Burunche’s Blog

Exodus 13:13-16 “Redeem every firstborn child among your sons. When the time comes and your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you tell him, ‘God brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery, with a powerful hand. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, God killed every firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of both humans and animals. That’s why I make a sacrifice for every first male birth from the womb to God and redeem every firstborn son.’ The observance functions like a sign on your hands or a symbol on the middle of your forehead: God brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand.”

It’s a sad mistake when we look at the Bible and say, “Well, God threw out everything that happened in the Old Testament once Jesus came.” WRONG!!!! God doesn’t make mistakes and God isn’t sitting in heaven, whacking His forehead, and exclaiming, “Oy! Why didn’t I just send Jesus in the first place?” The New Testament builds on the Old Testament, and everything in the Old Testament is necessary. The Exodus story is a perfect example.

Whenever we see God doing something, we must remember that he’s likely accomplishing seven or eight more things that have yet to be revealed. We are incredibly arrogant, so sure that we understand the Will of God that we totally ignore miracles happening right in front of us. It’s easy to read the story of the first Passover and mouth sanctified nonsense –“Oh, what a wonderful deliverance! Oh, what great miracles!” But the story of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt applies equally to us.

Forget all the programs glorifying the ancient Egyptians you might have watched on TV. Yes, the Egyptians were brilliant in many respects, producing magnificent temples and incredible artifacts that have been found in tombs; however, they worshiped a pantheon of more than 2,000 gods and were obsessed with death. Society was organized in a strict hierarchy, with the pharaoh at the top, followed by priests, nobles, and commoners. Slaves ranked below commoners, and once a slave, always a slave. Joseph’s elevation to becoming the second most powerful man in Egypt was an anomaly born from the warnings God sent Pharoah in dreams.  

Once the Israelites were reduced to the level of slaves, they were condemned to remain slaves forever. The King James version mentions “a Pharoah who knew not Joseph…” In other words, once enough time had passed, Joseph was ancient history and the Egyptians didn’t care. Besides, the pharoahs wanted big construction projects and slave labor was cheap.

Why re-examine the situation of the ancient Israelites? John 8:34 tells us,“Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave can’t come and go at will.”  No matter how virtuous we might think we are, all of us are slaves to sin. Just like those ancient Israelites in Egypt, we are trapped with no way out. We need a Savior, someone from outside who can come and do what we cannot possibly do for ourselves.

In the NALC Church in which I grew up, this is the Confession of Sin: “Beloved in the Lord! Let us draw near with a true heart, and confess our sins unto God our Father, beseeching him, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to grant us forgiveness.

Almighty God, our Maker and Redeemer, we poor sinners confess unto you that we are by nature sinful and unclean, and that we have sinned against you by thought, word, and deed. Wherefore, we flee for refuge to your infinite mercy, seeking and imploring your grace. For the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

O most merciful God, who has given your only begotten Son to die for us, have mercy on us, and for His sake grant us forgiveness of all our sins: and by your Holy Spirit increase in us true knowledge of you and of your will, and true obedience to your word, to the end that by your grace we may come to everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The pastor then assures the congregation: Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, has had mercy upon us, and has given His Only Son to die for us, and for His sake forgives us all our sins. TO those who believe on His Name, He gives power to become the sons of God, and bestows upon them His Holy Spirit. Whoever believes and is baptized, shall be saved. Grant this, O Lord, unto us all. Amen.”

If you have read this closely, you might be agitated. “What happens if someone cannot be baptized? Will they go to hell even if they believe in Jesus?” Absolutely not! Luke tells the story in Luke 23:39-43 “One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”

But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”

He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”

Baptism is a sign of faith in Jesus Christ; however, just like that criminal on the cross, sometimes baptism isn’t possible. What’s most important is faith in what Jesus has done for us.

These days, there’s a series of short stories on Facebook in which heroic grizzled veterans belonging to motorcycle clubs rescue women and children from horrible situations. No matter how independent you might think you are, such stories are appealing, for each of us can find ourselves in untenable situations from which we cannot escape. When we celebrate Christmas, we aren’t merely celebrating the birth of a cute little baby; we celebrate the birth of the Savior Hero who can deliver us from our slavery to sin.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are slaves to sin and desperately need a Savior. Thank You for sending Jesus to live as a sinless man and to die for our sins. We accept that blood sacrifice and beg You to help us follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Centuries ago, Charles Wesley wrote a wonderful hymn that clearly expresses that deliverance:

1. Come, thou long expected Jesus,                               2. Born thy people to deliver,
born to set thy people free;                                              born a child and yet a King,
from our fears and sins release us,                                 born to reign in us forever
let us find our rest in thee.                                               now thy gracious kingdom bring.
Israel’s strength and consolation,                                   By thine own eternal spirit
hope of all the earth thou art;                                         rule in all our hearts alone;
dear desire of every nation,                                              by thine all sufficient merit,
joy of every longing heart.                                               raise us to thy glorious throne.

Exodus 13:13 1-2 God spoke to Moses, saying, “Set apart every firstborn to me—the first one to come from the womb among the Israelites, whether person or animal, is mine.”

3 Moses said to the people, “Always remember this day. This is the day when you came out of Egypt from a house of slavery. God brought you out of here with a powerful hand. Don’t eat any raised bread.

4-5 “You are leaving in the spring month of Abib. When God brings you into the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, which he promised to your fathers to give you, a land lavish with milk and honey, you are to observe this service during this month:

6 “You are to eat unraised bread for seven days; on the seventh day there is a festival celebration to God.

7 “Only unraised bread is to be eaten for seven days. There is not to be a trace of anything fermented—no yeast anywhere.

8 “Tell your child on that day: ‘This is because of what God did for me when I came out of Egypt.’

9-10 “The day of observance will be like a sign on your hand, a memorial between your eyes, and the teaching of God in your mouth. It was with a powerful hand that God brought you out of Egypt. Follow these instructions at the set time, year after year after year.4

God is continuing to lay out the rules for observing Passover. Why are these rules so important? God knows that His people will spend 40 years in the wilderness before they reach the Promised Land and that they will adapt the pagan religions of the tribes there. Furthermore, God knows that many of His people will be carried off as exiles and that His people will eventually find their way into every country and every kingdom. God is ordaining Passover so that no matter where the Israelites/Jews are, they will continue to observe it. The observance of Passover and the other feasts God will order will help the Jews retain their cultural identity wherever they are throughout the centuries. Jewish children will continue to praise God for the miraculous deliverance from Egyptian slavery forever.  

11-13 “When God brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he promised you and your fathers, and turns it over to you, you are to set aside the first birth out of every womb to God. Every first birth from your livestock belongs to God. You can redeem every first birth of a donkey if you want to by substituting a lamb; if you decide not to redeem it, you must break its neck.

First-born animals are to be dedicated to the Lord. Donkeys can be redeemed because they are not generally sacrificed; however, a lamb must be sacrificed as a blood offering to redeem a first-born donkey. If someone fails to redeem a first-born donkey, they must kill it by breaking its neck.

13-16 “Redeem every firstborn child among your sons. When the time comes and your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you tell him, ‘God brought us out of Egypt, out of a house of slavery, with a powerful hand. When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, God killed every firstborn in Egypt, the firstborn of both humans and animals. That’s why I make a sacrifice for every first male birth from the womb to God and redeem every firstborn son.’ The observance functions like a sign on your hands or a symbol on the middle of your forehead: God brought us out of Egypt with a powerful hand.”

Once more, God is laying out practices that will help the Israelites remember and celebrate their escape from losing their firstborn children. Interestingly, there is no mention of blood sacrifices being necessary to redeem firstborn daughters, only firstborn sons. Perhaps a blood sacrifice for a daughter is unnecessary because women menstruate, shedding their own blood monthly for many years. And women giving birth also shed blood.

It is wrong to assume that God thinks less of women than He does of men; after all, God sent the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary first. God only informed Joseph in a dream after Mary had consented for the Holy Spirit to impregnate her. Throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament, there are stories of godly women such as Rahab, Ruth, and Deborah.

The need for blood sacrifices stopped the day Jesus Christ was crucified. In Herod’s temple in Jerusalem, there was an enormous curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple. As Jesus was dying, that curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, indicating that God was tearing open the way to the holiest place because of the blood Jesus was shedding. Now we don’t need to sacrifice lambs; instead, we come to belief in Jesus and what he has done for us. When we confess our sins and call on God to forgive us and to clean us up, Jesus’ blood sacrifice takes care of our sins.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, thank You for sending your Lamb, Jesus Christ, to live a sinless life and to die for our sins. We confess that we are sinners and that we cannot free ourselves. We praise You for giving us the way of salvation through Jesus’ blood sacrifice. It’s in the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus that we pray. Amen.

Exodus 12:21-23 Moses assembled all the elders of Israel. He said, “Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two doorposts. No one is to leave the house until morning. God will pass through to strike Egypt down. When he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, God will pass over the doorway; he won’t let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin.

24-27 “Keep this word. It’s the law for you and your children, forever. When you enter the land which God will give you as he promised, keep doing this. And when your children say to you, ‘Why are we doing this?’ tell them: ‘It’s the Passover-sacrifice to God who passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when he hit Egypt with death but rescued us.’”

God is about to deliver the final plague0the death of the first-born of families, both human and animal. But God wants to protect His people, so He orders them to use the blood of the sacrificial Passover lambs to paint their doorposts and lentils. When the Angel of Death sees that blood, he will pass over the house. And God keeps that promise!

Exodus 12: 29 At midnight God struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sits on his throne, right down to the firstborn of the prisoner locked up in jail. Also, the firstborn of the animals. 30 Pharaoh got up that night, he and all his servants and everyone else in Egypt—what wild wailing and lament in Egypt! There wasn’t a house in which someone wasn’t dead. 31-32 Pharaoh called in Moses and Aaron that very night and said, “Get out of here and be done with you—you and your Israelites! Go worship God on your own terms. And yes, take your sheep and cattle as you’ve insisted, but go. And bless me.”

33 The Egyptians couldn’t wait to get rid of them; they pushed them to hurry up, saying, “We’re all as good as dead.”

The people of Egypt are already fed up with the Israelites; now Pharaoh is also terrified. Pharaoh orders the Israelites to get out immediately, leaving them only time to grab everything. Prior to the Passover, the Israelites have already asked their Egyptian neighbors for gold, silver, and clothing. Now the Israelites are heading out of Egypt as rapidly as possible.

34-36 The people grabbed their bread dough before it had risen, bundled their bread bowls in their cloaks, and threw them over their shoulders. The Israelites had already done what Moses had told them; they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold things and clothing. God saw to it that the Egyptians liked the people and so readily gave them what they asked for. Oh yes! They picked those Egyptians clean.

37-39 The Israelites moved on from Rameses to Succoth, about 600,000 on foot, besides their dependents. Hebrews and non-Hebrews alike set out, not to mention the large flocks and herds of livestock. They baked unraised cakes with the bread dough they had brought out of Egypt; it hadn’t raised—they’d been rushed out of Egypt and hadn’t time to fix food for the journey.

This unraised bread is the first matzoth bread, the flat bread that continues to be eaten wherever Jews celebrate Passover throughout the world. Although the Israeli housewives originally bake unraised dough out of necessity, God has already ordered the Israelites to avoid eating any yeast products during Passover week.

The Passover

40-42 The Israelites had lived in Egypt 430 years. At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, God’s entire army left Egypt. God kept watch all night, watching over the Israelites as he brought them out of Egypt. Because God kept watch, all Israel for all generations will honor God by keeping watch this night—a watchnight.

Not only does God deliver the Israelites right on time, but He also ensures that all of them are safe. The Bible states that there are 600,000 Israelite men, plus women and children, plus non-Israelites who have learned to fear the God of the Israelites. Estimates indicate that there might be as many as two million four hundred thousand people who leave Egypt.

Has God delivered the Israelites because they are so virtuous and faithful in worshiping Him? Are you kidding! When Moses and Aaron come to Egypt, many of the Israelites want nothing to do with them. But those first nine plagues aren’t simply to change Pharoah’s heart or the hearts of the Egyptians. Those nine plagues also remind the Israelites of the power of the When God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Israelites have spent 430 years in Egypt, and many of them are worshiping Egyptian deities rather than the One True Living God. When the Angel of Death passes over the Israelite families with lamb’s blood on their doorposts, many of those Israelites also become convinced!

In the end, it’s not virtue or faith that protects the Israelites; it’s that sacrificial blood. In the fullness of time, God will send Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, to sacrifice himself for the sins of the world. As we approach Christmas, let’s remember that it’s not about presents or carols or Christmas trees, or celebrations. It’s about the Lamb of God.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, thank You for sending Jesus as the ultimate sacrifice so that we will not have to pay the penalty for our sins. We confess that we are sinners and that only the Blood of Jesus is sufficient to pay for our sins. We accept that sacrifice and promise to follow Jesus all of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 12: 12 1-10 God said to Moses and Aaron while still in Egypt, “This month is to be the first month of the year for you. Address the whole community of Israel; tell them that on the tenth of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one lamb to a house. If the family is too small for a lamb, then share it with a close neighbor, depending on the number of persons involved. Be mindful of how much each person will eat. Your lamb must be a healthy male, one year old; you can select it from either the sheep or the goats. Keep it penned until the fourteenth day of this month and then slaughter it—the entire community of Israel will do this—at dusk. Then take some of the blood and smear it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which you will eat it. You are to eat the meat, roasted in the fire, that night, along with bread, made without yeast, and bitter herbs. Don’t eat any of it raw or boiled in water; make sure it’s roasted—the whole animal, head, legs, and innards. Don’t leave any of it until morning; if there are leftovers, burn them in the fire.”

These verses are among the most thrilling in the Old Testament. God has sent Moses and Aaron to argue with Pharoah to allow the Israelites to go. But after nine plagues of escalating severity, Pharoah has remained obdurate. And now God is preparing to extract the Israelites from Egypt with the most horrific plague of all-the death of all first-born people in animals in Egypt who are not under the protection of a blood sacrifice. The Angel of Death will know which homes are under God’s protection by the sacrificial blood smeared on the doorposts and the lintel. But God has further instructions:

11 “And here is how you are to eat it: Be fully dressed with your sandals on and your stick in your hand. Eat in a hurry; it’s the Passover to God.

12-13 “I will go through the land of Egypt on this night and strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, whether human or animal, and bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am God. The blood will serve as a sign on the houses where you live. When I see the blood, I will pass over you—no disaster will touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.

But not only is God going to protect the Jews, but He is instituting a festival for His people to celebrate forever.

14-16 “This will be a memorial day for you; you will celebrate it as a festival to God down through the generations, a fixed festival celebration to be observed always. You will eat unraised bread (matzoth) for seven days: On the first day get rid of all yeast from your houses—anyone who eats anything with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel. The first and the seventh days are set aside as holy; do no work on those days. Only what you have to do for meals; each person can do that.”

What’s the importance of leaven? Why is God forbidding anything that has leaven? Leaven symbolizes Egypt, for it is used to brew beer. God wants His people to get rid of ANYTHING that might remind them of Egypt and to continue to eat unraised bread for seven days so that they will definitely remember. And the festival is to last for a week with worship services on the first and seventh days so that people will respect the celebration as a major festival. Not only that, but anyone who breaks the terms of Passover is to be cut off from Israel, to be an outcast. Few things are more horrible than losing one’s national identity.

17-20 “Keep the Festival of Unraised Bread! This marks the exact day I brought you out in force from the land of Egypt. Honor the day down through your generations, a fixed festival to be observed always. In the first month, beginning on the fourteenth day at evening until the twenty-first day at evening, you are to eat unraised bread. For those seven days not a trace of yeast is to be found in your houses. Anyone, whether a visitor or a native of the land, who eats anything raised shall be cut off from the community of Israel. Don’t eat anything raised. Only matzoth.”

1-23 Moses assembled all the elders of Israel. He said, “Select a lamb for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the bowl of blood and smear it on the lintel and on the two doorposts. No one is to leave the house until morning. God will pass through to strike Egypt down. When he sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, God will pass over the doorway; he won’t let the destroyer enter your house to strike you down with ruin.

24-27 “Keep this word. It’s the law for you and your children, forever. When you enter the land which God will give you as he promised, keep doing this. And when your children say to you, ‘Why are we doing this?’ tell them: ‘It’s the Passover-sacrifice to God who passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt when he hit Egypt with death but rescued us.’”

The people bowed and worshiped.

28 The Israelites then went and did what God had commanded Moses and Aaron. They did it all.

Yeast has spiritual connotations. Centuries later, Saint Paul is writing to the Corinthians, castigating them for tolerating a grossly immoral situation within their church. Referring to God’s commands regarding Passover, Paul says, “Your flip and callous arrogance in these things bothers me. You pass it off as a small thing, but it’s anything but that. Yeast, too, is a “small thing,” but it works its way through a whole batch of bread dough pretty fast. So get rid of this “yeast.” Our true identity is flat and plain, not puffed up with the wrong kind of ingredient. The Messiah, our Passover Lamb, has already been sacrificed for the Passover meal, and we are the Unraised Bread part of the Feast. So let’s live out our part in the Feast, not as raised bread swollen with the yeast of evil, but as flat bread—simple, genuine, unpretentious.” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8)

God is about to deliver His people, but He wants to do it on His terms and not on theirs. The Israelites have no idea of what is about to happen; all they know for now is that they need to follow God’s instructions completely and to make sure they and their families are protected by the blood of the sacrificial lamb.

Later, Jesus will become the Lamb of God, giving His blood for the sins of the world. For those who believe in that ultimate sacrifice, God promises eternal life and joy with Him in heaven forever. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and nothing we do is good enough to make up for that sin or to earn our way into heaven. Lord, please forgive us our sins. We accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord. We thank You for the promises of eternal life. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Exodus 4:24-26 On the journey back, as they camped for the night, God met Moses and would have killed him but Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off her son’s foreskin, and touched Moses’ member with it. She said, “Oh! You’re a bridegroom of blood to me!” Then God let him go. She used the phrase “bridegroom of blood” because of the circumcision.

At first glance, this is a weird story! Read it again, and it seems even weirder! God has already interviewed Moses at the burning bush, ordering Moses to return to Egypt to deliver the Israelites. Moses and his family are on their way when God meets Moses and is about to kill him. Why??? That’s when Zipporah, Moses’ wife, quickly circumcises their son, touching Moses’ penis with the foreskin she has just removed. Zipporah proclaims that Moses is a “bridegroom of blood” to her because she has had to shed their son’s blood during the circumcision.

This story obviously describes a type of blood sacrifice Zipporah uses to save Moses’ life. But why is God trying to kill the man He has already ordained as His messenger? Despite the fact that Moses is a Jew and was undoubtedly circumcised as an infant, he has failed to circumcise his own son. Moses knows that God has ordered circumcision for all Jewish males. Who knows? Perhaps Moses has wanted to circumcise his son and Zipporah has refused. Now in desperation, Zipporah carries out the circumcision, saving Moses’ life in the process.

God knows what Moses is about to endure in Egypt, and He also knows that compromise is deadly. By this incident, God is warning Moses that Moses must obey implicitly-no second guessing, no half-hearted measures, no shilly-shallying. Nothing less than Moses’ complete obedience will succeed. It is estimated that the ancient Egyptians worshiped more than 2,000 gods. Although Moses might not realize it, God knows that Egypt is full of demons and is a Satanic stronghold. If Moses fails to obey in the slightest detail, Satan will be able to destroy Moses, Aaron, and the Jews. The fate of an entire nation-more than two million people-depends on Moses obeying in every particular, even something as small as the circumcision of a male infant.

We have been in missions nearly 38 years and have worked with several different groups. We can personally testify that failure to obey in the minutiae can result in disaster. In the Upper East Region of Ghana, there is a shrine whose keepers demand that anyone visiting must strip naked before entering the shrine. Friends of ours working with that people group told us the story of two young men who came in, eager to begin a ministry in that area. But full of curiosity, these men insisted they should visit this shrine before starting their work. As experienced missionaries steeped in the traditions and culture of the people, our friends did everything they could to convince these young men not to visit the shrine, but the young men went anyway. Somehow, after visiting the shrine, the enthusiasm for evangelism faded, and the young men left the country.

1 Samuel 15 tells the story of how King Saul lost his kingship. Samuel orders Saul to eradicate the Amalekites and everything they have; however, Saul saves Agag, the Amalekite king, and the best sheep and cattle. Saul’s disobedience costs him everything.

Then Samuel said, “Do you think all God wants are sacrifices—empty rituals just for show? He wants you to listen to him! Plain listening is the thing, not staging a lavish religious production. Not doing what God tells you is far worse than fooling around in the occult. Getting self-important around God is far worse than making deals with your dead ancestors. Because you said No to God’s command, he says No to your kingship.” 1 Samuel 15:22-23

Evidently, Moses learns this valuable lesson, for he continually obeys God throughout his ministry…until the day he loses his temper. The first time God brings water out of a rock, He orders Moses to strike it with his rod. But the second time God is going to bring water out of a rock, he orders Moses to speak to the rock. Frustrated and pushed to the limit by the strident demands of the Israelites, Moses makes a terrible mistake. Instead of speaking to the rock, he speaks to the people, saying, “Listen, rebels! Do we have to bring water out of this rock for you?” Then Moses strikes the rock twice. Sounds OK, right? Water gushes from the rock. But because Moses fails to completely follow God’s orders, he forfeits his chance to enter Canaan. Eventually, God will send Moses to the top of Mount Nebo and show him Canaan, but Moses will die without entering it after forty years of successfully leading the Israelites, all because he failed to honor God at Meribah. (The name “Meribah” means “bickering.”)

What can we learn from the short story of Zipporah’s blood sacrifice? Don’t joke with God! God is not a God of confusion but a God of peace. When God tells you to do something, obey without questioning. “But,” you complain, “how can I possibly know what God wants?”

George Mueller founded orphanages that cared for more than 10,000 children, supported many ministries, and circled the globe preaching and teaching. Mr. Mueller was a great man of faith. Here is his testimony about ascertaining the will of God:

1. I seek in the beginning to get my heart into such a state that it has no will of its own in regard to a given matter. Nine-tenths of the trouble with people is right here. Nine-tenths of the difficulties are overcome when our hearts are ready to do the Lords’ will, whatever it may be. When one is truly in this state it is usually but a little way to the knowledge of what His will is.
2. Having surrendered my own will, I do not leave the result to feeling or simply impressions. If I do so, I make myself liable to great delusions.
3. I seek the will of the Spirit of God through, or in connection with the Word of God. The Spirit and the Word must be combined. If the Holy Ghost guides us at all, He will do it according to the Scriptures and never contrary to them.
4. Next, I take into account providential circumstances. These often plainly indicate God’s will in connection with His Word and Spirit.
5. I ask God in prayer to reveal His will to me aright.

Thus, through prayer to God, the study of His Word, and reflection, I come to a deliberate judgment and if my mind is thus at peace and continues so after two or three more petitions, I proceed accordingly. In trivial matters and in transactions involving most important issues, I have found this method always effective. (Quoted in November 10^th Springs in the Valley Devotional.)

Want God’s results in your life? Do God’s will! As Samuel told Saul, “Obedience is better than sacrifice.”

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to obey You in the small things as well as the big ones. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

 Genesis35:1 God spoke to Jacob: “Go back to Bethel. Stay there and build an altar to the God who revealed himself to you when you were running for your life from your brother Esau.”

2-3 Jacob told his family and all those who lived with him, “Throw out all the alien gods which you have, take a good bath and put on clean clothes, we’re going to Bethel. I’m going to build an altar there to the God who answered me when I was in trouble and has stuck with me everywhere I’ve gone since.”

4-5 They turned over to Jacob all the alien gods they’d been holding on to, along with their lucky-charm earrings. Jacob buried them under the oak tree in Shechem. Then they set out. A paralyzing fear descended on all the surrounding villages so that they were unable to pursue the sons of Jacob.

6-7 Jacob and his company arrived at Luz, that is, Bethel, in the land of Canaan. He built an altar there and named it El-Bethel (God-of-Bethel) because that’s where God revealed himself to him when he was running from his brother.

8 And that’s when Rebekah’s nurse, Deborah, died. She was buried just below Bethel under the oak tree. It was named Allon-Bacuth (Weeping-Oak).

9-10 God revealed himself once again to Jacob, after he had come back from Paddan Aram and blessed him: “Your name is Jacob (Heel); but that’s your name no longer. From now on your name is Israel (God-Wrestler).”

11-12 God continued, “I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation—a whole company of nations!—will come from you. Kings will come from your loins; the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants.”

13 And then God was gone, ascended from the place where he had spoken with him.

14-15 Jacob set up a stone pillar on the spot where God had spoken with him. He poured a drink offering on it and anointed it with oil. Jacob dedicated the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel (God’s-House).

Although this map is entitled “Abraham in the Promised Land,” it also shows important locations for Jacob. Jacob has been staying north near Shechem; now God orders him to return to Bethel to worship. Jacob has few illusions about his family or his servants, for he knows they have amulets, trinkets, and all kinds of household gods they have been carrying around. But for this company to meet the One True Living God, all that stuff has to go completely. In addition, Jacob orders everybody to bathe and don clean clothes. In a land where water is scarce and herdsmen fight over water rights, bathing is a big deal. But those in Jacob’s company can’t argue with the way God has prospered Jacob, so they comply. Rather than save all that gold and silver in those charms and amulets and statues, Jacob buries everything under one giant oak tree.

When Jacob leaves for Bethel, God sends the fear of Him on all the surrounding tribes so they leave Jacob and his company strictly alone. Jacob reaches Bethel and builds an altar on which he makes sacrifices, and God meets him there.  

9-13 God revealed himself once again to Jacob, after he had come back from Paddan Aram and blessed him: “Your name is Jacob (Heel); but that’s your name no longer. From now on your name is Israel (God-Wrestler).” God continued, “I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation—a whole company of nations!—will come from you. Kings will come from your loins; the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants.” And then God was gone, ascended from the place where he had spoken with him.

Once God leaves, Jacob sets up a stone pillar, pouring a drink offering on it and anointing it with oil of dedication. Then Jacob calls that pillar “Bethel” or “God’s house.”

By now, you’re probably getting tired of all these stories about altars and blood sacrifices. Big deal! What’s so important about this particular story? Actually, quite a few things. First, there’s the preparations. For many of us, taking our kids to church on Sunday morning is enough of an ordeal, but Jacob is moving flocks and herds and perhaps 100 or more people from Shechem down to Bethel.

Next, there’s the preparation for worship. No matter whether these people choose to worship Jacob’s God or not, Jacob demands that they hand over all their pagan jewelry and statues. Jacob doesn’t want anybody sneaking off to worship a sun god or a star god while he is meeting with the One True Living God. And Jacob demands that his people bathe and put on clean clothes as a sign of respect for God, which means that they must also wash those clothes. In a place where water is scarce, bathing and doing washing takes a lot of water and a lot of work. And then when the company reaches Bethel, everybody must behave properly. While the Scripture doesn’t mention it, I am certain that Jacob puts out the word-no drunkenness, no parties, no unnecessary noise. Keep the herds away from the altar area so they don’t make a clamor and defecate all over the place.

At the end of this story, Jacob erects a pillar, a standing stone for remembrance, and pours out a drink offering before anointing it with oil. I’m sure Jacob uses the best wine and the best oil available; after all, God has just made incredible promises and has re-confirmed Jacob as Israel, “God-Wrestler.” For the rest of Jacob’s life, whenever he passes that way, he will see that pillar and remember the day he met with God.

As we read these verses, the question for us is simple: How much do we respect God? Are we treating God as some kind of a divine dispensing machine-put in a prayer and get an answer? When we pray, do we remember that we are meeting with the One who has created everything around us? Are we disrespectful or casual? And do we misuse God’s name, texting “OMG!” without thinking about it? God still meets people and gives them new names. But we must be willing to slow down, to be quiet, and to wait silently for Him to speak to our hearts. May God help us to be good listeners!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to listen reverently and quietly for Your Voice. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 33:1-4 Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with his four hundred men. He divided the children between Leah and Rachel and the two maidservants. He put the maidservants out in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph last. He led the way and, as he approached his brother, bowed seven times, honoring his brother. But Esau ran up and embraced him, held him tight and kissed him. And they both wept.

5 Then Esau looked around and saw the women and children: “And who are these with you?”

Jacob said, “The children that God saw fit to bless me with.”

6-7 Then the maidservants came up with their children and bowed; then Leah and her children, also bowing; and finally, Joseph and Rachel came up and bowed to Esau.

8 Esau then asked, “And what was the meaning of all those herds that I met?”

“I was hoping that they would pave the way for my master to welcome me.”

9 Esau said, “Oh, brother. I have plenty of everything—keep what is yours for yourself.”

10-11 Jacob said, “Please. If you can find it in your heart to welcome me, accept these gifts. When I saw your face, it was as the face of God smiling on me. Accept the gifts I have brought for you. God has been good to me and I have more than enough.” Jacob urged the gifts on him and Esau accepted.

12 Then Esau said, “Let’s start out on our way; I’ll take the lead.”

13-14 But Jacob said, “My master can see that the children are frail. And the flocks and herds are nursing, making for slow going. If I push them too hard, even for a day, I’d lose them all. So, master, you go on ahead of your servant, while I take it easy at the pace of my flocks and children. I’ll catch up with you in Seir.”

15 Esau said, “Let me at least lend you some of my men.”

“There’s no need,” said Jacob. “Your generous welcome is all I need or want.”

16 So Esau set out that day and made his way back to Seir.

17 And Jacob left for Succoth. He built a shelter for himself and sheds for his livestock. That’s how the place came to be called Succoth (Sheds).

18-20 And that’s how it happened that Jacob arrived all in one piece in Shechem in the land of Canaan—all the way from Paddan Aram. He camped near the city. He bought the land where he pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem. He paid a hundred silver coins for it. Then he built an altar there and named it El-Elohe-Israel (Mighty Is the God of Israel).

It’s an absolute miracle! After weeks of agonizing over how to handle the meeting with Esau, Jacob finds that God has already been working in Esau’s heart. Esau has just arrived heading an army of 400 warriors. Trembling with fear, Jacob leads the way, followed by the maid servants with their children, Leah with her children, and finally, Rachel and Joseph. To indicate complete subservience, Jacob approaches Esau, falling to his knees and bowing seven times. But Esau runs to Jacob, pulling him up from the ground, hugging him and kissing him, weeping as he does so. When Jacob realizes what Esau is doing, he immediately bursts into tears as well. Jacob is weeping for two reasons: he’s weeping at the sight of his brother but also with relief that Esau is not going to slaughter his family and him.

Eventually, Esau takes the lead back to Canaan and Jacob settles near Shechem. In gratitude for all God has done, Jacob builds an altar and names it El-Elohe-Israel, or “Mighty is the God of Israel.” Although the Bible doesn’t specifically mention blood sacrifices, nobody builds an altar unless they are going to perform sacrifices as well. Why would Jacob do such a thing? Jacob left Canaan as a penniless young man, running for his life. Now Jacob has 2 wives, 2 concubines, 11 sons, and so much livestock that he can afford to give Esau herds as a present. Genesis 32:13-15 tells us, “Then he prepared a present for his brother Esau from his possessions: two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty camels with their nursing young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys.” Not only has God prospered Jacob, but He has also given Jacob a special blessing.

These days, we don’t perform animal sacrifices to show our gratitude. But there are still other ways we can make sacrifices. We can sacrifice our time, our money, or our talents. We can see those around us who are suffering. I have become addicted to online stories about people like store clerks, waiters and waitresses, laundromat attendants, janitors, school crossing guards, and school lunch ladies who notice those quietly suffering and begin doing small things to relieve that suffering and encourage those struggling to survive. One farmer in the American South quietly donated money to a local pharmacy for years so that those short of funds would still be able to fill their prescriptions.

Never underestimate the value of small donations. The used clothing you have in your closet might bless someone who is shivering in rags. Those running shoes you aren’t wearing because they look shabby would warm someone else’s feet. The trick is to find ways of connecting people in need with the answers to their needs. Some people can’t even afford the small amounts of money charged at resale shops such as Salvation Army or St. Vincent de Paul.

My husband and I help patients and their families make up the difference in their bills, and sometimes the amounts that help are less than the cedi equivalent of $3. But for people who have nothing, those small amounts mean the difference between their successful discharge from the hospital or being forced to remain in hopes that a relative will bring money from the village. Sadly, those in the village are just as poor as the patients and their families, making discharge difficult.

I do not tell these stories to boast, for we feel we must help. We give because God impels us to do so. But we also give out of gratitude, knowing that no matter how much we give, God will always bring more so that we can help more people. You cannot out-give God.

May God help each one of us so that we will find new ways of sacrificing and honoring Him as we do so!

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to give as You lead us, knowing that You can always provide more. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 32:32 1-2 And Jacob went his way. Angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, “Oh! God’s Camp!” And he named the place Mahanaim (Campground).

3-5 Then Jacob sent messengers on ahead to his brother Esau in the land of Seir in Edom. He instructed them: “Tell my master Esau this, ‘A message from your servant Jacob: I’ve been staying with Laban and couldn’t get away until now. I’ve acquired cattle and donkeys and sheep; also men and women servants. I’m telling you all this, my master, hoping for your approval.’”

6 The messengers came back to Jacob and said, “We talked to your brother Esau and he’s on his way to meet you. But he has four hundred men with him.”

7-8 Jacob was scared. Very scared. Panicked, he divided his people, sheep, cattle, and camels into two camps. He thought, “If Esau comes on the first camp and attacks it, the other camp has a chance to get away.”

9-12 And then Jacob prayed, “God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, God who told me, ‘Go back to your parents’ homeland and I’ll treat you well.’ I don’t deserve all the love and loyalty you’ve shown me. When I left here and crossed the Jordan, I only had the clothes on my back, and now look at me—two camps! Save me, please, from the violence of my brother, my angry brother! I’m afraid he’ll come and attack us all, me, the mothers and the children. You yourself said, ‘I will treat you well; I’ll make your descendants like the sands of the sea, far too many to count.’”

13-16 He slept the night there. Then he prepared a present for his brother Esau from his possessions: two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty camels with their nursing young, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He put a servant in charge of each herd and said, “Go ahead of me and keep a healthy space between each herd.”

17-18 Then he instructed the first one out: “When my brother Esau comes close and asks, ‘Who is your master? Where are you going? Who owns these?’—answer him like this, ‘Your servant Jacob. They are a gift to my master Esau. He’s on his way.’”

19-20 He gave the same instructions to the second servant and to the third—to each in turn as they set out with their herds: “Say ‘Your servant Jacob is on his way behind us.’” He thought, “I will soften him up with the succession of gifts. Then when he sees me face-to-face, maybe he’ll be glad to welcome me.”

21 So his gifts went before him while he settled down for the night in the camp.

22-23 But during the night he got up and took his two wives, his two maidservants, and his eleven children and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He got them safely across the brook along with all his possessions.

24-25 But Jacob stayed behind by himself, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he couldn’t get the best of Jacob as they wrestled, he deliberately threw Jacob’s hip out of joint.

26 The man said, “Let me go; it’s daybreak.”

Jacob said, “I’m not letting you go ’til you bless me.”

27 The man said, “What’s your name?”

He answered, “Jacob.”

28 The man said, “But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it’s Israel (God-Wrestler); you’ve wrestled with God and you’ve come through.”

29 Jacob asked, “And what’s your name?”

The man said, “Why do you want to know my name?” And then, right then and there, he blessed him.

30 Jacob named the place Peniel (God’s Face) because, he said, “I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!”

31-32 The sun came up as he left Peniel, limping because of his hip. (This is why Israelites to this day don’t eat the hip muscle; because Jacob’s hip was thrown out of joint.)

Jacob is paralyzed with fear! God has commanded Jacob to return to his family; however, Jacob fled originally because he feared his angry twin Esau was going to kill him. If Jacob has prospered and has become wealthy with wives and children and servants, what about Esau? When Jacob messages Esau that he is coming, the messengers report that Esau is heading toward Jacob with 400 fighting men, undoubtedly as tough and fearless as Esau. Jacob divides his camp into two groups in hopes that one will survive Esau’s attacks and then to soften Esau’s heart, Jacob sends three different groups of livestock as a present for Esau. Finally, Jacob sends his wives and children across the ford of Jabbok, remaining alone; that’s when God meets Jacob.

God in the form of a man wrestles with Jacob and finally dislocates Jacob’s hip to end the contest.

26 The man said, “Let me go; it’s daybreak.”

Jacob said, “I’m not letting you go ’til you bless me.”

27 The man said, “What’s your name?”

He answered, “Jacob.”

28 The man said, “But no longer. Your name is no longer Jacob. From now on it’s Israel (God-Wrestler); you’ve wrestled with God and you’ve come through.”

29 Jacob asked, “And what’s your name?”

The man said, “Why do you want to know my name?” And then, right then and there, he blessed him.

30 Jacob named the place Peniel (God’s Face) because, he said, “I saw God face-to-face and lived to tell the story!”

Jacob’s first encounter with God is when he is a lonely fugitive fleeing for his life. Now once more, Jacob is alone, fearing for his life and the lives of all who are traveling with him. God has blessed Jacob abundantly; however, Jacob fears that all these blessings are about to evaporate as Esau takes revenge. At this point, Jacob might be agonizing over all his previous trickery, realizing that God has blessed him in spite of his lies and cheating, not because of them.

Suddenly, a man appears and grabs hold of Jacob, beginning to wrestle with him. After twenty years of herding sheep in the wilderness, Jacob is tough and wiry. The soft spoiled mama’s boy is gone, and Jacob is both strong and quick. The two opponents are closely matched, and hours go by with neither gaining an advantage over the other. Finally, the day is breaking, and Jacob senses that something new is about to happen. When Jacob’s opponent requests release, Jacob demands a blessing. Jacob’s opponent gives him a new name, “Israel-God Wrestler,” indicating that he has wrestled with God and has prevailed. That’s when Jacob suddenly realizes that he has been wrestling with God in human form and that he only remains alive because God is merciful.

In this part of Jacob’s story, Jacob himself becomes a living sacrifice. For the rest of his life, Jacob will limp due to his hip injury. Anytime the weather changes, anytime Jacob has traveled long distances, or even in the middle of the night, when that hip hurts, Jacob will remember his wrestling match with God and God’s words. Jacob has put his life on the line, and God has blessed him and given him a new name, one with the promise of a bright future. The more Jacob considers this encounter, the more he realizes that God could have made a swift end of him. But God knew precisely how strong Jacob was and tempered his strength to that of Jacob. Notice also that Jacob did not give up, despite being exhausted. It was God who called a halt to the wrestling match, not Jacob. Jacob had no idea how this thing was supposed to end; he only knew that he had to hold on as long as possible. By being persistent, Jacob has won a new name and has secured all the promises God has made to him.

There are times in our lives when we feel called to take a stand, but then find ourselves alone and exposed. Those are the times when we must choose: Will we stand for God or will we falter and hide, hoping we won’t suffer? Romans 12:1-2 tells us, “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”

1 Peter 2:21-25 tells us, “This is the kind of life you’ve been invited into, the kind of life Christ lived. He suffered everything that came his way so you would know that it could be done, and also know how to do it, step-by-step. He never did one thing wrong, not once said anything amiss. They called him every name in the book and he said nothing back. He suffered in silence, content to let God set things right. He used his servant body to carry our sins to the Cross so we could be rid of sin, free to live the right way. His wounds became your healing. You were lost sheep with no idea who you were or where you were going. Now you’re named and kept for good by the Shepherd of your souls.”

In the history of the world, there has only been one human blood sacrifice that God has approved, the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. True, there have been millions of saints and martyrs who have voluntarily laid down their lives for others, but those sacrifices are of a different nature and cannot deliver anyone from their sins. But we can give ourselves as a living sacrifice to God so that He can use us as He wishes. If you love someone deeply, you will do anything to please them. God’s love for us is beyond our comprehension, for He has sent Jesus to die for all of our sins, no matter how terrible. When we offer God our lives, we are giving Him the best gift possible. Let us constantly and daily live with the eyes of our spirits fixed on God so that He can guide us into all truth.

PRAYER:  Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, You have promised us eternal life if we will only believe in Christ Jesus and accept what he has already done for us. Lord, we confess that we are sinners and without You, we have no hope. We give our lives to You; help us to fulfill Your perfect Will for our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 31:1-2 Jacob learned that Laban’s sons were talking behind his back: “Jacob has used our father’s wealth to make himself rich at our father’s expense.” At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him. He wasn’t treating him the same.

3 That’s when God said to Jacob, “Go back home where you were born. I’ll go with you.”

4-9 So Jacob sent word for Rachel and Leah to meet him out in the field where his flocks were. He said, “I notice that your father has changed toward me; he doesn’t treat me the same as before. But the God of my father hasn’t changed; he’s still with me. You know how hard I’ve worked for your father. Still, your father has cheated me over and over, changing my wages time and again. But God never let him really hurt me. If he said, ‘Your wages will consist of speckled animals’ the whole flock would start having speckled lambs and kids. And if he said, ‘From now on your wages will be streaked animals’ the whole flock would have streaked ones. Over and over God used your father’s livestock to reward me.

10-11 “Once, while the flocks were mating, I had a dream and saw the billy goats, all of them streaked, speckled, and mottled, mounting their mates. In the dream an angel of God called out to me, ‘Jacob!’

“I said, ‘Yes?’

12-13 “He said, ‘Watch closely. Notice that all the goats in the flock that are mating are streaked, speckled, and mottled. I know what Laban’s been doing to you. I’m the God of Bethel where you consecrated a pillar and made a vow to me. Now be on your way, get out of this place, go home to your birthplace.’”

14-16 Rachel and Leah said, “Has he treated us any better? Aren’t we treated worse than outsiders? All he wanted was the money he got from selling us, and he’s spent all that. Any wealth that God has seen fit to return to us from our father is justly ours and our children’s. Go ahead. Do what God told you.”

Well, tricky Jacob has suffered at the hands of his equally tricky Uncle Laban for twenty years. But despite all Laban’s cheating, God has prospered Jacob to the point that his cousins are muttering threats. Jacob’s wives complain that they are treated worse than strangers-something unthinkable in this culture. So, Jacob and his family take off for Canaan.

17-18 Jacob did it. He put his children and his wives on camels and gathered all his livestock and everything he had gotten, everything acquired in Paddan Aram, to go back home to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19-21 Laban was off shearing sheep. Rachel stole her father’s household gods. And Jacob had concealed his plans so well that Laban the Aramean had no idea what was going on—he was totally in the dark. Jacob got away with everything he had and was soon across the Euphrates headed for the hill country of Gilead.

22-24 Three days later, Laban got the news: “Jacob’s run off.” Laban rounded up his relatives and chased after him. Seven days later they caught up with him in the hill country of Gilead. That night God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream and said, “Be careful what you do to Jacob, whether good or bad.”

25 When Laban reached him, Jacob’s tents were pitched in the Gilead mountains; Laban pitched his tents there, too.

26-30 “What do you mean,” said Laban, “by keeping me in the dark and sneaking off, hauling my daughters off like prisoners of war? Why did you run off like a thief in the night? Why didn’t you tell me? Why, I would have sent you off with a great celebration—music, timbrels, flutes! But you wouldn’t permit me so much as a kiss for my daughters and grandchildren. It was a stupid thing for you to do. If I had a mind to, I could destroy you right now, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, ‘Be careful what you do to Jacob, whether good or bad.’ I understand. You left because you were homesick. But why did you steal my household gods?”

31-32 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid. I thought you would take your daughters away from me by brute force. But as far as your gods are concerned, if you find that anybody here has them, that person dies. With all of us watching, look around. If you find anything here that belongs to you, take it.” Jacob didn’t know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

33-35 Laban went through Jacob’s tent, Leah’s tent, and the tents of the two maids but didn’t find them. He went from Leah’s tent to Rachel’s. But Rachel had taken the household gods, put them inside a camel cushion, and was sitting on them. When Laban had gone through the tent, searching high and low without finding a thing, Rachel said to her father, “Don’t think I’m being disrespectful, my master, that I can’t stand before you, but I’m having my period.” So even though he turned the place upside down in his search, he didn’t find the household gods.

36-37 Now it was Jacob’s turn to get angry. He lit into Laban: “So what’s my crime, what wrong have I done you that you badger me like this? You’ve ransacked the place. Have you turned up a single thing that’s yours? Let’s see it—display the evidence. Our two families can be the jury and decide between us.

38-42 “In the twenty years I’ve worked for you, ewes and she-goats never miscarried. I never feasted on the rams from your flock. I never brought you a torn carcass killed by wild animals but that I paid for it out of my own pocket—actually, you made me pay whether it was my fault or not. I was out in all kinds of weather, from torrid heat to freezing cold, putting in many a sleepless night. For twenty years I’ve done this: I slaved away fourteen years for your two daughters and another six years for your flock and you changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not stuck with me, you would have sent me off penniless. But God saw the fix I was in and how hard I had worked and last night rendered his verdict.”

43-44 Laban defended himself: “The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flock is my flock—everything you see is mine. But what can I do about my daughters or for the children they’ve had? So let’s settle things between us, make a covenant—God will be the witness between us.”

45 Jacob took a stone and set it upright as a pillar.

46-47 Jacob called his family around, “Get stones!” They gathered stones and heaped them up and then ate there beside the pile of stones. Laban named it in Aramaic, Yegar-sahadutha (Witness Monument); Jacob echoed the naming in Hebrew, Galeed (Witness Monument).

48-50 Laban said, “This monument of stones will be a witness, beginning now, between you and me.” (That’s why it is called Galeed—Witness Monument.) It is also called Mizpah (Watchtower) because Laban said, “God keep watch between you and me when we are out of each other’s sight. If you mistreat my daughters or take other wives when there’s no one around to see you, God will see you and stand witness between us.”

51-53 Laban continued to Jacob, “This monument of stones and this stone pillar that I have set up is a witness, a witness that I won’t cross this line to hurt you and you won’t cross this line to hurt me. The God of Abraham and the God of Nahor (the God of their ancestor) will keep things straight between us.”

53-55 Jacob promised, swearing by the Fear, the God of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain and worshiped, calling in all his family members to the meal. They ate and slept that night on the mountain. Laban got up early the next morning, kissed his grandchildren and his daughters, blessed them, and then set off for home.

Laban really can’t build a case against Jacob and he knows it; therefore, Laban saves face by erecting a monument of stones marking a boundary of peace between Laban and Jacob. To seal the agreement, Jacob offers sacrifices and worships, involving the entire family. Traditionally, eating meat from the sacrifice indicates participation in the sacrifice, making everyone in the family a party to this agreement. Once more, blood sacrifices indicate the absolute nature of this agreement. The implication is that breaking this treaty will result in bloodshed.

When we make agreements, how serious are we? Do we mean what we say, or are we hoping to go back on our word? May God help us to remain honest.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to be people of our word, no matter what. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.

Genesis28:10-12 Jacob left Beersheba and went to Haran. He came to a certain place and camped for the night since the sun had set. He took one of the stones there, set it under his head and lay down to sleep. And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground and it reached all the way to the sky; angels of God were going up and going down on it.

13-15 Then God was right before him, saying, “I am God, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. I’m giving the ground on which you are sleeping to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will be as the dust of the Earth; they’ll stretch from west to east and from north to south. All the families of the Earth will bless themselves in you and your descendants. Yes. I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you.”

16-17 Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, “God is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!” He was terrified. He whispered in awe, “Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven.”

18-19 Jacob was up first thing in the morning. He took the stone he had used for his pillow and stood it up as a memorial pillar and poured oil over it. He christened the place Bethel (God’s House). The name of the town had been Luz until then.

20-22 Jacob vowed a vow: “If God stands by me and protects me on this journey on which I’m setting out, keeps me in food and clothing, and brings me back in one piece to my father’s house, this God will be my God. This stone that I have set up as a memorial pillar will mark this as a place where God lives. And everything you give me, I’ll return a tenth to you.”

Jacob is leaving before his twin Esau can kill him. After tricking Isaac into giving the blessing that should have gone to Esau, Jacob is heading eastward to stay with his mother’s brother Laban. At this point, Jacob might be by himself or only leading a donkey; certainly, there is nobody else around the night Jacob has his magnificent vision. God speaks to Jacob, making incredible promises to him. In the morning, Jacob takes the stone he has used as a pillow and stands it up as a memorial pillar, pouring oil over it. Not only does Jacob christen this place as Bethel, the House of God, but Jacob also promises that if God will protect him and prosper him, when Jacob returns this way, he will give a tenth of his possessions to God.

Jacob has no animals with him, so he uses the only thing he has to make an offering, the anointing oil he carries with him as part of his daily toilet. This oil is likely quite precious and one of the most expensive things Jacob has; therefore, it is a valid sacrifice. The stone acts as a type of altar. Although Jacob is not slaughtering animals, this offering is just as binding as any animal sacrifice might be. God has made His promises and now Jacob responds to seal the covenant.

At this point in the story, we might question what God is up to. Here is this guy who has deceived and cheated his brother out of his birthright as well as his father’s blessing. This man doesn’t exactly look like patriarchal material, for goodness’ sake. But God knows what he’s doing. Even though Jacob is sneaky and a cheat, God is going to take him through decades of training. By the time Jacob is through working for Laban, he will be a far better man and will have learned to listen to God and to rely on God.

Despite all his failings, Jacob does one thing right: he responds to God’s promises by making the only sacrifice he can under limited circumstances. God is wonderful, for He always meets us where we are and then develops us from there if we will only let Him.

Today, ask God what He wants to do with you. After all, God took Jacob from being a penniless fugitive to become a father of nations and one of the heroes of the faith. Let’s pray.

PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, here we are. We give You our hearts and our lives. Please guide us and help us to fulfill Your perfect Will for us. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.