The life of Jacob is certainly an interesting one.  From stealing a birthright to marrying sisters in the wrong order, to running away from their Dad, Jacob has some adventures.  Perhaps, none more interesting than Genesis 32 when He wrestles with God.  Let’s look at the account together today. 

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. 24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. 26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 The man asked him, “What is your name?” “Jacob,” he answered. 28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”29 Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.” 31 The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip. 32 Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob’s hip was touched near the tendon.

God clearly takes some human form that can be wrestled with and is not particularly strong.  Jacob is able to hold on all night although God can clearly disable him at will simply by touch.  The key here is Jacob finally acknowledging and understanding that the source of all blessing is God.  There is no need to steal a birthright when it comes to God.  God gives His blessings freely.  He has already made a promised blessing to Jacob through Abraham and Isaac.  Here the blessing becomes even more specific as God changes Jacob’s name to Israel and he quite literally becomes the Father of a nation.  For us the takeaway is the value of the blessings of God.  We have inherited blessings from God through Jesus.  Do we “wrestle” and hold onto God to receive more blessings from Him?  The closer we hold onto God the more we will see and experience His blessings in our lives.  May we all hold tight to God and never let go.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you heard the expression turnabout is fair play?  It usually happens when someone is treated the way they treat others.  It happens to Jacob the trickster when he gets tricked into marrying the wrong woman.  Let’s look at the account together. 

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” 16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.” 19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her. 21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.” 22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant. 25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?” 26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.” 28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

I’m not quite sure how he didn’t realize it was Leah until the morning but Jacob does get deceived.  God goes on to bless Leah with many children and then ultimately the line of Jesus comes through Leah although Rachel gives birth to Joseph, Jacob’s favorite.  Think of all of the chaos that has happened in the lives of Abraham Isaac and Jacob.  In the midst of all of this mess God makes something beautiful.  He forms the nation of Israel.  The twelve tribes come from the children of Leah and Rachel.  Ultimately He sends his own son to be the promised Messiah through the line of Leah and her son Judah.  Some times our own lives can feel like a mess as well.  Know that God can make beautiful things out of our mess just like He has always done.  We simply rely upon Him and submit to His ways and watch Him do amazing things. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

As Isaac nears the end of his life he wants to bless Esau.  Esau had sold this birthright to Jacob but Isaac still intends on giving it to Esau, his favorite. Rebekah learns of this plan and plans to trick Isaac into giving the blessing to Jacob instead.  Let’s look at the account together today. 

Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.” 5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.” 11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.” 13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.” 14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made. 18 He went to his father and said, “My father.” “Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?” 19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”  “The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied. 21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.” 22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him.

As a boy this story always troubled me.  God makes a great nation out of Jacob and his descendants, but Jacob tricks his father and lies to him to receive this blessing.  The more I learned the more I realized that this story is more about God than about us.  God’s blessings don’t come because we have earned or deserve them.  God’s blessings come because of His abundance of love and grace in our lives.  Deep down we all have a sense of needing to perform to earn God’s love and blessings but the Bible clearly paints us a picture of God’s unmerited favor for us time and again.  Today take a moment to thank God for His amazing grace in your life. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Isaac continues to operate under the great covenant the God made with his father, Abraham.  He knows that a great nation will come from his line and his people.  His firstborn sons are twins but are quite different.  With Mom and Dad each having a clear favorite.  Let’s read the account together today. 

When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them. 27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob. 29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.) 31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.” 32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left. So Esau despised his birthright.

This is a quick but very significant portion of scripture.  A birthright was given to the firstborn and with this birthright a blessing was handed down.  This blessing would be the Covenant that God had made with Abraham.  Esau flippantly sells his to Jacob because he is hungry.  He knows that he is Isaac’s favorite and probably assumes he will receive the blessing anyways.  This makes light of God’s great promise however and has significant consequences in the life of both Jacob and Esau.  God does indeed make a great nation out of Jacob.  He even renames him Israel.  Jacob’s sons become the twelve tribes of Israel.  Esau however become an outsider to that great blessing.  For us today the significance is how important little choices can be in our lives.  Esau didn’t think twice about selling his birthright because he thought he would get it anyways.  When we make flippant choices they often can have lasting consequences.  We all probably have a story or two about that.  Esau serves as a reminder to trust in God’s great plan for us and not make decisions that waver from that.  We also have a great promise from God that we are His children who get to receive the blessings of His birthright.  When we do follow His plans we get to experience the greatness of the blessings that He has for us.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Hello Advent Family,

Have you ever noticed how, whether you like it or not, you end up picking up some of your parents habits or mannerisms?  Isaac certainly has the same issue.  He just has heard from God that God will be with him and bless him and his descendants.  He decides that God’s promise is not good enough and out of fear he tells people that his wife, Rebecca is his sister.  Does this sound familiar?  Let’s look together at the account found in Genesis 26.   

The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.” 8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” 10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” 11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

This story to me teaches us a few different things.  First, we all need to trust in the promises of God and not try and take matters into our own hands.  As parents or grandparents we need to realize that we are leaving a legacy for those generations behind us.  Through what we say and teach, but more importantly, through how we act and live.  I’m certain that if Abraham knew Isaac would have the same struggle as him he might have had a second thought and trusted God more.  May we all learn from this and realize that our choices impact more than just our own lives.  Our choices are a legacy that we pass down to future generations.  May we all leave a legacy of great faith and trust in God.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Today we conclude our story of Abraham with him seeking to carry on the Covenant through his son Isaac.  He wants a woman from his own country and not the Canaanites to marry Isaac.  He entrusts his highest servant with the task of finding this woman.  Let’s look at the story together today.

Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.” 5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?” 6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. 10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water. 12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” 15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again. The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink. 19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.”

Abraham had clearly passed his legacy of faith on to his servant who prays that God will help him in this difficult task.  Before he even finished his prayer God has answered it.  This is clearly not the way this had worked previously in the life of Abraham but God does this last thing so that Abraham can die knowing his line will be carried on through Isaac and Rebecca.  God did remarkable things in and through the life of Abraham.  Sometimes through Abraham’s faithfulness and other times despite his lack of faith.  The reality is that God wants to do great things in and through our lives as well.  He simply wants us to be willing. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever been around one of those people that just had a presence everyone is drawn to.  People want to be around them and do things for them.  I have noticed that often this occurs in people that show love the way God calls us to love.  Abraham clearly has this type of presence because throughout his life people do things above and beyond the normal for him.  Let’s look at one such account which occurs when Sarah dies and Abraham seeks to bury her. 

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her. 3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.” 5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.” 7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.” 10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

In that culture land was the utmost commodity.  No one wanted to be buried on foreign land but on their own land.  There were even instances where some would gouge prices to sell to others for them to bury their dead.  Instead because of who Abraham is people want to give him valuable land.  That’s the effect God’s love has on the world.  When we love others the way God calls us to people are down to that.  It gives us a platform to share more about God and the love that He freely offers.  Today make it a point to love others the way God calls us to love and see what opportunities He gives you to point people to Him.

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Hello Advent Family,

Have you ever witnessed someone grow tremendously in their faith.  It truly is a remarkable and beautiful thing.  God paints us such a picture of Abraham’s growth in the Bible.  He goes from someone who twice lies and says his wife is his sister to a man willing to sacrifice his only son.  Let’s look at the account together found in Genesis 22.

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

I can not imagine the faith it took as he tied up his son and placed him on the altar.  Perhaps Abraham believed that God would stop him.  Perhaps he knew that God would provide the sacrifice in his place.  No matter what his thoughts were the point is that he acted in faith.  He completely and totally trusted God.  So many things creep into our lives that limit our faith.  We rely upon our own strength and resources instead of God.  We trust our own wisdom instead of His.  Abraham had finally gotten to the point in his life where he completely trusted God.  I pray that we would all get to this same place in our own lives.  A place where we completely and totally trust God, even in the face of immense challenges. 

In His Grip,
Pastor Dave

Have you ever waiting on God for something?  Think back to all that has happened in Abraham’s life since God promised to make a great nation out of his descendants back in Genesius 15.  Finally, Abraham sees God’s promise come true with the birth of Isaac.  Let’s look at the account in Genesis 21.

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

God’s timing is often different from ours.  I have had friends who have prayed for things for years before they finally saw God act.  Then I have also seen God answer prayers immediately.  The point is that His timing is always perfect for His plan.  When we learn to wait on Good and depend upon Him our strength and faith grows.  Abraham grew from a man who continually tried to take matters into his own hands to a man whose faith was so strong he is known for it.  I pray that we all would learn to patiently wait upon God and allow Him to grow our faith in amazing ways.  

In His Grip,

Pastor Dave