Look To The Lord

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

LOOK TO THE LORD

Gen 31:51-55

51 Laban also said to Jacob, "Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us." So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there. 55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.

NIV

There was the pillar and a heap, both of stones. Interestingly, Laban claimed he set up the heap and the pillar, even though Jacob had his relatives gather the stones and set up the pillar and the heap. Laban also claimed that all Jacob had was his: his daughters, their children, and his flocks of sheep. Laban appears prideful, greedy, selfish, and self-centered. Everything is about Laban. Although Jacob left on the sly, so to speak, without Laban's knowledge, Laban wants this heap to be the point of separation between him and Jacob. The lives of Jacob and Laban serve as two examples for us today. Laban shows that greed and self-centeredness do not look good. Because of his greed, he was also a cheat and a liar, repeatedly deceiving Jacob by changing the agreement or Jacob's wages. Jacob shows us a different view. He worked for twenty years to obtain all he had. His labor protected and increased Laban's flocks and herds, and he also gained possessions for himself, but that surely was because the LORD was with him. Laban served his man-made gods long enough to spend seven days chasing him and accusing him of stealing them, yet he declares a covenant in the name of the God of Abraham, Nahor, and their father, Terah. However, he did not say, "his God," only the God of his ancestors. We are not told that Jacob worshipped anyone other than God. In Fact, when he set out on his journey under his father's direction, Jacob declared that if God would direct his path and he succeeded, God would be his God. Later, the people of Israel used the term "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" to declare who their God is. Once again, we should consider if we have created a god of our own making. Not that we do not worship the Lord God Almighty and have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, but are we looking to something we have, or have worked to obtain, as something of value? What we value can become a treasure, and we are told not to store up treasures here on earth, but to lay up treasures in heaven, where rust and moth cannot destroy them. Laban looked to his possessions and his god as sources of value he created himself. Jacob understood his labor and success were because the LORD was with him. This is the story of two men: one who looks to self, the other looks to the LORD. Let us always look away from self, and keep our eyes on the Lord, for He is our God, and we are His people. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. 

The Witness

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE WITNESS

Gen 31:43-50

43 Laban answered Jacob, "The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let's make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us." 45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 He said to his relatives, "Gather some stones." So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.   48 Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah, because he said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me."

NIV

Although Jacob worked diligently for twenty years to pay Laban for his two wives and all the flocks he had acquired through an agreement, Laban still considered everything his. That would be like working for an agreed wage, only for the employer to say all your wages belong to him. Yet he understands he can do nothing about it, so he wants to make a covenant with Jacob and let it be a witness between them. Again, we do not understand how, after Laban spent seven days chasing Jacob over his idols and calling them gods, he made that statement about the LORD keeping watch between them. If he is concerned about the LORD keeping watch between them, why did he still want his idols? It almost seems Laban is using Jacob's fear of the LORD as a weapon or threat: if Jacob does anything wrong, God is watching him; God is a witness between them. This may be true for our lives. Although we may not make an official covenant with people, except our spouses, the LORD watches how we treat others. First, let us focus on the covenant we made with our spouse before God. That may not mean we are perfect in all we do or that we never make mistakes, but that is the point of a covenant. We are held together, bonded to each other, no matter what. Those words: " What God has joined together, let no man put asunder."  That was the covenant Laban made with Jacob; he made it in the presence of the LORD, and no one could break it. A covenant declares the Lord is the witness between them. Although we make that official covenant with our spouses, we should also remember that the Lord witnesses how we behave toward others, in attitude and action. When some believers, non-believers, or even relatives disappoint or offend God, and thus us, because we belong to God, we wonder what kind of witness we are before God. Maybe it comes down to the truth that God is our witness. 

He Sees Us

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HE SEES US

Gen 31:38-42

38 "I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you."

NIV

There is a difference between sitting and waiting for God to bless us, and laboring, even under hard circumstances, because of trust in God. Jacob is an example of someone who knew the God of Abraham and Isaac; the people of Israel also knew the God of Jacob, who feared the LORD and did right in his conduct and affairs with Laban. He worked under extreme conditions for twenty years, profiting Laban, even though Laban was unfair to Jacob. This gives us a clue as to how we should approach life. Whatever the Lord has led us to do with our hands, we should do that work as though it is for the Lord. Paul wrote that truth to the Colossians. That truth included the promise that we will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. We are serving the Lord. This applies to us as individuals, but it should also apply to the church. We should not come to church out of habit or because we think we are supposed to. We should want to worship our Lord and do what he has called us to do, as a church. Jacob knew God watched over him, saw his hardship, and sustained him as he labored for Laban. This is the basic truth we must always remember: God sees our labor, watches over us, and cares for us. At the same time, we must remember that we are to do whatever he leads our hands to do. Our lives belong to him, and by confessing that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, we give up our right to make our own choices. That does not mean we cannot choose which day to go shopping, when to do laundry, or other daily activities. The choice we surrender to our Lord is about our life goals and the direction of our lives, both as individuals and as the church. If we go through life on autopilot, going through the motions, but our hearts aren't fully committed to how the Lord works in and through us, we may lose sight of who we are and that we belong to him. Jacob knew God had dealt with Laban for his benefit. We can see this truth in our lives. God may work through others to advance the plan He has for our lives. It comes down to this: God is in charge; He leads, we follow. He gives us the work of our hands. He sees us. 

Priorities

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

PRIORITIES 

Gen 31:31-37

31 Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it." Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods. 33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah's tent, he entered Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing. 35 Rachel said to her father, "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period." So he searched but could not find the household gods. 36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. "What is my crime?" he asked Laban. "What sin have I committed that you hunt me down? 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.

NIV

This exchange between Jacob and Laban is not finished. Jacob didn't know Rachel had taken her father's gods and hidden them. Jacob is indignant that Laban accused him of stealing his gods. It is strange how much effort Laban went to, chasing after Laban for seven days to accuse him and retrieve his gods, his images, idols. Jacob freely allowed Laban to search everywhere in all his belongings. Rachel lied to her father because she felt he had been unfair to her: he sold her and then didn't give her an inheritance. Certainly, that was wrong, but we cannot judge her or Laban, as they show the imperfection of all humankind. Although our story comes from the previous verses, Laban chased Jacob for seven days because of his missing gods. How much effort did Laban put into his gods, idols of stone, wood, metal, or some other material? These were gods that had no eyes to see, no ears to hear, and no mouth to speak. However, he still worshipped them. We wonder how much effort we put into things that cannot hear, see, or speak. Of course, we have our daily work, our daily tasks that everyone has to live. We own or possess many things that take time to maintain, use, enjoy, and be entertained by. Many of them may well be blessings from the Lord; however, we never worship them. They are just inanimate objects; yet we wonder whether we spend more time with our possessions than with the one who provided the way for us to have them. We serve the Creator, not the things created, either by him, such as nature, or by man, such as all the things we have. It is not that we cannot enjoy both nature and things, but our lives are due solely to the Lord, and he means everything. Let us spend all seven days of every week seeking him and his righteousness first; then all this stuff is from his pleasure to bless us. Laban's priority was his gods. He chased after and searched for his false gods. Let us chase after and search for the one true God; that is our first priority. 

The Fraud or The Truth

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE FRAUD OR THE TRUTH

Gen 31:19-30

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father's household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, and crossing the River, he headed for the hill country of Gilead. 22 On the third day Laban was told that Jacob had fled. 23 Taking his relatives with him, he pursued Jacob for seven days and caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. 24 Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." 25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You've deceived me, and you've carried off my daughters like captives in war. 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? 28 You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-by. You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you steal my gods?"

NIV

Laban accused Jacob of deceiving him by leaving without telling him. That is like the pot calling the kettle black, as Laban had deceived Jacob many times, starting with giving him Leah instead of Rachel that first night. We do not think Jacob was seeking revenge, yet he told his wives that their father had changed his wages ten times, so he may not have felt guilty about leaving while Laban was out shearing his sheep. However, our story is about this dichotomy in Laban. He had household gods, yet heard from God, Elohiym, about how he is to talk with Jacob. How it is a man who has household gods, which in Hebrew means an image and is used as idol, or more correctly a fraud, can hear from God? Does that mean God talks to those who worship frauds, or false gods? God can do whatever he desires, for we cannot box him into the mold of our thinking. These are the two truths to ponder. First, Laban worshipped an image, an idol, a fraud, something that isn't real. Second, God spoke to him, but on behalf of his servant Jacob. We should be careful, because we profess to believe God, accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, not to have anything that would be considered a fraud, an idol. The question is what masters our lives. What do we allow to have control over us? We know we cannot serve two masters, yet is it possible we have allowed that to happen? Maybe the fraud isn't something physical like money, as Jesus used in the two-masters comparison, but the false idol we are trying to serve is ourselves. Then the question would be: can we serve our ‘self’ and serve God at the same time? Have we made the ‘self’ into an idol, while saying we worship the Lord God Almighty? Second, God spoke to Laban about how he should treat Jacob. God was protecting his servant Jacob. We also know that, as servants of God, we come under his divine protection. He can even speak to anyone who may want to harm us and turn them into a blessing, at least by not allowing them to harm us. Although Laban understood God, he still was concerned about his gods. Let us not be concerned about any fraud, or making anything, including ourselves, an idol, for there is only one true God. Let us worship Him and Him alone. It comes down to either the fraud or the truth. 

Here I Am

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HERE I AM

Gen 31:10-18

10 "In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, 'Jacob.' I answered, 'Here I am.' 12 And he said, 'Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.'" 4 Then Rachel and Leah replied, "Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you." 17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

NIV

Jacob tells his wives, Rachel and Leah, everything the LORD told him, recounting how he came to have so many speckled, spotted, and streaked sheep and goats. One statement he made about how he knew what to do is worth considering. When he had a dream, and the angel of the LORD called his name, he answered, "Here I am.” We could focus on the fact that both Rachel and Leah were very content to leave their father's household and travel with their Husband to a land they did not know. Metaphorically, this could represent us, as the bride of Christ, leaving all we once knew behind to follow our husband where he leads us. As Rachel and Leah felt their father regarded them as foreigners, not only selling them but then using what was paid for them, that would be like how we should feel about the world. We are foreigners here, and the world, had we stayed there, would have sold us to Satan and used up all we could have had, mainly, life. However, though this truth is great and gives us much to think about, the main point we must always remember is to say to the Lord, “I am here.” We all had to say that at some time in our lives, when the Holy Spirit convicted our hearts of our need to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. At that exact time, we may not have realized we became the bride of Christ, but we had to hear his call and answer, “Here I am.” However, that was just the beginning of our journey with Jesus. He has called us to follow him, and he has called each of us to a task. He has called each of us to follow his leading. Our only correct response is always, "Here I am." 

I Will Be With You

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

I WILL BE WITH YOU

Gen 31:1-9

31:1 Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, "Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father." 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been. 3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." 4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, "I see that your father's attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I've worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, 'The speckled ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, 'The streaked ones will be your wages,' then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father's livestock and has given them to me.

NIV

This interaction between Jacob and Laban is not over; however, the LORD had plans for Jacob, and it was time for him to return to his father’s household. The key in this part of Jacob's life is what the LORD told him. Although he was to return to his father's land, the best thing the Lord told Jacob was, “I will be with you.” Could we ask for anything more? If the Lord never did anything else for us, his being with us would be enough. Yet, as we recount all the times the Lord has performed miracles on our behalf, still, his being with us would be enough. As many times as the Lord has led us and caused us to prosper, his being with us would still be enough. The times he healed us, gave us renewed strength, and watched over us, it would still be enough to know he is always with us. He promised that he would never leave us or forsake us. So often we pray for a variety of things in our lives, wanting the Lord to do this or that for us. But more than anything, we want to know that He will be with us. All too often, when we pray, we just babble on and on and never spend enough time in silence to hear Him tell us, “I will be with you,” “I will lead you.” Jesus told those he encountered, "Follow me." That alone implies He will lead, and because He is leading, He is with us. Jacob acted immediately after hearing from the LORD, calling his wives to his side and telling them how the LORD had blessed him and that it was time to leave. This is the second great truth we should acknowledge. When the Lord tells us to do something, go someplace, or say something, we should spring into action and respond to his voice. When the Lord tells us we need to change our attitude or behavior, we must spring into action and comply. What else could it mean when the Lord tells us to follow him, or when he says, “I will be with you,” than that we should follow and do what he says?