Friday, January 11

Friday, January 11

Genesis 27, 28 and Matthew 8:18-34

27:5-17  Perhaps Rebekah remembers 25:23 where God said that the older twin would serve the younger.  Perhaps she was just pampering the son she liked best.  Whatever her reason, she sinned.  She flat out sinned.  It was wrong to do what she did.  But her scheme did work.  It is never right to sin to bring about God's will.  Do we think God is unable to accomplish what He desires?  Does it work to cooperate with Satan to do what God wants?  After something has been done, we cannot determine if it was the right thing to do by its success or failure.  Many evil plans succeed – for a while.  And many righteous plans appear to fail – also for a while.

27:1-29  It is never too late to back out of sin until it is completed.  Jacob could have told his mother that her plan was dishonoring her husband and he would have no part of it.  When he appeared before his father he could have said that he was Jacob and wanted to honor his father with a good meal.  When Isaac asked if he was really Esau (24) he could have confessed his fault.  After Isaac smelled Esau's clothing and before receiving the blessing Jacob could have said who he really was and ask forgiveness. He took none of the escape routes God provided.  We may say Rebekah was at fault.  She did sin.  But there was not excuse for Jacob, he also sinned.  We live in a society where we too often try to shift our blame to someone else.  God will have none of it.

27:30-40  Esau was not more deserving than Jacob.  Remember, he had sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup.  He despised his birthright.  The birthright and the blessing go together.  Esau rejected the greater blessing for one simple meal.  What blessings do we miss because of our indiscretions?

27:41-46  Sin always has regrettable consequences, often very soon.  Here Esau hated Jacob and planned to kill him.  Soon he was sent away from home on a difficult journey.

28:1 One problem here is that there was no accountability.  Jacob had deceived his father.  He stole the birthright.  Then when they are together again nothing is said about what Jacob had done.  The sin is just ignored.  Within the family, and within the church, sin should never simply be ignored.

28:10-22  Even in his sinfulness, Jacob still had God with him.  I am glad God does not abandon His children.

Matthew 8:18-19  This was one thing that confounded the Jews about Jesus.  In the Old Testament God blessed people by making them rich.  If Jesus was the Blessed Son of God, how could he not have a place to lay His head?

8:25  Now, in heaven, Jesus never sleeps.

8:26  My faith would have been gone in this situation also.  Wow, what power Jesus had!

8:28-34  Why did Jesus grant the desire of the demons?  Why did they even want to go into a bunch of pigs?  Jesus was totally in control.  The demons did not go wherever they wanted.  They did not refuse to leave the men.  The people have marveled at Jesus' teaching and wanted more.  They have brought their sick and demon possessed for him to heal.  They were very glad for all these.  But when He messed with their possessions they wanted to get rid of Him.

Remember to worship Sunday.

Larry