Executive Power

Jacob dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And [God] said, “The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring, and all the earth shall be blessed in you.” – Genesis 28:12-14 excerpted (NRSV) 

Chosenness is a powerful drug. That special status of being picked out from all the others. That inner pride of being selected, set apart, anointed, elevated. That glow of an exclusive title alongside your name, or a bonus in your paycheck, or a blessing to pave your way forward. 

Chosenness-by-election can convince a leader’s ego that every word they utter is gospel truth, every insight is unassailable. Chosenness-by-public-acclaim can persuade an influencer’s vanity that their talent is singular and self-made.  

Even (especially) chosenness-by-God can deliver a heavy dose of self-righteousness that topples the ego under the weight of perceived exceptionality. A divine dream, a holy voice, a cascade of angels, a mystical omen—and suddenly no one on earth can tell you otherwise. Your anointing is exempt from critique. 

Like Jacob, after his dream of God’s blessing, operating as though all the world is his to own and manage: from the shepherdess Rachel and her sheep at the well, to her sister and their maids, from all the strongest breeders in his uncle’s flocks, to his brother’s full forgiveness (without Jacob conceding an inch of inheritance) … 

… until a second holy encounter redefines Jacob’s understanding of his chosenness. A divine wrestling match revises the divine right that Jacob thought was untouchable. God puts Jacob’s ego in its place by renaming Jacob according to his struggles, not his ambitions. His sacred dependence, not his sacrosanct autonomy. 

God prescribes a new purpose for Jacob, as only the One with truly executive authority can. 

Prayer
Let me not weigh down your crown of life with the jewels of my pride, O Holy One. Let me not be so slick with your anointing that I cannot receive another’s insight and companionship.