Week 34, Day 4: The Temptation to Co-Exist
Today’s Reading: Genesis 34:1-31
Some thoughts from the reading…
Throughout the history of the Israelites, we see the temptation for them to co-exist with the idolatrous, wicked people of the land of Canaan. In Genesis 34, we see that very problem. One of Jacob’s daughters, Dinah, was raped by one of the men of Shechem. He “loved” her, and so pushed for an active relationship developed between the people of Jacob, and his own people.
Two of Dinah’s brothers devised the plan to convince all of the men of Shechem to become circumcised to become like the people of Jacob. When they were in pain from the procedure, Levi and Simeon went into the city and slew all of the men, and stole their sister back to their own camp. They were not going to tolerate the defilement of their sister, and took bold action to punish the wrong doers.
It is very interesting to see that these sons of Jacob used the invitation of co-existing to set their trap with the men of Shechem. The Israelites, from the time of Abraham, have been told to keep themselves separate from the sinful people around them. And yet, here they were flirting with (albeit deceptively) with the possibility of having a close relationship with the Canaanites. As we continue to follow the history of the Israelites, we will see that they will begin to encourage c0-existence with their neighbors in earnest. This is one of the very things that causes the downfall of the nation! They were unable to fight against the idolatry that is brought into their midst from those in the land around them. This is one of the very reasons that God specified that they were to keep themselves separated from those around them. If they had just obeyed God in this, they would have been much better off!
Question: What lessons should we learn from the warnings given to the Israelites dealing with their co-existing with the people of Canaan?
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Week 34, Day 3: Unintended Consequences…
Today’s Reading: Genesis 33:1-20
Some thoughts from the reading…
Yesterday, we saw that Jacob was afraid to go back to Canaan because he was afraid of his brother, Esau. Even after 20 years, he was afraid that Esau would still want to kill him. Fortunately for Jacob, Esau had been able to come to come to a point of forgiveness. It is hard to believe, after all that Jacob did to Esau, that he was able to forgive Jacob’s actions, and relent from attacking him and his family.
This seems to be such a heartwarming story, of two brothers reunited. However, the story does not end there. As we continue to read through the Old Testament, we find that there was a constant rift between the people of Esau and the people of Jacob. We will see that there will be a hatred between the Edomites and the Israelites that will even end up being the source of prophecies sent by God (such as the book of Obadiah, and parts of the book of Ezekiel).
This was certainly an “unintended consequence” to Jacob’s actions. He probably never thought that his actions could lead to a hatred between two established nations! This was a fulfillment of prophecies that had been made to Rebekah while she was still expecting these twins. It is certainly interesting to note just how things prophesied by God comes to pass.
Often, there are unintended consequences (as we saw yesterday as well) to our actions. We don’t look far enough ahead to see how our actions will cause problems for others in the future, even beyond the problems that they cause for us. We need to remember this example, so that we will not make the kind of poor choices that cause these types of problems for ourselves, and generations that follow us!
Question: Why do you think most people don’t think far enough ahead to avoid these kinds of unintended consequences?
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Week 34, Day 2: The Peace Offering…
Today’s Reading: Genesis 32:1-32
Some thoughts from the reading…
In chapter 32 of Genesis, we read about Jacob’s return to his homeland. He was afraid to go home, over 20 years later, because he thought his brother was still mad at him. Of course, Esau had every right to be angry, as he had been cheated out of both his birthright and his blessing. Jacob went to great extremes to make sure that he could get at least part of his entourage out of the area if Esau attacked them. He also prepared a huge pay off to try and appease Esau, a type of “peace offering” for his brother.
This account tells us about the “unintended consequences” that sometimes come from our actions. Surely Jacob didn’t really think about what would happen to his relationship with his brother if he went forward with his plan. Or perhaps he didn’t really care what his brother would do at that moment in time. But, as he got older, and decided that he wanted to go home, he had to face the fact that he had mistreated his brother, and try to make amends.
Looking back, it is pretty easy to see how he could have avoided this uneasiness with his brother. He could have treated him fairly, and not tried to steal things from him. But, hindsight, as they say, is 20-20. Because of his misstep, he had to go to these great extremes to protect his family and himself from the wrath of Esau.
How often do we do something that is unkind to our brother (spiritual or physical) that makes us do something later on to try and correct, or appease him? If we would just treat them right in the first place, we wouldn’t have try and make amends! But, often, we don’t think far enough ahead to see the consequences of our actions. We are selfish, and do what is best for us, regardless of what it does for our brethren. We need to take a lesson from Jacob, and try to avoid the actions that lead to problems in the first place, so that we don’t have to work so hard to repair relationships later on!
Question: What can we do to make sure we don’t have to make peace offerings to our brethren today?
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Week 34, Day 1: Jacob Flees From Laban
Today’s Reading: Genesis 31:1-55
Some thoughts from the reading…
Sometimes things just don’t work out the way you plan. You can have an idea of what you think will happen, but in the end, it works out a completely different way. That seems to be the story of Jacob’s life. Remember, he worked for Laban for 7 years, only to be tricked into marrying his eldest daughter, Leah. He then had to work another 7 years to complete his requirement for marrying Rachel. After that, he worked another 6 years to develop his own herd so that he would not have to leave and head back to Canaan empty handed. Also remember, he had left his home so that he could get away from Esau, who was angry with him and going to kill him. His mother had told him to leave for a few days, so that he could preserve his life. That “few days” has turned into 20 years! That was certainly not what Jacob had planned.
In our reading today, we see that Jacob had to flee from Laban, because he was afraid that he would take his wives away from him, or take his flocks back. That was certainly not what Jacob had planned on. He had had a fairly good relationship (it seems) with Laban up to that point. He also did not know that Rachel stole the household idol of her father when she left. That caused Laban to pursue them, and even caused Jacob to rashly promise that the perpetrator would be killed, if found. Fortunately, Rachel tricked her father, and kept the idol hidden.
I think there is a lesson for us in all of this. We need to learn that even if we make plans, they are not always going to come to fruition just as we plan. We need to rely upon God, just as Jacob was doing during this 20 years, for things to work out the way that is best for us. Sometimes it is hard for us to put that kind of confidence in God, but we need to have full confidence in Him! We can trust that He will care for us, giving us all that we need. He can providentially preserve us, and see to it that we are taken care of.
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Week 33, Day 5: Jacob’s Wealth
Today’s Reading: Genesis 30:1-43
Some thoughts from the reading…
Genesis chapter 30 shows how God took care of Jacob and provided for him. We see the birth of most of Jacob’s sons in this chapter, through his two wives and their handmaids. We also see the development of the wealth of Jacob. He worked for Laban for 14 years, and gained two wives, but he had not developed any wealth of his own. When he decided it was time to go home, Laban convinced him to stay a while longer so that he could pay him for his efforts. Jacob devised a plan, by which he would be able to attain some wealth (flocks and herds) from Laban. He determined (and Laban agreed) that he would take all of the speckled and spotted goats, and the brown sheep. Evidently, these animals would be the rare ones, else Laban would not agree to it. Jacob sorted the animals, and then sent his herds away from Laban’s. Then, as he began to breed the flocks of Laban, he put rods before the sheep and goats that had the bark peeled off, causing them to bear speckled and spotted offspring. It is pretty evident that doing such a thing would not do anything for the conception rate of spotted and speckled offspring, under normal conditions. But, God was with Jacob, and He saw to it that the flocks produced a lot of these spotted and speckled kids. In this way, God saw to it that Jacob became very rich!
Notice that Jacob did not leave his prosperity solely in the hands of God. He went forth and worked for it. He trusted in God, and knew that God would provide for him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have to work to produce his own wealth. There is a lesson for us in that as well. We need to recognize that all of our blessings come from God, but He has not told us that He will bless us without us ever doing anything. In fact, He has been very clear about our need to work and provide for our own (1 Thessalonians 4:11, 1 Timothy 5:8)! We must put our trust in God to provide, but we also need to work to provide for ourselves. God will do His part (He always does) but we must also be committed to doing our part!
Question: What type of “wealth” do you think we should try to accumulate today?
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Week 33, Day 4: What Goes Around…
Today’s Reading: Genesis 29:1-35
Some thoughts from the reading…
There is an old saying, “What goes around, comes around.” Basically, this means that if you mistreat someone, then eventually, that same treatment is going to come back to bite you. That is what happened to Jacob. He had deceived his brother, and his father to get what he wanted. But, when he made his way to Haran, where he went to find a wife, he was deceived by Laban. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Jacob fell in love with the younger, Rachel. He agreed to work for Laban for 7 years if he could have Rachel for his wife. His love was so great for Rachel that the 7 years passed and seemed to Jacob as only a few days (Genesis 29:20). When the time came for Jacob to receive Rachel as his wife, Laban threw a party, and then sent Leah instead of Rachel into Jacob’s tent. Perhaps Jacob was drunk, or perhaps it was just too dark for him to see, but he didn’t realize that he had consummated his marriage to Leah instead of Rachel until the next morning! He had been deceived into taking the older daughter, because Laban could not marry off the younger before the older (Genesis 29:26). Laban did agree to give Jacob Rachel as well, but only after deceiving Jacob into marrying Leah.
This is an interesting concept. It should make us think about how we treat other people. If we are mean spirited, or deceitful to others, that will probably come back to haunt us. Others will tend to treat us the same way that we treat them. Of course, this does not mean that others will always treat us well if we are always acting right. However, people will tend to treat us well if we treat them well. This takes us back to Jesus’ teaching that has been called the “Golden Rule” in Matthew 7:12:
12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Question: What else might we do to ensure that others treat us considerately?
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Week 33, Day 3: The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Today’s Reading: Genesis 28:1-22
Some thoughts from the reading…
It is quite interesting to note how God is spoken of in these early chapters of the Bible, among the Patriarchs. For example, in Genesis 27:20, while explaining how he was able to kill game so quickly, Jacob said that the Lord “your God” (speaking to Isaac) had provided it. At that point, it seems that Jacob was not accepting Jehovah as his own, but rather looking on Him as the God of his father. It is not until chapter 28 that we see Jacob accepting Jehovah as his God. In this time (before the written word of God) we see God revealing Himself to each new generation, repeating the promise and encouraging that generation to be faithful to Him.
Today, the responsibility of passing on a knowledge of God is placed upon parents. Each parent must teach the generation that follows them the word of God so that they will know how to be pleasing to Him. God is not going to appear to anyone, as He did with Jacob in this passage, to tell them what they need to do. It is a tremendous responsibility that is placed upon parents today, and we cannot shirk that responsibility. Often, parents fail to found children in their faith, so that they falter, or fall away completely when they depart from their parents’ house. It is important to not just teach our children what the Bible says, but to teach them why we believe the things that we believe. It is not good enough to just tell them what they must believe.
Throughout the Bible, God is often referred to as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.” We see the promises passed through those generations, as God revealed Himself to each one. We should make it our goal to ensure that we pass the promises of God down through our generations today. Can we say that His promises have been passed through at least 3 generations? Can we be the starting generation dedicated to passing His will through to our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren?
Question: What dangers must parents today avoid to ensure that faith is passed on to their children?
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Week 33, Day 2: Favoritism in the Home
Today’s Reading: Genesis 27:1-46
Some thoughts from the reading…
In this chapter, we see the results of favoritism in the family. Remember, we were told that Rebekah loved Jacob, but Isaac loved Esau. Because they each loved one of their sons more than the other, they caused great distress in their home. Rebekah worked with Jacob to deceive Isaac, and steal the blessing that rightfully belonged to Esau. Now, Jacob had stolen both the birthright and the blessing that belonged to Esau. Of course, Esau was angry about what had been done to him, and determined that he would kill his brother, as soon as his father was dead.
This caused Jacob to have to flee from Esau, and he would be gone for many years. We will see his travels and exploits over the next several chapters. The favoritism that was shown between these sons caused a turmoil that would last for hundreds of years. In fact, the later prophets would still be discussing the turmoil between Edom (the descendants of Esau) and Israel (the descendants of Jacob).
There is a warning in this account for parents. They should not show favoritism to their children as they are raising them, else they can cause great problems within their own families. These problems may last for many years, and cause irreparable damage to the relationship between siblings, and even between children and parents. This type of favoritism is often shown in different ways. Perhaps one parent likes sons better than daughters, or vice versa. Perhaps, like with Isaac and Rebekah, one child is chosen over another. This may manifest itself in a double standard in how the children are treated. Is one child punished for an action, and another allowed to do it without recourse? Is one child required to do chores and participate in the work of the family home while another is allowed to do whatever they desire?
Many parents may not even realize they are showing favoritism in their families. But, it can be sure that the children know when it is present! It is sad to see siblings that are shown favoritism use it against their own siblings. This can cause damage in relationships that will never be fixed between both parents and siblings. This type of favoritism often continues on for many generations, causing problems among even extended families. Parents must be very careful to make sure that they are treating their children the with the same care and concern, and love.
Question: How might favoritism in a family be detrimental to the spiritual development of children?
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Week 33, Day 1: Good Influence…
Today’s Reading: Genesis 26:1-35
Some thoughts from the reading…
Chapter 26 of Genesis starts with a dubious story of Isaac trying to deceive Abimelech into believing that Rebekah was his sister (much like Abraham had done years earlier). Abimelech was able to discover the truth, and it led to a warning among the Philistines that they were not to touch either Isaac or Rebekah.
It did not take long until Isaac began to prosper greatly. Genesis 26:12 tells us that Isaac planted and harvested 100 fold. This was a great outcome, and ensured that Isaac would begin the process of becoming wealthy like his father, Abraham. He began to gather flocks, herds and servants, all identifiers of wealth in his society. Before long, the Philistines came to Isaac and forced him to leave their land. As he moved away from them, he would dig wells for his people and animals, but the Philistines would drive them away. Finally, he was able to move far enough away that the Philistines left him alone. But, it wasn’t long before the Philistines came back to him, and asked for a covenant, because they saw how he prospered. Even though they didn’t really care for him (Isaac said that they hated him, Genesis 26:27) they wanted a peace treaty since they saw that Jehovah was on his sided.
This account made me think of how worldly people often look upon Christians today. In many ways, they don’t want anything to do with us, because our lifestyle condemns their own life choices. If we truly act like Christians, they can see a difference between themselves and us. However, in other ways, many want to have relationships with Christians because they know there are tremendous benefits. It may not be that they see some physical prosperity in us, but they can see other rich blessings that are present in our lives. They can see how our family lives are better than what can be produced in a worldly setting. They can see that Christians make good employees, as they are honest and hard working. They can see that Christians make good friends, because they are concerned people, and are willing to be generous and helpful whenever the opportunity arises. If we act like Christians (and that is a big “if”) then people will see that there is a great blessing in being around us! Like with Isaac, people may not like what our relationship with God means for them (and their choices in life), but nature that the Christian possesses makes one a great friend (or ally).
Question: In what ways do you think Christians can be a good influence on those around them?
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Week 32, Day 5: Isaac’s Sons
Today’s Reading: Genesis 25:1-34
Some thoughts from the reading…
Sometimes it is amazing how much information can be covered in just a few short verses. Chapter 25 of Genesis does just that. First, we see that Abraham remarried, and had several children. These children were sent away from Isaac, who received all of Abraham’s inheritance. He was the son of promise, and would receive all that Abraham had (Genesis 25:5-6). We also read of the death of Abraham. Once again, there is not a lot written about his death, other than that he died a good old age, and was buried in the cave of Machpelah by his sons, Isaac and Ishmael. This was one of the most important characters to the Bible story, and yet his death was not sensationalized in the scriptures.
The rest of the chapter deals with Isaac and his wife Rebekah. The theme of the Bible story shifts to this next Patriarch, and the continuing of the fulfilling of the promises that had been made to Abraham. For those 3 promises to continue, there was a need for the lineage to continue. What we find is that Rebekah was unable to have children (Genesis 25:21) so Isaac turned to God and pleaded with Him for his wife. Sure enough, the Lord blessed Rebekah and she conceived twins. But, the children struggled within her (Genesis 25:22) so much that she turned to the Lord and asked what was wrong! God showed her that the two children within her would grow into two nations, and one would be stronger than the other. The prophecy was made that the older brother would serve the younger (which was contrary to the natural realm).
Jacob and Esau were born to Isaac and Rebekah. We are told that Rebekah loved Jacob, and Isaac loved Esau (Genesis 25:28). Perhaps it was this favoritism among the parents that would lead to the strife that would come later for these two boys. As we follow the account, we will see that Jacob will be the son through whom the promises will continue, and will be the father of the Nation of Israel. Esau will also be the father of a nation, the Edomites. However, eventually, the prophecy will be fulfilled that the “older will serve the younger” with the nation of Israel being the more powerful, and the Edom being subservient to Israel.
In Genesis 25:29-34, we see the trickery of Jacob, and his way of stealing the birthright from his brother. Under normal conditions, the oldest son would receive the birthright, even if that son was only a few seconds older than his twin. So, Jacob took advantage of an opportunity where Esau was very tired from working in the fields. Esau asked Jacob to give him something to eat, and Jacob responded that he would give him something to eat, but only if Esau gave up his birthright. Amazingly, Esau traded the birthright for a bowl of stew! This positioned Jacob to receive the greater portion of the inheritance of Isaac, and also set the stage for the fulfillment of the prophecy made concerning these twins. It will be interesting to watch how this impacts the relationship of these men as we continue our study!
Question: Why do you think God did not record more information about the deaths of Abraham and Sarah?
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