King James Bible Study – [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. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Chapters: Genesis 31-33
Message: Genesis: Jacob Wrestles With God
Hello My Friend,
I had to share this from Charles Spurgeon because I know there are so many of us going through affliction right now, [However difficult and painful thy road, it is marked by the footsteps of thy Saviour; and even when thou reachest the dark valley of the shadow of death, and the deep waters of the swelling Jordan, thou wilt find his footprints there. In all places whithersoever we go, he has been our forerunner; each burden we have to carry, has once been laid on the shoulders of Immanuel.]
As we continue in the reading of Genesis we learn that unrepentant sin will always come back to haunt us with affliction until it is resolved. We also learn that until we deal with the past we cannot move forward, and when we wrestle with God He will bless us, [1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.]
Yesterday we learned that 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 stronger ones while leaving the feeble ones for them. Laban’s sons figured it out, told Laban, and that caused a rift between Laban and Jacob and that was the cue that it was time to leave and head back home. He calls for Rachel and Leah and told them what happened, reminding them that their father was the one who deceived him.
[Genesis 31:1-7 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. 2 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. 3 And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee. 4 And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field unto his flock, 5 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. 6 And ye know that with all my power I have served your father. 7 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me.]
While God indeed gave Jacob a reprieve from Esau’s wrath when He told him that He would be with him until He fulfilled the promise that He gave to Abraham, it was time for him to come from out of the shadows and face his past. No matter what happened in the past, we will not move forward until it is addressed, [Revelation 2:5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.]
God certainly did not plan all the deception, man does that on their own, but He does use our foolishness to His advantage, and when the time is right. Now, we learn of something quite interesting, Jacob, reveals to Rachel and Leah that it was God who blessed them with the livestock.
[Genesis 31:9-13 Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me. 10 And it came to pass at the time that the cattle conceived, that I lifted up mine eyes, and saw in a dream, and, behold, the rams which leaped upon the cattle were ringstraked, speckled, and grisled. 11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I. 12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. 13 I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.]
Jacob, spent twenty years with Laban, in that time God not only chastened and taught Jacob some important things, He also protected him. God, was actually preparing the way for his return to Canaan the entire time and now that Laban became more hostile toward Jacob it was time to go. It is wise for spouses to discuss life changing matters together, and as long as it is God who directs them, there ought to be no opposition. God, was not only preparing Jacob, but Rachel and Leah as well, in fact, they finally figured out the reason why their father actually gave Leah to Jacob first.
[Genesis 31:15-19 Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. 16 For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is our’s, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do. 17 Then Jacob rose up, and set his sons and his wives upon camels; 18 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 Padan-aram, for to go to Isaac his father in the land of Canaan. 19 And Laban went to shear his sheep: and Rachel had stolen the images that were her father’s.]
What Jacob saw as wealth that God had passed over to him from Laban’s deception, Rachel and Leah saw as their father selling them as slaves to pay his debts. One very important thing that we do need to do when moving forward is to leave the things that would bring us back to where we started, [2 Corinthians 5:17-18 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;]
Why Rachel felt the need to take these pictures is beyond reason, perhaps they were of sentimental value or may have even used them at some point when she was desperate to conceive. Nevertheless, word got out to Laban that Jacob had left and taken his family, livestock, and possessions, including his gods. It took seven days to find them, but he did was more concerned about his gods being taken.
[Genesis 31:24-26,29-30 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. 25 Then Laban overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mount: and Laban with his brethren pitched in the mount of Gilead. 26 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? 29 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. 30 And now, though thou wouldest needs be gone, because thou sore longedst after thy father’s house, yet wherefore hast thou stolen my gods?]
Do you see how God spoke to him, even though he could care less about following God? It was not even for him to come to Him, it was for the sake of Jacob. God, did not want to hear how Jacob deceived him because he was just as guilty of deceiving Jacob. Of course, Jacob, had no idea what he was talking about and was so confident that none of them would even consider taking his gods that he invited him to search everyone’s tent and whoever had them would be executed.
[Genesis 31:32-35 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. 33 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. 35 And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images.]
Rachel, gave the classic excuse as to why she did not get up, she was menstruating. Before this even became a part of the Law, and yes, there was something written in the Law about it, whenever women were menstruating they were seen as unclean and everything they touched as well. So, her father dare not come near her or what she was sitting on, [Leviticus 15:19 And if a woman have an issue, and her issue in her flesh be blood, she shall be put apart seven days: and whosoever toucheth her shall be unclean until the even.]
Well, needless to say, after Laban searched all the tents and came up empty Jacob had something to say and finally told Laban just how deceitful he had been to him from the very first day he stepped foot on his property.
[Genesis 31:41-44 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. 42 Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight. 43 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born? 44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.]
Twenty years! That is how fast time does pass us by, that may seem like a long time, but it really is not. My nephew that my brother had with his wife the first year they were married just turned ten this week and it only seems like they were just married. We cannot let twenty years of our lives go by without speaking up about the way people treat us as doing so only brings bitterness and the desire to retaliate, which is what Jacob did. We do not have the promise of tomorrow, we only have today to make things right, [James 4:14-16 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. 15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. 16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.]
Jacob, believed that if not for Abraham and Isaac that he would be dead by now and in a sense, he was correct because he was guilty of deceiving his brother, father, and now Laban. This is a prime example of why we are not nor can be saved from our own righteousness and exactly why God does not make covenants with us based upon them. Well, in order to keep anyone else from getting hurt, the men made a covenant with each other.
[Genesis 31:50-53 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. 51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee; 52 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. 53 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.]
In other words, “You stay on your side and I will stay on my side and no one will get hurt.” and that was pretty much what they did. Now, with Laban being taken care of, there was one more issue that Jacob must face to move forward, 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 with four hundred men.
[Genesis 32:1-6 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim. 3 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: 5 And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. 6 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.]
Right there, God, showed him an incredible vision of an army of angels watching over them. While sometimes it is necessary to confront our past in order to move forward, God, makes sure that we do it with the assurance that He is with us to help us move forward and press on forward, [Philippians 3:12-15 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 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, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.]
My goodness, this is definitely an understatement, we will never be perfect in the flesh until we shed this flesh, but we are perfect in Christ so why would we not want to live every breath in the shadows of our past? It is not easy to move forward, but unless we do we are going to be miserable and always in the dark. Even though Jacob felt a little bit more at ease about seeing his brother, that really did not ease his mind too much. So, to be safe, he divided up the families into two groups, then stayed by himself that night, praying to God.
[Genesis 32:9-12 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: 10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands. 11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children. 12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.]
Although none of us are worthy of His mercies because we all fall short of His glory, humility goes a long way with God. This is not because God needs a reminder, it is because we need the reminder ourselves. Now, Jacob really was not alone as he was praying a man showed up and he literally started wrestling with him.
[Genesis 32:24-27 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 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. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.]
When the angel realized that Jacob would not let go of him that was when God saw his faith and that he was not giving up on Him. That was when the angel touched the inside of his thigh, pulling it out joint as a reminder that he was indeed blessed. We who believe in Christ all fight Jesus for our faith. Why? We are made strong through our faith in Him alone, and oddly enough it is our infirmities that remind us of that, [2 Corinthians 12:8-10 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 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. 10 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.]
For the rest of his life Jacob would walk with a cane as a reminder that he would not give up on God and that was when God gave him a new name, [Genesis 32:28-30 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. 29 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. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.]
Jacob, finally understood that God is his power, his protection, his provider, and his life preserver. By the way, we are all given a new name and our lives preserved when we put our faith and trust in Christ as our Saviour, and we become children of Israel as well, [Romans 9:6-8 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.]
Still a little fearful, Jacob continued to divide his wives, children, and flocks into two groups, reasoning that if Esau should destroy one group the remaining would escape. Well, his fears all came to an end when Esau showed up, [Genesis 33:3-7 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. 4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. 5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant. 6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves. 7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.]
The greatest gift we will ever receive outside of our salvation is 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, [Colossians 4:5-6 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.]
Jacob and Esau found forgiveness and grace toward each other, at least for the time being, we definitely cannot find grace under our own merits, and that is where the Holy Spirit comes in. Jacob, no longer had to wrestle with his conscience because he finally confronted his past with the help of God and now it was time to move forward. Esau, really did not want the gift, but Jacob insisted, so he accepted it and they both moved forward.
[Genesis 33:10-12,15-17 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. 11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it. 12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. 15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. 16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir. 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.]
Keep in mind that God is always moving, we just get impatient about how fast He moves for us and sometimes we just delay Him because we are holding on to the past or even attempting to help Him out, but thankfully by His grace He has patience toward us and does not take it too personal. You see, God, truly is a patient God and has no problem waiting for us to come to our senses and once we do He has no problem helping us out, [Matthew 11:28-29 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Genesis 32:28-29 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. 29 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.]
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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