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Jacob Meets Rachel - The Book of Genesis · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. And it came to pass when Jacob
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  Speaker 1: saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and
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  Speaker 1: the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went
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  Speaker 1: near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and
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  Speaker 1: watered the flock of Laban for his mother's brother. Genesis
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  Speaker 1: 29.10 My Lord, as the sun greets me and as
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  Speaker 1: I take in the breath of life, I do so
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  Speaker 1: meditating on the truths found in Genesis 28.1-29.29. I do
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  Speaker 1: so basking in the wonder of your glory, because like Jacob,
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  Speaker 1: I know that you have a vision for my future.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you, God, that angels are ascending and descending on
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  Speaker 1: my behalf, bringing blessings and provision for my future. As
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  Speaker 1: I lay on the rock of your word, I will
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  Speaker 1: be reminded of your faithfulness. I will be reminded of
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  Speaker 1: your limitless love towards me. Thank you that you are
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  Speaker 1: with me and that you will never leave me no
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  Speaker 1: matter where I go. As I begin to take territory
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  Speaker 1: in the land you've promised me, I thank you that
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  Speaker 1: you're providing the perfect partner for me. As I set
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  Speaker 1: my gaze on my promise, I will not hesitate. to
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  Speaker 1: put the necessary work in to lay hold of my
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  Speaker 1: heart's desire, like Jacob did with Rachel. I declare that
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  Speaker 1: I will not stop until I've obtained what you have ordained.
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  Speaker 1: In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for making prayer a
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  Speaker 1: priority in your day. To learn more about the Bible,
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  Speaker 1: stay tuned for today's story. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob Meets Rachel Before this story, we learned about Jacob's
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  Speaker 2: trick to rob his brother of his blessing. He deceived
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  Speaker 2: his father into giving him his blessing instead of Esau.
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  Speaker 2: Esau's rage boiled, and he sought after the life of Jacob.
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  Speaker 2: Rebekah told Jacob to go stay with her brother Laban
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  Speaker 2: until it was safe to return. Now, we will learn
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  Speaker 2: about Jacob's vision of a ladder, and his desire to
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  Speaker 2: marry Laban's daughter Rachel, inspired by the book of Genesis.
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  Speaker 3: Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year podcast. When we last saw Jacob
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  Speaker 3: in our previous passage, he was running from Esau, fearing
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  Speaker 3: for his life. Isaac and Rebekah sent him to Rebekah's
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  Speaker 3: brother Laban to wait out Esau's anger. Today, we'll rejoin
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  Speaker 3: Jacob on his way to his uncle's home. But before that,
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  Speaker 3: we'll see what Esau is doing as he mourns his
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  Speaker 3: losses and seeks to reclaim in some way a blessing
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  Speaker 3: that he knew and felt was due to him. As
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  Speaker 3: Jacob travels, we'll see him encountering God in a dream.
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  Speaker 3: Notice the promises that God makes to Jacob there and
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  Speaker 3: Jacob's response. Then as he finally arrives in Laban's land,
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  Speaker 3: Jacob encounters a woman with whom he'll fall madly and
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  Speaker 3: deeply in love. And that love will lead him to
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  Speaker 3: extraordinary lengths to ensure Rachel will be his wife. Notice
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  Speaker 3: how Jacob and Laban begin a close relationship, a fact
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  Speaker 3: that will seem peculiar in a future passage. But for now,
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  Speaker 3: Jacob seems to have found the home and family that
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  Speaker 3: he has lost. The theme of today's passage is really
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  Speaker 3: that of promises. First is the promise God gives to
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  Speaker 3: Jacob as he meets him along the way in a dream.
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  Speaker 3: These promises are profound and will shape the course of
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  Speaker 3: history as the line of Abraham continues heading in the
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  Speaker 3: ultimate promise, the Messiah who will deliver the world from sin.
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  Speaker 3: But we'll also see the promise of a wife, the
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  Speaker 3: treasured prize for which Jacob will agree to work for
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  Speaker 3: years on end. As you listen, notice the conviction in
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  Speaker 3: Jacob's heart, the certainty about what he desires. Let's hear
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  Speaker 3: now the love story of Jacob and Rachel.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob desired to be blessed by God, and he sought
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  Speaker 2: it out from his father since he knew it would
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  Speaker 2: not come to him through birthright. Jacob was one of
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  Speaker 2: the first to pursue God's blessing instead of allowing it
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  Speaker 2: to be given to him through birth. He chose God,
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  Speaker 2: yet his desire was at the expense of his brother Esau.
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  Speaker 2: In fear for his life, Jacob fled to Paddan Aram,
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  Speaker 2: the land of Laban, Rebekah's brother. There he sought to
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  Speaker 2: build a life for himself. and hopefully find a wife,
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  Speaker 2: since it was always his father's desire to marry from
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  Speaker 2: the family of Laban. Sorrow plagued Esau's nights, and he
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  Speaker 2: mourned the loss of his blessing and birthright. He had
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  Speaker 2: not cherished his birthright before, and now that it was
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  Speaker 2: given away, he was greatly disturbed. While Jacob was away,
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  Speaker 2: Esau also sought out another wife. His desire to reclaim
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  Speaker 2: a blessing from God was muddied by rage and contempt.
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  Speaker 2: In an effort to please his father, he went to
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  Speaker 2: Isaac's half-brother, Ishmael, and married his daughter, Mahalath. Esau began
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  Speaker 2: grasping for any sort of blessing he could. Jacob was
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  Speaker 2: on his way to Paddan Aram. The eastern sun was setting,
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  Speaker 2: and the light scraped the top of the plains before
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  Speaker 2: finally descending beneath the valley. The cool dark of night
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  Speaker 2: replaced the sun, and Jacob found a secluded place to
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  Speaker 2: lay his head. He took a stone and put it
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  Speaker 2: under his head and laid beneath the stars. Jacob counted
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  Speaker 2: the stars in the sky, mindful of God's promise to
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  Speaker 2: his grandfather Abraham that his people would outnumber the stars.
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  Speaker 2: The summer breeze hummed across the valley, and Jacob drifted
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  Speaker 2: into a deep sleep. Jacob opened his eyes to a dream.
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  Speaker 2: Set firmly in the earth was a ladder that stretched
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  Speaker 2: all the way to the heavens. He watched as the
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  Speaker 2: angels of God were ascending and descending on the ladder.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob stood watching as the heavenly hosts of God moved
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  Speaker 2: gracefully to and fro. The Lord stood above the ladder,
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  Speaker 2: setting his gaze towards Jacob. The gentle yet terrifying voice
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  Speaker 2: of God bellowed across the earth, and Jacob marveled as
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  Speaker 2: he listened to the Creator speak. I am the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: the God of Abraham and Isaac, your forefathers. The land
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  Speaker 2: in which you lie your head will be given to
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  Speaker 2: you and your offspring. They shall be like all the
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  Speaker 2: dust of the earth, spread abroad and limitless. Through them
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  Speaker 2: every family on earth shall be blessed. Jacob marveled as
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  Speaker 2: he hung upon every word the Lord spoke. I am
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  Speaker 2: with you, the Lord said. And I will keep you
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  Speaker 2: wherever you go, and I will bring you back here
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  Speaker 2: to this land. I will never leave you. And Jacob
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  Speaker 2: awoke with a mixture of joy and terror. Surely God
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  Speaker 2: is in this place, Jacob said to himself. This is
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  Speaker 2: none other than the house of God, and the gates
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  Speaker 2: of heaven meet here. As the sun was rising and
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  Speaker 2: the heat of day replaced the coolness of night, Jacob
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  Speaker 2: took the stone that he had put under his head
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  Speaker 2: and set it up for a pillar and poured oil
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  Speaker 2: on the top of it. And he named that place Bethel.
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  Speaker 2: This would be a special place Jacob would return to.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob journeyed alone to Laban's land. When he arrived and
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  Speaker 2: began to greet some of the men there, Rachel, Laban's daughter,
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  Speaker 2: came with her father's sheep. Rachel was a sheep herdess,
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  Speaker 2: and beaming with a strong yet gentle beauty, Jacob watched
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  Speaker 2: Rachel descend from the fields where she was working, and
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  Speaker 2: immediately began to weep. Though they had yet to meet,
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  Speaker 2: Jacob knew that he had just gazed upon the woman
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  Speaker 2: meant to be his wife. His love for her was immediate,
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  Speaker 2: and he ran to her to give water to the flock.
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  Speaker 2: As he helped her care for the sheep, their eyes met,
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  Speaker 2: and Jacob, in a moment of unexpected passion, kissed her.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob told Rachel who he was, and immediately she went
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  Speaker 2: to go find her father. Laban ran to Jacob, and
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  Speaker 2: the two embraced. A joyful mingling of souls began to
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  Speaker 2: emanate from the entire family. Jacob was accepted into the
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  Speaker 2: house of Laban, and the two became closer than father
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  Speaker 2: and son. Jacob asked that he could serve under Laban
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  Speaker 2: and his family. Laban was ecstatic and accepted Jacob's request.
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  Speaker 2: Just because you are my kinsman does not mean you
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  Speaker 2: should work for free, Laban said. Name your price for
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  Speaker 2: working for me. Jacob knew that there was one thing
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  Speaker 2: more precious than money or land. He knew the second
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  Speaker 2: he laid eyes on her that Rachel was the one
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  Speaker 2: he was supposed to marry. Allow me to work for
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  Speaker 2: seven years under you so that I can marry your daughter.
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  Speaker 2: Jacob asked. Laban agreed, and so began their friendship and
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  Speaker 2: Jacob's diligent pursuit to work for his bride. Jacob loved
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  Speaker 2: Rachel deeply, and their love for one another grew each year.
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  Speaker 3: Sought out a blessing from Isaac, his father. In reality,
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  Speaker 3: it was God's blessing that Jacob wanted to claim. And
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  Speaker 3: he was able to claim it, but his way of
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  Speaker 3: securing the blessing was dishonest and deceitful. His motives were right,
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  Speaker 3: but his methods were very wrong. So his victory seems
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  Speaker 3: hollow at this point. He's been blessed by Isaac, but
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  Speaker 3: now his life is in danger. His own brother wants
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  Speaker 3: him dead. So he flees, leaving his mother and his
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  Speaker 3: homeland far behind. Sometimes when we achieve things, even though
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  Speaker 3: it's a good thing, the way we get there can
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  Speaker 3: have lasting negative consequences. That was the case for Rebecca
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  Speaker 3: and Jacob. They would never see each other again. A
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  Speaker 3: mother and a son now separated in life. But what
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  Speaker 3: to say of Esau? He had not cared for the
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  Speaker 3: blessing until it was lost. He didn't treasure it or
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  Speaker 3: value it, so he became careless. When he lost God's blessing,
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  Speaker 3: he became bitter and enraged. But he still craved his
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  Speaker 3: father's approval. Esau did what he thought his father would
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  Speaker 3: want and married one of Ishmael's daughters. He was desperate
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  Speaker 3: for any form of blessing he could attain. How often
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  Speaker 3: we are like this, not valuing the thing that is
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  Speaker 3: right in our reach until it is no longer available.
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  Speaker 3: So we begin grasping at straws, acting out of desperation,
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  Speaker 3: trying to make things right. Sometimes it proves to be
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  Speaker 3: too little, too late, as in the case of Esau. Next,
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  Speaker 3: we heard of Jacob's dream as he traveled to Laman's land.
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  Speaker 3: God appears to him and makes a covenant with Jacob,
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  Speaker 3: affirming that the line of blessing will indeed pass through
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  Speaker 3: him and his offspring. Genesis 28, 14 and 15 records
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  Speaker 3: God's words. Your descendants will also be like the dust
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  Speaker 3: of the earth and you will spread out to the
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  Speaker 3: west and to the east and to the north and
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  Speaker 3: to the south. And in you and in your descendants
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  Speaker 3: shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold,
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  Speaker 3: I am with you and will keep you wherever you
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  Speaker 3: go and will bring you back to this land. For
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  Speaker 3: I will not leave you until I've done what I've
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  Speaker 3: promised you. With each generation, Abraham, Isaac, now Jacob, God
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  Speaker 3: is reminding them that his blessing isn't only for them,
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  Speaker 3: but it is for all the families of the earth.
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  Speaker 3: We need to remember that the blessings that we receive
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  Speaker 3: from God not only benefit us, but they are given
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  Speaker 3: for a larger purpose, and that is to bless others.
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  Speaker 3: We are blessed to be a blessing. This is certainly
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  Speaker 3: the case with this covenant, as we see glimpses of
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  Speaker 3: Jesus the Messiah coming through. a blessing for all the
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  Speaker 3: families of the world. Jacob awakens and sets about building
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  Speaker 3: a monument, a pillar to mark this place where God
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  Speaker 3: spoke to him and made his promises to Jacob. This place,
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  Speaker 3: named Bethel, will have great importance as the house of God. Finally,
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  Speaker 3: Jacob arrives in Laban's land and greets his family. And
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  Speaker 3: then he first sees Rachel, Laban's beautiful daughter. Jacob cannot
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  Speaker 3: wait to meet her and rushes to her. We can
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  Speaker 3: see here that Jacob, though described as mild when he
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  Speaker 3: first came into the world, is not a man without passion.
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  Speaker 3: He even steals a kiss from Rachel, knowing this is
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  Speaker 3: the woman for whom he would do anything. But it
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  Speaker 3: is not only in Rachel that Jacob seems to find
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  Speaker 3: a home. He feels perhaps for the first time like
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  Speaker 3: he is accepted into a family. Rebecca, his mother, loved him,
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  Speaker 3: but he never enjoyed the approval of his father. Now
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  Speaker 3: Laban is giving him that. It's really a beautiful time. Jacob,
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  Speaker 3: on account of his own actions, had to flee from
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  Speaker 3: his own home. But God, just as he promised, does
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  Speaker 3: not abandon Jacob and even gives him a sense of
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  Speaker 3: place among Laban's family. Even when we go in the
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  Speaker 3: wrong direction, God can bring us back to himself. Because
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  Speaker 3: where God doesn't rule, he overrules. And this is what
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  Speaker 3: is happening with Jacob. In this closeness and connection, an
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  Speaker 3: agreement is struck between Jacob and Laban. Laban, wanting to
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  Speaker 3: pay Jacob for his work, asked his wages, and Jacob,
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  Speaker 3: setting his eyes on a prize greater than gold, says
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  Speaker 3: he will work seven years for Rachel's hand in marriage.
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  Speaker 3: You could say that Jacob was blinded by his desire
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  Speaker 3: and entered into a deal that would cost him greatly.
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  Speaker 3: You could also say that he knew the great value
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  Speaker 3: of a mate, a wife in whom he could delight.
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  Speaker 3: Both is true. And as we continue in our next
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  Speaker 3: time together, we'll see what happens in this agreement We'll
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  Speaker 3: see what comes of this agreement between Laban and Jacob.
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  Speaker 3: Heavenly Father, thank you for the story that we have
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  Speaker 3: just read and how we can see your hand guiding
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  Speaker 3: Jacob and continuing to affirm and to keep your promises
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  Speaker 3: as he rescues the family line of Abraham. Thank you also, Lord,
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  Speaker 3: for what this passage today teaches us about the purpose
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  Speaker 3: of blessing and that we can see your heart for
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  Speaker 3: the fatherless, the lonely. as you gave Jacob a family
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  Speaker 3: who loved and welcomed him as he had never experienced before.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for welcoming us into your family through your son,
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  Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is in his name
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  Speaker 3: that we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 3: in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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  Speaker 3: Christian living, be sure to visit jackgraham.org. God bless you.
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