Get ready to start a journey…a journey through the pages of the Bible and the pages of your life.
I want to remind you that we have a great team ready to answer your questions. Don’t ever think your question is too simple or basic. Howard Hendricks, one of my favorite seminary professors, would say, “The only foolish question is one you don’t ask.” Also, due to time, there are aspects of these passages that I can’t address. Again, be sure to send us your questions. Our team wants to help you stay engaged in God’s Word.
God is writing his story in you, and it is an amazing story. Sure, there are twists and turns, bumps and detours. Sometimes, we get stalled, disappointed, even discouraged, but through it all, God never wastes our time. His work today prepares us for tomorrow. That’s what we see in the life of Joseph. He becomes Moses’ person of focus beginning in Genesis 37.
We are getting ready to begin the last section of Genesis, where God writes his story through Joseph. These extraordinary events illustrate this point: God never wastes our time. Before we start God’s story in Joseph, let’s take today to wrap up Genesis 35 and 36, then summarize what we have learned to this point. Remember, you need a grasp of Genesis to understand the whole of Scripture.
In Genesis 34, we considered Jacob’s passive leadership that led to his sons committing a massacre at Shechem. Jacob feared that other countries in the region would retaliate, but in Genesis 35, we learn that God is fighting for Jacob and his family. A “terror from God fell upon the cities that were around them, so that they did not pursue the sons of Jacob” (Gen. 35:5). Once again, Jacob experienced the power and protection of God.
When God writes his story, he does not communicate in bullet points. He writes his story in the lives of people who learn how to love and trust him through blessing and success, through pain and failure. Today, we’re considering Genesis 34 that relates a tragic account about Jacob’s daughter.
In Genesis 32, Jacob learned that his older brother, Esau, was coming his way with four hundred men. Jacob did not look forward to the encounter. The brothers had been estranged due to Jacob’s trickery that led to Esau giving away his birthright and losing his father’s blessing. Esau had been furious with Jacob and intent on ending Jacob’s life. Now, two decades later, Jacob had no idea if that’s what Esau was coming to do. Jacob sent a series of gifts to Esau to appease him.
When God writes our story, each day is a new chapter. Whatever happened yesterday, happened yesterday. Whether yesterday was characterized by failure or success, it is over. Every day needs to be infused with fresh faith.
God is writing his story in your life, and it is an amazing story. Now, honestly, there are people who think, and others who teach, that if God is truly writing our story, life is going to be smooth sailing, no bumps, no issues. But when we dig into Scripture, we know that is not the case. Often, God uses significant challenges to write our story. We see this illustrated again today in the life of Jacob.
Humanity has a natural craving for love. We want to be accepted and valued. This is not abnormal or unhealthy until it produces harmful behavior. We all know that competition and jealousy can wreak havoc in families. That’s what we see in today’s passage.
God is a God of grace and mercy. He forgives us and continues to write his story in us. And repeatedly in Scripture, we learn that we reap what we sow. In today’s passage, we clearly see God’s grace and the consequences of sin.
When did you truly own your faith? That’s one of the questions we have challenged our children to answer. They “trusted” in Christ early in their lives, but did they trust in Jesus based on their parents’ faith? They have all shared a time in high school or college when they realized their trust in Jesus was for real. This is an insightful discussion to have with other believers and an important question to answer in your own faith journey.
God is writing his story in you. In our study of Genesis, we have seen that God is powerful and mighty in his actions and will always accomplish what he promises. And we know he works directly in our lives to write our story. We also know there are times when we want to write our own story in our own timing. When we do, well, we make a mess of things. That’s what happens in Genesis 27.