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Commentary by Lori Engel:
"I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you!” Spoken by God, that message surely encouraged Jacob’s troubled heart, worn out from years of overwork and emotional manipulation. How reassuring! Jacob didn’t have to fight his battles alone; God was fighting for him. Have you been deceived and mistreated by someone for years? Imagine how comforting it would be if God told you directly, “I have seen all that So-and-So is doing to you.” It’s absolutely true. Nothing escapes God’s notice: no insult, no deception, no abuse, no betrayal – absolutely nothing is too trivial for Him. Nothing escapes His sovereign scrutiny. God cares how other people treat you, the apple of His eye! You may have modern-day Labans making your life miserable today, but more importantly, you have a God who sees all that is being done to you. Trust that God will bring good out of evil, just as He did for Jacob. All things work together for our good – eventually! God specializes in turning curses into blessings. Your modern-day “Laban” may have plotted against you, but God is plotting your course. God is fighting for you. If God be for you, who can be against you?" Lori Engel Chaplain (currently disabled) Eugene, Oregon USA ❤️ Jump to Daily Bible Reading https://www.revivalandreformation.org/bhp/en/bible/gen/31 Our accounts in other social networks:
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Commentary by Lori Engel:
"Family dysfunction is on scandalous display in Genesis 30. Sibling rivalry, polygamy, jealousy, manipulation and control, bribes, anger – it’s all there! For example, consider Rachel's demand, “Give me kids or I will die.” Rachel’s identity was based on whether or not she had children. Seeking to get her own needs met, she placed impossible demands on her frustrated husband. Her happiness was based on external circumstances that she could not control. If she couldn’t get what she wanted, then she preferred to die. “Give me what I need or I won’t be happy.” “Give me what I want or else…”
Tragic motives that expose selfish hearts. Tragic words that continue to destroy homes and lives today. Later on, Rachel’s words “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won” reveal that she was more interested in winning than being in a relationship. How many relationships have been destroyed because of the need to win or to be right? How many of us try and manipulate others into meeting our needs?
When we trust God to fulfill our needs, we find internal security and happiness that cannot be found by manipulating or controlling others. Our joyful identities can be God-based, not human-derived." Lori Engel
Chaplain (currently disabled) Eugene, Oregon USA ❤️ Jump to Daily Bible Reading https://www.revivalandreformation.org/bhp/en/bible/gen/30 Our accounts in other social networks:
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Commentary by Douglas Tilstra:
"Consider these questions to sharpen your understanding of this tragic story: 1. Picture the dynamics between the two sisters as one of them becomes the “woman of one man’s dreams” (29:1-20). How do you imagine Jacob’s arrival into Laban’s household affected Rachel and Leah as sisters? How might the sisters be affected by the attitude of their father, Laban? Of the "the deeply in love" Jacob?
2. Finally Jacob has worked 7 years for Rachel and has earned the right to marry her. But what a terrible deceptive trick unfolds with the wedding night! (29:21-27). What does this incident tell you about Laban (as a Dad, future father-in-law, etc.)? How might this event have affected Leah? Rachel? Jacob? The nucleus of Jacob’s new family? What might it be like for these sisters to now become rival wives?
3. What might those next 7 years of early married life have been for this “unhappily linked threesome” (29:28-30)?
4. What does it mean to experience God’s presence in the midst of ordinary and sometimes difficult situations? How do we discern the God of “Jacob’s ladder” still connecting with us in family difficulties, financial setbacks, personal failings, and the ins and outs of daily life?" Douglas Tilstra
Director of Outdoor Leadership and Education Southern Adventist University ❤️ Jump to Daily Bible Reading https://www.revivalandreformation.org/bhp/en/bible/gen/29 Our accounts in other social networks:
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Commentary by Douglas Tilstra:
"Few Bible stories illustrate God’s attitude toward sinners (as stated above in Romans 5:6-11) better than the story of Jacob’s ladder dream. Jacob was a guilty man fleeing for his life from an angry brother whom he had grievously wronged. Jacob was alone, afraid, cut off from family and seemingly shut off from God. It is in that precise hour that God comes to Jacob, unannounced and apparently uninvited except by Jacob’s unspoken cry for help. God comes to Jacob and assures him that, despite his sin, he is still a precious son of the God of Abraham and Isaac, and that all the promises made to them also apply to him.
It is while we are still sinners that God comes to us as “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). The ladder Jacob saw represents Jesus (John 1:51), the connection between God and guilty humanity. The human family may be lonely, afraid, and exhausted, but God has not turned His back on us. He is truly the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob- the God of all struggling people and troubled families." Douglas Tilstra
Vice President for Student Life Walla Walla University USA ❤️ Jump to Daily Bible Reading https://www.revivalandreformation.org/bhp/en/bible/gen/28 Our accounts in other social networks:
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Commentary by Douglas Tilstra:
"This story, like none other in Scripture, displays the tragic results of generational sins. Rebecca’s scheme is reminiscent of Sarah’s scheme involving Hagar (Genesis 16:1-5). Both women intend to “help God” fulfill His promise. Both use methods contrary to God’s plans. Rebecca has perpetuated her mother-in-law's sins into the next generation. Jacob’s lie about his own identity is not that different from his father’s and grandfather’s lies about their wives’ identities. All three men rationalized their lies as necessary for the fulfillment of God’s promise. In reality their lies revealed cowardice and distrust of God. Other generational traits in this story include favoritism, marital discord, sibling rivalry, jealousy, and hatred. Also the themes of attempted murder, long family separation and ultimate reconciliation span the generations before and after Jacob. This story calls us to reflect on our own families. What traits, what family sins, what habits and tendencies have we inherited from our parents and grandparents? The awareness of such does not lessen our personal responsibility, but it does sharpen our focus on how and where we need God’s grace in our lives to face the Satan’s attacks." Douglas Tilstra Vice president for student life Walla Walla University USA ❤️ Jump to Daily Bible Reading https://www.revivalandreformation.org/bhp/en/bible/gen/27 Our accounts in other social networks:
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