Jacob is now an old man, but God is still working in his life. Old age can be seen as a time to slow down and rest. But, more dangerously, it can also be seen as a time to coast, relying on past efforts and decisions. Yet we see in Jacob that even in old age, he was ready to respond to the Lord's leadership.

As Jacob faces his fear of his brother Esau and desperately attempts to appease him, he is doing all that he can to save himself. However, in Genesis 32:22-32, Jacob has an experience that will change his name and the rest of his life.

He sends his wives, children, and all he possesses over the stream Jabbok while he stays back to be alone. He thought that he would spend the night alone, but he would spend the night wrestling with God. At the end of the long night of struggle, Jacob would come to know two fundamental truths; he is weak, but God is strong.

But before God prospered Jacob's children to become patriarchs of great tribes or grew these tribes into a great nation, He first humbled a schemer and cheater named Jacob. He humbled Jacob so that he would know that he was weak, but God is strong. There is great grace when God wrestles with us that we, too, come to know that we are weak, but He is strong.

The arrogance of youth can be destructive and costly. In Genesis 19, we have the account of Jacob learning humility, the cost of sin, and the fruit of his deceitfulness. He was learning valuable truths the hard way and experiencing the grace of God to mature him in righteousness.

No one desires to be broken. No one wants to suffer the consequences of sin. If we had our desires, we would skip through life without consequences. However, there is grace in brokenness.

In Genesis 28:10-22, Jacob is broken. He had succeeded in his schemes against his father and brother, but he had lost everything he had hoped for. We find him not as the favored son receiving his father's wealth and blessing or becoming his family's leader but alone and destitute. He has no home. He has no family. He is uncertain about his future. And he is likely fearful that all is lost.

Is this where you are today? Are you struggling under the weight and brokenness of your sin? Have you heard of the grace of God and the promises He has made but wonder if they apply to you? Jacob's life is far from perfect. However, in this moment, he would hear from the Lord and be encouraged by the precious promises of God. You are not alone, God's provisions are sure, and God is in control.

Sin is destructive, and failure is demoralizing. If we are not careful, our response to sin and failure can be as destructive, if not more than the original sin. In Genesis 27, we witness how Isaac, Rebecca, Esau, and Jacob responded to their previous sinful attempts to get their way. Each of them is attempting to recover from their own failure. Through their testimony, we see in Esau the destruction of unrepentance, in Rebecca and Jacob the unexpected cost of sin, and in Isaac the testimony of repentance.

The testimony of scripture is not of perfect people accomplishing God's purposes. Instead, the story of scripture is of a perfect God using imperfect people to accomplish His perfect will.

The testimony of Jacob is complicated. On the one hand, Jacob's story is not easily celebrated. He is not a man of strength in character or physical ability. He is a schemer, manipulator, and liar. On the other hand, he is very significant because God demonstrates the character of His sovereign grace in choosing him over his brother. With this generation, we learn an essential truth about the promise of God. God's blessing and promise will not go to those whom man's customs, traditions, or desires dictate but to whom God so chooses.