Sometimes, our lives can get so messy that we wonder if God can redeem them. Reading through Genesis 30 and 31, we see how God’s plan proceeds even through jealousies, envy, and the strivings of our human nature. Sinfulness cannot thwart God’s plan. Though the sinner is guilty, the Lord continues in his grace to honor his covenant people.
Chapter 30 reads like a soap opera and spans many years. Jacob’s wives, Rachel and Leah, are jealous of each other and compete by trying to give Jacob more children than the other. They do this either through their wombs or the wombs of their handmaidens. The amount of sin and misguided ambition the Lord overlooked in all three of them at this time is astonishing. Despite their sins, God blesses them with children, and the twelve tribes of Israel are born. God’s plan for the nation of Israel continues.
Later, Jacob grows tired of his father-in-law Laban never keeping his word in their agreements and works a scheme to strengthen his flock and weaken Laben’s. He agrees with Laben that any sheep born with stripes or speckles would be his, and any without them would be Laben’s. In an unimaginable turn, Jacob’s strategy to get the striped sheep to be born was likely a folk custom of the time. Despite this, the Lord favors Jacob and grows his flock by giving him striped and speckled sheep.
Shortly after that, in chapter 31, Jacob speaks with his wives, and they decide to leave Laban and return to Jacob’s home. So, they go without telling Laban and hope to escape. When Laban finds out, he is furious, but God warns him to watch his mouth when he speaks to Jacob because God is still with Jacob.
In the process, Rachel had stolen Laben’s false gods, further fueling his anger. Jacob knows nothing of this and promises that the person who stole the idols will die. In doing so, he unknowingly might have sentenced the love of his life to death, but Rachel finds a way to deceive Laban, and the gods are never found. With this, false gods in tow, they all began traveling back to the land God promised to Jacob when he saw the ladder to heaven. God had promised Jacob, “The land on which you lie I will give to you and your offspring.” Thus, God is faithful even when we are not.
Life is messy. We are all sinful; we create our own sinful drama, and we are drawn into the drama of others. It seems almost impossible that God could use our lives to bring glory to himself, yet he does.
First and foremost, he is merciful to his children. This overlooking of sin is only possible through our Savior, Jesus Christ, who paid the penalty for our sins. You may have messed up many situations or be dealing with people who misrepresent you or the circumstances in which you find yourself through envy and sinful ambition. You have only one thing to do: look to your God. Repent of what you know to repent of and seek his ways.
As you view the complicated situations caused by sinful hearts in this fallen world, remember that God keeps his covenant with his people, and he will bring you home to the promised land. No sin can thwart his purposes, and he will be faithful to his children.
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