Remember what we talked about last week? God chose Abraham and his descendants to be a testimony for Him. Abraham passed the “baton” of being in God’s team to Isaac who in turn passed the “baton” to Jacob. Please open your Bibles to the end of Genesis Chapter 28; we read…….
Jacob heard the godly calling from his father and directly from God and he made a commitment to follow God.
Let’s see what happened right after this commitment.
Read along with me Genesis 29 to Gen. 30: 3……………
Remember Jacob made a vow to God at the end of Genesis 28; and so, Jacob’s life became perfect??
Here’s a summary of what happened in Genesis 29:
Jacob worked for 7 years and ended up sleeping with a strange woman and married Leah who he didn’t love.
Jacob worked 7 more years to marry the one he loved.
Jacob had 2 unhappy wives who competed with each other.
Jacob worked 7 more years for his father-in-law;
likely he was trying to escape from his wives.
Jacob and Rachel had a fight and repeated their parent’s mistake.
Jacob ended up with a concubine.
Jacob was chosen by God to inherit the blessings from heaven! What happened to Jacob?
Jacob, after experiencing a vision from God and making a commitment to be God’s man, depended on his feelings rather than faith, and so for over 20 years, he struggled with life.
What is the greatest commandment according to God??
In Deutoronomy 6 and in the Gospels, God tells us that the greatest commandment is to love God with everything!
How do people break this command??
People can love many other things and not love God, and that disobedience brings consequences.
What can we learn from Jacob? What did Jacob do wrong? Jacob made the mistake of loving himself and a woman over the love for God. Let us take a closer look at Genesis 29. Look again at the end of v2 to v3……...
How big was the stone over the well??
God made a point to tell us that it takes a number of shepherds to roll away the stone from that well. Now look again at v10…………….. God doesn’t say if Jacob had help. What we know for sure is that Jacob himself, who we knew was a quiet man not like outdoorsman Esau, all of a sudden acted like Esau, taking charge to move a large stone!
Now, look at what happened before Jacob moved that stone. Look again at v6-10…………….
What did Jacob do wrong here?
You also may be wondering, what happened to God? Why isn’t God involved with Jacob here? You know, we have the privilege of having God’s Word at our fingertips and review the history behind the stories. But do you think it was only by coincidence that Isaac would meet Rachel by a well?
Remember when Abraham sent his servant to look for a wife for Isaac. Where did Eliezer the servant find Rebekah, Isaac’s future wife?? – at a well!!!
How many of you remember great things that happened to your mom or dad?? Don’t you think that Isaac would recall the story of Eliezer and his mother Rebekah at that well?
Look back with me to Genesis 24:26-27…………….
What did Jacob do wrong when he saw Rachel at the well?
Eliezer acknowledged God. Jacob did not acknowledge God’s involvement!
What did Jacob do instead? After seeing Rachel, Jacob moved the large stone, likely all by himself, then, he kissed Rachel and wept aloud! Jacob obviously fell in love with Rachel right away (we note this in v18). And people do crazy things when they fall in love, don’t they? Remember the crazy things you did when you fell in love? We can spend hours talking about those crazy things! Later, I’ll share one with you if you share one with me! But I bet, because we fall in love, we all have a tendency to show off!
Jacob fell in love and became a show off and super emotional!! What about Rachel? Look at the end of v11; she RAN to her father! Rachel’s companions probably thought, “wow, I didn’t know Rachel could run like that!”
I think Rachel fell in love with Jacob.
Was it wrong for Jacob and Rachel to fall in love?
Laban and Leah also fell in love with Jacob didn’t they? And they all did many crazy things!
Is it wrong to fall in love with someone? Absolutely not! Falling in love is part of God’s character! What went wrong with Jacob, Rachel, Laban, and Leah was they forgot to love God first!
I find v35 interesting……………
Why would God now stop Leah from having children? Leah stopped having children after she praised God! God was teaching Leah, dependence on and love for God first.
We note in Genesis 30:9, Leah did not learn the lesson! And we will see that Jacob did not really learn his lesson until Genesis Chapter 32!
Are you in love with someone? Great! But, it is so easy for us to be caught up in loving someone that we place people ahead of God. Be warned!
Maybe you’re not in love with someone but you’re in love with something; it could be your work, a hobby, sports, entertainment, the Internet! Also be warned! Let’s learn from Jacob today and the rest of God’s instructions for us!
You see, anything you place ahead of God is idolatry.
Colossians 3:5-6 tells Christians, Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.
1 John 5:21 simply tells us, Dear children, keep yourselves from idols. Idolatry is a sin against God. And sinning against God leads to the consequences of immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, as well as anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language.
Commit to loving God first above everything else!
Memorize and commit to Colossians 3:17, And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
But you know, we can all easily say, love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength! But then we just pretend to love God! Have you heard this story…..
Several men in a locker room of a private exercise club were talking when a cell phone rang. One man picked it up without hesitation, and the following conversation ensued:
"Hello?"
"Honey, It’s me."
"Sugar!"
"I’m at the mall two blocks from the club. I saw a beautiful mink coat. It is absolutely gorgeous! Can I buy it? It’s only $1,500."
"Well, okay, if you like it that much."
"Thanks! Oh, and I also stopped by the Mercedes dealership and saw the new models. I saw one I really liked. I spoke with the salesman, and he gave me a great price."
"How much?"
"Only $60,000!"
"Okay, but for that price I want it with all the options."
"Great! Before we hang up, there’s something else. It might seem like a lot, but, well, I stopped by to see the real estate agent this morning, and I saw the house we had looked at last year. It’s on sale! Remember? The beachfront property with the pool and the English garden?"
"How much are they asking?"
"Only $450,000, a magnificent price, and we have that much in the bank to cover it."
"Well then, go ahead and buy it, but put in a bid for only $420,000, okay?"
"Okay, sweetie. Thanks! I’ll see you later! I love you!"
"I love you, too."
The man hung up, closed the phone’s flap, and raised it aloft, asking, "Does anyone know who this cell phone belongs to?"
We are all to truly love God first.
Will we just say it or will we actually live it out?
Please take a moment to pray to Jesus right now. Take an inventory of the things you love (write it down on your notes). Have they become idols in your life, taking away time for God? How much time do you spend with God in comparison to the time you spend on someone or something else?
If you don’t love God first above all other things, consequences to sin will soon follow. Ask Jesus to help you in truly living for your Creator God.
Personally and honestly say, I will love the Lord my God with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength!
