A reluctant Calvinist?
"The beauty of the world has two edges, one of laughter, one of anguish, cutting the heart asunder." V. Woolf. This was fittingly generated for me by one of the online blogthing generators as my "Glamour Icon"... I wonder how it knew, since this just happens to be one of my FAVORITE quotes.
Jacob and Esau:
In this vignette (Gen. 32-33) Jacob, who has had a lifelong rivalry with his twin brother Esau, receives the name Israel, and is preparing to reunite with him fearing for his life. He had prepared himself by trying to appease him with a gift, but the scene is resolved in the most unusual way:
4 But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. 7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me.*** 11 Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.... 18 And Jacob came **safely** to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city.
** or peacefully
*** caution - leitwort... 32:30
Would that the world believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive. My Rican friend recently reminded me of the abundance of the earth, and that perhaps scarcity is a human creation. Fear, which drove Jacob to rush to appease Esau, though logical on Jacob's part by reason of his years of trickery, was unwarranted, because God had provided for Esau as well. And would that humanity were more like Esau. (ps. contrast the older brother from the Prodigal son parable in the New Testament...)
Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated:
Things which look like *mere* caprice in the moment, will perhaps come to fuller understanding in time. And perhaps Paul (or the writer in the New Testament) was more acquainted with Torah than with the Reformed tradition or the Westminster Standards. He could be using this analogy differently than our systematics allows.
Now, extrapolate this into a metanarrative frame, and think about the current struggle. Lets see, Israel, the people of Jacob, have an uncle Ishmael, father of the other major religion involved in the conflict, who was dispossessed by Jacob's grandfather Abraham in favor of Jacob's father Isaac. However, the angel of the LORD promises that even Ishmael will be taken care of. Esau marries into this family, himself dispossessed by his father Isaac, and inherits God's blessing as well. He exercises forgiveness and shows contentment with his possession. Would that the descendents of Mohammed and Israel have this reunion.
text taken from the ESV... www.esv.org
Jacob and Esau:
In this vignette (Gen. 32-33) Jacob, who has had a lifelong rivalry with his twin brother Esau, receives the name Israel, and is preparing to reunite with him fearing for his life. He had prepared himself by trying to appease him with a gift, but the scene is resolved in the most unusual way:
4 But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. 5 And when Esau lifted up his eyes and saw the women and children, he said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” 6 Then the servants drew near, they and their children, and bowed down. 7 Leah likewise and her children drew near and bowed down. And last Joseph and Rachel drew near, and they bowed down. 8 Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company that I met?” Jacob answered, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” 9 But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” 10 Jacob said, “No, please, if I have found favor in your sight, then accept my present from my hand. For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me.*** 11 Please accept my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” Thus he urged him, and he took it.... 18 And Jacob came **safely** to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan-aram, and he camped before the city.
** or peacefully
*** caution - leitwort... 32:30
Would that the world believe that it is more blessed to give than to receive. My Rican friend recently reminded me of the abundance of the earth, and that perhaps scarcity is a human creation. Fear, which drove Jacob to rush to appease Esau, though logical on Jacob's part by reason of his years of trickery, was unwarranted, because God had provided for Esau as well. And would that humanity were more like Esau. (ps. contrast the older brother from the Prodigal son parable in the New Testament...)
Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated:
Things which look like *mere* caprice in the moment, will perhaps come to fuller understanding in time. And perhaps Paul (or the writer in the New Testament) was more acquainted with Torah than with the Reformed tradition or the Westminster Standards. He could be using this analogy differently than our systematics allows.
Now, extrapolate this into a metanarrative frame, and think about the current struggle. Lets see, Israel, the people of Jacob, have an uncle Ishmael, father of the other major religion involved in the conflict, who was dispossessed by Jacob's grandfather Abraham in favor of Jacob's father Isaac. However, the angel of the LORD promises that even Ishmael will be taken care of. Esau marries into this family, himself dispossessed by his father Isaac, and inherits God's blessing as well. He exercises forgiveness and shows contentment with his possession. Would that the descendents of Mohammed and Israel have this reunion.
text taken from the ESV... www.esv.org