Revenge is Never Sweet

Today's Reading
Genesis Chp 34

On the heels of Jacob reuniting with Esau, Jacob found himself and his family in Canaan where they had not been for some time. Dinah, Jacob's daughter from Leah was exploring the land and sought to meet some of the women (Gen 34:1). She caught the eye of Shechem, son of Hamor. The two slept together. This was a disgraceful thing in Israel (Gen 34:7).

Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, were filled with rage. They sought revenge and then deceived and killed Shechem and Hamor. They also killed every male in the city, plundered all the material goods and took the women and children.

Clearly a wrongful act, Jacob lashes out at them:

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed."

³¹ But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?"

Throughout our lives, others will wrong us, in ways perhaps significant, but definitely many times in insignificant ways. For myself, I know that a hardened heart does no good...revenge may produce short term boost to our ego and give us a sense of righteousness but long term this righteousness will not eliminate a hardened heart, which only leads to either shame, selfishness - certainly not love. We end up separated from God.

My Prayer: Lord, I pray that I can as you say "turn the other cheek". Help me avoid anger against another child of God. We are all made in your likeness and we need to see others as you see them not as we see them.

God "Injures" Us to Bring Us to Him for His Glory

Today's Reading
Genesis 32-33

Jacob is led home to reunite with his brother Esau and his father Issac. Jacob learns from his servants that Esau is coming out to meet him with 400 of his men - this causes great fear in Jacob (Gen 32:6-12). While Jacob goes to God in prayer he does not completely trust in God as he divides his group up and does not personally go out to meet Esau, sending instead his servants. Additionally, he sends gifts from among his herd as a way to pacify any anger Esau may have.

That night Jacob encounters God face to face as God wrestles with him.

²⁴ So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, "Let me go, for it is daybreak."
But Jacob replied, "I will not let you go unless you bless me."

²⁷ The man asked him, "What is your name?"
"Jacob," he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome."

²⁹ Jacob said, "Please tell me your name."
But he replied, "Why do you ask my name?" Then he blessed him there.

³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared."

³¹ The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. ³² Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon.

I often wrestle with God and this is a good thing. Yet this has not rid me of my tendencies to seek my own will and to lean on my own abilities vs God. As God touches Jacob's hip as a means to draw Jacob closer to God, I seek to more deeply understand how God has created and molded me to depend on God.

My Prayer: Help me understand and appreciate where you have both made me weak and how you have made me strong. Help me use my strengths to your glory and just as importantly help me understand and acknowledge my weaknesses so that my trust and dependence on you can grow.

Envy and Greed Just Get in the Way

Today's Reading
Genesis chps 31

Here we see more envy and greed and how it gets in the way of our relationship with God and certainly in the way of relationships with others.

"Jacob heard that Laban's sons were saying, Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father. And Jacob noticed that Laban's attitude toward him was not what it had been. " (Gen 31:1-2)

It even infects Rachel and Leah.

"Then Rachel and Leah replied, Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father's estate? Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children." (Gen 31:14-16)

God sees pending conflict and implores Laban:

"Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." (Gen 31:24)

Conflict ensues, yet is ultimately resolved as Jacob and Laban make a new covenant together.

"Come now, let's make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us." (Gen 31:44)

Envy and greed run through this story and we see how material possessions, wealth, and earthly things and our focus/comfort in them only separate ourselves from God and from others. We often view these things as things that can help us have more friends, more satisfaction, and more love. But this is not true - it is when we let go of these things when we draw closer to God.

My Prayer: Forgive me as I cling to earthly possessions. Lord, help me let go of these things and draw closer to you.

Envy Only Resolved Through God

Today's Reading
Genesis chps 28 - 30

Here we see Jacob blessed by Issac and sent on his way to Laban, nephew of Rebekah. Jacob's journey includes his dream at Bethel, his arrival in Paddan Aram, and his marriage to Rachel, Laban's youngest daughter. Jacob is deceived by Laban into sleeping with Leah on what was supposed to be the wedding night of Jacob and Rachel. This deception then spirals into a competition between Rachel, who at the time was unable to bear children, and Leah who bore several children and became a source of envy by Rachel.

"When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, Give me children, or I'll die!" (Genesis 30:1)

The competition to win the favor of Jacob takes many twists and ultimately God resolves the cycle by giving Rachel a son, Joseph.

"Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, God has taken away my disgrace." (Genesis 30:22-23)

Several questions arise, not least of which include:

• Are we not willing to understand and submit to God's will - must we be so beholden to our own desires that if we don't get our way we ask to die!?
• Do we really believe that envy and the resulting actions that come from our envy will create an outcome pleasing to God?
• Why are we not willing to ask God how we can be part of his plan just as we are?

My Prayer: Lord, please help me be willing to understand and submit to your will. Help me avoid chasing my independence from you. Help me avoid envy and the destructive behaviors that can result. Help me understand how I can be used right where I am.

Engineering an Outcome

Today's Reading
Genesis chps 27

We all desire the best for our children yet engineering an outcome for them is ill-conceived. Rebekah loves Jacob best and seeks to yield Issac's blessing for Jacob instead of Esau. Rebekah and Jacob intentionally deceive Issac multiple times in this story - all so that Jacob may receive his father's blessing. And then when the plot is discovered, Jacob must flee to escape the wrath of Esau who is of course steaming (as is Issac).

Although at birth, the Lord says to Rebekah that Esau is to serve his younger brother, Rebekah takes things into her own hands and attempts to engineer an outcome, not waiting patiently for the Lord to reveal his own plan.

I do this all the time as I trust in my own abilities, am not patient, and don't depend on and trust in the Lord.

My Prayer: Lord, help me depend on you, help me not depend on my own abilities and instead be patient and seek your guidance, wisdom, and will for my life.

What Am I Not Able to Give Up to the Lord?

Today's Reading
Genesis Chp 26

Like his father Abraham, Issac was blessed in no uncertain terms by the Lord:

The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws. (Gen 26:2-5)

Yet exactly as Abraham did with Abimelech in Gen 20, Issac lies - indicating that Rebekah is his sister and not his wife. Eventually, Abimelech catches Issac in this lie.

For me, the question becomes - to what extent are we willing to give everything up to the Lord to protect and to provide for us. Issac fears for his life - yet instead of giving this up to the Lord he lies. I do this too. I have aspects of my life, big and small that I either have a hard time giving up to the Lord or don't give up to the Lord at all. Despite the lie, the Lord continues to bless Issac - is our God not great and merciful?

"Do not be afraid, for I am with you[.] (Gen 24:24)

My Prayer: Lord, help me depend on you and trust in you with all of my heart and being. Help me free myself from dependence on my own abilities and those of others. It is through you that I will find provision and protection. I love you Lord.

Am I Happy With How God Has Created Me and With What God Has Given Me?

Today's Reading
Genesis chps 23-25

In these chapters we learn about the death of Sarah, of Issac's marriage to Rebekah, and of the birth of Esau and Jacob. The brothers are twins yet from inside the whom it is clear how they are destined:

The LORD said to her,
Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger. (Gen 25:23)

When they grew up, both showed dissatisfaction with their station. Jacob desired Esau's birthright and Esau despised his birthright. So Esau exchanged his birthright with Jacob for some bread and stew. While this may seem a fair and amicable trade, one does have to ask by implication: how am I dissatisfied with how God has created me and with what God has given me?

My Prayer: Lord, I know that I am as David proclaims 'fearfully and wonderfully made.' Please help me recognize this not just in my head but in my heart such that I seek nothing but you - if feel a need or a hunger let me seek you out and not people or things or activities to satisfy this hunger. Forgive me when I do and help me focus on you.