February 8, 2023

God never calls us to do something alone.

Genesis 31:1–21

Carol Bate
Wednesday's Devo

February 8, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

February 8, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

February 8, 2023

Wednesday's Devo

February 8, 2023

Big Idea

We can trust God when we don't know how things will turn out.

Key Verse | Genesis 31:3

Then the LORD said to Jacob, "Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you."

Genesis 31:1–21

Jacob Flees from Laban

1 Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth.” 2 And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. 3 Then the LORD said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah into the field where his flock was 5 and said to them, “I see that your father does not regard me with favor as he did before. But the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I have served your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me and changed my wages ten times. But God did not permit him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The spotted shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore spotted; and if he said, ‘The striped shall be your wages,’ then all the flock bore striped. 9 Thus God has taken away the livestock of your father and given them to me. 10 In the breeding season of the flock I lifted up my eyes and saw in a dream that the goats that mated with the flock were striped, spotted, and mottled. 11 Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob,’ and I said, ‘Here I am!’ 12 And he said, ‘Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” 14 Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? 15 Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. 16 All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.”

17 So Jacob arose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 He drove away all his livestock, all his property that he had gained, the livestock in his possession that he had acquired in Paddan-aram, to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. 19 Laban had gone to shear his sheep, and Rachel stole her father's household gods. 20 And Jacob tricked 1 31:20 Hebrew stole the heart of; also verses 26, 27 Laban the Aramean, by not telling him that he intended to flee. 21 He fled with all that he had and arose and crossed the Euphrates, 2 31:21 Hebrew the River and set his face toward the hill country of Gilead.

Footnotes

[1] 31:20 Hebrew stole the heart of; also verses 26, 27
[2] 31:21 Hebrew the River

S2:028 Genesis 31:1-21

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Genesis 31:1–21

Up to this point in Jacob's story, we've seen that Jacob is a deceiver and tends to rely on his own ways to get what he wants in life. We don't see a lot of worshiping God from him. Although we do see God reaching out to him and making a promise: "Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." (Genesis 28:15)

In this section of Scripture, Jacob realizes that Laban doesn't regard him with favor anymore (Genesis 31:2). He's now willing and able to hear God instructing him to return to the land of his fathers. Jacob can also see that God is blessing him with children and wealth. He's finally stepped up as a man of faith, and his wives are willing to follow.

God is the author and hero of this story. He made it clear to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that He chose their family and would get them to the Promised Land. It didn't mean, however, He wouldn't discipline them in the process. Jacob had to deal with 20 years of it. As Moses is writing this book for the Israelites, they would have known that God, in His lovingkindness, was working on Jacob's nature as a deceiver. Yet He loved Jacob and kept near him as He had promised.

In my own life, I know the promise of eternal life is true. God provided my way to Him through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9).

This month's memory verse

9  Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

– Proverbs 10:9

Discussion Questions

1. When are you tempted to do things your own way?

2. How can you more often seek God's desire in what you do?

3. Who are your favorite "go to" people when you have questions?

4. When was the last time you owned your mistakes?

Respond to Today's Passage

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HS

Hugh Stephenson

GM Carol! Great devo. Love your point about God’s patiently waiting until Jacob was ready to hear. Me too. Q1. 100% of the time. Then it blows up. Q2. Pray. The more alternatives I have to prayer the less I pray. Bad move. Q3. My CG. Hands down. They fearlessly speak into my life. After that it’s my Prodigal co-leaders. Also, fearless. Q4. Earlier today. I seem to give myself a regular stack of opportunities. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Standout observation- “Then the LORD, (Yahweh), said to Jacob…” (Verse 3b) (note this is Yahweh, not Elohim) So, today I am focused on my two favorite words in the Bible “But God…” (verse 7b) (Elohim) Then “…for I have seen…” Verse 12b. Note the link to El Roi; Haggar in Genesis 16 “Then the angel of God, (Elohim), said to me…” (Verse 11). )
HS

Hugh Stephenson

And lastly, “…the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children.” (Jehovah-Jireh) So, If I read correctly, no one in this passage uses “Yahweh”, the covenant keeping, personal, and relational name for God. It is only used by Moses in verse 3 above. https://www.gotquestions.org/meaning-of-Elohim.html https://www.gotquestions.org/meaning-of-Yahweh.html Why is this? Perhaps… Moses knew Yahweh and so understood that it was that characteristic of God who spoke to Jacob relationally. Contrasting to Isaac and his servant, Jacob has not prayed or worshiped regarding Rachel or virtually any other situation. Yet… God sees… God provides… It would seem to be a bit of a stretch to say Jacob has been “faithful”. Yet, it is VERY clear that God has been faithful.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

The key to me is that God has protected Jacob and his family against- -The cunning tricks of Laban -The weak faith of Rachel and Leah; (mandrakes? Really?) https://www.gotquestions.org/mandrakes-Bible.html -By creating striped, spotted, and mottled livestock to replace the stolen ones. -By showing them how silly their “household gods” are. -By blessing Laban THROUGH Jacob then not-so-much later after the trickery. If I had to sum it up, I’d do it this way- Among God’s greatest gifts to me is not only His protection- but also His patience, mercy, and grace when I have zero merit for any gifts at all.
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: Gen 31:2,5,7 Laban’s attitude towards Jacob changed from one of viewing Jacob as an opportunity to enrich himself to outright despising him for his own undoing . Laban’s hatred of Jacob is yet another link in a chain of examples throughout scripture of the far off, approaching Messiah (Num 24:17a) and His progenitors being unrecognized, mistreated, and despised. Re: Gen 31:10,12 Laban has previously acknowledged G-d’s favor abiding with Jacob (Gen 30:27), yet it didn’t deter him from seeking to exploit his nephew/son-in-law. In a dream, G-d assures Jacob He will protect him from the evil schemes of Laban. Jacob details his prophetic dream in which male goats figured prominently. Through the husbandry of Laban’s male goats, G-d transferred Laban’s wealth to Jacob. How apropos. A goat is a type of the Messiah being unrecognized and despised…the Despised Messiah, namely Messiah Yeshua (Christ Jesus). Re: Gen 31:15 Clearly, neither Leah or Rachel retained any tenderness towards their opportunistic father Laban. Re: Gen 31:19 Like Terah (his great grandfather), Laban’s side of the family still engaged in idolatry. “Laban's worship of the serpent (nachash) led him to become one of the first enemies of the Jewish people. He tried to make Jacob a slave from the beginning, later claiming that all his descendants and possessions belonged to him (Gen. 31:43). Later Laban had a son named Beor (בְּעוֹר) who became the father of the wicked prophet Balaam (בִּלְעָם). In other words, the ‘cursing prophet’ Balaam was none other than the grandson of Laban: See https://tinyurl.com/BalaamFamilyTree [This may explain why Rachel stole Laban’s “household idols.” She sought to break any spells Laban might use to afflict her family.] “In Jewish tradition, Laban is regarded as even more wicked than the Pharaoh who enslaved the Jews in Egypt. This enmity is enshrined during the Passover Seder when we recall Laban's treachery as the one who ‘sought to destroy our father, Jacob.’ Spiritually understood, Laban's hatred of Jacob (i.e., Israel) was intended to eradicate the Jewish nation at the very beginning. Had Laban succeeded, Israel would have been assimilated and disappeared from history. God's plan for the redemption of humanity through the Promised Seed would have been overturned (Gen. 3:15). But even despite being thwarted by God's direct intervention (Gen. 31:24), Laban carefully passed on his hatred of the Jews to his grandson Balaam. The Zohar says that Balaam became ‘a disciple of’ Laban, so that for all practical purposes they functioned as the same person. ‘As great as Moses was in the realm of spirituality and purity, Balaam was his equal in the realm of witchcraft and impurity’ (Tanna Eliyahu).” — Hebrew For Christians https://hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Parashah/Summaries/Balak/Curses_of_Laban/curses_of_laban.html
MS

Michael Scaman

Jacob led from Esau. Jacob fled form his father in law. Jacob fled a lot. Jacob was a work in progress. His family was a work in progress and even his beloved Rachel. (who kept the family idol???) Grace and God's sovereign choice over it all.
MS

Michael Scaman

"God never calls his people to a fair fight" John Piper
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Carol, and congratulations on your marriage! Wise friends disciple their children by playing "Spot the Lie" when watching TV or videos, or listening to music. In the Jacob-related chapters, we can play "Spot the Deception" because it is all OVER the place! Thanks to the wisdom of friends over at Bible.org and their amazing, insightful articles, I learned that for all the detail Moses put into the account of Jacob's "Ain't I the smart one" plans to build his flocks by peeling branches and placing them in the water troughs, God pretty much clears His divine throat and says, "DUDE! The reason your animal babies are coming out striped, spotted, and mottled is because only striped, spotted, and mottled males are fathering them!" It had nothing to do with peeling branches while the animals drank water. All that work had zero effect. It was a total waste of time and energy. The blessing was coming from God, not Jacob's efforts. I love that God, who wanted Jacob's worship and trust and love, corrected his wrong thinking to reveal His care and provision for him. Oh man! How often do we do what we do, thinking we're controlling our lives and circumstances with our own branch-peeling machinations, when the sovereign Lord of the universe is actually the one making things happen?!
AL

Amy Lowther

1. I am tempted to do things my own way every second of the day, every day of each week, each month, and each year. 2. I can ask God how he would handle situations in life through prayer. I can also Google verses on my phone for quick reference when needed throughout the day. 3. My favorite “go to” people when I have questions are God and friends. 4. I overtrained as an athlete growing up. After I graduated, I was able to become a nationally certified fitness trainer and work at a YMCA in Cincinnati, OhioI, sharing not only good techniques and practices with adults and children but also the value in doing good things in fitness and not overtraining and getting injured. This is how I owned up for some of the mistakes I made in life.