(Genesis 32:9~12)

There is a very important conception that is one of the central axes of the Bible thoughts. That is the covenant, ‘the covenant of God’. In fact, all the Bible stories including especially the salvation of sinners are accomplished by the covenant focusing on Jesus Christ. Of course, we Christians who are living here in the 21^st century also exist in the covenant of God. Above all, the reason why the covenant is crucial to our real lives is that the covenant is what we can grasp and rely on anytime for overcoming our adversities. Through today’s text, I hope we realize how this covenant of God sustains Christian life.

Now, Jacob is in big trouble because his older brother Esau is fiercely chasing him. As the story is well known, Jacob deceived his father Isaac and his brother Esau by taking the blessing for the oldest son. And by the deceit, he took the blessing that was supposed to be given to Esau. After that, he fled away from his father and brother. Although it had been more than 20 years since then, the older brother is still chasing him and they have never met one another all the while. So Jacob who is terrified as the older brother almost reaches him begged God like this, in verse 11, “Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children.” What is Jacob like? Even though his name is put on the list of faithful forefathers in the Bible, in fact, his life has been a series of deceit, lie, and affectation. Actually, he showed this kind of tendency till his death. In spite of that, what has led him to the blessed man and the one of the faithful forefathers? What does he grasp whenever he meets predicament in his life in spite of his poor personality and faith? That is ‘the covenant of God.’ Now, we need to know what the covenant is for Jacob then and what the covenant is for us here.

In verse 9, “And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good.’ We can find the fact that he immediately seeks and appeals to God’s covenant before his adversity. First, although he is not the faithful, he at least has belief about God’s existence and His control over the world. In the verse, Jacob confesses like this, “And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac”” This confession shows us the fact that Jacob recognizes God as the living one who still works and controls for His people, not the one who is just some god for his ancestors a long time ago found in some record. This phrase, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”, is a very famous phrase, which means that the God is not the God for the dead, but for the living. This is Jesus’ teaching, “have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.” (Matthew 22:32). Jacob is confessing that God is the God of not only my ancestors, Abraham and Isaac, but also me, Jacob here. Considering his entire life story, even it is hard to call him a believer or a Christian. Despite his miserable faith, surprisingly and interestingly, he recognizes that his forefathers’ God, the very God who helped, guarded, and blessed them, is his God here now. And then such a clever man starts to appeal to ‘the covenant of God’ in verse 9 and 11, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good’…… you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’” Here, Jacob is trying to remind God of the promise that was given by God Himself. He means that God made the blissful covenant for him but if he dies or ruins, what will happen to the covenant? How clever and faithful he is!

In fact, he knows very well how he is unworthy of the blessings of the covenant, in verse 10, “I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps.” However, he knows very well the attributes of God that God never change the words and promises that come out of His mouth, in Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” So he is resorting the attributes of God and grasping the covenant because God cannot lie, God cannot change His mind according to the change of scenery like a businessman. Not only that, he has seen and experienced the events happened to his grandfather and father, Abraham and Isaac. He has clearly seen God’s intervention, leading, and guarding in their lives. Even though Abraham has been called ‘the father of faith’, we can easily find lots of unfaithful deeds, lies, and unbelief of him in the Bible. Isaac’s life was no better than his father Abraham’s. Whenever they forgot God’s promise and unbelievingly behaved, God unexceptionally appeared to them and reminded them of His promise, or covenant, and forgave their unbelief and sins, and gave another chance to continually go forward. There is one reason why, whenever these patterns repeated God infinitely forgave and endlessly gave another chance: God suggests “I am God and you are my people”. Jacob experienced and saw this tremendous and amazing fact through his grandfather and father’s lives. And he has confirmed the fact that the promises and covenants God made for His people have been exactly accomplished one by one. So Jacob is begging for God’s sincerity and covenant. What is the result? I can’t tell the whole story and process now because of the lack of time we have but I can tell you the conclusion by introducing the verse here, “But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” (Genesis 33:4~5) In spite of Jacob’s unbelief, God has kept His promise and Jacob has been being led to the belief by God’s sincerity. This is the very gospel of Christianity.

God never gave us covenants promising that we would never meet any adversities and difficulties or that we will always live a blissful and worry-free kind of life. There is no promise like that in the Bible. God gave us the covenant, such as that which we might be in a big trouble and face difficulties but He will surely give us wisdom enough to overcome them and suggest the way to escape them. God promises us to give full perfect protection forever ever because God is our God and we are God’s people. “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) God gave us the covenant, that even if we might be caught in a storm, He will certainly guard and keep us forever. “But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1~3). In fact, the Bible is the covenant itself to given only to His chosen people, Christians. This covenant of God is the very guarantee that Christian people, the reborn, consequently certainly will reach their perfect salvation and sanctification when Jesus Christ our Lord will come again to complete. We have to know clearly that we are already moved into God’s realm so nothing can harm or take back again. We are perfectly safe, we are winners. Are you in frustrated situations in your life? Are you annoyed and disappointed in your crumminess and weakness? Are you anxious about your future? Yes, of course, these difficulties are all the results of your faults, your sinful nature as a sinful human being, you are responsible for these situations. In spite of it and therefore, completely grasp the covenant given to God’s people and completely trust in only God. Don’t look at yourself including both of your abilities and miserableness any more, but look at only Jesus Christ who already figured out all our sins at the cross on the Calvary and the brilliant covenants given to His people that He will keep, help, and bless you and finally certainly lead you into the very perfect point that God intended when God launched His great covenant project for His people. Just use this amazing privilege of Christian people. God works for His people. God works so hard for His people. Pray to and beg to God like this, “Lord I know very well that I’m sinful, weak, miserable, and insincere. I know very well that I’m a sinner and not worthy of any privilege and blessings from you. But Lord, please remember your covenant and your promise that you will never forsake me and be with me whole my life and bless me. Please remember the blood of your begotten son Jesus Christ at the Calvary for all my sins. Without the covenant of you and Jesus’ bleeding, I am doomed and up over. Lord, please encourage me to figure out the problems and adversities I meet, and open the way for me to win through and bless me because ‘You are my God and I am your people’”. God never says this “Our relationship has ended because you broke faith with me too many times” or “I can’t answer your prayer right away, but you need to show me some more actions and proper mind and I will consider them then.” Instead, God always says this, “Oh, yes, yes, I remember my promise and Jesus bleeding, why not? Get up, get up right now! I’m so glad you ran to me again like this. I’m so glad you still remember the covenant and Jesus bleeding and the fact that I am your God and you are my people. Get up from your unhappiness taking me by my hand. And never mind your weakness and your past, nor do I mind them. Continue to go forward, as my promise, I will be with you and give the strength.” That is the gospel of Christianity. This is what history and the Bible testimonies. And we must remember the principle of the gospel, ‘grasping and trusting in the covenant and Jesus blood unexceptionally, gradually transforms and changes man into man of God’. The covenant of God and the effect of Jesus’ bleeding never let man stay in an unsanctified and no progress situation in faith.

Lastly, we should even briefly confirm Jacob’s attitude to grasp the covenant in spite of his unworthiness. In verse 24~26, “And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Here, ‘a man’ is ‘the Angel of God’. This scene is the description of Jacob’s attitude to grasp the covenant and pray to God. In trusting in the covenant and God, we need the position like this. The reason that Jacob is able to take that kind of attitude is that Jacob at least firmly believes the covenant will be accomplished.

Everyone, the sincerity of God and the unchanging steadfast love of God have saved us and will forever. Jesus Christ is not only our life savior but also our Lord during a whole lifetime who keeps and blesses us. The covenant of God is the blessing not only for the next but for this world. According to the teaching of the Bible, for our strong and competent Christian life, a monastery or a temple in the deep forest is not given as a setting, but the midst of the world is given as a setting. I hope you become the blessed Christian who lives in the midst of the world firmly grasping the covenant including Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus’ second coming, the existence of heaven and hell, and the countless blissful and inspiring promises.