5 insights into how God shapes a Life

 Read Genesis 37. 

Jacob always loved Rachel.  Therefore, the boys to whom she gave birth were treated with special care and concern above the other half-brothers.  Joseph was even given a special robe by his father.  No wonder in this patriarchal culture that jealousy and even hatred developed among the siblings. 

Joseph's own immaturity and misuse of what God gave him brought the hatred to a head.  God gave him dreams of his future.  Surely, he did not understand its full implications.  But his brothers and his father did, and they resented it.  This good thing from the LORD was received as the pride-filled statements of a youth.  The brothers had had enough.  As an alternative to killing Joseph, they sold him as a slave to Egypt. The rest of the story of Genesis now begins to unfold and centers on what happened to Joseph. 

God is not going to change His mind, nor His plans for Joseph's life.  However, He is going to change Joseph.  It is through those times of brokenness and suffering that Joseph's character will be shaped and he will learn humility.  Only then will he be ready as a usable vessel for what God has in mind to change and develop two nations. 

Joseph must have asked a thousand times, "Why did God give me those dreams?  Why could not I have resolved my maturity and character issues where I was?  How long must I endure mistreatment and such injustice?  Where is God when I need Him?" 

In Isaiah 64:8, the prophet described God as a potter and we as His clay. 

1. The clay belongs to the potter.  He can do what he wants with his own property.

2. The shape, design, and future of the molded clay are the plans of the potter.

3. The timing of the work on the clay is the decision of the potter.

4. The place where the vessel will be and used is at the discretion of the potter.

5. The admiration for the finished product by others goes to the potter, never to the clay. 

The take away is that we are in good hands as the Potter shapes us and uses us for His glory.  That is what the Apostle Paul meant when he said, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10)

 

Today's choices Matter

 Read Genesis 36. 

This is the final chapter concerning the life of Esau.  Even before his birth, he struggled in the womb with his twin brother Jacob (25:22).  Physically stronger than Jacob, Esau was a talented hunter.  But his legacy is one of bad and sinful choices due to his undisciplined, temporal appetites. 

He sold his birthright, as the slightly elder son, for a bowl stew.  In this patriarchal culture, such a foolish decision robbed him of the primary blessing of his father and had a direct effect on all his descendants.  However, in the plan of God, it fulfilled the prophetic word of the LORD from Genesis 25:23.    

He turned to the ungodly Canaanites for his multiple wives.  This was a source of bitterness and heartache to his parents (26:35). 

He left the land of God's promise for the eastern pastures of Edom.  The name Esau and his descendants became synonymous with the land of Edom (36:8).

 His descendants continued through the centuries to oppose the descendants of Jacob, even to war against them (Numbers 20:18-21; 1 Samuel 14:47).  The Edomites worshiped false gods and not the God of Abraham and Isaac (2 Chronicles 25:20).  As a result, the Edomites came to be hated by God (Malachi 1:2-3) 

Finally, God announced the end of the Edomites (Jeremiah 49:8-10; Obadiah) 

Esau's epitaph is found in Hebrews 12:15-17: "See to it...that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal.  For you know that afterward when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears." 

The story of one's life and eternity is determined by the choices that are made each day.  One of Dr. John Maxwell's best books is entitled "Today Matters".  And, indeed, it does.  "Oh how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day." (Psalm 119:97)

 

A call for Revival

 Read Genesis 35. 

Jacob and his family knew better but had become lax in their faithfulness to God.  Over time they mixed their faith in God with the false practices of the culture around them.  This is a call for renewal.  

First of all, repentance was required.  They were ordered to put away those things that were displeasing to the Lord.  Next, they were to worship God.  When they made these bold decisions, the Lord took care of the potential threats around them (v.5). 

Following God's instructions, Jacob led his family back to where God had made Himself personally known to him.  The result on that occasion was protection from the confrontation with Esau.  In that same place, "God appeared to Jacob again" (v.9).  The purpose this time was to restate the Abrahamic Covenant, securing the family's future blessings. 

God gave some very specific instructions about worship.

1. A specific location.  He wanted Jacob to worship at Bethel.  This is where God appeared to him and blessed him previously.  It became a sacred spot for special worship. 

2. A specific spiritual preparation. God ordered him to get rid of all forms of false worship that were evidently among his family and servants.  The God of heaven will not share worship with anyone or anything. 

3. A specific physical preparation.  "Purify yourselves and change your garments."  The plural would indicate that this call to worship was not only for Jacob but everyone in his responsibility.  This worship was a special occasion and God wanted them to come clean inside and out. 

Who is this God of Jacob that is worthy of our worship?

A. He is "the God who answers me in the day of my distress" (v.3).  Jacob knew that God heard and answered his prayers. 

B. He is the God who "has been with me wherever I have gone" (v.3).  As we read in earlier chapters, Jacob was never alone.  God's word promises, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." 

C. He is the God who protects His people as they do His will (v.5).

D. He is the God who has "revealed Himself" (v.7).  God is knowable and wants people to know Him personally. 

E. He God Almighty (El Shaddai) and restated the same promise He made to Abraham.  God will be faithful to fulfill all He has promised. 

F. He is the God who "had spoken to him" (v.15).  It is our responsibility to know what God has said.  God speaks to us through His written word and the Holy Spirit affirms the truth to our minds and spirits.

 

Living in a morally corrupt Culture

 Read Genesis 34. 

Jacob moved into a land that was occupied by the Canaanites.  Due to the covenant God had given to Jacob's family and because of the false worship of the Canaanites, an appropriate separation was to be maintained.  They may have commercial agreements, but marital unions would have been prohibited on spiritual grounds. 

For some unexplained reason, Jacob's only daughter, Dinah, decided to venture into Canaanite social life.  There she was raped by the prince of their people.  Now, a deeper conflict is revealed.  The spiritual differences are directly linked to the moral differences.  The prince showed no consciousness of wrong doing for the violation.  Instead, he boldly asked to marry her.  

Jacob's passive nature evidently wanted to keep peace with the neighbors at all costs.  Even at the end of the chapter he expressed only concern for himself with seven personal references in verses 30-31.  He abdicated any and all moral leadership for his family.  Such was not the case with Dinah's brothers.  They were ready to do battle.  Simeon and Levi devised a deceitful plot of revenge upon the entire local population of males for this one man's sin.  Their actions of wanting to do the right thing in the wrong way cost them in Chapter 49 with being passed over in Jacob's paternal blessing.  This one man's sin directly affected the lives of the families on both sides.  It always does. 

The people of God are called to live holy lives and be separate from the world while living in it.  There is to be an obvious spiritual and moral distinction.  Sex outside of marriage of a woman and a man is not okay with God.  Intermarriage with those who do not know Jesus is clearly forbidden in Scripture.  These are not popular positions with the world's culture.  But then, culture has never been the standard for the people of God. 

"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.  For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  What accord has Christ with Belial?  Or what portion does a believer share with and unbeliever?  What agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, 'I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.  Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing, then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty'."  2 Corinthians 6:14-18   

 

Facing the fear of potential Conflict

 Read Genesis 33. 

Jacob prepared to meet the brother he offended more than 20 years before.  He dreaded the confrontation.  Then, when he heard that Esau was coming with an army of 400 men he was overcome with fear.  God met with Jacob and reassured him.  Yet, the dread was still there as he kept walking and wondering how Esau would respond.  By sending gifts and his treasured family in advance, Jacob did all he could do to try head off any violent conflict.  As Esau approached, Jacob physically humbled himself, bowing before his brother.   

But when the two met, it was Esau who ran to meet his brother, embraced him, and kissed him.  What a relief that must have been to Jacob! 

Jacob's words in verse 10 are not to be missed.  To Esau he said, "For I have seen your face, which is like seeing the face of God, and you have accepted me."  Jacob looked at Esau but he saw God at work in direct answer to prayer.  

Everyone, sooner or later, will face a nearly unbearable situation.  When the threat overwhelms us enough, this world's goods and possessions lose their value.  Like Jacob, in in that moment, we would trade all we have for the protection and/or provision of God.   

The foundation of reconciliation is acceptance.  The basis of acceptance is forgiveness.  An unforgiving spirit only destroys the one who refuses to forgive and demonstrates a lack in accepting God's forgiveness of them.  Indeed, the only basis of true forgiveness in the universe is found in the payment Jesus made on the cross for all sin.  By our faith in Him, we are accepted, forgiven, and reconciled to the living God.  This frees us to forgive others their trespasses against us. 

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.  Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you." (Ephesians 4:31-32)

 

Wrestling with God

 Read Genesis 32. 

The journey home continued and the drama increased.  "The angels of God met him" (v.1).  There is no further explanation, but it is a reminder that Jacob was never alone.  Jacob was acting on God's clear instructions and was in the middle of God's will.  However, his attempts to gain an assessment of a peaceful meeting with his twin brother turned to fear of attack. 

Most of the great prayers of the Bible come as a result of life-threatening stress.  Humbling oneself before the Lord and casting total dependence upon Him is exactly where God wants us.  James states, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."  God helps those who cannot help themselves. 

In his prayer, Jacob reminded God of His promise (v.12).  This is not because God forgot, but it formed the basis of his plea.  He also took action.  Jacob set in motion a very, well-thought out three-step plan, complete with the wording, to do everything he could to appease his brother.  Now, he would wait...alone.  But he was not alone. 

That night he literally wrestled with God until morning (v.30).  This is a strange passage describing a physical striving with the LORD.  How does a man hold on to God and not let go?  In verse 25, Jacob prevailed.  How does a man say to God, "I will not let go unless you bless me"?  In the struggle God moved Jacob's hip out of joint and changed Jacob's walk for the rest of his life.  In addition, God changed Jacob's name to Israel, which could mean "he strives with God or God fights".  Here is a man who fought with God for a blessing.  From then on his new name would be a reminder that God would fight for him and his descendants, who were called Israelites. 

This incident took Jacob's faith and calling to a new level.  In the book Acts, believers in Jesus were called by a new name for the first time.  It was Christ-ian (a follower of Jesus).  This originally was meant to be a derogatory labeling.  

We all experience times of great stress and challenge when our faith is stretched to the limit.  We do not go looking for them.  God knows when to allow them or bring them along for our growth.  As a result, some even live with a bit of limp from then on-physically, emotionally, or relationally.  This becomes part of their life story.  Such an encounter with God changes us.  If we respond correctly, our relationship with God will grow deeper and our usefulness to God in the lives of others will grow to a new level.

 

4 Lessons When Being Mistreated

 Read Genesis 31. 

Jacob's prosperity became a jealous threat to Laban and his sons.  Before any violence or loss could take place, God ordered Jacob to return to the land of Abraham.  This move was more than just a family split; it also brought an end to this oppressive work environment.  Laban continued to take advantage of Jacob, even changing his wages ten times. 

For Rachel and Leah, it meant leaving their homeland and extended family.  But when Jacob explained his feelings and what God had told him, the wives gave Jacob their full support.  "Whatever God has said to you, do." (v.16) 

It is not clear why Rachel stole her father's so-called household gods.

-Was this something she worshipped also?

-Did she want to take a memento of her childhood with her?

-Was stealing this an indication of a character flaw?

-Did she take them out of revenge to hurt her father? 

It is clear that God personally saw Jacob's afflictions, his faithfulness, his hard work, and the intents of his heart.  The stress had reached the end and God intervened to fulfill His plan for Jacob's life and to keep the promises He had made to Abraham. 

God intervened, spoke, or His presence was acknowledged no less than eleven times in this chapter.  When injustice exists and people are being mistreated, God is there.  He sees and He hears.  All too often, those involved refuse to acknowledge the Lord's presence and their accountability to Him for their actions. 

Some lessons from this passage when being mistreated:

1. God said, "I have seen all that Laban is doing to you" (v12).  Nothing escapes God's sight and attention.  Our response is to remember that He will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 12:5-6). 

2. In verse 13, God said, "I am the God of Bethel" (reminding Jacob of what happened in Chapter 28).  He is the one who changes lives, calls us to live for Him, leads us through His plan for our lives, protects us in the process, and provides what is needed along the way.  Our response is to worship and obey Him. 

3. Rachel and Leah encouraged Jacob's obedience to God (v.16).  When we suffer those closest to us and those who love us are affected also.  Our response should be to communicate with them and welcome their support to do what is right. 

4. In verses 23-24, Laban assembled his men and pursued Jacob.  "But God came to Laban" and warned him.  God knows when and how to protect those who are faithful to His word and living in His will.  Our response must be to know what God has said and align our lives accordingly no matter what the outcome maybe.