February 18th | We Are All Heel Grabbers. God Doesn't Choose The Perfect
- CoachJasonMays
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah... After twenty years of barrenness, Isaac prayed, and God granted Rebekah a pregnancy—with twins! As the babies struggled within her, she sought the Lord. His response came in a profound prophecy:
“Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger” (Genesis 25:23, NIV).
In the ancient world, the law of primogeniture was clear: the firstborn received the double portion, the blessing, and the leadership. The elder was to rule, and the younger was to serve. Yet God overturned human custom entirely. Before Jacob and Esau had even drawn their first breath—before they had done anything good or bad—God declared His choice. The younger would be exalted, and the older would serve him.
When the twins were born, Esau emerged first, red and hairy. Then Jacob followed, his hand grasping Esau’s heel—like he was already trying to pull his brother back and take the lead. His name, Jacob (Yaʿakov in Hebrew), reflects this moment, derived from words meaning “heel-grabber” or “supplanter”—one who seizes by the heel, trips up, or deceives.
Jacob’s life would indeed be marked by deception. Out of selfishness and fear, he would trick his father, manipulate his brother, and scheme for personal gain. Yet God knew every flaw in advance. He saw the deceiver from the womb and still chose him to become the father of Israel, the one through whom the covenant promises would continue and ultimately lead to the Messiah.
This divine election points to a greater truth: God’s people are not built on human merit, tradition, or strength, but on His sovereign grace and purpose. As Paul later reflects on this very story, God’s choice stands “not because of works but because of him who calls” (Romans 9:11-12).
Echoing this, the Lord speaks tenderly through the prophet Isaiah:
“But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine’” (Isaiah 43:1, NIV).
God knows us completely—our hidden motives, our selfish grabs, our deceptions big and small. He formed us in the womb, calls us by name, and claims us as His own. No imperfection, no past failure, no ongoing struggle can thwart His redemptive plan or cancel His promises.
Today, rest in this: God doesn’t choose the perfect; He perfects the chosen. Even when we feel like “heel-grabbers”—clinging desperately or scheming out of fear—His grip on us is stronger. He redeems, He summons, He loves deeply. You are His, called by name.