God is not just interested in defending us.
He wants to promote us!
The word "defend" is "sagav" in the original Hebrew, and it means "to lift up, to defend, to exalt."
He places us high above the troubles and promotes us, grants us His glory at the same time.
In fact, today, because of all that Jesus has done, we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, at the right hand of the Father:
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Ephesians 2:4-6)
Now, notice how David refers to God as "The God of Jacob."
Let's recall that the name Jacob means "Supplanter", or "cheater."
He gained the First-Born blessing by deceiving his father. When Esau was approaching him and his family, Jacob put the least favored wife and the maids ahead of his favored wife Rachel. He also wrestled with God, trying to force outcomes to work his way through his efforts, rather than trusting in God's grace. When the prince of Shechem and his man capture his daughter and raped her, Jacob was willing to give away his daughter in marriage rather than defend her honor and wage justice against the prince of Shechem. His two sons Simeon and Levi would wipe out the entire city. Instead of remaining content that his sons had done something to restore the honor of their sister and his daughter, Jacob selfishly mourned:
"Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house." (Genesis 34:40)
Yet for all his failings, for all his falling and his folly, God continued to bless, favor, and promote Jacob and his family and his descendants.
God does not bless us for anything that we have done. God does not look out for us because we deserve it. God looks out for us because He is good, and because He is gracious.
Consider Jacob's prayer before Esau's arrival:
"9And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands." (Genesis 32: 9-10)
Jacob threw himself on God's grace. He didn't deserve anything. He just said "God, Help me!"
Then notice what Jacob credited for all the good that had come to him:
"10And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. 11Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it." (Genesis 33:10-11)
Because the LORD is "The God of Jacob", He blesses and cares for us even when our own wrongdoing has hurt us. He will lift us up, promote us and protect us because of His grace, not our goodness, not our efforts, and even our predicament is our fault.
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