Old School Grace

I have heard a lot about us being in the dispensation of grace by virtue of living in a post-Messianic era. I have read that people in the Old Testament had to offer all kinds of sacrifices to sort out their sin issues. I have been taught that Jesus became the sacrifice and that I was saved once and for all by his death and resurrection. I am assured that He is coming back someday, for His church, of which I am part.

The thing I hadn’t realized, up to a few days ago, is the fact that the grace of God has always been around. How else can you explain Abraham lying about his wife being his sister (though she actually WAS his half-sister) so that he wouldn’t be killed by his jealous neighbours on account of her beauty? How can we excuse his son Isaac’s repetition of his lie? How do we explain Rebecca and Jacob’s trickery of Isaac to steal Esau’s blessing? What would explain God choosing to love, protect and bless Jacob in spite of all his failures and treachery?

As the story of life in the first book of the Bible unravels, I see grace. I see God forgiving His people; constantly wiping away sins they didn’t even know were sins. I see Him making and keeping covenants with people whose daughters got them drunk then slept with them. I see him using the children one man got through his two wives and their servants to form the basis of the 12 tribes of Israel. I see God giving increase to Jacob’s flock even though he thought his superstition-led efforts were bearing fruit. I see God bringing forth the lineage of Jesus through the tribe of Benjamin whose mother was erstwhile barren and was responsible for stealing and concealing her father’s idols as they fled from him.

God allows so many things to go unpunished. He knows it is a long journey and He is in it for the long haul. He doesn’t take or encourage short cuts. He knows the importance of rest in between battles. He knows the strategies required to overcome insurmountable odds. He knows our areas of weakness and guides us away from danger as he trains our hands for war and our fingers for battle. He knows when to command us to attack and when to lay ambush. He knows when to pursue and when to relent. Why then, do I have such trouble trusting Him to handle my small issues?