Genesis 32:9-12–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

Posted by Seth on Feb 18, 2010 in Bible Study, Daily Devotions |

Genesis 32:9-12–Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation

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Welcome to today’s Daily Scripture Reading and Meditation covering Genesis 32:9-12 wherein we see an honest prayer of Jacob that reflects a heart of faith in God and His goodness.

And Jacob said, “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, O Lord who said to me, ‘Return to your country and to your kindred, that I may do you good,’ I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that you have shown to your servant, for with only my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps. Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him, that he may come and attack me, the mothers with the children. But you said, ‘I will surely do you good, and make your offspring as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’”

After a lengthy and somewhat stressful departing talk with dad-in-law Laban, Jacob had a whole new set of things to be consumed with. Much of what he said though reflected good things to feel overwhelmed about. It seemed that long before it was written, he understood 1 Corinthians 4:7 well: What do you have that you did not receive? He had gone from possessing nothing to having a tremendous abundance…all of it, he said, was a gift from the Lord. Though he had worked hard, though he had likely used much wisdom in seeing his goods multiplied, he knew that his very life was not his own. The reason that Jesus said it was hard for the rich to enter heaven was because few people of wealth take the attitude of Jacob, putting their faith in God and not in themselves.

But on the other hand for Jacob, he knew he was entering dangerous territory. His last time of being in the vicinity of Esau was a time of fearing for his life! Though twenty years had passed, there are many grudges that last far beyond such time. He knew that Esau had the tendency to be an impulsive hothead and had no information to tell him whether or not his brother had settled down a bit over time. Knowing this, he feared not only for his own life but for that of his family. Husbands and dads understand such fear. It’s one thing to look out for oneself and another to have the responsibility of protecting one’s family for whom he would give his life. What would he do, and how would he continue to think through everything and plan ahead? He did come up with a design of great kindness and generosity to Esau, but before ever implementing this, he held onto the promise of God. The Lord had said that he would do good to him and build a nation through him, just as He had promised to his grandfather Abraham and father Isaac. And so we see his processing going something like this, “Oh God, I stand in amazement of all that You have given me. Oh Lord, I’m so scared about what the future holds. My God, I will hold to Your promise that You have good things in store for me.” We see first of all, that this entire process is one of prayer–honest, relational prayer. He knew where to turn during this time of difficult transition in life. But we also see here that he knew where to end up: faith in the Lord and in His goodness.

This isn’t the same Jacob that we first met, and we have much to learn from him in this matured state. Is our relationship with the Lord an honest one, but also one in which we come out trusting Him more in the end? Do we, like Jacob, put God at the center of all our plans with a commitment to follow and obey Him? Call out in faith to the Lord with your praises, struggles, and concerns today.

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