Genesis 31:50, God as a witness

“Remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

Jacob means “layer of snares“. We can see this quality in Jacob. In 2012 he would be called a used car salesman (sorry…). On the positive side, people rarely “get over” on a used car salesman. He knows his craft too well. Same with Jacob. He could see it coming: If he didn’t do something on his own he would leave empty-handed. This chapter, and the preceding one, records quite a story of manipulation. Of course, Laban was no paragon of virtue…

If we’re not careful we forget that Jacob is also a man to whom God spoke…and was heard.

When God said “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” He didn’t also say “and take all your stuff with you“. Nevertheless that made sense to Jacob so he gathered all his stuff…and some of Laban’s stuff…if you count the household god that Rachel took. So, they figuratively stole the “family silver” on their way out the door. Laban chased him.

Than an amazing thing happened. God spoke to Laban as well. Before we know it…with the same God speaking to both parties…we have a peace treaty. Mispah!

We all have acquaintances who contend with us. Everything is difficult. We feel defensive and find ourselves doing everything we can just to keep our composure. Often our conduct is not becoming. What would happen if God spoke to that person like He speaks with us?

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 30:16, Helping God

“So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night”.

We should get one thing straight: Chicanery in the name of God’s will should never be equated with God’s will. In other words, God willed that Abraham be the father of many nations. This doesn’t mean that God willed the activities in this chapter that produced twelve children.

God was highly invested so He was going to work with the consequences of Jacob and Rachel and Leah’s actions. This happens all the time. We misbehave, things work out OK and we convince ourselves its God’s will.

When I read through this chapter I can’t help but observe that 12 children was more the result of human intent than Divine intent. I doubt God needed 12 tribes to satisfy the Abrahamic covenant. This should be a word of caution…positive results are not a dependable measure of the holiness of our conduct. Sometimes they are only a measure of God’s intent on getting His way in spite of us.

It’s a nice “fallback” strategy but not one we should be proud of.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 29:25, Maintaining our focus

”When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me? ”

I’m tempted to say “Jacob…you should have turned on the light!” But, that would be missing the point.

Jacob loved…and wanted…Rachel. She was worth everything to him. Not just seven years, but fourteen years. Jacob could have become upset and left town after his uncle tricked him. But…that way he wouldn’t have gotten Rachel. He would have left empty-handed.

I have friends who become so irate when they feel they have been abused that they completely lose track of their goals. A friend and I were going to the stadium to watch the Broncos play the Vikings. We had contacted a guy selling his tickets and were going to buy them for $50 each. When we got there the gentleman said they would be $75. My friend was very angry…called the other man a “liar” and refused to buy them. I asked “is the game worth $75?” “That’s not the point” my friend replied. “This guy is taking advantage of us.”

“What do you want to do?” I asked.

“I’m leaving!” he said, and stomped back to the train station.

I bought the tickets…sold one…and watched the Vikings beat the Broncos. As it turned out, I believe the guy sitting next to me was a better companion than my friend would have been. I think I got the better end of that entire incident. But then…I really wanted to see the game.

And…it’s far more important to swallow our pride if God has been a part of establishing our goals. After all…a game is only a few hours. Divine intentions could last a lifetime.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 28:16-17, How Awesome is this place!

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place!

When people ask me how I’m doing I love to say “awesome!” And…I really mean it.  Yet, awesome isn’t really “awesome” unless there is a little fear involved…it’s just “cool”.

Dictionary.com offers its primary definition of “awe” as  “an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like: in awe of God; in awe of great political figures“.

Jacob never got to the point of “awesome” until he recognized God’s presence. Neither will we. Next time I think I’m “awesome” I need to ask myself “is it because I have a healthy reverence for the presence of God in my life…or is it just my overinflated sense of self?”

We all know the difference…it’s not about us.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 27:38, Consequences

Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.

I could go on and on about the selfishness of Jacob…and the complicity of his mother. No way can we put a happy face on what they did to Esau. But this misses the point.

Poor Esau…some decisions have lasting effects.

We remember when Esau came home tired and wanted Jacob’s dinner. Jacob said “you can have it for the price of your birthright“. Esau’s answer was ill advised…”what good is a birthright? I’m famished…give me your dinner!”

So really, Jacob didn’t steal it…he traded for it. But, of course, his father Isaac wasn’t as capricious as Esau. Actually getting the birthright from his dad was going to take a little deception…and mom’s help.

A couple things come to mind…

1. it’s amazing how ugly we can get when we justify bad behavior by other bad behavior. Jacob had to know he was taking advantage of his hungery brother. He did it anyway. Later, he was able to justify deceiving his dad by saying “well, Esau gave it to me…it’s really mine anyway“.

2. It’s amazing how much we can regret a decision we’ve made when we thought it was such a great decision at the time.

As for me…my lessons are simple.

1. I should never take advantage of somebody in a vulnerable situation because it will always cause harm. I once cheated at cards (I’m embarrassed to say). My opponent had been drinking (so, it served him right?). Before you get all self-righteous on me, I was in a kid the army in Vietnam…not my most sanctified year. I’m still embarrassed 44 years later when I think about it. Really? I did that? How low can a person go? I caused myself more harm to my self-esteem than I could ever have gained by a hand of poker (my mom was right…cards will destroy you!).

2. And, of course, I should never impetuously discard something today that I don’t value. I might value it a great deal tomorrow. How many cars do I now wish I hadn’t sold? To be exact…four.

• A 1960 MGA Roadster
• A 1986 Corvette Convertible
• A 1969 Dodge Charger
• A 1973 MG Midget

We can avoid all this by modeling our behavior after the one who redeemed us. I’m thinking he never cheated at cards…or foolishly sold a car he should have kept.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 26:7, Instant Replay

When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

Bob Deffinbaugh (http://bible.org) tells us critics have tended to view Genesis 26 as a rerun, and not a very good one at that. They, of course, are right in recognizing the similarities between Isaac’s experiences in this chapter and those in the life of Abraham in the previous chapters. However, they misinterpret the similarities in such a way as to suggest that they do little, if anything, to benefit us. Indeed, they even question the historicity of these events in the life of Isaac. So, let’s deal with the doubters…

§  What are the odds that we have three different men named Abimelech אֲבִימֶלֶךְ? Well, the name means “My Father is King” so Abimelech most likely means “Prince”. There would be one of these for every king who had a son.

§  What are the odds that both men would do the same thing in passing their wives off as their sisters? Deuteronomy 5:9, 10 says “I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me”. Certainly neither Abraham nor Isaac hated God but we can easily understand that the apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree. The habits and values modeled by Abraham were likely assimilated into the life of Isaac.

Doubters are rarely satisfied, but this story about Isaac is reasonably true.

It would appear that neither Abraham nor Isaac recognized the gravity of their sin or fully repented of it. This is likely the most important lesson we can take from this triple disaster. If we are unwilling to face our sins honestly…name them and repent of them…we face the distinct probability that it’s just a matter of time before they rear their ugly heads again.

After all, we succumb to sin because of its perceived benefit. That’s what makes it so addicting. If it appears that my lie will accrue benefit I will always be tempted to lie…unless I repent and recognize the benefits of sin are never really benefits.

Live boldly out there today…

Genesis 25:32, Esau sells his birthright

“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

I understand. Esau was hungry. Hunger is immediate. Birthrights are promises that loom far in the future. What would be most important to any man who is hungry? Food.

This, of course, brings us to “hunger” as a metaphor. Hunger is a longing thirst for something we lack…or believe we lack. So, we can have a hunger for affection, a hunger for food, a hunger for fame, a hunger for fortune, a hunger for peace…

Whatever, the reservoir is empty and needs to be filled…

And oftentimes, what we purchase today…we pay for tomorrow. For Esau it was his birthright. I don’t know what you are paying to satisfy your hunger today. I only ask…is it worth it? Esau never even thought about it until Isaac was on his deathbed. Too late!

Let’s take a longer more strategic view of our hungers, no matter how immediate they may be.

Live boldly out there today…