From the "Gracevine" newsletter article for Grace Lutheran Church in Thornville, Ohio, June 2023
May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine.
Genesis 27:28 ESV (Monthly Watchword for June)
Ever since I was a teenager, Star Trek has been inspiring for me. Growing up in the 1980s and 1990s, I didn’t experience much of the original show with Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, and crew. Instead, Captain Picard and company of Star Trek: The Next Generation were the ones through whom I learned about “strange new worlds” and “new life and new civilizations.” But one phrase to come from the original show from the 1960s has lingered throughout all the iterations of the Star Trek franchise in recent decades and has become a part of popular culture. It is the Vulcan blessing: “Live long and prosper.”
If you don’t know, the Vulcans are one of the friendly alien races in the Star Trek universe. Mr. Spock in the original show was half human and half Vulcan. They have pointed ears and place high value on logic. They suppress their emotions and come across at times as cold and indifferent. Yet the Vulcans are more complex than that. Watching Star Trek, I often found myself sympathizing with them. From their point of view, they simply believe that extreme emotions cloud our thinking, lead to bad decisions, and therefore hinder human thriving. Though they express themselves differently, they do care about other people. In the Star Trek shows, you will see Vulcans extend their hands, part their fingers in a “V” shape, and declare: “Live long and prosper.”
When I look at the monthly Watchword from the Bible for June, I think about this Vulcan blessing. In this part of the book of Genesis, we hear more of the unfolding story of Abraham’s family and their internal turmoil. Chapter 27 deals with Abraham’s son Isaac as an old man. His two sons were Esau and Jacob. According to the custom of the time, Esau was entitled to a special blessing from his father by virtue of being the elder brother. But Jacob, prodded by his mother Rebekah, had different plans. They plotted to steal the blessing from Esau so that Jacob would receive it instead. In his old age, Isaac’s eyesight was failing him. When Jacob dressed in his brother Esau’s clothes, Isaac was tricked. Isaac could feel the animal skins of Esau, but more importantly, he could smell the scent of Esau. Isaac proceeded with the blessing, given to Jacob, but intended for Esau: May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. In some ways, this is an eloquent way of saying, “Live long and prosper.”
The biblical figure of Jacob has always fascinated me, perhaps because my last name originates from this man. In the Hebrew language of the Old Testament, the name Jacob means “supplanter,” someone who takes the place of someone else. The events of his life fulfill the meaning of his name, and not in ways we would consider positive. In his dealings with his elder brother, Jacob steals both Esau’s birthright and blessing.
And so, Jacob received the blessing that rightly belonged to his brother. May God give you of the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth and plenty of grain and wine. Those words washed over him, even if the manner in which he obtained the blessing was, politely speaking, less than honest.
There is a lesson here for all of us. It is common for people to ask the question, “Why do bad things happen to me?” When misfortune comes our way, we might feel we do not deserve it. But what if we ask the opposite question: “Why do good things happen to me?”
As much as there are times we receive bad things that aren’t our fault, I suppose if we think hard enough, we can recall good things that have come our way that we don’t deserve. Our sinful natures tend to focus on the negative, but faith in God’s grace has the power to change our perspective. Indeed, there are many blessings we enjoy that we did not earn. Even the fact that we are alive is itself a pure gift. And even if we worked hard to obtain some benefit, where did we get the ability to do so if not from God? When we pray for “daily bread” in our Lord’s Prayer, Martin Luther explained in the Small Catechism that we are asking for God to help us recognize the many blessings we have received so that we receive them with thanksgiving and look to God in faith, who is the source of all good gifts.
Jacob went about his life in the opposite way: looking out for himself, his interests, his well-being. He coveted God’s blessing so badly that he resorted to thievery. With the help of his mother, he succeeded in his dishonest endeavor. He received that which he did not deserve. In other words, Jacob received grace. God’s presence continued to follow him, and God gave him much. Jacob received his daily bread and then some.
But did he recognize it? Even before he stole Esau’s blessing, God had given him much. But the fact that Jacob felt he needed to go to such great lengths to get a blessing from God indicates that he didn’t really understand the true nature of God’s blessing. He most definitely didn’t let that blessing from God define who he was.
Jacob was a work in progress, much like all of us. God had lavished blessings upon him in spite of his failure to reflect the love of God. But eventually, Jacob was required to confront his past. In chapter 33, Jacob meets his brother once again, having not seen him in many years. Not sure how Esau would react after their previous difficulties, Jacob finds himself reconciled to his brother. Rather than responding to Jacob with revenge, Esau embraces Jacob his brother. Once again, Jacob received grace.
Maybe this was the beginning of Jacob’s true blessing. Maybe Jacob finally understood the meaning of grace. Maybe Jacob was able to “receive his daily bread with thanksgiving,” to borrow words from Martin Luther. Maybe Jacob came to realize that truly living long and prospering was only something he could receive as a gift, not take for himself.
As this summer season begins, we see the earth in full bloom. We see the first growth of crops. It is an annual reminder of the goodness of God. I pray that we, like Jacob, would have our eyes opened to receive the grace of God with thanksgiving and to let that thanksgiving shape our lives. God has indeed given us much: our life, health, and daily food. But above all, God has given us the love of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. When we understand that love and live in that love, then we can truly live long and prosper. Our life on earth is a mixture of blessings and burdens, but with Jesus Christ and the grace of God lavished on us through him, we can truly live long and prosper with faith and thanksgiving now and eternally in the joy of God’s kingdom.
Pr. Tom Jacobson