Category Archives: Family

Adultery / Sex Outside Marriage, Consequences of Sin, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Homosexual Behavior, Marriage

The Immoral Man Sins Against His Own Body

God’s design for sex is for it to be a wonderful and intimate part of a marriage between one man and one woman. It is as physical aspect of the two becoming one that helps to bring them together on more than just a physical act. It is a gift of pleasure from God to His people that helps a husband and wife to share a very personal relationship that is just between them, different from relationship with all others.

Sadly, though, those who are of the world rise up to defend sexual immorality instead of respecting God’s instruction. They twist scripture to do so… or often just reject scripture all together. They constantly change what is acceptable trying to always move farther from God’s word and embrace their own sin nature which seeks after the deceptions of Satan.  They proclaim sex outside marriage is good, they rationalize adultery, they cheer on homosexual marriage despite God’s clear condemnation, and they will not stop there. Once you disregard God’s clear and holy standard… there is no other logical stopping point. If we disregard God’s instruction, what is to say marriage or sex with children or animals is wrong… what is the absolute standard and on whose authority does it rest?

The truth is that all of these immoral practices that violate God’s clear commands are wrong and damaging to the people who commit them and to others. God’s instructions exist because He loves us and wants what is best for us.

1 Corinthians 6:13-20

13Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” 17But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Romans 1:18-32

     18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

      24Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. 25For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

      26For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, 27and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.

      28And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, 29being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; 32and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

God loves us and set forth His instructions and commands to us because He wants what is best for us. He is guiding and protecting us … giving us freedom in His instructions rather than bondage to our sin nature.

God providing detailed instructions is not an over-controlling micro manager… no! God provides instruction as one who leads us through a minefield, carefully instructing us in the way we should go and the way we should not go so we may navigate it safely, without getting destroyed. In fact, He did not just provide a map, a written record, but rather actually became man to dwell among us and show us personally how to get through the minefield. Yes… God loves us that much!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Courage / Fear, Family, Hearing from God, Obeying God, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Protector / Deliverer, Righteousness / Serving God, Thankfulness

Afraid and Distressed, Jacob Turns Humbly to God

In Genesis 32:1-23 we continue on our journey with Jacob as he grows in relationship and trust with God. He is obeying God’s direction to return home, trusting in God despite his fear of Esau, who had been plotting to kill Jacob a long time ago when Jacob left.

      1Now as Jacob went on his way, the angels of God met him. 2Jacob said when he saw them, “This is God’s camp.” So he named that place Mahanaim.

      3Then Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4He also commanded them saying, “Thus you shall say to my lord Esau: ‘Thus says your servant Jacob, “I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed until now; 5I have oxen and donkeys and flocks and male and female servants; and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.”’”

      6The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and furthermore he is coming to meet you, and four hundred men are with him.” 7Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed; and he divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and the herds and the camels, into two companies; 8for he said, “If Esau comes to the one company and attacks it, then the company which is left will escape.”

      9Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,’ 10I am unworthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness which You have shown to Your servant; for with my staff only I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two companies. 11“Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children. 12“For You said, ‘I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which is too great to be numbered.’”

      13So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him a present for his brother Esau: 14two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16He delivered them into the hand of his servants, every drove by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass on before me, and put a space between droves.” 17He commanded the one in front, saying, “When my brother Esau meets you and asks you, saying, ‘To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and to whom do these animals in front of you belong?’ 18then you shall say, ‘These belong to your servant Jacob; it is a present sent to my lord Esau. And behold, he also is behind us.’” 19Then he commanded also the second and the third, and all those who followed the droves, saying, “After this manner you shall speak to Esau when you find him; 20and you shall say, ‘Behold, your servant Jacob also is behind us.’” For he said, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” 21So the present passed on before him, while he himself spent that night in the camp.

      22Now he arose that same night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23He took them and sent them across the stream. And he sent across whatever he had.

How wonderful that God sent angels to encourage Jacob. That must have been quite some boost to his spirit… and he may have needed that reassurance from God when he heard that Esau was coming with 400 men to meet him. Surely Jacob remembered that Esau was plotting to kill him when he left, many years ago. They were not on good terms. Jacob clearly splits his group into multiple groups anticipating this possibility. He also puts in place a diplomatic strategy to help his relations with Esau… sending messengers, and gifts ahead of him, declaring he is Esau’s servant.

However, the most important part of the strategy for a righteous person is the prayer. Jacob, in his time of great anxiety, comes humbly before God with praise and thanksgiving, reminding himself of God’s promises and instruction, and asking God to protect him as he obeys God’s instruction to return home to a likely hostile and powerful brother. Jacob continues, faithful to God, despite his concerns.

We should take careful note that Jacob handles this situation as he did managing the flocks over the past 20 years. He comes humbly before God, asking help and protection and listening for instruction… obeying what God commands. Then he combines that with hard work, good strategy, and his own best efforts. He is not lazy, simply putting God to the test and saying God will take care of it all. Rather, Jacob prays for God to act and then does his own personal best to address the situation, trusting God to support Him.

We should model our own walk with God after this pattern. We should absolutely rely on God but also put forth our own hard work and good planning to accomplish what He tells us to do. We should do our part and trust God to bless it.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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False Prophets / Teachers, Heaven and Hell, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Marriage, Wickedness / Evil

Jesus Answers the Sadducees and Pharisees

It seems the Pharisees and Sadducees, the religious leaders of the time, those most educated and trained in the formal practices of religion, never tired of spending time and energy trying to trick Jesus while at the same time never had any energy to try to accept Him for whom He claimed to be… God and Messiah.  The same is still true for many people today. They spend all their effort trying to explain away Jesus rather than accepting Him as Lord and submitting their lives to Him.

Matthew 22:23-45

23On that day some Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to Jesus and questioned Him, 24asking, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies having no children, his brother as next of kin shall marry his wife, and raise up children for his brother.’ 25“Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; 26so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. 27“Last of all, the woman died. 28“In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”

29But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30“For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31“But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

34But when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered themselves together. 35One of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, 36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbors as yourself.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

41Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: 42“What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” 43He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, 44‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet”?

45“If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” 46No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

The Sadducees did not believe in life after death. They were not trying to learn from Jesus, but rather trick Him or trap Him. Jesus always has answers and is never surprised. He knows the wickedness of those who try to dismiss or reject Him. In His grace, He offers answers anyway and those of us who have ears to hear will learn.

As difficult as it seems to those of us who are married and love our spouses, Jesus tells us that life after death in Heaven will be very different than what we experience on earth today. The marriage relationship is a gift for us to enjoy in this life, but will not be the same in life after death. It is hard for us to imagine, but God has something better arranged for life after death for those who follow Him than even what we enjoy in this world.

Jesus further confirms resurrection is real and those who were in right relationship with God when they died have already been resurrected and are with Him in Heaven.

Once the Sadducees failed, then the Pharisees took another attempt to trap Jesus. Jesus was not surprised or without answer. Out of a trick question, intended to trap Jesus… Jesus provides a great summary of the foundation of all the law and the prophets for those of us who choose to follow Him.

 37And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbors as yourself.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Just in case the 10 commandments are too hard for us to remember, Jesus provides insight into what they are based on… love God and love each other. Surely Jesus had great wisdom and ability to simplify what others think to be complex. We should also pause here to realize that God’s commands are all still in effect. His law, which is to love God and love one another, has not been altered or abolished by Jesus’ death. Jesus never taught as such and actually taught the opposite with both words and His actions throughout His earthly ministry and when He came back to His disciples after His resurrection. To  learn more study our teaching , Understanding The Law – What Does It Mean Today?

After responding to the questions He was asked, Jesus then challenged the Pharisees and Sadducees with a question. They could not answer it and realized Jesus was much wiser than they… but they still refused to acknowledge Him as Messiah and God. Their minds were already made up and they were not seeking truth and understanding… instead they sought only to discredit Jesus.

The question Jesus asked them was actually quite important… and it was clear they did not understand it. Jesus was pointing out that the anticipated Messiah was not just a descendant of David, a secular king or prince. If so, how could David, as an ancestor, call him Lord. No, the Messiah was not only “Son of God” but “God in the flesh”. Hence, David called Him Lord. Jesus at once opened a door to show these men a deeper understanding of the Messiah and also revealed how little they truly understood. They rejected the opportunity and instead stopped the conversation. They were unwilling to become humble and seek the wisdom Jesus offered, but instead remained proud and plotted against Him.

God has answers for all the attempts people have to explain Him away or teach false doctrine… but we must seek them out in prayer and study of scripture and in the world around us. We must first come to a place where we do not reject God and His holy word as our starting point. Then as we genuinely seek answers they will be revealed to us as we follow where the evidence leads… it leads to God as revealed through Jesus Christ.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Family, Hearing from God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Idols / False Gods, Lying / Deceiving, Protector / Deliverer, Righteousness / Serving God, Suffering / Adversity, Wickedness / Evil

Laban Pursues Jacob

Genesis 31:22-42 continues after Jacob has fled Laban in secret earlier in Genesis 31, taking His family and livestock with Him. Rachel, stole from her father the household idols to bring with her. When Laban realizes Jacob has left, he pursues him with anger. But God is with Jacob and comes to Laban in a dream to protect Jacob.

      22When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23then he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him a distance of seven days’ journey, and he overtook him in the hill country of Gilead. 24God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream of the night and said to him, “Be careful that you do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

      25Laban caught up with Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country, and Laban with his kinsmen camped in the hill country of Gilead. 26Then Laban said to Jacob, “What have you done by deceiving me and carrying away my daughters like captives of the sword? 27“Why did you flee secretly and deceive me, and did not tell me so that I might have sent you away with joy and with songs, with timbrel and with lyre; 28and did not allow me to kiss my sons and my daughters? Now you have done foolishly. 29“It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful not to speak either good or bad to Jacob.’ 30“Now you have indeed gone away because you longed greatly for your father’s house; but why did you steal my gods?” 31Then Jacob replied to Laban, “Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force. 32“The one with whom you find your gods shall not live; in the presence of our kinsmen point out what is yours among my belongings and take it for yourself.” For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

      33So Laban went into Jacob’s tent and into Leah’s tent and into the tent of the two maids, but he did not find them. Then he went out of Leah’s tent and entered Rachel’s tent. 34Now Rachel had taken the household idols and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them. 35She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the household idols.

      36Then Jacob became angry and contended with Laban; and Jacob said to Laban, “What is my transgression? What is my sin that you have hotly pursued me? 37“Though you have felt through all my goods, what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two. 38“These twenty years I have been with you; your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten the rams of your flocks. 39“That which was torn of beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. You required it of my hand whether stolen by day or stolen by night. 40“Thus I was: by day the heat consumed me and the frost by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes. 41“These twenty years I have been in your house; I served you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flock, and you changed my wages ten times. 42“If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had not been for me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the toil of my hands, so He rendered judgment last night.”

Perhaps one of the first things to note, is that God is perfectly able to communicate through non believers, such as Laban. He appears to Laban in a dream in order to protect Jacob. We know Laban was not a man of God by his behaviors such as deceiving Jacob and then trying to cheat him by changing his agreed wages repeatedly… and of course by the fact that Laban clutches tightly to his household  idols.  Additionally, Laban refers to God as the God of Jacob’s father, not his own God or even just “God”.

We see, also, that though Laban is quick to deceive others, he does not like to be deceived. This is typical hypocritical behavior for those who are focused on themselves rather than fundamental principles or truths of right and wrong. Every situation is interpreted not against God’s holy standard, but rather against the flawed view of “How does it affect me?” Godly people are called to be different from this behavior, measuring right and wrong against God’s holy standard revealed in scripture.

As a man continuing on his walk toward righteousness, Jacob strongly agrees that  whomever stole from Laban should be punished. Jacob wanted nothing to do with the idols anyway as they are detestable to God. Jacob did not make excuses when confronted by Laban. He clearly stated why he left  secretly and made no excuse for someone stealing.

Rachel, clutching to idols instead of God or even husband, comes up with clever deception to avoid being caught at this time. A family raised by deceitful and wicked parents becomes quite good at being wicked. This type of cleverness is not to be admired.

Having given Laban time to look for his idols, Jacob then rebukes Laban for chasing him and for several other ways in which Laban has wrongly treated Jacob. Jacob highlights that his service has been righteous and honorable even when Laban was not. Both Jacob and Laban prospered from it. Best of all, Jacob honors God by recognizing and proclaiming His role in protecting Jacob and his family in this difficult twenty years.

For those of us today, who are going through difficult family situations or even situations in life not related to family specifically, keep in mind that God can be with you even in tough situations. He never promises to protect you from suffering and make life easy. Quite the contrary, those who serve Him the most often have quite difficult lives with a  lot of earthly pain and suffering, but still find joy in the Lord and in the hope of what is to come after death.

When you find yourself in difficult times, it is then that you must draw nearer to Him, not pull away. Seek Him more earnestly both in study of scripture and in prayer. Change your ways from the path of sin to the path of righteous obedience and submission to God. Do not just look for a “quick fix” to your situation. Trust God. Ask Him for help. God is able to provide and protect according to His will.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Can God Use Me?, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Family, Greed, Hearing from God, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Marriage, Obeying God, Righteousness / Serving God, Stealing / Theft

Jacob Leaves Laban Secretly For Canaan

Genesis 31:1-21 reveals to us that Laban has grown jealous of Jacob and repeatedly tries to cheat him. Family problems are certainly not new in today’s culture. Our sin nature is the same today as thousands of years ago. Jacob continues to grow in his relationship with God, though Rachel is clearly struggling. Jacob recognizes his situation is no longer good, due to Laban’s jealousy, and when Jacob hears from God… he obeys and leaves for Canaan.

1Now Jacob heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s, and from what belonged to our father he has made all this wealth.” 2Jacob saw the attitude of Laban, and behold, it was not friendly toward him as formerly. 3Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.” 4So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to his flock in the field, 5and said to them, “I see your father’s attitude, that it is not friendly toward me as formerly, but the God of my father has been with me. 6“You know that I have served your father with all my strength. 7“Yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times; however, God did not allow him to hurt me. 8“If he spoke thus, ‘The speckled shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth speckled; and if he spoke thus, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock brought forth striped. 9“Thus God has taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. 10“And it came about at the time when the flock were mating that I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream, and behold, the male goats which were mating were striped, speckled, and mottled. 11“Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12“He said, ‘Lift up now your eyes and see that all the male goats which are mating are striped, speckled, and mottled; for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13‘I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’” 14Rachel and Leah said to him, “Do we still have any portion or inheritance in our father’s house? 15“Are we not reckoned by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and has also entirely consumed our purchase price. 16“Surely all the wealth which God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children; now then, do whatever God has said to you.”

17Then Jacob arose and put his children and his wives upon camels; 18and he drove away all his livestock and all his property which he had gathered, his acquired livestock which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols that were her father’s. 20And Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him that he was fleeing. 21So he fled with all that he had; and he arose and crossed the Euphrates River, and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

Jacob worked hard for Laban and with integrity for many years, helping Laban to increase in his wealth. However, Laban allowed greed to overcome him in his dealings with Jacob, changing his agreed wages repeatedly out of envy for the greater success that God granted to Jacob. Laban’s sons also become jealous and resent Jacob.

When God tells Jacob to leave, he obeys… first sharing God’s word and the deception of Laban with his wives and they all agree to leave.  I believe Jacob would have led his family to leave even if Rachel or Leah did not agree, because he had heard directly from God. However, what a good way to share God’s word and the family plan with his wives to allow them to be part of the discussion before they implemented the plan.

While God gave Jacob direction to leave, He did not command Jacob to sneak away or deceive Laban. While I can understand why Jacob thought this was as good idea, we can consider if it would have been a better approach to just confront Laban directly. As we continue to read later in Genesis 31, the answer becomes more clear and will be the subject of a future teaching.

We get clear insight into Laban through the mention of his household idols, and later in Genesis 31 when he shows how important they are to him. However, we also see that Rachel does not have a mature relationship with God, even after 20 years knowing Jacob and 13 as his wife. She knows he would not approve of the idols (she hides them) but she takes them anyway. She steals from her father and deceives her husband, rebelling against his authority and leadership.

It is disappointing for sure to see this behavior with Rachel so long after being with Jacob, but we can consider that she was raised in Laban’s care, which is not as great foundation to live for God. Further, even Jacob is still maturing in his relationship with God in these twenty years. He has a history of deception as well (deceiving his own father to take a blessing intended for Esau), and was not a strong family leader as we read earlier in how he failed to love Leah and failed to address the family problems that resulted.

Perhaps the most wonderful news in all of this is as powerful reminder that God can use all of us, even in our weakness and failure… as he used Jacob. We must repent from our sins, ask forgiveness, and submit to Jesus as Lord of our lives… but He can, and definitely wants to, use each of us!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Blessed, Character of God, Family, Greed, Money / Finances / Wealth, Righteousness / Serving God, Selfishness, Sloth / Laziness

Jacob Trusts God’s Promise And Prospers Exceedingly

We continue with Jacob in Genesis 30:25-43 as he lives out his life committed to God, but doing so imperfectly… like all of us who try to serve God. Earlier in Genesis 30 we read about many mistakes, and the consequences of those mistakes on Jacob and his family. God, however, has not removed His blessing or promise from Jacob and Jacob prospers financially.

   25Now it came about when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my own country. 26“Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me depart; for you yourself know my service which I have rendered you.” 27But Laban said to him, “If now it pleases you, stay with me; I have divined that the LORD has blessed me on your account.” 28He continued, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” 29But he said to him, “You yourself know how I have served you and how your cattle have fared with me. 30“For you had little before I came and it has increased to a multitude, and the LORD has blessed you wherever I turned. But now, when shall I provide for my own household also?” 31So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this one thing for me, I will again pasture and keep your flock: 32let me pass through your entire flock today, removing from there every speckled and spotted sheep and every black one among the lambs and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and such shall be my wages. 33“So my honesty will answer for me later, when you come concerning my wages. Every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found with me, will be considered stolen.” 34Laban said, “Good, let it be according to your word.” 35So he removed on that day the striped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted female goats, every one with white in it, and all the black ones among the sheep, and gave them into the care of his sons. 36And he put a distance of three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37Then Jacob took fresh rods of poplar and almond and plane trees, and peeled white stripes in them, exposing the white which was in the rods. 38He set the rods which he had peeled in front of the flocks in the gutters, even in the watering troughs, where the flocks came to drink; and they mated when they came to drink. 39So the flocks mated by the rods, and the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted. 40Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban; and he put his own herds apart, and did not put them with Laban’s flock. 41Moreover, whenever the stronger of the flock were mating, Jacob would place the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters, so that they might mate by the rods; 42but when the flock was feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. 43So the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.

Laban realizes that he is blessed because of association with Jacob, who serves God. Jacob, despite his mistakes, has been a witness to Laban and Laban wishes him to stay. Before we give Laban too much credit, though, his reason for wanting Jacob to stay is selfish and greedy. He has financially prospered with Jacob. Laban shows no interest in worshipping or serving God or even thanking God.

Jacob, however also realized that he needed to begin investing not only in Laban’s flock but also in preparing for his own household for the future.  Jacob was willing to leave without pay other than the wives (and children) he had agreed to previously… even though Laban’s flocks have clearly prospered under Jacob’s care. Jacob demanded nothing extra, and was willing to leave with only his agreed upon wages (e.g. his wives and children) and God’s promise. He did not demand more than he agreed to just because Laban had prospered. He did not resent Laban and wish him ill because of his success.

However, God made a way for Jacob to prosper from his hard work helping with Laban’s flocks for those fourteen years. When Laban suggests Jacob name his price, Jacob finds wisdom in a solution that meets both his need and Laban’s, so he stays. Jacob tends the flocks and prospers exceedingly.

Each of us should consider…

  • Am I planning responsibly for my future needs and those of my family similar to Jacob?
  • Do I trust God to provide for me, adhering to His principles and values?
    • Do I keep my word and live up to my agreements? or do I demand more from someone just because they prosper from the work I agreed to do?
    • Do I resent someone else’s success or am I satisfied with the wages I agreed to?
    • Of course it is also acceptable when our agreements have concluded to negotiate for better terms in the future based on the quality of our work. If all parties agree, we have a new agreement. If not, we should not resent the other, but just make a different choice to pursue our goals… just as Jacob was willing to leave. At no point did Jacob perceive Laban to be his enemy or adversary.
  • Do I recognize that if / when God blesses his people in financial matters it seldom comes overnight or without hard work, faith, and planning? Jacob, like Abraham before him, trusted God and worked hard over many years to generate his wealth. God blessed his hard work and it was fruitful. God does not reward laziness or lack of faith.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Bitterness / Resentment, Children, Consequences of Sin, Envy / Jealousy / Coveting, Evidence in Scripture, Family, Love

Doing It Our Way Instead of God’s Way… What A Mess!

Genesis 30:1-24 continues to show us the depth of consequences for doing things our way instead of God’s way. Jacob, who intentionally tricked and deceived his father Isaac, was later intentionally tricked and deceived by his uncle Laban and now finds himself married to two women, one of which he does not love. God has granted Leah several sons because she was unloved by her husband and given Rachel none.

30 When Rachel saw that she wasn’t having any children for Jacob, she became jealous of her sister. She pleaded with Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2 Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”

3 Then Rachel told him, “Take my maid, Bilhah, and sleep with her. She will bear children for me,[a] and through her I can have a family, too.” 4 So Rachel gave her servant, Bilhah, to Jacob as a wife, and he slept with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan,[b] for she said, “God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son.” 7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali,[c] for she said, “I have struggled hard with my sister, and I’m winning!”

9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn’t getting pregnant anymore, so she took her servant, Zilpah, and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Soon Zilpah presented him with a son. 11 Leah named him Gad,[d] for she said, “How fortunate I am!” 12 Then Zilpah gave Jacob a second son. 13 And Leah named him Asher,[e] for she said, “What joy is mine! Now the other women will celebrate with me.”

14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought them to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But Leah angrily replied, “Wasn’t it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son’s mandrakes, too?”

Rachel answered, “I will let Jacob sleep with you tonight if you give me some of the mandrakes.”

16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. “You must come and sleep with me tonight!” she said. “I have paid for you with some mandrakes that my son found.” So that night he slept with Leah. 17 And God answered Leah’s prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob. 18 She named him Issachar,[f] for she said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife.” 19 Then Leah became pregnant again and gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob. 20 She named him Zebulun,[g] for she said, “God has given me a good reward. Now my husband will treat me with respect, for I have given him six sons.” 21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. “God has removed my disgrace,” she said. 24 And she named him Joseph,[h] for she said, “May the Lord add yet another son to my family.”

The first observation I will make is this… what a mess! Surely the scriptures must be true. If someone were willing to change them they would have started by removing the family failures like this one which reflects poorly on Isaac and Jacob. It reflects poorly on Isaac because he raised Jacob and Esau in a family environment where each parent clearly had their favorite child and was content to let the other be loved less or not at all. Thus that sin and failure became part of Jacob’s “inheritance” and he continued it into his family by failing to love his wife, Leah. He clearly embraced Rachel as his favorite.

How could doing things God’s way have helped avert this situation?

  • God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman, not a man and several women. Man can not properly demonstrate love to more than one woman and perhaps even if he could, even the appearance of favorites leads to jealousy, bitterness and division.
  • Jacob having married Leah, should have loved her. Love is not just an emotion, it is conscious act of will as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.
  • Jacob surely must have known or had the opportunity to know  the bitterness between Rachel and Leah, yet he did nothing as the leader of his household to resolve it. He was not dwelling with understanding with his wives as called for in 1 Peter 3:7.  (7You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. )
  • When Jacob was confronted directly by Rachel, he still did not turn to God in prayer or insert himself more deeply into the situation between Rachel and Leah. He basically dismissed Rachel in anger as shown in verse 2. (2 Then Jacob became furious with Rachel. “Am I God?” he asked. “He’s the one who has kept you from having children!”) What would have happened if Jacob would have listened to Rachel, repented and asked God for help, changing his own behaviors to do things God’s way?
  • There were still yet other opportunities to avert total family meltdown… either Rachel or Leah could have returned good for evil and just smothered the other in kindness and grace as called for in 1 Peter 3:9. (8To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, brotherly, kindhearted, and humble in spirit; 9not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you might inherit a blessing.) Though this verse is intended in context for husband and wife, a similar approach helps between any two people.

Instead of doing things God’s way, they continued to fight and scheme, trying to “win” by doing things their own way. This is clearly a failure of Jacob as leader of the family and we will see this failure continue on into how his sons treat Joseph, who becomes his favorite.

Both Rachel and Leah propose… and Jacob agrees… that Jacob sleep with their maids. The sinful failures of the father continue to the next generation. Abraham and Sarah already went down this road earlier in Genesis and it did not end well. They chose to “help” God provide a son for Abraham through Sarah’s maid. If they made any attempt to share this mistake and its implications with their children, it is not evident. Isaac witnessed the failure through tension within the family regarding Ishmael. Jacob knew of Ishmael… in fact his brother, Esau, went to visit Ishmael at one point. None the less, Jacob and his wives fail and have children through their maid servants… once again doing things their way instead of God’s way.

There are no number of sons that can be had to end this bitterness as having children is not the root of the issue. The root is Jacob’s failure to love Leah and Rachel both. It is their failure to live God’s way.

We clearly see demonstrated that there are natural consequences for our sin and failures when we do things our own way, even if we have God’s blessing as Jacob had.

Each of us should seek to know God’s ways and follow them. When we are faced with trials, we should seek answers in His word and in prayer. Do things God’s way, not our own.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Parenting, Righteousness / Serving God, Suffering / Adversity

A True Christian Leader Must Be A Servant

Matthew 20:20-28 continues directly after Jesus has once again predicted His death and resurrection. With this in mind, the words of the mother of James and John exchanges with Jesus should not be taken lightly. She may not know what she is asking, but she clearly does not expect the road to be a care free one for her sons given what Jesus has just said about His own impending suffering.

20 Then the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus with her sons. She knelt respectfully to ask a favor. 21 “What is your request?” he asked.

She replied, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.”

22 But Jesus answered by saying to them, “You don’t know what you are asking! Are you able to drink from the bitter cup of suffering I am about to drink?”

“Oh yes,” they replied, “we are able!”

23 Jesus told them, “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.”

24 When the ten other disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were indignant. 25 But Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. 26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

The mother of James and John may not have understood how greatness is defined in the kingdom of heaven… it is almost contradictory to say we will be a servant of all just to sit in power and authority by Jesus. Instead we should be motivated to follow the example of Jesus and focus on serving others. However, the mother clearly wants her boys to be with Jesus, even if the path is difficult and filled with suffering. I give her lots of credit for that. As parents, it is important to support and direct our children to Jesus.

Note that although Jesus submits to the Father’s will as to who will sit on his right and left, He clearly accepts the offer of their service and confirms that the road will be difficult… “You will indeed drink from my bitter cup.”

There is not surprisingly a bit of a ruckus as the  other disciples hear about this request. Jesus settles them down by clearly defining the difference between worldly leaders who flaunt their authority and demand to be supported by the people, taking what they want and the follower of Christ who wants to be great… wants to be a leader.

“26 But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. 28 For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus did not just say this… He lived it! God Himself became man… and a humble man at that rather than one characterized by great wealth and worldly power. His life, ministry, and death were all acts of service to those whom He leads. What a glorious example of how God wants our leaders to behave… really all of us to behave.

For those of us who have an opportunity to influence who is selected for leadership roles in community, region, or country… we must take it seriously. Do not vote or support someone based on what they will give you or whatever group of people you identify with, for even the pagans do that. Instead look for someone of godly character who will truly be a servant leader in the model of Jesus Christ.

For those of us who already have ungodly leaders in power, pray. Pray for them to lose their spiritual blindness and see Jesus Christ clearly in all His glory. Pray they would repent and then prosper in the Lord.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Consequences of Sin, Evidence in Scripture, Family, Is the Old Testament Relevant Today?, Love, Marriage, Praise / Worship / Glorify God, Thankfulness

The Lord Saw That Leah Was Unloved

Genesis 29:31-35 continues after Jacob has just been deceived by Laban in order to trick Jacob into marrying his older daughter Leah, instead of Rachel, whom Jacob wanted. Jacob then married both, but did not love Leah.

God loved Leah and had compassion on her while she was unloved by her husband. He grants children to her, but withholds children from her sister, Rachel. Scripture shares with us a very sad situation that resulted from the sin of Laban and Jacob and then impacts Leah and Rachel as well. Laban was wrong to trick Jacob into marrying Leah and Jacob was wrong for not loving her once he was married to her. Love is not a “warm, fuzzy feeling” born solely out of emotion. Emotions come and go. Love is best defined in 1 Corinthians 13, which we will get to further in today’s reading.

Genesis 29:31-35

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive. 32 So Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,[b] for she said, “The Lord has noticed my misery, and now my husband will love me.”

33 She soon became pregnant again and gave birth to another son. She named him Simeon,[c] for she said, “The Lord heard that I was unloved and has given me another son.”

34 Then she became pregnant a third time and gave birth to another son. He was named Levi,[d] for she said, “Surely this time my husband will feel affection for me, since I have given him three sons!”

35 Once again Leah became pregnant and gave birth to another son. She named him Judah,[e] for she said, “Now I will praise the Lord!” And then she stopped having children.

We should take time to give Leah her due credit. When she was given the gift of children, she gave thanks and praise to God for it. How hard it must have been for her to know she was not loved by her husband.  There is no mention of her complaining to God that her husband did not love her, just thanking Him for the gift of children.

Jacob having accepted Leah as his wife, should have shown love to her. Remember… love is not an emotion and is not triggered by hormones. Love is best demonstrated by God’s love for us, which led Him to come down to live among us as Jesus and to suffer and die for us… despite the wickedness of our hearts and our sinful nature. He made a way for us to be reconciled with Him after we rebelled against Him, choosing sin instead of following God’s commands.

Paul summarizes love well in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

Learning to love others this way is difficult for man. We are inherently sinful and selfish. Never the less, God calls us to show love for others in this way whether they are our spouses, children, or others we interact with in our daily lives.  As we strive to show others this love, we can remember that is the type of love for which Jesus died for us.

As a bit of a side note, we once again see the failure of those recorded in the Bible as the fathers of our faith. The Bible does not only record successes. What glorious evidence to the truth of the gospel. If it were “made up” or “fiction” the writers would certainly just show these founders as godly and minimize their mistakes. God reveals to us the failures and successes so we can learn from both.

This scripture is as relevant today as when it was first written. Please take time to reflect on how to apply it in your life. Pray the Holy Spirit would convict you and guide you to where you need to make changes in how you treat others around you.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Consequences of Sin, Family, Lying / Deceiving, Marriage, Murder

Deception From Within The Family

Genesis 29:15-30 continues leading us on a journey with Jacob whereby in fleeing from his past mistakes and their destructive impact on his family, Jacob met God personally on the way to find his uncle Laban. Jacob pledged to follow God. We see in this passage that Jacob is going to experience seemingly unthinkable deception at the hands of his own family. Yet one hopes God can use this deception to teach Jacob a lesson about his own deception and trickery which he played out on his father Isaac to receive the blessing Isaac intended for Esau.

After Jacob had stayed with Laban for about a month, 15 Laban said to him, “You shouldn’t work for me without pay just because we are relatives. Tell me how much your wages should be.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters. The older daughter was named Leah, and the younger one was Rachel. 17 There was no sparkle in Leah’s eyes,[a] but Rachel had a beautiful figure and a lovely face. 18 Since Jacob was in love with Rachel, he told her father, “I’ll work for you for seven years if you’ll give me Rachel, your younger daughter, as my wife.”

19 “Agreed!” Laban replied. “I’d rather give her to you than to anyone else. Stay and work with me.” 20 So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days.

21 Finally, the time came for him to marry her. “I have fulfilled my agreement,” Jacob said to Laban. “Now give me my wife so I can sleep with her.”

22 So Laban invited everyone in the neighborhood and prepared a wedding feast. 23 But that night, when it was dark, Laban took Leah to Jacob, and he slept with her. 24 (Laban had given Leah a servant, Zilpah, to be her maid.)

25 But when Jacob woke up in the morning—it was Leah! “What have you done to me?” Jacob raged at Laban. “I worked seven years for Rachel! Why have you tricked me?”

26 “It’s not our custom here to marry off a younger daughter ahead of the firstborn,” Laban replied. 27 “But wait until the bridal week is over; then we’ll give you Rachel, too—provided you promise to work another seven years for me.”

28 So Jacob agreed to work seven more years. A week after Jacob had married Leah, Laban gave him Rachel, too. 29 (Laban gave Rachel a servant, Bilhah, to be her maid.) 30 So Jacob slept with Rachel, too, and he loved her much more than Leah. He then stayed and worked for Laban the additional seven years.

If it was Laban’s intent solely to marry his daughter Leah or get more work from Jacob, then he succeeded. However, he was wrong to do it this way, with deception and trickery. Laban essentially placed Leah in the care of a husband who did not love her and was not interested in her. This caused problems for her, and for Rebekah, as we will see in our next lesson as we read on in Chapter 29.

One hopes that Jacob is able to learn from this incident that how he deceived his father, Isaac, was wrong and hurtful. Jacob handled the situation much better than Esau. Jacob did not plot revenge by killing or hurting Laban despite being angry as Esau had plotted to kill Jacob in anger.

I am often reminded as I read through scripture that whatever family problems we see in our society around us today are not new and unique. Mankind is inherently selfish and sinful and brings much suffering and wickedness into the world, even amongst family. Man has not changed in thousands of years, just our surroundings like home, tools, clothing.

None of us are ‘good enough’ to meet God’s standard. I am grateful that God came in the person of Jesus Christ to die for my sins. He paid a debt that I could not. I accept Him as my lord and savior. I repent (e.g. turn away from) my sins and submit to Him. Through the grace of God I am saved by faith. Praise God for the depths of His love for us!

If you have accepted Christ as your savior, please take time to thank Him and praise Him. Submit to Him and turn from your sins daily. Change your life to reflect His instruction instead of the world’s.

If you have never accepted Christ as your savior, please do so now. It is not about the words or a one time action, but rather a genuine repentance of the heart and submission to God. Accept that He died for your sins, was buried, and rose again. Submit to and follow Him. Ask Him into your life as Lord.

If you have any questions or want to pray with someone, please reach out to us at our Contact Us page invite us to pray with you or provide you with more information.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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