365 Reflections

The heading in our Bibles is incorrect. It often reads above the 22nd verse in Genesis 32, "Jacob Wrestles with God." But the text doesn't say that. It says: Genesis 32:24 (ESV)   And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. Who was looking for this fight? It certainly couldn't have been Jacob. He was a nervous wreck! He was praying and planning on how to appease his brother. He was devising his schemes to come home peacefully because Laban's home had nothing for him and God spoke to him about returning. The problem was Esau. Four hundred soldiers were coming with him. That's not a pretty piece of news.  So after praying and planning and sending everyone ahead of him, Jacob is alone and God comes and picks a fight. He wrestles with Jacob all night. Have you ever wrestled? It's exhausting. Jacob keeps the fight going for hours! I don't know how he did it. But the funny thing is, God has to do something t...

One of the things Christians have to realize is that although we are called to love even our enemies, not everyone is someone who will be our friend. We will not be able to be "liked" or appreciated by a lot of people. This has been the record of the Bible since Abel spilled his blood. Genesis 31 begins with an attitude that Laban has for Jacob and ends with an official accord for them to go their separate ways. Jacob learned, there are times to walk away. Genesis 31:2–3 (ESV) And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. 3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” There are a number of factors that lead to this disassociation.  1. Though Jacob's presence only prospered Laban, Laban eventually resented him. 2. Even Jacob's wives (daughters of Laban) saw their father's greed realizing they were given no inheritance and in basically sold (as slaved) to Jacob for his ...

What do you do when someone hands you a bad deal? That's what happens to Jacob in Genesis 30. The cheater gets cheated. Uncle Laban has learned that good fortune has come to his house because of Jacob's presence. So Laban gives Jacob the opportunity to strike a deal in order to get him to stay. He even asks what Jacob wants. Jacob doesn't ask for much. He wants to own the speckled and spotted lambs and goats. Laban says fine. Then that very day, Laban removes every male stripped and spotted goat, every female speckled goat, and all the black sheep from the flocks and gave them to his sons. Laban is really a piece of work. What would you do? Jacob goes to work diligently. He doesn't complain. He doesn't manipulate. He doesn't steal or resort to trickery. He does something unusual however: Genesis 30:37–43 (NLT) Then Jacob took some fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees and peeled off strips of bark, making white streaks on them. 38 Then ...

No single verse sums up the activity of God throughout scripture better than this: Genesis 29:31 (ESV) When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. The human desire to be loved is a strong as anything. People will do almost anything to be loved by someone. Leah wanted desperately to be loved by the man she plotted with her father to marry unbeknownst to him.  Some people may look at Leah's predicament and think she deserved what she got. After all, she should have refused to marry Jacob. But that argument assumes that young women in those days had the rights they have today. We don't know for sure. What we do know is that no matter how she got into this marriage, it was void of love, and it hurt badly.  But God saw Leah not being loved. And God acted on her behalf.  FACT: God choses the unlovely. The New Testament makes that plain as day. While Jacob met the love of his life at a well who was a virgin, pure and beautiful, J...

Genesis 29:20 (ESV)   So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they seemed to him but a few days because of the love he had for her. One thing the three major Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) have in common is their love for their wives. This was the ancient world where sincere love was rare and marriage was often an issue of property rights. But the Bible paints a common thread in the origination of God's house. The men in His house love their wives from the heart. Yes, Abraham had his other women and notoriously slept with Hagar, and yes, Jacob slept with all the women in his house, but for all of these men, only ONE woman would truly switch them on. Abraham wept bitterly over Sarah's death, and Jacob, toward the end of his life recounts the pain he felt at losing Rachel as he blesses his grandsons in Genesis 48: Genesis 48:7 (ESV)  As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some di...

Genesis 28:12 (ESV) And he (Jacob) dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! This immortal moment in Genesis 28 happens while Jacob is running for his life from the murderous threats of his brother, Esau. God shows up at the top of a ladder and speaks a word of incredible blessing on this young man.  Genesis 28:15–17 (ESV) Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” 17 And he was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” So far Jacob has taken advantage of his starving brother's lust for his own prosperity and  swindled his old man while co...

Jacob gets a lot of notoriety for being the sneaking conniving swindler in the Patriarchal family. But the truth is, he was simply a reflection of his entire family. Genesis 27 is the account in which ALL FOUR members of Isaac's household distrust, misuse and take advantage of each other. Let's take them one at a time. Genesis 27:2–4 (ESV) Isaac said (to Esau), “Behold, I am old; I do not know the day of my death. 3 Now then, take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me, 4 and prepare for me delicious food, such as I love, and bring it to me so that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Isaac knew God had selected the younger son for the blessing of the father. It was already prophesied. But God's Word wasn't good with Isaac because rather than discussing things with Rebekah (probably because he knew her love for Jacob), he secretly planned to give the blessing to Esau after having feasted on a nice well...