Hello Everyone,
Good Morning!
What a beautiful sun-shining day! (so far, rain is in the forecast) Waking up to sunshine is a delight, yes?
I love Wednesday mornings as I have set them aside, as best as I can, to study God's Word. I am learning and enjoying the learn as well. I would enjoy any comments you would care to share also, so share away.
Today I continue in chapter 31 of Genesis. Jacob notices that Laban's attitude has changed toward him. As it well may be that Jacob is getting all the prime stock of herd and gaining much wealth. Then the Lord tells Jacob to return to his fathers and relatives. God tells him .... 31:3...... "I will be with you."
Jacob states his case for leaving to his wives Leah and Rachel, explaining how he has been cheated by their father and how God has protected him. He reveals that he had a dream where God told him to go back to his native land. Then Leah and Rachel agree to take what they have and leave.
Rachel steals the household idols of her father. Maybe Rachel is so angry at her father for the treatment he has given them, she may want to continue to worship the idols she was raised to worship, or maybe she wants to change her father's heart to Jacob's God, it does not say.
When Laban finds that they have left without saying goodbye, he goes after them. While in pursuit, he has a vision from God, telling him not to say anything "good and bad" to Jacob. Odd that God goes to Laban when he didn't worship God. Maybe God wanted to make it perfectly clear that He was protecting Jacob, and that Jacob had something to say and Laban was to just listen.
Laban does go and accuse Jacob of taking his possessions and stealing the idols. Jacob tells him he may search his belongings and if he finds the idols, he may kill whom ever has them. Jacob did not know that Rachel had taken them.
Rachel thought to put them in her camel's saddle and sat on them, when asked to stand she said she could not because she had her period. In this way she was able to conceal the idols and not be caught.
Jacob became angry with Laban because he had found no crime. He goes off on Laban about how he was treated for the last twenty years. Laban still believes that the daughters, their children, their servants and the flocks are his but he can do nothing about it at this point so he is willing to make a covenant with Jacob.
45: So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.[
b]
48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called Mizpah,[
c] because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”
51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.”
Jacob then made a sacrifice and took the oath. Then in the morning Laban left for home after kissing his daughters and grandchildren goodbye.
Thoughts:
I wonder if it would have been different if God hadn't appeared to Laban? God surely wanted Laban to know He was protecting Jacob. He wanted Laban to hear out Jacob. And for once Laban acknowledged Jacob's God, making an oath with Jacob to his God.
Twenty years of servitude to prove to Laban God has control. To us an eternity. To God a small moment in time.
Chapter 32
Jacob goes on his way and Angels of God meet him. The Bible does not say at this point what the angels may say or do, only that Jacob recognizes they are angels and declares that he is in the camp of God.
He then sends message ahead to Esau informing him that he is returning home. Esau returns a message stating he will meet him with 400 men! Now Jacob is worried. So he divides his group into two just in case he is attacked. Then he prayed.
Funny how we seem to act first, pray second. Why do we do that? Our nature I guess.
After praying an excellent prayer, verse 9-12, Jacob selects a great gift of much livestock for his brother and sends them ahead with his servants, to meet Esau on his way. He sends them each in their own herd, camels, rams, etc. So they come in waves to Esau.
Now Jacob was the last to continue the journey toward Esau, he was spending the night in camp, but a man wrestled him until daybreak. Not being able to over take Jacob he touched his hip socket. This gave Jacob pain. The man wanted to be let go as it was daybreak.
26: But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
27 The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[
f]because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob wanted to know the man's name but the man would not tell him. Jacob then said he had saw God face to face and lived.
Because of this struggle the Israelite's do not eat the tendon attached to the hip socket.
Thoughts:
How can you be alone yet wrestle with another? Was Jacob wrestling with God in the flesh or the spirit?
I believe Jacob was wrestling with God in the spirit. God was trying to teach Jacob that He was going to protect him from Esau. Teaching him that God was in control.
Why did God inflict an injury on Jacob? Was it because Jacob thought he was more powerful? Was it because Jacob would not give into the "man's" will? It seems as though at the end of the struggle Jacob was aware that he was wrestling with God, so was he being defiant to God and God was teaching him that He was stronger then Jacob? Or was He yet again protecting Jacob for his future? This time from Esau. If Jacob is "lame", will Esau feel a threat?
POINT:
A good point to point out is that this time Jacob's blessing came from earning it instead of deceiving to get it. God made him earn it! Humbled him and made him stronger in his faith by making him weaker in body.
Sometimes we must be broken to be built back up!
Well these are today's thoughts. Let me know what you think. Next week I hope to move forward with the next chapter, so see you then!
Deb B
The Crafting Fool
Have a Blessed Week!!
