Gen 31:5 …the God of my father has been with me.
I am struck in this chapter with the many, many descriptions of God that are not personal. Many times both Jacob and Laban describe God in terms of other people—the God of my father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Nahor, etc. Neither of the refer to Him personally as THEIR God. I find that a bit troubling quite honestly.
Gen 31:29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me….
I pray every day over my children that they will understand God is holding them securely in the palm of His hand and that they will lean into Him and trust Him. I pray, daily, that they will invest time into their relationship with Him, that He will become personal to them. I know from experience that a personal relationship with God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is powerful and important. I want them to see MY God, but I want them to get to know Him, personally, as THEIR God.
Gen 32:43 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac, had not been with me….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the ability to forge a personal relationship with You. Thank You that You WANT to know us and relate to us on a personal level, that You WANT us to claim You as our own even as we share You with the world. Thank You for the peace and comfort that can only come from a personal relationship with You. Thank You for being our shield and our very great reward (Gen 15:1). Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.
Have a blessed day.
This time I will praise the LORD…. (devo reflection)
Gen 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister….
Much of Genesis 30 makes me sad. It seems to be a tale of infertility, family jealousy, and competition. We know that because Jacob loved Rachel so much, he worked for her father for 14 years with no wages to earn her hand in marriage. Rachel was beautiful, but for years and years proved infertile. Leah, the older sister, was plain at best, ended up married to Jacob because of her father’s deception of Jacob, yet was incredibly fertile and had many children. Neither woman was happy or content, and Jacob doesn’t seem very content either with his snappish reply to Rachel in Gen 30:2.
Gen 30:2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”
If only Leah, Rachel, and Jacob could have all remembered the lesson of Gen 29:35: “This time I will praise the LORD.” When I set my plans and they don’t pan out, as is apt to happen, disappointment, anger, jealousy can often result, especially if I think someone else got something I “deserved.” But that’s not the way God works. He has a plan for my life. He’s working all things for my good and His glory, even the things I don’t understand, even the things I count as disappointment and heartache. He’s using all of it to draw me closer.
Gen 30:3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the reminder to put my hope and trust in You. Help me to praise You no matter what comes my way, knowing that You are with me and that you will somehow use it for my good and Your glory. Thank You for being my shield and my very great reward (Gen 15:1). Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 30:8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” …
Have a blessed day.
Shifting our focus…. (devo reflection)
Gen 29:23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob….
The commentary on this chapter talks about how Jacob was deceived by Laban in a similar manner to how Jacob deceived his father and his brother. The thought, “serves him right,” which is not at all holy, is followed quickly by the thought, “God can use all things. Even this.”
Gen 29:25 …So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? … Why did you deceive me?”
But much like my heart went out to Hagar earlier in Genesis, I find my heart going out to Leah as well. She seems to be collateral damage in all of this, but she’s clearly hurting, and the LORD sees and responds to her pain. Still, it took four children and I don’t know how many years for Leah to shift her eyes and her longing heart from Jacob to the LORD. But eventually she IS able to praise Him instead of mourn what Jacob will not give.
Gen 29:31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, He enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for Your heart for those who feel “less than.” Thank You for Your willingness and ability to use ALL things for our good and Your glory. Thank You for seeing us in our pain and for helping us shift our focus to You instead of the things of this world. Draw us closer. Amen.
Gen 29:35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” …
Have a blessed day.
The truth of God’s presence…. (devo reflection)
Gen 28:16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”
In Genesis 28, God shows Jacob that His presence is not limited, that He is with Jacob everywhere. The truth of God’s presence fills me with great hope and peace—not only is He with me on the mountain tops, where it’s so easy to feel His presence, but also He’s with me in the valleys and on the dark winding paths where I feel lost and alone and afraid. Even there, He’s with me.
Gen 28:15 “I am with you and will watch over you whenever you go….I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
God promises that He is with Jacob, that He will watch over him, that He will bring him back to this land, that He will not leave Jacob until He has fulfilled His promise. However, Jacob adds his own conditions—If You are with me and watch over me, if You give me food and clothing, if You return me safely…. Lord, Help me not to be like Jacob, help me always to accept Your promises on Your terms and not my own.
Gen 28:20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey…and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You are with me always. Help me to trust Your promises and to not try to bend Your will to fit my own conditions. Thank You for who You are and for being with me always. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 28:21 “…then the LORD will be my God….”
Have a blessed day.
Even in the midst of scheming and dysfunction…. (devo reflection)
Gen 27:4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”
I often find myself seeking God’s will for my life by using the words of Acts 9:6 … “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” … But this family already knew God’s will. In Gen 25:23, the LORD told Rebekah, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you shall be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older shall serve the younger.” Yet even with His word on the situation, they schemed.
Gen 27:6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau….”
Isaac schemed to bestow his blessing on his favorite not God’s chosen. Rebekah schemed to be sure her favorite received the blessing (even though God had already said it would be his). Esau schemed to gain his father’s blessing, especially in material goods, knowing that he had sold his birthright for a bowl of stew (Gen 25:34). Jacob schemed to not get caught deceiving his father so as not to call down curses on himself instead of blessings. In the end, despite all the scheming and dysfunction, the LORD’s will was achieved.
Gen 27:11-12 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, … “I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this example of how not to act as a family and of how You can act even through dysfunctional families. Thank You that even in the midst of scheming and dysfunction, You can still accomplish Your will. Help me never to get so caught up in what I want, what I think should happen, that I disregard You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 27:13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say….”
Have a blessed day.
More faithful still tomorrow…. (devo reflection)
Gen 26:5 …because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.
Genesis 26 fills me with great hope. God found Abraham, who didn’t always obey fully or immediately, who didn’t always tell the truth, who didn’t always put God first, to be faithful because God grew him as a man of faith. He took that human, fallible being and gave him time, love, and opportunity to obey. Abraham was never perfect, but he came to a place of trust and obedience that allowed him to proceed confidently toward the sacrifice of his chosen son, knowing that God was calling him to it and would be faithful to His promises, even if Abraham couldn’t fathom how it would happen. The story of how God grows Abraham into a man of faith is a beautiful illustration of Psalm 103:12 He has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west.
Gen 26:7 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.” ….
Isaac’s behavior in this chapter illustrates Matt 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Isaac makes many of the exact same mistakes as his father. But God is patient. He remembers the strength of Abraham’s eventual faith and trust. He sets out to build the same faith in Isaac one experience at a time.
Gen 26:15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this reminder that You know exactly how human and fallible we are. Thank You that You ask for and look for progress in our faithfulness, not for perfection. Help me to be more faithful today than yesterday and more faithful still tomorrow. Help me to quit battling with my deeply fallible humanity and focus instead on my progress in faith. Draw me closer to You. Amen.
Gen 26:24 That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you….”
Have a blessed day.
Strength of purpose…. (devo reflection)
Gen 25:23 The LORD said to her “…the older will serve the younger.”
This morning finds me still in Genesis 25, learning from Esau and Jacob. God told Rebekah before they were even born that the older would serve the younger, but it still is rather a shock to see how carelessly Esau gives away what is by birth his right all for a simple bowl of stew that will only satisfy his hunger for a little while. But how like Esau I can be.
Gen 25:26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob.
I am struggling with lack of good, renewing sleep. Though probably technically not exhaustion, I certainly feel exhausted. There is a part of me that craves just a little more sleep this morning, but I know it comes at too high a cost—my prayer and devotional time. Still, I have to stay vigilant that my mind stays focused during my time with my Savior this morning.
Gen 25:32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this understanding of the importance of our time together each morning. Give me strength of purpose and focus, even if I am struggling with lack of sleep. My spiritual inheritance, my relationship with You, is more important than sleep. Help me to fix my eyes only on You. Draw me closer. Amen.
Gen 25:33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
Have a blessed day.
Drawing closer…. (devo reflection)
Gen 25:19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac….
Genesis 25 has a lot going on—Abraham’s remarriage, additional children, death, and burial; Ishmael’s descendants; Isaac and Rebekah’s infertility, pregnancy, and birth of twins, and Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew. It’s a lot, but I want to focus for a moment on Isaac and Rebekah.
Gen 25:20 …Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah….
Isaac, 40 years old when he married Rebekah, was 60 (according to commentary) when he finally became a father. Verse 21 is all that we have of those 20 intervening years. “Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife became pregnant.” Twenty years of prayer. Twenty years of feeling the ache of a promise unfulfilled. Twenty years of faithfully drawing closer to God while waiting for His will and His way. May we all be as faithful.
Gen 25:21a Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife because she was childless….
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this example of faithful waiting. No matter what trials I am facing in life, no matter how much waiting and prayer are required, help me to draw closer to You through the journey, help me to realize that drawing closer to You IS the journey. Help me to be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Rom 12:12) Amen.
Gen 25:21b …The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant.
Have a blessed day.
Earnestly seeking…. (devo reflection)
Gen 24:12 Then he prayed, “LORD, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.”
I am trying to be mindful as I read through Genesis not to just get caught up in the Biblical history. It is rich and fascinating, and I think God definitely has a purpose in my reading it, but I truly sense He also wants to reveal truths about His character, about His faithfulness, about His sovereignty, not just generic “Biblical truths,” but specific, “Beth I want you to understand and hold on to this as you walk this path” truths about who He is and what He promises.
Gen 24:15 Before he even finished praying….
I have gleaned, repeatedly, His reassurance that He is with me, that He doesn’t expect perfection, that He can use me in spite of all my flaws if I’ll let Him. I have understood in a new way that He loves me deeply, loves the children He’s entrusted to me, expects and intends to be an active presence in their lives as well as my life and my marriage. I have come to trust anew that He hears me when I call, responds before I even finish praying, that even if I cannot yet perceive it, He is making a way.
Gen 24:50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD….”
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for this enlightening journey through Genesis. Thank You for revealing more of who You are as I earnestly seek to know You better. Thank You for hearing me when I pray and for answering before I even finish. Thank You for Your overwhelming love, grace, and mercy. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 46:7 The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Have a blessed day.
Believing through faith…. (devo reflection)
Gen 23:1 Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old.
This morning finds me reading both Genesis 23 and Hebrews 11. Genesis 23 talks about the death and burial of Sarah while Hebrews 11 talks about the many faithful, including Sarah, who went to their deaths not having seen the fulfillment of God’s promises but believing through faith that He would fulfill them. Sarah only had the one child, Isaac. When she died, he had no children. Yet she trusted God would fulfill His promises, and “And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars….” (Heb 11:12).
Gen 23:2a She died at Kiriath Arba…in the land of Canaan….
As I ponder what message He wants me to see today, I am left with hope in His promises, even when we can’t see how He might accomplish them, even if we don’t live to see them accomplished. He has promised a way in the wilderness. He has promised beauty from ashes. He has promised to be our shield and our very great reward. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. And He is faithful.
Gen 23:2b …and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.
Lord, Thank You for this day, for this scripture, for the hope that can only come from You. Thank You for Your faithfulness and for the fact that we can trust You and Your promises, even when we are afraid, even when we don’t understand, even when we can’t fathom a way out of our wilderness. You are making a way, even if we can’t yet perceive it. Thank You for hope, grace, and mercy. Amen.
Gen 23:19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre…in the land of Canaan.
Have a blessed day.