A Work in Progress….

Genesis 32:9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, Lord, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’  

Sometimes I wonder why I read the commentary I do each morning because I disagree with so many of the things this commentary says. Commentary indicates that what makes Jacob’s prayer so strong, among other things, is the fact that Jacob quotes God’s words, God’s promises back to Him. It seems to indicate that if you just pray enough of the Bible’s wording, you’ll get your way.

Genesis 32:10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 

That, to me, feels very legalistic. If I just pray enough of God’s words, if I just pray hard enough, long enough, if I just have enough people praying for me…, then I will get my way. That’s not how God works. He’s not in heaven making tally marks on a wall. “What a shame. If you had only had two more people praying for you, I would have given you what you wanted.” That’s not my God.

Genesis 32:11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children.

Precious Savior, Thank You that You know our hearts, that You aren’t legalistic, that You don’t have an arbitrary number or word in mind that if we only hit it, You’ll give us what we want. Thank You that You love us fiercely, that You know our hearts intimately, that You will never leave us nor forsake us–Never!–no matter what we face or how we react. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 32:12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 32:5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, male and female servants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.’ ”

Commentary seems to chastise Jacob because he is afraid Esau will retaliate. Commentary posits that Jacob should have been strong in his faith, knowing that God would provide. Commentary also holds up Abraham’s faith as the exemplar.

Genesis 32:6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, “We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.”

But didn’t Abraham have a child with Hagar because he didn’t trust God’s provision? And isn’t it normal to fear when you hear your brother, whom you wronged grievously, is coming to meet you with 400 men in tow? Jacob’s faith in God’s protection can be seen in the fact that he stays, he stands, he doesn’t run despite his fear, can’t it?

Genesis 32:7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. 

Precious Savior, I get frustrated when Bible commentary seems to hold up perfection as the goal–we shouldn’t doubt, we shouldn’t fear, we shouldn’t take matters into our own hands. The reality of what I have seen time and again in Your word is that You use us–human, messy, fallible, broken, distraught, hesitant, headstrong–You can and will and do use us all IF we allow, and You love us, faults and all, deeply, fiercely. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 32:8 He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 32:1 Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 

It would appear that Jacob has changed. Sadly, it pains me to say that. He tricked his father and his brother. He tricked Laban. He is a trickster. Period. The idea that he can change, that he has changed, rankles me a bit, which is disconcerting. 

Genesis 32:2 When Jacob saw them, he said, “This is the camp of God!” So he named that place Mahanaim.

Perhaps my attitude stems from my trust issues. What if I embrace that Jacob has changed and then he tricks again? Then he has fooled me, I look like a fool. Not cool. Perhaps my attitude stems from my judgmental side, which is much more developed than I like to admit. Perhaps my attitude stems from the fear that I, who mess up daily, will one day mess up so much that God won’t welcome me with open arms. I have no idea.

Genesis 32:3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for allowing me to admit my dubiousness at Jacob’s change and for allowing me to examine the complicated feelings that I have over his behavior and potential transformation. Thank You most of all for Your fierce, unconditional love of all of us, no matter what. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 32:4 He instructed them: “This is what you are to say to my lord Esau: ‘Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now.

Have a blessed day. 

Genesis 31:51 Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. 

Commentary says of this section, “Rachel and Leah were wrong to look to their father Laban for their portion or inheritance once they were married to Jacob. He now was their portion and inheritance.” The pronoun he comes right after the proper noun Jacob, indicating that Jacob is the antecedent for the pronoun he, which seems to indicate that commentary is saying that Jacob is their portion and inheritance. 

Genesis 31:52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. 

While Jacob may be the source of their earthly portion, I strongly feel that it is God who is their portion and inheritance, perhaps more so then when women had so few rights, so little autonomy. But even today, God is our portion and inheritance, or He should be. He will provide. Shining His light is how we make meaning in our lives. 

Genesis 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. 

Precious Savior, I do not want to whine or harp or vent. I do not want to grouch about where my portion and inheritance come from. I am so thankful for this family and this life, they add so much meaning to my existence. But they are some of Your many blessings on me in this life. My ultimate portion and inheritance is You. Thank You. Help me to shine Your light always. Amen.

Genesis 31:54-55 He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there. Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he left and returned home.

Have a blessed day. 

Genesis 31:47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.

My memory is notoriously awful, but I’m fairly certain I remember using Gen 31:49, more than once, as a positive scripture for someone who would not be physically close to me (going on a trip, moving, going to college, etc). However, as I read it in context of Laban and Jacob’s ongoing mess, I see that it seems to be used more as a threat than a blessing.

Genesis 31:48 Laban said, “This heap is a witness between you and me today.” That is why it was called Galeed.

Essentially, Laban seems to be saying, “God’s watching you. If you cheat me, He’ll know, and I’ll get you..” That’s ironic on a number of levels given all that we’ve seen of both Laban and Jacob. But my question is this: does the original use of the verse in context negate my ability to use it as a blessing out of context?

Genesis 31:49 It was also called Mizpah, because he said, “May the Lord keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 

Precious Savior, Hebrews 4:12 assures us that Your word is active and alive. Does that mean that I can use Gen 31:49 as a blessing for those who will be away, even though the original context does not seem to be a positive one? I think so. I take Romans 8:28 to heart: “… in all things God works for the good of those who love him,” but I don’t want to play fast and loose with Your word, Lord. Help me to quote scripture wisely, appropriately, and well. Amen.

Genesis 31:50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 31:43 Laban answered Jacob, “The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 

Laban seems fairly reasonable here–until we remember the fact that he tricked Jacob into marrying Leah after seven years of working for Rachel. Then he got another seven years of work out of Jacob as he worked for Rachel (again). He became a rich man (richer man?) as Jacob tended his flocks. I think he’s afraid he’s losing his meal ticket here.

Genesis 31:44 Come now, let’s make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us.”

Jacob, at last, seems to be seeking God, seeking God’s will. God told him in a dream to go back to his father’s land, that He, God, would protect him. That’s positive progress for a man who tricked his father and brother for a blessing he was promised at birth. When seeking the point of this section, one source suggests: “This passage teaches us the cost of bad family relationships, and also the importance of obeying God.” I could see that.

Genesis 31:45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 

Precious Savior, Jacob’s story has been and continues to be a long, winding, deceit-filled tale. But, finally, he seems to be hearing Your voice, listening to You. Help me not to be so stubborn and hard-headed when it comes to seeking You, seeing You, listening to You. And when I inevitably am just as intractable, please love me just as fiercely as I fumble towards You. Amen.

Genesis 31:46 He said to his relatives, “Gather some stones.” So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 31:39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night.  

Commentary points out Jacob’s comment about “the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac…, ” and that’s got me thinking about my own faith journey. Growing up, my God was the God of my parents, who laid my faith foundation as I did for my own children. But there is no one specific moment where their God became my God. It’s more like drops of water filling a bucket. At some point, the bucket overflows, but to isolate that one drop that caused the overflow is nearly impossible.

Genesis 31:40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 

My faith journey has been similar, as has yours, I’m sure. Drop by drop, we claim Him as our own, we learn that we can trust Him, we see that He is with us in the valleys as well as on the mountaintops, we become certain that He is with us, not because of what we’ve seen from others but because He has shown up for us, stood with us, carried us again and again and again.

Genesis 31:41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times.

Precious Savior, Thank You that the faith of those who came before me influenced my relationship with You. Thank You that drop by drop, moment by moment, You became my God. Thank You that I know You are with me in the good times and the bad–You strengthen me, You carry me, You love me fiercely. Always. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 31:42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 31:35 Rachel said to her father, “Don’t be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I’m having my period.” So he searched but could not find the household gods.

It appears that Rachel has learned deceptive ways from either her father or husband or both. But I am so curious about her motivation. Why did she steal her father’s idols? Does she not believe in the God of Jacob? Is she skeptical about a God who favors someone like Jacob (after all, he hasn’t been a very godly husband)?

Genesis 31:36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. “What is my crime?” he asked Laban. “How have I wronged you that you hunt me down? 

As I looked for this answer online, one source posited that, much like Jacob’s deception with Esau and Isaac, Rachel stole the idol to get the blessing of her ancestors. I wonder how she felt that worked out for her and whether she continued in the deceptive ways she showed in today’s scripture.

Genesis 31:37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.

Precious Savior, Again I am left wondering what I am supposed to learn from today’s scripture. Ultimately, it reinforces the fact that You are sovereign and that You can work all things (even our ridiculousness) to our good and Your glory. Thank You that You don’t treat me as I deserve. Thank You for Your fierce love. Amen.

Genesis 31:38 “I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 31:31 Jacob answered Laban, “I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 

What has Jacob gained by caving to his fear and slipping away in the night with his wives, children, property? At this point, absolutely nothing. Laban has found him. Anything Laban might have done he can still do if he has the desire and the muscle.

Genesis 31:32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, that person shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it.” Now Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen the gods.

But it seems like Laban is more concerned about his stolen gods than any of the people at this point, and I find that curious. In Gen 30:27, Laban says that the Lord has blessed him because of Jacob. Was that interaction not enough to draw Laban away from idols? It appears not.

Genesis 31:33 So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two female servants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah’s tent, he entered Rachel’s tent. 

Precious Savior, You lavish me with blessings daily. Thank You. I do not and can not deserve the favor that You show me. Forgive me when I allow things of this world to steal my attention from You. Help me to stay focused on You, in You always. No matter what. Amen.

Genesis 31:34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel’s saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 31:27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn’t you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of timbrels and harps? 

I’m honestly not entirely sure what to make of today’s scripture. Laban begins by almost cajoling Jacob. “Why’d you go in secret? You know I would have thrown a going away party if I had known.” Then Laban uses guilt. “You didn’t even let me kiss my grandbabies goodbye.”  

Genesis 31:28 You didn’t even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters goodbye. You have done a foolish thing. 

Then he uses a threat (“I have the power to harm you.”) and a query (“Why did you steal my gods?”) Is Laban just feeling all the emotions? Is he trying to find an angle to exploit? (He’s good at exploitation based on his past behavior.)

Genesis 31:29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, ‘Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.’ 

Precious Savior, It is difficult for me to watch an aggressor play the victim. But You have said that I am not to judge. Help me, Jesus. If You want me to love others, all others, help me to put aside the part that wants to judge without grace, mercy, or compassion. Help me to be more like You. Amen.

Genesis 31:30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father’s household. But why did you steal my gods?”

Have a blessed day.