And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
Genesis 31:36
Dear Church and Friends,
Did you ever want to tell someone off? We all know what that is like because we have all faced suffering at the hands of someone close. Jacob expresses his hurt but doesn’t do anything about it because he is free.
We think we have to make things right, right the wrong, hurt others like we’ve been hurt. Not Jacob. He lays out his list of complaints:
This twenty years have I been with thee;
- thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
- That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
- Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house;
- I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters,
- and six years for thy cattle:
- and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
Anyone reading the above list of grievances would say that Jacob went above and beyond and that Laban was working hard to manipulate the situation. Then we come to verse 42.
- Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty.
- God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
Jacob could patiently endure the hardships that Laban laid upon him because he knew the Fear of Isaac was with him, restraining his father-in-law. This is Jacob’s freedom; freedom to stay, freedom to leave, freedom to make a covenant with a man who is not trustworthy, and freedom not to take matters into his own hand. God was watching everything.
Somewhere during those cold, frosty nights Jacob learned to trust the God of his fathers. Can you look past the hurt and trust God to make things right? When you do you too will find freedom.
Music: Your Labor is Not in Vain by Paul Zach and Madison Cunningham.
Consider supporting Creek Road Baptist Church through the Amazon Smile program. Use this link to select Creek Road Baptist Church as your designated charity. Once you have made this selection simply begin using Smile.Amazon.com (instead of using Amazon.com). No credits are available using just Amazon.com. Please contact the church office or Pastor Dave if you need help or have any questions.
Prayer Request: Please pray for the following.
- Central Aymara of Peru. (eye-MAHR-uh) – During the long months of quarantine in the high Andes mountains, national missionaries Abel* and Daisy* discovered an open door of opportunity to share the gospel through radio. For nearly 2 months, they have been airing an evangelistic, gospel-centered radio program each morning at 5 a.m., which is apparently the prime listening hour among the Central Aymara! Pray that many people will come to Christ by hearing the gospel and that Abel and Daisy will have opportunities to disciple the new believers. (*names changed)
- Question 153: Why was the Name Jesus or Saviour given only by God? Answer: To assure us the better of our salvation by Him.
- Question 154: Is there any virtue in this Name? Answer: No but the virtue is in the person.
- Question 155: What was He called Christ, or anointed? Answer: He was anointed King, Priest, and Prophet for us.
All my best.
Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight.
Genesis 31:42
Join the Bible Bistro Mailing List
Get notified of menu changes in the Bistro that include. . .
- New book releases.
- New teaching content.
- Changes to the website.
The Bible Bistro 