Participants:
Series Code: SSP
Program Code: SSP220022S
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00:01 Hello, welcome to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel,
00:02 I'm John Lomacang. 00:04 Thank you for joining us from Sabbath to Sabbath 00:07 on this exciting study through the book of Genesis. 00:10 Today... Lesson Number 9 is about Jacob the Supplanter. 00:14 What are you going to learn today? 00:16 Well... you'll only know as you join us. 00:18 So, if you'd like a copy of the Lesson, 00:20 go to: 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 00:23 and download a digital copy 00:25 or better yet, go to the local Seventh-day Adventist Church 00:27 and join them 00:29 as they also continue walking through the book of Genesis. 00:31 But whatever you do, stay tuned and we'll be right back. 00:34 Music... 01:06 Lomacang: Hello and welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School Panel. 01:08 I know you've joined us from week to week 01:10 but if this is your first time, 01:11 don't forget... we have more lessons to come 01:14 on this exciting story of the book of Genesis. 01:17 It's a story that talks about our beginnings 01:20 and so many things that when you look at the book of Genesis, 01:23 you begin to understand why the rest of the Bible 01:26 is written the way it is. 01:28 It's the only book in the Bible 01:30 where sin was absent 01:32 and we find today that there's going to be so much more... 01:34 we're going to learn as we study the lesson: 01:36 Jacob the Supplanter. 01:38 But before we go any further, 01:40 let me introduce you to our family 01:42 which some of those of you who join us from week to week 01:44 may know exactly who we are. 01:46 To my left is my good friend Shelley Quinn from Texas, 01:49 how you doing, Shelley? 01:50 Shelley: I am blessed and I'm excited 01:52 to continue studying Genesis. 01:54 Lomacang: Okay, and Ryan, the singer in Israel, 01:56 you haven't sang this year... 01:58 I don't know what's up with you? 01:59 Ryan: Oh well... you know, we've got to wait 02:01 for the right... right opportunity... 02:02 but today, we're going to be talking about: 02:03 The Deceiver Deceived. 02:05 Panel: Ooooh! 02:06 Lomacang: Pastor James Rafferty, good to have you here. 02:08 James: It is good to be here 02:09 and we'll be talking about the blessing of the family. 02:12 Lomacang: Okay... Pastor Kenny, the man who brings out 02:15 flavor that is very fine and... and... and mature. 02:19 Good to have you here today. 02:20 Kenny: It's always good to study the Word of God together. 02:23 We'll be talking about Jacob when it's time for him to leave, 02:26 maybe some lessons we can learn also. 02:27 Lomacang: Okay, why don't you start with prayer for us today. 02:30 Kenny: Okay, good... let's pray, shall we... 02:32 "Our loving Father in heaven, 02:33 truly we thank you for the privilege and opportunity 02:35 we have to come together to study Thy Word. 02:37 We pray for the power of Thy Holy Spirit. 02:39 Touch our hearts... touch our lives... 02:40 touch our minds. 02:42 O Lord, may we only hear and see that which we need to today, 02:45 may our hearts be open to heaven. 02:47 Bless us now, we pray... every Viewer... every Watcher, 02:49 everyone that's listening today, 02:51 may their heart be turned toward heaven 02:53 as time is short... we need to be ready 02:54 and may they learn from this Lesson... 02:56 from the power of Thy Spirit. 02:57 Bless each one we pray, in Jesus' name, amen. " 02:59 Panel: Amen... amen. 03:01 Lomacang: Jacob the Supplanter. 03:03 Our Memory Text is Genesis 27 verse 36. 03:08 Wow! what a story! 03:10 What a story that's going to unfold before us today! 03:13 We've talked about relationships in the last lesson 03:16 but now we're going to talk about 03:17 some of the things that are part of our family dynamics. 03:20 Our families and friends and people that we tend to 03:24 always rely on, 03:26 don't always have our best interests at heart. 03:28 Sometimes, they are thinking what's best for them. 03:31 Look at Genesis 27 and verse 36, 03:34 "And Esau said, 'Is he not rightly named Jacob? 03:40 For he has supplanted me these two times. 03:45 He took away my birthright, 03:48 and now look, he has taken away my blessing!' 03:52 And he said, 'Have you not reserved a blessing for me?'" 03:58 Panel: Hmmm... Lomacang: Huh... 03:59 this is a... this is an amazing story 04:01 that two brothers that in some degree represents what we call: 04:07 Sibling Rivalry. 04:08 One is controlled by appetite, 04:11 the other is controlled by power 04:13 and you find unfortunately in this story, 04:17 one parent loves one more than the other 04:20 and the other loves the other one more than the prior one 04:23 and so, the story... the writer of the lesson picks up 04:27 on the continued family history of Isaac. 04:30 The miracle child... an early ancestor of the Promised Seed 04:36 and he writes... he says: 04:37 The story doesn't start out particularly well, however. 04:40 The flawed character of his son Jacob will be manifested 04:44 in the rivalry between the two brothers over the birthright 04:47 and consequently over the right to obtain 04:51 the blessing of Isaac. 04:53 So, let's pick up Genesis chapter 25 04:55 and I'm going to read verses 21 to 34. 04:58 Something I've been doing is... reading the story 05:00 because a lot of times, 05:02 we don't get to read those stories and see how they fit 05:04 and then I'll do a comparison between the two brothers 05:06 that brings out an illustration 05:07 that some of you may be experiencing. 05:09 Verse 21 of chapter 25, 05:12 "Now Isaac pleaded with the Lord for his wife, 05:15 because she was barren; 05:17 and the Lord granted his plea, 05:19 and Rebekah his wife conceived. 05:22 But the children struggled together within her; 05:24 and she said, 'If all is well, why am I like this?'" 05:29 If this is God's blessing... what's going on? 05:32 Panel: Right. 05:33 Lomacang: From the very beginning, 05:35 they started struggling. 05:36 "So she went to inquire of the Lord. 05:38 And the Lord said to her... " wow! 05:40 "Two nations are in your womb... " 05:42 and to this very day, those two nations 05:43 are at odds with each other. 05:45 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 05:46 Lomacang: "Two peoples shall be separated from your body; 05:49 one people shall be stronger than the other, 05:52 and the older shall serve the younger. " 05:54 So when her days were fulfilled to give birth, 05:57 for her to give birth, 05:58 indeed there were twins in her womb. 06:00 And the first came out red. 06:02 He was like a hairy garment all over; 06:06 so they called his name Esau. 06:08 Afterward, his brother came out, 06:11 and his hand took hold of Esau's heel; 06:15 so his name was called Jacob. 06:17 Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. 06:22 So the boys grew. 06:23 As Esau was a skillful hunter, a man of the field; 06:27 but Jacob was a mild man, dwelling in tents. 06:30 And Isaac loved Esau because he ate of his game, 06:35 but Rebekah loved Jacob. 06:38 Now Jacob cooked a stew; 06:40 and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. 06:43 And Esau said to Jacob, 06:45 'Please feed me with that same red stew.. '" 06:48 a red man that likes red stew... 06:51 Panel: Laughter. 06:52 Lomacang: "For I am weary. " 06:54 Therefore his name was called Edom. 06:57 But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day. " 07:02 And Esau said, "Look, I am about to die anyway; 07:06 so what is this birthright to me?" 07:08 Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day. " 07:11 So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. 07:15 And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; 07:20 then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. 07:24 Thus Esau despised his birthright. 07:28 You know, his greed 07:32 and his lack of appreciation for the birthright 07:36 is what opened that door to Jacob given the opportunity 07:43 to steal the birthright. 07:44 Amazing how deep appetites are! 07:47 Panel: Hmmm... 07:48 Lomacang: The story talks about the depth of appetite 07:50 and I believe that's one of the reasons why 07:52 the servant of the Lord, Ellen White says, 07:54 "If we can overcome appetite, we can overcome anything. " 07:57 How did man fall? On the heels of appetite. 08:00 Esau sold his birthright on the heels of appetite. 08:04 Jacob was able to manipulate him because he knew 08:07 that his appetite was stronger than his allegiance 08:10 to the blessing that was going to be passed down to him. 08:13 So, the question was asked: 08:14 What qualities of Jacob predisposed him to be worthy 08:19 of Isaac's blessing? 08:20 Let's go down and look at a comparison... 08:22 I put two columns together 08:24 to look at some of the differences 08:25 and the similarities that they had: 08:27 One... Esau... the Bible talks about how he came out... 08:31 he was... he had red skin and was hairy. 08:34 It's amazing how it says here, "Like a garment of hair... " 08:37 and what nation do you think that's talked about today? 08:39 The Muslim nation... a hairy nation... 08:43 that will serve the younger... 08:45 and that's a battle that's still taking place in the Middle East 08:48 to this very day. 08:50 When we had a chance to go to the Holy City, 08:52 or the Holy Land or the Bible Lands... 08:55 there was quiet... you go into the city of Jerusalem 08:58 and you have a Jewish side... you have a Muslim side 09:01 and they are still to this very day 09:03 concerned about who has the birthright to that city. 09:08 On Jacob's side, there's no description of his appearance. 09:11 So, we have to assume about his appearance. 09:13 But one is a skillful hunter... 09:16 the other one is mild-mannered 09:17 and it said: dwelling in tents. 09:19 Today, it would say: he's always in the house. 09:22 He doesn't go out in the field at all. 09:24 He's... in other words, his hands are clean... 09:26 he's not really getting his fingernails dirty 09:28 like his brother is. 09:30 Esau would be the guy with camouflage. 09:33 Jacob would be the guy that's sitting behind the computer 09:36 and keeping all the bills together... 09:38 writing all the e-mails. 09:39 He was loved by his father... Esau was 09:43 but Jacob was loved by his mother. 09:46 Esau requested that Jacob feed him 09:50 and Jacob took advantage of him because of his appetite. 09:54 Panel: Wow! 09:55 Lomacang: We find in Genesis 25 verse 32, 09:57 "And Esau said, 'Look, I am about to die; 09:59 so what is this birthright to me?'" 10:01 And Jacob said in verse 31 of Genesis 25, 10:04 "Jacob said, 'Sell me your birthright as of this day. '" 10:08 Esau makes an agreement to give the birthright... 10:11 Jacob asked Esau to swear away his rights. 10:16 And this was a story that led to some kind of pursuit. 10:19 When... when... when the father who continually said, 10:23 "Wait a minute... you don't... you don't sound like Esau" 10:27 he went even further to disguise himself with animal skin 10:31 that was hairy 10:32 and still went to steal not only the birthright 10:35 but also the blessing 10:36 and that really angered Esau when he realized... 10:40 "Wait a minute... " 10:41 and that's why Bethel became 10:42 such a significant staple in the story 10:45 because Bethel is where the Lord met with Jacob 10:48 when he wrestled... when he was running from his brother, Esau. 10:51 And that was called: The house of God 10:53 or the place where God met him 10:55 and he wrestled... 10:57 and God in the moment of Jacob's ah... ah... 11:01 what's the word I'm looking here? 11:04 Frailty... 11:05 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 11:07 Lomacang: God said, "Because you wrestled with Me. " 11:08 That was... and I think the wrestling there was 11:11 synonymous today with us wrestling with God 11:12 about our sin. 11:14 It wasn't just him having a tussle with God 11:16 because he would have lost 11:18 but he was wrestling with God to forgive him 11:20 of his supplanting behavior. 11:23 He was wrestling with God to ask for forgiveness 11:26 and God said, "Because you prevailed 11:27 with God and with man... I'm going to change your name. " 11:30 And later on, we know the rest of the story. 11:33 There was a coming together. 11:35 Esau was seeking Jacob's life 11:38 but the Lord worked it out so that the one pursuing... 11:41 taking... to seek to take the life of his younger brother, 11:45 God padded that and brought them back into harmony together. 11:49 And we find Genesis 26 and verses 4 and 5, 11:52 The Lord says, "I will make your descendants multiply 11:56 as the stars of heaven; 11:57 I will give to your descendants all these lands; 12:01 and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed" 12:05 and He says why... 12:07 "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, 12:10 My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. " 12:13 You see, Jacob openly and purposefully deceived his father 12:17 even using the name of the Lord in vain 12:20 and that was the part that I believe 12:23 he had to really grappled with God about... 12:25 "I used the Lord's name... " 12:27 that's why we are told today, "Let your yes be yes" 12:30 and what else? 12:31 "And your no be no. " 12:33 Don't say, "I swear to God, I'm telling the truth. " 12:35 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 12:36 Lomacang: I've learned that if you're telling the truth, 12:38 you don't have to remember the story. 12:40 It's people that don't tell the truth 12:42 that will say, "What did I say? 12:44 How did I say that?" 12:45 "What was that I said?" 12:46 If you're a person that your "yes" is yes and your "no" is no 12:49 then God will always be honored. 12:51 Jacob faced the results of his deception 12:56 and how is that? 12:57 The Bible says in Galatians 6 verse 7, 13:00 "Do not be deceived, 13:01 God is not mocked; 13:03 for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. " 13:07 But God's mercy spared Jacob after his repentance. 13:11 Genesis chapter 32 verse 24-28, 13:15 "Then Jacob was left alone; 13:18 and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 13:22 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, 13:26 He touched the socket of his hip; 13:27 and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint 13:30 as He wrestled with him. 13:31 And he said, 'Let me go, for the day breaks. ' 13:34 But he said, 'I will not let you go unless You bless me!' 13:37 So He said to him, 'What is your name?' 13:38 He said, 'Jacob. ' 13:40 And the Lord said to him... " in verse 24, 13:43 "And He said, 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob... ' " 13:46 in other words, you will not be remembered for who you were 13:50 but you will be remembered for who I make you to be... 13:54 "but Israel... " is the new name that the Lord gave to Jacob 13:57 "for you have struggled with God and with men, 14:00 and have prevailed. " 14:01 Here's my point before I pass to Shelley, 14:03 remember, there's a dividing line between your past 14:06 and your future 14:07 and you'll always find the Lord at the dividing line. 14:10 Panel: Amen and amen. 14:11 Shelley: Thank you for that foundation. 14:12 You know, sometimes we hear people who act like God isn't... 14:18 or we don't see Jesus in the Old Testament 14:22 and Genesis is filled with appearances 14:25 of the pre-incarnate Jesus. 14:28 The Angel of the Lord... 14:30 and to me, it's one of the most beautiful stories. 14:34 Now, I love that Jacob held on and wrestled with the Lord 14:39 till he received a blessing 14:41 and God changed his name 14:43 because he was changing his character. 14:46 But we're going to back up just a little bit before that story 14:49 and look at Jacob's Ladder... that's Monday's Lesson 14:52 and by the way, I'm Shelley Quinn. 14:54 Okay, I'm going to read this 14:56 because this was really well worded, 14:59 straight from the Quarterly. 15:01 "As soon as Esau learns that Jacob has received 15:04 his father's blessing, 15:05 he understands that he has been deceived and supplanted 15:10 by his brother, and he wants to kill him. 15:13 So, Rebekah is worried. 15:15 She wants to prevent this crime 15:17 that would be fatal for both sons. 15:20 So, with the support of Isaac, 15:22 she urges Jacob to flee to her family. " 15:27 He's going to go live with his uncle Laban 15:30 who is not such a nice guy? 15:33 "But on his way to exile... " 15:35 here... Jacob is about... 15:38 you know, even though God forgave him, 15:40 there's always circumstances... consequences 15:46 is the word I'm looking for. 15:47 There's always consequences to sin 15:50 so, to prevent being killed, 15:52 he is being sent away and on the way to his exile, 15:58 Jacob encounters God in a dream 16:01 at a place that he's going to call: Bethel, the House of God. 16:05 So, let's look at this story, 16:08 Genesis 28 and verse 2, we're going to just read it. 16:12 Genesis 28 and verse 10, excuse me. 16:15 Genesis 28:10 through 12, 16:18 "Now Jacob went out from Beersheba 16:21 and went toward Haran. 16:22 So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night, 16:26 because the sun had set. 16:28 And he took one of the stones of that place 16:31 and he put it at his head, 16:33 and he lay down in that place to sleep. " 16:37 He didn't have a memory-foam pillow did he? 16:40 "Then he dreamed, and behold, 16:43 a ladder was set up on the earth, 16:45 and its top reached to heaven; 16:49 and there the angels of God 16:52 were ascending and descending on it. " 16:56 You know, I was studying this word: Ladder 16:58 and actually, it would be better translated: staircase 17:03 and when I saw that, it was exciting 17:06 because I remember once as I was praying, 17:08 God showed me a staircase 17:10 and I was praying about surrender 17:12 and trying to get up the next step of that 17:15 and God told me... the only thing that was preventing me 17:19 from going forward... the wall of resistance, I kept hitting 17:23 was that I was holding on to too much of self... 17:29 I had to let go a little more of self 17:32 then He had reached down to bring me up to the next step 17:37 but I love that God gives this weary traveler a dream. 17:41 This is a graphic portrayal of the Lord's personal involvement. 17:49 This isn't like the Tower of Babel being built 17:53 to go trying to reach God... 17:55 no, this is God bringing down... 17:58 letting down this ladder... this staircase 18:01 and He is coming down to earth 18:05 to fulfill His covenant promises. 18:08 So, the Quarterly says: 18:10 In this dream, Jacob sees an extraordinary ladder 18:13 that is connected with God. 18:15 And the same Hebrew verb, "natsav" 18:18 is used to refer to the ladder that is "set up" 18:22 and the LORD who "stood". 18:25 So we see that the ladder represented the LORD. 18:31 They're the same thing. Panel: Right. 18:33 Shelley: And we know that Jesus Christ is that Ladder. 18:37 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 18:38 Shelley: But when... as I mentioned 18:40 at the Tower of Babel, 18:44 this was men trying to supplant God, if you will, 18:48 they were trying to build and reach the heavens. 18:52 But here, it's not by human effort, 18:55 it's God who's coming down to show His personal care. 18:59 Panel: That's right. 19:00 Shelley: So, Genesis 28 verse 13, 19:04 "Behold, the LORD stood above it... " 19:07 stood above this ladder or this staircase... 19:10 "and He said, 'I am the LORD God of Abraham your father, 19:16 and the God of Isaac: 19:18 the land on which you lie, 19:20 I will give to you and your descendants. '" 19:23 God's about to renew the covenant. 19:25 He has already renewed the covenant with Isaac 19:29 as you read in Genesis 26:4 through 5, 19:32 let's read that again. 19:34 When God made this covenant with Abraham... 19:37 remember, this is the progressive unfolding 19:40 of God's everlasting covenant. 19:42 He renewed the covenant with Isaac in Genesis 26:4 through 5, 19:49 He tells Isaac, "I will make your descendants multiply 19:52 as the stars of heaven; 19:53 I will give to your descendants all these lands; 19:56 and in your seed... " here's... this is it... 20:00 we're looking for the Seed, Jesus Christ... 20:05 "in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. " 20:09 You know, God's covenant with Abraham 20:12 was righteousness by faith. 20:14 God said to Abraham, 20:16 Abraham believed and God credited it 20:23 to him as righteousness. 20:26 He imputed to Abraham's account... that righteousness 20:31 but sometimes people believe, 20:33 "Oh, we're saved by grace through faith, 20:35 we don't need to worry about obeying. " 20:37 But right here, you know, all throughout Abraham's life, 20:42 he walked by obedient faith 20:45 and right here when God is renewing the covenant with Isaac 20:50 in Genesis 26, He tells him why. 20:54 He says in verse 5... Genesis 26 verse 5, 21:00 "Hey, I'm doing this because Abraham obeyed my voice... 21:05 kept my charge... 21:07 my commandments and my statutes and my laws. 21:10 Please listen to what I am saying. 21:13 Many people will say... 21:16 I've had so many people say this to me, 21:18 "Huh, you don't find the commandments of the Lord 21:21 in Genesis. " 21:22 You've got to remember those first eleven chapters of Genesis 21:25 are just a distilled overview of 2,000 years of history. 21:31 Where you see the commandments of God truly 21:35 is in the life of Abraham 21:37 and over and over it talks about how Abraham obeyed. 21:41 He was made righteous by faith... 21:44 but the fruit of that righteousness 21:46 was faithful obedience. 21:48 Okay, so... where were we in Genesis 28? 21:53 Okay, Genesis 28... He's renewing the covenant, 21:56 He says, "your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth. " 21:59 Same thing He said to Abraham. 22:01 Now, He's talking to Jacob, 22:03 "You shall spread abroad to the west and to the east, 22:05 and to the north and the south; 22:07 and in your seed 22:08 all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 22:10 Behold, I am with you and I will keep you 22:15 wherever you go. " 22:17 This is God as protector and provider 22:20 and His presence is constantly with him. 22:23 "I will bring you back to this land; 22:25 for I will not leave you 22:28 until I have done what I have spoken to you. " 22:30 Not one word of God's promises have ever failed. 22:33 Panel: That's right. 22:34 Shelley: So, going on in verse 16, 22:36 Genesis... now we'll read 28:16 through 22. 22:40 "Jacob awoke from his sleep" you know what he says? 22:44 "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it. " 22:47 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 22:49 Do you realize that God promises 22:51 as long as you are with Him, He's with you. 22:54 God is in this place. Panel: That's right. 22:56 Shelley: Are we acknowledging it? 22:58 Do you acknowledge God's presence in your life? 23:01 "And he was afraid... " this is a healthy fear... 23:05 "and he said... " I love this... 23:07 "How awesome is this place! 23:11 This is none other than the house of God, 23:14 and this is the gate of heaven!" 23:16 Babylon... Babylon tried to set up a counterfeit: gate of heaven 23:22 but it's God coming down from heaven to us. 23:26 "Then Jacob rose early in the morning, 23:27 and took the stone that he put at his head, 23:29 set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. 23:32 And he called the name of that place Bethel; 23:35 and it had previously been called Luz. 23:38 Then Jacob made a vow... " this is interesting... 23:41 he says, "If God will be with me, 23:43 and keep me in the way that I am going, 23:45 give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, 23:46 so that I may come back to my father's house in peace, 23:49 then the Lord shall be my God. " 23:51 He's just repeating what God told him He'd do. 23:54 "And this stone which I have set up as a pillar 23:57 shall be God's house, 23:58 and of all that You give me 24:00 I will surely give a tenth to You. " 24:03 So, again we see the idea of tithing... 24:08 the principle is here 24:10 before the rise of the nation of Israel. 24:13 Lomacang: Wow, thank you so much Shelley. 24:15 It's really wonderful how a lesson is unfolding 24:17 but you know we have three more days left 24:21 so don't go away, we'll be right back. 24:23 Music... 24:28 Ever wish you could watch a 3ABN Sabbath School Panel again 24:32 or share it on Facebook... 24:33 Instagram or Twitter? 24:35 Well, you can by visiting 3abnsabbathschoolpanel. com 24:40 A clean design makes it easy 24:43 to find the program you are looking for. 24:44 There are also links to the Adult Bible Study Guide 24:48 so you can follow along. 24:50 Sharing is easy. 24:51 Just click "Share" and choose your favorite Social Media. 24:54 Share a Link... Save a Life for Eternity. 24:58 Lomacang: Welcome back to 3ABN Sabbath School, 25:00 now, we're going to go to Tuesday... which Ryan Day has. 25:02 Ryan: All right, I'm Ryan Day 25:04 and I am blessed to have the Lesson Number... 25:07 well, we're in Lesson Number 9, 25:09 but this is Tuesday's Lesson entitled: The Deceiver Deceived. 25:12 Panel: Wow! Hmmm... 25:13 Ryan: It's interesting because we've just come through, 25:15 you know, Monday and Tuesday's Lesson... 25:16 or Sunday and Monday's Lesson 25:18 where we've learned about, you know, 25:21 Jacob in his early years 25:22 and, of course, now he's had this spiritual awakening 25:24 as Shelley just brought out. 25:26 He's had an encounter with God 25:27 and so, now he is spiritually awakened, right? 25:30 God is... God has promised him that He's going to... 25:34 He's made these promises to him 25:36 and now he is in relationship with God 25:38 but yet, he's still fleeing Esau right? 25:40 So, he's on his way out 25:42 and he's got to meet up with Uncle Laban 25:45 and, you know, I had been assigned 30 verses 25:47 on almost the entire chapter of Genesis chapter 29 25:52 and in Genesis chapter 29 verses 1 through 30, 25:57 we find that now he has made it to the land of Uncle Laban. 26:02 Now, I'm not going to read the first... 26:03 the first 15 verses or so, probably the first 14 verses... 26:07 this is where he's arrived... 26:08 he makes his way... he finds this well 26:10 and he sees some people coming at him... 26:12 obviously, he asked them there, he says, "Hey, is this... 26:15 do you know Laban... are you aware of Laban? 26:17 They say, "Yeah, we know Laban. " 26:19 "Is he well?" "He is well... " 26:20 all right... and so he realizes he's talking to Laban's people 26:23 and then out comes Rachel and he's... 26:25 he puts his eyes on Rachel for the first time 26:28 and he comes to find out that Rachel, of course, is... 26:30 is Laban's daughter... this is his cousin 26:32 and he goes and he embraces her and he weeps and he... 26:35 you know, praises God that he's found his family 26:38 but now we pick up in verse 15. 26:41 Right there in verse 14, it says that he stayed with him a month. 26:44 So, he's been with Uncle Laban and Rachel and the family 26:48 for about a month now 26:49 and now we pick up in verse 15. 26:51 This is where Jacob states his case for marrying Rachel 26:55 because he's fallen in love with Rachel. 26:57 So now it says in verse 15, 26:58 "Then Laban said to Jacob, 27:00 'Because you are my relative, 27:01 should you, therefore, serve me for nothing? 27:04 Tell me, what should your wages be?'" 27:07 This is Genesis chapter 29 beginning in verse 15, 27:10 and so, we just read verse 15, 27:12 he says, "Tell me, what your wages should be?" 27:14 Verse 16, "Now Laban had two daughters: 27:16 the name of the elder was Leah, 27:19 and the name of the younger was Rachel. " 27:21 And then verse 17, 27:22 Leah's eyes were delicate, 27:24 but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance. 27:27 Now Jacob loved Rachel; 27:30 so he said, 'I will serve you seven years for Rachel 27:33 your younger daughter. ' 27:35 And Laban said, 'It is better that I give her to you 27:38 than that, I should give her to another man. '" 27:41 So, he's happy, "Sure, I'll give you... 27:42 oh no... you can take my daughter Rachel to be your wife" 27:45 but he says... "Stay with me. " 27:47 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, 27:50 and they seemed only a few days to him 27:53 because of the love he had for her. 27:54 I like the... the seven years didn't seem like anything, 27:57 he's so in love with this girl, he's ready to marry her. 27:59 It just seemed like a few days and then verse 21 here, 28:02 it says, "Then Jacob said to Laban, 28:04 'Give me my wife, for my days are fulfilled, 28:07 that I may go in to her. " 28:08 He says, "Hey, Uncle Laban, time's up... 28:10 it's been seven years... I want my wife now. " 28:12 And so, verse 22, "And Laban gathered together 28:15 all the men of the place and made a feast. 28:18 Now it came to pass in the evening, 28:19 he took... " notice... "Leah his daughter 28:23 and brought her to Jacob; and he went in to her. 28:26 And Laban... " yes, he went in to her... 28:29 "And Laban gave his maid Zilpah 28:31 to his daughter Leah as a maid. 28:34 So it came to pass in the morning, 28:36 that behold, it was Leah. 28:38 And he said to Laban, 28:40 'What is this you have done to me? 28:43 Was it not for Rachel that I served you? 28:46 Why then have you... " here it is... ding, ding, ding, 28:49 "Why have you deceived me?" 28:51 Okay, now he's getting a little bit... 28:53 he's... he's getting a little bit of the same medicine 28:55 that he gave his brother and his father. 28:57 Okay, in verse 26: "And Laban said, 29:00 'It must not be done so in our country, 29:02 to give the younger before the firstborn. 29:03 Fulfill her week, and we can give you this one also 29:07 for the service which you will serve me 29:09 yet still another seven years. '" 29:12 And then, verse 28, 29:13 "And Jacob did so and he fulfilled her week. 29:15 So he gave him his daughter Rachel as a wife. 29:17 And Laban gave his maid Bilhah 29:21 to his daughter Rachel as a maid. 29:23 Then Jacob also went to Rachel... went into Rachel 29:26 and he also loved Rachel more than Leah. 29:28 And he served with Laban yet still another seven years. " 29:31 So when it says here that he fulfilled her week... 29:32 this is customary... 29:34 a marriage celebration in the Biblical days 29:36 and I think, even in the culture still today, 29:38 of Jewish Orthodox... 29:40 we see very clearly that it's... 29:42 it's a celebration of a week-long 29:44 and so, basically, Jacob did not technically have to wait 29:47 another seven years before he was given... 29:49 he waited to fulfill the marriage ceremonial rights 29:52 of the seven days with Leah 29:55 and then after the seven days, 29:57 Laban honored his... his words... 29:58 he gives Rachel to him 30:00 but yet he still had to stay and work another seven years 30:03 for Rachel in this case. 30:06 And so, you know, it's interesting here because 30:08 you know, you would... in today's time, you would... 30:11 you know, you hear people say, "Boy!" you know... 30:14 and not to be disrespectful here 30:17 but back in my day... in my heathen days, 30:18 you would hear people say, you know, slang 30:20 and different things... and it was often inappropriate 30:22 and some people will say, you know, 30:23 "Karma is a bad word... " 30:25 and they would, you know, say something like that. 30:27 A lot of people put this... "Oh Karma... it's all Karma. " 30:29 Let me tell you something, that's a Hinduistic term... 30:30 Hinduistic concept... 30:31 it's full of Spiritualism... has nothing... 30:34 actually, the truth is the Bible pre-dates this... 30:36 this Hinduistic teaching of Karma... 30:39 Karma is not a real thing 30:41 but in this case, the Bible passage that clarifies very much 30:44 the principle is that, "You reap what you sow. " 30:47 And in this case, Jacob was reaping what he sowed. 30:49 Even though he's in relationship with God, 30:51 he still has a lot of growing... 30:53 he still has a lot of learning 30:54 and in this case, it's interesting 30:55 because back in the day when I was a kid and I... 30:57 you will hear still still hear people say it today, 30:59 "Boy, they can... they can dish it out 31:00 but they can't take it... " 31:02 and that was the case of Jacob. 31:03 He... he could dish it out... 31:05 he was all about deceiving is father and his brother 31:07 to get that... to get that blessing 31:09 but yet now, when he is the one being deceived... 31:12 when the deceiver is being deceived, 31:15 now, it's not so fun and games. 31:16 You know, it's interesting 31:18 because as... as I was reading this story, 31:19 I took away just some lessons... 31:20 just some very simple but... but practical lessons 31:23 that we also as Christians today... 31:25 we can glean... we can learn from this 31:27 and that is the fact that, you know, 31:29 there's a lot of people that are so selfish and self-centered. 31:32 Jacob while he's now in this new relationship with God, 31:35 he's got a whole lot of selfishness 31:36 that needs to be rooted out. 31:38 He's still kind of into himself... 31:39 he still expects the world to revolve around him 31:42 and in this case, you know, he's starting to see that 31:44 when he's now with Uncle Laban, things... you know, 31:46 it works more by Uncle Laban's rules 31:48 and Uncle Laban calls the shots 31:49 and in this case, he got tricked by Uncle Laban 31:53 and it's interesting because Matthew chapter 7... 31:54 kind of on the same point that I made earlier... 31:56 you know, that you reap what you sow, 31:58 Jesus even confirmed in Matthew chapter 7 32:00 verses 1 through 5, He says, 32:01 "Judge not, that you be not judged. 32:03 For with what judgment you judge, 32:05 you will be judged; 32:06 and with what measure you use, 32:09 it will be measured back to you. " 32:11 So, now look at Jacob, he's all upset... 32:13 he's mad and he's angry... "Whoa... whoa... whoa... whoa... 32:15 what have you done to me? you've deceived me. " 32:17 He dished it out back here 32:18 but now, he's on the receiving end of this, 32:20 he can't handle it 32:21 and he's now wanting to pull that... that... that speck 32:25 out of Uncle Laban's eye, 32:26 but notice what Jesus goes on to say here, 32:27 again, this is that powerful sermon on the mount, 32:29 he says, "And do you not... 32:31 do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, 32:33 but do not consider the plank in your own... " 32:35 Jacob had a big old plank... 32:37 a deceiving plan in his own eye 32:38 that needed to be rooted out. 32:40 In this case, He says, 32:41 "Do you not consider the plank in your own eye? 32:44 Or how you can say to your brother, 32:46 'Let me remove the speck from your eye'; 32:48 and look, a plank is in your own eye? 32:50 Hypocrite!" Jesus says, 32:51 "First remove the plank from your own eye, 32:53 then you will see clearly 32:55 to remove the speck from your brother's eye. " 32:57 And so, we see that, you know, 32:58 Jacob is... he's starting the sanctification process 33:00 and it ultimately... in this situation... 33:03 ends with him now being deceived. 33:05 You know, we've got to be careful because this kind of 33:07 self-deceptive spirit often will kind of infiltrate our heart, 33:12 our mind... it will even filtrate the church. 33:14 Sometimes, we've got to do some self-examination... 33:16 take some spiritual inventory of our own heart 33:19 because I can tell you, my Friends, the backbiting 33:22 and the gossiping and the plotting 33:24 and the conspiring and secrecy... 33:26 it is... it often floods in the ranks of the churches, 33:28 it often floods in the... in the home... 33:30 and this type of thing ought not have any place for a Christian 33:33 and in a Christian's life. 33:34 Ecclesiastes chapter 12 verses 13 and 14, 33:37 we're talking about self-deception. 33:39 Jacob was self-deceived... 33:41 but now he's on the receiving end of deception, 33:44 notice what Ecclesiastes 12 verses 13 through 14 says, 33:47 "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: 33:48 Fear God and keep His commandments, 33:51 for this is the whole duty of man. " 33:53 But then verse 14, 33:54 "For God shall bring every work into judgment... " 33:57 do you think God had forgotten about what Jacob had done 33:59 and that there wasn't a lesson to be learned by that? 34:01 "God will bring every work into judgment, 34:04 with every secret thing, 34:05 whether it be good or whether it be evil. " 34:08 Jacob had conspired with his mother to deceive. 34:11 Now, Laban had conspired to deceive Jacob and so... 34:15 the deceiver had been deceived, in this sense. 34:17 There's a few things that we can learn... I'm... 34:19 I'm actually running out of time, 34:20 I don't have enough time to read the rest of this 34:22 but, you know, we need to understand 34:24 that we have to be... 34:26 we have to place ourselves in a humbling state. 34:28 Jacob was humbled in this moment, 34:30 don't think he wasn't. 34:31 He was humbled in this moment as we all often are. 34:34 Sometimes, we've got to eat some crow... 34:36 sometimes we got to... you know... 34:37 we got to... we got to take a little bit 34:38 of what we've dished out 34:40 but you know what? It's all for growth... 34:42 if we have the Holy Spirit leading and guiding us... 34:44 if Jesus Christ is in our heart and mind, 34:46 sometimes, we might have to take a little bit 34:48 of what we've dished out 34:49 but we will learn and grow in the process. 34:51 That's why I love 2nd Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14, 34:54 one of my favorite texts, 34:56 God just pouring out His heart here... 34:57 "If my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, 35:02 and pray and seek My face, 35:04 and turn from their wicked ways, 35:06 then I will hear from heaven, 35:08 and I will forgive their sin and heal their land. " 35:11 Panel: Amen... amen... amen. 35:12 James: Thank you, Ryan, that was a perfect set up 35:14 for the lesson that I have. 35:16 My name is James Rafferty and I have Wednesday's lesson, 35:18 which is entitled: The Blessing of the Family 35:20 and it's actually a continuation of the same chapter 35:23 that Ryan had in chapter 29, the last few verses, 35:26 then we're going to go right into chapter 30. 35:29 See, for Jacob... the last seven years, the Quarterly says, 35:32 of his exile were a burden 35:34 and yet they were also the most fruitful years 35:36 because in them, Jacob will father 11 of his 12 children 35:41 who will become the ancestors of God's people. 35:44 Okay, so, Genesis chapter 29 verses 31 to chapter 30 verse 22 35:50 is the section we're going to be looking at 35:52 and we can't read all of those verses, 35:53 there's a lot there... 35:55 but I just want to start by saying that 35:57 we are dysfunctional. 36:00 Now, sometimes, we think about dysfunction... 36:02 we think, "Oh, they're dysfunctional... 36:04 they are dysfunctional... 36:05 that family over there is dysfunctional 36:07 and that church over there is dysfunctional. " 36:09 No, we as human beings are quite dysfunctional 36:12 and this story... 36:13 oh, I've struggled with this story for years, 36:15 I mean, I really have, you know, 36:17 all that we're about to just touch on here 36:19 and I'm realizing God... 36:21 a God of grace... a God of mercy... 36:23 a God of love is reaching down into our dysfunction. 36:27 He's healing us... He's helping us... 36:29 He's molding us... 36:30 He's rebuking us... 36:32 He's transforming us... 36:33 there's a lot of hope in this story. 36:35 Let's read just a couple of the highlights here, 36:38 Ryan, you ended up with the verse where it says, 36:41 that... that Leah was hated 36:45 or Rachel was loved more than Leah. 36:47 I've got the verse verse 31 where it says, 36:50 "And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated... " 36:52 so, your verse said that Rachel was loved more than Leah 36:56 but my verse says... 36:57 "And when the Lord saw that Leah was hated... " 36:59 now I just want to stop there just for a second. 37:01 "When the Lord saw that Leah was hated... " 37:04 now, we're going to be looking at this from God's perspective, 37:07 we're not going to be looking at this from a human perspective, 37:09 this chapter is all about how God sees us 37:12 and how God sees things. 37:14 So, when the Lord saw that Leah was hated, 37:16 He opened her womb but Rachel... 37:19 Rachel was barren. 37:22 "And Leah conceived and bare a son... " verse 32, 37:24 "and called his name Reuben; 37:26 for she said, "Surely the Lord has looked upon my affliction. " 37:30 Whoa, her affliction... what's her affliction? 37:31 "Now, therefore, my husband will love me. " 37:32 She just wanted to be loved. Panel: Yeah. 37:34 James: She just wanted to be loved. 37:36 Now, think about this... 37:37 Jacob was a deceiver because his mother... Laban's sister 37:46 put him up to it. 37:48 He didn't come up with this by himself, right? 37:50 It was Rebecca... and he was kind of like, 37:52 "No... no... I don't think we should do that. " 37:53 "No, we need to do this... we need to do this. " 37:55 Panel: Oh oh... James: Now we've got Leah. 37:57 Leah was a deceiver because her father... Rebecca's brother 38:06 put her up to it, right, 38:07 so Jacob was really kind of caught in the middle 38:10 and Leah was kind of caught in the middle. 38:12 You know, they're both influenced by these two parents 38:15 right? And they're caught in the middle 38:17 and so, Jacob should be able to empathize a little bit 38:20 with Leah's situation but he doesn't. 38:23 But who does? 38:24 When humans can't empathize with us... 38:26 when humans can't step into our relationship by experience, 38:29 God can... God always steps in 38:31 and He always picks up where humans leave off. 38:35 So, the Lord saw that she was hated and gave her a son 38:39 and she called his name Simeon... 38:41 she conceived again and bare a son and... 38:42 and said, "This time my husband will be joined unto me, 38:45 because I've born him three sons... " 38:47 oh, she was just so excited... 38:48 one son after another was coming... 38:49 she conceived again and bare a son 38:51 and she said, "Now I will praise the Lord. " 38:53 What has just happened? 38:55 She's transitioned from her relationship with her husband 38:58 to a relationship with God. 39:00 And that's where God wants to get us... 39:01 that's where God wants to get us. 39:03 He wants to get us away from our desire to have the love 39:07 and the companionship 39:08 and the support of people 39:10 and first and foremost, 39:11 He wants to get us to the place where we have the love 39:13 and the companionship and the support of God. 39:14 Panel: Amen. 39:16 James: He is going to be there for us 39:17 in all of these struggles... in all of these difficulties. 39:19 Panel: Amen. 39:20 James: "Now, when Rachel... " verse 1 of chapter 30 39:22 "saw that she bore Jacob no children, 39:25 Rachel envied her sister. " 39:27 You see, what's going to happen here 39:28 in this family dynamic? 39:29 Rachel should be happy for her sister... 39:31 she should be saying, 39:32 "Praise the Lord that you've got all these kids. " 39:33 But now, we can't do that, you see, 39:35 we're all dysfunctional, we can't do that. 39:37 She's envying her sister and then she says to Jacob, 39:39 "Give me a child or I'm going to die... " 39:40 and Jacob says, "Wait... wait a minute... " 39:42 so, he gets angry at her... 39:43 this is all about dysfunctional relationship... 39:46 dysfunctional family relationships 39:48 and then, it's all about how God works through that 39:50 and overrules all that. 39:52 So, she goes to her handmaid 39:54 and her handmaid gives Jacob a child 39:56 and then, of course, she claims that... 39:59 Rachel claims that for herself and then she... 40:01 Bilhah gives her another child so she has two from Bilhah 40:05 and then, Rachel says, 40:07 "You know, with great wrestling's I have wrestled with my sister, 40:08 and I have prevailed. " 40:10 You're not wrestling with your sister... 40:11 you're wrestling with yourself. 40:12 You're wrestling with your own heart... your own fallen heart 40:14 who has this envy inside of it against your sister 40:17 who has just found herself caught in the middle... 40:20 just like Jacob found himself caught in the middle. 40:22 Let's look at this from God's perspective. 40:24 And so, as you continue on through the story, 40:26 you see handmaids coming in... 40:28 you see sons being born to Jacob... 40:29 Jacob finally gets to the place where Leah is... well... 40:35 God listens to Leah over and over again, 40:39 until finally we're told in verse 22 40:42 that God remembered Rachel and God harkened unto her 40:45 and opened her womb. 40:47 Leah's come to the place where she's almost like 40:50 completely satisfied like, "God has really blessed me... 40:52 God has really given to me. " 40:53 And sometimes unfortunately it's not until we are satisfied 40:58 in our relationship with God 41:00 that we can really and truly be a blessing to others. 41:02 Panel: That's right... hmmm... hmmm... 41:04 James: As long as we're still hungering... 41:05 we're still dysfunctional... 41:06 we're still craving for some kind of security... 41:09 we are unable to flow out to others 41:12 in the way that God wants us to. 41:16 But if we fill up with the Holy Spirit 41:18 in the presence of God that can overflow 41:20 and we can be a blessing to others, 41:22 instead of being envious and jealous 41:24 and hateful toward others. 41:26 So much hate... so much envy... so much insecurity... 41:29 manipulation taking place in this dysfunctional family, 41:32 and yet, God overrules with His grace and with His love. 41:35 None of the members find themselves enemies of God. 41:39 God loves them... rather they are recipients of His mercy... 41:43 of His understanding... of His sympathy... 41:45 of His blessing. 41:46 This reveals... to me... 41:47 this reveals more of the character of God 41:49 because really, that's what the whole story is about, right? 41:51 God has been misrepresented 41:53 and God is vindicating Himself... 41:55 His character is being vindicated... 41:57 He's going to say... you know, I struggle with this, 41:59 like, "Why did God bless Leah? 42:01 Leah deceived Jacob... why did God bless Leah?" 42:03 That was my struggle. 42:04 But when we look... 42:06 when we step back and we look at the big picture here, 42:08 Leah's caught in the middle 42:09 just like Jacob was caught in the middle. 42:11 God loves Leah... God loves Jacob 42:12 and God loves Rachel 42:14 and God loves Laban 42:15 and God loves Rebecca. 42:17 There are some consequences here they're going to reap... 42:18 you know, Laban doesn't see his kids anymore... 42:20 Rebecca didn't get to see Jacob ever again... 42:22 there are some consequences that are going to come to us 42:25 when we act out like this but God works through it all 42:28 to bless and to help us. 42:30 He loves us... He loves each one of us 42:32 and He works through all of our insecurity 42:34 and all of our dysfunction 42:35 and the dysfunction of our family 42:37 and of our relationships and of our world 42:40 to reveal His character of love 42:41 and that's really what heals us... 42:43 that's really what... what brings us back 42:46 to... to where we need to be. 42:48 So, this great controversy is... 42:50 is all about this misrepresentation of character 42:53 especially the character of God 42:54 and how God is working to unravel... to un... 42:58 to reveal... the revelation of Jesus Christ. 43:02 God is working to bring us the revelation of Jesus Christ, 43:04 the last book of the Bible is the revelation of Jesus Christ 43:07 and this is really what redeems us. 43:09 This is what brings us back to the image of God 43:11 it's a revelation of His character. 43:13 So... so, you know I struggle with the sympathy for Leah 43:16 and then I started seeing this big picture 43:18 and I started realizing, "Wow! she was caught in the middle" 43:20 and really, we're all caught in the middle, aren't we? 43:22 Each one of us 43:23 and God knows our struggles, 43:25 he knows our sorrows like no other person can. 43:28 It reminded me of the idea that, you know, 43:31 we can't judge others until we walk in their footsteps, right? 43:35 And I was walking in the footsteps of Leah, 43:37 you know, I was able to relate to her, you know, 43:39 and... and I thought, "Why did she do that?" 43:41 But now, I realize... "Wow! she is just like us... 43:45 caught in the middle... " 43:47 and Leah's struggling... 43:48 her sorrows are so telling in the names of her sons 43:51 and this is powerful revelation, 43:53 Reuben... he... he was called Reuben 43:55 because God saw... "He saw what I was going through... 43:58 He saw all the struggles... " 43:59 this is right from the Quarterly here 44:00 and then in addition, she gives the name of Simeon, 44:02 because God heard... God has heard me... 44:06 He's heard and seen the depths of my humiliation 44:09 and my pain and has had pity on me and... 44:11 and Leah's son Simeon... 44:13 you know, God gives her her last son and she calls him Judah 44:16 because God... it means praise... 44:18 she wants to praise God... she connects with God... 44:21 she sees God as the ultimate way that she can be fulfilled... 44:26 she can have security in this life. 44:27 So, as we look at this, we... we recognize that... 44:31 that God is all about our personal struggles 44:33 and when other people don't understand us... 44:36 when other people don't recognize 44:37 what we're going through, 44:39 God does and God will be there for us 44:41 and God will bless us... 44:43 God will provide for us 44:44 and God will cause us to praise Him 44:46 to give Him glory... you know, 44:48 fear God, and give glory to Him; 44:50 for the hour of His judgment is come... amen... 44:52 so that principle that God has everything we crave... 44:55 bring everything... every secret thing to judgment 44:57 whether it's good or evil... we can trust Him for that 44:59 and we can believe that He will bless us 45:01 in spite of our circumstances... 45:02 in spite of the way that the humans around us... 45:05 even our closest family members may treat us, 45:07 we can trust in God to bring us through... by His grace. 45:10 Panel: Beautiful... amen. 45:12 Kenny: Praise the Lord... awesome... 45:13 yeah, I've enjoyed each one of you very much 45:15 and learned some things and reminded us of some things 45:18 and maybe some self-examination for myself. 45:21 I'm Kenny Shelton, I have Thursday's lesson, 45:23 we're going to talk about: Jacob Leaves 45:25 and I got to thinking about that as I went over the lesson, 45:28 I think, you know, there may come a time in our own life... 45:31 sometime in our own life, 45:33 that it may come time to... to maybe to leave. 45:36 Sometimes it's time to pick up... 45:38 it's time to change... 45:40 it could be a job... 45:41 it could be, you know, where we live... 45:43 it could be even ministry... 45:46 there are times sometimes that we pick up and we need to go, 45:49 there are changes that need to be made 45:50 and, you know, sometimes we... we don't understand 45:54 all the ins and the outs of it 45:55 or, you know, when, where and why and all this 45:58 but we rely upon God, right, leading and directing 46:01 and using others, you know, 46:03 and this is exactly what happened... 46:04 it was time for Jacob to leave because he... 46:07 he had some real... some, some issues... 46:09 he waited till God certainly told him to 46:11 but there were other things and we'll try to get into that 46:13 as we go along. 46:15 So, how do we really know... 46:16 you may be asking the question, "How do I... 46:18 how do I know if it's time for me to leave... 46:20 maybe find another job... 46:21 maybe go somewhere else or do something, 46:23 you know, how do I... 46:24 how do I really know again, the when, where, and what? 46:27 If God is leading or maybe it's just something inside of me... 46:30 maybe it's just... " 46:32 because a lot of times, people want certain things... 46:34 they, they want to be at a certain place... 46:35 they want to do a certain thing and sometimes... 46:37 and the best way, I heard people say, 46:39 sometimes it's... "Well, God told me. " 46:41 Well, if God told you, I'd say, "Go right ahead, get started" 46:44 If we know that God really told us 46:46 or if it's something inside, 46:47 so, you know, do a self-examination. 46:48 Our lesson, I think, really brings out that 46:52 God's going to impress us... 46:54 you know, it could be through dream... 46:56 through the Word... whatever it might be 46:57 and maybe events that's taking place in our own life 47:01 that we can know when it's time to make that move 47:04 and so, we come to Jacob and his life now, 47:07 it's time to make that move... 47:08 it's time to get back to fulfill the Word of God. 47:11 So, Thursday's lesson starts with a little background. 47:13 Each of you I think has mentioned it here, 47:15 a little background of some heavy-duty deception 47:17 right, we looked... deception. 47:19 Jacob, we know, deceives his father. 47:22 We understand that, right 47:23 and he's deceived with his brother... 47:26 now, Jacob is deceived by his... 47:27 I want to call him his... 47:29 can you say: father-in-law? 47:30 We're saying "uncle" here but... "father-in-law. " 47:32 Ryan: That's right. 47:33 Kenny: Can we just say that too? Ryan: Yes, we can. 47:35 Kenny: Well, I'm just asking the question, 47:36 well... right... it ended up being... didn't it? 47:38 Uncle... so I don't want to say the wrong thing here, 47:40 but there's a lot of deceiving going on 47:42 and interesting... Jacob knew he was being deceived. 47:46 Ryan: Hmmm... hmmm... 47:48 Kenny: He understood what was taking place 47:49 but he didn't really put up a fight... 47:51 he didn't resist it... 47:52 it was some unfair demands and if you're like me, 47:55 if you think something's unfair, 47:56 sometimes you have something to say about it 47:58 and maybe not... 48:00 he... he didn't say anything to really... about it. 48:02 and it... it... it... 48:03 but it seems to go against his character 48:05 and so, we have to look kind of deeply into that. 48:07 Maybe he should have... 48:09 maybe he should have just, you know, 48:11 made an attempt to wheel and deal. 48:12 Isn't that right? 48:14 When Laban said, "This is what I'm going to require 48:15 for this one and that one... " 48:17 "Hey, wait a minute, let's just do half that time, 48:19 what do you say, man?" 48:20 Isn't that kind of what most of us would do? 48:22 "Why do seven... I can do three and a half" 48:24 you know, so, bargain... 48:26 when you go to a store, you bargain sometime, 48:28 right, you work on it, 48:30 you try to get a deal... cut some time off. 48:31 But, you know, well... 48:33 Genesis 30:25 and 26 said... time for Jacob to leave 48:37 Jacob said to Laban, notice this "Send me away... " 48:41 it's like he was tied there and he was... 48:44 commitment and so on, 48:45 he said, "Send me away, that I may go unto mine own place, 48:48 and to my own country. " 48:50 He realized there was a time for him to move on. 48:52 Ryan: That's right. 48:53 Kenny: It's something for him to do... 48:55 God still had a plan for him. 48:56 Our lesson brings it out that Jacob is concerned about 48:59 setting up his own house 49:01 which I think most of us probably are, 49:03 don't you think... sometimes in our life, 49:05 we're kind of interested in maybe getting out on our 49:08 own and... and, you know, 49:09 picking up some things and doing... 49:11 in Genesis 30 verse 30, 49:13 it says, "After all Jacob wanted to be on his own. " 49:16 That's what Genesis 30:30 talks about. 49:18 He wanted to be on his own 49:19 and he felt that he had fulfilled his agreement 49:22 and most of us, if we really feel like we have fulfilled 49:25 the agreement that we made with somebody. 49:26 You make an agreement with the bank... 49:28 you buy a house when you make that last payment. 49:30 There's an agreement there... come on... give me that deed... 49:33 you know what I mean, you... you... you want to say, 49:35 "Okay, the agreement has been fulfilled" 49:37 and so, now he begins to plead his case 49:39 and if you don't mind... you know, lot of reading... 49:42 everybody's talking about a lot of reading to do 49:43 so, I'm going to forebear and go with that 49:46 but I... I'll tell you where I'm from, Genesis 31:41, 49:49 it's actually just one verse 49:50 but if you allow me to do some paraphrasing here 49:53 and then if I'm off somebody can tell me, right? 49:55 You're going to go along with it. 49:57 We don't want to get off the record here 49:58 but, you know, when we're wheeling and dealing 50:00 in this case... 50:02 when he's pleading his case, right, 50:04 because he's... he's... it's time to leave 50:06 but you think Laban was going to let him leave easily? 50:09 You think he's going to say, "Oh, well... " 50:10 remember he... he's had his socks blessed off, 50:12 isn't that right? Ryan: That's right. 50:14 Kenny: He became a rich man because of Jacob, 50:17 is that not true? 50:19 Ryan: That's true. Panel: True. 50:20 Kenny: And you're not going to let that... golden egg... 50:22 you're just not going to let that out... 50:25 you're going to try to wheel and deal and bring him back... 50:27 find something here, so let's just, 50:29 Genesis 31: 41 says, I want to say... if I could do, 50:33 "Look, Dad... " he's going to talk to him... 50:35 you know, made father-in-law... they had a little more respect 50:37 but now-a-days, you're going... and you might call him, "Pops" 50:39 I'm not sure about this... 50:41 "Look, Dad... now look here I've... 50:43 I've been with you for 20 years... 50:45 I have been here 20 years... and really without a complaint" 50:49 right... ah ha... 50:50 "I've worked hard... I mean I worked for 14 years 50:53 for your two daughters... " 50:55 now, it's kind of sad to think about... at least in my mind, 50:58 I'm looking... I'm thinking... he... 51:00 Dad sold his daughters, 51:03 basically, it's like slaves. 51:05 Panel: Hmmm... 51:07 Isn't that right? 51:08 "Well, I'll take seven years labor for her 51:11 and I'll take... " okay, that's... 51:13 and so, yeah, and he said, "I've given all this time... " 51:18 He might have said once, "My best years. " 51:20 "I've given my best years, Dad, now look, 51:23 my land... what's wrong here?" 51:25 You don't seem happy about that, I just said, basic, "May I go? 51:29 I want to set up my own household, 51:30 and it's time for me to go back, I've been gone a long time 51:32 so, why... why can't I go? 51:34 But it seems clear you are not happy with me. " 51:38 Panel: Hmmm... okay. 51:40 Kenny: And why... 51:41 you say, "What? it only says in that verse, it talks about... 51:42 "You know why?" 51:44 and I think Jacob looked at him and said, 51:45 "You know why Dad? you know? 51:47 Because you changed my wages ten times. " 51:48 Panel: Right. 51:49 Kenny: Something was little bit shaky there right? 51:51 How can he do that and... Panel: That's true. 51:53 Kenny: Somebody comes up to you and changes your paycheck 51:56 by a 100 dollars a week, 51:57 you might have a little issue with him. 52:00 Something is not right, so, he said, "When I came here" 52:03 I want to put it this way, 52:04 "you didn't have two nickels to rub together... " 52:06 maybe he did... 52:07 "you didn't have very much when I came here, 52:10 God blessed you because of my work here, 52:13 God blessed you now... very much 52:16 and don't forget... " and he wanted to say 52:19 he was getting ready to leave because he's going to take some 52:20 cattle, right, with him. 52:22 He said, "Don't forget, I worked six years for those cattle, 52:24 you know, I'm going to take it. " 52:25 Jacob had been gone from home for a very long time. 52:29 Now, it was time to get back. 52:30 It was time for him to return. 52:32 Jacob waited for God to give him clear direction. 52:35 All right, during that time, I think it's been brought out, 52:39 Jacob learned a lot of patience. 52:40 He learned, you know, really true love for God 52:43 and he waited for permission to go 52:46 and I think that's always good in our life, 52:48 wait till God... right, if God brings you... 52:50 takes you from someplace and plants you over here. 52:53 Make sure the same God is taking you from here 52:56 and re-planting you somewhere else 52:57 rather than... I think we've all seen that 53:00 if we've been around for a while, 53:01 sometimes, people replant themselves. 53:03 Jacob learned patience and faith, right. 53:06 God finally directs Jacob to leave... Genesis 31:13, quickly, 53:09 now, He said, "Now arise from this land, 53:12 return to the land of thy kindred. " 53:14 Now, was it time? Absolutely. 53:17 Why? Because God said it was time. 53:19 That's number one but notice, 53:20 I'm going to give you three other quick reasons why 53:22 maybe that it was time for him to go 53:25 that weighed on Jacob's mind. 53:26 I don't think he was a coward by any means 53:28 but he... there's many times 53:29 notice he was afraid of something. 53:30 Something was going to happen. 53:32 Now, notice what Genesis 31:1 and 2, 53:34 "Jacob heard Laban's sons saying, 53:37 'Hey, this... this cat... 53:39 this guy has... this guy has come in 53:41 right, and he's taken things that's probably going to be ours 53:44 when Dad's gone. '" Panel: Right. 53:46 Kenny: And he heard it was such talk... 53:47 I think he feared for his life that something might happen 53:50 if he didn't leave 53:51 and then, all of a sudden... what? 53:53 Laban all of a sudden began to look at Jacob... what? 53:56 a little different... a little bit different eyes. 53:59 In other words, it wasn't the same 54:01 is what the Bible talks about here. 54:02 He was... he was not the same toward him as before. 54:05 so, he acted, right, little differently. 54:07 Quickly four things... notice that took place. 54:10 So he knew when it was time to leave. 54:12 Jacob knew it was time to leave, 54:13 we've mentioned, because God told him. 54:16 I think that's a real good... simple... 54:18 God told him to, right? 54:19 But in case he missed that, 54:21 God's told me some things sometimes... 54:22 at least I... I sense in my mind and I didn't do it. 54:26 Well, there's a price to pay, there are scars... 54:29 you know, the scars that will always be there 54:30 like the scars on Jesus for eternity, 54:32 we may get forgiveness and things are good 54:34 but we're going to carry those scars in this... in this life. 54:37 God told... Number 2: 54:38 Laban's sons... we talked about it... 54:40 seemed to be a threat to him so he needed to get out. 54:42 Laban turned against Jacob 54:44 and let's remember this 4th point here, 54:46 remember, Jacob would have left a lot sooner 54:50 but he was still fearful of his brother, Esau. 54:52 Panel: Hmmm... hmmm... 54:54 Kenny: You know, read that if you haven't got time... 54:55 you know, if you take time, 54:57 that's in Patriarchs and Prophets 198, 54:59 "Jacob would have left his crafty kinsmen long before 55:03 but for fear of Esau. " 55:05 You know, praise... just praise God, right, 55:08 He's still leading... He's guiding... we make mistakes 55:10 He fills us back up... sets us up 55:11 but God's plan is going to be fulfilled. 55:13 Hang in there, you can hang right with God. 55:15 Panel: Amen... amen. 55:17 Lomacang: Wow! thank you Pastor Kenny. 55:19 Shelley, summarize your day. 55:20 Shelley: Huh, instead of summarizing the day, 55:25 let me just give you this 55:26 because we were talking about the staircase 55:29 Jacob has the ladder to heaven, 55:32 I wanted to share from 2nd Peter 55:35 because I think of this as kind of the staircase to heaven now. 55:39 In 2nd Peter chapter 1 55:41 it says that God has given us everything we need 55:44 for life and godliness 55:47 and to partake of His divine nature. 55:50 But then, look at verse 5, here's our staircase. 55:54 It says, "For this reason, give all diligence, 55:58 add to your faith virtue, knowledge, self-control, 56:01 perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, 56:05 and love. " 56:06 That's what it's all about. 56:07 Jacob saw God come down from heaven... 56:13 God came down from heaven to us to teach us 56:16 how to... to develop these characteristics in us. 56:21 Panel: Amen... amen. 56:23 Ryan: Don't be a deceiver. Kenny: Come on now. 56:26 Ryan: As an eternal principle, truth always wins. 56:30 It always prevails. 56:31 I love what Jesus said in John chapter 8 verses 31 and 32, 56:34 Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, 56:36 'If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. " 56:39 And here's that famous verse, 56:41 "And you shall know the truth, 56:42 and the truth shall make you free. " 56:45 Panel: Amen... amen... amen. 56:47 James: You know, we often think of the Bible and even the church 56:50 as a place of perfection. 56:51 But it is also a place of dysfunction 56:55 and God in His love and His grace and His mercy, 56:59 meets us at that place of dysfunction and He heals us. 57:04 Panel: Amen... amen. 57:05 Kenny: You know, it took Jacob some time to learn these things 57:07 of God's grace and what it really meant to trust Him 57:10 and to live for Him 57:11 and I just simply say: that's good counsel for us today, 57:14 let's just take that. Panel: Amen... amen. 57:16 Lomacang: Well, thank you, Kenny, James, Ryan, Shelley 57:19 and thank you for joining us. 57:21 This has been an amazing lesson: 57:23 Jacob the Supplanter. 57:24 Once again, I want to reiterate, I like what you said James, 57:27 God meets us at our place of dysfunction and heals us. 57:30 None of us is exposed to God 57:33 and leaves the way He finds us. 57:35 Panel: Ah ha... 57:36 Lomacang: That's the beauty of... 57:38 that's the beautiful message of not only salvation 57:39 but restoration 57:41 and that's the message we want to leave with you today. 57:43 Yes, you may have had experiences in your life 57:45 that have supplanted your joy 57:46 but expose yourself to Christ 57:48 in the way that He can redeem you and things will change. 57:51 Panel: Amen. 57:52 Lomacang: Join us next time for Lesson Number 10: 57:54 Jacob and Israel. 57:56 Panel: Hmmm... Lomacang: Here's a thought, 57:57 "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches. " 58:00 You don't have to take the birthright... 58:02 it's yours through Christ. 58:05 Panel: Amen. |
Revised 2022-05-16