Burunche’s Blog

Genesis 32:22 – 30 “During the night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, along with all his possessions.

So Jacob was left all alone, and there a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that He could not overpower Jacob, He struck the socket of Jacob’s hip and dislocated it as they wrestled. Then the man said, “Let Me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let You go unless You bless me.”

“What is your name?” the man asked. “Jacob,” he replied. (Jacob means “He grasps the heel” or “He deceives.”)

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.” (Israel means “He struggles with God.”)

Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me Your name.”

“Why do you ask My name?” he replied. And He blessed Jacob there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, saying, “Indeed, I have seen God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” (Peniel or Penuel means “the face of God.”)

On the face of it, this is a very strange passage that appears to have little to do with forgiveness. God has already forgiven Jacob and blessed him abundantly with wives, children, possessions, servants, and livestock. Why does Jacob get up in the middle of the night and send everyone and everything across the Jabbok, returning to the east side by himself? Somehow Jacob must feel a need to be alone with God, something it would certainly be difficult to do in the midst of fussing children and animals making all kinds of noises.

Frankly, Jacob is worried about his upcoming meeting with Esau. With four hundred warriors Esau can easily wipe out Jacob and his entire family and take everything Jacob has slaved for for twenty years. By now Jacob is remembering every time he cheated Esau, every time he snickered at Esau behind Esau’s back for being a muscle – bound oaf. Even though Jacob has sent very handsome gifts ahead of him, there is no guarantee that Esau will not simply wipe out Jacob and steal Jacob’s wives and children and everything else. And Jacob is remembering how he deceived his aging father by pretending to be Esau to gain the blessing that should have gone to Esau.

While Jacob is sitting there in the dark and the stillness, a man shows up and begins to wrestle with him. Why does Jacob engage in the wrestling match? Perhaps Jacob feels that this stranger is from God and that God is punishing him yet again for his treachery to Esau. Evidently, the two are evenly matched because there is no mention of the stranger being able to overpower Jacob. As a shepherd who has spent twenty years walking, fighting off wild animals, and carrying wounded sheep, Jacob is quite strong. Each time it appears that the stranger is about to pin Jacob, somehow Jacob gets out of his grasp. Perhaps each time the stranger throws Jacob to the ground, Jacob remembers another one of his sins against Esau or against his aged father Isaac. Perhaps as Jacob remembers each sin, he begs God to forgive him. By now Jacob has probably realized that this stranger must have come from God. Finally as Jacob repents of the last sin he can recollect, the dawn breaks. The divine stranger touches Jacob’s hip, causing it to dislocate and ending the wrestling match. And it is after this strange wrestling match that God performs the biggest act of forgiveness of all: He gives Jacob a new name.

Jacob was the second – born twin and came out of the womb holding Esau’s heel, hence his name. All Jacob’s life he has born a name that is a kind of curse, but now God is giving Jacob a new name, a strong positive name, “Israel.” The angelic stranger tells Jacob that he has earned this name because he has struggled with both God and man and has won. Jacob stands there amazed, both at his new name and also at the fact that he has seen the face of God and is still alive.

APPLICATION: Sometimes we need to be alone with God as Jacob was and allow God to do whatever He desires with us. We must remember that God knows us far better than we know ourselves. We are fond of making excuses and covering up our wrong – doing. Sometimes before we are willing to face our sins, we must wrestle mentally, emotionally, or spiritually with God. The wrestling process is necessary because we are stubborn and cling to our pet sins!

God loves us too much to leave us in our sins, particularly our sins against others. We are like small children who have played in mud who now are demanding that our loving Father pick us up. Why not allow God to clean the mud by confessing your sins and repenting of them?

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for the example of Jacob. Thank you that you love us too much to leave us alone but that it is your will to perfect us into your image. Help us to cooperate and not to fight you while this process is taking place. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 32: 3 – 12 “Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. He instructed them, “You are to say to my master Esau, ‘Your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban and have remained there until now. I have oxen, donkeys, flocks, menservants, and maidservants. I have sent this message to inform my master, so that I may find favor in your sight.’”

When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau; he is coming to meet you—he and four hundred men with him.” In great fear and distress, Jacob divided his people into two camps, as well as the flocks and herds and camels. He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one camp, then the other camp can escape.”

Then Jacob declared, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, the LORD who told me, ‘Go back to your country and to your kindred, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness You have shown Your servant. Indeed, with only my staff I came across the Jordan, but now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid that he may come and attack me, and also the mothers and their children with me. But You have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper, and I will make your offspring like the sand of the sea, too numerous to count.’

Jacob wants to return to Canaan; but to do so, he must pass through Esau’s territory. After twenty years of hardship under Laban, Jacob has a much clearer idea of the wrong that he has done to Esau. At the same time, Jacob remembers that Esau has a quick temper and is likely to attack first and reflect later, if at all. Jacob does the most diplomatic thing possible: he sends messengers ahead of him and instructs them to give a very humbly – worded message. It seems that Jacob’s fears are well founded, for Esau sets out with four hundred men to meet Jacob. Jacob prays an eloquent prayer, but it could be condensed into a single word: HELP!!!

v. 13 – 20 “Jacob spent the night there, and from what he had brought with him, he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 200 female goats, 20 male goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 milk camels with their young, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 20 female donkeys, and 10 male donkeys. He entrusted them to his servants in separate herds and told them, “Go on ahead of me, and keep some distance between the herds.”

He instructed the one in the lead, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘To whom do you belong, where are you going, and whose animals are these before you?’ then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift, sent to my lord Esau. And behold, Jacob is behind us.’”

He also instructed the second, the third, and all those following behind the herds: “When you meet Esau, you are to say the same thing to him. You are also to say, ‘Look, your servant Jacob is right behind us.’” For he thought, “I will appease Esau with the gift that is going before me. After that I can face him, and perhaps he will accept me.”

What is Jacob trying to do with these gifts? Consider the fact that Jacob has had twenty years of herding Laban’s animals. Somewhere out there in the cold dark nights, Jacob has had time to realize just how badly he has cheated Esau. Each time that Laban has changed Jacob’s wages and has tried to cheat him again, Jacob has remembered his manipulations of Esau. At this point, Jacob wants to save his family and himself but he also wants to try to make things right with Esau. These gifts of animals are Jacob’s way of trying to make restitution.

APPLICATION; Many times, we are the ones who have wronged someone else. There is a saying that “The first rule of holes is that if you find yourself in one, STOP DIGGING!” When we are having problems with someone else, we need to examine the situation; it’s quite possible that the other person is the aggrieved party and that we are the offenders. Once you find yourself in such a situation, the next step is to pray and ask God what He wants you to do about it. Peace is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit and God can bring peace to any situation. But we must be willing to pay the price of peace and sometimes that price seems high.

Perhaps you have cheated someone on a business deal; is there a way of making restitution? Perhaps you have lied about someone or jumped to a wrong conclusion and spread a vicious rumor. There is no limit to the ways in which we can offend others. But at the same time, God is a God of infinite variety and possibilities and God can lead us to the right way in which to make restitution in our particular situation. Is restitution an easy process? No. Many times restitution can be painful or embarrassing or expensive. But living a lie brings more pain and expense and can even wreck your health. Remember, God keeps the books. Even if the person you have wronged has no idea of your offense, God knows.

One day when Jesus was teaching his disciples, he told them, “Therefore if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 When we make restitution and reconcile, we are free to worship God. But when we attempt to ignore our wrong – doing and refuse to seek reconciliation, we will not be able to worship God and our prayers will be blocked. Jesus went on to say, “Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:25 – 26

PRAYER: Father God, please show us those whom we have wronged with whom we need to reconcile. Show us where restitution is necessary. Give us the courage to humble ourselves and to make things right. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 31:43 – 53 “But Laban answered Jacob, “These daughters are my daughters, these sons are my sons, and these flocks are my flocks! Everything you see is mine! Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine or the children they have borne? Come now, let us make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between you and me.”

So Jacob picked out a stone and set it up as a pillar, and he said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and made a mound, and there by the mound they ate. Laban named it Jegar-sahaduth(Aramaic for “heap of witness,” but Jacob called it Galeed.(Hebrew for “heap of witness)

Then Laban declared, “This mound is a witness between you and me this day.” Therefore the place was called Galeed. It was also called Mizpah (watch tower), because Laban said, “May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are absent from one another. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives, although no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is the mound, and here is the pillar I have set up between you and me. This mound is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this mound to harm you, and you will not go past this mound and pillar to harm me. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac.

By this point, Laban realizes that he’s fighting a losing battle. God has already warned Laban not to say anything either bad or good to Jacob; while Laban might not fear Jacob, God has definitely frightened him! But Laban can’t give up without making noises as if he is still the one in control. Laban is still trying to claim all Jacob’s family and his possessions; however, Jacob has fulfilled every condition that Laban has set, no matter how demanding or unreasonable that condition might be. And Laban has begun to realize that if God has blessed Jacob to this extent, Jacob and his family might prove to be a danger in the future. Now Laban proposes a covenant, but a covenant for which there is physical evidence. What Laban was proposing was a fairly common practice at that time – the construction of a mound of stones that would memorialize that covenant.

Agreeing with Laban, Jacob picks up a large stone and sets it up as a pillar; other relatives then create a heap of stones around the large stone. Laban calls on his god and Jacob calls on God to witness the agreement and to enforce it. These vows were deadly serious ones; both Laban and Jacob expected retribution from heaven if they broke the covenant agreement. After setting up the heap of stones, Jacob offers a sacrifice and invites his relatives to eat with them. The next day, Laban and his company take their leave, returning home.

APPLICATION: What does this passage teach about forgiveness? Laban scarcely acts as an ideal model; however, he does recognize the futility of continuing to pursue Jacob. Sometimes there are no neat solutions to a personality conflict and the most you can hope for is a solution on which both sides can agree. Notice that while Laban is still grumbling about his losses, Jacob does not answer him as he has in the past. Clearly, Laban has made every attempt to misuse and cheat Jacob and only God’s intervention and Jacob’s hard work has saved Jacob from winding up a pauper. But this time, Jacob refuses to argue.

In the process of forgiveness, there is a time for discussion; but at some point, you must move past discussions to find some kind of solution. Jacob realizes that Laban’s arguments are no longer important, so he ignores them. Has Jacob really forgiven Laban? Not necessarily, but Jacob realizes it’s time to move forward. Laban suggests a covenant, but Jacob is the one who sets up the large pillar and then asks others to gather smaller stones to pile around the pillar.

Years ago, we were in a training program for missionaries. In the program with us was a couple who were also slated to go to Africa. But while the husband was a former missionary kid for whom Africa was home, the wife struggled with every aspect of the program. Unfortunately, we were in the same small group with this couple and we were obviously enjoying the program immensely. For some reason, the wife chose to focus all her fear, rancor and resentment on us, making vicious comments and even complaining about us to the leaders of the program. (We had minimal contact with this lady outside our classes.) The program leaders did not handle the situation well; instead, they allowed these complaints to be aired in an open meeting, leaving us stunned and horrified. We were willing to forgive this unfortunate lady; however, she steadfastly refused to forgive us for our sins of enjoying what she could not. Finally, we had to accept the fact that there would be no such thing as closure in this situation. All we could do was to forgive this lady and leave God to heal whatever hurts she had. Emotionally, we set up a pillar; we refused to obsess about this lady’s complaints and every time we thought of her, we forgave her all over again.

Forgiveness is not a one – time act. There are many times when we must set up pillars and then refuse to trespass beyond those limits. C.S. Lewis, the famous Christian author, struggled for years to forgive his father for emotionally battering him. Repeatedly, Lewis would remember some hurt his father had inflicted and would have to forgive all over again. But one day Lewis realized that the burden of resentment against his father was gone completely.

Got a problem with somebody who has no interest in coming to any agreement with you? Make a decision that you are going to forgive and set up an emotional pillar. If necessary, have some physical object that will remind you of your decision. Then every time Satan wants you to start obsessing about your hurts all over again, point to your pillar and choose to forgive. It works!

PRAYER: Father God, help us to choose to forgive even when those who have wronged us have no interest in repenting themselves. You have forgiven us and Jesus has died so that we will have forgiveness of our sins. Help us to forgive others and to covenant with ourselves to leave those matters with you. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 31:22 – 25 “On the third day Laban was informed that Jacob had fled. So he took his relatives with him, pursued Jacob for seven days, and overtook him at Mount Gilead. But that night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and warned him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.” Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there as well.”

Jacob has left Paddan – aram and is returning to Canaan with his family, his livestock, and his servants. Just as they are about to leave, Rachel steals her father’s household idols without telling Jacob. (Jacob may have a relationship with the One True God; however, Rachel evidently thinks that Jacob has exclusive rights to God and therefore she needs the gods with which she grew up.) Jacob is already three days’ journey down the road when Laban finds out that Jacob has left. Laban gathers up all his male relatives and pursues Jacob. What might have happened had God not intervened, nobody knows. But God warns Laban, literally putting the fear of Him into Laban.

v. 26 – 31 “Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done? You have deceived me and carried off my daughters like captives of war! Why did you run away secretly and deceive me, without even telling me? I would have sent you away with joy and singing, with tambourines and harps. But you did not even let me kiss my grandchildren and daughters goodbye. Now you have done a foolish thing.

I have power to do you great harm, but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ Now you have gone off because you long for your father’s house. But why have you stolen my gods?” “I was afraid,” Jacob answered, “for I thought you would take your daughters from me by force. If you find your gods with anyone here, he shall not live! In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself if anything is yours, and take it back.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the idols.”

SAY WHAT??? Laban gets a quaver in his voice and describes an idyllic parting in which he would have sent Jacob and his family away with music and fond kisses for the grandchildren. How ridiculous! This is Laban, the same man about whom his daughters complained that he was treating them like strangers and that he had squandered their dowry money. Jacob probably has a very accurate idea of what Laban would have done, had Jacob informed Laban ahead of time that he wanted to return to Canaan. After all, God had to warn Laban in a dream to leave Jacob alone; God doesn’t give out warnings needlessly. And now we get to the heart of things: Laban is furious that Jacob has stolen Laban’s household gods. Unfortunately, in an impassioned denial, Jacob lays a death curse on anyone who has stolen the idols; that curse comes to rest on Rachel and later she dies in childbirth delivering Benjamin.

Laban searches the entire camp. Rachel has hidden the idols in a camel saddle and sits on it when her father enters her tent, telling her father that she is menstruating and needs to sit. Laban gives Rachel a wide berth because it is taboo for a man to be in the presence of a menstruating female. Obviously, Laban is NOT the only tricky member of the family!

v. 36 – 42 “Then Jacob became incensed and challenged Laban. “What is my crime?” he said. “For what sin of mine have you so hotly pursued me? You have searched all my goods! Have you found anything that belongs to you? Put it here before my brothers and yours, that they may judge between the two of us.

I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flock. I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night. As it was, the heat consumed me by day and the frost by night, and sleep fled from my eyes.

Thus for twenty years I have served in your household—fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks—and you have changed my wages ten times! If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, and last night He rendered judgment.”

What does this story teach about forgiveness and unforgiveness?

1. Unforgiveness: Rachel steals the household gods. Many cultures have such idols, and they are believed to bring protection and blessing to the family. Is Rachel stealing these idols so that she will be protected and blessed, or is she coldly furious with her father for the shabby manner in which he has treated her sister and her? Rachel needs to forgive her father and does not.

2. Unforgiveness: Laban has cheated and used Joseph as much as he can; yet, Laban still resents Joseph because God has blessed Joseph. Laban needs to forgive Joseph and will not.

3. Unforgiveness: Jacob needs to forgive Laban for Laban’s cheating, lying, and manipulations. Jacob has suffered for twenty years and Laban has forced him to bear losses that should have been Laban’s and has changed his wages ten times.

APPLICATION: Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself, not something based on another person’s willingness to confess their wrong. As the story continues, we will see that Laban never actually repents. If you are looking for closure by an act of contrition on the part of the other person, forget it! You might wait forever.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to forgive those who hurt us, no matter the circumstances. Thank you that you have forgiven us for far worse sins than anything someone else can do to us. Thank you for loving us and for sending Jesus to die for our sins. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 31:1 – 18 “Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.” And Jacob saw from the countenance of Laban that his attitude toward him had changed. Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

So Jacob sent word and called Rachel and Leah to the field where his flocks were, and he told them, “I can see from your father’s countenance that his attitude toward me has changed; but the God of my father has been with me. You know that I have served your father with all my strength. And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me. If he said, ‘The speckled will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore speckled offspring. If he said, ‘The streaked will be your wages,’ then the whole flock bore streaked offspring. Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me.

When the flocks were breeding, I saw in a dream that the streaked, spotted, and speckled males were mating with the females. In that dream the angel of God said to me, ‘Jacob!’ And I replied, ‘Here I am.’ ‘Look up,’ he said, ‘and see that all the males that are mating with the flock are streaked, spotted, or speckled; for I have seen all that Laban has done to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and made a solemn vow to Me. Now get up and leave this land at once, and return to your native land.’”

Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we have any portion or inheritance left in our father’s house? Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. So do whatever God has told you.” So Jacob got up and put his children and his wives on camels, and he drove all his livestock before him, along with all the possessions he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land in Canaan.”

By now Jacob has served Laban for more than 21 years. Jacob’s wives and their maid servants have borne Jacob eleven sons and one daughter. In this passage we see the summary of all Laban’s trickery and how he has changed Jacob’s wages ten times. If Laban were running a modern company, he would be increasing his benefits as CEO while destroying the employee pension fund. Laban’s the kind of guy who would replace all the clerks in a store with self – service units. If Laban were running a hospital, he would be trying to cut the work force as much as possible while demanding that every action be documented by computer, an impossible task.

Rachel and Leah are furious that Laban has sold them and squandered the dowry; even worse, Laban now treats his two daughters as outsiders! Such treatment is virtually unknown in a culture in which family is everything. Evidently, Laban is someone who uses people but who does not love them. Laban’s sons are no better than he; they resent Jacob’s prosperity without any regard for the years of hardship and toil Jacob has invested. If Jacob has ever had any lingering desires to cheat, steal, and manipulate, his experiences with Laban have taught him the suffering those actions can cause. God has forgiven Jacob but God has also matured Jacob.

It is in this passage that God clearly demonstrates that HE has been the One controlling the color of the sheep and the goats so that Jacob would benefit. Forget Jacob’s attempts to control the situation by using peeled poplar rods; God emphatically states that He has helped Jacob. After this discussion, Jacob gathers up his family, his livestock, and his servants and leaves for Canaan.

APPLICATION: There are lots of people today who behave as Laban has behaved. Loyalty, long years of faithful service, hard work, diligent attention to detail – none of this matters apart from the bottom line. How does this relate to forgiveness?

1. God has forgiven Jacob and Jacob has worked faithfully; that is why God has blessed Jacob.

2. Jacob has a long list of very just grievances against Laban; however, carrying those grievances for the rest of his life is not going to help Jacob. Jacob must forgive Laban, even though Laban doesn’t deserve it and is not about to ask for forgiveness. We don’t choose to forgive because someone earns our forgiveness; we choose to forgive so that we are not carrying a huge burden of resentment.

3. Jacob now realizes that his brother Esau has some very just grievances against him and that he will need to ask for forgiveness and make restitution.

If you have been mishandled at your work place or anywhere else, you have a choice: forgive and be free or hold grudges and suffer. Your unforgiveness does nothing to those who have hurt you; you are the only one suffering, and the cost may be high – hypertension, ulcers, angina, collagen vascular diseases, even cancer. If you are someone who has behaved like Laban, you need to examine your heart and see if you need to seek forgiveness from anyone else.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to examine ourselves and see if we have offended anyone. Help us to seek forgiveness and to even make restitution if that is necessary. And help us to forgive anyone who has wronged us so that we will walk free from that burden. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 30:29 – 43 ”Then Jacob answered, “You know how I have served you, and how your livestock has thrived under my care. Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?” “What can I give you?” Laban asked.

“You do not need to give me anything,” Jacob replied. “If you do this one thing for me, I will keep on shepherding and keeping your flock. 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. These will be my wages. So my honesty will testify for me when you come to check on my wages in the future. If I have any goats that are not speckled or spotted, or any lambs that are not dark-colored, they will be considered stolen.” “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.”

That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat—every one that had any white on it—and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was shepherding the rest of Laban’s flocks.

Jacob, however, took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches. Then he set the peeled branches in the watering troughs in front of the flocks coming in to drink. So when the flocks were in heat and came to drink, they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. Jacob set apart the young, but made the rest face the streaked dark-colored sheep in Laban’s flocks. Then he set his own stock apart and did not put them with Laban’s animals.

Whenever the stronger females of the flock were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs, in full view of the animals, so that they would breed in front of the branches. But if the animals were weak, he did not set out the branches. So the weaker animals went to Laban and the stronger ones to Jacob. Thus Jacob became exceedingly prosperous. He owned large flocks, maidservants and menservants, and camels and donkeys.”

Between Jacob and Laban, it’s a toss – up to know which one is trickier! Laban pretends to be the generous uncle but really wants to cheat Jacob again. Jacob really has been a very faithful shepherd and has taken good care of Laban’s flocks and herds for many years. When the two agree that Jacob will have the dark and speckled and streaked or spotted sheep and goats as his wages, Laban immediately goes through the flock before Jacob can get there, removes all the sheep and goats that should have gone to Jacob and sends them far away. But Jacob concocts a plan to expose the strongest of the remaining sheep and goats to speckled and spotted poplar rods when they breed. “What?” you ask “How ridiculous! That won’t work!” Actually, you are quite correct; however, while Jacob thinks he’s being tricky, obviously God is intervening. The net result is that Jacob prospers despite all Laban’s machinations.

How does this story relate to God’s forgiveness? Remember that God has chosen to work through Jacob, even though Jacob has cheated his brother. Jacob has had an encounter with God that has left him a changed man. God has forgiven Jacob and is blessing him in this situation.

APPLICATION: Do you feel cheated at your work place? Has a supervisor brought a bad report about you or threatened you? The question is this: have you been a faithful worker? Have you fulfilled your duties as well as you can or have you slacked off, using lack of motivation as an excuse? Search your heart and ask God to show you if there are any areas in which you have failed to perform as well as you could. Then ask God to show you how you can improve. Remember that God keeps the records and God is the One who rewards, not whatever company for which you are working.

1 Corinthians 4:2 “Now it is required of stewards that they be found faithful.”

1 Corinthians 4:5 “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God.”

Forgive that boss/supervisor/coworker who has made your life miserable. In the end, you will not answer to them but you will answer to God.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us. Please open our eyes to the ways in which we may have failed to discharge our duties properly by using other people’s criticism as an excuse. Thank you that it is your desire to bless us and to help us grow into the fullness of your grace. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 29:14 – 30 “Then Laban declared, “You are indeed my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month, Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. Leah had no sparkle in her eyes,a but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answered, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to another. Stay here with me.” So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, yet it seemed but a few days because of his love for her. Finally Jacob said to Laban, “Grant me my wife, for my time is complete, and I want to sleep with her.”

So Laban invited all the men of that place and prepared a feast. But when evening came, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her maidservant. When morning came, there was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob said to Laban. “Wasn’t it for Rachel that I served you? Why have you deceived me?”

Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older. Finish this week’s celebration, and we will give you the younger one in return for another seven years of work.” And Jacob did just that. He finished the week’s celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. Laban also gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. Jacob slept with Rachel as well, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. So he worked for Laban another seven years.”

God has kept his promises to Jacob by preserving him and guiding him to his mother’s family. While heading eastward, Jacob encounters a group of shepherds, who inform him that he has arrived at Haran, the city where his uncle Laban lives. More than that, Rachel, Laban’s daughter, is just coming to water her father’s sheep. Jacob identifies himself, helps water the sheep, and then accompanies Rachel to her father’s house. By now, Jacob is already in love with Rachel; when Laban asks Jacob how he wishes to be paid, Jacob asks for Rachel as his wife.

But trickery evidently runs in the family! Rachel is drop – dead gorgeous; however, her older sister Leah “has no sparkle in her eyes.” Perhaps Leah has cataracts or perhaps she simply isn’t quite as pretty as Rachel. Perhaps Leah has spent her entire life being compared unfavorably to Rachel. You can imagine the gossip in Haran: “Well! As for those two girls, they barely look like sisters! How Leah can be so plain and how Rachel can be so beautiful is something I SIMPLY don’t understand!” Perhaps one venomous old lady was cackling to her friends as they carried water and Leah overheard them. All we know is that Leah is plainer and less attractive than her sister. At this point, Laban has evidently given up on getting a husband for Leah, so he seizes this opportunity to trick Jacob and marry off Leah at the same time. Poor Leah!

Jacob wakes up the morning after his wedding night to find Leah in bed with him! Up to this point, Jacob might have had a good opinion of himself; after all, he’s gotten away with both his brother’s birthright and blessing. But Laban is older and trickier. Now Jacob finds himself as the victim of someone else’s manipulations, and there’s not a thing he can do about it. To get Rachel as a wife, Jacob serves Laban for another seven years.

By now you might be wondering how this story can illustrate God’s forgiveness. But look at the situation:

1. God helps Jacob to find his mother’s family, no mean feat in those days.

2. God allows Jacob to meet Rachel immediately, so that Jacob will have an incentive to work for Laban.

3. God uses Laban’s manipulations to keep Jacob in this situation. God is not being unkind to Jacob, but Jacob needs to learn how it feels to be manipulated and that there are always consequences.

4. God is using this situation to mature Jacob, not to destroy him.

5. God is already laying the groundwork for what will become the twelve tribes of Israel. God is always doing using situations to accomplish far more than we can possibly guess.

APPLICATION: Perhaps you are wondering if God has abandoned you. Your job has evaporated, or your family is having problems. Perhaps you can identify with Jacob wandering out there in the wilderness and hoping he is on the road that will take him to his longed – for destination. Perhaps you feel that God must be punishing you for something. Your first step should be to pray and ask God to show you any mistakes you might have made. God is a good Father and He does not play guessing games with His children. If God shows you something you should confess, ask Him to forgive you and get that out of the way first. Next, ask God to show you if there is anything in your situation that you have been ignoring that might provide a way out of your problems. Remember that when God spoke to Moses from the burning bush, God asked Moses, “What is that in your hand?” All Moses had was his shepherd’s staff, but God used that staff to do miracles. Many times, we expect that God will provide something big and flashy while meanwhile, God has something modest that we have been overlooking. Be assured that as soon as you confess any sin and really mean it, God will forgive you.

PRAYER: Father God, this morning many of us feel confused. The things we counted on have vanished. Lord, if we are cherishing any pet sins, show us and help us to turn away from those sins and to confess them to you. Thank you that you have promised to forgive us. And Lord, please help us to re-examine our situations so that if you have already made provision in some small way, we will not overlook those things. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 28:10 – 15 “Meanwhile Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. On reaching a certain place, he spent the night there because the sun had set. And taking one of the stones from that place, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder. And there at the top the LORD was standing and saying, “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 now lie. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and east and north and south. All the families of the earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. Look, I am with you, and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Rebekah’s plan to get Jacob away from Esau before Esau can kill him has worked. Isaac has sent Jacob back to Rebekah’s relatives to find a wife. And on the way from Beersheba to Haran, Isaac spends a night in the open and has a vivid dream.

“Wait a minute!” you say. “This is JACOB, the guy who stole his brother’s birthright and his brother’s blessing as the first born twin. Why should God bless this guy?” Good question. Let’s look at the alternative. God told Abraham that Isaac would be the son of the promise, the one through whom God would work. Isaac only had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Esau was an impetuous macho man who couldn’t think further than his appetites of the moment. Jacob, while manipulative, was a thinker and a planner.

Many times we think that someone must be perfect before God can possibly work through that person, but that’s wrong. There are no perfect people. King David was an adulterer. King Solomon allowed his wives to divert him into weird religions. St. Paul began life as Saul, the Pharisee and persecutor of Christians. Frankly speaking, God always has to work through imperfect people; that’s the only kind available. But God also changes people as he works through them.

If you had had the opportunity to interview King David after he repented from committing adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered, you would have found him to be very humble and aware of his own failings. David said in Psalm 51:10 – 12 “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Your presence; take not Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.”

Paul said of himself, “So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them. I frequently had them punished in the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”

Let’s see what happens to Jacob…

v. 16 – 21 “When Jacob woke up, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was unaware of it.” And 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!” Early the next morning, Jacob took the stone that he had placed under his head, and he set it up as a pillar. He poured oil on top of it, and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and watch over me on this journey, and if He will provide me with food to eat and clothes to wear, so that I may return safely to my father’s house, then the LORD will be my God. And this stone I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give You a tenth.”

WHEW! Suddenly Jacob is not nearly as smug and self – assured as he was; in fact, this dream has thoroughly shaken Jacob. Jacob has had an experience of being in the presence of God, and he will never be the same again. For the rest of Jacob’s life, he will carry with him the sense of God watching over him.

APPLICATION: Do you believe that God can use you, or do you think God has given up on you? Remember that God is not worried about your ABILITY but about your AVAILABILITY. If you will allow God to use you, God will transform you. Make no mistake; yes, you should confess any sins you know you have committed to God. But trust that God will not only forgive you but that God will cheerfully use you for His purposes and His glory if you will only let Him.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you forgive us our sins and that you will use anybody who will turn himself over to you. Thank you that you have promised to lead us and guide us. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 27:1 – 17 “When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” “Here I am,” Esau replied. “Look,” said Isaac, “I am now old and do not know the day of my death. Take your weapons—your quiver and bow—and go out into the field to hunt some game for me. Then prepare a tasty dish that I love and bring it to me to eat, so that I may bless you before I die.”

Now Rebekah was listening to what Isaac told his son Esau. So when Esau went into the field to hunt game and bring it back, Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you. Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so that I can make them into a tasty dish for your father—the kind he loves. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may bless you before he dies.”

Jacob answered his mother Rebekah, “Look, my brother Esau is a hairy man, but I am smooth-skinned. What if my father touches me? Then I would be revealed to him as a deceiver, and I would bring upon myself a curse rather than a blessing.”

His mother replied, “Your curse be on me, my son. Just obey my voice and go get them for me.” So Jacob went and got two goats and brought them to his mother, who made the tasty food his father loved. And Rebekah took the finest clothes in the house that belonged to her older son Esau, and she put them on her younger son Jacob. She also put the skins of the young goats on his hands and on the smooth part of his neck. Then she handed her son Jacob the tasty food and bread she had made.”

In the ancient world, there were birthrights and there were blessings. Yesterday we spoke about the birthright, but in addition, fathers could also bestow blessings on their sons, particularly the first – born. Esau has always been Isaac’s favorite and Isaac wants to make sure that he blesses Esau before he dies. But while Esau is out hunting, Rebekah and Jacob conspire to secure Isaac’s blessing for Jacob as well.

Taking advantage of Isaac’s blindness, Rebekah fixes food and then dresses Jacob in Esau’s clothes and places goat skins on Jacob so that he will smell and feel like Esau. Isaac is taken in by the deception and gives Jacob his blessing:

v. 27 – 29 “Ah, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field that the LORD has blessed. May God give to you the dew of heaven and the richness of the earth— an abundance of grain and new wine. May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of 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.”

Esau returns, fixes food, and then finds that Isaac has already blessed Jacob. These blessings were irrevocable; Isaac cannot take back the blessing he has already spoken. When Esau begs Isaac for a blessing, Isaac says: “Behold, your dwelling place shall be away from the richness of the land, away from the dew of heaven above. You shall live by the sword, and serve your brother. But when you rebel, you will tear his yoke from your neck.” (Genesis 27:39-40)

At this point, Esau is furious! But Isaac is dying; all Esau needs to do is to wait until the mourning period is over and then he can kill Jacob. Rebekah realizes the danger Jacob is in; meanwhile, Esau has previously married two local women who have created nothing but problems for Rebekah and Isaac. Using the problems these women have created as an excuse, Rebekah convinces Isaac to send Jacob back to Rebekah’s relatives to find a wife.

APPLICATION: Are you a Jacob or an Esau or a little bit of both? Have you manipulated situations to your advantage, wronging someone in the process? Or have you been the aggrieved party? Ask God to show you where you might have wronged someone and then ask Him to help you apologize and make amends. If you have been wronged, ask God to help you forgive the person who has hurt you. Forgiveness is a gift you give yourself because you are the one who suffers most as long as you refuse to forgive.

PRAYER: Father God, thank you for loving us and forgiving us, no matter how many times we have sinned against you. Show us anyone we might have hurt and then help us to make things right with them. And if there is anybody who has hurt us, help us to forgive them so that we do not continue to suffer. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 25:24 – 28 “When her (Rebekah’s) time came to give birth, there were indeed twins in her womb. The first one came out red, covered with hair like a fur coat; so they named him Esau. (Hairy) After this, his brother came out grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. (He grasps the heel/he deceives.) And Isaac was sixty years old when the twins were born. When the boys grew up, Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the field, but Jacob was a quiet man who stayed at home. Because Isaac had a taste for wild game, he loved Esau; but Rebekah loved Jacob.”

Abraham is dead and Isaac has married a gorgeous lady named Rebekah. Rebekah gives birth to twins. Even in the womb, the boys struggle with one another, and things don’t get better as they get older. Esau, the first – born, is an impetuous macho man while Jacob is quiet but intelligent.

v.29 – 34 “One day, while Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the field and was famished. He said to Jacob, “Let me eat some of that red stew, for I am famished.” (That is why he was also called Edom. “Edom” means “red.” ) “First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied. “Look,” said Esau, “I am about to die, so what good is a birthright to me?” “Swear to me first,” Jacob said. So Esau swore to Jacob and sold him the birthright. Then Jacob gave some bread and lentil stew to Esau; he ate and drank, and then got up and went away. Thus Esau despised his birthright.”

Wikipedia says this about the birthright:The birthright (bekorah) has to do with both position and inheritance. By birthright, the firstborn son inherited the leadership of the family and the judicial authority of his father. Deuteronomy 21:17 states that he was also entitled to a double portion of the paternal inheritance.

Esau acts impulsively. As he did not value his birthright over a bowl of lentil stew, by his actions, Esau demonstrates that he does not deserve to be the one who continues Abraham’s responsibilities and rewards under God’s covenant, since he does not have the steady, thoughtful qualities which are required. Jacob shows his willingness as well as his greater intelligence and forethought. What he does is not quite honorable, though not illegal. The birthright benefit that he gains is at least partially valid, although he is insecure enough about it to conspire later with his mother to deceive his father so as to gain the blessing for the first-born as well.

Two brothers with totally different personalities, each one the favorite of a parent – what a set – up for disaster! Esau is a drama king; was he REALLY about to die from hunger? And although this is an ancient story, such problems continue to the present day. One family of our acquaintance was torn apart when three siblings fought over the items left by an elderly relative. Two of the siblings reconciled; however, the third died just before he could make peace with a sister.

APPLICATION: Are you having problems with a sibling? Perhaps you have always believed that your brother or sister was the chosen child while you came out second best. Perhaps your family has squabbled over an inheritance. The number of ways in which brothers and sisters can fight is unlimited. But some day, you might find yourself at a grave side wishing that you had made peace. Settle your differences while there is still time! No amount of money or other stuff is worth hating a brother or a sister! And you might get a surprise. Two of our friends each believed that the other was the father’s favorite, only to learn in late adulthood that the father loved both of them but was unable to compliment them to their faces.

PRAYER: Father God, help us to forgive family members who may have wronged us. And help us to see where we ourselves might have wronged them. Let your healing flow in our families so that we will not have any regrets later on. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.