Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Sleepless in the South

My human nature keeps me in trouble. This time I couldn't sleep. So, I figured why not read? The Youversion.com usually takes me right back to where I left off reading and since that was in the reading plan "through the bible in 90 days" I assumed it would tell me where to stop. Well, it would have it I'd been on the right page. Not sure how I got off the page because I am sure I started on the right page. Oh well, I read way ahead but since I was sleepless, I'm not sure how much of it registered in the right lobe. Or left lobe...especially the frontal lobe where I need it the most.

So, I'm left with just some images that stuck with me after reading. These include the wells that Abraham and Isaac digged together. Each had special names and I recall upon reading this story which is only cursory, seems to imply a portrait album of Jehovah (the new American Standard version is what happened to turn up on Youversion so that is the version I am reading). Of course I want to go back and study this later. But moving on, I recall how when Jacob deceived his father and then was sent to the homeland of his mother out of necessity for his life and secondarily to find a wife, how God visited him in a dream. That famous Jacob's ladder dream. I've wondered if that location was the eventual location of a great event. Maybe I read about that somewhere. Later, yes, I want to study that too.

God's visit through the dream leaves an impression on me. There was no reprimand about his deception. No. Not one word. Only promises. Jacob of course must surely have been led to understand the end of decptive practices after experiencing all that Laban would dish out. Still, God's pervasive arms of love extend through Jacob's web. He meets with him in dreams to give him inside knowledge of the way in which his flocks are multifplying. He reveals his justice to him in spite of the fact that his mother's sin (well, I guess it still is a sin if you are faced with trying to honor God's prophecy of the elder serving the younger son). Jacob had been faced with either serving his mother or his father. I'm sure that his mother's story about God telling her how Esau would serve him must have caused distress.

Discerning God's will is not an easy thing according to these stories in Genesis. Far be it from me to condemn any of them. I'm amazed at the way God keeps pursuing Jacob and coming close to him throughout his journey towards increasingly developing a more godly character. To think that he fought with God and had a scarred hip to prove it. That is just mind boggling. It reminds me of the day when my youngest son was born and I chose to forego the anesthesia (first experience wasn't a good one so that helped make the decision). I remember that feeling of fighting for my blessing. Believing that my child would be born healthy. Doing everything humanly possible to facillitate the process. He was born! And I will never forget the nickel-sized bald spot on the pinacle of his head. It looked like someone had shaved it off. I realized that it was due to the fact my spine had been stuck and not budging. One trip to the chiropractor had allowed his head to move beyond that one point. Later, the chiropractor put me back in alignment. But, I'd have been willing to do whatever it took to help him be born.

I guess God is that way only moreso. He did what it took to help Jacob be born again. I think that when his name was changed to Isreal--that was significant of his character change. It was something that was changed in Jacob's heart. He understood the end results of sin. And he was changed in ways that his sons had not yet had the life experiences to understand.

These stories are so full of depth and amazing parenting models about how God parented his children. I pray that God will give me wisdom to parent as he does.

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