Thin places and times, as we saw
last week are instances where the Holy-where God-is intimately present. While
God is, of course, present always, there are time and places that are more
obviously filled with holiness. This is probably because the person encountered
by God is open to the manifestation of God. Sometimes this is because the
person is in the midst of a life change or challenge. (Don’t we all look for
God when we feel troubled or stressed?)
Jacob, in the Bible, is one such
person. You wouldn’t think that he’d be very pious. After all when we meet him
in Genesis, he’s rather a mama’s boy who isn’t averse to tricking his older
twin out of the birthright (the inheritance of the eldest son, including tribal
leadership). (Genesis 25:29-34) This youthful ploy may have been on his mind
later when Rebekah encourages Jacob to trick his aging father, Isaac, into giving him the first born’s blessing (even though he was born second).
Esau is livid when he learns
what has happened. “When Esau heard his
father’s words, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry, and said
to his father, ‘Bless me, me also, father!’ But he said, ‘Your brother came
deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.’ Esau said, ‘Is he not
rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me
these two times. He took away my birthright; and look, now he has taken away my
blessing.’…And Esau lifted up his voice and wept.” (Genesis 27:34-38)
The thought of Jacob’s treachery
rankles with Esau and he begins to plot murder after Jacob dies. Rebekah
convinces Jacob to send their son to her family in Haran
to find a wife. It is on the way that Jacob first encounters God at a ‘thin
place’.
On his way to Haran, “He came to a certain place and stayed
there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the
place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. And he dreamed that
there was a ladder set up on the earth, the
top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and
descending on it.”(Genesis 28:11-12) This 1900 lithograph shows Jacob at Bethel with the angels in the background. God speaks to Jacob and promises land
and descendents and blessing. God tells him, “Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will
bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I
have promised you.” (Genesis 28: 15).
This must have been both
terrifying and reassuring to Jacob. He is essentially in exile from his family/tribe
because of his brother’s rage. In an culture where family is the core value,
this is not a comfortable place. Yet, here God assures him that he will return
and all his dreams will come true. Jacob consecrates the spot by taking “the stone that he had put under his
head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. He called that
place Bethel; but the
name of the city was Luz at the first.” (Beth-El means House of God.)
Years later, Jacob has another
close encounter with God. As he is returning to Canaan
with his wives and many children he learns that Esau is coming to meet him with
an army. Faced with this frightening prospect, he sends his family across the Jabbok
River. Then, “Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When
the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the 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 is breaking.’ But Jacob said, ‘I will not let you
go, unless you bless me.’ So he said to him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said,
‘Jacob.’ Then the man said, ‘You shall no
longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you
have striven with God and with humans, and
have prevailed.’” (Genesis 32:24-28)
When we find ourselves in
challenging situations, we often turn to God as a last resort. In that moment
of turning we discover that God has been standing nearby all along, like a
watchful parent, just waiting for us to say ‘help’. Like Jacob we sometimes
wrestle with God about what we are being called to do. He knew he had wronged
his brother and that Esau had every right to desire revenge. However, Jacob was
now a family man with responsibilities and perhaps felt God urging him to offer
reconciliation.
Even with the assurance of God’s
promise at Bethel, Jacob is afraid
that his brother will kill him and all will be lost. So he wrestles with
God-figuratively or physically about what to do. God again blesses Jacob and
gives him a new name. Rather than being Jacob the ‘supplanter or liar’ he will
be Isra-el (Ruled by God). Jacob went on to reconcile with his brother and did
indeed become a powerful tribal leader.
Jacob’s first encounter with God
came as a dream. Dreams are a common way God comes close to people in the
Bible. (Think of Joseph of Nazareth, Samuel, and others.) Have you ever had a
dream that helped clarify something for you? Or have you felt God pushing you
to do something you really don’t want to do?
Next time we’ll look at a Bible person who encountered
God in a different kind of ‘thin place.’
