No Such Thing as "Accidental Blessings"

When God uses what we don't deserve....

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I was talking to a friend of mine about gifts and blessings. How God can use your circumstances to elevate you beyond your wildest dreams. It was a great conversation, and I will be writing about it in another post soon. I promise.

This particular Word came to me, as I was researching what I thought God wanted me to look into; the story of Joseph. I ended up being led a generation up, reading about Jacob.

Any hoo - As I was reading about Joseph, I was more or less reminding myself of the things I already knew. Started in Genesis 37, and read about how Joseph was Israel's (Jacob's) favorite son. I couldn't remember when or how Jacob became "Israel," so I dug a little deeper. Jacob was renamed this after he wrestled with an Angel. So, of course, I'm like - "Well, why was he wrestling with him?" The struggle between Jacob and the Angel happens in Genesis 32:22, but for some reason I started reading in Genesis 31, and worked my way backwards an forwards from there.

By the way - A good tip to anyone who finds themselves going down (what feels like) a biblical rabbit hole, I strongly encourage you to follow it. :)

Genesis 31 - Jacob was fleeing a man named Laban, who was his father-in-law. After having a dream, Jacob followed God's instruction him to leave Laban's household. Long story short, Jacob worked for Laban, and married two of his daughters. Laban had been cheating Jacob, manipulated his pay over the nearly fifteen years of working for him. God spoke to Jacob in a dream that He would take care of him and to return home, to his father Isaac. Jacob packed everything (his wives, their children, and their livestock). Laban found out that he left a few days later and went after him. The two argued for quite some time. During the argument, something interesting was said. Laban told Jacob about God telling him to "be careful" what he did to him. For good or for bad (, God was watching over Jacob. And I suddenly got a newsflash.

Hold up.... Jacob?! JACOB-Jacob? The Jacob that manipulated his brother Esau, and had him trade his birthright for stew (Genesis 25:29-34)? The same Jacob who fooled his father, Isaac, into blessing him as the firstborn (Genesis 27:27, really all of Genesis 27)? THAT JACOB?!?! God was sending "I'm watching you" messages to protect this guy? More than that, the guy who stole his own brother's inheritance was mad about a person he should have been able to trust, messing with his money!!! WHAT!!!!

And God spoke to me right then and there. "I do this for you all the time. This is what I do."

Man... I had to reflect. I encourage you to take a moment and do the same before finishing this. Think about the times you "worked the system," "told a white lie," "did what you had to do." All the euphemisms applicable to when you made sure you got what you wanted - something without consulting God. Or perhaps God gave you an instruction, but you did what you wanted to do instead. And God still blessed you. And kept you. Covered you.

And God blesses us because it's who He is. We serve the same God who gave new clothing to Adam and Eve as they were put out of Eden. The same God who used Paul, after he slain Christians and gave him front row seats to the wonders and fellowship of Jesus. The same God who took Jacob and renamed him Israel. God is strategic. The same God who does not hold who you were against who you were created to be. A God who allows you to be broken and hurtful in one season, so when He uses you in another - your story will be more than a testimony. It will serve as what attracts others to you, so you can bring them to Him.

Nothing He does. No one He uses. No event He allows is without notice, or plan.

This coverage can extend beyond you, but can also include those in your camp. Somehow in all of our unfaithfulness, God decides daily to advocate for us, our family, and our friends.

Look at this.. The crazy part is (fast forward to the original story of Jacob fleeing Laban), when Laban found Jacob, he was also looking for items that were stolen from his house. Jacob didn't realize one of his wives (Rachel) had actually stolen from her father before they left. So with his assumption (that no wrongdoing occurred), he encouraged his father-in-law to search his camp, challenging him to find whatever he could. Laban found nothing. I'll lead you to Genesis 31:33-35 to read how she got away with it. lol But in all seriousness, Jacob was covered!!! Not only that, but because nothing was found, it gave Jacob even more reason to be upset at the "audacity" of Laban. He brought up all the times he stewarded over Laban's things and how well he treated his daughters and grandchildren. He was hurt at the thought of and accusation of him not being an honest man.

Think about this. How many times have you thrown your "good behavior" in someone's face, because you treated that individual well? It's so easy to isolate our well-doing, and forget the amount of times we've done others wrong. Humility takes absence in the presence of pride.

Things we are most flagrant about come sandwiched between events we do not want to discuss. Selective memory. We play the victim because in that moment, we were unjustly treated. Knowing in our minds, if all things were considered, we are in right standing of the wrongdoing coming to us. God knows, though. He hasn't forgotten. Nor is He mistaken.

Even with JACOB!!! If anybody deserved to have any of this happen to him and get caught, it's him!! But Jacob carried a generational blessing.

But here's the thing. Even though Isaac didn't mean to bless Jacob, God used it. People don't realize what they are doing to you, but God knows how it can serve Him. Just because you don't deserve it does not mean you were not chosen. Check this out, after all of that, Jacob was given a promise from God similar to that of his grandfather Abraham.

His father was Isaac. His father's father was Abraham. His bloodline was stronger than his individual mistakes. This was shown as Ladan expressed to Jacob that he knew who he belonged to, so he would honor God by not harming him. This same situation happened with Isaac when people who turned on him realized God was on his side, and they asked for a peace between them. Jacob, after all he had done, was still the recipient of generational Grace. An inheritance he didn't deserve, because -let's be honest - this was originated based on a stolen blessing.

Here's something to give consideration.

I keep mentioning what Jacob did as the bad guy. And yes, he was part of a generational blessing. But there is a part in his own story where he had his own interactions with God. Yes. He was already part of a generation of blessed men, but what kept him in this lineage was his personal relationship with God. The one he developed. Not what he was born into.

God spoke to Jacob and made a commitment to him, before Jacob even proclaimed himself committed in return. Genesis 28:13-22 shows us where God came to Jacob in a dream.

God told Jacob He would "stay" with him and "protect" him wherever he went. When he woke up from his dream, Jacob was so struck by the presence of God, he even makes the decision to tithe. From this point forward, Jacob walks with God and he is covered.

Yup, that Jacob. Redeemed. Blessed. Beyond measure. Beyond what he deserved.