King James Bible Study – [Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.]
Date: Sunday, January 23, 2022
Chapters: Genesis 31-33
Message: Go Back Home
Hello My Friend,
It is an amazing thing that happens when God blesses us with eternal life the second we received Christ as our Saviour, He removes every sin that we committed and even the ones we did not even know we will commit yet. We can stand before God clean and sin free because every sin has been washed away through our faith in Christ. Now, with that said, the soul may be clean, but that does not mean that there are no consequences to face for our past sin. The easiest thing to do is run from the past, but in order to move forward sometimes we need to face our past. The Bible tells us, or rather God did through Paul when he realized that while he could not do anything about the past, there is a much better future that lies ahead and he must press toward that, [Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.- Philippians 3:13-14]
[Apprehend; To take with the understanding, that is, to conceive in the mine; to understand, without passing a judgment, or making an inference.] This is what Jacob must do, he had spent over twenty years hiding from his past and now it was time to face it. And as we continue in the Book of Genesis, in the last chapter, Jacob had come up with this scheme to get as many of his father-in-law’s sheep and cattle to reproduce in a way that he would get all the strong ones. Well, Laban’s sons figured it out, told Laban, and that was when Jacob got word from God that it was time to go back home. Now Jacob gathers Rachel and Leah and convinces them that it was time to go.
[And he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying, Jacob hath taken away all that was our father’s; and of that which was our father’s hath he gotten all this glory. And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me. And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. – Genesis 31:1-7]
[but the God of my father hath been with me.] I learned something, yesterday actually, God watches over, not only His faithful, but His unfaithful, and even the ones who are his that have yet to find Him. I can actually vouch for that one, God surely watched over me and protected me before I understood who Jesus really is and accepted Him as my Saviour. Well, Rachel and Leah finally figured it out the reason why their father gave Leah to Jacob first, then made him work another seven years for Rachel, he sold them out.
[And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; And he carried away all his cattle, and all his goods which he had gotten, the cattle of his getting, which he had gotten in Padanaram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. – Genesis 31:14-18]
[whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.] Laban was well aware that Jacob being there made him very rich, all under the hand of God, and now the women figured that out as well. Now, under the direction of God, and in the middle of the night, Jacob gathered his wives, children, servants, livestock, and packed up everything that was theirs and headed home. Seven days later, when Laban found out that they were gone, he went after them, but Laban got the surprise of his life when he stopped to rest and God had spoken to him.
[And he took his brethren with him, and pursued after him seven days’ journey; and they overtook him in the mount Gilead. And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. And Laban said to Jacob, What hast thou done, that thou hast stolen away unawares to me, and carried away my daughters, as captives taken with the sword? It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt: but the God of your father spake unto me yesternight, saying, Take thou heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad. And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods? And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them. – Genesis 31:23-24,26,29-32]
[Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.] God did not want to hear how Jacob deceived Laban because he was just as guilty of deceiving Jacob. Could it be that God planned all this? Jacob would be deceived by his uncle, have thirteen children between four women, then deceive his uncle in what was probably in retaliation, and now it was time to return to and confront his past. Well, God certainly did not plan all the deception, man does that on their own, but He does use our foolishness to His advantage, [Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. – 1 Corinthians 1:20-21]
[It is in the power of my hand to do you hurt:] Sin is sin, and God will deal with us as He chooses, Laban was not a believer of God as we knew this because Rachel took his idols. He must have had a pretty scary dream if he would not touch Jacob. Now, Jacob and Laban come up with a plan so no one gets hurt.
[Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee. If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee. This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm. The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac. Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount. – Genesis 31:44,50,52-54]
[And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.] You see, at this point, Jacob only believes that if not for Abraham and Isaac he would be dead by now. In a sense, he was correct, Jacob was guilty of deceiving his own brother, and father, and now Laban. It is definitely not by our own righteousness that God saves us, and keeps us out of hell, it is by the covenant He makes to every believer of His Son’s righteousness that He saves us, [Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; – Titus 3:5-6]
Okay, so with one issue taken care of, there was one more issue that Jacob must face to move froward, and that was Esau. As Jacob continues back to Canaan, he gets a visit, and at that point he knew he must get in contact with Esau to try to make things right. He sent messengers to Esau that he was headed his way only to learn that Esau was coming to meet up with him.
[And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands; And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape. Genesis 32:1-3,6-8]
[This is God’s host:] The angels of God appeared to Jacob to encourage him with the assurance of the Divine protection. While sometimes it is necessary to confront our past, God makes sure that we do it with the assurance that He is with us. Of course, that really did not ease his mind too much so, to be safe, he divided up the families into two groups, sent one group ahead of the other and then stayed by himself that night. Only he was not alone, God was right there with him.
[And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. – Genesis 32:24-30]
[And when he saw that he prevailed not against him,] Jacob was not about to give up on God, he finally understood that God is his power, his protection, and his provider. We who believe in Christ all fight Jesus for our faith. Why? We are made strong through our faith in Him alone. We cannot confront our past until we have Jesus with us, [For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:8-10]
[What is thy name?] Remember, until we call upon the name of the LORD, we are strangers to Him, even though He knows everything about everyone, [Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. – Matthew 7:22-23]
[Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel:] Jesus not only knows our name when we believe in and call on Him, He gives us a new name, [He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it. – Revelation 2:17]
[for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.] Until we fully comprehend what Jesus has done for us, we will never be able to confront our past and move forward. Of course, we know we are sinners and acknowledge that when we get saved, but it is only when we face God that we truly understand His mercies and forgiveness. Still a little fearful, Jacob divided his wives, children, and flocks into two groups, reasoning that if Esau should destroy one group the remaining would escape in the opposite. His fears all came to an end when he discovered that Esau had forgiven him.
[And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids. And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost. And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord. And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. – Genesis 33:1-4,8-10]
[These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.] The greatest gift we will ever receive is the grace, without grace we cannot confront our past, without grace we cannot find forgiveness, without grace we cannot be saved, and without grace we cannot even find Jesus. Grace, truly is amazing, and we need to grab that gift as quick as it is offered to us, [Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:14-16]
[as though I had seen the face of God,] Jacob and Esau found grace and forgiveness with each other, Jacob no longer had to wrestle with his past because he finally found grace with God and Esau. Until God brings us home, we either lean on God or try to deal with life on our own, but until we are at home, there is going to be a constant battle within ourselves that only grace can get us through, [Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. – Romans 5:1-5]
Today’s Prayer: God, It is amazing to think that even when we mess up You are right there to help us get out of our troubles. While we wrestle with our own conscience and guilt of the past, let us face each one with You with full assurance that this is not our home and can now press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling. Lord, lead us and guide us, give us direction, and help us to move forward if we must go back to the past in order to move forward, walk back with us. By confessing our sins to You, and standing on Your promises, we find our way back home should we get lost. Fill us with your mercy and give us the grace we need to move forward, and then not look back any longer. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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