Tues.’s Devo - The Twins

Read: Genesis 24:52-26:16; Matthew 8:18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8 When reading today’s story, I notice how Rebekah’s brother Laban seems to take the place of the father. He and the mother get the gifts from Abraham’s servant and they make the decisions for Rebekah. But, ultimately, Rebekah made the final decision to leave right away and go back with him to meet her new husband. Isaac was at least 20 years older than Rebekah which was the custom of the day. Isaac had been meditating in the very place where Hagar had met the Lord and he rescued her from death. She had named the place Beer-lahai-roi - “well of the Lord who sees me”. From that place Isaac looked up and saw his bride for the first time. Rebekah saw him too and covered her face. Isaac heard the whole story of how the servant chose Rebekah and took her into Sarah’s tent and loved her. She was a great comfort to him after losing his mother, Sarah. Abraham remarried a woman named Keturah. She had six sons. Abraham left everything to Isaac when he died but gave gifts to his other sons and sent them east to settle and multiply. Isaac went to live in Beer-lahai-roi. Ishmael had 12 sons who settled east of Egypt and like the prophesy said, they lived in open hostility to their relatives. Isaac was forty when he married Rebekah. Rebekah was barren and Isaac prayed earnestly to the Lord to open her womb. God answered Isaac’s prayer and Rebekah was blessed with twins. The twins fought even in the womb and when Rebekah asked the Lord what was happening in her womb he told her. She was bearing two rival nations. One would be stronger than the other but the older son would serve the youngest. When Rebekah delivered, the first son was red and covered with thick hair. They named him Esau, which means “shaggy’. The second son was born holding on to his brother’s heel. They named him Jacob which means “supplanter”. He would supplant his brother in every way. Isaac was 60 years old when the twins were born. Isaac was partial to Esau because he loved to eat the venison that Esau killed. Rebekah was partial to Jacob because he loved to stay home. One day, Esau came home starving after being on a long hunt. Jacob was cooking stew and bargained Esau’s birthright for some stew. Esau despised his birthright and gave it up for the stew. A severe famine came to the land so Isaac moved his family to Gerar where Abimelech livd. God told Isaac and told him not to take his family to Egypt but to stay there and God would bless his descendants and make them as numerous as the sands of the sea and the stars in the sky. In the very land where Abraham lied about Sarah being his wife, now Isaac lied about Rebekah being his wife. Abimelech, (probably the son of the one who Abraham knew) found out Rebekah was Isaac’s wife and called Isaac in. He rebuked him for lying to him. He put out a law of protection around Isaac and his wife. That year, Jacob planted and received 100 times what he planted as a return. He became so rich that the Philistines were jealous and filled up his wells so he couldn’t water his cattle These were the wells that Abraham had dug. Abimelech called Isaac in again and told him it would be better for him to leave because he was becoming too powerful for them. This story shows the power that we as Christians are suppose to walk in. The devil and his people should be afraid of us and our wealth. I believe that this day is coming. In Matthew, Jesus made it clear to those who wanted to follow him that they were not promised a comfortable life but it would cost them everything. As Jesus was in the boat with his disciples crossing to the Gentile side, a storm arose in the sea. Jesus was asleep in the bottom of the boat and his disciples wakened him in a panic. They told Jesus that they were going to drown if he didn’t save them. Jesus asked them why they had so little faith. He rebuked the wind and the waves and there was instant calm. The disciples were amazed. Satan did not want Jesus to reach the other side because his principality was dwelling in a man who lived in the tombs and was violent. Matthew’s account says that there were two of them. They met Jesus screaming at him wanting to know why Jesus was interfering with their mission and wanted to know if he had come to torment them before their time. They begged to be cast in to the pigs that were near them. Jesus allowed them to go into the pigs who plunged over the cliff into the lake of water below. (What a picture of Satan and his demons being thrown into the lake of fire in the end.) The men who herded the pigs ran into town telling everyone what they had seen. The entire town came and begged him to leave them alone. They would change their tune later and welcome Jesus back. Lord, it is obvious that living for You will cost us everything and that your way is so misunderstood by the world. May we not miss our destiny by trying to please others. You are our hope and our reward.