If you’ve read the Bible a bit you are likely familiar with the theme that the Lord pulls off some splendid feats while working with some very messed up people. This theme comforts, because many of us are keenly aware of how messed up we are. If you are someone outside the Christian faith who doubts the goodness of God because of self-righteous, angry Christians that you know; if you are a believer so deeply aware of your failures that you ‘know’ that God is displeased with you and could never use you, take a sip of the elixir that is the account of Jacob and his family and the Lord who loves them. 

Jacob’s mom, Rebekah, had been childless, and the Lord answered her prayers for children by telling her that she would have children, and that the older would serve the younger. Jacob was the younger, marked by God’s prophecy that his older brother Esau would serve him. In a culture of primogeniture, how was God’s prophecy accomplished? Years later, Jacob seduced a weary, hungry Esau to sell his birthright to Jacob for a pot of stew. Still later, Rebekah conspired with Jacob to deceive blind, dying father Isaac to steal “the blessing” that would have been Esau’s as first born son.

 Thus, the two key elements of actualizing primogeniture—the birthright and the blessing—were acquired by the younger son Jacob through seduction and deceit. That’s how God’s prophecy of the older serving the younger was accomplished. You thought God’s plans were accomplished only through holiness, sweetness and light? 

Esau, stronger and much to be feared, planned to kill his usurper brother.  Weaker, cleverer Jacob got out of Dodge, fleeing the wrath of Esau for the distant lands of Rebekah’s brother, his uncle Laban. In Paddan Aram, Laban offered his younger daughter, Rachel, as a wife for Jacob in return for seven year’s work. Earn a wife? Was she property? After the seven years, Laban somehow mystified Jacob on the wedding night, substituted the older, less attractive daughter Leah, and Jacob didn’t realize until morning. Confronted, Laban offered Rachel again in return for another seven years of labor.

It gets messier. Fecund Leah gives birth to sons Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. Rachel is barren, so offers up to Jacob her servant, Bilhah, so ‘Rachel’ can have children. Bilhah delivers sons Dan and later Napthali. Leah’s womb goes on hiatus, so Leah employs the same tactic, offering her servant Zilpah. Does anyone think it strange that Bilhah and Zilpah could be offered up…and taken… for sex?  Zilpah delivered Gad and Asher. Then Leah bartered to sleep with Jacob again, and Issachar was born. Leah conceived again, and bore Zebulun. Finally, God opened the womb of Rachel and she bore Joseph.

If you’re keeping score at home, these are the Twelve Tribes of Israel (Jacob). Whence cometh the Twelve Tribes? Two wives, and two servant girls of the wives. Jacob slept with four women to produce the Twelve Tribes. Jacob, later named “Israel” by God, engages in plural marriage. He seduced his brother for this birthright and deceived his father for the blessing. His father, Isaac, lied about his wife being his sister, and his grandfather, Abraham, twice lied about his wife being his sister.

Yet the Patriarchs are heroes to Jewish people and to Christians. They are lauded throughout Scripture, and singled out in Hebrews 11 as exemplars. They weren’t all good or all bad. They were believers in the Most High God, and God loved them and blessed them. It’s not explicit in Scripture, but it would appear that God forgave them for their many sins.

Jacob and his family were a mess, and used greatly for God’s redemptive purposes on earth. If you’re honest, there are probably areas or aspects of your life that are a mess. Certainly this is true of me. It’s not good that we’re a mess. It’s not okay. We don’t get to excuse ourselves nor minimize the affront our sins are to the Lord.

What we do get to do is receive grace upon grace that was purchased on Calvary, repent of our sins, and walk again in that grace of the Lord Jesus. If the Lord can use Jacob and his messed up family for His own glory and purposes, He can use the messes of you and me.