A Smorgasboard of Food for Thought--Day 15 of Through the Bible

                                         These teens are "happy" as they enjoy South Toe River 

                                       at Carolina Hemlocks in Yancey County, just a few miles

                           south of Mt. Celo Church, and a popular attraction during summer months.

January 15  

The depth of the contents of each day's Bible study is amazing when it is revealed to us by the Holy Spirit in minds that are being made new by Christ Jesus (Romans 12:2)! I gleaned so much from this study and want to mention a few points along with some in-depth comments.

--In Genesis 29, it was more than coincidental that Jacob & Rachel arrived at the well at the same time. (I think this happens in our lives all the time and reveals God's involvement. Recognizing God's hand in our lives and giving Him praise is definitely something God wants us to experience. It gives us an awareness that has the potential of crossing over to full blown "expectation"--a waiting and looking for God in our lives.)

--It is a fact of life that people let us down—Laban failed to be a man of his word & deceived Jacob. Laban had his own agenda (as we all do). (God warns us about putting our trust in people rather than in Him, in Psalms 118:8).

--God “saw that Leah was unloved” in Genesis 29:31, and gave her 4 sons—Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah.

Leah’s feelings were evidently important to God. In a way, she did not have a lead part in this story. Jacob and Rachel were the main characters. Most of us fall into the category of being a Leah. It is encouraging for me to realize God is concerned about each of us--we don't have to be beautiful or famous in order to enjoy His love and blessings! God cares about our emotions, even as He cared about Leah. He sought to comfort her in her unique situation. When reading this story before, I must admit I have felt badly for Jacob--Laban deceived him and gave him Leah instead of Rachel--he did not know the difference until the next morning and had to work seven more years for the woman he loved. However, consider Leah! She was being used as a pawn by her father and she probably knew the love she was receiving from Jacob on her wedding night was intended for her younger sister! Many times, we think we are alone with our most intimate feelings, yet this account reveals that God is very much aware of our emotions and despair and often seeks to comfort us. How wonderful! Hopefully we recognize His hand in our lives and that blessings during these times are from Him.

--Dr. Stanley says in verse 35, that Leah eventually came to the realization (as we hopefully will) that “lasting contentment can be found only in an intimate relationship with God”. (Nevertheless, her saga continued and will be addressed later in this post.)

--In verse 21, Dr. Stanley mentions that Isaac prayed for Rebekah (Gen 25:21) in her distress. However, there’s no mention that Jacob prayed for Rachel. Rachel blamed Jacob that she was childless & he was angry with Rachel. It does not say he prayed for her. There is definitely a message in this passage for married couples--we need to replace anger with prayer and not fall into the trap of accusing one other. (Our enemy desires to divide husbands and wives so that he can succeed in conquering the family. He is also known as "the accuser". When we play the "blame game" we are signing onto his evil tactics!)

--Laban “learned by experience that the Lord blessed (him) for (Jacob’s) sake”~Genesis 29:27. (Oh, to know that God has blessed others because of me! )

--Moving on to Psalm 8, in light of all that God has created, (and as He watches us squabble and compete & find ways to take advantage of one another--a flashback of Jacob's family problems, as well as our own), we can understand the question of the Psalmist: “What is man that You are mindful of him?” We are hopefully humbled when we view photos of the magnificent Universe! Yet, we too, are the creation of God, and He has crowned US (squabblers, accusers, etc., etc.)--with glory and honor!

--Prov 3 begins with the word “Happy”. True happiness comes from "knowing our place"--this comes from wisdom and understanding regarding WHO God is and who we are! RETAINING wisdom & understanding is quite a challenge, as they border on the heavenly and we are notorious for continually resorting to that which is earthly. Verses 14-18 include a list of the proceeds/benefits of wisdom and understanding. They are: long life, riches, honor, pleasantness and peace, a tree of life to those who “take hold of her”, and “happy are all who retain her”. I find it interesting that Leah named one of her sons "Happy" (Asher). Evidently, her happiness was short lived as she found a loophole to once again pursue happiness with Jacob (when Rachel begged her for the mandrakes). Her focus on God (when she named a son Judah) was seemingly short-lived. As human beings, we cannot totally disengage from our physical desires. However, as Christians, the struggle must continue until our lives on earth are finished. Matthew 10, continues this thought when Jesus says, “But he who endures to the end will be saved”. If we TRULY KNOW JESUS, we are going to continue the struggle--nothing will serve to permanently deter us. Psalms 37:23-24 (NASB), verifies this: "The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way. When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the Lord is the One who holds his hand". It is because of Jesus—and ONLY because Jesus holds our hand that we will endure to the end of our lives! It is only by His Grace as Ephesians 2:5, tells us.

--Jesus once again encourages us not to fear (Matt 10:26)! He instructs us to proclaim His message without hesitation! Then He tells us to remember how valuable we are to Him—nothing will happen to us unless it is His will (not even a little sparrow falls to the ground apart from our Father’s will!) God even knows how many hairs are on our heads—this is astounding! We just do not comprehend the extent God is involved in our lives! This brings tears to my eyes and puts a prayer on my lips that God will help me understand how much He loves me and wants to be involved in my life!

--We tend to be surprised when we face less than perfect or less than peaceable situations. At these times, we would do well to go back and read what Jesus says in v. 34 of Matt 10: “Do NOT think that I came to bring peace on earth, I DID NOT COME TO BRING PEACE BUT A SWORD” (emphasis mine).  But, what about the verse in Luke 2:14, that says, “Peace on earth, good will toward men”? Actually, this verse is more clearly translated as: "peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased" (New Living Translation). Note that Scripture always sheds light ON other scriptures—it NEVER takes away from, but always adds to the intended meaning. We DO have a “cross” to take up, however, Jesus says in Matthew 11:30, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light”. Jesus says, if, as His disciples, we give a cup of cold water to a little one—we will by no means lose our reward! This simple act may seem insignificant to us—yet to God it is evidently significant! 

Lastly, let me say there is a difference in "salvation" and a "reward": Salvation is NOT a reward—Salvation is a GIFT (Romans 6:23)—we can do nothing to earn it (all we earn is death--that is our wages as verse 23 tells us). We cannot buy or earn salvation! Yet, the Bible teaches we will receive rewards (Revelation 22:12) and this is totally different from salvation.