Tuesday
Nov252008
Jacob
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Sorry for the lack of updates it's just me being lazy that's it.
This week we talked about Jacob and looked at Genesis 31.
Jacob leaves his uncle with all of his belongings and Laban, his uncle, was very upset and pursues after him. God comes to Laban and tells him not to change the path that Jacob is on. Laban was a man that knew who god was, but lived as if he did not. He had his own household gods as shown when Rachel and Leah left in verse 19. He is unable to let go of his own things as he shows by the gods he has. Often times we speak of God in such high terms, but our lives even in our own home do not reflect that. That is the message that we should learn from Laban that we can not claim to know who God is when we value non godly things above Him.
Jacob then went back to Esau as God told him. He was very afraid since he had taken Esau's blessing and his birthright as the first born in the family. Jacob then learned that Esau was coming out to meet him and all his faith that he had quickly disappeared as he feared for his life. Jacob prays in desperation, but right after he goes back to his scheming self. He returns to what he was before he encountered God. Right after the deep moment of prayer he goes back in trying to solve his problem by himself. He thinks of ways to please Esau before he meets him face to face. I think this is a good picture of what it can be like in our walk with God. I can listen to great Bible studies and sit in wonderful Sunday worship service and then the week starts and it's all going. I can be a Christian on those days that I meet with church people, but the rest is like whatever. It is a struggle of mine to always to remember God's Word on the days that we do not have large meetings and such.
God wants us to struggle with Him because he wants to teach us. This is what Jacob did. Jacob was a self made man, but this did not impress God at all. All the success that he had with the world just gave him a limp when he was faced with God. What do we want to characterize us? Through the struggle Jacob learned that he needed God's blessing even though he already had so much material possessions. God asks Jacob what his name was and Jacob comes to realize that he is a deciever and that is when God gives him a new name. The name Jacob means deciver in Hebrew. Once he realizes that then God changes his name to Isreal. It is the same when we realize that we have nothing without God's blessing. God tells Jacob that he had finally won and God let him go so that he could overcome.
This week we talked about Jacob and looked at Genesis 31.
Jacob leaves his uncle with all of his belongings and Laban, his uncle, was very upset and pursues after him. God comes to Laban and tells him not to change the path that Jacob is on. Laban was a man that knew who god was, but lived as if he did not. He had his own household gods as shown when Rachel and Leah left in verse 19. He is unable to let go of his own things as he shows by the gods he has. Often times we speak of God in such high terms, but our lives even in our own home do not reflect that. That is the message that we should learn from Laban that we can not claim to know who God is when we value non godly things above Him.
Jacob then went back to Esau as God told him. He was very afraid since he had taken Esau's blessing and his birthright as the first born in the family. Jacob then learned that Esau was coming out to meet him and all his faith that he had quickly disappeared as he feared for his life. Jacob prays in desperation, but right after he goes back to his scheming self. He returns to what he was before he encountered God. Right after the deep moment of prayer he goes back in trying to solve his problem by himself. He thinks of ways to please Esau before he meets him face to face. I think this is a good picture of what it can be like in our walk with God. I can listen to great Bible studies and sit in wonderful Sunday worship service and then the week starts and it's all going. I can be a Christian on those days that I meet with church people, but the rest is like whatever. It is a struggle of mine to always to remember God's Word on the days that we do not have large meetings and such.
God wants us to struggle with Him because he wants to teach us. This is what Jacob did. Jacob was a self made man, but this did not impress God at all. All the success that he had with the world just gave him a limp when he was faced with God. What do we want to characterize us? Through the struggle Jacob learned that he needed God's blessing even though he already had so much material possessions. God asks Jacob what his name was and Jacob comes to realize that he is a deciever and that is when God gives him a new name. The name Jacob means deciver in Hebrew. Once he realizes that then God changes his name to Isreal. It is the same when we realize that we have nothing without God's blessing. God tells Jacob that he had finally won and God let him go so that he could overcome.
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