Latest / Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast / #10141 - A Family in Crisis - Genesis 29:31-CH30

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#10141 - A Family in Crisis - Genesis 29:31-CH30 · Calvary Church with Ed Taylor Podcast

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Welcome to the study of God's word with pastor and author.
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Ed, Taylor recorded live at Calvary Church in Aurora,
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Colorado to learn more about the many resources available,
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through abounding Grace Media or to tune into our live stream
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Services. Visit us online at Calvary, Co
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dot church or download our free Calvary Church app.
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Now, here's Pastor Ed to take us into our study.
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Amen. Open up your Bibles.
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Would you to Genesis chapter 29 and want to finish the chapter
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that finish off? Where we left off last time?
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And then we'll go through chapter 30 today.
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The title of our Bible, study is a family in crisis.
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Jacob is a part of a family in crisis, the generations before
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him or in crisis, he's in crisis.
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And those after him will be in crisis, Jacob has lived up to
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his name. He's a heel, catcher.
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He's a conniver. A manipulator.
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Don't forget that a con artist. He was a real smooth talker and
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an expert at getting his way. He's always looking for the easy
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way, the better deal looking to take advantage over anyone and
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everyone you could say it all started with him wanting his way
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and was willing to do anything to get it.
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But here's the thing, his manipulative ways got him in
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trouble at home. It got him in trouble.
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He and his, where did he learn manipulation?
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Well, he learned it from his mom and he and his manipulative mom
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had an idea. They're going to help God out a
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little bit and they're going to trick good old Dad into giving.
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Jacob the blessing. And might I add just entering
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into our study today that if you choose to manipulate and if I
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choose to scheme and plot, it will get us in big trouble.
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Be warned ahead of time manipulation the flesh giving
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provision to the flesh. It's going to get you into big
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trouble. It's going to have lasting
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effects. It's important that we learn
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early that God doesn't need any of our help.
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You don't need to help him out a little bit.
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We can trust him with our lives. He has a perfect will being
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worked out. I think of Psalm 27, a great.
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This is something you wrestle with Psalm, 27.
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And verse 14 says, wait on the Lord and be of good courage and
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he shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say on the Lord.
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Their plot worked and this is by way of review of the previous
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chapters and it ticked his brother off.
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Esau, he saw now has committed to murder his brother.
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Jacob took off running what we're learning in Jacob's life
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here, is that Jacob took off running, but he couldn't outrun
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God, he moved on toward haran. He took a rest there in that
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dream. Remember he saw the ladder a
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Stairway from Heaven. He responded.
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The Lord is in this place. God met him.
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There he had a amazing experience with the Lord.
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You could say that that he was saved there.
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He was changed there. But now there's a process he
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moves on to Mesopotamia where he meets his uncle Laban.
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But more importantly he met Rachel seven years.
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He worked to marry her and he was tricked himself.
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We looked last time, how there was a great correlation between
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the what he did to his dad and what's happening to him?
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And seven years, he worked but he was tricked.
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His God's teaching, Jacob, some lessons, and he's using Laban,
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he met his match. And let me say, if you're a
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person who likes to live in the flesh and live on the edge and
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you think you got it all figured out and you don't need to submit
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to God. You two will meet your match,
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just understand that you will meet your match.
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And when flush meets flush nobody wins when flesh meets
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flesh, nobody wins. There's always going to be
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double death until someone repent.
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And begins to walk in the spirit.
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Jacob needed to learn some morality, he needed to learn
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restraint, he needed to learn how to walk in wisdom and I find
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it interesting that God will send into our lives.
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People that are very much like us to change us and to shape us
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and to mold us on my drive. To gather with the men on
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Monday, I was listening to a Bible study, I just picked a
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random Bible study from Pastor Chuck Smith.
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And he was talking about how we view sin and how we always give
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ourselves a pass but were very quick to be judgmental to others
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going through the same exact sin.
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And then he said some a phrase that's very familiar.
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And I'm sure I've shared here before he talked about how
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horrible our sin always looks in someone else's life or Or being
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acted upon by someone else. We give ourselves the pass but
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we're really condemning of someone doing the exact same
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thing that we're doing and it shouldn't be.
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And what God will do is bring people into our lives.
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So that we might see in ourselves the need to change and
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to be shaped by him. You we call these Divine
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appointments. We call these difficulties
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situations that God has ordained for us to help us grow in Jesus.
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And perhaps soon, you'll meet your leaving, whoever she or he
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might be. But only for the intention to be
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built up in the Lord, to be to have things revealed that you
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would see no other way, and Jacob as he was tricked and not
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having Rachel on his wedding night.
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But having Leah. He worked another seven years.
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And finally gets Rachel. Now, he has two wives big
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trouble and big difficulty because Just like in his family,
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he plays favorites. We learned that favoritism is so
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destructive. It hurts so deeply.
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Jacob, Mary's Leah, but didn't love her, he was in love with
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Rachel. This Arrangement bought brought
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great grief to Leah. Again, when you're reading
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through the Bible, remember that you're not reading about these
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abstract characters where we go. Oh, poor Leah, it's deeper than
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oh, poor Leah. This is a woman being neglected
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by her husband. It is a unique situation, the
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women that we may find neglected by her husband, or husbands
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neglected by their wives, aren't being neglected because of two
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wives or all the chaos that's in this home.
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But the reasoning is really irrelevant because the pain is
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the same to have that neglect or that pain or to have misplaced
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love, brings the same type of pain and it's true because we
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all have this desire to be loved.
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And to be accepted and to be approved and to be affirmed and
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I thought not only in marriage but also with our kids, our kids
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need to hear. Good job, son.
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I love you. Good job daughter, he did good
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work there to hear Mom's say, keep up the good work wives.
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They need to feel secure in the love of their husbands.
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Husbands have that security of the love of their wives.
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And I think as parents, you know, we run the risk of not
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assuring our kids that they're loved unconditionally.
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And even if it's an imperfect love unconditionally and
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parents, I know you love your kids.
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The question is do they and are we withholding love for some
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reason. Are we withholding love or we
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whole withholding forgiveness? Withholding letting layers come
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come away in and getting rid of layers or not hiding things for
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the sake of building up. Not only the phileo love, not
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only the Eros, you know, the If Leo Love and Marriage, love
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friendship. And in a marriage Eros, the
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sexual love, but also the agape. Love in a marriage.
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The demonstration of God's agape.
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Love through us toward one. Another marriage parenting
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friendships relationships. It's so important we Celia is is
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going to, you know, Jacob didn't love Leah.
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But God did Jacob didn't care much for her, but God Did and
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even in this broken family, even in this dysfunctional.
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Family God is God's grace is going to be an amazing thing to
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watch. You're going to read over and
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over again. What are they doing?
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What are they doing? What are they doing?
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And at the same time, look what God's doing.
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Look what God's doing? God's working out a plan and
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being very gracious to this family even in your family.
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Even in your family but unlike Jacob the whose life is written
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in stone. Now, yours is not.
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So you looking a while I can just duplicate what he did, I
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can just go my own way, get a couple wives, have some
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handmaids, never loved one but and still experience the
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blessings of God, but Paul dealt with that in the New Covenant.
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You know, when he wrote to the Romans, it's such a foolish way
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to think. Jacob didn't shouldn't have
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thought it when he was living his life.
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But but Paul asked the question to the Romans, shall we?
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Continue And sin so that Grace might abound.
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And the answer is certainly not of course not you never choose
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that because your life is not over yet.
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So we're learning from Jacobs example.
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And it's important to walk in love.
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I do believe that is going to be and is currently and in reality
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always has been the singular tool that reaches a person in
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this generation. It's supported by a lot of other
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things but a true Gem and demonstration of the agape love
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of God, melts a heart and breaks down defenses.
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And brings about this sense of God loves me.
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I too will respond with love. Well, notice that chapter 29.
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It says, in verse 31, when the Lord saw that Leo was unloved
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and some of your Bibles might say, even hated at for that
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word. He opened her womb but Rachel
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was Barren. So Leah conceived and bore a son
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and called his name, reuben. Reuben means Behold a son and
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some have looked at these names of the children as a narrative
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of, how the how how the wife is responding.
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How Leah and Rachel and their handmaids are responding to this
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family dysfunction. And it's almost like Leah saying
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here's here is, isn't this is a son look?
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Will You Love Me? Now is really what that what's
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trying to be said? Here will you love me now?
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And we see this all the time. We see this all the time, wives
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trying to win the favor of they're lazy or mean, or
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hard-hearted husband's in a variety of different ways.
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Will you see me now? Will you see me now?
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But it's not wise. And even today, you're married
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to a hard, man. Maybe a few of you men.
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Marry to a hard Woman by faith. Let God work in them and pray
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for them. Pour your energies into your
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relationship with the Lord, where you lack that relationship
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with your spouse today because if you're trying to change and
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trying to manipulate and trying to overcompensate, you'll find
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that. It often makes things much
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worse, you learn to submit yourself to the Lord and allow
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him to work. These things out through your
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prayer life, she called his name, Reuben?
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For she said, verse 32, the Lord surely looked on my Ocean.
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Now, therefore my husband will love me.
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Then she conceived again and bore a son and said because the
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Lord has heard that I'm unloved, he is, therefore, given me this
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son also and she called his name, Simeon, Simeon, literally
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means to here and again, to have you do you see me?
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Do you hear me represented by these children and verse 34?
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She conceived again and bore a son and said now this time my
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husband will become attached to me because I born him.
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Suns. Therefore, his name Shall be
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Called Levi. When you guess what his name
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means? Attached or draw closer.
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Hoping Jacob would do. Just that it's interesting with
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Levi. It's interesting a beautiful
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name in Numbers chapter 18 in verses 2 & 4 2 through 4.
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The tribe of Levi was literally joined together with Erin in the
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ministries of the sanctuary. So he does live out his His
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name, as you'll see these men as well notice.
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The next trial in verse 35. She conceived again and bore a
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son and said now, I'll praise the Lord.
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Therefore she called his name Judah and then she stopped
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bearing. Judah means praise here.
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She is which again you know what this is going to do.
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Now the attention is on Leah producing children.
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Now what is that going to do to Rachel and how now will Rachel
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fuel notice in verse 10? Chapter 30.
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Now, when Rachel saw that she bore.
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Jacob. No children.
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Rachel, what does your Bible say?
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Envied all sorts of flow when the flesh meets the flesh?
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You know I guess if you're using the if you're if you're using
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mathematics / + flesh equals flush.
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And then, if you want to use multiplication / X flesh, equals
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a lot of Flesh and that's what's happening in this home.
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And and I'm telling you in close relationships, This happens a
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lot. It happens in arguments, it
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happens in withholding love, it happens with trying to
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overcompensate it, happens with separation.
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It happens with the silent treatment, you know.
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You get hurt by the by your, by your friend, your spouse.
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Whoever is close to use flesh. And how do you respond in the
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flesh? And then you wonder why are
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things getting worse / + flash equals Flash.
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It won't lead to where you want to go.
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It will make things worse. And Rachel becomes envious.
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And says to Jacob, and verse one give me children or else I die.
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This is serious. This is not an exaggerated
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statement. She's examining her life and her
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married home and she wants to die. she assesses her life and
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she says, if I don't have any kids, there's no reason for me
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to live The situation because of her husband's treatment.
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And because of the, the way that his home is, at this moment has
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really caused Rachel, not only to be envious, but also, in
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great despair, she's upset and she's demanding.
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Jacob, give her children won't. Jacob responds, wouldn't, you
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know, it in the flesh. So her envy and Desperation is
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responded to in verse 2, Jacobs anger was aroused Against
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Rachel, the wife, he loved, he doesn't love Leah.
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But there's an attachment now, to Leah because children are
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born. She, he loves Rachel but now
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he's aroused in Anger against her and said, am I in the place
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of God? Verse 2, who was withheld?
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You the fruit of the womb, when a better answer have been, you
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know, Rachel this is a good time to remember, Bethel.
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Let's go back to Bethel. I had a really cool experience
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in Bethel. I met God, there he came down at
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the angels are descending and ascending on this ladder.
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God was showing me his connection to us.
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He met me there. He we built an altar worshipped.
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Would have been a better conversation to go.
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God's going to take care of this.
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I'm sorry. Let's pray together.
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But you know, all this time with Jacob, there's no mention of any
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type of alter or worship It's just Jacob till his name gets
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changed. It's just Jacob.
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Well, she said, here's my maid bilhah, go into her and she'll
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bear a child on my knees that I may have children by her.
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Then she gave Bill gave him bilhah.
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Her maid as wife and Jacob responded In the Flesh.
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Again, he went into her We've learned that this was a cultural
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norm, this was appreciated and accepted in the culture but
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sometimes things are in the culture that are accepted that
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are not accepted by God. That's you would do well to
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learn that you would do well to learn that.
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Sometimes things are very culturally accepted that then
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become culturally, accepted in all sorts of different churches
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and the whole Evangelical world and all that nonsense.
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And before, you know, it Christians are doing things that
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the Bible of strictly forbids. Why?
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Because it's cultural. Because everybody accepts it or,
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you know, my friend goes to this church and it's okay there.
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I don't care if it's not okay by God, I don't care what church is
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doing, whatever they're doing it.
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It's not okay and you can't do be using friends to compare like
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well you know my friend said it's okay.
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Well he's so famous and he read so many books and what don't buy
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into that stuff. If it's not acceptable to God,
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we already know what's acceptable to God and that's one
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man, one lifetime, one flesh. We already know that, and even
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Jacob could have stopped We know he didn't but he could have
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stopped it with Laban and said, no more.
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I have my wife and you, tricked me, but Jacobs, always trying to
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get one-up one-up, one of and here he is Bill who conceived
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for Jacob, a son and Rachel said, God has, judged my case
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verse 6. He's also heard my voice and
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giving me a son. Therefore, his name shall be
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named his name. We, she called his name.
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Dan Dan means Justice. I've been judged.
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I have a child through my Handmade Rachel's made bilhah.
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Can see verse 7 again, in board. Jacob, a second son, then Rachel
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said with great wrestling's. I've raced a wrestle with my
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sister. Did you forget that Leah and
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Rachel are sisters. So you have the dysfunctional,
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family of Jacob, but now these are sisters that grew up
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together that are fighting one another and we see the wrestling
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and they're finding in there looking down on one another.
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And now this whole this appreciation of Jacob and
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playing favorites are now affecting them in a Noose
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generation, and she has another and says she prevailed.
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She called the name NAFTA lie, which means wrestling with God.
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And the kids names would remind them of this narrative.
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But notice, the kids still do not solve the marital problems.
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Instead, there's Envy, there's depression, they're Suicidal
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Thoughts. There's hatred, there's anger
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between the sisters with Jacob. It's it doesn't solve the
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problem. It says in verse 9, when Leah
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saw that she had stopped bearing.
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She took zilpah. Now saw the idea of her sister
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her made. They're in competition with one
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another for his affections and gave her to Jacob.
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His wife and Lee has made zilpah board.
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Jacob, a son and Leah, said a troop comes.
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And so she called his name, God, God means troops or it can also
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mean fortune. Verse 12, Lee has made zilpah.
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Bore Jacob a second son and Leah said, I'm happy for the
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daughters will call me blessed and she called his name, a sure
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which means happy These women come from a pagan home, these
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sisters with a scheming dad, and they really have no problem
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fighting or conniving, you know, who their dad was.
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Don't forget who their dad was. Their dad was Jacob's match,
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Laban, raise these girls and raise these girls together.
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And we learned that they were, they had some differences in
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their appearance, which probably led to differences in their
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attention and even a dad Even a dad that wouldn't it manipulate
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his own kids to get his own way? Don't forget who the author of
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this was. It was very clear that the
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agreement was Jacob will be matched with Rachel.
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And the kind of guy that raised them was the kind of guy that
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would sell out his own daughter, to get what he wanted.
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Actually, both of his daughters through deceit and lies and the
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worst of the worst. They bring all of this into the
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home and we'll see later. They still have a lot of
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paganism in them. They still have a distance from
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God themselves. And it says, in verse 14, now,
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Ruben went in the days of the weed Harvest and found
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mandrake's of the field. And he brought them to his
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mother Leah and Rachel said to Leah, please give me some of
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your son's mandrake's. So now we're going to get into
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what the kids are learning and what they're watching and so far
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and Jacobs home. You have Leah bilhah and zilpah,
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they've all had children. But the wife that he loves
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Rachel is still barren. And before we move on to this
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next scene with Reuben, I want to talk a moment about the
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family and I want to talk about your family, you that are
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listening in your family because I think it's safe to say that
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Jacobs family is in a crisis here.
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And I think you can say that the family today is in crisis.
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There are challenges to our families.
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The spiritual warfare toward our family, spiritually politically
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economically. We're living in a day that I
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haven't seen this in my lifetime.
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Like I do today, were kids are being manipulated and abused and
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even not only in our homes, I've seen that, but I've seen it in
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coal. And now we're seeing it in
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culture where they're literally exposing these Kids, it's your
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kids. Many of your kids are kids by
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extension, to the worst of the worst.
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At such a young age. Capitalizing on a variety of
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things, but primarily they're capitalizing and just let this
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hit where it needs to hit church.
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Let this hit where it needs to hurt.
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Hit family, what their cap, what the culture is capitalizing on
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is absent parents. Because the culture that's
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contrary to the ways of God will always be that way.
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But with the absence of direction of parents, Leave your
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kids vulnerable. And I'm not here to tell you how
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to take them wave that vulnerability, that's your home.
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And what God is going to call you to do, but you'll never,
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really even ask the right questions until you assess.
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It's like a doctor right doctor has to make the right diagnosis,
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so they can prescribe the right, the right treatment, and you
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need to look at your own life and say, okay, Where where God
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would you have me to oversee my kids and disciple them and help
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them and guide them along the way?
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And it's not an either or necessarily.
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But I mean you can you can push the you can push the pressure
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politically in a lot of different ways to get different
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laws changed and still be an absent parent.
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You can culturally get involved and make differences on a
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one-to-one basis, maybe with other people's kids, and still
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be an absent parent. And I know the pressures and the
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challenges, I know how we get caught up in the cares of this
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world and the cares of life. I know economically, there are
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pressures especially now it seems like there is a concern,
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there is a well-placed systematic.
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Effort to destroy families and we recognize that.
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But at the same time we sit there with our family and
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devotions at night and say I know there's a the cold the
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world's trying to destroy my family but not mine.
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Not going to let it happen. Yeah, but you don't understand
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that they're doing this, I know, but what are you doing?
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Because the light always dispels, the darkness White
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always dispels, the darkness and kids will always hang in the
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balance. You know, what was exposed to me
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in magazines as a kid is exposed to your kids on the phone.
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And so I guess the question would be.
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Do you understand how your kids phones work?
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Do you understand how to block things?
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Do you understand how to check things?
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Do you understand how to wait? Before kids get exposed and I
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know the answer because I've heard this before, but you don't
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understand it at school. They're just going to see it
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from their friends. Yeah.
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But if they see it from their friends, which is probably
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absolutely true. They won't see it 100 hours a
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day on their own. You want to walk in wisdom of
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what that might look like in your life.
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Let alone what is required in us to have our own personal walk
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with the Lord. If you think your own compromise
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isn't going to affect the kids in your life, you just don't you
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don't get it. We're always looking for a way
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out. You think kids are any different
26:03
or always looking for an easy way if we're in the flesh and
26:07
we're matching with the flesh? Like there's always an easier
26:09
way and so if I just scan around you might find some compromise
26:13
on my life, I could already hear it.
26:15
Well that can do it. It's okay for me, I take that
26:17
pretty seriously. I want to have his little amount
26:22
as that as possible. I wish I could have zero, that's
26:24
not going to happen but God will bust you on that lame.
26:27
Excuse anyway, because it's not about following men.
26:31
And just just pray through this absent and then choose remember
26:36
judgement starts in your home. First, that's all you really
26:39
control. Is your home?
26:41
Everything else is outside of your control, except that kids
26:45
are being their Heritage from the Lord, their blessing, their
26:47
gift to you. And I know some of you are
26:51
single parents and it's double duty and I know some of you have
26:54
great difficulties on equally yoked like if you listen to this
26:58
today and leave condemned, then it condemnations only going to
27:02
lead you away from God. There's no intention to condemn
27:05
you. To the degree that you can be
27:08
present, be present. That's what I'm saying to the
27:12
degree that you can be present, be present.
27:15
When's the last time you read a book about parenting or about
27:19
Grace or about stepping into the culture and finding out how
27:23
phones work and how the manipulative algorithms work,
27:26
and how to broach the subject with your kids, about what
27:30
they've seen and what they what do their friends show them?
27:34
How do you, you learn? You know, some of us grew up in
27:36
homes where we were punished, when we did something wrong, we
27:41
weren't necessarily trained like the Bible instructs.
27:43
We were punished and take it from a guy that was punished a
27:46
lot. It was punishment.
27:49
There was very little instruction but the Bible
27:52
teaches us that with our children were to train them in
27:56
the way that they should go. So that the discipline, what we
28:00
would call punishment in a previous generation is wrong.
28:03
It's not Punishment. It's learning to pay the price
28:06
for your sin consequences and discipline.
28:11
And I'm telling you, I've watched this happen.
28:12
Parents, get to the edge, where they, I just can't do anything
28:15
anymore. That's not true.
28:18
That's not true. Don't even convince yourself of
28:21
that that your kid is too far gone or your grandkids too far
28:25
gone. They are not.
28:27
It does require a deeper commitment to prayer even like
28:30
in the marriage, you can see families in crisis and you don't
28:33
know where to start. You start with yourself so that
28:37
you can be the vessel that God desires you to be otherwise
28:41
generationally this could be your story.
28:45
Sitting in this church listening to this radio station 10 Bibles
28:49
on the Shelf. And not taking advantage of the
28:53
opportunities, God has afforded to you to pour in to those that
28:57
are closest to you. And the best way to do that is
28:59
to have a real walk with the Lord.
29:02
You don't need to be a preacher. You don't need to be a pastor,
29:05
just a man or a woman that follows Jesus and lives in him,
29:08
makes a big difference. And now you can see even today
29:15
what that looks like in a culture that's Antichrist.
29:19
Where the church really is the church.
29:22
That if the culture the culture is going to act like they're in
29:27
the flesh, they have all these ungodly tools and the church
29:31
responds In the Flesh. What's the flesh going to lead
29:33
to more flesh? It doesn't make any difference
29:36
if they scream and we try to scream louder.
29:39
What what? What would so who wins the
29:41
loudest voice? No, God wins.
29:45
And we walk by faith, ministering to one person at a
29:48
time. Starting with our kids, no
29:50
matter how old how old they are. No matter how old.
29:55
And I would just say this, and again, I want you to process it.
29:59
I don't want you to, I mean, take it to heart before the
30:02
Lord, but there's even a deeper level of parenting I've seen
30:05
lately, and that is unspiritual and apathetic parents that have
30:10
just abdicated their kids to the world.
30:14
And say they're Christians. I mean, you.
30:22
You want to cooperate with the people of this church.
30:24
You don't want to fight your kid gets in trouble here and we try
30:27
to help you with it and then you fight us over it.
30:31
That doesn't help the situation and then your kids in the room
30:34
listening to it. I guess I was right after all,
30:39
when a Sunday school teacher or Pastor, is there in counseling,
30:43
just trying to help you and you just want your own way.
30:49
And that's not the will of God for us.
30:52
And I don't think any of us want our families to be in disarray.
30:55
Can I get an amen on that? I don't want it.
30:58
I don't want it. And even though my kids have
31:01
grown into adulthood, it puts me in a different phase of
31:04
parenting, you never stop parenting.
31:06
So I'm just in a different phase.
31:08
I have to learn, I've got to grow in this new phase.
31:11
I can't parent parent, you know. I can't be a parent to 30 and 20
31:15
year olds like the when they were six I ain't gonna work, it
31:18
doesn't work. I need to learn myself.
31:22
Because I want to be successful. I want to, I want to launch my
31:24
kids into the world so they can thrive in the lives that the
31:28
life that God has given to them. And hear this, this home is just
31:33
all backwards. So, Reuben goes out now, come
31:36
back with me. Verse 14.
31:38
Ruben goes out, he finds these mandrake's in the, in the day,
31:45
they believe that these mandrake's, or sometimes they're
31:47
called love, apples were both an aphrodisiac, but also an aide
31:52
infertility. So that's what they are.
31:55
They, this was a plant that grows in abundance and Israel.
31:59
It's had dark leaves like a carrot like root and many
32:04
believe, eating them could excite passion, and promote,
32:06
fruitfulness and women. And they were considered.
32:10
To be successful in many ways. So he has some and verse 15.
32:14
It says she said to her, it's a small matter that you've taken
32:17
away my husband. Would you also take away my
32:20
son's mandrake's his love apples to and Rachel said, therefore he
32:24
will lie with you tonight for your son's mandrake's.
32:27
So what is Rachel wants? She wants a child.
32:29
She'll do anything at any cost to get her husband's attention.
32:34
and so go ahead and have have them again, we won't fight about
32:37
it and when Jacob comes out of the field verse 16, In the
32:42
evening Leah went out to meet him and said you must come into
32:44
me for I have surely hired. You, this is their marriage you
32:48
know, as backwards as it is, I bought you tonight with my son's
32:53
mandrake's and he laid with her that night and God listen to
32:56
Leah, and she conceived him board.
32:59
Jacob, Jacob. A fifth son Leah said, God has
33:01
given me my higher because I've given my made to my husband, so
33:06
she called his name is sekar. Again, it's a car, meaning happy
33:11
And she is happy. She has a fifth sun and Leah
33:15
conceived again and gave Jacob Astor and bore Jacob.
33:18
A sixth son Leah. Said, God has endowed me with a
33:21
good endowment. Now, my husband will dwell with
33:23
me because I had borne him six Sons.
33:26
So she called his name Zebulon which again means dwelling or
33:30
habitation afterwards. She bore a daughter and we don't
33:32
know how many daughters but we have this one.
33:35
Daughter mentioned Dinah. Her name means judgment and we
33:38
will get to her later on in chapter 34.
33:41
The sad situation or name means judgment.
33:45
You know, in ancient times when a woman would go into labor,
33:48
they most of society, most of the family, especially the dad
33:53
would always hope for a son and they prepare a party afterwards
33:57
to deliver a son and there was a part of their hope and desire
34:01
that their son would be Messiah. That would be the lineage or
34:03
Messiah and they prepare a party and if it was a daughter, they'd
34:07
all go home, sad and discouraged.
34:10
And I know it's not fair, it's not right?
34:11
But this is the culture that they're in and I just think even
34:15
today how much Jesus has liberated and elevated women
34:19
today and how far you've come and how God has reminded us and
34:24
the New Covenant that men and women are equal in the sight of
34:28
God. It's important because culture
34:31
wants us to divide men and women wants us to divide over roles
34:35
and responsibilities. The church dividing everything
34:38
about dividing. The enemy loves division because
34:40
House Divided cannot stand. It won't stand.
34:45
Division, always leads to destruction and I love this.
34:48
Women have been elevated and really I would I would say taken
34:52
from what man has done and elevated back to your rightful
34:56
place. Equality before the eyes of god,
35:00
notice verse 22, then God remembered Rachel and God
35:03
listened to her and opened her room womb.
35:06
So things are changing now and she conceived and bore a son and
35:09
said God has taken away my reproach.
35:12
So she called his name Joseph and said the Lord shall add to
35:16
me. Another son, answer out loud for
35:21
me. Is there favoritism in this
35:23
home? Who's going to be the favored
35:25
kid? Joseph, how do we know that
35:29
well, few chapters later? All his brothers, throw him in a
35:32
pit. And they lie to her dad about
35:36
him. So, sad verse 25, it came to
35:41
pass. When Rachel was born Joseph,
35:42
that Jacob said to Levant Laban, send me away that I might go to
35:46
my own place and in my own country, give me my wives, and
35:49
my children for whom, I've served you, and let me go for,
35:52
you know, my service, which I have done for you and he has
35:55
been a faithful hard-working. Man Laban said to him, please
35:58
stay if I found favor in your eyes.
36:00
For, I have learned by experience that the Lord has
36:03
blessed me for your sake, pause there, for a second circle.
36:06
The word. Experience.
36:07
Because in the Hebrew, it has a learned by experience the phrase
36:13
in the Hebrew. Learn by experience has an
36:15
inference. That the way that he learned it
36:18
was by occultism or going to a soothsayer Laban was a rank
36:24
Pagan, how do we know that will later on when they leave Rachel
36:29
still very Pagan herself, steals her dad's Idols Idols of worship
36:34
to go now with this man that was saved.
36:37
That thou but doesn't know how to lead his home.
36:39
Very well yet and has all this chaos and disarray and
36:43
difficulty. And we see in this passage
36:47
though, a wonderful truth that even those occultism soothsayer,
36:51
all this stuff is happening, all this stuff is happening.
36:57
Still notice in verse 28, our at the end, learn by experience
37:03
that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.
37:05
He knows that Jacobs. God has blessed him but these
37:10
soothsayers if that was the enchantments at that was his
37:13
worship of Idols affirm the gave him the confidence of that truth
37:18
and he said go ahead and name your wages verse 28 and I'll
37:21
give it This is beautiful because even though Jacob is
37:25
sideways and really not in a place where he needs to be yet,
37:29
got still working through him. What we would call the process
37:32
of sanctification, he has a lot of maturity.
37:34
He's growing a lot even though he's not there yet you see that
37:38
as long as Jakob was around, people were blessed by him.
37:42
So honest Jacob was around people were blessed.
37:45
And it reminded me especially as we were speaking about marriages
37:48
and such in First Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 14.
37:52
It says the unbelieving husband is Sanctified by the wife and
37:56
the unbelieving wife is Sanctified by the husband.
37:59
Otherwise, your children would be unclean but now they're holy.
38:03
There is a power in the presence of a Believer.
38:06
You might want to jot that down. There is a power in the presence
38:09
of a believer, in every situation, your This is better
38:13
because you work there. Your street is a better street
38:16
because you live. There you the market that you
38:19
frequent mostly is better because that's where you shop.
38:23
Because the presence of a Believer brings blessings,
38:27
you're the one paying attention. You're the one.
38:29
I just think you go and what do you mean the market?
38:32
This is think you're in the vegetable aisle and you're in a
38:35
hurry and you're just kind of picking your peppers and picking
38:38
your lettuce and you see someone crying some of you It'll make
38:43
you pause and pray for them, but you're too nervous.
38:45
Still yet to go approach them, but you're praying for them.
38:48
Some of you you're going to approach first and pray later
38:51
because you're naturally drawn to them, everyone else is going
38:54
to get their bread, everyone else.
38:56
And again, I know there are good people in the world.
38:58
I don't mean that but the believer brings the presence of
39:01
God, not just some good action into someone's life, the
39:05
believer cares, the believer, praise the believer acts.
39:10
The believer is the very representation of the presence
39:14
of God, wherever she or he goes, and as bad as Jacob is here,
39:20
it's still a great reputation to have when he's around.
39:23
We're blessed. But he's gone now and it's not
39:27
good. I remember in Mark's gospel,
39:29
we're told that Herod respected. John, the Baptist, he respected
39:34
his Integrity, he respected his tenacity and his loyalty.
39:38
It says in the new living Mark, in the New Living Translation of
39:41
Mark chapter 6, I think in verse 20 it says for Herod respected
39:45
John knowing that he was a good and holy man he's going to cut
39:49
his head off but he respected him like he's still going to be
39:52
the rank on believer that he is. But John, the Baptist was going
39:56
to stain his head, the rest of his life.
39:58
It would be a conviction of God to Herod the rest of his life.
40:04
And again, we're not satisfied with that.
40:06
We're not willing at many times, the lay down our lives.
40:09
We want everything. We want to be a good influence
40:12
and then not get our head cut off, but sometimes bad things
40:15
happen to good people. Not just sometimes most of the
40:19
time, bad things happen to good people.
40:22
And one of the revelations of bad things happen to good
40:25
people, is that we're not as good as we think we are.
40:28
And it draws us to our good God and our holy God, and he reminds
40:33
us Lord. I need you.
40:37
Far more than you need me. Well, verse 29, Jacob said to
40:41
him, you know, I've served you and how your life sucks been
40:44
with me. For what you had before, I came
40:47
was little and now it's increased to a great amount.
40:50
The Lord has blessed you since my coming.
40:52
And now, when I, when shall I also provide for my own house?
40:56
So he said what shall I give you you know leg and let's make a
40:58
deal then. And Jacob said You shall not
41:01
give me anything. But if you'll do this thing for
41:04
me, I will again feed and keep your flocks.
41:08
Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from
41:11
there, all the speckled, and spotted sheep, and all the brown
41:14
ones among the Lambs, which would be the inferior ones, and
41:18
the spotted and speckled among the goats, these shall be my
41:22
wages. So my righteousness will answer
41:26
for me and time to come. That's a big statement right
41:31
there, but he makes a nonetheless when the subject of
41:34
my wages comes before you everyone that's not speckled and
41:37
spotted him on the goats and the brown among the Lambs will be
41:40
considered stolen if it's with me and Laban said, oh, that it
41:44
were according to your word. He said, yes.
41:46
Why? Because he's willing to give all
41:48
the bad ones away? Sure, take them.
41:51
I don't want too many ways and Laban.
41:54
I said, oh that it would be according to your word, so he
41:56
moved removed that Day. Verse 35, the male goes over,
42:00
speckled and spotted. All the female goats that were
42:02
speckled and spotted everyone that had some white in in, and
42:05
all the brown ones among the Lambs and gave them into the
42:08
hand of their sons. By the way, healthy valuable
42:11
sheep in that day, is what color white and a healthy valuable
42:16
goat in that day would then what be what color black.
42:21
Right, we know white, right? We know, because Jesus Isaiah
42:25
uses that as an example, where your sins will be white as snow
42:29
white as wool is also used. And as an example, in the
42:33
scriptures, white is very valuable, very important.
42:37
And so notice he says, In verse 36, he put three days journey
42:44
between himself and Jacob and Jacob fed the rest of laban's
42:47
flocks. Now, Jacob took for himself,
42:50
rods of Green popular and of the almond and Chestnut trees,
42:53
killed white strips in them and expose the white, which was in
42:57
the rods and the rods, which he had peeled.
43:00
He said before the flocks in the gutters and the watering troughs
43:03
where the flocks came to drinks that they might conceive when
43:06
they came to drink. So the flocks conceived before
43:08
the rods and the flocks brought forth streams.
43:11
Great Speckled and spotted then Jacob separated the Lambs and
43:15
made the flocks face toward the street, and all the brown and
43:17
the flock of Laban, but he put his own flocks by themselves and
43:21
did not put them with laban's and it came to pass.
43:24
When ever the stronger, livestock conceive that Jacob
43:26
placed the Roz Before Their Eyes in the gutters that they might
43:30
conceived among the rods. But when the flocks were feeble,
43:33
he did not put them in, so the feebler became laban's and the
43:37
stronger is Jacob's. Thus the Man became exceedingly,
43:40
prosperous, and It had large flocks, female and male
43:43
servants, and camels, and donkeys.
43:48
Which the question is, what in the world is Jacob doing here?
43:52
The answer is I really have no idea.
43:56
Commentators disagree in all this is happening.
44:00
But here it would be equivalent to some sort of genetic
44:06
engineering, how we would understand it today, he is
44:10
manipulating through things. One commentator said that Jacob
44:14
stumbled upon Mendel's Law and experience, an observant cattle.
44:18
Breeder Jacob had no doubt. It is still at the commentator
44:21
said already experimented, with selective breeding.
44:24
Even though the Dominant, trade and Laban sheep.
44:26
Goats produced, white. Jacob know he could get them to
44:29
produce Brown. What's happening though?
44:32
What I do know is happening is Jacob is scheming again.
44:37
And it's going to get him in big trouble even more, and he saw an
44:41
opportunity, and he took his plan worked seemingly, and he
44:47
tooks, the takes the stronger and healthier sheep.
44:51
But really what's happening? Is God is blessing Jacob in
44:54
spite of his son. And this is a big problem of
44:57
many people have their good. Wait a minute.
44:59
How is it possible that Jacob with all this scheming and all
45:03
these wives and and all this sin that he still Seemingly is
45:08
successful or even you could say blessed and it's a great
45:12
question to ask. You should ask it on every page
45:14
of the Bible because the answer is the same every page every
45:18
person. Oh oh by the way, you can ask it
45:21
from anyone in the scriptures but then I want you also to go
45:23
home. Look in the mirror was you're
45:25
brushing your teeth today finish brushing.
45:27
So you don't get it all over the mirror, look yourself in the eye
45:29
and go. How is it that?
45:31
You're so blessed. Just look yourself in the eye
45:33
and go. How is it?
45:34
Because you know you you know, your thoughts You know, the
45:37
manipulations, you know, your weaknesses, you know, you know,
45:40
some of you might have flip someone off today.
45:42
You might have custom in your mind.
45:44
You might have stole something from work.
45:46
You might have lied about someone.
45:47
You might have got, this is not an innocent room.
45:50
There wasn't one aim in in the house, but it's true.
45:52
It's not anything. We are not like all widen our
45:55
garments of righteousness right now, and we're just so good.
45:58
And so perfect. Where the little holy Club of
46:01
Aurora? We're only ones that are right.
46:03
Everybody's wrong nonsense and you look yourself in the eye,
46:07
you go. How are you so blessed?
46:09
How is Jacob? So blessed, how is Abraham so
46:12
blessed? How is Judas?
46:13
How did Judas get away with it all that time and owner and ask
46:17
for every single person but includes yourself and it'll be a
46:20
One word answer the grace of God for forwards but still still the
46:25
same. It's the grace of God.
46:27
It is God's grace, in your life, you're not getting away with
46:30
anything. Well, you know, a diet and I
46:33
haven't been caught yet, right? You just got caught right now by
46:37
saying that. The spirit of God has already
46:40
spoken to you. What you mean?
46:41
Not caught yet, you're busted right now.
46:43
You're willing to say that out loud.
46:44
No Ed only in my head. You still said it like the grace
46:49
of God is calling you to repentance not to more sin.
46:54
What do you deserve? What do I deserve?
46:59
What is Jacob deserve? We all deserve the same thing
47:01
and what does God give us Grace? So chica, what's your problem
47:06
here? No, add, what's your problem
47:08
here? And I know many of your name, so
47:11
I won't say them, you know, your own name and what is the grace
47:15
of God do? But it melts your heart and
47:17
brings you back to a place of surrender and submission.
47:21
And you show Grace to others. And you show grace to the
47:25
hardened, you show grace to the laban's, some of you are dealing
47:28
with the Laban and you think the answer is to scheme your way out
47:32
of it and Jacobs just telling you don't it's not going to
47:35
work. You could read ahead next few
47:37
chapters. You see it just keeps ruining
47:41
his family and it's not God's will for you to do that in the
47:45
background tensions. Mounting Levens home.
47:52
The Donna, ROM. Jacob starts a family becomes
47:54
rich. He marries Rachel gained much,
47:57
but it isn't his home, he can't stay there forever, he's going
48:00
to move forward, God's going to make it happen, but it's going
48:03
to come with a lot of pain. And on top of all this, you
48:06
Bible students know what we just read.
48:10
Was The Birth of a Nation. Two tribes of Israel.
48:16
This is the family that the tribes of Israel came from.
48:21
That the world will be blessed through Abraham, Isaac.
48:24
Jacob. And now these guys four
48:26
different baby mamas that's how we'd say today, wouldn't we?
48:32
And yet, God, still uses it. God's will still even use our
48:36
mistakes. It doesn't mean we can keep
48:40
making them but God will even use them.
48:43
How many of us came to the Lord. So backwards, so upside down.
48:49
I still. If my mind, if I let my mind go
48:54
there, I still wonder how God will redeem things.
48:59
I still wonder, I still regret like Paul and Peter, like They
49:04
Carried these weights on them especially solve Tarsus.
49:09
And yet, it's the grace of God, that calms me down.
49:12
Encourages me. It's his faithfulness in the
49:15
past, it's his experience. His faithfulness today, that I
49:18
know he is in the redeeming business and then I always hear
49:22
in the back, just don't do it again, Ed and I'm my responses.
49:25
I don't want to ever do that again.
49:27
I want to live. I want to forget those things
49:30
that are behind and I want to press on and upward to the
49:33
upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
49:35
And I invite anyone that would like to join me to get on that
49:39
narrow path. And press on to the things of
49:42
God in your life. Bring all your Brokenness.
49:45
Bring all your trials. Bring all your difficulties,
49:49
bring all your children, all your past mistakes and allow the
49:54
Lord to use them for his glory. Amen.
49:58
Why Lord we thank you for the word tonight and knowing that
50:00
it's a you know it's a birthing chapter of a very difficult
50:04
thing. I think in our culture today
50:06
even baby mamas are kind of celebrated like it's a big deal.
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There's not one guy. God that is going around saying
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how many women he wants to impregnate before he dies?
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It's just so backwards. But here we have a man that even
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culturally it was, okay for this. but not in your eyes and
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you still redeem day, you didn't abandon him, you didn't You
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know, you didn't like go back on your word.
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And so God, we want to be a part of the Redemption.
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And when I want to step in, as we're learning to thrive in a
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very difficult situation, for out, your spirit tonight, Upon
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Us, Lord, give us strength as we look in the mirror, and we're
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reminded of your grace every single time Jesus name.
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Amen. We pray that you've been
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encouraged by this Bible. Study delivered live from the
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sanctuary of Calvary Church for prayer.
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Call us at 877, 30 Grace, that's eight, seven seven. 30 4723 to
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listen to this message in its entirety or to join us for our
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lives dream Services. Visit us online at Calvary co.'s
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Church or download our free Calvary Church app be blessed as
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you worship Jesus this week. 30 4723 to listen to this message
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in its entirety or to join us for our lives dream Services.
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Visit us online at Calvary co.'s Church or download our free
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Calvary Church app be blessed as you worship Jesus this week.