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GENESIS 28–30

Week 3, Day 1

Almost any circumstance of life can be endured if only occasionally there is a Bethel. As it happens, our Bethels often come when the circumstances are most bleak. Jacob is a fugitive now, alone in a trackless wilderness, but God visits him in a dream and promises him blessings for himself and his offspring.

The blessing begins soon thereafter in the household of his uncle Laban, as he falls in love with Laban’s daughter Rachel. But the blessings come with a price, because Jacob and Laban are cut from the same cloth. It’s fascinating to watch these two clever dealers outwitting each other.

Jacob’s cleverness is no match, however, for the problems he encounters in being married to the sisters Leah and Rachel. It is Rachel whom he loves, but it is Leah who is fruitful; and as the years go by he is caught between their jealousies and resentments.

But his family grows, and so does his wealth. Clever as Laban is, Jacob is more clever. He gradually builds a small fortune; and while it is the result of his own ingenuity and hard work, it can also be said that he would never have had the opportunity if it had not been for his father-in-law. Above all, Jacob enjoys the favor and blessing of God. And while his pursuit of God’s purposes is sometimes misguided, it is to Jacob’s credit that he never loses sight of what is best.

PRAYER: Help me this day to keep my eyes fixed on your will, O Lord, that my life may fulfill your purposes; to your glory. Amen.

Make a list of similar characteristics you observe in Laban and Jacob.