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

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  Speaker 1: And it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel, the
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  Speaker 1: daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban,
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  Speaker 1: his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the
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  Speaker 1: stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of
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  Speaker 1: Laban for his mother's brother. Genesis 29.10 My Lord, as
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  Speaker 1: the sun greets me and as I take in the
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  Speaker 1: breath of life, I do so meditating on the truths
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  Speaker 1: found in Genesis 28.1-29.29. I do so basking in the
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  Speaker 1: wonder of your glory, because like Jacob, I know that
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  Speaker 1: you have a vision for my future. Thank you, God,
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  Speaker 1: that angels are ascending and descending on my behalf, bringing
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  Speaker 1: blessings and provision for my future. As I lay on
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  Speaker 1: the rock of your word, I will be reminded of
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  Speaker 1: your faithfulness. I will be reminded of your limitless love
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  Speaker 1: towards me. Thank you that you are with me and
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  Speaker 1: that you will never leave me no matter where I go.
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  Speaker 1: As I begin to take territory in the land you've
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  Speaker 1: promised me, I thank you that you're providing the perfect
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  Speaker 1: partner for me. As I set my gaze on my promise...
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  Speaker 1: I will not hesitate to put the necessary work in
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  Speaker 1: to lay hold of my heart's desire, like Jacob did
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  Speaker 1: with Rachel. I declare that I will not stop until
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  Speaker 1: I've obtained what you have ordained. In Jesus' name.
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  Speaker 2: Amen.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
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  Speaker 1: To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story,
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  Speaker 1: brought to you.
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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, Mehalath. 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 kinsmen 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: Jacob had sought out a blessing from Isaac, his father.
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  Speaker 3: In reality, it was God's blessing that Jacob wanted to claim.
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  Speaker 3: And he was able to claim it, but his way
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  Speaker 3: of securing the blessing was dishonest and deceitful. His motives
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  Speaker 3: were right, but his methods were very wrong. So his
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  Speaker 3: victory seems hollow at this point. He's been blessed by Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: but now his life is in danger. His own brother
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  Speaker 3: wants him dead. So he flees, leaving his mother and
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  Speaker 3: his homeland far behind. Sometimes when we achieve things, even
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  Speaker 3: though it's a good thing, the way we get there
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  Speaker 3: can have lasting negative consequences. That was the case for
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  Speaker 3: Rebekah and Jacob. They would never see each other again.
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  Speaker 3: A mother and a son now separated in life. But
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  Speaker 3: what to say of Esau? He had not cared for
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  Speaker 3: the blessing until it was lost. He didn't treasure it
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  Speaker 3: or value it, so he became careless. When he lost
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  Speaker 3: God's blessing, he became bitter and enraged. But he still
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  Speaker 3: craved his father's approval. Esau did what he thought his
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  Speaker 3: father would want and married one of Ishmael's daughters. He
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  Speaker 3: was desperate for any form of blessing he could attain.
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  Speaker 3: How often we are like this, not valuing the thing
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  Speaker 3: that is right in our reach until it is no
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  Speaker 3: longer available. So we begin grasping at straws, acting out
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  Speaker 3: of desperation, trying to make things right. Sometimes it proves
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  Speaker 3: to be too little, too late, as in the case
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  Speaker 3: of Esau. Next, we heard of Jacob's dream as he
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  Speaker 3: traveled to Laman's land. God appears to him and makes
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  Speaker 3: a covenant with Jacob, affirming that the line of blessing
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  Speaker 3: will indeed pass through him and his offspring. Genesis 28,
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  Speaker 3: 14 and 15 records God's words. Your descendants will also
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  Speaker 3: be like the dust of the earth, and you will
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  Speaker 3: spread out to the west and to the east and
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  Speaker 3: to the north and to the south, and in you
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  Speaker 3: and in your descendants shall all the families of the
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  Speaker 3: earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will
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  Speaker 3: keep you wherever you go and will bring you back
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  Speaker 3: to this land, for I will not leave you until
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  Speaker 3: I've done what I've promised you. With each generation, Abraham, Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: now Jacob, God is reminding them that His blessing isn't
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  Speaker 3: only for them, but it is for all the families
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  Speaker 3: of the earth. We need to remember that the blessings
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  Speaker 3: that we receive from God not only benefit us, but
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  Speaker 3: they are given for a larger purpose, and that is
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  Speaker 3: to bless others. We are blessed to be a blessing.
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  Speaker 3: This is certainly the case with this covenant, as we
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  Speaker 3: see glimpses of Jesus the Messiah coming through, a blessing
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  Speaker 3: for all the families of the world. Jacob awakens and
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  Speaker 3: sets about building a monument, a pillar to mark this
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  Speaker 3: place where God spoke to him and made his promises
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  Speaker 3: to Jacob. This place, named Bethel, will have great importance
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  Speaker 3: as the house of God. Finally, Jacob arrives in Laban's
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  Speaker 3: land and greets his family. And then he first sees Rachel,
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  Speaker 3: Laban's beautiful daughter. Jacob cannot wait to meet her and
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  Speaker 3: rushes to her. We can see here that Jacob, though
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  Speaker 3: described as mild when he first came into the world,
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  Speaker 3: is not a man without passion. He even steals a
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  Speaker 3: kiss from Rachel, knowing this is the woman for whom
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  Speaker 3: he would do anything. But it is not only in
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  Speaker 3: Rachel that Jacob seems to find a home. He feels
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  Speaker 3: perhaps for the first time like he is accepted into
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  Speaker 3: a family. Rebecca, his mother, loved him, but he never
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  Speaker 3: enjoyed the approval of his father. Now Laban is giving
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  Speaker 3: him that. It's really a beautiful time Jacob, on account
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  Speaker 3: of his own actions, had to flee from his own home,
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  Speaker 3: but God, just as He promised, does not abandon Jacob,
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  Speaker 3: and even gives him a sense of place among Laban's family.
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  Speaker 3: Even when we go in the wrong direction, God can
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  Speaker 3: bring us back to Himself, because where God doesn't rule,
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  Speaker 3: He overrules. And this is what is happening with Jacob.
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  Speaker 3: In this closeness and connection, an agreement is struck between
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  Speaker 3: Jacob and Laban. Laban, wanting to pay Jacob for his work,
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  Speaker 3: asked his wages, and Jacob, setting his eyes on a
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  Speaker 3: prize greater than gold, says he will work seven years
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  Speaker 3: for Rachel's hand in marriage. You could say that Jacob
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  Speaker 3: was blinded by his desire and entered into a deal
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  Speaker 3: that would cost him greatly. You could also say that
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  Speaker 3: he knew the great value of a mate, a wife
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  Speaker 3: in whom he could delight. Both is true. And as
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  Speaker 3: we continue in our next time together, we'll see what
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  Speaker 3: happens in this agreement We'll see what comes of this
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  Speaker 3: agreement between Laban and Jacob. Heavenly Father, thank you for
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  Speaker 3: the story that we have just read and how we
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  Speaker 3: can see your hand guiding Jacob and continuing to affirm
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  Speaker 3: and to keep your promises as he rescues the family
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  Speaker 3: line of Abraham. Thank you also, Lord, for what this
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  Speaker 3: passage today teaches us about the purpose of blessing and
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  Speaker 3: that we can see your heart for the fatherless, the lonely,
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  Speaker 3: as you gave Jacob a family who loved and welcomed
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  Speaker 3: him as he had never experienced before. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: welcoming us into your family through your son, the Lord
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  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ. And it is in his name that we pray. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thanks for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com
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  Speaker 3: sure to visit JackGraham.org. God bless you.
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