Tues.’s Devo - New Wine

Read: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12 Isaac called Jacob to him and told him to go to Paddan-aram to his mother’s house and marry one of her brother’s wives. Isaac blessed Jacob again with many descendants and the land that he was now living in, because God had given it to Abraham. *** Isaac sent Jacob to Paddan-aram to stay with Laban who was Rebekah’s brother. *** When Esau saw this and realized how much his father and mother didn’t like his Canaanite wives, he went to his uncle Ishmael’s house and married one of his daughters. *** Jacob left Beersheba and traveled toward Haran He spent the night with his head on a stone and dreamed of a stairway to heaven. Angels were coming down and going up on the stairway. At the top stood Lord. God told Jacob who he was and that the ground he was lying on belonged to him and his descendants. They would be as numerous as the dust of the earth. They would spread out all over the earth. People on the earth would be blessed by them and God would protect Jacob and one day bring him back to this land. God would be with Jacob and surely do what he said. *** When Jacob awoke he knew that the Lord was there and this place must be the house of God - the very gateway to heaven. *** He took the stone he had used as a pillow and poured oil over it. He set it up as a memorial pillar and named the place Bethel which means “house of God.” *** Jacob vowed that if God brought him back to this place then he would be his God and he would give to God a tenth of everything he had. *** Jacob arrived at a well in Haran where shepherds with their flocks were standing around a well. It was covered with a heavy stone. He asked where they were from and if they knew Laban. They did and said that his daughter Rachel was walking up right then. She was also a shepherd and had Laban’s flocks with her. *** Jacob removed the stone and watered all her flocks for her. Then he kissed Rachel and wept out loud for joy. He told her he was her cousin on her father’s side and the son of Rebekah. Rachael ran to tell Laban. *** Laban brought Jacob home and he began to work for Laban. After a while, Laban offered Jacob wages for his work, Jacob said he would work for 7 years to marry Rachel. Laban agreed to do that. Rachel was the youngest of his two daughters. The oldest was Leah. Jacob loved Rachel so much that the years went by quickly for him. *** When the wedding was over and Laban gave Jacob Leah instead. It was dark so Jacob didn’t find out till the next morning. He was furious with Laban, but Laban explained that it wasn’t customary to give the younger daughter away first. He promised to give him Rachel and then he would work another 7 years for Leah. Jacob agreed. *** Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, so God enabled Leah to have children, but Rachel was barren. Leah had her first son and named him Reuben. Reuben means “see a son”. She hoped that when Jacob saw his son, he would love her. She had a second son and named him Simon which means “hearkening.” She thought that God had hearkened to her prayer that she was unloved and blessed her with a son. She had a third son and named him Levi which means “joined”. Leah believed that this son might bond her and Jacob. *** When Leah had her fourth son, she named him Judah which means “praise”. She finally learned to praise the Lord instead of complaining about her husband. *** In Matthew, Jesus had just explained about putting new wine into new wineskins. A leader of the synagogue came and knelt before him. He told Jesus that his daughter had just died and he knew that Jesus could bring her back to life again. As Jesus was going to his house, a woman who had been bleeding for 12 years touched the hem of his garment. Jesus felt the healing power leave him and turned and looked for who had taken it. When he learned it was the woman who had been bleeding for 12 years, he told her her faith had made her well. *** Jesus arrived at the house of the daughter who had died and kicked the funeral mourners out, telling them that she wasn’t dead, but sleeping. They laughed at him until he went brought her out alive. *** Jesus was modeling what new wine in new wineskins looked like. It looked like healing impossible situations and bringing life where there was death. *** Jesus continued to model it when he healed the two blind men and then a demon-possessed man who couldn’t speak. *** The Pharisees were losing popularity quickly and had to fight back. They said that Jesus could cast out demons because he was empowered by the prince of demons. *** Jesus didn’t let the Pharisees stop him. He continued to preach, heal and deliver the people, He told his disciples that the harvest was great, but the workers were few. He told them to pray that the Lord would send more workers into his fields. *** Lord, may we be your workers in the fields of society. May we become influencers of where we are and bring in the harvest. May our faith grow to believe the impossible.