Last year we studied the life of Abraham. It was an awesome glimpse of a man of amazing (albeit inconsistent) faith. There were times when Abraham trusted God with the impossible. There were other times when he thought things were too perilous even for God and he decided to “help” God out a little. But throughout the series, we saw that God was the hero of Abraham’s story, and just as God was faithful to Abraham; He’s faithful to us.While some scenes in Abraham’s life remind us that he was all too human, let’s be honest: Abraham was a giant of the faith. Most of us are not going to do the things that he did. While he wasn’t perfect, he was pretty awesome.

Well, this week we are going to launch into the life of another patriarch: Abraham’s grandson, Jacob. Jacob was not as awesome as his grandfather. While Abraham’s life was a mix of good and bad, Jacob’s life was, well, mostly bad. He was kind of a rascal. And yet, in the end he got it.

We begin our exploration of Jacob’s life by looking at Genesis 25:19–34. Even before Jacob and his twin brother Esau were born, the Lord gave their mother a word about the boys: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be divided; the one shall be stronger than the other; the older shall serve the younger.” From the beginning, we hear how this story is going to end—God’s promises to Abraham of land, descendants, and blessing are going to pass through the younger son, Jacob. Even though Jacob was a rascal, God remained faithful. That’s how God works.

I’m glad the Bible contains stories about rascals, because (let’s be honest) I am kind of a rascal sometimes. If God could use Jacob for great things, then maybe there is hope for me. So, I am excited about this series. Join us this week as we launch into it!

See you then!