Reflections from January 16, 2011

Another post from the camp weekend...

Because of famine, Isaac moves to a new land, but still has the promise of God as found in Genesis 26:4 where God says,

"and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept my charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."

Our faithfulness will be rewarded as well; we might not get the promise of mighty nations as our heritage, but God does promise us streets of gold in heaven.

We turn from God's blessings to straight from the devil. Jacob, Isaac's son, deceived his father and received the blessing from Isaac that was intended for Esau, his first born. With the help of his mother, Jacob went in to receive the blessing, indicating how people will serve him and bow down to him. When Esau learned of this deception, he let rage grow in his heart and Genesis 27:41 tells us,

"So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, 'The days of mourning for my father are at hand; then I will kill my brother Jacob.'"

The sin of Jacob and Rebekah had a lasting impact on their family with future generations lying and deceiving and trying to hide their sin. Such is the nature of sin and evil. It binds people the way a spider wraps a fly in more and more threads until no escape is possible - no escape except divine intervention. God's response to our sins was to offer Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for us. He took the penalty and has broken the bonds of sin that ensnare us.

Blessings to all