We have been selected and called for God's purpose (Rom. 9:11). Not many Christians know what this purpose is. When I was young, I heard message after message and read book after book about Abraham. Those messages and books spoke of justification by faith and of Abraham's being the father of faith, but none of them ever said that God called Abraham with a purpose. In Abraham, we cannot see this purpose, because he had no maturity in life. We do not see the beginning of the experience of God in Abraham; neither do we see the adequate ending of the proper life in his experience. Suddenly, as Abraham was living in Chaldea, God shined upon him and he was "hooked." God called Abraham, and he was caught. But the genuine beginning did not start in Chaldea; it started with God's selection before the foundation of the world. This beginning is found in Jacob, not in Abraham. We have seen that Abraham's life ended with a second marriage. After he had become so old, he married again and brought forth six sons. This certainly is not the maturity in life. We do not see that Abraham was transformed into a prince of God. If we would see the beginning and ending of the experience of God, we must come to Jacob. Jacob's experience of God began in eternity past and will last until eternity future.
What is the purpose of God's calling? It is to transform His called ones into kings. We can see this purpose in Jacob, but not in Abraham or Isaac. Isaac only knew to eat "savory meat." If you were to ask Isaac about his purpose in life, he might have said, "My purpose in life is to enjoy." Isaac did not know anything else. In like manner, most Christians today do not know what the purpose of their life is. They may say, "We have been saved to live a happy life, to have peace and joy today, and to go to heaven in the future." But the New Testament clearly reveals that the purpose of God's selection, predestination, and calling is sonship (Eph. 1:4-5). We have been predestinated unto sonship. We are not common sons; we are royal sons, sons of the royal family who are destined to be kings. Romans 8:29 says, "Whom He foreknew, He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son." This is God's purpose. God's purpose in selecting, predestinating, and calling us is to make pitiful sinners into royal sons so that, after the process of transformation has been completed, we may reign as kings.
Genesis 1:26 reveals that God's purpose in His creation of man was that man might express Him in His image and represent Him with His dominion. The New Testament also says that we have been made priests and kings (Rev. 1:6; 20:6). As priests, we bear the image of God to express Him, and as kings, we have the dominion of God to represent Him. During the millennial kingdom, we shall express Him in His image as His priests and we shall exercise His dominion with His authority to rule over the earth as kings. Now, we are daily undergoing the process of transformation that we might bear the full image of God and exercise His authority.
If we look at ourselves, we shall say, "The more I look at myself, the less I look like a son of God, much less like a king. How pitiful I am! Although I have been saved for many years, I'm still so poor." Praise the Lord that we realize that we are so poor. Do not be disappointed or discouraged. This is why we are under the process of God's transformation.
Of the fifty chapters in the book of Genesis, twenty-five and a half are devoted to the record of Jacob with Joseph. In these chapters we see that Jacob was under God's dealings and discipline. Everyone who was involved with or related to Jacob became a means whereby God dealt with him. God used his father, mother, brother, uncle, wives, and children. But when Jacob finally came out of the oven, he became a prince of God.
What was the purpose of Jacob's experience? Was it for him to have peace, joy, and a happy life? If we say this, Jacob would reply, "I don't agree with you. In my whole life I have not had much peace, not even when I was in my mother's womb. God did not put me first; I had to fight for it. And when I lost the fight, I had no peace. I cheated my brother, and he wanted to kill me. Then my mother helped me to flee to my uncle Laban. Laban was much more skillful than I in cheating. Don't talk to me about peace. I haven't had much peace or joy, but I've had many dealings." God's purpose for Jacob was not to give him peace, joy, and a happy life and then to take him to heaven. God's purpose was to deal with this pitiful supplanter until he was transformed into a prince of God bearing His image to express Him and exercising His dominion to represent Him. This is God's goal. When we come to the end of Genesis, we see that Israel was exactly this type of person. When he saw Pharaoh, he did not say a word. He simply stretched forth his hands and blessed him (47:7, 10). Jacob bore the image of God, expressing Him in a full way. Furthermore, through Joseph, he was the one who had dominion over the whole earth, representing God on the earth. Thus, at the end of Genesis we see God's goal, the goal of His selection. Today we are on the way of Jacob. We have all been called, justified, and are enjoying God's grace. At the same time, we are under God's dealings. Not only is God's little finger upon us, but also His thumb. This is God's dealing and God's transformation. This will make us not only a son of God, but also an Israel, a prince of God.