With Diligence

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

WITH DILIGENCE

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

Following the continued discussion between Laban and Jacob after Laban had accused Jacob of stealing his gods, and seeking, did not find them. Although, it was Rachel who had deceived her father. Jacob reminded Laban how hard he worked for him for twenty years while he kept changing his wages. This was a difficult situation at best for Jacob even though during those years four women, bore him twelve children, eleven sons, and one daughter. Again, we cannot judge the way of life of the people of the past by the standards or laws of our time. Yet, that was his life, and now he wanted to head out and be his own man, with his own household. We are not sure how old Jacob was at this point. Some have tried to figure it out and estimate he was around seventy, however, the point here is not how old he was when he worked twenty years with diligence and honesty for his employer, even when Laban did not deal with him fairly. This could be our lesson, although some of us no longer work for someone else. However, if we are still employed by someone we have been admonished to work onto the Lord. Nevertheless, the true story is how we are in the employment of our Lord. Of course, we do not think of God as an employer, yet who is it that we are to serve? Is service not similar to employment? Should we not work diligently for the Kingdom of God and do so until we breathe our last? Of course, the men of the past lived longer, as we know Jacob lived a total of one hundred and forty when he died in Egypt. So we work on, doing that which God has called us and instructed us to do, perhaps in the manner of an employer, but, in reality, in the manner of our Lord and God, the highest power in the kingdom. Let us work with diligence until our end of days or our beginning of eternal days and God will be with us while rebuking those who mistreat us. But our task is to be diligent. 

No Other gods

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

NO OTHER GODS

Gen 31:25-37

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?" 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

Although Laban makes it appear he is angry because he was not able to throw a great feast and celebration for Jacob and his daughters and grandchildren were leaving. He did not have the opportunity to kiss them all, which could be a lesson for us, however, the main point is still about his gods because they are missing. Laban accuses someone in Jacob’s household of stealing his gods. Even though Laban told Jacob about his visit and the warning from the God of Jacob’s father, he still said something not good toward Jacob. After searching all the tents Laban did not find his gods, but then Rachel deceived her father. Was it justified ‘payback’ for making her husband work seven years for her? Was she being as fair to her father as he was to her by selling her to Jacob? Was Jacob justified in being indignant because he was accused of being a thief, especially after Laban took so much from him? There was a lot of hostility in this family, another example of dysfunctional relationships. Accusatory and lying, anger, indignation, deception, and more lies. Perhaps that is our lesson in living an upright honest life between each other and before God. However, it could have been true that Laban had genuine love for his daughters and grandchildren and wanted to be able to send them off with hugs and kisses and that is our lesson. But was that just a ruse so to hunt Jacob down over his missing gods? That could once more be a lesson for us regarding searching for gods, those things of this world we place so much value on while hearing the voice of the one true God. Laban’s heart issue was about his household gods, his idols. So then, we ponder once again and ask God to search our hearts and know our hearts and see if there is any offensive way in us, and also ask him to lead us in the way everlasting. Have we created any false gods in our lives? Have we gathered up things we value that keep us from a pure unrestrained worship of the one true God? Sure, our overwhelming love and worship of God, putting him first, seeking first his kingdom and His righteousness does result in His blessing us with the things the pagans run after, but all we have is from the hand of God and we should never see it as our gathered stuff, but His blessings our complete faith and trust in Him. Thank you, Lord, that you know my heart. Thank you, Lord, for your hand of blessing, for your unfailing faithfulness, love, mercy, compassion, and for Jesus. We have no other gods but you, the one true God. 

He Overshadows

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HE OVERSHADOWS

Gen 31:17-24

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. 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."

NIV

This is only the beginning of a long narrative regarding what happened between Laban and Jacob. However, we find a point of interest within these verses. After years of Laban deceiving Jacob, changing his wages time after time, we are told Laban is upset that Jacob deceived him by leaving without telling him. We do wonder if the reason was that Laban would have found another reason to deceive Jacob and take his flocks from him. Looking forward we do know that Jacob made a comment to Laban about him taking his daughters back by force. Nevertheless, what we find interesting here is that God spoke to Laban in a dream. We remember that Laban is Rebekah’s brother, a son of Bethuel, who was a nephew of Abraham. Although we know from later in this narrative, Laban had his family gods, which would have meant he left behind the God of Abraham and made gods of his own. This would mean both Leah and Rachel grew up in a pagan household and Laban did not know the God of Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob. Yet, Elohiym, the one true God spoke to this man who had other gods, but the power of the one true God overshadows all other gods and spoke into the life of what we would consider an unbeliever. We also know that Almighty God whom we serve overshadows anything else we might consider of value or worth in this world. Of course, we use Jesus as our point of contact with the Father, yet He has sent the Spirit to dwell within us so that we would be revealed all truth. Jesus made it very clear that we cannot serve two masters. He used God and money, but money can represent all that this of value in this world. We can only serve God. Still, there is one more point and it is what God told Laban. “Be careful not to say anything the Jacob, either good or bad”. Could that apply to how we deal with other people? Certainly, we would think we need to be encouragers, meaning saying something. Yet, we know from later in this narrative, that Laban did not follow the command of God, and accused Jacob of stealing, his household gods. Laban was more concerned about what he had created than what God had created. We can never allow ourselves to get distracted from the one true God by any of the gods of this world. Let us always be attentive to the voice of God, however He speaks into our hearts and minds, and follow His directions, His plans, and His Light that overshadows our lives.

 

Here I am

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HERE I AM

Gen 31:1-16

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. 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.'" 14 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."

NIV

Within this long narrative of the conversation Jacob had with God as well as with his two wives, there is one major truth. When God calls, the proper response is, “Here I am Lord”. Although Jacob worked very diligently at whatever he was required to do, when God called, he answered, “I am here”. We would think that all throughout history God called men to himself to give them direction, to reveal his plan for them, and to instill his covenant with them. God reminded Jacob He was the God of Bethel where Jacob had anointed a pillar and made a vow to Him. This vow included that if God would watch over him and provide clothing and food so he could return safely to his father’s house, then the LORD would be his God and he would give the LORD a tenth of all God gives him. Now God is telling him to return home, that God has been faithful in watching over him, giving him all the speckled, streaked, and spotted flock. God's direction is clear and concise, “Leave this land at once”. When God gives us a direction, an instruction to do something or go somewhere, it is not some ten years from now or ten days, it is, at once, right now, without delay, go do this, and do it now. We did not see Jacob arguing with God, he simply started to make plans to leave, calling his wives to inform them. It is interesting there response ends up, after verbalizing their position in their father’s household, they told Jacob, “Do whatever God has told you”. Once again, we are faced with the same truth. We need to always be ready to hear the voice of God, however, He chooses to speak to us, to respond, “Here I am” and second, to do whatever He tells us. We cannot do whatever God tells us unless we are willing to respond, “Here I am”. Then to do it at once.

 

Move On

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

MOVE ON

Gen 30:37-43

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban's animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.

NIV

We do not know how long it took for all the flocks to keep mating so that Jacob’s flock of spotted, speckled, and dark-colored sheep, goats, and looks like included camels and donkeys. We notice that Jacob worked diligently to increase his flocks so he could provide for his family. Had he been deceived by Laban? Yes, but he did not cry over the spilled milk, as it were, he simply went to work to create his own wealth. We know that God was with him, because through him and his son, Judah would Jesus come into the world as one of us, in the form of man. Still, Jacob worked, and we are not told that he sobbed, whimpered, brooded, or became sullen about what happened and how Laban treated him, he just went on doing what he needed to do. We should take our lesson from Jacob's response. Life can bring us many different challenges and how we respond should reflect our trust in God rather than our own self-centered feelings or concerns. Did Laban offend Jacob? Perhaps we could see it as we take being offended by what someone does or says to us. First, we need to ponder on the reason we would feel offended. Could that mean we think too much about ourselves? Could it mean we think we are better than others? Could it mean we think the other person is thoughtless and self-centered, not considering our feelings? It is difficult to put our finger on just the exact cause of our feeling offended, but the question still remains; why do we feel offended? Second, we need to ponder on our response when we feel offended. If we take our cue from Jacob, we simply go right on doing what we need to do, not giving in to our feelings of being mistreated or offended in some way. Life is too short and we have much to do for the kingdom of God to get distracted by the words and actions of others that could be considered an offense against us. We are told to always live with forgiveness because God has forgiven us. In fact, Jesus taught that difficult lesson over forgiveness that if we do not forgive God will not forgive us, but if we do forgive then He forgives us. It would be far better to simply live our lives by faith leaving any offenders forgiven, in fact, to go on loving them. Jacob trusted God, and moved on, doing what he needed to for his family. Perhaps we should trust in God and just move on. 

Living Uprightly

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

LIVING UPRIGHTLY

Gen 30:31-36

31 "What shall I give you?" he asked. "Don't give me anything," Jacob replied. "But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen." 34 "Agreed," said Laban. "Let it be as you have said." 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban's flocks.

NIV

From the text, we see that Laban was, once again, dishonest in his dealings with Jacob. The agreement was that all the sheep and goats spotted, dark-colored, or speckled were to be Jacob’s wages for nearly twenty years of service, after the fourteen years he served for his two wives. We already considered that Jacob now wanted something to take care of his own household. But we see the deception of Laban as after the agreement he takes all those spotted, dark-colored, and speckled sheep and goats and puts them in the care of his sons and has them journey three days from the flocks that Jacob was to care for. Our understanding is then when Jacob goes to care for the flocks of Laban to separate out the spotted, dark-colored, and speckled there is not a single one in the flock. We cannot be sure if Jacob fled ripped off, but we wonder how we would have responded to that type of situation from our employer. Although we will see next how Jacob handled the problem and after some years of breeding the flocks he became a very wealthy man, we have this truth about dealing with honesty with all people in our lives and never looking to find some advantage for ourselves at the cost of others as Laben did to Jacob. We know that God was with Jacob and he was to prosper so that he would become the nation of Israel through all his descendants. We also know that God is with us and knowing that we can have the confidence God will either guard us from those who would take advantage of us, or cause us to prosper despite our being deceived in some way. We know that we should be as wise or shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves per the instructions of Jesus. When we look into the Greek we see this instruction of Jesus as telling his disciples to be mindful of their interests, being prudent, wise, like a serpent, and innocent, without admixture of evil, that is not mixing pure with anything else, or to be free of guile. When we truly live like this we would be in perfect harmony within the church and within our dealings of whatever sort outside the church. The innocence of being a dove is not meant for us to be trampled on, but not to have any evil in our hearts, while we are dealing wisely, and thoughtfully in our dealings with others, however not taking advantage of them for our personal gain. We are told in Paul’s letter to the Philippians that we should do nothing out of selfish gain or vain conceit. However, we are to be humble and thus consider others better than ourselves. We are also told that we should not just look to our own benefit but also look to the benefit of others. It just makes sense to live uprightly before men and let God sort it all out. 

My Household

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

MY HOUSEHOLD

Gen 30:25-30

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, "Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I've done for you." 27 But Laban said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because of you." 28 He added, "Name your wages, and I will pay them." 29 Jacob said to him, "You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?"

NIV

Jacob now has eleven sons, two wives, and two maidservants as sort of wives because they bore him sons as well, as Rachel and Leah giving him sons. His household had grown all the while he was still working and prospering Laban and his household. Jacob wanted to work for the welfare of his own family so that he would prosper. This is a Godly duty of all husbands and fathers, working for the benefit of their families. Once again, we look at the structure of this family of the past and of course, at that time it was patriarchal. The males were the hunter/gatherers, while the women kept the matters of the house, or tents as it were. We know from our experiences in this world, we have seen a shift in the family structure. This is not to say every family, but we have seen families where it seems the husband/father has abdicated his position as the head of the family so the wife/mother must pick up the position of being in charge of all family matters. What we know is that God has placed the man as the head of the family and made him accountable for his family. With this accountability to God for his family, comes the authority over his family. We see this shift with the equality movement in our culture. God does see men and women as equal in his sight, but with different roles in the family. There is the thought that the Hebrew word Ezer which means helper, one who helps, as God said about making Eve from the rib of Adam, also carries the meaning of God, for He is our help. The Hebrew word Ezer is used many times referring to God as our help, so this thought by a few outspoken women is more like God helping man, his wife being a suitable help mate doing whatever is needed to assist the man in his position as the head of the family. It is inescapable the accountability God holds on the husband/father. That is all Jacob wanted was to do what was best for his own family, and that is what we believing men should take to heart. Because we believe God we look to him for our guidance, accepting being accountable for all members of our household. In our modern culture, many children leave the father’s household, striking out on their own, no longer being a member of the household the father is accountable for. Nevertheless, we men should always step up and be the man of God we were intended to be. Of course, a Godly man always takes the counsel of his wife and works together, living in harmony, but the burden of men is looking after his household. 

God Listens

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

GOD LISTENS

Gen 30:22-24

22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." 24 She named him Joseph, and said, "May the LORD add to me another son."

NIV

There is a lot that goes on within this family. First, Rachel must have been praying about her being barren because we are told that he listened to her and opened her womb. We will get to the part of the agreement between Jacob and Laben about the speckled, spotted, and dark-colored sheep and goats. But our story is the fact that God remembered Rachel and listened to her. We believe that God never forgot Rachel, but it is a phrase to let us know that God was attentive to her prayer. He heard her prayer about being barren and listened intently to her, and in some sense responded to her prayer and opened her womb. We could believe this was God’s plan all along because it would be Joseph who would save his whole family bringing them to Egypt, but then there was the four-hundred years of bondage. How far out do we place the providence of God, in relationship to him simply answering a prayer of a woman who wants to have a baby of her own? If we take the route that God knows everything that will ever happen in the lives of every person that has, now, and will live, then we are but actors or puppets in the hand of the puppeteer, however, we say that we are clay in the potter’s hand. That would mean we have no say about anything. We cannot take that route as we know from the beginning, that Adam and Eve had the choice, it is just that God had to know what choice they would make and allowed them that freedom. So then, we are back to God hearing her prayer and answering her with a “Yes,” and she gave birth to Joseph. Here is where we know that God is always remembering us, and listens to our prayers. What we don’t know is how long Rachel kept praying about her need, but we know God listened. God always listens to our prayers, or better yet is always ready to have a conversation with us. It is far better for us to listen to what God says to us than what we have to say to him. On the other hand, we also know that we do not have to go on babbling with many spiritual words for God listens to us and responds to our request. It could be as simple as, “Lord, help me”, or maybe a few more words about what help we need; however, he already knows the help we need but wants us to recognize He is our help. However we ask, whatever way we ask Him, of course, for us it will be in the name of Jesus, how many or few words we use, God listens. 

Discord or Love

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

DISCORD OR LOVE

Gen 30:9-21

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her maidservant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, "What good fortune!" So she named him Gad. 12 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, "How happy I am! The women will call me happy." So she named him Asher. 14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, "Please give me some of your son's mandrakes." 15 But she said to her, "Wasn't it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son's mandrakes too?" "Very well," Rachel said, "he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son's mandrakes." 16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me," she said. "I have hired you with my son's mandrakes." So he slept with her that night. 17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, "God has rewarded me for giving my maidservant to my husband." So she named him Issachar.   19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, "God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons." So she named him Zebulun.  21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

NIV

Again, there is another example of this dysfunctional family, a feud between the sisters, and it reared its ugly head over mandrakes. Then there is another maidservant who has to go lay with Jacob as commanded by her lady. So now we have Gad and Asher added to the sons of Jacob. After the bargain was struck, which reminds us of the bargain made between Esau and Jacob, over a cup of stew. Nevertheless, Issachar and Zebulun are now added to the sons of Jacob which now is ten in all. We cannot forget Dinah, for she is going to play a part later. Once again, what is there for us to learn? We think we should ponder on family matters, as we keep coming across another example of unkindness, and ill feelings. These are sisters who should be “Thicker than thieves”, as the expression goes. So we can look at our personal families and ask, how are we doing. Do we have a favorite son or daughter? Do we love each one the same, and are our children, “Thick as thieves”. Of course, we men only should have one wife, whom we love more than our own lives. But what about the family of God? What about the harmony or discord that could exist in the church? Certainly, we find a certain amount of discord based on denominational lines. However, what about just looking at the local church, the family that worships together? How are we doing? Some of us have always been a part of one local church, or at least for many years. Others of us have needed to be in several churches over the years. It seems some are better suited to living in discord while some seem more harmonious. We know the key is being obedient to the word of God about loving our neighbors as ourselves. This would include each and every other believer we worship with each Sunday. Maybe the size of the church matters. In those mega-churches, no one knows every believer, including the pastor. We also have those small churches, some struggling to keep the doors open. We would think they all are very familiar with each other and perhaps know more about each other than they should, for that too can cause some sparks, or if a spark occurs, the whole church is affected. Again, we know the answer to all situations, and that is wrapped up in the concept of loving each other, forgiving each other, overlooking any possible offensives, or trying not to offend another, along with a host of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors included in loving each other. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love covers it all. Let us consider how we can love which leads to harmony, rather than our self-driven agendas, which can lead to discord. Leah and Rachel lived in discord. We have the choice to live in discord or love. 

Our God Reigns

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

OUR GOD REIGNS

Gen 30:1-8

30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, "Give me children, or I'll die!" 2 Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" 3 Then she said, "Here is Bilhah, my maidservant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and that through her I too can build a family." 4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, "God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son." Because of this she named him Dan.  7 Rachel's servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, "I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won." So she named him Naphtali.  

NIV

We are back to another dysfunctional family. We can see how jealousy spawns discord between two people who are supposed to be so in love. How can Rachel give her husband such an ultimatum, “Give me children or I’ll die”? Would she have committed suicide, or was she just screaming out of frustration? The Hebrew word translated as die here has this direct meaning, to die, to kill, to have one executed. This might be just what Rachel was saying, or it could be just metaphorical, as she would die inside, being filled with grief and despair. Either way, Rachel’s demand causes Jacob some frustration, which shows up as anger toward the love of his life. So, just as Sarah responded to being barren by giving Abraham Hagar to give her a son, Rachel gave Jacob her maidservant Bilhah. Interestingly, this must have been an acceptable manner of life for them where men would have intimacy with women other than their wives, with not just permission, but under the direction of their wives. Could this still be that hand of God at work developing the twelve tribes He wanted for Israel? We know God is absolute sovereign in all matters and he is responsible for Rachel being barren, or closing her womb so she could not conceive, for we know at some point he opened her womb, and she conceived both Joseph and Benjamin. What do we learn we can apply to our lives. Of course, it is the sovereignty of our God. Because He is our God and we are His people, or He is our Great Shepard, who leads us to green pastures, then we must follow his lead. We, just like sheep, do not determine the path we take, but God determines our way, and He leads. So we say, “Where He leads we will follow”.  As He controls the wombs of those women, He controls the inner works of our bodies. Does that mean we will never have any health issues? Of course not, but we also must remember that our God reigns. Did He heal Paul of that thorn in the flesh, that trouble from Satan? He told Paul that His grace was enough. In that instance, His grace was seen as His divine influence in Paul’s life and how that was reflected in his life. Paul went on, even with this messenger of Satan that tormented him to do mighty things for the kingdom of God. Our lives, as we are seen as the clay in the hands of the Potter, God, simply means God is sovereign and we are best to continue to submit ourselves to His will for our lives, not taking things into our own hands, but just following the path He has laid out for us. In essence, being still and knowing He is God, He reigns over all. 

God Has A Plan

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

GOD HAS A PLAN

Gen 29:31-35

31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now." 33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Because the LORD heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too." So she named him Simeon.  34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons." So he was named Levi.  35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, "This time I will praise the LORD." So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

NIV

Now wait just a minute. Is this telling us that Jacob hated Leah, for the Hebrew word translated as not loved has this direct meaning of hate, or to hate. We are not told who hated her, but that Jacob did not love her. How could Jacob lay with her time and time again as she continued to have sons for him and still not love her? In our culture that seems so odd to the point it would not happen. It would seem no one man would lay with a woman, engaging in the most intimate moments all the while hating her, at least in the context of marriage as Jacob and Leah were. We might understand there might not be any love lost between Rachel and Leah as Rachel was unable to have any children and had this desire for Jacob to watch her sister have son after son for him. However, the first four sons, or the first four tribes of Israel have come into this family, especially Judah, although God has yet to rename Jacob Israel. We find that interesting that God chose Leah be the woman through the Lion of Judah would come into the world. Here is where we learn never to put God in a box. We should never expect God to act per our plans. Certainly, we would think that Jacob would rather that Rachel would have borne those sons, but at the same time, he was spending quite a bit of time in the arms of Leah. Nevertheless, God chose Leah to be the mother of Judah through which Jesus would come into the world. Whenever we think God might do one thing, he just might do something else. Our desires or hopeful plans might come true if we put all our efforts into making them true. But then those would be the plans of man and we know we might make our plans, but the Lord orders our footsteps. We might think God is going to go along with our plans, but he has greater plans for us and he will see to it that his plans for us come true. Rachel will eventually have two sons, one being Joseph who we know will someday save all the household of Israel from starvation, yet Jesus will come into the world through the line of Leah’s son Judah. God’s plan is always the best and we should always be willing to follow that path he has lit for us with the Light of Christ. Just as we think it was not Jacob who hated Leah because she bore him sons, we cannot ever dislike in the least bit the plan God has determined for our lives. This could include the greatest of things, or it could include suffering through some things, but it is always God’s plan for our lives, and it is worth everything. No matter how long we live, let us always be aware that God is at work in His plan for our lives, for God has a plan. 

The Hand of God

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE HAND OF GOD

Gen 29:21-30

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, "Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her." 22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, "What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn't I? Why have you deceived me?" 26 Laban replied, "It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter's bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work." 28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30 Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

NIV

The deception is complete. We ponder why Laban did not tell Jacob of their custom of not giving the younger daughter in marriage until the older daughter was given in marriage. Of course, we may never know the reason for this deception other than Karma because Jacob’s name means supplanter, or substitute, taking the place of another, like he deceived his father, taking the place of his brother Esau. So here Laban gives Leah as a supplanter to Rachel. However, Jacob gives Laban a piece of his mind in the morning after he wakes up next to Leah. We do wonder why he did not know it was her in the evening when she came into his tent, or vice versa, he went into her tent. Perhaps during the great feast, Jacob drank too much wine and was so drunk he did not know he was laying with Leah. Yet, we know there was a difference between the two women, although the only thing we know about Leah is she had soft or weak eyes. In the darkness of the tent, her eyes would not matter, but still, we would wonder if Jacob would know the difference between Leah and Rachel. We also know Leah could not be ugly as Jacob lays with her many times because she bore him four sons, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. Still, now he is committed to working another seven years, but He does have Rachel in marriage. So the scene is set, Jacob has two wives each with a maidservant. Is this the providence of God? It certainly looks like God’s hand was at work in the life of Jacob so that the lion of Judah would come into the world. Once again we see the first covenant that installs the sons of Levi as the priestly line yet Jesus came through the line of Judah, installing a new covenant as a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Everything is in accordance with the hand of God, or His will. This is our story as well. We are living in accordance with the will of God. That does not mean we are living a perfectly obedient life free from all sin. However, we are free from the penalty of sin because we have accepted the redemptive work of Jesus on the cross. This is also not to say that we are the only ones. We know it is God’s will that all come to Jesus, it is just that some refuse to submit to his will. We might also consider whether we have fully or completely submitted to his will in every aspect of our lives. Do we still want some control over our lives? Did Jacob have any control regarding having Leah first? This was the hand of God, and we know Jacob had that vision or visit from the Lord and committed himself to the covenant. We have committed ourselves to God’s new covenant through Jesus as it is by faith we are saved from the destruction of hell. We also know God’s hand has been at work in our lives from the beginning, as he knew us when he formed us in our mother’s womb, and He has always had plans for our lives. Let us make sure we always check with him first before making any plans of our own, for we know we live by the hand of God. 

A Few Days

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

A FEW DAYS

Gen 29:14-20

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, "Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be." 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, "I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel." 19 Laban said, "It's better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me." 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

NIV

The deception is about to take place, but before we deal with that, something here rings our bell or strikes a chord in our hearts. First, there is the offer of paying Jacob for his labor because Laban did not think it fair Jacob worked for nothing just because he was a relative. Perhaps, Laban is not that off, or that bad of a character, and maybe this deception that is about to occur is from the hand of God. If Jacob is going to have twelve sons, he will need more than one wife, and even then there will be maidservants involved in giving Jacob all his sons. However, the nugget for us at this beginning of the story is that Jacob worked for seven years to have Rachel, whom he loved, as a wife, but it only seemed like only a few days to him. Is that not our story only we have been married for way more than seven years, but because we love our spouse, twenty, thirty, forty, fifty-plus years only seem like a few days. We can look back throughout our lives and remember so many events, so many we know it took many years to accomplish, yet because we are still in love the time has just slipped right by almost without noticing. Although the fact that love covers a multitude of sins as Peter puts it. Solomon framed it in a proverb, “Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all wrongs”. Because of our love, there is no record of wrongs as Paul put it in his letter to the Corinthians. When we think of no record of wrongs, we think that it would be impossible to ever remind ourselves of those wrongs, as well as reminding our spouses, that is if we kept no record. Surely God keeps no record of our wrongs, but then He is God and we are but mere humans with all our weaknesses. Still, our mark, our command is from God, and if we are obeying the word of God, then because we love that person, first and foremost, our spouse, but that love carries over to our neighbor. Without getting sidetracked with loving our neighbor, the point is no matter how many years we have loved our spouse, or been in love with our spouse, it only seems like a few days. 

Rolled The Stone Away

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

ROLLED THE STONE AWAY

Gen 29:1-14

29:1 Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the field, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. 4 Jacob asked the shepherds, "My brothers, where are you from?" "We're from Haran," they replied. 5 He said to them, "Do you know Laban, Nahor's grandson?" "Yes, we know him," they answered. 6 Then Jacob asked them, "Is he well?" "Yes, he is," they said, "and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep." 7 "Look," he said, "the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture." 8 "We can't," they replied, "until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep." 9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father. 13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister's son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, "You are my own flesh and blood."

NIV

We are about to come to the deceiver being deceived, but first, we should take note of the shepherd’s system of watering the sheep. They did not want to roll the stone away from the mouth of the well until all the flocks had gathered. It would appear they were waiting for Rachel and her flock, although we are not told exactly the reason for not rolling the stone away. Now we come to the meeting of Jacob and Rachel which will begin a long tale of the house of Israel and the birth of Joseph. We know this story, but what can we learn from this first chapter in the life of Jacob and Rachel. Certainly, we know she must have been the fairest of young ladies, yet she was a shepherdess, a woman of the fields, and one who was always in the company of sheep. She was most likely not dressed in the finest clothes, and perhaps her face and hands may have been tanned and even chapped by the sun. Her hair may not have been perfectly in place. Still, she was of Jacob’s family and his success in finding Laban was from the hand of God. When Jacob finally met Laban there was great joy all around. Yet what is our lesson? Could it be about family? Could it be about hospitality? Could it be Jacob's testimony when he told Laban all these things? We would have to think that Jacob recounted his blessing from his father, and his mother, the sister of Laben telling him to find a wife from her family, and how he had a vision, or visit from God Almighty reaffirming His covenant with Jacob, the one he first gave to his grandfather Abraham and to his father Isaac. Of course, from now on God will be known by the Israelites as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Still, we should take our lesson from what appears that Jacob witnessed to Laban the hand of God upon his life, by telling all these things. God was certainly watching over Jacob because of his covenant with him. We know we live within another covenant God has made with us through Jesus. We know God watches over us. We know God has blessed us beyond what we are worthy of, yet through Jesus, we will live even though we die. What greater blessing can there be, yet as with Jacob, God has shown his lamp, no, he has shown his blight light upon our feet, directing our way, leading us step by step to the place he wants us, just as he did for Jacob. Jesus is our Great Shepard. As the stone was rolled away by Jacob to water his uncle’s sheep, Jesus rolled a stone away to rise from the grave, and he has rolled a stone away from our eyes, but more importantly, from our hearts and He waters our soul. Jesus said that if we came to him we would never be hungry or thirsty. This is our best lesson. Jesus has rolled the stone away from our hearts, and our souls, and watered our spirits, from the spring of living water. 

He Will Be My God

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HE WILL BE MY GOD

Gen 28:18-22

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD  will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."

NIV

We are not sure that it is a good idea to do an, “if” with God. We see that is what Jacob did and we can be sure that God did do all that Jacob put him to the test. Of course, Jacob also made a vow and we know that it would be better that our yes meant yes and our no meant no, rather than vowing to God. Solomon said that it is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. We would think Jacob fully intended to keep this vow. Still, we do not have to wonder or say if God will be with us and watch over us on our journey. We also do not have to wonder if God will give us food to eat and clothes to wear, and for that matter that includes a place to live. Since we turned from our wicked ways and accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, God has been providing for us in every one of those ways. He has also been a lamp onto our feet directing us to where we should live and most importantly, where we should worship. Perhaps we should say where we engage in corporate worship in church, for we should be living a worshipful life daily. How can we not always be in worship of our God when he is always involved in watching over us and providing us with abundant life, both this one and especially the one to come? We see that in that Jacob was asking to return safely to his father’s house. Jacob made that statement with that “if”, God would do all that, then the Lord would be his God, or Yahweh would be his Elohiym. This is the supreme creator of all things, who we know as Jesus, would be his one true ruler, judge, God. We know because we are in Christ, that is we are born-again, followers of Jesus that we will return safely to our Father’s house. In fact, Jesus is coming back to take us there so that where he is, we will be also. What a promise we live with, knowing God is our God and his house is our house. We do not need to set up a pillar for God is making us into a pillar in his temple. However, in the meantime, we also have decided that we will give a tenth of all that he gives us. Normally, we consider that to be a tenth of our income, however, we wonder if a tenth of our time is enough, or a tenth of the gift of talent he has given to us is enough. For that matter is a tenth of our life enough? We think that we have dedicated our lives to serving His kingdom, yet that is not our guarantee of salvation, for it is by faith in Jesus Christ and faith alone that brings us salvation, and Jesus sent us the Holy Spirit to dwell within us as the guarantee. Thank you, Lord, for all you do for us, in us, and even through us. The one thing left to say is that Jacob rose early in the morning to make a pillar onto God. We should always remember that we rise early in the morning to praise our Lord. 

The Gate of Heaven

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE GATE OF HEAVEN

Gen 28:16-17

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it." 17 He was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven."

NIV

How awesome is this place, it is the house of God, the gate to heaven. Is that not the story of our local churches. Each church is a house of God, and Jesus said His house will be a house of prayer. It has always been a wonder, I have pondered on this for some time that as we enter the house of God, it does not seem as awesome of a place as it should be because of too much chitter-chatter going on and not enough people sitting preparing to meet with the Living God, especially in the sanctuary. I can understand out in the foyer, or narthex, or whatever people call it. Some of the bigger churches are geared toward the younger generation, they even have a coffee bar, donuts, and such. Busy is all about being friendly. However, I think that when we enter that awesome place, the house of God, the sanctuary where we come to worship the Living God, giving Him all the praise and worship with our whole hearts, worshipping in spirit and in truth, for that is the kind of worshipper the Lord God seeks, we should be still and know that he is God, preparing our hearts for that kind of worship. Preparing to meet with the Living God should be our highest honor and purpose and this is the place of God. Yes, the Holy Spirit indeed dwells within us, and thus in that sense we are always in the presence of our Lord God, or He is always in our presence. But Jesus made it clear about the temple of God, that it should be a house of prayer, a place to meet with God. When we are in the sanctuary in prayer within our hearts we may well be at the gate of heaven. 

Living in the Promise

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

LIVING IN THE PROMISE

Gen 28:10-15

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

NIV

Once again, God renews or reminds Jacob of the promise He made to Abraham and to Isaac and now Jacob receives that assurance the promise of God will be accomplished. God has never reneged on his promise, and we can be sure that our promise will come to pass. We may not have been promised any physical land as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have, but we have been promised the paradise of God which is for all eternity. It must have been incredible for Jacob to have the vision of this stairway to heaven with all the angels ascending and descending. What a powerful perception of the way to heaven, although we will not need those stairs for Jesus will raise us up from the earth to meet him in the sky and take off into the heavens into paradise. However, God has also promised us that he would never leave us nor forsake us. Just as he promised Jacob that he would watch over him wherever he went and that he would bring him back to this land, God watches over us wherever we go. That could mean as we continue our walk with him, doing that which he has called us to, or it could mean that if we were to stray a little or get distracted by the world’s system, he would bring us back to the land, the path he has for us. Just the thought that God Almighty, who through Jesus has made everything that has been made, the earth and all that is in it, and all the universe, that man is now beginning to be able to see such a vast portion of it with these newer powerful telescopes, yet still only a portion of what God has spoke into existence, is watching over us. He knows the hairs on our heads, in fact, he has them numbered. This is how close he watches over us. He knows our thoughts before we think them. Not sure how that works exactly, but we know that is true because he is God Almighty, and nothing is impossible with him. Because we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior and want to follow him, God will indeed make sure that he brings us back to his throne room in the heavenly realms where Jesus will open that book of life and call out our name before the Father. Praise God we are assured we live in God’s promise. 

Ignore or Honor

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

IGNORE OR HONOR

Gen 28:6-9

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, "Do not marry a Canaanite woman," 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

NIV

This is a sad story, but once again we are witnessing the workings of this dysfunctional family. Esau was Isaac’s favorite son and he enjoyed watching Esau become a man of the country, a hunter-gatherer, a man’s man, who could not only hunt but prepare the game he had shot with his bow and arrow. To hunt game with a bow that resembles nothing like bows we have today, but was simply a homemade bow and homemade arrows. It took skill and training to be able to hit a moving wild beast of the field. Is it any wonder Isaac liked him, he was a rugged hairy man, unlike his hairless mommy’s boy brother whose only talent might have been cooking stew. Now we see this anger of Esau against his brother turned on his father, getting revenge by marrying another woman that his parents would disapprove of, which is nothing more than ignoring rather than honoring his father. We see this lesson about honoring your parents so that you might live a long life in the land the Lord God is giving you. Although that is one of the Ten Commandments, if that was directed to the Israelites to obey that command they would live a long life in the promised land, it would seem that does not apply to us today, for we are not going to be living in Israel, the promised land. However, the paradise of God, our eternal promised land, could make this command relevant to us. Esau the favorite son of Isaac did not honor his father and mother, while Jacob, who deceived his father, however, obeyed his mother, did honor their commands and left to go to the family of his mother, to find a wife. Interestingly, we may or may not have been successful in honoring our father and mother in our younger years, however, we are going to live a long life, in fact, an eternal life, because we are honoring our Heavenly Father. We cannot ignore Him, as Esau did his father, we need to honor Him. He has commanded us to do certain things for his kingdom in honoring Him, we follow the lamp He has shown before our footsteps. Just as Jacob went where he was told, we are endeavoring to keep in step with the Spirit, walking on that path to the place God has directed us. It does not matter what we look like or any skills we may have been blessed with as long as we honor our Heavenly Father, give Him all the praise and glory for everything in our lives, putting our faith in Jesus Christ, we will live a long life in that promised land Jesus went to prepare for us. Thank you Father for all you do for us, in us, and through us, and we will always honor you. 

Another Blessing

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

ANOTHER BLESSING

Gen 28:1-5

28:1 So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: "Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother's father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham." 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

NIV

It is interesting how important it was for the family that a son should marry the right woman from the same family line. Esau did not care about that, as we have seen how Rebekah was so displeased over those two Hittite wives of her son Esau. What a brat of a man, just because he was not the chosen one as he sold his birthright and then was hoodwinked out of the firstborn blessing. However, now Jacob is given a greeting by his father and told where to go to find a wive and Jacob obeys, which is most interesting, after such a controversy over the blessings. But what can we learn from this portion of scripture that could enhance our relationship with our Lord and people? What is there here that gives us more truth to live by? Isaac blessed Jacob with being fruitful and increasing in numbers until he became a community of people. Although most of the people we know are no longer of childbearing age or are done with adding any more to their families, we could take this community of people into the community of faith. Perhaps there is something to be said about increasing in numbers until we become a community or assembly of people, as the Hebrew is directly translated. Nevertheless, it is right to think that El Shaddai, God Almighty is at the core of all blessings for all his people. We know the blessing of El Shaddai is upon Jacob for from his seed the Messiah will come to Israel. We can also say that God Almighty has blessed us far beyond our desire, yet as a child of God, as a follower of Jesus, a believer, and a person of faith, it would be right to believe that God would bless us. As far as his church, the community of faith has been increasing in numbers all over the world. Most of us may only see our own little community of faith, our local church and we do not see any increase in numbers, in fact, many small churches are simply decreasing one by one each step into eternity. Should we not all be seeing the blessing of God Almighty among all our local churches, among the community of people who believe? Of course, we should not be too concerned with numbers, as that is truly up to the Lord, as the Holy Spirit is the one who is convicting people of their need to repent, and Jesus said that He would build his church, and surely the church has and is continuing to be built. Still, what we desire is the blessing of El Shaddai upon our lives personally and within the local church we are a family of people with. Bless us Lord God Almighty, and bless those who believe you, because we are your people, brothers, and sisters of Jesus, your sons, and daughters. Thank you Father for blessing us with Jesus, and with this life you have given us. 

To Hate or To Love

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

TO HATE OR TO LOVE

Gen 27:39-46

39 His father Isaac answered him, "Your dwelling will be away from the earth's richness, away from the dew of heaven above. 40 You will live by the sword and you will serve your brother. But when you grow restless, you will throw his yoke from off your neck." 41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, "The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob." 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, "Your brother Esau is consoling himself with the thought of killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Haran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother's fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" 46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, "I'm disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living."

NIV

Here is where that hatred turns to thoughts of murder. Jesus taught that if we hate someone in our thoughts it is the same as if we committed murder. Of course, hate is a powerful word, yet the Greek word miseo means to detest, to pursue with hatred, or it can mean to love less. However, these were the thoughts of Esau regarding the actions of his brother, a family member he grew up with, perhaps played with as young boys, yet as they grew up their interests grew apart, yet still brothers born in the same household. Jacob did not do what was right, either about Esau’s birthright, or the blessing. Is it any wonder Esau is upset, angry, and looking to enact vengeance upon his brother? But that is not our way within the body of Christ, for we have the teaching of Jesus who tells us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Yet, we have known believers to hold grudges even to the point of saying they would never forgive someone for what they did. Never forgive is a strong emotion that puts a person in extreme danger for as Jesus taught us how to pray and when we get to the part about forgiving our transgressions as we forgive those who transgressed against us, it becomes conditional on God forgiving us. Jesus was very clear, as Matthew records, that if we forgive people who sin against us, our heavenly Father will also forgive us, but if we do not forgive people who sin against us, that is we hold a grudge against them, our heavenly Father will not forgive our sins. That is really strong teaching, and if we are not careful, and watchful in our thoughts about others, even those who might offend us somehow, we are in extreme danger. For the most part, we are either being offensive or offended by a family member, both of our birth family and the family of God. This is why love is at the top of the list and at the bottom of the list. Faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love. How can we ever allow anything within the family or the family of God to interrupt our following the word of God regarding our relationships? Esau did and as a result, Jacob had to flee for his life, leaving all he ever knew, and even his mother was disgusted with living because of the Hittite woman. We see many times that hatred existed in the people within the bible, yet we know love, including forgiveness, must be our top priority because we follow Jesus.

 

Honesty And Humility

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

HONESTY AND HUMILITY

Gen 27:30-38

30 After Isaac finished blessing him and Jacob had scarcely left his father's presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, "My father, sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing." 32 His father Isaac asked him, "Who are you?" "I am your son," he answered, "your firstborn, Esau." 33 Isaac trembled violently and said, "Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him — and indeed he will be blessed!" 34 When Esau heard his father's words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, "Bless me — me too, my father!" 35 But he said, "Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing." 36 Esau said, "Isn't he rightly named Jacob? He has deceived me these two times: He took my birthright, and now he's taken my blessing!" Then he asked, "Haven't you reserved any blessing for me?" 37 Isaac answered Esau, "I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?" 38 Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud.

NIV

More tales from this dysfunctional family. Now here comes Esau and when Isaac found out the truth of the deception of Jacob he trembled violently. How could he have been deceived by Jacob and now it is too late for he gave him the firstborn blessing and there is but the second blessing available. This is difficult to understand that Isaac could not give two great blessings to each of his sons, but that must have been the way of life at those times. Now Esau is filled with rage at his brother, and we will see next that his rage turns to seek revenge. So we have seen Esau sell his birthright because of hunger, then get outsmarted, or deceived by his brother for the blessing, and at that moment Esau wept aloud. What can we learn from this? We think humility may be at the top of all lessons regarding living within the family of God. We think that honesty should always be high on that list of attitudes within the family. We have been taught by our Lord that it is more blessed to give than receive which simply means sharing with one another the blessings of the Lord. This also means that we all can have the same blessing, unlike Isaac's belief that he only had one good blessing for his firstborn. Living in harmony should also be high on our list of attitudes. There will be no harmony between Esau and Jacob for many years. Hurt can become anger which breeds contempt and can turn to being revengeful. Living in harmony with humility, honesty, and love can only bring peace, goodness, and blessing from God. We wonder if that will ever truly exist within the church, but then again we are but mere humans with all our flaws so it might be too much to expect the perfect family of God, or church this side of heaven. Yet, we can hope, and if that is going to ever be, it must start with us. Let us always look toward the goodness being humble and being a blessing by God to others. 

Blessing

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

BLESSING

Gen 27:18-29

18 He went to his father and said, "My father." "Yes, my son," he answered. "Who is it?" 19 Jacob said to his father, "I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing." 20 Isaac asked his son, "How did you find it so quickly, my son?" "The LORD your God gave me success," he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, "Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not." 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, "The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau." 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he blessed him. 24 "Are you really my son Esau?" he asked. "I am," he replied. 25 Then he said, "My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing." Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, "Come here, my son, and kiss me." 27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said, "Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. 28 May God give you of heaven's dew and of earth's richness — an abundance of grain and new wine. 29 May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed and those who bless you be blessed."

NIV

As we have already dealt with the deception in this somewhat dysfunctional family, so we should ponder the blessing. However, thinking about how this family seemed different in that the father favored his son, Esau, while the mother would do anything, including lying to her husband to benefit her favorite son, Jacob. This is favoritism at the highest level which gives us confidence in our God. We have both comfort and joy knowing that God does not show favoritism, as he loves us all just the same. We could think because there is a disparage in the lifestyles of us believers, with some being far richer than others, and some carrying heavier burdens than others with health issues or other situations in life. Yet the love of God remains the same for all of his children. We can always be assured his love is steadfast and he will never leave us or forsake us. We need to remember whatever this life is about, one thing we ponder on is that this life is simply practice for the life to come. What matters is that we never stop our love for our God, or allow anything in this life to cause us to doubt him, or question his love for us. As Jacob entered the room of Isaac, smelling like his brother Esau, and gave him a meal and drink, Isaac gave him the firstborn blessing. Our lesson is not in the words of the blessing, although they were prophetic regarding what would happen to Jacob, having those twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. What we should focus on is blessing others. We wonder how many times we bless someone with the goodness of the Lord. How many times do we say, “May God richly bless you, and prosper you in wealth and health"? We know that God loves the other person we encounter, even those who have yet to accept Jesus. John 3:16 tells us that God so loved the world, that means all mankind, so we know even those who yet have come to Jesus, are loved by God just as he loves us. So why would we not be blessing people? Why would we keep our blessing to ourselves? We have the opportunity to always be blessing others. Blessing them with the goodness of God. We could say that it was the father who blessed his sons, and as such we earthy fathers should bless our children, just as God is our heavenly Father and he blesses all his sons and daughters. Let us use our hearts, souls, and mouths to bless our Lord, and all those who we encounter. 

No Deception

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

NO DECEPTION

Gen 27:1-17

27:1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," he answered. 2 Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your weapons — your quiver and bow — and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die." 5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, "Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7'Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the LORD before I die.' 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies." 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, "But my brother Esau is a hairy man, and I'm a man with smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing." 13 His mother said to him, "My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me." 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

NIV

As we looked in the last days of Isaac, seeing as ours will also be coming and what we do in the dash between the date of our birth and death is what is important, we now move on to this matter with Jacob and Esau preparing a meal for Isaac. Rebekah has aided her favorite son Jacob in a deceptive scheme to make him appear, and smell like his brother Esau to get the first blessing belonging to the firstborn. We know in the overall scheme of things Jacob is the one who will become the father of the twelve tribes of Isreal and in the lineage of Jesus. We cannot fully understand the reasoning behind how this happened and why God allowed this to happen. However, we also see a truth about being who we are meant to be and not trying to be someone we are not, as Jacob tried to be Esau for his gain of the inheritance of the firstborn. Although we are not trying to pretend to be another person, we might try to attempt to be like another person, imitating their pattern for life, because they appear successful. Jesus said to follow him, which means we should be trying to be like Jesus, not like another person. It is easy to see the way someone lives and their manner of doing things, but we should never try to be like someone else but only try to be like Jesus. This may also apply to ministry as those who are called are called based on who they are, and what the Lord has worked in their lives and we must always be true to ourselves, not trying to imitate those who have become successful with large churches. Each of us are the clay in the hands of the Potter and he molds us into the vessel of his choice, and we are who he has made us and that is all we are. Each of us is a member of the total body of Christ with our part he has decided. We are all living stones being built into the temple of God, as he places us where he has determined. This can also apply to the façades that we might want to put in front of ourselves only showing a nice appearance to others while being the real us when we are alone. As one pastor had said that the difference between our personality and our character is our personality is when we are with people, but our character is who we are when we are alone. Although we agree in kind, we are never really alone for the Spirit is always with us. This brings us to the conclusion, that we can only be who God has designed us to be, and do what he has empowered us to do and that would or should always be a benefit to his kingdom. We know how the Pharisees and the chief priests pretended righteousness, yet they were not. This is another façade we need to be careful of, looking righteous or spiritual.  He loves us and desires the best for us, as we are made by him, so we endeavor to follow Jesus and be who we are supposed to be, with no deception. 

Life in the Dash

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

LIFE IN THE DASH

Gen 27:1-4

27:1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," he answered. 2 Isaac said, "I am now an old man and don't know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your weapons — your quiver and bow — and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die."

This is the beginning of a long narrative, considering the deception by Rebekah and Jacob of stealing the firstborn blessing that belonged to Esau. However, before we dive into the deception we should pause for a moment on this statement of Isaac to his son Esau. When Isaac calls his son Esau to tell him about his pending death and the need to give the firstborn blessing, he makes this profound statement, “I don’t know the day of my death”. Who does know the day of their death? That sounds a little doom and gloom to think about the day of our death, but the fact remains, there is going to be the day of our death. If and when that occurs and our bodies are put to rest, so to speak, they will put the year of our birth, a dash, and the year of our death.  We hear this question, “What did we do during the dash?”. It does not matter what day our last is, it is inevitable, but what we are doing in the days before our last is what we should ponder on. Our culture has determined a certain age when we are to retire from our life’s work and sit back, enjoying the fruit of our labors. How can we do that? We are a citizen of the kingdom of God and as far as we can tell there is no retirement in God’s kingdom, as we are still within the dash. The culture of this world might tell us we are finished, but that is not true either, for we are still able to contribute to society if we choose, but as a believer we know we are always supposed to be a benefit to the kingdom of God, doing that which God has called us to until the day he calls us home. We cannot just sit doing either nothing or our self-interests waiting for that last day to come. Some believers indeed have a difficult road to their last day, filled with pain, even weakness of limbs, unable to stand anymore, confined to either a chair or a bed all day, and maybe not just waiting, but hoping for that last day, giving up, in a sense of living. Maybe that is the way for all of us, we cannot tell the path God has laid out for us, and when that day will be. What we do know is that as long as we have the strength, as long as we are of sound mind, we will work as onto the Lord, doing that which he has called us to do. We are but the clay in his hands, and he molds us into whatever type of vessel best suits him and his kingdom. All we can do is keep on keeping on until He calls us home, for we are still living in the dash, so let's make it count for the kingdom. 

The Treaty

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE TREATY

Gen 26:23-35

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham." 25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well. 26 Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, "Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?" 28 They answered, "We saw clearly that the LORD was with you; so we said, 'There ought to be a sworn agreement between us' — between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the LORD." 30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace. 32 That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, "We've found water!" 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba. 34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

NIV

Considering the Lord's appearance and blessing, there are still more nuggets to chew on. The treaty is one of them. Why would a king with a personal advisor and a commander of his forces want to make a treaty with a private citizen? If King Abimelech has a commander of his forces, it would make sense he has a whole army at his disposal to make war against other kings, no less a private citizen with a few manservants, unless Isaac had a whole army of manservants, herdsman, and shepherds that he could overpower a king’s army. Nevertheless, it is not about the number of men Isaac had, but about the blessing of the LORD which Abimelech was concerned about. Although we do not know the faith of Abimelech, he was afraid of a man who had the blessing of the LORD upon him. This could mean that God would fight the battle should any king attack Isaac’s encampment. Do we not have the blessing of the LORD upon our lives? God has blessed us with his Son Jesus who paid the price for our sins, taking the punishment of death we deserved. However, he was also raised from the dead, so that we can be also, as we live under the promise of Jesus when he told us that we would live even though we die if we believe in him. In fact, he promised that faith in him would mean we would never die. We have the promise, the treaty with God, of eternal life. It does not matter how much the army of the evil one attempts to attack our encampment, the LORD God will fight the battle for us, for we live under the treaty he made with us. As Isaac prepared a feast for Abimelech and his men before they made an oath with each other, Jesus prepared a feast for us in that place he had prepared for us. Although we cannot make an oath to God, although our faith is somewhat of an oath, He has made an oath to us because of our faith, he has promised to save us. We cannot repay him, we cannot make an oath, we cannot offer God anything other than ourselves, our faith. So it is our faith and His oath, that is God’s treaty with us.