Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
In Genesis 34, we considered Jacob’s passive leadership that led to his sons committing a massacre at Shechem. Jacob feared that other countries in the region would retaliate, but in Genesis 35, we learn that God is fighting for Jacob and his family. A “terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob” (Gen. 35:5). Once again, Jacob experienced the power and protection of God.
When God writes his story, he does not communicate in bullet points. He writes his story in the lives of people who learn how to love and trust him through blessing and success, through pain and failure. Today, we’re considering Genesis 34 that relates a tragic account about Jacob’s daughter.
In Genesis 32, Jacob learned that his older brother, Esau, was coming his way with four hundred men. Jacob did not look forward to the encounter. The brothers had been estranged due to Jacob’s trickery that led to Esau giving away his birthright and losing his father’s blessing. Esau had been furious with Jacob and intent on ending Jacob’s life. Now, two decades later, Jacob had no idea if that’s what Esau was coming to do. Jacob sent a series of gifts to Esau to appease him.
When God writes our story, each day is a new chapter. Whatever happened yesterday, happened yesterday. Whether yesterday was characterized by failure or success, it is over. Every day needs to be infused with fresh faith.
God is writing his story in your life, and it is an amazing story. Now, honestly, there are people who think, and others who teach, that if God is truly writing our story, life is going to be smooth sailing, no bumps, no issues. But when we dig into Scripture, we know that is not the case. Often, God uses significant challenges to write our story. We see this illustrated again today in the life of Jacob.
Humanity has a natural craving for love. We want to be accepted and valued. This is not abnormal or unhealthy until it produces harmful behavior. We all know that competition and jealousy can wreak havoc in families. That’s what we see in today’s passage.
Dr. Ryan Cooper discusses his experience with burnout and how he recovered.
God is a God of grace and mercy. He forgives us and continues to write his story in us. And repeatedly in Scripture, we learn that we reap what we sow. In today’s passage, we clearly see God’s grace and the consequences of sin.
When did you truly own your faith? That’s one of the questions we have challenged our children to answer. They “trusted” in Christ early in their lives, but did they trust in Jesus based on their parents’ faith? They have all shared a time in high school or college when they realized their trust in Jesus was for real. This is an insightful discussion to have with other believers and an important question to answer in your own faith journey.
God is writing his story in you. In our study of Genesis, we have seen that God is powerful and mighty in his actions and will always accomplish what he promises. And we know he works directly in our lives to write our story. We also know there are times when we want to write our own story in our own timing. When we do, well, we make a mess of things. That’s what happens in Genesis 27.
Do you ever forget…forget important matters? The busyness of life fills your mind, the challenges pile up, the frustrations accumulate, and then, after a while, the most important things get put on the back burner. Immersed in the present, you forget about God’s promises for the future. Check out today’s story about Isaac. Dealing with famine, fear, a powerful ruler, and family issues, God reiterates to Isaac that his promises are trustworthy and that he will always be with him.
In our study of Genesis, we have seen two consistent threads of truth introduced in the first chapter and continuing through subsequent chapters. We are learning about the powerful Person of God and being reminded of how he personally works in the lives of his people. The promise given in Genesis 3:15 that God would send One to crush Satan has now developed into the story of the people through whom the One who will accomplish this comes. In Genesis, this family line is known to be blessed by God and is relatively small. The land that God promised them is occupied by other countries. God’s people are wanderers in the land, moving from place to place.
So far in the book of Genesis, we have learned many amazing truths about God. He is Elohim, the powerful Creator of all things. He spoke the world into existence! He is Yahweh, the personal God who stooped down to breathe life into man. He is El Shaddai, the Almighty God. Nothing is impossible with him. He is El Roi, the God who sees us and comes to our aid. He is Yahweh Yireh, the God who always provides. Throughout Genesis, we see the powerful Person of God and how he intimately works in the lives of his people. God is sovereign over all, and he allows us to make decisions that impact generations. We will see that in today’s passage.
Have you ever been tested by God? A challenge to handle. A decision to make. An obstacle to navigate. The test stood before you like a great mountain. Why do these tests even come into our lives? Isn’t life with Jesus supposed to be all smooth sailing?
Today, in our study of Genesis, we come to a great test. Let’s see what we can learn and apply.
Jeff and Tricia Bradford on the journey of regret, forgiveness, and hope after an abortion.
Someone has said that God is seldom early. He is never late. He is always right on time. By human standards, God was late with the birth of a son to Abraham and Sarah. After all, they were both well past the child-bearing age. But God does not always set his clock to correspond to our digital watches. In today’s passage, proving that nothing is impossible with God, the son of promise was born.
For years, Lori and I have had three ongoing prayer requests for our children. Now, we pray the same things for our grandchildren. First, we pray that each one would have a deep faith in Jesus that results in their lives honoring him. Second, we pray for good friends who will sharpen their faith. Finally, we pray for their future spouses and families to carry the good news into the next generation. Faith, friends, and family—those three components have been the basis of our prayers. In today’s passage, we see why these three areas are so important.
Have you ever been spiritually stalled? A little lethargic? You feel like there’s just not much gas in the spiritual tank? Maybe it’s due to your lack of spiritual discipline. Maybe you are disappointed in God. Maybe you feel God hasn’t kept his promises to you. Maybe you have had to come to grips with the emotions of an unfulfilled lifelong dream. Today’s passage in Genesis 18 reminds us that God is on our side. He never forgets his promises. His timing is…his timing. And he will accomplish what he sets out to do.
Think back to a time in your life when God showed up in a big way. There was something you needed, and he delivered. You knew then and know now that your situation was beyond you. You were totally dependent on God. In Scripture, God uses those times as markers to remind us that he is at work in our lives. Today, we see how God instructs Abram to mark his people by grace.
Do you ever get tired of waiting on God? Waiting for a job that isn’t materializing. Waiting for recovery from an illness. Waiting for marriage with no prospect in sight. Waiting for a prodigal child to come back home. You’ve spent plenty of time in prayer crying out to God, but you are stalled.