Jacob didn’t deserve it

Think of it as a Hollywood film ad: (cue suspenseful music)

 

Two brothers. One birthright.

One the rightful heir, the other an undeserving second choice.

Who wins?

 

Sometimes, I feel like Esau. I deserved that >insert what I think I deserved here< and it was taken from me. I was the rightful and justifiable recipient of that >amazing thing< and someone else got to enjoy it instead of me.

And then, I remember, I am one of God’s chosen. He knew me before I was born. He rightfully chose me to be His since before time began.

I am Jacob.

Undeserving, selfish, conniving, heal-catching Jacob. I didn’t deserve salvation and He handed it to me, free of (my) charge. I am never justified or rightfully considered a recipient of anything good and beautiful, except that God chose to give me every good and perfect give (James 1:17).

The more I think about it, the more I realize that Jacob, in all his second-hand, fleshly-spirited, deceitful glory…got exactly what God wanted to give him and it had absolutely nothing to do with who he was. If it were about Jacob’s actions, there would have been consequences. If it were about getting what we deserve, Esau would have been the heir to his fathers land.

But it isn’t, is it? It is about God and about His sacrifice. It is about His life laid down for us that we could spend eternity with Him. It is about recognizing that there is nothing we can do in this life to deserve the beautiful birthright that is laid up as treasures in heaven for us.

It is about winning…

…by grace alone.