COV LIFE BLOG

Genesis 45:16-47:12 – God’s Grace In Appearing to Jacob Again

God was not of a mind that His servant should be the slave of dread—HIS FEAR WAS TO BE REMOVED. Therefore, the Lord appeared to Jacob in the night visions, not to tell him of new empires, not to reveal to him the destinies of princes but simply to say to him, “Fear not.”

It appears to God to be an important matter to chase away fear, even though it is troubling only one person and that person an aged man. The Lord broke the eternal silence, to drive away the anxieties of a single individual. He said to him, “Jacob, Jacob.” And then he added, “Fear not to go down into Egypt.” Are you very fearful and timorous at this time, dear Brother? It is not the Lord’s will that you should remain so—He would deliver you from this bondage.

The Lord removed his fears by showing that He knew him by his name. He said “Jacob, Jacob.” “Oh,” says one, “if the Lord were to speak to me by my name I should not be afraid any longer.” I am not sure of that, for you might be even more fearful than you now are. But do you think that God does not know your name? Do you dream that if you have sought His face and cried to Him for mercy He does not know your name? Why Beloved, He knows all things. He knows your secret thoughts. He knows the way that you have taken and the way that you are about to take.

He knows you infinitely better than you know yourself. Rest in the fact that your heavenly Father knows what you have need of. O poor troubled One, you that are cast down on account of sin, remember that the Lord knew this Patriarch by his weak and sinful name of Jacob, as well as by his bright and princely name of Israel. He knew him by his worse name as well as by his better. God knows you by your old name, for He knows your old nature. And He knows your new name and your new nature. He calls you tonight and tells you—“I know you. I know you. I know all about you. Your name is engraved on the palms of My hands.

“Dream not that I have forgotten you. If you can not spell out your own case, I can read it. If you do not know your own griefs so as to interpret them to another, I understand all your sorrows, your burdens and your failures. I know your despondencies and your despairs. I know you, Jacob.” Therefore, since the Lord knows us altogether, let us trust Him and He will make even our weaknesses to magnify the power of His Grace.

Charles Spurgeon

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MEDITATION ON THIS WEEK’S SERMON PASSAGE
Read Genesis 45:16-47:12.

Do you see the grace of God to appear to Jacob in these chapters? How frequently do you remember the grace of God to you whether in good days or bad? How can you build a better understanding of God’s grace for when you doubt?

SONG FOR THIS WEEK
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God by Matt Boswell