Tag: jacob

The Study of Genesis: Post Thirteen

***Note – We have completed the book of Job. Now, as we continue our journey through the Bible in chronological order, this is our 13th devotion in Genesis. Though we’re in Week 25 overall, we’ll be in Genesis for the next several weeks.

Focus: Genesis 32 – 34

Tip: I highly recommend journaling your responses to the questions, prompts, and reflections. Writing them out can help you process more deeply and see how God is working in your life.

This week’s devotion includes:

Chapter 32 – “Not Walking Alone”

Chapter 33 – “God Goes Before Us”

Chapter 34 – “Responding to Wrong” 

(Remember: This is a once-a-week devotional that can be broken up over several days.)

Bible Memory:

Did you memorize last week’s Bible verse?

Hiding God’s Word in our hearts is such a valuable practice. Since I’ve been memorizing Scripture, I’ve experienced so many moments where God brings a specific verse to mind just when I need it most. It’s amazing how He uses His Word to speak into our lives right where we are.

This Week’s Memory Verse — Genesis 32:10 

“I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.”

Genesis Chapter 32

“Not Walking Alone”

(Read Genesis Chapter 32 First) 

Genesis 32 opens with Jacob encountering the angels of God. Scripture doesn’t give us details about what happened, but I think Jacob’s reaction tells us a lot. He calls the place Mahanaim, meaning “two camps.” It made me think of two army camps and I wonder if Jacob suddenly realized that he’s not walking toward danger alone and he felt God’s army beside him.

I think Jacob needed that reminder. He feared meeting his brother Esau. Remember Jacob fled from him 20 years earlier because Esau wanted to kill him. Jacob sends messengers ahead of him with news of his wealth, but when the messengers return and report that Esau is coming with 400 men, Jacob’s fear explodes. He immediately begins strategizing, dividing his people and livestock into two groups so at least one might survive.

In his fear and scrambling, Jacob finally cries out to God:

“You told me to return… and You said You would deal well with me.”

Jacob reminds himself of God’s promise..something he could have rested in from the beginning.

Real-life application:

When we feel scared, overwhelmed, or facing something scary, it’s easy to try to fix things ourselves. We try to plan, strategize, and overthink. But instead we can let this be a moment to pray, trust, and remember God’s faithfulness. We don’t have to face fear alone.

I love how Jacob humbly acknowledges the mercy God has shown him. When he first crossed the Jordan, he carried nothing but a staff. Now he is returning with two camps of people, animals, and many  blessings. Everything he has is evidence of God’s faithfulness. Even so, he still pours out his fear before the Lord: Deliver me from Esau.

Jacob sends an enormous gift of 550 animals in hopes of softening Esau’s heart. One herd after another was sent ahead to greet Esau with the same message: “These belong to your servant Jacob… he is behind us.” 

Real-life application:

Sometimes in order to reconcile with someone we have to have to act in humility and intention. We may need to take the first step like reaching out, apologizing, offering peace even when we feel fearful or wronged. Trust that God can work through your efforts.

That night, Jacob sends his family ahead and he’s alone. I can imagine that in the quiet he’s even more fearful. That night God meets with him in an unusual way. Jacob wrestles with a man until daybreak. When his opponent touches his thigh and dislocates it, Jacob still refuses to let go. “I will not let You go unless You bless me.”

God asks his name then God gives him a new name. The name is Israel which means, “God prevails.”

Jacob suddenly understands who he has been wrestling with. He names the place Peniel, meaning “facing God,” saying, “My life has been preserved.” When the sun rises, Jacob limps away.

Real-life application:

Sometimes God lets us wrestle with our fears, doubts, or past mistakes until we cling to Him with all our heart.

The chapter closes with a small historical detail. Israel’s descendants chose not to eat the sinew (tendon) of the thigh as a way of remembering Jacob’s encounter with God. 

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Genesis Chapter 33

“God Goes Before Us”

(Read Genesis Chapter 33 First) 

Genesis 33 is such a beautiful picture of reconciliation, humility, and the way God goes before us even when we’re scared. This is the moment Jacob and Esau finally meet again after all those years apart. Those years were no doubt  filled with anger and hurt. When Jacob looks up and sees Esau coming with four hundred men, you know he had to be terrified. Everything in him probably expected the worst.

Jacob lines up his wives and children from least important in the culture of that time to the most precious to him, Rachel and Joseph, who he places last. Then he steps out in front of everyone and bows seven times as he approaches Esau. He was showing deep humility. That was Jacob’s way of saying, “I know what I did. I was wrong. And I am not here to fight.”

What a lesson for us today.

If we want to reconcile with someone we’ve wronged, the first step is real humility without excuses and without defending ourselves and saying,“Well, you did this to me too.” True reconciliation starts with a soft heart and a willingness to admit where we failed. Jacob models that beautifully here.

Then comes my favorite part and one of the most tender moments in all of Genesis.

The Bible says:

“And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.” (Genesis 33:4)

What a picture of grace.

God can soften even the hardest hearts. Jacob had feared Esau’s anger for years, but God had already gone ahead of him and changed everything. Back in Genesis 32:12, God told Jacob, “I will surely do thee good.” And that is exactly what the Lord does here.

When Esau asks who all the women and children are, Jacob answers,

“The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.” (Genesis 33:5)

I love that.

People still say today, “And who do we have here?” when they see our kids.

What a testimony it would be if our answer was like Jacob’s:

“These are the children God has graciously given me.”

Because that is what they are…a gracious gift from God.

Esau then asks about all the animals Jacob had sent ahead. Jacob explains they are a gift and a peace offering. Esau insists he doesn’t need them, but Jacob begs him to take them. Why? Because accepting the gift sealed their reconciliation in that culture. Jacob wanted to make things right, and he wanted Esau to know he truly meant it.

After this emotional reunion, Esau invites Jacob to travel with him. But Jacob knows the pace would be too hard on his children and his flocks, so he gently declines and tells Esau he will follow slowly. Esau understands and goes on ahead to Seir, leaving some of his men behind to stay with Jacob. 

Jacob journeys to Succoth. Then eventually he purchases land, settles down, makes a home, builds booths for his cattle… and most importantly, he builds an altar. I can hear him saying, “God brought me safely here. God kept His promise. God has been faithful.”

Genesis Chapter 34

“Responding to Wrong ”

(Read Genesis Chapter 34 First)

Genesis 34 is one of those chapters that makes you uncomfortable.

Jacob and his family have finally settled in Shalem. Life may be starting to feel stable after all the moving. Dinah, Leah and Jacob’s daughter, goes out, probably doing what any young girl would do, trying to make friends. And then something horrible happens.

Shechem, the prince’s son, sees her, takes her, and violates her. Scripture says she is defiled, and what makes it worse is that after the damage is done, he decides he wants her as his wife. 

Hamor, Shechem’s father, comes to Jacob’s house to negotiate. He talks about marriage, unity, trade, peace, and prosperity. He says, Name your price, but notice what’s missing: repentance. There’s no justice or no apology for the wrong that was done unto Dinah. 

When Dinah’s brothers hear what happened, they are furious. And honestly who wouldn’t be. Their sister was violated. Something inside them says that this cannot go unanswered.

So when Hamor and Shechem ask for peace and unity they agree, but inwardly they are plotting something deceiving, and when the men are weakest, Simeon and Levi slaughter all the men in the city.

They rescue Dinah from Shechem’s house, but the cost is devastating. Women and children are taken captive. The city is plundered. So much violence has taken place. 

Next, we hear what Jacob has to say about what has transpired. He doesn’t defend Shechem, but he doesn’t praise his sons either. In fact, he tells his sons they have troubled him. He’s afraid of retaliation and consequences. He’s afraid for his family.

And the sons respond simply:

Should he have dealt with our sister as with a harlot?

The chapter ends there.

This chapter was hard to relate to everyday life, but there is this…

This chapter confronts something we all wrestle with and that is… What do we do when our anger feels justified?

Because sometimes it is.

Someone crosses a line or hurts someone we love. Something unjust happens, and we feel that fire rise up inside us. And in those moments, we feel weak if we restrain from saying or doing something. Retaliation can feel good in the moment.

Genesis 34 shows us how easily justified anger can turn bad. 

The brothers weren’t wrong to be angry.

But they were wrong in how they responded.

One thing we can be sure of is God is working even if we don’t see it in the moments we first feel wronged. Later, Jacob will address this moment again. God does not forget Dinah. And God does not excuse Simeon and Levi either.

When I am hurt, or when someone I love is hurt, 

Do I trust God with justice… or do I take it into my own hands?

Sometimes obedience looks like restraint.

Sometimes faith looks like letting God handle what we desperately want to control.

The Study of Genesis: Post Twelve

***Note – We have completed the book of Job. Now, as we continue our journey through the Bible in chronological order, this is our twelfth devotion in Genesis. Though we’re in Week 24 overall, we’ll be in Genesis for the next several weeks.

Focus: Genesis 30 – 31

Tip: I highly recommend journaling your responses to the questions, prompts, and reflections. Writing them out can help you process more deeply and see how God is working in your life.

This week’s devotion includes:

Chapter 30 – “Don’t Let Jealousy Steal Your Joy”

Chapter 31 – “Jacob Honored God and God Honored Jacob”

(Remember: This is a once-a-week devotional that can be broken up over several days.)

Bible Memory:

Did you memorize last week’s Bible verse?

Hiding God’s Word in our hearts is such a valuable practice. Since I’ve been memorizing Scripture, I’ve experienced so many moments where God brings a specific verse to mind just when I need it most. It’s amazing how He uses His Word to speak into our lives right where we are.

This Week’s Memory Verse — “The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.”

— Exodus 14:14 

Genesis Chapter 30

“Don’t Let Jealousy Steal Your Joy”

(Read Genesis Chapter 30 First) 

Genesis 30 opens with a very real struggle: jealousy. Rachel sees her sister Leah having child after child, and she is so overwhelmed with envy that she cries out to Jacob that she might as well die. It sounds dramatic, but honestly, envy and want can take us to that place where someone else’s blessing feels like a wound to us.

We have to be so careful here. When our eyes lock onto what someone else has, or what they can do that we can’t, our joy evaporates. Our peace begins to rot from the inside out.

The Bible is clear about this:

“A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.”

— Proverbs 14:30 

Envy destroys us long before it ever affects the person we’re jealous of.

But Scripture also gives us a way out. Here are 5 biblical steps to overcome jealousy and envy:

1. Recognize that envy steals your peace.

You can’t have envy and full joy living in the same heart. One will push the other out.

2. Remember that God writes a different story for each person.

Someone else’s blessing doesn’t threaten your calling.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you…”

— Jeremiah 29:11 

Your story is still being written by a faithful God.

3. Choose gratitude for what God has placed in your hands.

You can’t compare and give thanks at the same time.

“In every thing give thanks…”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:18 

Gratitude overcomes jealousy every single time.

4. Celebrate others instead of competing with them.

When you rejoice with someone else, you disarm the jealousy inside you.

“Rejoice with them that do rejoice…”

— Romans 12:15 

5. Ask God to change your heart instead of your circumstances.

Hapiness isn’t God giving you what someone else has. Happiness is God reshaping your heart so you don’t need it to be content.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.”

— Psalm 51:10 

At the end of the day, jealousy is a heart issue, and only God can transform the heart.

The Story Continues…

Rachel is heartbroken and desperate. She wants Jacob to “fix it,” but Jacob responds honestly: I’m not God. I’m not the One withholding children from you. So Rachel takes matters into her own hands and she gives her maid, Bilhah, to Jacob so she can build a family through her. Bilhah bears two sons, Dan and Naphtali.

But Leah isn’t about to let Rachel have her moment. Sister rivalry is in full swing. Leah gives Jacob her maid, Zilpah, and she also bears two sons, Gad and Asher.

The next part of the story deals with mandrakes, and I had to do a little research to figure this one out. 

Reuben finds them in the field. These were rare plants people believed helped with infertility. Leah’s thrilled, Rachel’s desperate, and a full argument breaks out. I can almost hear it:

“Leah, please just let me have those mandrakes! You’ve had so many children already! Just give me a chance!”

Leah responds, “Oh, so now you want the mandrakes too? Isn’t it enough you took my husband? Now you want what my son brought me?”

Rachel offers a deal: she’ll trade a night with Jacob for the mandrakes. Leah accepts. But the irony? God opens Leah’s womb again, not Rachel’s. Leah has Issachar, then Zebulun, then a daughter named Dinah.

And then, in His perfect timing…

“God remembered Rachel…”

He opens her womb, and she gives birth to Joseph.

After Joseph is born, Jacob is ready to take his family and leave, but Laban doesn’t want him to go. He admits that he’s been blessed just by Jacob’s presence. Laban basically says, Name your price to stay. 

Jacob proposes an honest solution. He will take all the speckled, spotted, and brown animals as his wages. Laban agrees, but then sneaks off and removes every single one of those animals from the flock. He sends them three days away, leaving Jacob with almost nothing to work with.

Jacob is being cheated. Again.

So Jacob uses a method people believed in back then. He takes tree branches, peels stripes into them, and places them where the animals mate. It was a common ancient belief that what an animal (or woman) saw during conception could influence the offspring’s appearance. Jacob is doing the only thing he knows to do.

But in the next chapter, we find out the truth:

It wasn’t the sticks or superstition that helped him.

It was God’s intervention the entire time.

God was quietly providing for Jacob in the middle of deception and unfair treatment, and He does the same for us! 

Genesis 30 reminds us that:

People will compete with you.

People will misunderstand you.

People may even cheat you.

People may get what you desperately want before you do.

But none of that stops God’s plan for you.

Read these slowly and let them sink in.

Rachel’s jealousy didn’t speed up her blessing. 

Leah’s striving didn’t make Jacob love her more.

Laban’s deceit didn’t block Jacob’s increase.

The superstition didn’t produce the flock.

God did.

And He still does.

When life feels unfair and when everyone else seems to be blessed except you…

When you’re trying to “fix” what only God can fix…

Remember this chapter. 

God sees. He remembers, and He provides. 

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Genesis Chapter 31

“Jacob Honored God and God Honored Jacob”

(Read Genesis Chapter 31 First) 

Genesis 31 is a chapter with a lot of tension, but also full of God’s tender protection over His children. When we slow down and really look at the details, there are so many life lessons tucked into this story. There are lessons about God’s timing, God’s justice, and knowing when it’s time to walk away from a place where you’ve been mistreated.

Jacob heard Laban’s sons grumbling. He noticed Laban’s whole attitude toward him had changed. Isn’t it something when God lets us feel the shift in a relationship? It was once peaceful but then became strained.

God spoke to Jacob and told him:

“Return to the land of thy fathers… and I will be with thee.”

God never tells us to go without promising to go with us.

Jacob calls Leah and Rachel to come out to the field so he could talk to them about leaving their homeland. Jacob didn’t sit in that field and hash out every wrong Laban had done.

He said, “Your father deceived me…but God did not allow him to hurt me.”

Let me just pause and say this:

**Stop magnifying what people have done to you…

and start magnifying what God has done for you.**

No one can block the blessing God has for you. 

In Jacob’s dream, the angel of the Lord said:

“I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.”

You may feel overlooked…But God sees.

You may feel taken advantage of…But God keeps perfect records.

You may feel like someone got away with something…But they didn’t get away from God’s eyes.

And the good news is…Not only does God see the injustice, but He also responds. 

God reminded Jacob:

“You anointed the pillar, and you vowed a vow unto Me.”

God never forgets the moments when we commit our lives to Him. Jacob honored God at Bethel and now God said, “It’s time to go. I’m with you.”

Obedience even years ago can open doors today.

Rachel and Leah agreed: “There’s nothing here for us anymore.”

They said:

“All the riches that should have been ours…God has given to you.”

So, they decided to leave quietly.  Jacob didn’t announce he was leaving.

He didn’t try to explain or justify himself. He didn’t choose to argue. He just  obeyed what God told him to do. 

Rachel stole her father, Laban’s idols.  Her secret theft reminds us that:

• Not everyone around you is doing right.

• God protects us even from things we don’t know are happening.

Jacob had no idea she took them, but God still shielded him.

Laban decides to chase Jacob down, but God stops him!

God told Laban in a dream,

“Do not speak to Jacob either good or bad.”

Isn’t it amazing how God will speak to the very person who means you harm?

Some of the battles you never knew about were won in the night, while you slept, because God warned the enemy to back off.

When Laban and his brothers catch up to them, Laban searches the tents for his gods and when they are not found, Jacob finally stands up for himself after 20 years.

He says, in essence:

“I have served you faithfully. I have worked day and night.

You changed my wages ten times.

If God hadn’t seen the injustice, then I would have nothing.”

I’m glad Jacob had the opportunity to speak the truth to Laban. 

Then, Laban tries to take ownership of everything.

He says:

“These daughters are mine, these children are mine, these flocks are mine…”

This is what manipulators do. They claim ownership over what God has blessed you with.

But notice this:

Laban couldn’t stop Jacob from leaving because God had already ordained Jacob’s freedom.

Finally, they come to an agreement. They build a heap of stones that will act as a boundary between the two men. 

They agree that neither will cross the stones to harm the other.

Sometimes when there is strife you need to set a boundary.

The chapter ends with peace! 

Laban kisses his daughters and grandchildren and goes home.

The season is officially over.

God removed Jacob from a toxic environment, honors him, protects him, blesses him, and sets him on the path toward the promise.

Life Application: 

• Listen for God’s direction.

• When others deceive you, remember God sees and will defend you.

• When God says “go,” He also says, “I am with you.”

• Let God handle your vindication. He’s better at justice than we are.

The Study of Genesis: Post Eleven

***Note – We have completed the book of Job. Now, as we continue our journey through the Bible in chronological order, this is our eleventh devotion in Genesis. Though we’re in Week 23 overall, we’ll be in Genesis for the next several weeks.

Focus: Genesis 27 – 29

Tip: I highly recommend journaling your responses to the questions, prompts, and reflections. Writing them out can help you process more deeply and see how God is working in your life.

This week’s devotion includes:

Chapter 27 – “A Messy Family Story”

Chapter 28 – “Jacob’s Ladder”

Chapter 29 – “Unexpected” 

(Remember: This is a once-a-week devotional that can be broken up over several days.)

Bible Memory:

Did you memorize last week’s Bible verse?

Hiding God’s Word in our hearts is such a valuable practice. Since I’ve been memorizing Scripture, I’ve experienced so many moments where God brings a specific verse to mind just when I need it most. It’s amazing how He uses His Word to speak into our lives right where we are.

This Week’s Memory Verse — “And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” Genesis 28:15

Genesis Chapter 27

“A Messy Family Story”

(Read Genesis Chapter 27 First) 

Genesis 27 is one of those chapters that feels messy and complicated. It’s full of family tension, favoritism, deception, anger, fear, and heartbreak. And honestly…that makes it a chapter that hits real life more than we may want to admit.

Isaac was old, blind, and knew his days were numbered. He called for Esau, his oldest son, wanting to give him the blessing that traditionally belonged to the firstborn. He told Esau to go hunting for a deer, prepare his favorite meal, and then Isaac would bless him.

But Rebekah overheard them and everything changes. 

She went straight to Jacob with a plan to secure the blessing for him instead. Whether she remembered God’s prophecy during her pregnancy that “the elder shall serve the younger,” or whether she simply wanted this outcome, she pushed Jacob into deceiving his father. Jacob was hesitant because he feared being caught and receiving a curse rather than a blessing. Rebekah answered:

“Upon me be thy curse, my son. Only obey my voice.”

That sentence alone shows how determined she was.

Rebekah gave Jacob Esau’s clothing to put on and she placed goat skins on his hands and neck because Esau was a hairy man and Jacob was smooth. She prepared the meal and sent Jacob in to his father. 

Isaac felt uncertain that it was truly Esau. “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau”, but he went through with it. He touched Jacob, smelled Esau’s garments, and finally gave Jacob the blessing that was meant for Esau.

The blessing included:

• Dew of heaven and fatness of the earth

• Plenty of corn and wine

• Nations and people serving him

• Dominion over his brothers

• Protection: Those who cursed him would be cursed; those who blessed   him would be blessed

In other words, Jacob was receiving the inheritance, the authority, the prosperity, and the spiritual blessing of the covenant line.

As soon as Jacob was gone, Esau walked in.

That moment is heartbreaking. Isaac trembled violently when he realized what had happened. Esau cried an “exceedingly great and bitter cry” and begged, “Bless me, even me also, O my father.”

But Isaac couldn’t undo what he had spoken.

The blessing he gave Esau was very different. He would live by the sword, serve his brother for a time, and eventually break free. Esau left in hatred and rage and began planning to kill Jacob.

Rebekah heard of the plan and immediately told Jacob to run to her brother Laban until Esau’s anger cooled. I love the little wisdom tucked in verse 44:

“…until thy brother’s fury turn away.”

It’s a reminder for us today that…

Anger cools down with time and space.

Sometimes the wisest thing we can do is step back, pause, and let emotions settle down. 

To cover Jacob’s sudden departure, Rebekah told Isaac she was weary of the local Hittite women and didn’t want Jacob to marry someone from there. This would lead into the events of the next chapter.

Life Applications We Can Learn From This Chapter:

No one in this chapter looks perfect…not Isaac, not Rebekah, not Jacob, and not Esau. But God still worked through every piece of this story. Here are some lessons we can carry into our own lives:

1. God’s plans stand

God had already spoken that the older would serve the younger. God’s purposes still unfolded. We can trust God’s plan without forcing our own.

2. Deception comes with consequences.

Jacob got the blessing, but he also had to run from home, broke his relationship with his brother, and lived years in fear and exile.

Sin may “work,” but it never works well.

3. Favoritism tears relationships apart.

Isaac favored Esau. Rebekah favored Jacob.

This caused division, secrecy, and heartbreak.

God desires for us to be fair, honest, and have unity within our families.

4. Emotions take time to cool.

Rebekah’s advice is still true today:

“Until thy brother’s fury turn away.”

Sometimes stepping back is the wisest move to make in a disagreement.

5. God uses imperfect people to fulfill His perfect will.

Genesis 27 reminds us that God doesn’t work only through neat, polished situations. He works through flawed people and bad decisions.

There is hope for us too, because we will make mistakes.

Take a moment to reflect:

• Where am I tempted to “force” something instead of trusting God’s   timing?

• Are there relationships in my life where favoritism or comparison   has created division?

• Do I need to step back and let anger cool.. either my anger or someone   else’s?

• How can I trust God more deeply with the messy parts of my story?

Your story doesn’t have to be perfect for God to fulfill His purpose.

He is still faithful even when we falter.

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Genesis Chapter 28

“Jacob’s Ladder”

(Read Genesis Chapter 28 First) 

In Genesis 28, we have family tension, mistakes being made, people trying to fix things their own way, and someone else just trying to run toward the future God has for them. Honestly… again, it sounds a lot like real life.

Isaac sends Jacob away to find a wife from Rebekah’s family instead of marrying among the Canaanites. He blesses Jacob, prays over him, and reminds him of the promises God made to Abraham. Meanwhile, Esau sees all of this and realizes, a little too late, that his choices haven’t lined up with his parents’ wishes. So he tries to “fix it” by marrying one of Ishmael’s daughters, hoping it’ll make things better.

We probably can all relate to this part of Esau’s life where he does something reactive, something he hoped would patch up what’s broken, but it never really reaches the root of the issue.

But then the story switches to Jacob.

Jacob is on his way to Padan-aram. He isn’t at home anymore, but he’s not yet reached his destination of his uncle’s home. He’s tired, alone, traveling on foot, and sleeping with a rock for a pillow. (… I cannot imagine using a stone for a pillow)

And that’s exactly where God shows up.

Jacob dreams of a ladder stretching from earth to heaven with angels ascending and descending. Then the LORD stands above it, speaking promises of what He told Abraham and Isaac, but this time, with something added:

“I am with thee… I will keep thee… I will bring thee again into this land.”

Right there, in the middle of nowhere, God tells Jacob:

“I see you. I’m with you. I’m going to protect you. And I’m bringing you back home.”

What a reminder that God doesn’t wait until we get our lives together to meet us. 

Jacob wakes up afraid and amazed. He realizes God wasn’t just with Abraham. God wasn’t just with Isaac. God is with him, personally. And something changes in him. He takes the stone he slept on, sets it up as a memorial, and names the place Bethel which means “house of God.”

Then he makes a vow: that if God would guard him, provide for him, and bring him home in peace, then the LORD would be his God and not just the God of his family. He even commits to giving God a tenth of whatever blessings come his way. You can tell that he does this out of love and honor, trusting that God will do what He revealed to him in his dream. 

I love this because so many of us have “heard about” God through other people like parents, grandparents, pastors, etc…but God wants to be our God too. He wants a personal relationship, not an inherited one. 

And He meets us in the most unexpected places to remind us of that.

Maybe today you feel like Jacob. You’re somewhere between where you came from and where you hope you’re going. Maybe life feels uncomfortable, uncertain, or a little lonely.

Genesis 28 reminds us of this:

God is with you.

He will keep you.

He will provide for you.

And He will bring you where you need to be.

Just like Jacob, we can look back on seasons where God showed up in the middle of our mess and say, “Surely the Lord is in this place.”

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Genesis Chapter 29 

“Unexpected”

(Read Genesis Chapter 29 First)

Genesis 29 picks up right where Jacob left off. He was traveling alone and following the direction God had given him. After miles and miles of walking, he finally reaches a field with a well where several flocks of sheep are gathered. The shepherds are all just sitting around waiting.

And the reason they’re waiting is interesting. In those days, wells were often covered with a large stone. It kept the water clean, protected it from animals or debris, and prevented anyone from taking more than their portion. But it wasn’t opened until all the flocks arrived so the water could be shared fairly. It was a system that protected resources and kept peace among the shepherds.

Jacob walks right into the middle of this little scene and starts asking questions, and it turns out that these shepherds know exactly who his uncle Laban is and they tell him Laban is doing well. And while they’re talking, here comes Rachel, Laban’s daughter, walking toward the well with her father’s sheep.

Talk about perfect timing.

In verse 7 the shepherds say, “Lo, it is yet high day, neither is it time…” In other words, it’s not time to move the stone yet. We’re still waiting on the rest of the flocks.

I stopped here and thought…isn’t it just like God to step into our lives at moments that don’t look like the “right time”? A moment that looks ordinary or maybe even inconvenient… ends up being the doorway to something God planned all along.

Jacob sees Rachel and immediately steps up. He rolls the stone away himself and waters her flock. Then he cries, kisses her, and tells her he’s family. She runs home and tells her father, Laban comes running back, and before long Jacob is living with them as part of the household.

After about a month, Laban tells Jacob he shouldn’t work for free, and asks what wages he’d like. Jacob isn’t afraid to tell him exactly what… or should I say who…he wants. He loves Rachel and offers to work seven years in exchange for marrying her. Scripture says those seven years “seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” I love that detail! Love can make hard work feel light.

But then comes a twist no one saw coming.

On the wedding night, Laban gives Jacob Leah instead of Rachel. Jacob wakes up the next morning and I can’t  imagine the shock, confusion, and betrayal he felt. Laban excuses it by saying their custom required the older daughter to marry first. Then he tells Jacob he can have Rachel too… after Leah’s bridal week is fulfilled.

“Fulfill her week” simply means honoring the seven-day wedding celebration that was customary for a bride. Jacob had to devote that bridal week to Leah before he could marry Rachel. But even though he married Rachel one week later, he still had to serve seven more years for her.

You can feel the heartbreak all around. Leah, who wasn’t chosen first, and Jacob, who was deceived by someone he trusted. Yet in the tension of all of this, God shows up again.

Verse 31 says, “When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb: but Rachel was barren.”

This is where God reminds us that He sees the unfair, the frustrating, the disappointing, the lonely places we can be in. Leah didn’t have Jacob’s heart… but she had God’s attention. And He began blessing her with sons.

Every time Leah had a child, she expressed her heart:

• Reuben:“The LORD hath looked upon my affliction.” His name means “Behold, a son.”

• Simeon: “The LORD hath heard that I was hated.” His name means “hear with your ear.”

• Levi: “Now this time my husband will be joined unto me.” His name means “joined as one”

• Judah: “Now will I praise the LORD.” His name means “praise.”

Leah longed to be loved by Jacob, and you can feel her pain in each statement. But after the birth of Judah, instead of focusing on what she wished she had, she chose to praise the Lord for what she did have.

God used the son she named “praise” to eventually bring forth the lineage of Jesus Christ Himself.

God saw her, honored her, and worked through her.

And He still does this today.

Maybe today you feel overlooked like Leah… or disappointed like Jacob… or waiting like Rachel. Maybe you’re in a season that doesn’t feel fair or doesn’t feel like it’s “the right time.”

Genesis 29 reminds us that:

• God is working even when people fail us.

• God’s timing doesn’t have to make sense to us to be perfect.

• God sees the one who feels unseen.

• God brings purpose out of situations that feel all wrong.

And sometimes, like Leah, our breakthrough begins when our focus changes from what we wish would change to praising God for who He is.

You don’t have to fight for attention, force timing, or fix what someone else broke. God sees and He knows. And He is already working behind the scenes to bring about His plan in your life too.