Fri.’s Devo - Jacob’s Journey

Read: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12 To save Jacob’s life, Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram and marry one of Laban’s daughters. Laban was Rebekah’s brother. His father Bethuel was Abraham’s brother making him a grandfather. He reminded Jacob that the land he was living in was the land God had promised to his descendants and was his to own one day. Esau realized that Jacob was being sent away and told not to marry one of the Canaanite women like he had. To please his father he went to Ishmael’s and married one of his daughters. He chose Mahalah which means “sickness”. Jacob left Pandan-aram and stopped to sleep along the way. He found a stone for his pillow and dreamed of a stairway to heaven. Angels were going up and coming down the stairway. The Lord was at the top. The Lord spoke to him and told him that the land he was sleeping on was his also and he would one day return to this land with many children. He awoke in awe and called the place Bethel which means “house of God”. It had been named Luz which means “perverse”. Jacob promised God that if he did bring him safely back he would give the Lord a tenth of all he owned. God prospered Jacob and he found a daughter of Laban at the first well he came to in the land of Haran. Her name was Rachel. Jacob watered all of her flock and went home with her to meet Laban. Laban was so happy to meet him and gave him a job working with his animals. He wanted to pay Isaac so he asked him his price. Jacob said he would work seven years to marry Rachel because he loved her. Laban agreed. Laban had another older daughter named Leah who was still unmarried when the wedding took place. That night Laban slipped in Leah instead of Rachel so Jacob slept with Leah. When Jacob found out what had happened he was irate. Laban told him it was their tradition that the older daughter had to marry first. He told Jacob that he could marry Rachel in a week but he would have to work another seven years for her. Jacob agreed. God has a way of disciplining us and conforming us into his image. Jacob was a trickster and a deceiver. He was given a father-in-law who was even more cunning than him. He was the sand paper to Jacob’s rough edges. Jacob had to learn obedience through the things he suffered just like it said Jesus did. So do we. God rewarded Leah with an open womb. She had four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah. With each son, Leah proclaimed something about getting Jacob’s love until the forth where she only praised the Lord. She then stopped baring children for a while. In Matthew, Jesus was met by two people who needed his help. One was a Jewish woman who had bled for 12 years. The other was a Gentile daughter who was fatally sick. They were pictures of the two covenants. The first was to the Jew and the next was to the Gentile. The Jewish woman was drowning in blood. The Jews were full of sacrifices and yet they were still sinners. The Gentile girl was dying and hopeless. She stood for the Gentiles who had no hope except she die and be risen in Christ. Jesus healed the Jewish woman and raised the Gentile girl. He came to save the Jew and the Gentile. Jesus then healed a deaf and dumb man who had been kept that way because of demons. Jesus cast out the demons and he could speak. The Jewish leaders had decided that there were three tests that the Messiah must fulfill and this was the last. The other two were to heal a man born blind and to cleanse a Jewish leper which Jesus had already done. When Jesus did this third test, all the people looked at the leaders to see what they would say. They refused to name Jesus as the Messiah so they said he did his miracles through the power of the prince of demons. They were pretty much saying that Jesus was the Anti-Christ. Jesus left and went to teach in the small towns and villages. He continued to heal and prayed for more harvesters because he could see the great harvest of people that wanted to know God. Lord, may we not have boundaries around you and your power. May your kingdom expand in our lives and in our hearts.