Proper 12 / Pentecost 10 / OT 17
Devotional
Water From the Well
Lectionary Devotional For Cycle A
Object:
... What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel?...
-- Genesis 29:25
While some of the elements of this story challenge credibility, a major theme is that the deceiver is deceived. The reason that Jacob was in Haran was that he had deceived his father and stolen the birthright of his brother, Esau. Then the equally deceptive Uncle Laban challenged Jacob, the deceiver. Jacob, who would eventually be called Israel, would be the father of twelve sons who in turn would father the twelve tribes that formed the nation of Israel. Our community of faith had its origin in deception. God would work out the covenant among a people who demonstrated the same untrustworthy qualities as the rest of humanity. From the beginning, God's people had no reason to boast of their special qualities of character. They could only stand in wonder at the grace of God who had chosen them. While the whole story of Jacob is filled with incidents of deception, Jacob also proved to be faithful to the commitments that he made. He loved Rachel but was also faithful to Leah. While God was not mentioned in this part of the story, it would become evident that Jacob was grasped by this mysterious God and would eventually discover his path in life by grasping God in return. Deception and treachery may be part of human reality, but God can be trusted in all that we experience.
-- Genesis 29:25
While some of the elements of this story challenge credibility, a major theme is that the deceiver is deceived. The reason that Jacob was in Haran was that he had deceived his father and stolen the birthright of his brother, Esau. Then the equally deceptive Uncle Laban challenged Jacob, the deceiver. Jacob, who would eventually be called Israel, would be the father of twelve sons who in turn would father the twelve tribes that formed the nation of Israel. Our community of faith had its origin in deception. God would work out the covenant among a people who demonstrated the same untrustworthy qualities as the rest of humanity. From the beginning, God's people had no reason to boast of their special qualities of character. They could only stand in wonder at the grace of God who had chosen them. While the whole story of Jacob is filled with incidents of deception, Jacob also proved to be faithful to the commitments that he made. He loved Rachel but was also faithful to Leah. While God was not mentioned in this part of the story, it would become evident that Jacob was grasped by this mysterious God and would eventually discover his path in life by grasping God in return. Deception and treachery may be part of human reality, but God can be trusted in all that we experience.
