“”Calling to the mountains and to the rocks, ‘fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb,’ for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:16-17
It seems that for some people, they never learn. Consider the person who tries to find a relationship that gives them true love. They search through person after person and discover less than they bargain for. This was the case of pop star, Jennifer Lopez. Recently CNN reported that she broke down on stage while singing a song about love. She said, “The song took me down memory lane.” Lopez has been married and divorced three times. She went on to say, “There is love and then there is love.”
I wonder if Lead and Rachel knew what they would face when they both were married to Jacob. This morning I walked through the dysfunctional path of their wrestling with each other to try to gain Jacob’s affection, Genesis 29:31-30:24. It seems that these sister were always fighting for one man’s love.
Here is what I discovered about this one man, “Jacob.” Here is a guy who has the call of God on his life, but still yet he has not been broken from his pride and distrust. Here is a guy who often operated by his wits instead of operating by faith. We discover Jacob did not have it easy during these years of God bringing him to a place of brokenness.
“These 20 yeas I have been in your house, and there I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. If the God of my Father had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed,” 31:20-21.
During these 20 years, without a doubt Rachel and Leah, witnessed Jacob’s struggle with coming to place of brokenness before God. However they would see him get there in chapter 32. Jacob would pray, “I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of your steadfast love and all the faithfulness you have shown to your servant,” 32:10. In chapter 32 Jacob would experience God in a way that would break him and he would live in brokenness.
Believe it or not, brokenness in the sight of God is a good thing, because it leads to blessing. When God broke Jacob He changed his name to Israel, “Prince with God.” Here this man who battles with his wits and his will becomes a man who is walking in the will of God. Certainly he was not perfect, and we will see this as we study on through Genesis. But He is walking in dependence and that is a blessing.
As I finished my time of personal study, I wrote the following in my journal, “How long does it take for a person to come to the place of blessing? I wonder, ‘have I come to the place of being broken from the sins that so easily ensnare me?”
Certainly the people in the tribulation are refusing to be broken. For them, an eternity in hell will not break them of their rebellion. But for those whom Christ chooses to reveal himself, we discover He was broken so that we could be blessed. 2000 years ago Jesus went to the cross and paid in full our sin debt to God the Father. We can walk in forgiveness because of Christ.
My this day be a day of blessing to you through being broken from sin to walk in obedience to Christ.