Genesis 33

We again see the middle eastern negotiation that we’ve seen before. “This is for you!” “But I don’t need it!” “It’s yours anyway!” The language is interesting too. Jacob literally says, “Please accept my blessing.” Does that refer back to the blessing he stole?!?! Esau seems genuine with his welcome. In fact, he runs to meet Jacob and embraces him. Could Jesus have been thinking of this when He told the parable of the prodigal son? This is the parable of the prodigal brother!

Thought for the day: Jacob is terrified of his brother because of the way he mistreated him. Perhaps we should live our lives in such a way that we don’t fear the retaliation of others!

Romans 12:18 (WEB) “If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men.”

Genesis 32

“Four hundred men are with him.” No wonder Jacob is worried! He’s had an encounter with God’s angels that should have assured him that God was indeed with him. But what about his brother? He sends word, but his brother’s response concerns him. He splits up his property. He sends elaborate gifts. He talks to God. But, once again, it’s the “God of my father Abraham.” Perhaps it’s supposed to be respectful, but something does change from this point forward. He ends up wrestling with God all night. Figuratively or literally? With Jacob’s injury, it sure seems to be literal! His name is changed from “supplanter” to “he strives with God.” It seems that his faith has finally become real!

Here we see Jacob doing everything he can from an earthly perspective to soften up his brother Esau, and then we see him do what he can from a spiritual perspective. Was he wrong to not just trust God? Or should he be applauded for doing what he could first, and then asking God to bless his efforts? Perhaps he should have wrestled with God first? Regardless, God does bless him! I think the lesson is that Jacob finally came to the end of himself and realized that none of it was going to work without God’s blessing.

Thought for the day: Is there anything in your life that you need to “wrestle” with God about? Perhaps something you’ve tried to deal with on your own and it isn’t going well?

Philippians 4:6-7 (WEB) “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.”

Genesis 31

What goes around comes around. Fate. Karma. Do we really believe that stuff? We could certainly proclaim that Jacob deserves his father-in-law! But we also realize that mankind is sinful. And we understand that we often end up modeling what we’ve experienced. That’s certainly true with Rachel, who learned theft and deception from her father. Rachel may have even justified her theft to some degree, since both she and Leah felt neglected and abused by Laban (31:14-15).

Let’s remember that Jacob definitely isn’t a paragon of virtue and righteousness. When God is protecting Jacob, God’s doing it because he’s made certain promises and plans. He’s protecting His own name. Jacob certainly isn’t! Not only doesn’t his household follow God, when Jacob swears an oath, he has to do it before the name of his father’s God (31:53). 

Thought for the day: Is your allegiance to God your own, or are you simply going through the motions because of someone else?

Mark 12:30 (WEB) ” ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.’ “

Genesis 30

There are some things that are lost to time. What’s so important about the mandrakes? Was there any supposed husbandry behind Jacob’s use of the rods? We can speculate on both, but we can’t really know. What we do see here in this passage is the underlying sovereignty of God over all things. God is the one who can provide children and wealth. He blesses as He wills. Mankind can plot, plan, deceive, manipulate and barter, but God is the one who is ultimately in control.

Isn’t it amazing what rivalry will do to people? Can kills Abel over an offering. Jacob and Esau at odds over the blessing and birthright. Leah and Rachel in conflict over their husband’s affection and childbearing, even to the point of offering him their servants! And there is not just rivalry here, but greed and manipulation. Jacob probably thinks that he’s just getting back at Laban for his initial deception, but is what he’s trying to do moral and right?

Thought for the day: How should we respond to jealousy and greed within our own hearts?

James 3:16-18 (WEB) “For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”

Genesis 29

It’s quite illuminating if we stop to catalogue some of the deceptions that occur in Jacob’s life. He lies (with his mother’s help); he in turn gets deceived when he is about to be married; both Jacob and Laban try to one up each other with his wages; we end up with Rachel lying about stealing from her father. While it’s easy to point to Laban as the chief villain in our chapter, Leah and Rachel had to at least be complicit in his plan. Most of us could probably point to ways our families are messed up, but hopefully ours aren’t as bad as Jacobs!

It’s probably not surprising that Jacob didn’t love Leah as much as Rachel, and God blessed Leah as a result.

Thought for the day: Do you value and model honesty and truthfulness the way you should?

Jeremiah 9:2-9 (WEB) ” ‘Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging place of wayfaring men, that I might leave my people and go from them! For they are all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous men. They bend their tongue, as their bow, for falsehood. They have grown strong in the land, but not for truth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they don’t know me,’ says the LORD. ‘Everyone beware of his neighbor, and don’t trust in any brother; for every brother will utterly supplant, and every neighbor will go around like a slanderer. Friends deceive each other, and will not speak the truth. They have taught their tongue to speak lies. They weary themselves committing iniquity. Your habitation is in the middle of deceit. Through deceit, they refuse to know me,’ says the LORD. Therefore the LORD of Armies says, ‘Behold, I will melt them and test them; for how should I deal with the daughter of my people? Their tongue is a deadly arrow. It speaks deceit. One speaks peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth, but in his heart, he waits to ambush him. Shouldn’t I punish them for these things?’ says the LORD. ‘Shouldn’t my soul be avenged on a nation such as this?’ “

Genesis 28

Jacob encounters God at Bethel, and God reaffirms the covenant He made with Abraham. When God made His promise to Abraham, Abraham believed (Genesis 15:6). Here, Jacob makes His commitment to God conditional (28:20-22). Although his faith journey has started, he still has a long way to go! What’s interesting about this passage is the way it’s referenced in the New Testament.

John 1:47-51 (WEB) “Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, ‘Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!’ Nathanael said to him, ‘How do you know me?’ Jesus answered him, ‘Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.’ Nathanael answered him, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!’ Jesus answered him, ‘Because I told you, “I saw you underneath the fig tree,” do you believe? You will see greater things than these!’ He said to him, ‘Most certainly, I tell you all, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’ “

It’s very probable that Jesus was actually speaking to Nathanael in Aramaic here. If so, he basically says, “an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob.” What an indictment! And that’s even more likely because of His last statement. Jesus identifies Himself as the ladder between heaven and earth, foreshadowing the truth that He is the way, the truth, and the life, and that no-one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6)!

Thought for the day: Where would we be without Jesus?

John 3:13-16 (WEB) “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended out of heaven, the Son of Man, who is in heaven. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”

Genesis 27

Jacob lives up to his name here, with some help from his mother. Does Rebekah think that she’s helping God out? Sarah tried that too, and it led to just as bad a mess as this does. We should probably always be careful when we think that God’s plans are going to fail without our help. More on that in a minute…

Yes, Jacob is a deceiver, and we might wonder at that. Why would God choose him? Shouldn’t he be better if God chose him?!?!? But remember, when God chooses us in Christ, He doesn’t take away our sin nature completely. He gives us the Holy Spirit to help us, but we still need to do what is right.

Romans 8:14 (WEB) “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.”

Esau should be heartbroken and angry. He willingly gave up his birthright, but, from his perspective, he had his blessing taken by his brother and mother. Couldn’t Isaac have changed it because it came about by deceit? Perhaps he understood that to do so would subvert God’s plan – a plan that he was apparently going to go against! We have limited information here. What’s amazing in all of this is that God plans are not thwarted in any way. He is sovereign!

There is also a warning here to be careful what we model. Isaac followed in his father’s footsteps when he lied about his wife, and presented a horrible example to his children. Regardless of whether we have physical or spiritual children, we would do well to remember that people are paying attention to our example. We have a responsibility to model God in all that we do.

Thought for the day: Is there any part of your life that you need to clean up to show a good example to those around you?

Matthew 5:16 (WEB) “Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Genesis 26

Abimelech? Probably a son or a grandson. Here we see Isaac following in the footsteps of his father’s sin. Abraham misled others about his wife twice, and we find Isaac doing the same thing here, although Rebekah is only a relative and not a sister. Shouldn’t Isaac have known better? Wouldn’t he know about his father’s mistakes? Probably. He may have even gotten the wrong message from them! God has just restated His covenant promises to Isaac, and Isaac may assume that God will protect him. He is also just as fearful as his father was. Abimelech confronts him after seeing them being romantic and makes sure that everyone knows not to touch Rebekah.

God blesses Isaac in the land, and it leads to some contention with both Abimelech and the herdsmen of Gerar. We see that there is a certain amount of vindictiveness in play because the wells that his father dug were filled in. God reaffirms his covenant promises to Isaac, and we see His ongoing blessing by Abimelech ratifying a covenant with Isaac. The chapter closes with a foreshadowing of the coming family conflict.

Thought for the day: What does it mean to you to be chosen by God?

Ephesians 1:3-4 (WEB) “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without defect before him in love…”

Genesis 25

We see God’s faithfulness on display as He keeps His promise to Abraham regarding Ishmael (Genesis 17:20). Abraham continues to recognize that Isaac is the son of the promise, but he also makes sure that his other offspring are taken care of. In our own lives there may be circumstances that dictate what we do with our inheritances. Some might decry that we aren’t fair, depending on how we leave our money. Being godly is always what we should strive for.

Although not explicitly clear in our passage today, God chose Jacob over Esau. 

Romans 9:10-15 (WEB) “Not only so, but Rebekah also conceived by one, by our father Isaac. For being not yet born, neither having done anything good or bad, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him who calls, it was said to her, ‘The elder will serve the younger.’ Even as it is written, ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’ What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? May it never be! For he said to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ ”

God often goes against cultural dictates by choosing one of the younger rather than the oldest. He is sovereign and can do what he wants! Here He chooses Jacob even though we may end up wondering why. Jacob really does live up to his name, “takes by the heel” or “supplanter.” It’s possible that both Rebekah and Jacob end up manipulating matters because they think they are helping God. That seems to be a recurring theme in Genesis! Other themes are favoritism (parents preferring one child over another) and sibling rivalry (foreshadowed in 25:22).

Esau serves as a warning to us here. He is more concerned about his appetite than his future!

Thought for the day: How often do we do end up serving our own appetites instead of doing what is best?

James 4:1-2 (WEB) “Where do wars and fightings amongst you come from? Don’t they come from your pleasures that war in your members? You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war.”

Genesis 24

We had a foreshadowing of what was to come from Genesis 22:20-24.

Notice Abraham’s trust here. Although we can’t rule out that God actually revealed His plan to Abraham, it seems that Abraham acted on his own initiative based on what he believed God wanted.

Genesis 24:7 (WEB) “The LORD, the God of heaven—who took me from my father’s house, and from the land of my birth, who spoke to me, and who swore to me, saying, ‘I will give this land to your offspring’ —he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there.”

Is it fair to think that all woman from the Canaanites would be unsuitable? With their cultures refusal to recognize the true God and their propensity to engage in activities like human sacrifice, isn’t it better to be safe than sorry? God was never concerned about people intermarrying because of race, but he has always been concerned about marriage outside of faith.

2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (WEB) “Don’t be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship do righteousness and iniquity have? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what portion does a believer have with an unbeliever?”

Even if not specifically a believer, Laban at least recognized God’s leadership in the situation. His response also shows us something about family relationships at that time.

Genesis 24:50-51 (WEB) “Then Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘The thing proceeds from the LORD. We can’t speak to you bad or good. Behold, Rebekah is before you. Take her, and go, and let her be your master’s son’s wife, as the LORD has spoken.’ ”

There are many reasons why Rebekah may have been willing to leave right away, ranging from faith to escape. Let’s just assume she’s excited to start her new life!

Should we do what we see here? Should we try to ask God for signs? Should we set up tests? While God is very gracious to Abraham’s servant here, we are most likely to understand how God works in retrospect. Even Jesus didn’t presume to test God.

Matthew 5:4-7 (WEB) “Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you,” and, “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don’t dash your foot against a stone.” ‘ Jesus said to him, ‘Again, it is written, “You shall not test the Lord, your God.” ’ ”

Thought for the day: What do you think of Isaac being comforted as a result of being married?

Ephesians 5:31, 33 (WEB) ” “For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife. Then the two will become one flesh.” … Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.”