Displaced Pilgrims: Jacob

Exiled for grabbing what was forbidden, Adam and Eve, are the first displaced persons in the Bible. Forced and banished from their home to wander the earth as punishment for their sin as well as for their protection from eternal condemnation.

God did not intend for us to permanently wander around in a state of punishment. He manifested himself to Abraham, and his future generations (including ourselves), to launch a pilgrimage of redemption and restoration to our rightful home with God. By drawing out a chosen people, Israel, God called them to be sojourners into foreign lands toward a series of fulfilled prophecies that would one day lead to the final redemption of sin and our exiled status through Christ on the cross. Until then, Israel would be a people who wander, living a displaced status, and even post Christ’s resurrection, we continue that pilgrimage until the final day of Christ’s full revelation in the coming of a new heaven and earth. Alas, we are and walk instep after a cloud of pilgrims who’ve journeyed before us. We and these formerly displaced people all have a pilgrim story to tell.

Jacob the Sojourner

Abraham’s call to leave home and trust that God would provide a son to him and his barren wife of 100 years, seemed absurd. Though years after Abraham’s first step toward the “Promised Land” we meet two of his grandsons, Jacob and Esau. Jacob back handedly grabbed the leadership of Abraham’s path by deceiving his father, Isaac, and stealing the inherited “first born” blessing from his older brother Esau.

“May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham. Then Isaac sent Jacob away…”
Genesis 28:3-5

The immediate receiving of God’s blessing implied displacement, the beginning of a pilgrim’s life. Remember how I mentioned that people are movers and this is all part of God’s hand moving us toward our intended design for unity, relationship, and community— to live together as his Body. (See Article: You’re Displaced Too) We wander out of intentionality and purpose as part of God’s designed plan. Setting out to live a displaced life is like the initiation of becoming his follower as we join in a communal pilgrimage toward wholeness and toward the fulfillment of the promises God has made for his people. Jacob lived most of his life as a foreigner in ‘unusual’ places, and his displacement has attributes we can look for in our own lives.

What Did Jacob’s Displacement Look Like?

Communion with God: God spoke to Jacob through dreams and spiritual encounters. He learned to listen for God’s voice and sought guidance toward the raising of sheep, meeting his wives, how to cope with his father-in-law, and on how to restore his relationship with Esau. Biblical pilgrimages involve God walking through life alongside us while guiding our path. Though he lived in an ‘unusual’ and unfamiliar place, Jacob wasn’t alone. He relied on God as his companion and guide.

Promises: God granted Jacob the same promises of Abraham: familial growth, land for his people, and to be with him as long as he remained faithful to God. He fulfilled part of these promises during Jacob’s lifetime: wives, children, a homeland, restoration of his relationship with Esau, and grandchildren. Jacob also wrestled with God in efforts to firm up his blessing (Genesis 32). His encounter marred his body forever with a limp, but it was a visual reminder of God’s faithfulness to fulfill promises. God further established his promise upon Jacob in chapter 35 by renaming him Israel as a proclamation that his bloodline would be forever God’s chosen people and one day the way of salvation for all nations, tribes, and people.

Being stuck in an unwelcoming place: As Jacob journeyed toward Paddan-aram, his new home in displacement, he lived under the treacherous thumb of his father-law, Laban, as an indentured servant for many years. Often our displacement sends us to places in which we suffer injustice, don’t make friends, or are treated poorly. God’s promise of being with Jacob is what gave him the strength to endure this place of burden, but he still had to live there. His season in this uncomfortable place was not wasted, as we learn later, Jacob gained many blessings while living as a foreigner.

Hardship and struggle. Our pilgrimage may be filled with eternal promises that fuel our hope, but the road in which we travel in the present is often riddled with potholes, gravel, mud, and briars; not a path we would willingly choose because we’d rather be comfortable. Jacob remained in a place of hardship because in our suffering there are seasons of growth. Paul says in Hebrews 12, “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children.” During the season of slavery, Jacob grew in faith, discipline, and learned to attune his heart and ear to God. He was in training. He knew he wasn’t meant to leave until God spoke. Part of Jacob’s pilgrimage was a quest toward learning to trust and obey God.

Prosperity: I must be careful with this one. God very much granted Jacob earthly wealth. His suffering and years of service brought him large numbers of flocks, an inheritance of great land from his father, twelve sons and beyond. These were all signs that Jacob had fared well in the world, but God did not provide these for Jacob’s enjoyment and success alone. God was building a nation, a people, and he needed to provide for them. Prosperity is for God’s purposes, not man’s personal success or worldly ambition toward power and control. Furthermore, they are not a guarantee. As Jacob sojourned throughout his life we don’t see him using his power for himself but toward expanding God’s plan and his people.

Jacob is remembered as a sojourner. He lived as a foreigner in foreign lands for most of his life. Like his ancestors, his house was a tent. He wandered to the place’s God lead him only to be in each for momentary seasons. He did not even die in his homeland. Yet, the key elements of his pilgrimage, his displaced life, can be attributes we look for in our own wanderings.

Personal Reflection: How are you living on your pilgrimage?

Do you seek communion with God by listening to his voice and leading in your life decisions? Are you seeking his guidance along your path?
Do you know the promises God has for you? Are you able to pursue them relentlessly like Jacob?
Do you take stock in the promise that God is with you in inhospitable places? Are you able to live as a foreigner because you trust God is working with intentionality in your life?
Are you embracing the hardships of life as a way of sharing in Christ’s sufferings and a path toward spiritual growth and maturity?
Do you give praise for the prosperity you have in life and use it to further God’s purposes in your community?

Join the conversation. Do you consider yourself a sojourner?

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