covenant

Genesis 35:9-13 “After Jacob returned from Paddan Aram, God appeared to him again and blessed him. God said to him,’Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.’ So he named him Israel.

And God said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; be fruitful and increase in number. A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants. The land I gave to Abraham and Isaac I also give to you, and I will give this land to your descendants after you.’ Then God went up from him at the place where he had talked with him.”

The covenant continues. Jacob, now Israel, is the second generation after Abraham, and God confirms in this passage the same promises he made originally to Abraham. I find that hugely reassuring.

The covenant rests entirely on the all-powerful and unchanging character of God. That’s why he alone passed between the halves of animal carcasses when the covenant was made.

Flawed as they were, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were God’s people, chosen for his purposes. But as with me, God’s work never depended on them. Instead, God gave them the enormous blessing of including them in his work. As God changes the world, he also transforms those of us he invites to work with him.

Success is guaranteed – it’s God’s plan. If I go along, my transformation is guaranteed too. Nothing depends on me. What a blessing!