Genesis 31:1-3–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

Posted by Seth on Feb 17, 2010 in Bible Study, Daily Devotions |

Genesis 31:1-3–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

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Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Genesis 31:1-3 wherein we see Jacob between a rock and a hard place but with a God who will be with him as he walks in faith and obedience.

Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, “Jacob has taken all that was our father’s, and from what was our father’s he has gained all this wealth.” And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.”

Have you ever found yourself between a rock and a hard place? It’s not an uncommon experience. There are those times when we feel caught in the middle of a situation that holds dangers or troubles on either side. Look to head one direction and the drawbacks are many. Turn your attention the opposite way and there is an entirely different set of problems. But whatever the case, you also know you can’t stay where you currently are. I have to think that Jacob was in one of those places. His 20 years in Padan-aram hadn’t been easy even though God had also blessed him greatly. He had started a family and gained great wealth because of divine intervention that opposed his deceptive father-in-law. But as he listened to the Lord, what had become clear is that he simply could not stay where he was. Putting his roots down deeper in Laban’s domain would mean rising hostility from his in-laws who were quite upset already over the help that God had been giving him. And then, perhaps sounding at first like a rescue, the Lord had commanded him to head back home to Canaan. Ah yes, home sweet, Esau-might-still-want-to-kill-me home. That couldn’t have sounded all that great either. There was a big difference, however: God had promised to be with Jacob in the home direction. The reality is that no course altering in life can be done successfully without faith. The future is uncertain and the road ahead fraught with a thousand unknowns.

Imagine what Jacob had to be thinking as he picked up on conversation that was supposed to be happening (and probably kept) behind his back. The irritation must have been almost overwhelming as Laban would have succeeded in making him a poor man if God’s hand hadn’t been involved in manipulating the situation, keeping Jacob’s flocks strong and Laban’s dwindling. But what we see Jacob do is hold his peace, trust in God, and quietly make his way back to Canaan. Sometimes when we know we’re about to leave a job, finish up school, or move out of the area, we can go with that mentality of going out in a blaze of personal glory. This is why senior pranks are so popular, why people strip a house clean when they’re being foreclosed on, or peal out of a driveway after a bad argument with someone. What we need to ask ourselves however is, “If God is asking me to make a change or move, am I first willing to do it, and then will I leave well and with integrity?” We will likely find ourselves between many rocks and hard places over the course of our lives. Will we trust that God will be with us as He was with Jacob? Will we bow before Him as Jesus did in the garden before He went willingly to the cross? That had to be the ultimate “rock and a hard place” situation, and yet, praise Him forever, He went the way of faith and obedience. Look to Jesus and go His way today.

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