Today's Reading:Gen. 29:31 – 30:24
"Jacob's Children"
Focus Verses: Genesis 29:31-32
31 When the LORD saw that Leah was not loved, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, "It is because the LORD has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now."
Insight:
The interpersonal dynamics of living in Jacob's house were, shall we say, a bit complex. Today's scripture reading doesn't present a pretty picture. The lives of Jacob and his family were strained and clouded by the competition for love, the need to be valued, the desire to have children, the struggle for dominance, and the fatigue of just trying to get along with each other.
It's amazing to realize that beneath all of their domestic strife and dysfunction, God was building a nation. This messy story of a polygamous family is the beginnings of the twelve tribes of Israel. While Jacob, his wives, and his children were consumed with their own daily needs and affairs (not one of them says anything that indicates they were thinking about God's covenant or ultimate purposes for them), God was working to build a nation through whom he would bring the Messiah, through whom he would bring salvation to the world.
Response and Action:
I need to remember that God is at work in the messy details of my daily life. I want to be more aware of the God's bigger purposes for my life in the world. I don't want to be so preoccupied with the details of my life that they become trivialities. I want to see God's design in the details. I want to cultivate a daily awareness of God's bigger purpose and plan for me.
O God, you have given me life and you have a plan for my life. Help me to set my mind on things above, not on earthly things. Give me eyes that see past the temporary affairs of today to eternal things. Help me to put first the things that last. Amen.
Proverb for Today: Prov. 12:15
"The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice."
New Testament for Today: Romans 8:28
28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
In Context: Romans 8:28-39
Resources:
Down-To-Earth Spirituality: Encountering God in the Ordinary, Boring Stuff of Life
by R. Paul Stevens
