Skeletons left in our closets will ultimately haunt us. Our good deeds and benevolence will not erase the giants of our unfinished messes.
Twenty years after deceiving his father Isaac, Jacob was about to come face to face with his brother Esau from whom he had robbed the family blessing.
Read More prayer, fear, consequences, guiltWe crave God’s blessings. It is difficult to realize that some of God’s greatest blessings come through the “changing of our character” rather than the “changing of circumstances.”
That is what occurred between God and Jacob. A strange event took place during the night before Jacob was to meet with Esau, the brother whom he had so viciously hurt twenty years before.
Read More struggle, blessing, transformation @enWhen we deceive or rob others we can expect some kind of revenge. That’s just how life works. What a shock when a victim of our actions sets aside their combative attitude and grievance and responds with forgiveness and grace. That is what occurred between Esau and Jacob.
Jacob’s spiritual and character transformation was not complete even after coming face to face with God.
Read More grace, forgivenessSignificant encounters can be defining, unforgettable moments. These may occur on a park bench, a golf course, in a fishing boat or in a particular place or room in a house. They are milestones.
But time passes and we do forget. While Jacob was escaping from the wrath of his brother Esau, he had stopped for the night at a place called Bethel.
Read More promises, God’s faithfulnessThe poignant, bittersweet love story of Jacob and Rachel is the kind where you feel compelled to flip to the last chapter of the book for the assurance that they lived happily ever after. But they didn’t. Jacob’s beautiful, beloved Rachel dies giving birth to their son.
Read More sorrow, grief, remindersImagine that one of your siblings received a trip to Europe with your parents, along with a new iPad, while the rest of you are left at home to work and look after the house. Such a demonstration of favoritism is a ticket for divisiveness and disaster.
Jacob had been his mother Rebekah’s darling son, and this preferential treatment fueled a family rift and years of pain.
Read More reconciliation, favouritism, belongingSometimes it’s difficult to recognize our own jealousy because we can justify our feelings. But if we’re not careful, our anger can make our hearts become desensitized and cold. Perhaps that is what happened to Joseph’s ten brothers.
Joseph’s overzealous qualities were a positive force when it meant being obedient to his father Jacob.
Read More God’s presence, jealousyOur first response after reading this chapter may be that it unfolds like “R” rated movie. But we need to read this story in the context of the time it was written.
The main point of this story is the preservation of the line of Judah.
Read More redemption, Tamar, prostituteThe story of Joseph’s life seemed to revolve around the fact that he was frequently in the middle of a storm or another one was lurking on the horizon. Again, his coat would be the launch of another storm. This time it would catapult him from the palace to the prison.
It is clear that Joseph depended on God every step of the way.
Read More trouble, God’s presence, temptation