I had finished all the readings last night but the autosave did not save so have to read over again- woke up at 5:00 this morning thinking about it - little frustrating but there must be something I am to learn - so doing it again.
Title: Though the odds are against Jacob's success - God is blessing him and so everything turns out right financially for him.
(S) Gen 31:7-9 "your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. If he said, "The speckled ones will be your wages, 'then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young"
(O) When God decides to bless us - it is impossible to thwart Him no matter the roadblocks thrown in the way. However this blessing may cause jealousy in others.
(A) What makes the difference in life is the blessing - some will be blessed financially and others with their families and happiness - it really has little to do with the circumstances and more to do with God's prerogative - that seems unfair - but that is the way it is.
(P) Help me to get it - this arbitrary will of God does not seem right - but it must be accepted. Help me to accept it.
Title: Jacob has always been a liar and cheater and he continues this with Laban - will he ever change? Can a deceiver change when he has success.
(S) Gen 31:20 "Moreover Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away.
(O) Jacob has run his life on cheating and lying and continues to do so. He has gained great wealth while working for Laban and yet he takes off without telling him. All Labans family is jealous of Jacob and do not like him because of the success that God has given him.
(A) Jacob never faces up to things but yet things turn up roses for him. I don't like Jacob - I always think that honesty and goodness pays off - but that is not the case here. What is the application - I don't know - that it is good to be a liar and a cheat and God will bless you - no that can't be it - that the will of God will prevail in spite of the fact that we are all fallen sinners.
(P) Lord, help this fallen sinner - I think I am better than Jacob - but we are all the same as Jacob - and you saved us anyway.
Title: Those around us will be like us.
(S) Gen 31:34 "Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them."
(O) Jacob's mother Rebekah was a liar - influencing Jacob to steal the blessing from Esau and now Rachel his wife is both an idol worshipper and a thief and a liar - when she is asked about the stolen idols.
(A) Lies have a way of expanding. Laban here is not a bad man and for that matter neither was Esau - but the ones that God chooses to bless - not always the best people.
(P) O Lord - I would like to fix the world so that it is fair - and it just is not - help me accept this.
Title: Jacob worked hard for 20 years for Laban - he becomes wealthy - and yet he does not see that Laban gave him a chance - or he would have had nothing.
(S) Gen 31:40-41 "This was my situation: the heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household."
(O) Even though Jacob is blessed he still has to work hard for success - however without the chance that Laban gave him as a son - he would have not had the first goat...... would he have done the same elsewhere - I doubt it.
(A) Yes, God blesses us with opportunities but we must also work diligently - there was no free ride even though you are blessed.
(P) Are we suppose to work night and day? Are we suppose to have as much as Jacob has? God, where is the balance - where is the "take no cloak with you" here? I think the only message I can see hear is that God will take the worst of sinners and give them the kingdom - because he is our loving father - and the riches are really - salvation and all that God has to offer - not herds and things in quantity. God help me to understand what we are to have - and what is superfluous.
Title: Mizpah - rather than an agreement between two friends is really an agreement between two enemies that really do not trust each other.
(S) Gen 31:49-50 "It was called Mizpah, because he said, "May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. If you mistreat my daughters or if you take an wives besides my daughters even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me."
(O) I always thought that this saying was between two close friends - people where those little mizpah cut in two pieces pennants as friends leave each other - really it is a deal between two people that do not trust each other. The deal is - don't cheat on my daughter or else God will see you. This agreement however brings a healing between the two relatives - as Laban later blessed his daughters before they left.
(A) Reading the Bible for over 50 years and I am just now starting to see things I have never seen before. Did not know that mizpah was really just a warning not to cheat on my daughters.
(P) Lord help me remember - you are watching me - when I am away from you spiritually - you are still there and watching me.
Title: Jacob is always having something to do with angels. Think he has the most angel meeting occasions of anyone else that I can recall in the Bible.
(S) Gen 32:1 "Jacob also went on his way and the angels of God met him."
(O) I know that the angels of God are in the heavenlies doing battle for us but I do not sense them or see them like Jacob does - I wonder if we should?
(A) Saw a skit once where the angels are doing battle with all the hordes of hell for our souls as we are tempted to do wrong things. Think that Jacob can see the angels as they are really doing double time for him and he knows they are there.
(P) Lord thank you for the angels that are constantly surrounding and protecting us against so many things that might hurt us in life.
Title: Ever the coward Jacob is full of "fear" and "distress" as he approaches Esau and he sends his non favoured family ahead of him, then he sends everyone else and stays back himself - what a chicken
(S) Gen 32:16 "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds."
(O) I really do not like this guy - he uses deceit to get the blessing and then he sends his servants and and family ahead of him because he is so afraid of Esau - after 20 years - I like Esau better.
(A) Accept it - God blesses cowards and cheats and in fact gives them the inheritance of everything - that is because the Bible is demonstrating a "type" it is always what Jesus has done for us sinners.
(P) Lord thanks that you have saved - even me. I am just like Jacob only - I think so often that I am not.
Title: A man wrestles with Jacob - perhaps not God after all.
(S)Gen 32:24 "So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not over power him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man." The man says to him "You have struggled with God and with men and have overcome" . Gen 32:28 Is this figurative or a reality?
(O) The MAN asks Jacob what his name is? If it is God why does he not have the power to over power Jacob? If it is God why does he not know Jacob's name? If it is God then why does it keep saying that it was a man that wrestled with Jacob? I think it was as it says a MAN that wrestled with Jacob. Now angels are always posing as men and Jacob has a lot of interactions with angels and so I a proposing that this man that fought with Jacob was really an angel that looked like a man. The hebrew word here apparently in malek or messenger or another word for angel. It is the MAN that says Jacob has struggled with God. If it is God then this being that is physical in order to struggle with another man would have to have a body and God is a spirit (and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth). It is Jacob that says he "saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared". (Gen32:30) But the Bible also says that No man has seen God at anytime. (John 1:18) so - is Jacob the liar - lying here? If you see God the theory is that after that you must die. Jacob goes on living. The thing was it was night and dark - how did he see God?
(A) We all like Jacob wrestle with men and with God in spirit. The goal is to see you.
(P) Help us to overcome our battles and to see you.
Note: The whole salvation scenario is here - Jacob struggles with men and with God - he is touched by God - he renews his faith - he is a new creature with a new name - Israel - this is the story of redemption.
Luke 13 - Repent or perish - same as Jacob's story
(S)Gen. 13:2 "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this way: I tell you no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
(O) Somehow I have it in my head that I am not as bad as Jacob - well the good old Bible has just told me no - these Galileans were probably sacrificed by Herod and perhaps they were good people - but it does not matter - there is not one good but God and the moment we forget that we are in trouble.
(A) God help me to see myself for who I am - I am just as deceitful as Jacob and no better.
(P) Lord forgive me for that pride that says I am not such a bad person after all.
Title: God gives us another chance to bear fruit before throwing us off the job.
(S) Luke 13:8 "Sir, " the man replied, ' leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.'"
(O) Well God gives a little more time to get out there and do His work - will I take advantage of it or not?
(A) God is generous - I have not been doing much with most of my 3 score and so with God's help I would like to get on with it for the 10 or more ....
(P) Lord help me to get up and get going.
Title: The Jews will one day say:
"Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord." Luke 13: 35b
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