Genesis 29; Matthew 28
Daily Catechism
QUESTION 4: WHAT IS THE WORD OF GOD?
Answer: The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, being given by divine inspiration, are the Word of God, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.
Scripture: 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17; Isaiah 8:20; Matthew 5:17- 18; 1 Corinthians 2:13; Psalm 19:7-8.
Comment: “Scriptures” is a special word for the “writings” of the OT and NT. Perhaps you will want to explain that the OT deals with God’s word that came before Jesus was born; and the NT is the word of God that came after Jesus was born. “Infallible” means it will never lead us astray in what it teaches. It is true and does not err. It can be trusted. “Faith” refers to right thinking and feeling; and “practice” refers to right doing. We measure our thoughts and emotions and actions by the rule of the Bible. “Inspiration” means that it is God-breathed: by his Spirit he guided his spokesmen to speak his word in their language.
Genesis 29
Ready:
In the previous chapter Jacob was sent to Laban for his own safety and to find a wife from Rebekah’s family. On the road God speaks to Jacob and repeats the promises of the covenant he made with Abraham.
Reading thoughts:
This chapter is quite a drama. The storyline came from tension in the threat to Jacob’s life and turned into resolve in the desert with God telling him that he will provide for him and “keep him wherever he goes”. All seems well and as the plot moves to a climax Leban pulls a crazy Ivan and switches brides on Jacob! A big twist in the plot and now how will Jacob deal with it? Though he expresses disappointment in being deceived he seems to roll with it for the joy of acquiring Rachel. There has got to be a message here in how Jacob gets fooled in the same manner as the way he fooled Issac into giving him the blessing. God’s providence is a gain at work to guide Jacob just as he has stated. For Leah gave him Judah and it is through Judah that the Christ will come. She bears children in this chapter like a machine right up until Judah is born and then…done. The timeline here is not perfectly clear in my mind but it seems he served 7 years for now wife and then another 7 for the second for a total of 14 years there with Laban. This might have been enough time for Esau to cool off. It also seems interesting that the Lord used Rachel to guide Jacob to Leah, whom he would not have chosen without God intervening to bring the line of the promised offspring even by this deception of Laban. The Lord saw that Jacob still preferred Rachel and he made sure that Leah was fruitful and he brought about the four children she was to bear straight off before allowing Rachel any children. God is seen here and throughout the Bible to open and close wombs and to intervene in the birth of children at certain times and for his own purposes. God’s hand is surely on every child that is born for it seems that the womb opens at his command.
Key Verses:
“16 Now Laban had two daughters. The name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful in form and appearance. 18 Jacob loved Rachel. And he said, “I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.”” (Genesis 29:16–18, ESV)
“25 And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?”” (Genesis 29:25, ESV)
“30 So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years.” (Genesis 29:30, ESV)
“31 When the Lord saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” (Genesis 29:31, ESV)
“35 And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she ceased bearing.” (Genesis 29:35, ESV)
I see the theme as- God directs the path of Jacob and works in the very twists and turns and challenges of his life to bring about his perfect plan.
Rumination thoughts:
Interesting lineage we have from the beginning considering some of the unique scenarios: The promise of the offspring in the Garden comes in the form of a curse. God scatters the people into many nations and languages and then picks one man from a nomadic band of idol worshipers to bear the promise and a covenant. Now the offspring is narrowed from all the nations to this one point. Sin results in a false first-born who is skipped and then the true promised offspring (Isaac) is blessed. Then he is fooled and coerced into blessing the child he would not have chosen (Jacob). Then this child running for his life tries to marry a beautiful woman only to be fooled into taking Leah who will bear the child who will be head of the Tribe of Judah. He would not have chosen this woman, but God did choose her. She will, by extension, bear the kings of Judah to include King David and also the Christ. She also bore the head of the Levites, which are the priests, and this means by extension she bears Moses and Aaron. I take it that this marriage to Leah was necessary in God’s plan of keeping his promise and therefore come any plans of man or not, it would come to pass. It seems that God will work right though our errors and sin and the actions of others that we think harm us and in the end “Behold, I am with you and will keep you and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” This was in the last chapter where God spoke to Jacob. It looks like Jacob may have been remembering this promise that he will come back to this land and he will be guided by God and the promises will be kept and perhaps this sustained him for the 14 years he spent there in Haran.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
1. I hear the message that God has intentions and a plan for Jacob that did not match Jacob’s expectations or desires. Yet God brings about the necessary offspring and his purposes are not stopped by human error and sin. One implication can be taken that God “adjusts” and deals with our errors by altering his intended means to work back around to his ultimately intended outcome. Another implication could be that God brings his purposes to pass even if it is accomplished through the means of sin and error as not an adjustment but as the sovereign plan of God (Acts 4:27-28, 2:23, etc.). I take the latter and this brings the significance to me that I can rest assured that the sinful actions of others around me are not outside of God’s control and I am not truly “at risk” but I am kept by God whop will work all things according to the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11) and he will ensure that whether I know the right way to go or not (Rom 8:26-27) he will cause all things to work out for the good (Rom 8:28) of my transformation into Christlikeness (Rom 8:29) because that has been his plan from all time (Rom 8:30a) as he takes me down this road to glory (Rom 8:30b). So I take peace and joy here that leads to hope, by the power of God (Rom 15:13) so that I can give thanks is all circumstances (Eph 5:20, 1 Thess 5:18), while still hating evil, fighting for good, relieving oppression and affliction and poverty and hunger where we find it, and lamenting suffering (Rom 12:9, Micah 6:8, Isaiah 58:6-10, Rom 12:15). Sounds like a freedom fighter who in the end trusts God to be at work!
Response:
“Private”
Reaction:
“Private”
Matthew 28
Ready:
So Jesus was crucified and the earth shook and now he has been placed in the tomb. Sin is conquered but death still has a grip on our savior. The curtain is torn and access is made available but will there be anyone “alive” to come and enter into the throne room now that it is open to us? Guards are posted and the clock is ticking on Jesus’ claims to be resurrected. The veracity of all he ever said rests on his delivery of this promised miracle of miracles.
Reading thoughts:
Early Sunday morning there is a miraculous visit by an angel (or maybe more than one looking at other gospels) who rolls back the stone (maybe with the earthquake or maybe by his own touch). Whatever happens here it scares the bejeezers out of the guard and they flee. Fleeing here should be known to result in death for these guards but that didn’t seem to stop them. Mary and the other are told that Jesus is already risen and they should go and tell the others. Mary runs into Jesus himself! A reading of all the gospel accounts and reviewing of some notes in the study Bible can help piece together the sequence of events and the details here. Then Matthew jumps to the end of the 40 days that Jesus was walking around appearing to many people and he goes right to the great commission and ascension of Christ.
Key Verses:
“6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”” (Matthew 28:6–7, ESV)
“18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18–20, ESV)
I take the theme to be- Death falls to the power of God and the sting is removed forever.
Rumination thoughts:
No time to develop but Here Jesus rises and in this God declares his identity (Rom 1:3-4), defeats death (Rom 6:9, Heb 2:14-15, 2 Tim 1:10) and frees those who are united with him in death to be united in life (Rom 6:4-5) to live free from the slavery of sin (1 Cor 15:56, Gal 4:7, Rom 6:6) so that we walk in freedom and the transforming power of grace (Rom 6:15, Titus 2:11-14) never to be condemned (Rom 8:1-2, Phil 3:9-11).
Response:
“Private”
Reaction:
“Private”
