“Who are you and where did you put my father?” Have you ever wondered about a change in a family member or friend, “What happened to them?” When we cannot explain transformation of character in human terms, we may trust that God has been at work. What if what God has for us is better than we could have asked or imagined?
Jacob had always been a deal maker. Mostly he tried to win the deals. Granted, most people do. But Jacob seems to have been particularly adept at taking advantage of others. After he prevailed with God and received his new name, “Israel,” we see a changed person. He sent gifts to the lord of the land in Egypt. He sent back with his boys a wonderful offering from their land and double the amount of silver. Israel was giving back something that he might have kept. How do we account for this change?
Listen to his prayer: “May God almighty grant you mercy before the man.” Israel hoped for the retrieval of his son Simeon and the protection of his son Benjamin. He owned the possibility of further loss, “If I am bereaved, I am bereaved.” Israel had grappled with God through good times and bad. Walking with a limp from their first match by the Jabbok river, Israel had learned to lean on God as he walked with him. His pain had not embittered him. God had bigger plans than Israel could have dreamed.
