Tues.’s Devo - Covenants

Read: Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:26-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:16-18
Jacob who had tricked his brother out of his birthright and his blessed had spent years with a father-in-law that was even more conniving than him. God used his 20 years with Laban to teach and mold Jacob into how to use his gifts for good not harm. Rachel, however could leave her father, but not his idols. She stoled them and lied to her father and her husband. This cost her her life. God couldn’t let these idols into his promised land.
Laban found out that Jacob and his family had left with their sheep and pursued them seven days. When he caught up with them, only a dream saved Jacob’s life. Laban accused Jacob of stealing his gods and Jacob pronounced a death sentence on Rachel unknowingly.
Jacob and Laban had the talk they had needed to have for 20 years and made peace. Jacob took a stone and stood it up like he did when the angels had visited him. He and Laban piled rocks around the standing stone. This was their word of covenant and they sat and ate a meal together to seal the covenant.
In verse 42 Jacob said that that night God had seen all that had transpired between him and Laban and had passed judgment in Jacob’s favor. Laban called the pile of stones “pile of witness” in Aramaic where Jacob called it “pile of witness” in Hebrew. Jacob was a type of God’s people where Laban was a type of the wicked who don’t fear God. The rocks stood for God’s watch over their covenant. Laban could never hurt anything of Jacob’s and vice versa. The rocks were a dividing line or witness.
These rocks stand as our covenant with the Lord that the enemy cannot pass into our lives. They stand for the Word of God and the blood of Jesus. God is the just judge who judges in our favor and will protect us from being stolen from or harmed. It is our job to erect this standing stone. In other words, it is our job to stand on the Word of God and command our covenant rights.
After Jacob left Laban he passed a camp of angels!
Jacob’s greatest fear about going home was meeting Esau so he sent messengers ahead of him to greet him and get his reaction. The messengers came back with word that Esau was coming with 400 men. This was not what Jacob was hoping for. He cried out to God and reminded God what he had promised about his family becoming as numerous as dust.
When the enemy comes at us like a flood, we have the Word of God to stand on. That is why it is so important to write down the things that God has said to us so we can look at them at our lowest times and remind ourselves and God what he said.
What Jesus said in Matthew couldn’t be more applicable to Jacob. Our lives are totally in the Lord’s hands. He will set people against us…even in our own families but we have to choose him. Our family can be the test to prove to God who we love the most. Jesus was definitely tested in his family. No one understood why the eldest son wouldn’t become a carpenter and take over his father’s business to take care of his family. Little did they know he was doing his father’s business.
John was thrown in prison for defending Jesus and was confused that the one who came to set the prisoners free, the Messiah, wasn’t coming to his rescue. When he sent word to Jesus to as if he was the Messiah or not, Jesus saw through his question to his frustration. He told them to tell John all the things he was doing and then he added that blessed is anyone who is not offended in me. He was reminding John and us that when he doesn’t do things like we think he should that maybe we should step back and see the things he has done.
Lord, help us to remember all the things that you have done for us and be grateful and strong.