The resources God has given us to live a thriving life are His Word, Spirit, and People.
Read God’s Word:
Genesis 30-33
Act 2: God’s Covenant People
Scene 1: The People: God calls a covenant people
Background Information: Genesis 30-33
Jacob’s life is full of man-made drama. He has married two sisters (polygamy was never the will of God), and those sisters are engaged in a competition to produce offspring. He then passively agrees to the terrible idea of sleeping with a servant to produce more children. It gets really weird when they attempt to use magic in the competition. Of course, a plant (mandrake) that resembles a human torso had nothing to do with the birth rate; God brought them children. Then the drama between Jacob and his father-in-law increases as Laban tries to keep Jacob poor and dependent, and Jacob tries to scheme his way into prosperity. Jacob too tries magic to increase wealth, but it is clearly God who blesses him just as he had promised to do. Things are going to change; Jacob will finally come to the end of himself as he prepares to face the brother who, last he knew, wanted to kill him. Jacob’s plan to meet his brother initially involves sending gifts along with his wives and children out ahead of him, and he designates his servant to be his spokesperson. Jacob is going to stay on the other side of the river, still a self-protective coward. That night he encounters God, or an angel who comes with the authority of God, and has an all-night wrestling match. There is no actual competition, but like an adult playing with a child, God allows Jacob to “win.” Jacob is asked for his name and is given a new one, Israel. In the Hebrew language it sounds like “wrestles with God.” Jacob asks for his “opponent’s” name and isn’t given one; this shows who the superior one truly is. The next day, evidence of his encounter with God is revealed in his actions. He goes in front of his family, and he encounters his brother face to face, showing that the coward has gained God-given courage. God has been at work in more than Jacob’s heart; Esau too is a changed man. God alone could bring about this kind of resolution. We create drama and chaos; God brings peace and order.
Pray:
Praise God for…
Thank God for…
Confess your sins to God
Ask God to encourage, guide, and use Isaac and Suzanne as they serve at Black Forest Academy in Germany.
Ask God for… (what else concerns you?)
Reflect:
Write down one passage of scripture that stood out to you today.
Write down why this passage stood out to you.
Engage Community:
Text or call someone now and tell them…
– What you are praying for.
– What stood out from God’s word today.