A Bridge Over Troubled Water
Introduction
Over the last few weeks we have been looking at the beginning of the nation of Israel. We had several stories about Abraham. And last week we looked at Abraham’s son Isaac on the altar as representing Christ and the New Testament Gospel. But that really was the only truly important story about Isaac. So this morning we are moving on to Jacob Isaac’s son.
I am going to summarize Jacob’s story. And then I am going to really focus on one aspect of Jacob’s story that again reveals some of the nature of Christ. When I thought about Jacob’s story and his involvement with God, I thought about an old Simon and Garfunkel song, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Let me read you some of the lyrics of that classic folk rock song.
When you’re weary, feeling small, When tears are in your eyes, I will dry them all; I’m on your side. When times get rough And friends just can’t be found, Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down.
Jacob faced a lot of troubled water in his life. But it was in those moments when he faced some of the roughest water that God revealed Himself to Jacob.
I. Jacob’s Life.
Jacob’s life began with a prophecy about trouble to come.
Genesis 25:21-24 (NLT)
Isaac pleaded with the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was unable to have children. The LORD answered Isaac’s prayer, and Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But the two children struggled with each other in her womb. So she went to ask the LORD about it. “Why is this happening to me?” she asked.
And the LORD told her, “The sons in your womb will become two nations. From the very beginning, the two nations will be rivals. One nation will be stronger than the other; and your older son will serve your younger son.”
And when the time came to give birth, Rebekah discovered that she did indeed have twins!
Even before Jacob’s birth God foretold that Jacob’s life would be troubled. And much of his trouble would come from his twin brother.
For example: When Jacob and his brother Esau were teenagers, Esau comes in after a long day of hunting and asks Jacob for some of his stew.
Genesis 25:30-34 (NLT)
Esau said to Jacob, “I’m starved! Give me some of that red stew!” (This is how Esau got his other name, Edom, which means “red.”)
“All right,” Jacob replied, “but trade me your rights as the firstborn son.”
“Look, I’m dying of starvation!” said Esau. “What good is my birthright to me now?”
But Jacob said, “First you must swear that your birthright is mine.” So Esau swore an oath, thereby selling all his rights as the firstborn to his brother, Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate the meal, then got up and left. He showed contempt for his rights as the firstborn.
So we see the struggle between these two brothers. And Jacob seems to be getting the better of his brother, but the day would come when he goes too far.
When Jacob’s father Isaac is old, blind and feeling like his time to die was soon to come, he decided to bless Esau. He liked his son Esau much better than Jacob and so had decided to give Esau everything, even though God had said that the younger was to inherit Isaac’s place as the head of God’s nation.
But Jacob plots with his mother to steal away Esau’s blessing and inheritance that they felt rightfully belonged to Jacob anyway.
Genesis 27:5-10 (NLT)
But Rebekah overheard what Isaac had said to his son Esau. So when Esau left to hunt for the wild game, she said to her son Jacob, “Listen. I overheard your father say to Esau, ‘Bring me some wild game and prepare me a delicious meal. Then I will bless you in the LORD’s presence before I die.’ Now, my son, listen to me. Do exactly as I tell you. Go out to the flocks, and bring me two fine young goats. I’ll use them to prepare your father’s favorite dish. Then take the food to your father so he can eat it and bless you before he dies.”
Jacob and his mother plotted how to steal away Esau’s blessing. And it worked. Jacob disguised himself as Esau, took Isaac his favorite meal, and lied to his father to steal Esau’s blessing. And that went way over the line.
Genesis 27:41 (NLT)
From that time on, Esau hated Jacob because their father had given Jacob the blessing. And Esau began to scheme: “I will soon be mourning my father’s death. Then I will kill my brother, Jacob.”
Jacob then, warned by his mother, flees to another land, the land that his mother had come from. Now he gave the excuse to his father that he was going to find a wife, but he fled because he feared his brother Esau. He fled for his life.
Now on his way to his mother’s family Jacob has an incredible encounter with God. But we are going to come back to that in a minute. I want to very quickly cover the rest of Jacob’s life of fear.
When Jacob reaches the land of his mother’s family, he immediately falls in love with Rachel. And he negotiates with Rachel’s father for her hand in marriage. He agrees to work seven years taking care of Rachel’s father’s sheep and goats. And at the end of that seven years there is a great wedding feast. But after the feast Jacob is tricked and given Rachel’s sister Leah as a wife instead of Rachel. And then he is told that he must work an additional 7 years to receive Rachel, the woman he loved, as a wife. Which he does.
After working 14 years, Rachel’s father wants Jacob to keep on working for him for free. But Jacob refuses and negotiates with Laban for his wages. All the speckled or spotted goats and all the black sheep born while Jacob was carrying for Laban’s flocks were to be Jacob’s wages. And because God was watching over Jacob the best goats and sheep ended up being speckled, spotted or black. But this didn’t go over very well with Rachel’s father and family.
Genesis 31:1-3 (NLT)
But Jacob soon learned that Laban’s sons were grumbling about him. “Jacob has robbed our father of everything!” they said. “He has gained all his wealth at our father’s expense.” And Jacob began to notice a change in Laban’s attitude toward him.
Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.”
Now Jacob is surrounded by enemies. Rachel’s family is jealous and wants to kill him. And, last he knew, his brother hated him and wanted him dead. Jacob is filled with dread. But on his way back to his brother, God gives Jacob another vision to comfort him. And by the time Jacob reaches Esau his brother wraps his arms around him and weeps with joy at seeing his long lost brother again.
II. Jacob’s Vision.
In essence that is the story of Jacob. Now I want to go back and look at two very special events that gave Jacob courage during some of the most fearful moments in his life. When he receives the first vision he is running from his brother to a foreign land. He doesn’t know what is going to happen to him. He is filled with fear. And then God gives him a vision.
Genesis 28:10-17 (NLT)
Meanwhile, Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran. At sundown he arrived at a good place to set up camp and stopped there for the night. Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.
At the top of the stairway stood the LORD, and he said, “I am the LORD, the God of your grandfather Abraham, and the God of your father, Isaac. The ground you are lying on belongs to you. I am giving it to you and your descendants. Your descendants will be as numerous as the dust of the earth! They will spread out in all directions—to the west and the east, to the north and the south. And all the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your descendants. What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.”
Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I wasn’t even aware of it!” But he was also afraid and said, “What an awesome place this is! It is none other than the house of God, the very gateway to heaven!”
In the midst of his fear, Jacob has a divine encounter. Jacob is given a vision of the angels ascending and descending from heaven. And this vision gives Jacob the courage to face an unknown future. But we might ask what is the meaning of this vision?
It is another prophecy about Jesus Christ. Many centuries later Jesus would say to Nathanael:
John 1:51 (NLT)
I tell you the truth, you will all see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth.
Jesus applies this vision to Himself. He says that He is the stairway to heaven. He is the way to God. He is the open door to God’s Kingdom. Now we all know that Jesus said:
John 14:6 (NLT)
I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
In John chapter 14 Jesus is saying that He is the only way to salvation. He is saying that the only way to reach heaven is through faith in Him. But that isn’t the message of John chapter 1. That isn’t the message of the stairway to heaven. The message of the vision of the stairway to heaven is the message as Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Bridge Over Troubled Water.”
In that vision, that Jesus applies to Himself, God is saying, “I’m here for you. No matter what trials you are facing; no matter what trouble you are going through, I’m here for you. You might be afraid, but I am here to take away your fears. Everyone else may have abandoned you, but I’m on your side. You have the almighty God, the Creator of the universe, on your side.
Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)
Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.
Jesus came to break us free from the power of the devil. Jesus came to set us free from our fears. God is on our side and as Paul said:
Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
We don’t have to be afraid if we are with Christ. Christ will give us the victory. But there is a second part to Jacob’s vision.
III. Hang On to God.
Now Jacob was a big schemer. He believed that he could scheme his way through life. But there comes a moment when Jacob realizes that all of his plotting isn’t enough. He is caught between Laban and Esau. He can’t go back. He swore an oath never to go back. But he can’t go forward. Esau who hates him and wants to kill him is coming to meet him. What was he to do? He had no answers so he goes to the very same spot where he had the vision of the stairway to heaven to pray. And there he receives the second half of his vision.
Genesis 32:24-28 (NKJV)
Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"
So He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob."
And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."
Jacob wrestles with Jesus Christ Himself. And he refuses to let go. And because he clings to Jesus he is blessed.
Through this second part of Jacob’s vision we learn what we must do to be blessed by God. As Jesus said:
John 15:5-8 (NLT)
Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
We cannot win the victory on our own. They only way to win the victory that leads to eternal life is through clinging to Jesus. Those who are separated from Jesus can do nothing. They are victims to the world. They are powerless before the devil. They are enslaved to the fear of death. It doesn’t matter how much effort and scheming they do. They are helpless to save themselves.
Victory only comes when we refuse to let go of Jesus. We know that we can trust Jesus because He laid down His life for us. And we can know that through Him we can find victory because He took that life back up through His resurrection. He is the only one with the power of life. Do you want that power?
What struggles are you facing? What fears are you facing? Imagine Jesus singing the words of Bridge Over Troubled Water to you.
I’m on your side. When times get rough…Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down. Like a bridge over troubled water I will lay me down.
Do you want the blessings of God in your life? Then cling to Jesus.
