jacob's camp. Rachel hides the gods in the camels' saddle, sits on it, and proceeds to tells Laban that "the way of women" is upon her. Anyone who touched a woman in menstruation was considered ritually unclean. Laban respects the taboo and does not make too close a search. The gods are not found. Of course, Rachel, being in "the way of women" and sitting on them like that, has made these pagan gods themselves bloody and unclean. That's the point that would not have been lost on this story's ancient hearers--pagan idols are dirty. The humor of situation is lost on us, but they would have considered this a funny story and laughed at Laban who is fooled by his clever daughter and his goofy gods, which are defiled in the process.

The story of Jacob wrestling with the angel at the ford of the Jabbok is one of the great moments in Genesis. Having sent everyone and everything ahead of him, "Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak" (32:24). This "man" is none other than God himself, of course. Jacob holds on for dear life.

Even when he is lamed in the fight, he will not let go. He doesn't exactly win the contest--he just refuses to lose, and his tenacity wins him a new name--Israel--"the one with whom God strives."

And you and I and all who live by faith are children of Israel--men and women who strive with God. The nature of God and our own nature are opposed to each other. There is always tension, a give and take, a tug of war going on. We cannot win it. But living in that relationship--living by faith--we cannot let go either. God and human beings are bound to each other in a love-hate relationship. We cannot live without Him, and he, for some strange reason, has decided he cannot live without us. He was even prepared to send his Son--Himself--to die for us. No one understands that mystery, but we spend our lives pondering it in awe.