“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding.in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6

My older son gave me a watch on this Christmas day and the above-cited Bible verse was imprinted on it.

When I came to the USA 31 years ago, I lost my connection plane from NY to Dallas. They gave me a hotel room. I sat on the floor of that hotel room and opened the Bible. God showed me Proverbs 3:5-6. It says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”

31 years gone by living in this wonderful and blessed country called the USA. I faced severe and heartbreaking valley experiences. You say highs and lows in life. Been there and done it. Through it all, I can testify this to you as you and I stand in front of another new year. Trust in the Lord and submit to Him your ways and needs. He will make your paths straight, though it seems hard and  difficult.  He is good and faithful.

Now this year on December 27th, as I am facing probably the 3rd quarter of my life, God gave me another surprise from His wonder working hand- a sweet, beautiful pearl – a girl. We named her Rebekah. What a joy around the Christmas time when the  joy of the birth of Jesus Christ, the savior was celebrated! Praise and thanks to the wonder working, surprise filled, forgiving and loving Lord.

Beloved, God is Good and He can be trusted fully and completely. He will never leave you. He sticks with your closer than a closer brother or friend. In the valley and heights, He will be with you. He has only a good plan for you. He will not hurt you nor harm you. He will deliver you and raise you up. He will give new songs to you to sing and enjoy His blessings. He will make your paths -crooked and valleys- straight. You will bring thanksgiving offering to Him because you won’t be able to contain the joy He gives you. You will become an instrument of music and worship.

You see, God is a good God. God is holy. We are not holy fully and completely. However, God is love and His love lasts forever. Through providing the unending love, He makes us holy. God says you are already holy and sanctified because of the merit of His Son, Jesus Christ. God is merciful. God is compassionate. His loving kindness and mercies are brand new every morning.

Being God, He is worshiped by myriads of angels all the time. They fly and sing Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God. God forgives all our iniquities when we come to Him in repentance. He removes our sins and transgression far away from us so that these will never come back to us or haunt us. He remembers our low estate and raise us up to sit with the princes. God brings people low and raises the poor and unnoticed. God sovereignly rule in the hearts and minds of people to fulfill His purpose. He is the sovereign ruler of all the nations and He rules all. God rules from the throne in heaven and He rules all.

God is our creator. Being our creator, He deserves the worship of all. God made people in His own image. All people’s dignity comes from God because they are fashioned by God in His image. The man did not come from single cell ameba and the universe did not come into being as a result of the big ban. These are human invented lies spread in the world. The man is fearfully and wonderfully made by God. The fully organized and harmoniously working universe came into existence by the word of God. The science cannot prove man is evolved from single cell Ameba or from a monkey. No such transfer of life ever happened or historically recorded. These are only human speculations or assumptions. These human thoughts still remain as propositions and can not even be called theories.

God is Omnipotent (all powerful) and nothing is impossible for Him. Therefore He is able to help in our needs. God did wonderful and miraculous things to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and to their descendants. God did the same to many in the past. God still does wonderful and miraculous things to people. God is omniscient (all knowledgeable). If no one else understands, God knows our hearts and thoughts and He can send His help. God is omnipresent. God is everywhere at the same time. Nothing is hidden from His eyes. Hence, we are not alone. God is a wonderworking God. He can and will perform wonders and miracles any time if it is His will.

God saves. God saves and He is our true savior. No one else can save us fully and completely. Only God can. It is our sins that separate us from God. However, He gave His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, to save us from our sins. God allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place for all our sins that separated us from Him. This way He re-established His relationship and fellowship with us.

God is good. He gives life. He gives everything we need on a daily basis. God gives perfect gifts from heaven. He gives rains, seasons, sunlight, air, food, drinks. When we think all we have comes from His hand.

God owns all. However, He gives temporary stewardship of possessions to people-land, authority, ownership or whatever. It all comes from His kind and loving heart because He is good.

God can be trusted fully and completely. Our insight says “trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding.” We are at the beginning hours of this New Year 2019. I am glad my son gave me a gift with an imprint of today’s verse. He took my thoughts to fly back 31 years.

My friend, if you can trust anyone fully and completely while you live in this world, may I suggest, it is God only. May I tell you a secret- the people who trust in the Lord will be blessed, no matter what happens to them. Do you know why? If you are a God lover, the Bible guarantees this – “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Do you love God for what He has already done for you? God gave His one and only Son because of His love toward you. He allowed His Son, Jesus Christ, to carry all your sins and shortcomings and become a sacrifice to pay for all your sins, transgressions and iniquities.

What else you need to trust God? He already proved He is trustworthy.

Do not worry as you face this new year 2019. Trust in God. Jesus said in John 14, “Believe in God, and believe also in Me.” In my prayer, I repeat this back to God. I usually say I believe in you God and I believe in your Son, Jesus Christ. He has thousands and thousands of unimaginable and unexpected ways to guide and bless you.

Say, I am going to trust in the Lord with all my heart
and not going to lean on my own understanding;
in all my ways I submit to him,
and He will make my paths straight.

Come on, say it again and again.

God has you in His hands. He will guide you and grant you surprises you never imagined. It is the joy to walk with the Lord. In His presence is the fullness of joy, and in His right hand, there are pleasures forever. Bible guarantees it. I guaranty it. Because I found joy, pleasure and pleasant surprise in walking with the Lord. Most beautiful thing is this – in your valley experiences, you will never walk alone. He sticks with you no matter what and delivers you and put songs in your mouth. You will end up praising God through out your life.

I said before how God proved His love to you by giving His one and only Son for your sins. The distance and enmity between you and God are gone when Jesus shed his divine and sinless blood to pay for your sins. Come to God today. God will become your best friend, always sticking one. Have you accepted Christ as your savior yet? If not, this is the moment. Jesus knocks at the door of your life. If anyone hears his loving knock at the door of your heart, He will come in and have fellowship with you forever and ever. He will remove your sins as far as the east is from the west and as high as the heavens from the earth. Those sins and transgressions will never come to you. It is gone like a flash. You will become a child of God in an instant when you invite Jesus, your savior to come into your life. Would you do it today? I will help you.

Pray after me. “Father in heaven, I trust in you Lord. I believe in God and also believe in Jesus, my savior. I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose again. I am sorry for my sins and now I turn from those sins and look to you, Lord. Please forgive me. Please come into my life and bless me with your eternal presence. Thank you for saving and blessing me. Amen.”

The key turning point in Jacob’s life-limping into God’s destiny by holding a staff-the Patriarch who is transferred to lean on God.

A clear and lasting break from Paddan-aram.

Laban and Jacob made a clear and lasting break in their relationships with a covenant. Genesis 31:44-53 explains the covenant they made between themselves. Verses 51-53 says, “Laban also said to Jacob, “Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us.” So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac.” This illustrates no going back to that part of Mesopotamia as far as the children of Israel is concerned for any matter including marriage relationships. The covenant ended by Jacob offering a sacrifice on the mountain. They ate the meal and spent the night on the mountain. Early in the morning Laban arose and kissed his sons and his daughters and blessed them. Laban departed and returned to his place. (vs. 54-55). Here ends the description about the individual of Laban. However, the life history of God’s elect, Jacob, goes on further down through the history of humankind. Still, today and ever more in human history, the nation formed in his name with his twelve children (twelve tribes), will continue to exist. (Jeremiah 31:34-35).

The angels of God met and greeted Him.

Now Jacob went on his way to Canaan. Bible says the angels of God met him. When he saw the angels, Jacob said “This is God’s camp” He named that place Mahanaim. In Hebrew, the meaning of Mahanaim is “two camps” and the location is a place near Jabbok, beyond the Jordan River. Jacob was, of course, coming from the east side of the promised land and the location, therefore, is the eastern border of the promised land. The description could take us to at least prior places and incidents in the book of Genesis. The first one is in Genesis 3:24, “he (God) placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” Bible says humans were sent away to the eastern direction. Moving away was to the east side as Genesis chapters illustrate. Coming back from the East is considered to be returning to the promised land. Deuteronomy 11:12 says this about the promised land (Israel),” It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end.” Zechariah 2:8 says this about Jerusalem and the land of Israel, “Jerusalem, because any nation who harms you harms the apple of His eye.” Apparently, the land of Israel is specially watched over and protected by the Lord God Himself. Secondly, we remember when Jacob had a dream and he saw a ladder with its top reaching to heaven we were told the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. The unique phrase “the angles of God” was used only in two places – in Bethel where he saw the dream and received God’s promise and here in Mahanaim. This reminds Jacob of God’s promise, guidance and protection. God promised He will bring him back to the land and now the angels of God this time signaling God’s fulfillment of the promise in Jacob’s life. The word Mahanaim which means two camps shows two camps in Mahanaim – the camp of God’s angels and the camp of Jacob- his wives, children, servants, and animals.

Once crossed Jabbok with only a staff, now became two camps- who gets the credit?

Jacob himself testified the Lord is the reason for all his blessing. He says in 32:10 this, “I know I am not worthy of even a little of all of the loyal love and faithfulness You have shown to me, Your servant. You have already blessed me because I left home and crossed the Jordan with nothing except my staff. Now I have grown into two large camps.” When he left home and crossed the Jordan to go to Laban’s house, he had nothing in his hand except a staff. Now God made him grow into two large camps. Despite all Jacob’s maneuverings, schemes, Laban’s unfair treatments, cheating, animosity and Rachel’s stealing of household precious metal idols and so forth, it was the hand of God that made Jacob wealthy. In addition, God made him grow into two big camps as he testified. It reminds us of the fact that God is the one behind Jacob’s descendants and He is the one who protects them against all enemies and evil schemes. The same is true to God’s children, the church, who was grafted to Abrahamic’s blessings through Jesus Christ. The believers in Christ are the part takers of all the Abrahamic blessings in and through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Galatians 3:14 says this about all believers in Christ, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Despite mistreatments, unfairness, and animosities true believers face today, they can be comforted and encouraged by the fact that their God is the same God- the God of Jacob. Bible says, If God is for us, nobody can stand against us. (Romans 8:31). Indeed the God of Jacob is our protector, deliverer who bless us even through the animosities and unfairness of our enemies- spiritual and worldly. Unfair treatments and human counsels against God’s elect will be stopped by the powerful hand of God one day. Please be cautious about how do we treat the believers. Possess Godly fear. Do we ignore them? Are we trying to avoid God’s plan and agenda for our selfish agendas and desires? Do we treat them badly and do we try to take their God-given opportunities away from them? Even in Christian churches, human agendas are superseding God’s plans and agendas. It is good to think seriously these matters before it becomes late. No matter what, in the end, God protects His own with His mighty and outstretched arms and He will bring His plans and agenda to succeed.

Left alone in the night and trembled with fear reflecting the past.

This background of God’s angels met Jacob sets the stage for the key time of Jacob’s life. The fear of Esau gripped Jacob’s mind fully at this time as he came closer to Canaan. He remembered what Esau said that led to his flight to Paddan-Aram. Esau’s anger and the plan to kill Jacob were reported to Rebekah, his mother. It is reported in Genesis 27:41, “Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.” In order to save the life of Jacob, she sent Jacob to her brother’s house and a few days became more than twenty years now. Now, these thoughts paralyzed Jacob. He sent messengers to Esau who was living in Edom, requesting his favor for him. However, they came back and reported Esau was coming to meet Jacob and had four hundred men with him. Jacob was greatly afraid and dismayed at this news. He prayed to the God his father and grandfather, Isaac and Abraham. He reminded God about His promise- “return to your country and relatives, and I will be with you.” (31:3). He prayed the Lord to deliver him from the hand of his brother, Esau. He prayed, “save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.” He sent gifts to Esau- two hundred female goats an twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, thirty milking camels and their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. He commanded his servants to tell Esau this-Behold, your servant Jacob is behind us. He said to tell you, “I will appease him with the present that goes before me. Then afterward I will see his face; perhaps he will accept me.” So he sent the present before him and He spent the night in the camp. The man Jacob was truly terrified to face Esau.

God’s mysterious intervention changed Jacob’s life and future destiny.

Jacob then arose and took his wives and his two maids and his eleven children and sent them across the stream. All he had he sent across the ford of the Jabbok. Jacob now was left alone for the most critical time in his life. When he was left alone, God dealt with him mysteriously. A Man wrestled with him until the daybreak. Read what the Bible says about this unusual incident of the encounter.

“So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”
But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
The man asked him, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”
But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.
So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”
The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.” (32:24-31).

Wrestling with a Man until the daybreak, who was later recognized by Jacob as God (vs 30). “Jacob said I have seen God face to face, yet my life was preserved”. Do you understand what is really happening here? Wrestling happened to teach Jacob a lesson that he would never forget in the rest of his life. The Lord, in essence, was saying, Jacob, you spent your life in deception and human techniques so far. All through your life, you relied on your ability and plans. Now if I am going to fulfill all that I have planned for your future destiny according to my promise to Abraham (Genesis 12) and you (Genesis 28), I need to change you to a different man. I need to re-organize and reshape you before you enter into the promised land. As the Man wrestled with Jacob all through the night he reached out and pulled Jacob’s hip out of joint. The thigh, the joint and hip are the center of force for a wrestler. The Man touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched and he became disabled. Jacob began to walk by limping. He could not stand and walk on one leg. He needed a staff from this point onwards to walk. The Lord turned Jacob from a self-reliant and self-dependent man to God-reliant and God leaning man. The Man who wrestled with Jacob is none other than the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, the Son of God. You see Jesus Christ was pre-existent in heaven before His birth in Bethlehem. This is what the theologians call Christophany. Several occasions the Son of God appeared to His people in the Old Testament, before his human birth on the first Christmas day. Generally, these incidents are described as the visit of the angel of the LORD. Whenever the Bible reports, the angel of the LORD appeared, it is referring to the appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ in the Old Testament time period. Jesus was in existence from the very beginning, from the eternity past. He came to the world to save you and me from our sins in the consummation of time. Some of Christ’s appearances in the old testament are described in Genesis 16:7-14; 22:11-15; Exodus 3:2-4; Judges 6:11-23; Zechariah 3:14.

Keep in mind, if you are a child of God, He touches us sooner later.

What is the lesson here? God wants to turn His children from self-reliance to God-reliance. Learning to lean on the Lord is the essence of spiritual growth. We think we are able and we can control. I am all I need. I do not anybody else. I will control and I will make the decision. I don’t need anyone’s input. Self-reliance and self-dependence is a hindrance to God to accomplish His plans in our personal life and corporate life. When will we learn we can not do it all? If we do not learn to rely on God and then God would do the same thing in all of our lives – pull the hip out of joint-so that we would learn to lean on God. Jacob said to the Man, “I would not let you go unless you bless me.” Jacob understood He was dealing someone mightier than Him. Therefore the Man asked him “what is your name.” Jacob said, “Jacob.” The Man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel.” Jacob’s name was changed to Israel and from Him (from his twelve sons) twelve tribes of Israel came into being. Jacob asked the man, “Please tell me your name.” The Man said, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.” Jacob called that place “Peniel” saying “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” Jacob testifies he saw God face to face- the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the second person in the triune Godhead. Then verse 31 of chapter 32 says, “The sun rose above him (Jacob) as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.” The Morning sun rose on Him as he moved from Peniel. The big change was he started limbing because of the touch of the Lord on his hip. He became disabled.

Are you limping? Do not worry- Read on.

My friend, are you limping by the touch of the Lord? Limping is not bad. For Jacob, it was not bad. For you, it is not bad either. If God touched, disabled you and you started to limb because you are disabled, your limb is going to be your future strength. Your limb is the pathfinder for your divine destiny. The biggest testimony Jacob passed to his grandchildren was the lesson he learned to lean on God in the pace called Peniel. Hebrews 11:21 says, “By faith Jacob when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.” He  limped all through his life from Peniel and at the end of his life he asked to bring all his children to him. As his time of departure came, the Bible mentions three things happened. He blessed his grandchildren, He worshipped the Lord as he was leaning on the top of his staff. The patriarch who learned to lean on the Lord. He passed the  to his sons and grandchildren a divine lesson -to lean on the Lord.  His grandchildren remember vividly how Jacob departed from this world. Blessing his grandchildren, worshipping by leaning on the top of his staff. Grandpa, why do you use the staff? Grandpa would describe the mysterious incident in Peniel to his grandsons where God turned him from self-reliant, scheme oriented, maneuvering man to a fully to God-reliant man who learned to lean on the Lord.

Your limb is your strength and testimony.

Your limb and your God allowed weakness is going to be your strength that God would use to touch the hearts and minds of people. Paul had a limb and he testified “for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Did you notice what Paul said. “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Paul prayed three times to take away the divinely allowed thorn in his flesh. However, the Lord said to him, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Lord said to Paul, listen: I am not going to take away your limb (thorn in the flesh) but do you know what I would do? I would pour my grace sufficiently in you. When he heard this, Paul said, he would boast all the more gladly about his weakness. Why? because Christ’s power is resting on his weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

Your limb is exactly where Christ’s power rest! In your limb, in your weakness, the Lord will pour sufficient grace. He is going to get glory out of your limb. If God touched you and replaced your hip out of your joint, share it with others. God is going to get the glory of your unique testimony. You have a powerful testimony to share. You have a divine destiny to fulfill.

When we hear the name of the nation Israel, keep in mind the nation is named after Jacob, a man who once was a deceiver and self dependent, who became disabled after the touch of the Lord and fulfilled His divine destiny in God’s plan. A man who was transferred by the Lord from self reliance to God reliance, who leaned on the Lord for each step of his walk, who blessed his future generations and worshipped the Lord as he was leaning on the top of his staff, just before his departure. Even in the last moments of his life he was totally God-reliant and leaned on God.

The Lord’s goal is the same for each one of our life-to lean on Him. The sooner we recognize this,  the better equipped would we become to fulfill God’s destiny for our life.

God orders the steps of the Godly and is actively involved in their decisions and establishes the ways. God is like a potter who shapes the clay at wheel.

The desire to go back to Canaan.

After the birth of a son from Rachel, Joseph, Jacob said to Laban to send him away to his own place – to his country. He said to give him his wives and children for whom he served and reminded Laban about his service to him for the last many years. However, Laban requested Jacob to stay on with him and continue to watch over his flocks and herds. There is a reason why Laban said this. Laban said he had divined that the LORD has blessed him on Jacob’s behalf. Laban also Jacob could request the ages he wanted and would be given.

Spilled over blessings from a Godly person.

Laban recognized the Lord had blessed him because of Jacob. However, Laban’s blessings were not because of his faith in the Lord but due to his association with Jacob. This takes us back to Abrahamic blessings in Genesis 12:3 which said, “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses, I will curse.” Laban, of course, deceived Jacob many times.
However, God caused the Abrahamic blessings and blessings given to Jacob at Bethel to spill over to Laban’s life based on Genesis 12:3. Laban said he divined that the Lord had blessed him. It indicates Laban did not possess faith on the one true living God. Divination is a practice of heathen religion by which they read things based on their idol or star connections.

You see, God can bless those who associate with Godly children without the basis of their own personal faith. Lot’s blessings were because of his association with Abraham. If you have a wife or husband or friend who loves the Lord, keep that relationship because God in his sovereignty can spill over spiritual blessings to you. Bible reiterates this in 1 Corinthians 7:14, “For the unbelieving husband has been sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife has been sanctified through her believing husband. Otherwise, your children would be unclean, but as it is, they are holy.” If one person is a believer and the other spouse is not, the other person and the children have a special sanctifying blessing from the Lord. God’s blessing spill over to them based on the faith of the believing partner.

Jacob said to Laban that he had only little when he came to his house, and now it has increased to a multitude. The Lord had blessed him wherever he turned. But Jacob still wants to leave to his own country. I believe even after 20 years of serving Laban, Jacob remembers the divine encounter he had from God at Bethel in his dream. (Genesis 28:20-22). God initiated the desire in his heart to go back. It was the Lord at work in his heart.

Stay extended on one condition.

Jacob agreed to live with him for another period of time on one condition. His wages to serve him would be all the speckles and spotted goats and sheep and also all the black lamb in the herd. Laban liked the idea because the spotted goats and sheep and black lamb are apparently not that many numbers and he visualized to be a winner according to the terms and conditions. Immediately Laban isolated all the speckled and spotted ones and moved them about three days journey away. Per the agreement, Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. Laban purposely removed the stripped and spotted male goats and all the speckled and spotted animals away so that they won’t produce more of spotted, speckled and black animals.

God even uses people’s ideas and imaginations to accomplish His purpose.

Jacob had another idea came into his mind when he saw Laban’s smart actions. As he was feeding Laban’s rest of the herds, he placed peeled rods of poplar and almond and plane trees and exposed the white in the rods when the animals came to drink water. At that time the animals that mated by these rods and flocks brought forth striped, speckled and spotted. Jacob separated all the lambs and did not put them with Laban’s flock. He did another idea. Whenever the stronger animals were mating, he placed the rods in the sight of the flock in the gutters. He did make them mate by the rods. When the animals were feeble, he did not put them in. Therefore all the feebles animals became Laban’s and stronger ones became Jacobs.

Jacob had an idea that whatever an animal looks at while mating will produce the same type of offsprings. Of course, he was using his own plan and ideas. There is no scientific proof that whatever an animal look at the time of mating would produce the same type of offspring. He was doing a scheme based on his own calculations. However, his idea worked and gave the result he intended. The animals when they mated looking at the striped rods brought forth striped, speckled and spotted offsprings. In this way, Jacob became more blessed than Laban because he ended up having more stripped, spotted and black animals.

Jacob’s personal understanding of God in the midst of the heartbreaking events.

Though he used his own ideas, imaginations, and plans, later he gave credit to God and said to his wives God had taken away your father livestock and given them to me. (Genesis 31:9). We still see Jacob as a schemer who trusts in himself and not completely trusting in God’s provisions and ways.
We need to take note of this fact. It was God who blessed him because of His faithfulness to the promise given to Abraham, Isaac and later to him in Bethel, and not because of his human agendas. Romans 8:28 says, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Even before his birth, God chose Jacob while he was in his mother’s womb and the promise of Abraham must come through Isaac and then later through the line of Jacob. God had caused all things to work together for good in Jacob’s life. It was all God’s gift and not because of any merit of Jacob. God would do the same thing in our lives. All things mean all things – good and bad- God turns into His children’s ultimate good. Jacob suffered a lot of deception in the hand of Laban, his uncle. God was in the midst of all to cause all things -good and bad -for his ultimate good. Thus God fulfilled His purpose in Jacob’s life.

Genesis 30:43 says, Jacob became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys. God kept His promise He made to Jacob in Genesis 28:15, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”Jacob gave all the credits to God in his testimonies. We can read Jacob giving credit to the Lord for all his blessings in Genesis 31:7, 9, 11-13, 31:42.

As a man who believed in manipulations, maneuverings, and strivings, Jacob was progressively learning to credit God and lean on God. Many of us are like Jacob. God is at work in us to mold us to His plans and provisions. The truth is this- if you love the Lord and if you are called according to His purpose, no matter what happens, do not be discouraged. The Lord shapes and molds us into his own image as we progress in faith life. The Lord is fully committed and He will not leave us until His plan is fulfilled in our lives. He is powerful to cause all things to work together for our good at the end. He will do it period!

Of course, Esaus and Jacob were different. There is no reference in the Bible Esau ever acknowledged or gave credit to the Lord. He was basically a fleshly man with no spiritual insight or connection to God. Jacob, in contrast, would respond to God’s revelations and acknowledge Him in life.

Now Laban heard the words of his sons. They said Jacob has taken away all that was their fathers and made himself wealthy. With God’s blessing on Jacob, the things turned around in favor of Jacob. The stipped, spotted and black animals were in minority but now they became the majority in Laban’s flock. No wander Laban’s sons became jealous toward Jacob. Jacob also noted the attitude of Laban toward him had changed. He was not friendly toward Jacob as he was in the past. Now the Lord appeared to Jacob and said to return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives and promised He will be with him. (31:3). God was ordering the steps of Jacob. God used Laban’s bad attitude and his son’s jealousy toward Jacob to accomplish the divine plan of God that was revealed to him in a dream in the night at the place called Bethel. Sometimes, we also come across such times of confusion and turning of events that cause anxiety and confusion. However, nothing happens in the life of a child of God without the knowledge and approval of God. Bible says in Psalms 37:23 says, “The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives.”

Jacob announces to his wives his decision to go back.

Jacob announced his plan to return to his land and people to his wives. He said to them he served their father with all his might and strength. But Laban cheated him and changed his wages ten times. Jacob also said God did not allow him to hurt him. He said this because Laban did not keep the terms and conditions he agreed regarding striped, speckled and spotted sheep and goats as well as black lambs. Laban cheated him by changing the terms and said only speckled would be his. When he said all the flocks brought forth specked ones. Then Laban said only stripped ones are Jacobs. Then all the flocks brought forth stripped ones. God was working behind all of Laban’s cheatings and changing terms and conditions to bless Jacob. Then Jacob said to his wives the God had taken away your father’s livestock and given them to me. God in His power repaid Jacob for all of Laban’s mistreatments. He told them the God of Bethel where he anointed a pillar and made a vow called him to go back to his land and people (Genesis 31:13). Rachel and Leah agreed to go with Jacob to his land and people.

The flight back to Canaan

Jacob put his children and wives upon camels and he drove away all his livestock and properties which he had gathered in Paddan-Aram to go to the land of Canaan to his father Isaac. They did not tell Laban that they were fleeing. Jacob fled with all he had and crossed the Euphrates river.

You see, God was at work sovereignly in Jacob’s heart to move back to his father’s people and land. This is part of the owe Jacob entered with God in Genesis 28 when God appeared to him in the night time in a dream. It says there, Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.” God was faithful to him though there were hardships, deceptions, pains he suffered along the way. God never forgets His promises. 2 Corinthians 1:20 says, “For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen” is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory.” (HCSB).

What is an idol to do with a true believer in God any way?

Now, Rachel, his wife stole Laban’s household idols and Jacob was unaware of it. We do not know for sure why she stole the household idols because no reason is given here in the text. The idols may have been made of precious materials and that means it had financial value. Or it could be she partially believed in the superstitious power of the idols and she wanted to the idols to be with her as an added blessings or good fortunes. Bible clearly detests the idols and the people who make it because the one and true living God made the heavens and earth and all in it cannot be fashioned into any of the idols or images. The first commandment of the ten commandment says in Genesis 20, “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Bible also people do not stop and think about the folly of making idols. Listen to what the Bible says about the people who make idols in Isaiah 44. Read and slowly think about the foolishness of making and worshipping idols.
“He cut down cedars,
or perhaps took a cypress or oak.
He let it grow among the trees of the forest,
or planted a pine, and the rain made it grow.

It is used as fuel for burning;
some of it he takes and warms himself,
he kindles a fire and bakes bread.
But he also fashions a god and worships it;
he makes an idol and bows down to it.

Half of the wood he burns in the fire;
over it he prepares his meal,
he roasts his meat and eats his fill.
He also warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.”

From the rest he makes a god, his idol;
he bows down to it and worships.
He prays to it and says,
“Save me! You are my god!”

They know nothing, they understand nothing;
their eyes are plastered over so they cannot see,
and their minds closed so they cannot understand.

No one stops to think,
no one has the knowledge or understanding to say,
“Half of it I used for fuel;
I even baked bread over its coals,
I roasted meat and I ate.
Shall I make a detestable thing from what is left?
Shall I bow down to a block of wood?”

Rachel teach us a lesson.

Whatever the reason the fact is Rachel stole his father’s household idols as they were fleeing from Laban’s house. Before we put too much blame on Rachel, let us stop and look into our own lives. How many idols, superstitious believes, nonchristian traditional or cultural practices that we hold on even after coming to the understanding of the truth and liberty in Christ? Even some of the so-called Christian denominations that ought to have known the truths of the Word of God by this time stands in front of man-made images and idols is a very sad thing to see. This is especially true when the Bible clearly hates the practice of idol and image worships. In certain denominations, the traditions have more value than the truth of the eternal Word of God that is inspired and breathed by God Himself. (2 Timothy 3:16).

Don’t you know the patriarch Jacob was a work in progress?

Jacob’s separation from Laban also informs a fact. Sometimes a clear separation is needed to progress in God’s eternal plan and purpose. The return to Canaan by disconnecting tie with Laban was the right step to take to go with God and His plans. And Jacob did it.

When Jacob was told about Jacob’s flight, he took his kinsmen and pursued him to a seven day’s journey. However, God intervened and warned Laban in a dream that he should not speak good or bad to Jacob. Laban asked Jacob why did he secretly fled and deceived him. He also said why Jacob did not give him enough time to send them away with joy and song and allowed him to kiss his daughters and children. Laban said he has the power to do harm to Jacob, but the God of Jacob’s father appeared and said do not say good or bad to Jacob. Then Laban asked why did you steal my gods? Jacob said he was afraid that Laban would take his daughters (Rachel and Leah) from him by force. Because Jacob was unaware Rachel took the gods of Laban, he said whoever he finds with idols shall not live but die. Laban went into the tent and search everywhere but Rachel put the idols in the camel’s saddle and sat on it. She said to Laban I cannot rise up because the menses was on her. Thus Laban did not find the idols. Jacob got angry and said, all these twenty years I have been with you whenever an animal was torn he did not bring it to him and bore the loss of it himself. Whether an animal was stolen by night or day, Laban required if of his hand. The day heat consumed him and night frost by night. He served 14 years for two of his daughters and six years for his flock and he changed wages ten times. An account of his hardships working for Laban. Then he said, “If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”

Jacob says in the midst of Laban’s deceptions and unfair practices toward him, God of Abraham and Isaac have repaid him and blessed him. Had God not been with Jacob, Laban would have sent him empty handed with nothing.

The man now acknowledges the hand and guidance of God in his life. Jacob has come a big way now in his understanding about the God of his grandfather and father- Abraham and Isaac. Still with flaws, maneuvering and schemes. Jacob was work in progress. We are not patriarchs like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. However, we are also God’s work in progress, aren’t we? God sent Jeremiah to potters house to get a lesson. Jeremiah closely watched the way the potter working on the clay at his wheel. God gave the message by saying, “you are like the clay in the potter’s hands, and I am the potter.” This message is from the Lord.”

God is faithful to His promises and still disciplines.

Jacob journey to Haran continues.

After the dream in an open place where he slept during the night time and the assurance of the LORD God that He would be with Him, watch over him wherever he goes and brings him back to the land of promise, Jacob continued his journey to the land of the eastern people-his uncle’s house in Paddan-Aram in Haran. Jacob followed the advice of his parents in seeking for a wife. It was commendable that he did not want to get a wife from the daughters of Hittite and Amorites. (Genesis 26:34-35 and 27:46). In this matter, Jacob followed the guidance of God instead of his own desires. When we read the ensuing chapters from 29 we come to the understanding that though he was fleeing from the land due to the anger of Esau, there was another higher purpose in the plan of the LORD God. The plan was to seek a wife and a family for Jacob by which all the Abrahamic blessings could continue.

In the twists and turns of our lives also, God has a higher plan and purpose behind it all. God of Jacob is our God who guides our steps and open the ways even when we do not understand the details.

The sovereign guidance of God for Jacob.

When Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for his son, Isaac, it was God who sovereignly guided the steps of the servant to Rebekah. (Genesis 24). In the case of the servant of God when he was assigned with the task to find a wife for Isaac, he was leaning on the Lord in prayer and sought continuously His directions. We do not see such prayers of continuous learning on the guidance of the Lord in Jacob’s case. Though God promised his blessings and presence wherever he goes, Jacob is not claiming these promises like Abraham’s servant did. However, God was behind Jacob’s moves in accordance with His blessings.

God directed Jacob’s steps to the well where Rachel, Laban’s daughter, would come to water her flocks. This is also comparable to Abraham’s servant who was guided by God to the well where Rebekah (Jacob’s mother) would come to water the flocks. Chapter 29:2 says, “He looked, and a saw a well in the field, and behold, three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it.” This is the well they watered the flocks. Jacob inquired about his uncle, Laban. They said Laban is well and his daughter, Rachel, was coming with the sheep to water her flocks. When he was speaking with the shepherds there, Rachel came with her flocks. When he saw her and the flocks of Laban, he went and moved the big stone on the mouth of the well and watered the flock of his uncle. This incident reminds when Rebekah gave water to drink to the servant of Abraham and watered the flocks when he was supernaturally guided by God to seek a wife for Isaac, according to the direction of Abraham.

29:3 says the big stone is moved by them which means it is not possible to move the big stone by one man. However, God apparently gave supernatural strength to Jacob and he moved the stone by himself. Rachel may have noticed his unusual strength and his kindness toward her in watering her flocks. Jacob then kissed her and wept loudly and told her he is related to her and Laban is his uncle. Rachel got very excited and ran to her father and told him about Jacob. Laban ran and came to meet his sister’s son, embraced and received Jacob to his house. Jacob stayed with him a month.

Blooming love and the deception of Laban.

Laban then said to Jacob you should not work for him for anything and asked him what wages he like? Jacob loved Rachel from the very beginning because her eyes and face were beautiful. Now Laban had two daughters- Leah was the first born and Rachel was the second. Leah’s eyes and face were not beautiful like Rachel. Jacob said he would serve Laban seven years for his younger daughter Rachel because he loved her. Laban agreed and Jacob served him for seven years. 29:20 says, “So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” When he completed seven years, Jacob asked for his wife Rachel. Laban made a feast and invited all the men of the place. However, in the evening, he took Leah and give to him as his wife. It must be real late in night and dark. Jacob did not recognize it was Leah. He lied with her and in the morning he recognized it was Leah. Jacob asked Laban didn’t he work for Rachel for all these seven years and why he deceived him? Laban’s explanation was it was not the practice of their place to marry the younger one first before the first-born. Jacob became apparently speechless at this deception. He also said to Jacob to complete another seven years and he would give Rachel also to Jacob. Jacob had to complete another seven more years of labor to get his loved one, Rachel, which he did and received her as well.

Jacob was clearly deceived by Laban. I believe there is a lesson to learn here. God performed his justice on Jacob for his deception. He lied and deceived his blind father Isaac for the birthright. Of course, God promised his presence and blessings for Jacob. Of course, God is going to fulfill the blessings of Abraham through the line of the children of Jacob. However, God would also discipline him for his deception. God committed fulfilling all His plan in the life of Jacob but still punishes Jacob’s deception and scheming.

From self-reliance to God-reliance is a lesson progressively learned.

Even after the planned deception, the Bible does not record Jacob was remorseful over the incident. Did we wonder why? Basically, Jacob was different from his parents – Abraham and Isaac. Abraham leaned on the Lord and was a friend of God (James 2:23). Isaac was more a passive person who relied on the Lord. However, Jacob relied on his plans and schemes in the early part of his life until later when his name was changed from Jacob to Israel. We will look into this change later in our study. God was in the process of changing Jacob from a self leaning man to a God leaning man. The process had to take some painful life experience for Jacob because he was basically a self-reliant man.

Bible says it is very important to seek His face in confession when we recognize we did wrong in the sight of the Lord. Bible says in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

A divine principle.

Galatians 6:7-10 says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have the opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

In short, Jacob reaped what he sowed. The extra seven more years of working for Laban was apparently a discipline by the hand of the Lord for Jacob’s deception and scheming. Laban was the instrument God used to bring retributive justice. A principle to keep in mind. God would keep His promises, no matter what happens. In the end, God’s promises were the tower and shield for Jacob. Jacob came out blessed and the lineage of the savior of the world would come in the line of his son, Judah. However, that does not take away the principle of reaping what he sowed along the way.

God balances the scale of unfairness sovereignly

There was another issue faced. Leah was the unloved and Rachel was the loved and preferred wife for Jacob. 29:31 says, “When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless.” You see, God favors those who are treated unfairly. This is another principle we can learn from the pages of the Bible. He goes to work in favor of the one who was treated unjustly. Therefore, let us be thoughtful to avoid unfair and unjust treatments. God moves His scale in favor of the lowly and unfairly treated. Leah was not a wanted wife for Jacob but God turned her to become the mother of Judah, in whose line the savior of the world (full fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant) would eventually come. Jacob was a patriarch of Israel and God made Leah a matriarch of the nation Israel. God turned table when He saw that Leah was not loved. You see, God watches and takes note of what happens in our lives and moves sovereignly.

Genesis 30:1 says when Rachel got jealous and said to Jacob give her children or else she would die. She came to a point that she could not take it anymore because by this time Leah had four sons from Jacob and the fourth one was Judah. Jacob’s anger got burned against Rachel and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” This gives us some lessons. First of all, the fruit of the womb, the children, are given to us from God only. He only determine who gets the fruit of the womb and at what time. We cannot make it happen with our own ability and cannot expedite God’s time. Slowly Jacob is learning a lesson. Of course, Rachel was the preferred and loved one in his eyes. However, God meant Leah to be his wife to become a matriarch in the promised lineage. Jacob was apparently learning a lesson now that God’s plan was different from his plans and ways.

Jacob was lying with Rachel ignoring Leah that she had to hire him for one night with her son’s mandrakes. (30:15-16). That night again God gave heed to Leah and she conceived and gave birth a fifth son.

Bible says in 30:22 says, “Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive.” She bore her first born-Joseph.

In total Jacob had twelve sons and one daughter. All twelve of his sons are important and became the twelve tribes of Israel. These are 12 tribes upon which God built the nation Israel according to his promise to Abraham (Genesis 12). However, in the narrative history, Judah and Joseph stand out for the readers to take note off. However, the descendants of Abraham and the fulfillment of God’s promises to Him would be through Judah, the son of Leah.

Some of the lessons:

• First, Take note- in the twists and turns of our lives, God has a bigger plan and purpose.

He is able and powerful to accomplish His plans in and through our heartbreaking circumstances. Jesus himself said to those who labor and heavy laden these kind words. “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Be restful in the plan and purpose of God. Run to Jesus for help. Do not run away from Him in difficulties. He is faithful to help you because He said: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 and Hebrews 13:5-6. God’s bigger plan in our turbulences was evident all through the pages of the Bible. We can see this not only in Jacob’s life but also in the life of Joseph, Moses, Ruth, David and so forth, Christ being the prime example of turbulence and the fulfillment of God’s plan for the whole world-the ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. Find rest in the Lord instead of being heavily laden and too much worried. The one who called you, the Christ Jesus, the Son of God, is able to lead you to success in the end. How often we go to the promise God gave in Romans 8:28? It says, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

• Second, God is in your life leading each of your steps and nothing is luck, chance or accidental in the life of a believer.

God is the one who orders our steps on a daily basis. Bible says in Psalms 37:23, “The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD.” Nothing happens without the order of the sovereign God in our lives. Proverbs 16:9 says, “We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps.” God led Jacob to the well to meet with Rachel. God led the servant of the Lord to the well where he met the bride of Isaac. God led the feet of Ruth to the field of Boas, although there were many fields in Bethlehem during the harvest time owned by many.

• Third, God does not need our plans and schemes to accomplish His purposes.

His provision is based on His gracious gifts only. Hebrews 10:23 says, “He who promised is faithful.” 1 Thessalonians 5:24 says, “the one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” Jacob was blessed and granted Abrahamic blessings not because of his cleverness but because of God’s grace only. Zechariah 4:6 says, “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.” Whatever Jacob tried to accomplish by his might and power are going to crumble. However, God will keep His promises by His gracious gifts only. Jacob was in the school of learning to learn this principle. We will see eventually in future lessons that he finally got this message. However, let us hold on because we do not want to jump ahead now.

• Fourth, Jacob reaped what he sowed

He deceived his blind father and he was deceived in his uncle’s house. As Galatians 6:7-10 says, we can not mock God. What we sow we reap is a divine principle. Galatians 6:4 says, “Each one should test their own actions.”

• Fifth, God brings justice when there are unfairness and injustice.

God looks down from heaven and He sees what happens in our lives and all over the world. He takes note of it and He responds. Exodus 2:25 says, “God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.” If God took notice, He is going to take an action. He took an action when he saw Leah’s condition and opened her womb to bear children. Later God showed mercy to Rachel also. He took action when he saw the condition of the sons of Israel. He raised Moses and delivered them from slavery and brought them to the promised land. However, all of God’s dealings are based on His grace and mercy and none of our efforts can earn only what grace can offer.

• Sixthly, Very important point but many are confused with this truth of the Bible. Our salvation and eternal life are also based on His grace.

Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” In short, our salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the gift of God-not by works. If by works, there are opportunities for boasting. But no one can ever boast before God. However, once you are the recipient of God’s grace we become God’s handiwork because we are newly created in and through faith in Jesus Christ to do good works. These works we would do are prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10). All are equal in the sight of the Lord. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Make mark! ‘All’ means simply ‘all’. There is no other meaning to it. No works can ever save a person and allow them to go to heaven and live eternally because there is no one who does what is right and never sins.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). All humans are equal at the foot of the cross of Christ where he paid for all of our sins with His divine and sinless blood.

• Seventhly, do not neglect the grace of God.

Bible says Esau ignored the grace of God because he wanted to live based on his fleshly desires and not according to God’s plans. Bible says, “See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God.” God is full of grace and mercy thereby He can fill us with His abundant grace. God’s grace is in the person of Christ. In other words, God’s grace is personified in Christ Jesus. Those who have Christ have the grace of God and those who do not believe in Christ do not have the grace of God. It is that simple. Bible says in John 1:14 the glory of God is seen in the glory of Jesus because He is the glory of the one and only Son because He came from the Father. It says there He (Jesus) is full of grace and truth. Then verse 16 says, “Out of his fullness we have all received grace upon grace.” In other words, in Jesus, we have received grace heaped upon grace.

Beloved, God is calling you today because of His grace and mercy. He invites you to come to His Son, Jesus Christ, who died, buried and rose again for all of your sins. When you come and accept Him as your savior and Lord God is going heap grace upon grace. You are saved from sins and God gives you eternal life with Him in heaven. Not because of your merits or efforts, but because you accepted God’s Son, who died in your place, as your savior and Lord.

Where do we find perfect protection and guidance? God’s faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Frustrated and fury Esau and fear-filled Jacob and Rebekah.

Now Jacob had to flee from his house to Paddan-Aram because of the fear of Esau. Esau had decided in his heart that he will kill Jacob. Rebekah said to Jacob your bother is planning to kill him and she advised him to flee to her brother Laban’s house and stay with him until Esau’s anger subsides. She also said after the fury of Jacob is gone, she will send and get Jacob from Laban’s house. She also said this is a better solution than she losing both of her children on one day.

Another reasoning behind sending Jacob to Laban’s house was expressed by Rebekah. She said to Isaac she was tired by the wives of Esau because they are from the daughters of Heth. She was worried if Jacob also takes wives from the daughters of Heth, what good to continue living. You see Esau already engaged in ungodly alliances in marriage with the idol-worshipping people of the land. Rebekah was so tired by his decisions to engage in ungodly yoke and alliances with these ungodly idol worshiping wives. Both Isaac and Rebekah agreed in this matter. They want Jacob to get his wife from their own people and not from the people of the land who were immersed in ungodly and idol-worshipping lifestyles.

Chapter 27 ends with a frustrated and angry Esau. It also ends with a fearful Jacob, Rebekah, and Isaac. Sometimes, when God’s plan unfolds in our lives it could result in an immediate frustration, fear, and anxieties. However, keep in mind God is behind it and He is in control and He is going to keep His words and promises no matter what or who stands against it.

Isaac called Jacob, blessed him and gave him the commandment that he would not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. He advised him to go to his mother’s father’s house and take a wife from there. He gave two major blessings as he was sending Jacob away. Isaac said may God almighty bless Jacob, make him fruitful and multiply that he becomes a company of peoples. Secondly, He also said may God gave the blessings of Abraham to him and his descendants that Abrahamic blessings of the land of the promised land would come upon him and descendants.

You see the land and seed blessings God gave to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3, 15:2-21 had intended to continue not through Ishmael but through His son Isaac (Genesis 17:19; 26:2-4) and then not through Esau but through Jacob (Genesis 28:13-15).

Isaac sent Jacob away and he started traveling to Paddan-Aram to Laban his uncle’s house. When Esau heard Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to take a wife from his own people and charged him not to take a wife from the daughters of Canaan and Jacob obeyed his father and mother in this matter, he went and married the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son through Hagar in addition to his other Canaanite wives. The intention of his heart could be to make things good. However, the promised offspring and line of the Abrahamic covenant was already pre-determined by God and not by human wills or actions. The promises and covenants that God made to Abraham had to funnel through the line of Jacob and not in the line of Esau.

Flight to Paddan-Aram.

Jacob departed his father’s house to an unknown future. One this was sure he could not continue living there because of the fury of his brother Esau. He obeyed the advice of his parents and now on the way to Laban’s house. This was a long journey and on the way, he came to a place and because it was the night he was going to sleep in an open place with two stones as his pillows. There the God of Abraham appeared to him in a dream. There was a ladder that was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven. The angels of God were ascending and descending on it. The LORD stood above and said this to Jacob, ‘“I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
The LORD was reiterating His promise given to his grandfather Abraham to Jacob acknowledging the promised line through Him.

What an experience Jacob had. A doubt filled, fearful, anxious heart getting the consolation, comfort, assurance, guidance, and the promise of God. This was a turning point in Jacob’s life. He knew God would be with him in his journey and that was huge for him. Jacob awoke from his sleep and said the Lord was in this place and he acknowledged he was not aware of it. He said this is the place of God and that was the gate of heaven. Next morning, he took the stone that he used as his pillow and poured oil on it and called the place Bethel. The name of the city prior to this incident was Luz.

Beloved, if you are a child of God in and through Jesus Christ, His Son, then God’s divine presence, protection, guidance, and blessings are with you wherever you go. The promise of the LORD, “I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you” became the inspiration and guiding torch and light for Jacob’s life from here on. A fearful man with worried of unknown future found solace and comfort in the promise of God. What we also need is the same assurance as we face an unknown future. The Bible gives many promises and assurances to His children. Just a few of them are listed below:

“The LORD says , “So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10).

“For I am the Lord your God
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:13).

“But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1).

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” (Matthew 6:34).

“say to those with fearful hearts,
“Be strong, do not fear;
your God will come,
he will come with vengeance;
with divine retribution
he will come to save you.” (Isaiah 35:4).

Jesus said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:20(b).

Jesus says, “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” John 14:18

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7).

Beloved, are you a person like Jacob on the run to an unknown future? Are you worried and filled with anxieties because of your circumstances? The LORD tell you this,
“I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you”.
The LORD is with you and He will watch over you wherever you go. He will bring you back to the land. He will not leave you until He has done all that He promised on your life. Take heart, the LORD is going to be with you. protect you and guide you and fulfill all His purposes for your life.

The faithfulness of God – an armor and shield.

The LORD kept His promise in Jacob’s life. He will do the same in our lives as well. In fact, God specifically reminded him to do this when he returned from Paddan-Aram. Then God said to Jacob, “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” (Genesis 35:1).

About twenty years after, God made Jacob a multitude of people with wives, sons, daughters, servants, flocks, herds and camels and made him wealthy and powerful. The once timid and fearful Jacob went back to this same place called Bethel, where God appeared to Him in his fearful flight and granted the original promises and set up a stone pillar. He poured out a drink offering to the LORD on it and worshipped Him. What a beautiful remembrance of Almighty God’s unshaken and unbroken promises in his life.

Beloved, God is one hundred percent faithful. You will discover many people you deal with becomes unfaithful and untrustworthy as you progress your life’s journey. However, God will remain faithful no matter what happens to you. Bible says,
“if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” (2 Timothy 2:13). If nothing else, God’s faithfulness to His promises and covenants are the lessons we learn from this week’s insight.

Few lessons:

• When God’s purpose unfolds in our life, we could encounter confusion, frustration and even fear. However, God’s promise, protection, and guidance He provides. Remember what God says:
  •  I am with you.
  • and will watch over you wherever you go.
  • and I will bring you back to this land.
  • I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.

What is the lesson? Do not be afraid to step out in faith. Many of our forefathers stepped out in faith trusting in the Lord God and later testified how faithful the Lord was in their life. Hebrew chapter 12 says we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses (numerous witnesses) and it exhorts us to fix our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ who is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith and run the race uniquely marked out for us with perseverance.

• Secondly, when God talks and reveals His plans, let us take it to our hearts.  May His words inspire, energize and motivate us to face life’s challenges and goliaths.
  God talks through the Bible. Bible is God’s love letter to us. It is the light to our path. Carefully read it, underline it and memorize it. God’s talks to our spirit when you pray to Him. Listen carefully in silence. God talks to us through the words of Jesus Christ in the Bible. God talks to us through God’s children and their Godly counsels. Finally God’s talks to us through the circumstances and crossroads of our lives. God can still talk to us through dreams although His main way of communications is through the other channels explained above.
• Most of all, if we obey the voice of God and come to Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, and accept Him as our savior and Lord, we become the children of God. By believing in the Gospel which is the good news that God loves you and Jesus died and rose again for all your sins, God grants forgiveness of all your sins and eternal life. This is the first step for your successful spiritual life. God calls us through His Son, Jesus Christ, and what He has accomplished for us on the cross of Calvary. There is no other way to come to God. Do not be deceived by mere people’s ideas and opinions!  There is no multiple paths to God of the heaven. There is only one lifeline that God dropped from heaven for our salvation and eternal life in heaven with Him. And one way is Christ Jesus. Bible says in Acts 4:12, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6.

God loves you and has a beautiful and wonderful plan for your life. He calls you to come to His son, Jesus Christ and through Him receive forgiveness of your sins and connect with God and all His heavenly riches. Let us not be like Esau who despised his wonderful opportunities God granted. Instead, when God calls you today, come now and I will help you to get re-connected to God in a small prayer right now.

Prayer time: “Father in heaven, I come to you in prayer and I believe your Son, died in my place for all of my sins and rose again. I accept Him as my savior and Lord. Please forgive my sins and make me your child now. I want to spend the rest of my life for your purposes. Use me for your glory. Thank you for saving me and granting me eternal life in heaven with you. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”

Lessons from Jacob’s life history: Lesson #2.

God can use even the usual day to day circumstances and affairs to accomplish His purpose. However, no matter what happened in your life in the past, it is never late to come to God and seek Him because, mercy, grace, forgiveness, and blessings are abundant in Him.

In the first lesson, we were introduced into the first glimpse of the problem in the character of Esau. He despised his birthright for a bowl of red soup. He traded his future destiny for immediate sensual gratification. We also know this is a usual tactic of the devil. He tried to tempt Jesus with the same trick of instant gratification of flesh and power without He going through the pain of the cross in Matthew chapter 3.

Unequal yoke in marriage leads to serious and dangerous consequences.

Now the Bible gives another side of the lifestyle of Esau. An important comment is there in Genesis 26:34-34 before all the turn of events in chapter 27 and I think it is crucial to understand the importance of that statement before we dive into chapter 27. It says, “When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith, daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.”

Don’t we remember what Abraham did when Issac became old enough to get married? Genesis 24:1-4 says, “Abraham was now very old, and the LORD had blessed him in every way. He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. I want you to swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” How things turned around with God’s help, and guidance in finding a wife for Issac is very interesting to read and keep in mind. Why such a move of finding a wife for Issac was so important? The reason is God made His covenant with Abraham, and the seed of Abraham has to be kept separate from the seed of the Canaanites and other local people who lived in the promised land. People of Canaan were getting ripe for God’s judgment in future which God fulfilled according to His verdict (Genesis 15:16) when children of Israel entered into the promised land. Abraham knew the expectation and plan of God. Not only the line of the promised seed need to be kept separate from the seed of the Canaan but also Abraham said, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there.” No going back to that place that God called him from which was filled with idols. Such was the influence of idols in their life that even Rachel when she left from there to come to the promised land with Jacob, stole and hid idols. So do not take my son back there, Abraham insisted.

Now Esau decided to marry the Hittite wives was not according to the expectation of God as revealed in the Scripture. The last verse of chapter 27 Rebekah again says her sad situation in the family due to Esau’s wives. It says, “Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.” In short, by Easu’s action, he proved to be unfit to inherit the Abrahamic blessing.

The lesson here is the role of the parents and also of the children in choosing a wife according to God’s way and expectation. If Abraham was so concerned about God’s word, why we do not care these days when it comes to our children’s marriages? The prohibition of interracial marriage was strictly for Jews in the old testament (Ezra 9). However, there is a prohibition for new testament believers in Christ which all believers need to keep in mind. That prohibition is not against interracial marriage but against unequally yoked with an unbeliever. A true Christian should not marry a person who is not a believer in Christ. Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:14, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” The importance of a Godly wife who honors and loves the Lord is cardinally important for a man who professed his faith in the Lord. Bible has several examples of people who unequally yoked with unbelievers in the marriage and ended up in sad and pathetic situations. Esau, Solomon, and Samson are good examples we always remember in this regard. God who knew Esau before his birth understood the bend in Esau’s life and pronounced the verdict to Rachel, ““Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23).

Esau made himself unfit for the Abrahamic covenant blessings by his life style.

It appears from the text that the resourceful and cunning counsel of Rebekah and Jacob following that counsel was because of their conviction that Esau proved himself unfit for the line of the promised seed. First He despised his unique privilege and position  with all it blessings ((the first born right) in order to  satisfy his physical hunger. Secondly, he yoked  himself together in marriages with Hittite women, disregarding the holy line of the covenant blessings and promised seed. Chapter 27 begin with the statement that Isaac was old and his eyes were weak and could longer see. He called his older son, Esau, and said to him, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” Genesis 27:2. Isaac liked the meat of his son Esau.

He decided to pass the Abrahamic blessings to Esau after enjoying his tasty meat from hunting. Here we see a connection between father and son in enjoying delicious and tasty meat. Even though father and son were hooked real good, I sometimes wonder why Isaac did not instruct Esau what he learned from his father, Abraham. You see a father’s role is significant in children’s spiritual life. An example of a passive father is Ely the priest who did not instruct his sons in Godly ways, and that resulted in not only their immoral life and eventual destruction but also the nation’s destruction. Eli also enjoyed the meat from the offerings of the people which his wicked sons forcefully demanded when people came to offer sacrifices to the Lord. You see our sensual lifestyle can influence our children and it can lead them astray into ruin if parents are not careful and live a godly life in front of them. Isaac decided to bless Esau with all Abrahamic blessings (if you read Isaac’s blessing to Jacob, it shows the seed and rulership blessings are in it) even though he knew Esau is not fit for Abrahamic blessings for the line of the promised seed. These are the points apparently he ignored – the precise word of God that was told when the two boys were in the womb. Esau’s despising of the precious birthright and marrying Hittite wives which he should not have done. However, Rebekah took note of these things, and she knew Esau is not fit for Abrahamic blessings. However, did she need to rush with invented schemes and even forcing Jacob to lie to his father is another critical question? God can fulfill His promises without our schemes which could result in evil actions. Jacob had to deceive his father and even say repeated lies to his father.

Rebekah and Jacob intervened

This is what happened -Rebekah listened to what Isaac told Esau, and she reported to Jacob what she heard. She said to Jacob to go and get two choicest goats from the flock. She cooked tasty food like the way Isaac liked and asked him to take it to the father to get his blessings before the arrival of Esau with his food and this way Jacob can get the blessings. Rebekah put the best clothes of Esau on Jacob and covered his hands and smooth parts of the body with goat skins so that if Isaac touches him, he would not doubt because Esau was a hairy person. Apparently, Jacob was not hairy but had smooth skin on his body. Jacob went to His Dad and called him, “my father.” Jacob asked who is it? He said He is Esau his firstborn. He said he did father told him. He asked father to sit up and eat to give him his blessing. Isaac asked him how did he find the meat so quickly. Jacob said the LORD your God gave him success. Isaac asked him to come near him so that he can touch him to know whether he is really Esau or not. This tells Isaac had some initial doubts. However, when Isaac touched him, he said the voice is Jacob’s but the hands are of Esau. He thought he is Esau because his hands were hairy because of the goat skins. Isaac asked again, “are you really my son Esau or not?” Jacob said yes he is. Then Isaac again said to come to him and kiss him. When Isaac smelled Esau’s clothes and touched goat skin hands, his doubt gone away and started to give the blessing. The last part of his blessing is the covenant blessing for the promised seed. It says, “May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
and those who bless you be blessed.” Therefore the promised nation, king and seed blessings are going to be in the line of Jacob. You see, what a significant loss Esau had at this point?

Esau’s exceedingly great and bitter cry

When Jacob left from Isaac Esau came in with his tasty prepared meat from hunting. He said to the father, please arise and eat the food that he may bless. Father asked who you are? And Esau said, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Bible ways Isaac trembled exceedingly when he heard this, and he asked then who brought the hunted food? He admitted he already ate and blessed him and indeed he shall be blessed. Esau heard this he cried with exceedingly great and bitter cry. Bible says in Hebrews 12:17 this about Esau, “For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.” He said to the father to bless him also. Isaac said your brother came with deceit and had taken away your blessing. Esau asked “have you only one blessing, my father? Bless me also, O my father!” Then he lifted up his voice and wept. Isaac answered and said to him, “ Behold, your dwelling shall be of the fatness of the earth,
And of the dew of heaven from above.
By your sword you shall live,
And you shall serve your brother;
And it shall come to pass, when you become restless,
That you shall break his yoke from your neck.”

This was much inferior to the blessing Jacob got from Isaac. Esau hated Jacob, and he said in his heart when the father dies, he is going revenge by killing his brother Jacob. However, when Rebekah heard the words, she called Jacob and said to him about Esau’s plan. She asked him to flee to her brother Laban’s house in Haran and stay until Esau’s fury goes away, which he did because they feared the disposition of Esau. Rebekah repeated her displeasure toward Esau’s Hittite wives. She said to Isaac, “ I am weary of my life because of the daughters of Heth; if Jacob takes a wife of the daughters of Heth, like these who are the daughters of the land, what good will my life be to me?” 27:46. This insight about Esau’s wives and weariness of Rebekah gives much light into the turn of events described in chapter 27.

What are some of the valuable insights/lessons to learn from this incident happened in Isaac’s family?

1. God’s choice and the election is done even before our birth

2. God in his foreknowledge knows all about us- what kind of person we are going to be, our lifestyle, attitudes, choices and all and hence it is easy for him to make his election and choice even before our birth. We live in the limitation of time, and we do not know what is going to happen in our lives in the future. However, God knows all about it, and he is at the end of time waiting for us to arrive. He knows all and has seen all from eternity to eternity.

3. This does not take away our responsibility to come to God in repentance. We cannot say because God had already made his choice before our birth, we do not have a choice. We have a choice to obey God and come to him for the cleansing of our sins and forgiveness. If we go to God in repentance, He will give mercy, grace, forgiveness, and love again. In other words, if we have a heart of repentance and if we are willing to turn to the mercy, love, and forgiveness of Lord, then we know for sure we are elected and chosen by God. Esau also could have done this, but he did not. He hardened his heart and kept anger in his heart to kill his brother. He never repented about his flesh oriented and sinful lifestyle. Saul, the first king of Israel, never repented off his sins either. In contrary, he hardened his heart. Cain is another example of the one who hardened his heart even though God gave two direct chances for repentance. (Genesis 4). In contrast, David although he committed terrible sins, he cried out to the Lord, repented and confessed his sins and thereby received the blessings from the Lord. You see, our wrong lifestyle, attitudes, and sins are not an end in itself. We can still run to God for his mercy and forgiveness. That is the right thing to do. I will say how to accomplish this at the end of this article. Do not miss that opportunity. Stay with me.

4. I believe Rebekah and Jacob did not have to conceive such plans of lie and cheating to achieve God’s promise. I think when they understood Esau is not fit for the blessings, they took the matter in their own hands and implemented individual plans to accomplish God’s verdict. God does not need our evil scheme filled intends to accomplish His purposes. However, in this case, God used their plans anyway. God used the evil plans of the religious and political leaders in Israel to accomplish His eternal plans regarding Jesus Christ. They decided to Kill Jesus, but God used their evil plans to bring salvation to all people. (Acts 2:22-24). God used people’s ideas to accomplish His purpose does not mean God approved their evil schemes and plans.

5. Both Jacob and Rebekah paid for the consequences of their action for a long time. Jacob had to run away from his beloved home and parents. He was deceived many times by Laban in his house. He suffered a lot in his life for his deceptive plans in Padan Aram. Rebekah has never been able to see his beloved son Jacob after he fled from their home. It appeared when Jacob came back from Padan Aram after more than twenty years, he rejoined with Isaac (Genesis 35:27), but Rebekah was no more there. No reference of Rebekah after this incident in chapter 27. Jacob did not get the opportunity to see his mother and spent time with her in her last days.

6. God can use the daily affairs and circumstances and even man’s sinful plans to accomplish His purposes. God used their schemes and plans to fulfill His promise that said the older would serve the younger.

7. We should not take casually what God gave us. There is a purpose behind all that he gave to us. Esau sold his birthright which was of immense value and blessing to fulfill his short-term sensual desires. He went and married the Canaanite women in contrary to the expectation of the Lord. In short, Esau dug his fate by an ungodly lifestyle and thereby lost his privilege for the covenant blessings for the promised line of the seed. (Genesis 12:2-3)

8. Parents have a big role in children’s life. I am not sure how well Isaac performed this role when I look at Esau and his appetites. Of course, Isaac had a strong and godly father in Abraham, who diligently took care the promised son- Isaac.

9. Rebekah’s role of taking the matter in her own hands to expedite God’s plan had also reaped far-reaching adverse consequences. God may have used His unique plan to fulfill His promise. It does not need to be achieved by lying and cheating games of people. However, that is what happened in this incident. Both mom and dearly loved son paid enormous prices for their involvement in this matter. Jacob was fooled and deceived many times in Laban’s house, and Rebekah never got an opportunity to see her beloved son and receive his help and care in her old age.

However, the most important lesson is this. Beloved, please do not harden your heart when God calls you with His love. It is never late to come to the Lord. In Him, there is the abundance of mercy and forgiveness. Today, right now, you can settle the matter with God of the universe. God loves you. He wants to give you a beautiful future and great and divine hope. God gave us the only way to come to Him, and that is Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only savior and the Lord of the world. God sent His Son Jesus Christ, and He carried all of our sins and wrongdoings on His body and died in our place on the cross. He paid it all for you. Then He was buried, and God raised Him from the dead. This way Jesus defeated sin and death. When you call upon Jesus Christ and accept Him as your savior and Lord, you will become the child of God, and your name will be written in the book of life. No matter what horrible is your past, listen to me now. God loves you and wants to save you and make you His own child. Please pray after me now. God will make you a brand new person and design your future bright and blessed again.

“Father in heaven, I come to you in prayer. I believe you sent your only Son, Jesus Christ into this world and He died for my sins and wrongdoings. Please forgive my sins and save me today. I accept Christ Jesus as my savior and Lord. In the name of Christ, I pray. Amen.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God’s election and the danger of immediate gratification vs. delayed gratification.

Issac and Rebekah – childless couples for twenty years.

Jacob’s father Isaac and his mother Rebekah had two sons, and they were twins. They did not have children, and in their old age because of Isaac’s prayer, the LORD gave them twins. Isaac was married at the age of 40, and they did not have children until he is at 60 years of age. Beloved, the Bible gives several examples of God giving a child to childless couples. Isaac’s mother, Sarah, was barren until she reached 99 years of old. In their old age, Abraham being at 100 years of age, God fulfilled His promise and gave them the promised child, and he was Isaac. Hannah was barren, and it says she was barren because “the LORD had closed her womb. Because the LORD had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.´(1 Samuel 1). You see, Peninnah, her rival, irritated her on an ongoing basis. One time while she was in the temple, she prayed to the Lord God with much grief in her heart, and the Lord gave her a child who became one of the greatest priest and prophet of Israel called Samuel. Luke describes another incident in chapter 1 of Zechariah and Elizabeth who were advanced in age and did not have children. God gave them a child, and he is John the Baptist. Our Lord said this about John the Baptist, I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John.” Think about this statement of Jesus Christ. John was greater than all who are born of women. Greater than all the prophets –even greater than Moses. You see, sometimes there is a divine reason why couples do not have children. If God willing, in response to our prayer He is able to provide children when we least expect Psalm 113:9 says, “He (God) settles the childless woman in her home as a happy mother of children. Praise the LORD.” I know several examples of parents who did not have children, and when they called upon the Lord and prayed earnestly, the Lord gave them children. I also understand there are situations when God plans that you won’t have children. If that is true about you, thank God and seek His plan for your life. God, our father in heaven, is far better than thousands of children. God will take care of all your need because he cares about you better than all.

Did you know God knew all about us even before our birth?

Let us come back to our lesson from the life of Jacob. When Rebekah was pregnant, due to Isaac’s prayers, two babies jostled each other in her womb. When she inquired about the reason, the Lord told her “Two nations are in your womb,
and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other,
and the older will serve the younger.”.
Bible reveals God as an all-knowing God. God knows the end from the beginning. The Lord God declares in Isaiah 46:10 this, “I make known the end from the beginning,
from ancient times, what is still to come.
I say, ‘My purpose will stand,
and I will do all that I please.”

You see, God already made known to us all that we should know about the future in the pages of the Bible. In other words, Bible reveals all about the future especially in the prophecy section of the Bible, and it informs in detail all that is going to happen in the last book of the Bible, the book of Revelation.
Not only God knows and told us what is going to happen in the future, but he also knows the future of us all. In our passage, God already predestined who is going to be stronger out of this twin brothers and who is going to serve who.
God said in Isaiah 46:10 that His purpose will stand and He will do all that He pleases. Later Paul discusses God’s election of Jacob in Roman 9:11-16. God’s choice and predestination is a significant topic in the Bible. Bible says even before Esau and Jacob were born or had done anything good or bad, Rebekah received a message from God. It said the older son will serve the younger son. This message from God shows God chooses people according to His pleasure and purpose. It is not based on their good or bad works. Then verse 14 ask this question, does it mean God was unfair? It says no God is not unfair. God already declared that He would show mercy to anyone He chooses and show compassion to anyone He chooses. (Exodus33:19b). Therefore it is God who makes that decision sovereignly, and even before our birth, the Bible reveals God already made that choice. Bible says in Ephesians 1:4-6 this when Paul wrote this epistle to the Christ believers in Ephesus. It says God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world so that we will be holy and blameless in His sight. This happened because God predestined us, in His love, to adopt us as His |Children in and through Jesus Christ. This was in accordance with God’s pleasure and will. Also, this was for the praise of His glorious grace. This grace (unmerited divine favor) God freely bestowed on us because of Christ Jesus.

However, it is important to know we do not know who are predestined by God to become His children and to stand before Him blames and holy. Only God knows. He gave us the commission to go and preach the Gospel and whoever would come and accept Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior and repent of their sins are the ones who are predestined. How do we know if we are predestined? It is simple. If Holy Spirit of God works in your heart to listen to the message of the good news of Jesus, and He prompts inside of you to come to Jesus and believe in Him as your only savior for salvation, and as a result you accept Christ Jesus as your savior, then you are positively predestined by God. Someone said like this suppose you are walking on a street and you see an invitation to come inside. You could have passed walking ignoring the sign, but you had an inner prompt to go inside, and you did and when you were inside the rook and closed the door behind you read a big board saying, “you are chosen by God eternally to be with Him with no blame and blemish. You are declared blameless and holy by God.” Jesus Himself said, “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14). The context is this- A king sent his invitation to his son’s wedding. Many did not come to the marriage supper by saying different lame excuses. Many were invited but only a few were chosen.

Birth of the twins.

At the time of birth, the first one came out in red color, and his whole body was like a hairy garment. So they named him Esau. Then came the second one and his hand was grasping Esau’s heel. They called him Jacob. These names proved prophetical because Esau became a hunter and Jacob became a deceiver because he deceived his brother. Isaac loved Esau because he liked the meat he got from, and Rebekah loved Jacob. Though they were twins, they had pretty much different characters. Jacob had smooth skin and loved dwelling in the house. Esau and Jacob both lived up to their names. One day when came from hunting, he was so hungry. Jacob was cooking a red color and delicious stew. He said to Jacob quick give some of your stew because “I am famished.” Jacob used this time to use his deceiving character. He said first sell me your birthright then I would give the stew. Esau said I am going to die and what good is the birthright and Jacob asked him to swear to him first regarding the sale of the birthright. Esau swore an oath and sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. Jacob gave Esau some bread and lentil stew. Esau ate and drank and then got up and left. Then there is one sentence Bible records there. It says “So Esau despised his birthright.”

A firstborn birthright per the old testament scriptures was a unique privilege to the double portion of the inheritance from the father. Besides, it was an honor of the head of the household status in the family. In this particular case, the Lord had already predetermined Esau will serve the younger one Jacob. In short God’s pre-determined plan was for Jacob’s to get more blessings. We will learn more about it in the next session about Jacob’s life.

The danger of focusing on immediate gratification.

As far our heart goes after Esau, he was a man living for the moment, wasn’t he? He wanted quick fulfillment of satisfaction. If we look through the pages of the Bible, we can see immediate gratification is the scheme of the devil. Lord wants us to wait on Him. When Jesus Christ was in the wilderness fasting for 40 days, the devil used the same technique of immediate gratification about which we can read in the Bible in chapter 4 of the book of Matthew. I will give you right now. What is good in waiting and have the stew now is devils’ counsel. Bible says let us not be defiled like Esau. It says, “See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done. (Hebrews 12:16-17). Esau was just a man of the flesh, and he did not care about the blessings that come in future along with his firstborn birthright but despised and sold the precious and unique blessing for the immediate gratification of the desire of his flesh.
Hebrews 12 begins with an exhortation. It says because we are surrounded by a huge crowd of witnesses who led the life of faith in the midst of various pressures, temptations, persecutions, sufferings, and trials, we are exhorted to lay aside every weight that affects our faith life which can slow our progress in Christ. Especially the Bible asks us to strip off the sin that so easily trips us on the way. The writer showed the faith life of faith warriors in chapter 11 as an example to motivate us to continue in our faith life in Christ Jesus. It says there is a race God has set for us. We need to run that race God has set for us with endurance and discipline. Our patience and endurance to run the race are possible only if we keep our eyes on Jesus Christ. Why? Because He is the initiator who initiated the divine work in us and He is the one who is going to perfect our faith. His example was this – even He endured the cross and disregarded the shame because of the future joy set before Him. What was His joy? His victory over sin, devil and death and salvation and giving eternal life to us. That was the future joy, and Jesus endured the sufferings. He disregarded the shame to attain the future joy.

The lesson learned.

Esau failed in this aspect. He traded the future joy and blessings for the momentary satisfaction of the desires of his flesh. How big was his loss when he made such a foolish trade? The command to wait on the Lord for His blessings can be traced all through the Bible. However, many times we also became fools in going after immediate gratification without waiting on the Lord, didn’t we? Bible says in Isaiah 40:30-31, Even the youth in their young age may faint and become weary. But those who wait on the LORD will renew their strength. Those who wait on the LORD shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. What a beautiful promise to those who wait on the LORD! However, may we learn from our past failures! Because you see God has not called us from earth as of yet. We are still here. He in His grace given us more days. I want to learn from my mistakes and not repeat those again. Don’t you want to do the same? We have forfeited many blessings because of our rush decisions and not waiting on the Lord’s time. We became faint and weary, and we were unable to mount up like eagles just because we did not wait on the LORD. May we seek the Lord in prayer? Bible promises in him there is an abundance of forgiveness. Bible promise in God there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence serve Him for the rest of our days. (Psalms 130:4). Bible says in Joel 2:25 the LORD will restore to you the years that the swarming locusts have eaten. Then in verse 22, the LORD says, “I am the LORD your God, and there is no other. Then He promises, “My people shall never be put to shame.”

The Lord promises He will restore the years that the swarming locusts have eaten. You can still place your hope and faith in the Lord. God says, it is not late yet. First thing first! Remember God sent His only one Son, Jesus Christ, to die in your place for your sins. This is the beginning point. By understanding, God took the first step to reconcile you with Him, come to the Savior, Christ Jesus, for the forgiveness of all your sins. This is the first step of blessing from heaven. God promised He will make you a brand new creation,  grant all heavenly blessings and eternal life in heaven with Him, if you would come to him now. I will help you to make that decision now.

Prayer time: Father in heaven, I thank you for loving me and sending your Son for my sins. I believe Jesus died and rose again for my sins. I accept Him as my savior and Lord. Please forgive my sins and save me. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”

Can God be trusted in the midst of our storms and harsh circumstances?

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart.
The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away;
may the name of the Lord be praised.” Job 1:21

Haruki Murakami, a Japanese writer, said this, “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.”

I will bring to your attention a good and wealthy man who lost all he had in a matter of minutes or hours and bounced back two times more blessed at the end. What was the secret of his victory over adversities? When many people end up in depression and suicide, what is that kept this man going and obtain double blessings?

In the land of Uz lived a man called Job. He was a perfect man, blameless, feared God, upright character and avoided all kinds of evil behavior and actions. The man had seven sons and three daughters. Pretty big family. He also owned 7000 sheep, 3000 camels, 500 yokes of oxen and 500 donkeys. On top of all these, he had a large number of servants. He was wealthy, famous and greatest man among all the people lived in the East.

His children held feasts on their birthdays, and they ate and drink and be joyful. Job made sure after each birthday feasts the children are purified from all blemishes. He used to rise early in the morning and offered sacrifices of burnt offering for each one of his children thinking his children may have sinned and cursed God in their hearts. Such a good man was Job.

However, Satan, the accuser of believers blamed and challenged God and said you have blessed Job and put a hedge around him and his family and everything he possesses and that is why he is following you. But if you remove all he has from you, then he will surely curse you to your face. In short, Satan was saying Job is following you only because of your blessings and protection and not because he honors and loves you.

The Lord accepted the challenge and allowed Satan to send troubles on Job but said do not lay his fingers on the man’s life. In other words, God knew Job well and recognized the sincerity of his faith.

One after another Job lost everything in one day. All his children died due to a severe mighty wind struck the house they were having a birthday feast. Imagine all ten children killed in a matter of minutes. Sabeans attacked and got all his oxen and donkeys. The Sabeans killed his servants as well. The three raiding parties of Chaldeans swept all his camels. All this happened one after another on the same day.

Beloved, I don’t know such horrible things happened to anyone so far one after another. All ten children, all wealth and finances and all servants all lost in a matter of few minutes. When the stock market crash happens, people could lose their wealth in a matter of hours, and that is possible. However, they would still typically lose everything like happened to Job.

Beloved, we know now what was the reason for all such horrible things that happened to Job, don’t we? He was in a severe trial allowed by God to prove his faithfulness and devotion. However, keep in mind Job did not have any clue what was happening to him at that time.

Then come our today’s insight. At this time when all these horrible things happened one after another, what did Job do? “Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said,
“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
and naked I will depart;
The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;
may the name of the LORD be praised. In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”
Did you notice it said, “Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing? Instead, he fell to the ground and worshipped. He proved he put His trust and faith in God not for the benefits, but because of who God really is.

Satan accused Job’s sincerity and integrity again harshly and said to God if you strike his flesh and bones, he will surely curse you. God allowed Satan to touch his skin but did not permit to touch his life. Satan afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head. Job took a piece of pottery and scrapped himself and sat among the ashes.
At this time his wife came to him and said these harsh words, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” See, the man is on big emotional and physical torture and pain. The one who was expected to be with Job to comfort him also turned against him and said such cruel words. But Job replied to her and said, “you are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”

Beloved, I do not know what terrible trial or tragedy you are facing today. If nothing else is taught, Job surely admonishes us this – even in the midst of tragic, horrible, dangerous, hopeless and confused times; we can endure, preserve and come out victoriously if we focus on the loving Lord and keep our faith in Him. He only knows why things are happening the way it happens and we do not know the whole story because, like Job on his severe trial day, we too are very limited in our understanding and knowledge. However, one day the Lord will reveal the truth behind it all. That day the good and faithful Lord will reward you the crown of life because you loved God in the midst of your trials. (James 1:12).

Of course, Job was a man like us. He had times of despair, hopelessness, many complaints, doubts, and irrational questions. However, through it all, Job kept his faith in the Lord God and never sinned against Him. When we come to the final chapter 42, it says there; The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part with a double portion of blessings. He had 14000 sheep, 6000 camels, 1000 yoke of oxen and 1000 donkeys. He had seven more sons and three more daughters. Job’s daughters were more beautiful than all the other women in the land. Job lived 140 years and saw his children and their children to the 4th generation. He died as an old man and full of years.

Now, you decide can God be trusted in the midst of your seemingly harsh circumstances? Let me ask you a different question. Do you really think you can trust anyone else in the midst of your storms and harsh circumstances? If you read the book of Job, not only he lost all, but even his wife spoke to him unkindly. Moreover, his friends who visited him in his sorrow to comfort him turned against him and started accusing him of doing evil. They even spoke lie about him. Humanly, they could not figure out what is happening in Job’s life.

My friend, in the end only God is faithful and He is the only one we can trust find peace, comfort, and deliverance. No-one else would do it and nowhere else would you find it. 2 Timothy 2:13 reminds this, “if we are faithless, he (God) remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” Bible says in Isaiah 40:29-30, The LORD God “gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. The will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

The secret of Job’s success- he knew who God is and he had an intimate and personal relationship with God and no matter what nothing could break his tie with Him. Job plunged into the heartbreaking sufferings but emerged with a renewed confidence and a deeper thirst for God. He said chapter 42:5, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.” The pages of the Bible have several life histories that teach the fact that sufferings and harsh circumstances can disturb the peace and well beings in us but can create a double portion of confidence and can emerge out of it with a much deeper faith and thirst for God for the remaining years of our life. (Job 19:25)

Do you know God intimately and personally? How do we know God personally? Is it possible? Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” You see, God calls us to have fellowship with Him. He invites us into his fellowship and the way we can have fellowship with God is through our fellowship and friendship with Christ Jesus, His Son. Don’t try to make it complicated. It is that simple!

Hebrews 1 this, God spoke in the past in many ways through His prophets. However, in these last days that we live in, He has spoken to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ is the radiance of God’s glory and He is the exact representation of His nature. Not only this, but He also made the solution to our sin problem, that separated us from the holy God and His fellowship, by paying for our sins. This is accomplished by His death in our place for our sins on the cross of Calvary. Jesus was then buried and rose again from the dead. The only open tomb we will see on this earth is Christ’s and it is still can be seen empty in Jerusalem. The heaven declared this regarding Jesus on that day of resurrection, “He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying.” (Matthew 28:6). God solved our sin problem by putting all our sins on His Son, Christ Jesus. Now you and I can know God personally and have an intimate relationship and fellowship with Him by accepting His Son, Jesus Christ, the only savior of the whole world, into our hearts and lives. This who have Christ in their lives have fellowship with God. This can be accomplished by a small prayer with me today.

Beloved, God a moment for today’s prayer? “Father in heaven, I trust you in the midst of my heart breaking trials because you said you will never leave nor forsake me. I trust in your wonderful promises. Lord give me strength because I am weary and weak. I call upon your help and deliverance. I know you loved me and gave Jesus Christ for my sins. I accept your Son, Jesus Christ, as my savior and Lord. I pray in Christ’s name. Amen.”

 

Craving for new beginnings and refreshments these days? There is only one key to it and discover what it is!

“Now fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you—even Jesus.” (Acts 3:17-20).

Human oppositions can never stop God’s promises and purposes.

Four points I want to bring to your mind from this passage. First of all, human oppositions do not stop God’s foretold promises in the scripture. You see, the incarnation of Jesus Christ- His birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection was foretold in the old testament scripture hundreds of time. All these prophecies regarding Christ were fulfilled exactly as it was prophesied. There is not another book on this planet earth like the Bible because it has hundreds, and hundreds of prophecies fulfilled precisely predicted. Why don’t you find out by yourself this truth?

This is the reason why the Bible has always been the most read and best-sold book in the past, and even today this is true. Bible is God inspired, and God originated. It is not a book produced on this earth by earthly human beings. Peter in His preaching on the day of Pentecost says to the thousands of people gathered there, Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did you leaders. However, this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets (in the Bible), saying that His Messiah would suffer.

The point I want to impress in your heart is this. No human oppositions can stop God’s promises given in the Bible. Peter said in another preaching that Jesus was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of the wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. However, God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. It says God gave Jesus to us for our salvation according to His pre-determined and deliberate plan and foreknowledge. However, they with the help of wicked men put Jesus to death by nailing Him to the cross. However, you see, God raised Him from the dead because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.

What is this means? If God decrees and appoints something to fulfill in our life, no matter what the ignorance or opposition of people, God is going to make it happen. If someone or something stands in the way to fulfill God’s purposes and plans it is going to fail ultimately. God even uses the enemies, ignorances and determined oppositions to serve His ultimate purposes. Is this not what happened in the incident of Jesus? Jewish people and especially the religious leaders among them opposed and acted against God’s decree and purpose. They thought they would end the movement of God by killing Jesus. They did all they could to stop the plan and purpose of God. However, God raised Him from the dead because the death could not hold its grip on Him. Therefore the first point is you can grab on the promises of God with no doubt because if God promised it would happen no matter what. No human opposition, plans, enmities, and acts can stop God.

I am sure some of you can agree with this point in your personal life experience. People and your friends thought your life was gone. They thought you are history. They believed God left you and abandoned you. However, now you are in the church praising God, worshipping God and serving the Lord. What happened? No human opposition, from whatever sources it might be from, can stop what God has started in you. He is the God who turns the coin and works in favor of you as He did to Jesus, the savior of the world. You see you, and I are serving the same Lord who raised Jesus from the dead. He is able and powerful to do that in your personal life as well. When David was fleeing from His kingdom by fearing his own son and his team, David might have thought that is the end of it. Absalom and his team thought they won. However, God turned the coin eventually. David came back to his kingdom and ruled again. Joseph was the victim of his brother severe jealousy, and they initially tried to kill him and then sold him to Egypt as a slave. All people including his jealous brothers thought the life and story of Joseph ended. However, God was with Joseph, and he became the Prime Minister of Egypt, second office to Pharoah, the king of Egypt.
Let me ask you what are you facing now? If you are a child of God, no matter what happens, no matter what the oppositions and enemies talk about you and do to you, God is the same God today. God is the God of Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, David and so forth. No human oppositions can stop God’s promises in your life.

Repentance is the key that unlocks all of God’s blessings in our life.

The second point I want to talk to you is this. There is only one key that unlocks our future blessings, and that is repentance. Repentance is the key that unlocks God’s favor and blessings in our life. No other thing can and would do this. Peter says to the people that he knows that they acted in ignorance. However, he asks them to repent and then turn to God. You heard it right! There is only one key that unlocks God’s favor and blessings, and that is repentance and turning to God. Sometimes God even uses ordinary circumstances like hearing a message like the one you are listening now, personal sickness or the sickness of someone in the family or even natural calamities to bring this truth to our attention. Hundreds of people’s houses were destroyed in Houston and Florida when severe hurricane and flooding happened there. Many people’s homes were burned in a fire recently in California when the fire spread there. Most recently severe flooding like never occurred took the lives and comforts of hundreds of people in Kerala, India. God in heaven is talking in a loud voice “repent and turn to God.” God speaks through all these incidents. Are we listening?

Every day people live un-repented life around the world. Governments and leaders live un-repented life. The world we live in an unrepented culture. Repentance became an old-fashioned word for many. However, in the olden days and today, there is only one way to get God’s favor and blessing, and that is called repentance. Repent and turn to God! The people when they heard the preaching of Peter asked this question, “what must we do?” Peter said, “repent and turn to God.” The more we are silent on this wonderworking word –repentance- the more problem we are going to get into in the coming years of our life. How come preachers are not preaching God’s message to repent these days? I don’t understand. People need to hear “repent and then turn to God.”

What is the real repentance?

By the way, what is repentance? Repentance is not just an emotional experience or just feeling sorry. Jesus said this in Matthew 7:13-14 that broad and wide is the gate and road that leads to destruction and many people enter that gate and travel that road. It is like a high way and very convenient to walk, and it leads to destruction. However, there is a narrow gate and a narrow road. Small is this gate, and narrow is the road, and it leads to life. Also, only a few people find it.

Listen, in your ignorance, you may have joined with people who walk on the wide and broad road that many walks and when you walk in it, you hear the message of the God in heaven, and it tells you the road you walk leads only to destruction. You listened to preaching, or you listened to a Bible verse that says you God loves and want to save you and He gave His Son Jesus Christ for you. It tells of coming to Christ. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall never perish but have eternal life. It says God does not want you to perish. (John 3:16). God cares about you and loves you, and so you can come to Jesus Christ and get saved. When you heard the message, you stepped out of the broad road that you were walking and step into the narrow gate which is Jesus Christ. This is repentance. It means you were going in one road in one direction- destruction. Now you turned around and going in another direction- life. You took a determined step to turn to God and obey Him and live for him. This is repentance. You remember prodigal son. He was going in the way of destruction, went as far as he could away from his loving fathers home and if he continued in that road he would have been destroyed and ruined for sure. However, God talked to him, and he came to his sense, started walking in the opposite direction, back to his loving father and home. This is repentance.

Have you repented? Repentance is needed for Christians and non-Christians. Billy Graham, the greatest evangelist of our time has seen on this earth, once said this, biggest harvest field in the world is the church. Many people go to church but never repented of their sins. Many think they will go to heaven when they die, and attend the activities and programs of the church but they never been repented and turned from their old path. They still walk in the wide road that leads to destruction and Sunday morning they go to church and go through just some feelings. No real repentance happened. They are walking near or around the narrow road every Sunday but never step into the narrow road. What a sad situation? Bible says we must repent and there is no other way to enter into God’s kingdom. Jesus said, “repent, the kingdom of God is at hand.” Bible says in 2 Peter 3:9, “but God is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” Beloved, God was longsuffering toward us. He sent his messengers to us, and they preached to us, God’s Holy Spirit convicted us many times, God spoke and cried loud through some personal experiences He allowed to happen and He spoke through natural calamities. God was longsuffering toward us. Why? He is not willing that any should perish, but all of us should come to repentance. Do not test His longsuffering any-more. Come to Him when He calls you in love. Come today and repent and turn to God.

Listen, two supernatural benefits of repentance.

Then the passage says repentance and turning to God results in results. What are they?

Sins wiped out, erased and blotted out forever.

First one, our sins may be wiped out. If no other good things occurred, this is enough to thank and praise God. God says when we repent and turn to Him, He will wipe out all our sins. It means all sins and wrongdoing wrote against you will be gone forever. Imagine a white or blackboard where all your mistakes, sins and wrongdoings listed one by one. The moment you repent and turn to God, God will erase all listed sins against you. Lord God declared and promised this in Isaiah 43:25, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” Not only He erases your sins and wrongdoings but he blots out, wipe out and nothing there to see any more. Micah 7:18 says, “He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” Did you read the Lord will tread our iniquities underfoot and will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea? So that it will never come back again to haunt us. Oh my Lord, this is a good enough blessing for you and me. If nothing else happened, this would be good enough. Bible says in Romans 8:1 says, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Reread this. It promises you will never be condemned for your sins. No condemnation for those who come to Christ in repentance. People may and the court may, but God never condemns for our sins. Devil will try to condemn us to stop our progress in the Lord. However, remind him what his future is and tell him to get out of your way because God never condemns you for your sins. Remind him God prepared a lake of fire for him and his demons. Use the Bible verses I cited above. Another passage is 103:12 and it says there, “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” He removed our transgressions, sins, and wrongdoing away from us like east is from the west. East will never meet west and west will never meet east. When you repent and turn to God, your sins will never meet you again. OH, what a blessing! You may say your sin is big, and you may think no one can forgive it. However, do you know God will never remember it, He removed far away from it so that you will never see it again and God will never condemn you for your sins. It does not matter, big or small, the Bible says God has nailed your sins to the cross where Jesus died and it all died with Christ and no more alive to blame you. God will never remember nor blame you and He keeps His promises. Psalm 32 says, “Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the LORD does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” Upon repentance and turning to God you are the most blessed out of many others in this world. You are far better than billionaires and other wealthy people because God the creator of the universe is on your side and He forgave and covered your sins.

Not only God will never remember your sins and condemn you but also, upon repentance and turning to God, we become the new creation. Bible says He makes you and I like a brand new creation as if we never sinned. Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things become new.” You become a new creation and all things are passed away. All things become new in your life.

Times of refreshments comes from the Lord in heaven.

This leads us to the second result of repentance and turning to God. It says “times of refreshment may come from the Lord.” You see, the first result of repentance and turning to God is He will wipe away, erase, blot out, remember no more your sins. The second fantastic benefit is the Lord now sends you times of refreshment. After the flood of Florida and Houston, people yearned for new refreshments in their partially ruined life. The same is true with Kerala flood in India. People are in a recovery mode there now. Governments, organizations, people groups, and nations are pouring help there now to rebuild the state of Kerala. However, do you know all these rebuilding efforts are of course excellent and well, but none of these human efforts are comparable to God’s refreshments? When He opens the doors of heaven and send the showers of blessings for you, that is the real blessings and refreshments. Repentance and turning to god is what causes God’s refreshments in your life.

David says in Psalm 23, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not

want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness.” David says God restores his soul. All rebuilding and restoration are not going to do much benefit if our spirit or soul is not refreshed by the divine hand and touch of God. David says the Lord restores his soul not just once but on an ongoing basis. “Restores” is a present ongoing truth. It is not a one-time event. God loves is a truth. Sun gives heat is always the truth. God is the one who restores/refreshes our inner-being on an on-going basis. This is a result of repentance and turning to Lord. God says in Jeremiah 31:25, “I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.” You had a weary and faint soul because of the heaviness in your heart. Not the Lord promises He will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint. Dear one, when God of the universe says He will satisfy the faint. This is going to be a kind of refreshment you never accustomed in the past. Bible says in 1 Corinthians 16:17-18, “I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus arrived because they have supplied what was lacking from you. For they refreshed my spirit and yours also.” You see you are going to meet with and fellowship with people who you never dreamed off. God will send people into your life, and they are going to come to refresh your spirit. You see God directly refresh you with His supernatural power, and He is going to send people in your way to refresh and help you. Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:16, “May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.” God sent Onesiphorus to Paul to refresh him, and Onesiphorus was not ashamed because Paul was in prison. This is what you are going to get from the Lord. Paul says to Philemon in verse 7, “Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.” Do you know God has thousands of helping hands to refresh you in your need and He will dispose them faithfully? I have more references but do not want to take all. The point is the second benefit of repentance and turning to God is the season of refreshments in your life.

Beloved, How big and high are the indescribable blessings and refreshments we enjoy here upon repentance and turning to God? However, even though they are showers of perfect and good blessings from the Lord today, it is only a small appetizer when we compare to the one in store for us soon. The full course meal or the fullness of all refreshments is when God send Jesus Christ back to this world. This is referring to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The same Bible that promised and prophesied the first coming of Christ for the solution of our sins prophesied the second coming of Christ to this earth. Two times more prophecies are there for the second coming of Christ. If the first coming of Christ fulfilled with pinpoint accuracy, the second coming of Christ would also be fulfilled with no shadow of a doubt. The Bible in our weekly insight passage says Jesus, the Messiah, who was appointed for you must be in heaven until the times comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through His holy prophets.

When the doors of eternity open up, the holy city that the Lord built will come down out of heaven from God. It is beautiful like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. By faith, the faith warriors of the olden days including Abraham, Issac, and Jacob lived in tents even in the promised land. They lived like strangers in a foreign land. Why? For they were looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. The Bible says on that day, God’s dwelling place will be with His people, and He will dwell with them. God will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying, or pain for all the old order of things has passes away. God restores all brand new. The curse on this sin-bound earth due to the original sin will be lifted up. God Himself affirmed this truth by His statement. God said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:2-5