Life is hard work if it’s done well. Good relationships are costly but worth it. But it’s doing things for the right reason that turns mere drudgery into a labor of love. Henry Van Dyke wrote: “Time is Too Slow for those who Wait, Too Swift for those who Fear, Too Long for those who […]
There are many motivations for doing things. One of the major themes in the Bible is that the greatest motivator is love. Was it love at first sight? When Jacob saw Rachel, he gave her a kiss! Of course, in that day it was often simply an expression of respect and friendship. How do we […]
It seems that the village well was the favorite place in ancient times for love to bloom. Jacob found it to be so as well. Please excuse the pun! The first thing Jacob saw as he approached the settlement of Paddan Aram was a well. According to The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “‘Paddan Aram’ and […]
Lots of folks know that God is powerful, and preeminent, and praiseworthy, and so on. But the question is: do you know Him personally? The story of Jacob continues with the words that begin Genesis 29, “So Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the East” (v 1). […]
We make a big mistake if we think there are no angels around just because we don’t see them. And don’t forget God is always around too! Let’s make one last observation before leaving Bethel. Jacob saw the Lord seated in heaven. Rising up to heaven was a ladder. Then we read, “and there the […]
Read More… from July 7, 2021 — Angels Ascending And Descending
Do you ever find yourself, like Jacob, giving God a list of things for Him to do, instead of asking, “What will you have me to do?” We concluded our last lesson with the facetious statement, “How big of Jacob to let God be his God!” What Jacob actually said was this: “If God will […]
God loves to do things in a big way: “grace upon grace,” “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Here’s another example of His generosity. You may recall we asked the question two lessons ago, “if the Lord would endorse the blessing his father had given him, since it was taken from Esau by guile?” […]
According to God, the world is condemned and ready to burn. Everyone on it should have at least a mild curiosity if a rescue ladder is available. What a fascinating story here in Genesis 28! Jacob, traveling north, seems to stop at random in the very place where his grandfather Abraham first called on the […]
Jacob might have thought it was a random location for his overnight stop, but it happened to be the place where his grandfather called on the name of the Lord. In our story today, Jacob is heading north, fleeing from his brother’s wrath. Did he wonder, as he journeyed, if the Lord would endorse the […]