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Genealogy of Jesus Part 2: Jacob · The Living Freed Podcast

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Hey y 'all, I'm Hannah Liz at Coastal Living,
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Jesus Living, NC Native, and this is the Living
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Free Podcast, where we discuss intentionally
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living our lives to the fullest that God has
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intended, having those late night open heart
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friend convos, not letting others, ourselves,
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or ideas hold us down, allowing Jesus to free
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us of the chains that we didn't know we were
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holding onto. You can see the full show notes.
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Attached to this episode and if you love this
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episode, please leave me a review All right,
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y 'all it's time for our weekly catch -up Honestly,
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I didn't have a lot happen this week I took off
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Monday and picked up Wednesday instead at the
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salon because one of my really good friends came
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into town her name is Caitlin We used to actually
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live together. We lived together for two maybe
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three years. I don't remember Which is terrible.
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And we had, in my opinion, the best time ever.
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She brought her dog. We went down to Carolina
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Beach and got Brits donuts. If you know, you
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know, they are the best donuts in all of North
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Carolina. I swear. And then we went over to Freeman
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Park, Freeman Park, which is one of the beaches
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you can drive on. But you can also bring your
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dogs any time of year. So we brought her puppy.
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That's not really a puppy anymore. And then we
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got dinner with my mom and it was glorious. We
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had the best time. The next day I took her to
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one of my favorite coffee shops in downtown Wilmington
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and the roaster for the coffee shop is actually
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Savannah based roaster, which she loved because
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she's from Savannah. And then we hung out by
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the pool, did some shopping, and she went home.
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It was very relaxing. But outside of that, I
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haven't been up too much. Really, we did a worship
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night in downtown Wilmington Wednesday night.
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and did a small group being Tuesday night. Outside
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of that, I would say my life's been boring. I've
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been focusing on deep cleaning and just, yeah.
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And that's all I've, I'm boring this week. All
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I've focused on is deep cleaning. Oh, you know
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what? I know I told you all how. I bought my
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ticket for Iceland and booked all the Airbnbs
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and the hotels, well. the last airbnb i booked
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cancelled so i booked another one and they declined
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and i booked another one and they declined and
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you might think that means there's something
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wrong with me except for all the reviews on me
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on airbnb are fantastic reviews so i don't know
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if there's just an event happening in that area
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and people want to jack up their prices or what
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but i ended up booking just a hotel you know
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easy peasy lemon squeezy so that's what we're
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doing is we're staying in a hotel and the stress
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is now off of my shoulders Alright, now that
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you're caught up on what's going on in my life,
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let's dive into today's episode. Today we're
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going to be talking about Jacob. So I know we
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talked about Abraham and then we talked about
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Isaac, so we're gonna jump back in kind of where
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we left off with Isaac and run into Jacob's story.
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Sound good? Awesome. So, Isaac was 60 when Rebecca
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gave birth to Jacob and Esau. While Rebecca was
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pregnant with the boys, there was a struggle
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within her womb and she spoke with the Lord and
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asked, why me? I'm sure her why me question had
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a lot of thoughts and emotions behind it. And
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I'm sure some of us can relate. She can't get
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pregnant. She probably sees everyone else around
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her getting pregnant and having babies and she
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feels alone. Then when she finally does get pregnant,
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it's a hard pregnancy. The baby is struggling,
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tossing and turning, probably causing her pain,
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and she's probably worried about that baby's
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health and her own. So she goes to God and says
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what we have all said at some point in our lives,
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why me? The Lord tells her that there isn't just
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one baby in her womb growing, but two, that they
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will become two nations that are divided and
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one will serve the other. Jacob, whose name means
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takes by the heel or he cheats. is the younger
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of the twins and came out holding his brother's
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heel. He is described as a quiet man dwelling
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in tents and loved by his mother. His brother
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Esau is a man's man, hairy, hunts, and a man
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of the earth type of guy and loved by his father.
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Esau had the birthright because he was technically
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born first. Now most of us know their story.
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Esau comes home from hunting, but he hadn't killed
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anything. He finds Jacob cooking food, and asks
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for something to eat, but Jacob tells Esau, if
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he wants some, then he'll have to sell his birthright
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to Jacob. The Bible doesn't tell us how long
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Esau had been hunting. It could have been an
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hour, a few days, weeks, whatever, but all we
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know is he came home so hungry he thought he
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might die from starvation. This could have been
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dramatic on his end. like when most men get a
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cold and they think they need to go to the hospital
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while we have the same cold right now and didn't
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think to even mention it. But let's not believe
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that to be the case and that it really was that
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bad for Esau. For this purpose, we're going to
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picture him out in the woods with only water
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left because he ate all his snacks days ago.
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covered in dirt, nearly starved to death, and
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on the brink of fainting because he hasn't had
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food in so long, okay? So he agrees to sell his
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birthright to Jacob. He eats his food, and from
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that point on, he despises his birthright. For
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those who might not know, a birthright is only
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given to the firstborn in comes with special
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privileges, like inheriting a double portion
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of the father's property, becoming the family
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priest until the Levites took over that role,
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and inheriting the role of being in charge. The
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birthright also comes with the responsibility
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and expectation of leadership within the family.
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Now, for those of us who like our siblings, we
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could never imagine doing something like this
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to them. But for those who don't like their siblings,
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you probably can see how this happened. I tried
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to put myself in Jacob's shoes when reading this.
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He wasn't the oldest, so his dad probably didn't
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value him the way he did Esau. He most likely
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got left out of a lot of the activities like
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hunting and doing other man -like stuff. I can
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imagine his brother Esau was trained with special
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attention, learning how to take care of the family's
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lands, animals, among other things. Jacob being
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described as a quiet man tells me he was probably
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disregarded a lot when it came to being around
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his dad and brother, and also being described
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as a tent dweller means he didn't get his hands
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dirty much. Rebecca, their mom, most likely saw
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how different they were being treated from the
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very beginning and wanted to make sure Jacob
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felt loved and seen, taught him how to cook and
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do other inside the tent things. I'm sure there
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were conversations of what it would have been
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like if Jacob had been born first, instead of
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Esau, and resentment continued to grow in Jacob
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as he got older. So Homie saw his chance to change
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things and he took it. Now. Let's go over to
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chapter 27 in Genesis, and I'm going to read
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verses 1 -4 for us. Now then, take your weapons,
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your quiver and your bow, and go to the field
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and hunt game for me, and prepare for me delicious
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food, such as I love, and bring it to me, so
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that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before
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I die." So Esau leaves to go hunt and make food,
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and Rebekah had been sneaking listening in on
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their convo. She runs to Jacob and tells him
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to go get two young goats to cook and bring to
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his dad, so that he can be blessed instead of
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Esau. And Jacob says in verses 11 -13, that he
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had left at her house and put them on Jacob,
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for the fur from the young goats he had taken
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from the field to cook she put on his hands and
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neck. We're going to jump down to verses 18 -25.
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How is it that you have found it so quickly,
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my son?" He answered, because the Lord your God
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granted me success. Then Isaac said to Jacob,
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please come near that I may feel you, my son,
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to know whether you are really my son Esau or
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not. So Jacob went near to Isaac his father,
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who felt him and said, the voice is Jacob's voice,
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but the hands are the hands of Esau. And he did
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not recognize him because his hands were hairy
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like his brother Esau's hands. So he blessed
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him. He said, Are you really my son Esau? He
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answered, I am. Then he said, Bring it near to
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me, that I may eat of my son's game and bless
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you. So he brought it near to him, and he ate,
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and he brought him wine, and he drank. He gets
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blessed by his father, and in verses 26 -30,
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and then he leaves. But Esau is back from hunting
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and preparing food. He walks in to feed his father
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and to get blessed, but instead he gets very
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bad news. We're going to read verses 31 -38 now.
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Speaking of Esau, he also prepared delicious
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food and brought it to his father, and he said
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to his father, Let my father rise and eat of
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his son's game, that you may bless me. His father
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Isaac said to him, Who are you? He answered,
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I am your son, your first born, Esau. Then Isaac
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trembled very violently and said, Who was it
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then that hunted game and brought it to me, and
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I ate it, all before you came, and I have blessed
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him? Yes, and he shall be blessed. As soon as
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Esau heard the words of his father, he cried
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out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry,
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and said to his father, Bless me, even me also,
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my father. But he said, Your brother came deceitfully,
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and he has taken away your blessing. Esau said,
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Is he not rightfully named Jacob? For he has
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cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright,
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and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.
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And then he said, Have you not reserved a blessing
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for me? Isaac answered and said to Esau, Behold,
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I have made him lord over you, and all of your
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brothers I have given to him for servants, and
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with grain and wine I have sustained him. What
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then can I do for you, my son? Esau said to his
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father, Have you but one blessing, my father?
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Bless me, even me also, O my father. And Esau
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lifted up his voice and wept. Later in that chapter,
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we see that Esau gets pissed. His mom finds out
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and tells Jacob to run away because his brother
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wants to kill him. Rebecca tells Isaac she basically
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would rather die than have Jacob marry a Hittite
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woman from the land that they live in like his
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brother Esau did, and to please send Jacob away
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to find a wife. Isaac sends Jacob away in chapter
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28. and basically says, your mom doesn't want
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you to marry a woman from here, so go to her
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family and get a wife from there. Also, let me
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pass down the blessing God gave to your grandpa.
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Jacob leaves and heads to a place called Horan.
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On his journey though, he obviously has to sleep
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at some point, so he lays his head down on a
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rock outside of the city of Lez that will become
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Bethel, which means house of God, and he has
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his own encounter with God there in his dream.
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In verses 13 -15, God says this to Jacob, verse
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13, and will bring you back to this land, for
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I will not leave you until I have done what I
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have promised. In chapter 29 is where Jacob meets
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Rachel. After his combo with God, he continues
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his journey and comes upon a well in a field
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that has shepherds. Let's pick up in verse 4
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and we're gonna end it in 30. Jacob said to the
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shepherds, my brothers, where do you come from?
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They said, we come from Haran. He said to them,
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do you know Laban? They said we know him and
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he has said to them. Is it well with him? They
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said it is well and see Rachel his daughter is
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coming with the sheep He said behold it is still
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high day Is it not time for the livestock to
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be gathered together water the sheep and go pasture
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them? But they said we cannot until all the flock
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are gathered together and the stone is rolled
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from the mouth of the well Then we will water
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the sheep while he was still speaking with them
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Rachel came with her father sheep for she was
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just shepherdess Now, as soon as Jacob saw Rachel,
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the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother,
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and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother,
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Jacob came near and rolled the stone from the
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well's mouth and watered the flock of Laban,
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his mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel
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and wept aloud, and Jacob told Rachel that he
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was her father's kinsman and that he was Rebekah's
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son, and she ran and told her father. Now, as
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soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his
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sister's son, he ran to meet him and embraced
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him and kissed him and brought him to see his
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house. Jacob told Laban all the things. Laban
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said to him, surely you are my bone and my flesh,
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and he stayed with him a month. Then Laban said
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to Jacob, because you are my kinsman, should
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you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me,
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what shall your wages be? Now, Laban had two
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daughters. The name of the older was Leah and
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the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah's eyes
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were weak, but Rachel was beautiful and form
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and appearance. Jacob loved Rachel and he said,
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I will serve you seven years for your younger
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daughter Rachel. And Laban said, it is better
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that I give her to you than I should give her
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to any other man. Stay with me. So Jacob served
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seven years for Rachel and they seemed to him
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but just a few days because of the love he had
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for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, give me my
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wife that I may go into her for my time is complete.
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So, Laman gathered together all the people of
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the place and made a feast, but in the evening
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he took his daughter Leah and brought her to
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Jacob, and he went into her. Laman gave his female
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servant to his daughter Leah to be her servant.
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And in the morning, behold, it was Leah. And
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Jacob said to Laban, What is this that you have
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done to me? Did I not serve you for Rachel? Why
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have you deceived me? But Laban said, It is not
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so done in our country to give the younger before
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the firstborn. Complete the week of this one,
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and we will give you the other also in return
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for serving me another seven years. Jacob did
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so and completed her week. Then Laban gave him
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his daughter Rachel to be his wife. Layman gave
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his female servant to his daughter Rachel to
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be her servant. So Jacob went into Rachel also
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and loved Rachel more than Leah and served Layman
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for another seven years. That was a lot, right?
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Okay, so Jacob has been on a long journey, slept
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on the ground, talked with the god of the universe,
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and has his love at first sight moment. Then
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he works for his uncle for seven years with the
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goal of marrying Rachel, but gets so drunk at
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his wedding that he doesn't even realize his
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uncle gave him the older sister Leah instead.
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He awakes the next morning and is probably feeling
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extremely taken advantage of and possibly abused.
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And poor Leah. Imagine the conversation with
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her father the day before, the flirting she witnessed
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between Jacob and Leah all those seven years,
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and then the extreme rejection she felt the next
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morning. Jacob got his girl Rachel though that
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he had worked so hard for and loved so much that
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seven years felt like days, but Leah was the
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unwanted one. The one that in those seven years,
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no one came knocking on the door for. She felt
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rejected, unwanted, and unloved. But God saw
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her and in verses 31 -35, we see he opens her
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womb and she had four sons, one of them being
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Judah. Chapter 30 tells us about how Rachel saw
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her sister give sons to Jacob and envied her
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for it. Rachel demands Jacob to give her a baby
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in verses 1 and in verse 2 Jacob says, Am I God?
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So just like his grandfather's wife, Jacob's
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wife, Rachel, gives her servant to him to have
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a baby through her. The servant conceives and
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gives birth to a son and then she gets pregnant
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again and gives birth to another son. We see
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Leah start to get competitive and give her servant
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as a wife to Jacob and that the new wife gets
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pregnant twice as well. Leah names the second
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son Asher and says happy am I for women call
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me happy. I don't know how many of y 'all have
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sisters, but I do and I know a pointed snide
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comment when I see one. Later we see Leah's oldest
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son had been out in the field collecting mandrakes,
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which is supposed to have a fertility enhancing
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property, and Rachel asks Leah for some. But
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Leah says, sis, you've already taken my husband.
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Would you take this too that my own son got for
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me? And Rachel's like, sell it to me. Does that
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sound familiar? Like, I'll give you Jacob for
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one night. Leah says, okay, deal. Leah meets
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Jacob out in the field and is like, you're mine
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for the night, boo. She gets pregnant again and
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follows with two more babies after that, one
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of them being a girl. The middle of 30 in verse
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22, it says, God remembered Rachel, and God listened
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to her. He gave her a son, who she named Joseph,
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and then she turned around asking for another
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one. I love verse 22 though. God remembered Rachel.
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It reminds me that God will remember me. In my
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heartbreak, in my hope, in my joy, in my desires,
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in my sadness, and in my dreams, God won't forget
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me even when I feel forgotten or left behind.
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Nowhere does it say that Rachel seeked out God
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or that she earned his eye or his ear. No verse
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talks about her praying to God for a son. In
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fact, we see her demand it from Jacob but not
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God, but God still remembered and listened to
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Rachel. That verse reminds me of his love and
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his faithfulness, even when I feel forgotten,
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unseen, and unheard by him. I love verse 22.
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God remembered Rachel. It reminds me that God
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will remember me, in my heartbreak, in my hope,
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in my joy, in my desires, in my sadness, and
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in my dreams. Nowhere does it say how Rachel
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seeked out God and she earned his eye or his
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ear. No verse talks about her praying to God
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for a son. In fact, we see her demand it from
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Jacob but not God, but God still remembered and
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listened to Rachel. That verse reminds me of
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his love and his faithfulness, even when I feel
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forgotten, unseen, and unheard by him. At the
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end of chapter 30, Jacob asks his father -in
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-law to give him what is his and to let him leave.
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Levin says, no, the Lord blessed you and basically
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I want what you have. They strike another deal,
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which his father -in -law tries to do him dirty
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again. Jacob gets ready to pack up what he has
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and he plans to leave in the middle of the night.
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Chapter 31, Jacob tells his wives to be ready
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to leave their father and his land and they seem
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basically to have no issue with it, but Rachel
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does steal her father's household idols. Laban
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realizes not only how they ditched him, but that
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someone also stole the idol and goes after them.
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He gets to them and searches their tents and
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personal items, but Rachel has the idols hidden
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while she sits on them on her camel and says
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something along the lines of, Dad, I'm having
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my period. There's no way you'll actually make
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me get off this thing and find nothing just for
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me to get back on. So her dad leaves her be and
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confesses to Jacob that he couldn't find anything.
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He kisses his grandchildren and daughters goodbye
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and goes back home. Now chapter 32 gets crazy.
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In verses 1 and 2, Jacob is still on his journey
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and the angels of God meet him. Jacob declares,
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this is God's camp and names it so. Verses 3
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through 5, Jacob sends servants ahead to meet
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up with his brother and gets a feel for the vibes.
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Because y 'all don't forget, Jacob ditched his
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brother and ran for his life after taking his
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birthright and stealing his blessing. Verses
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6 through 8, the servants come back and let Jacob
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know that his brother is on his way to meet him,
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but with 400 men. Jacob gets scared and stressed
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out. He makes a plan to divide his group into
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two and hopes if one gets attacked, the other
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can escape. Verse 9, he reminds God of his promise.
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We're going to go ahead and read verses 9 through
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12. I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds
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of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that
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you have shown to your servant. For with only
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my staff I crossed the Jordan, and now I have
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become two camps. Please deliver me from the
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hands of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for
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I fear him that he may come and attack me, the
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mothers with the children. But you said, I will
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surely do you good and make your offspring as
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the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered
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for multitudes. That took some boldness and courage.
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He didn't say, Hey God, if you're cool with it
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and it's your will, will you help me out? Hey
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God, if it's not too much to ask, could you save
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us? Nope. He repeated God's words and promises
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back to him. In verses 13 through 21, he starts
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to sing gifts ahead to his brother, probably
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hoping to soften Esau up. And in verses 22 and
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23, he travels a little with his two wives and
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11 children and the two servants. and at some
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point he sends them a little ahead of him and
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he is alone, at least for a moment. Imagine the
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stress, the racing, uncontrollable thoughts,
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the panic he must be feeling as the time to meet
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with Esau is getting closer and closer, knowing
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he might lose everything and everyone he loves.
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His moment of alone doesn't last long, because
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it jumps straight into verse 24, which we're
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about to read. Okay 24 through 31 ready and Jacob
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was left alone and a man wrestled with him until
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the break of day When the man saw that he did
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not prevail against Jacob He touched his hip
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socket and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as
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he wrestled with him Then he said let me go for
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the day has broken But Jacob said I will not
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let you go unless you bless me and he said to
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him What is your name and he said Jacob? Then
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he said, Your name shall no longer be called
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Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with
23:13
God and with man and have prevailed. Then Jacob
23:17
asked him, Please tell me your name. But he said,
23:20
Why is it that you ask my name? So Jacob called
23:22
the name of the place Penel, saying, For I have
23:25
seen God face to face, and yet my life has been
23:28
delivered. The sun rose upon him as he passed
23:31
Penel, limping because of his hip. Um, crazy,
23:35
right? Based off these verses, it is to be believed
23:37
that Jacob wrestled with God, not just argued,
23:40
not just emotionally wrestled, didn't just see
23:43
him and ran away, but hand to hand combat. I
23:47
don't know about you, but I've wrestled with
23:49
God emotionally and verbally before, a handful
23:52
of times, and one time it felt physical, actually,
23:55
but it wasn't. I've known clearly when he wanted
23:58
me to do something and I get scared so I wrestle
24:01
with my emotions and thoughts about it and keep
24:03
asking him for signs or if he's sure. But Jacob
24:06
in the end didn't only come out of the wrestle
24:09
with God, but also with a new name. Jacob becomes
24:12
Israel and a whole nation is now named too because
24:15
of that moment. Chapter 33 in summary is about
24:18
Jacob and Esau finally meeting and coming back
24:20
together Jacob bowing seven times as he gets
24:23
closer and closer to his brother humbling himself
24:26
and in repentance and Esau running to his brother
24:29
with open arms and Kissing him on the neck and
24:32
greeting as they come back together Let's jump
24:35
to chapter 35 and we're gonna end here with Jacob's
24:38
story We're gonna read verses 1 through 3 and
24:40
then pick up again in 6 and 7 so 1 through 3
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God said to Jacob Arise, go to Bethel and dwell
24:46
there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared
24:49
to you when you fled from your brother Esau.
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So Jacob said to his household and all those
24:54
who were with him, put away your foreign gods
24:56
that are among you and purify yourselves and
24:59
change your garment. Then let's arise and go
25:01
to Bethel so that I may make there an altar to
25:03
the God who answered me in the day of my distress
25:06
and has been with me wherever I have gone. 6
25:09
and 7. So God has Jacob go back to the first
25:28
place God met him in his time of distress and
25:31
need. Jacob probably needed that reminder from
25:34
God of what God had done for him and planned
25:37
on doing. Sometimes when we feel lost or complacent,
25:41
we need to go back to the place where God first
25:43
met us, just like Jacob, and be reminded of that
25:46
moment and promise. We are now going to read
25:48
verses 9 -15. Verse 9, God appeared to Jacob
25:51
again. and blessed him and God said to him your
25:54
name is Jacob no longer shall your name be Jacob
25:57
but Israel shall be your name so he called his
26:00
name Israel and God said to him I am God Almighty
26:03
be fruitful and multiply a nation and company
26:06
of nations shall come from you and kings shall
26:09
come from your own body and the land that I give
26:12
to Abraham and Isaac I will give to you and I
26:15
will give the land to your offspring after you
26:18
then God went up from him Here we see God reaffirm
26:36
Jacob's new name to Israel. Jacob probably needed
26:39
that too. No one was with him when he wrestled
26:41
with God. No one was there to hear the new name
26:44
spoken over him and he was in such a time of
26:47
distress, it's possible he totally forgot about
26:49
it. Fear and trauma will do that to you. We end
26:52
chapter 35 with Jacob going to his father Isaac,
26:56
back to the land that Abraham and Isaac were
26:58
called to journey to. And there is where Isaac
27:01
died, breathing his last breath at age 180. And
27:05
Jacob ended up staying in that land with his
27:08
family and all that God had given him. So who
27:11
is Jacob besides the son of Isaac and father
27:13
of Judah who we will study next? Well, he is
27:16
a sojourner too. He's a trickster, a thief, someone
27:20
who ran away but found the God of his father,
27:22
or more like God found him, a lover boy to Rachel,
27:26
a hard worker, a rememberer of God's promises,
27:29
and most importantly, he acted and followed through
27:31
on his side of God's promises. He is the name
27:34
of a whole nation, which that name means to strive
27:38
with God or God strives. So do with that information
27:41
as you will, but knowing the history of the nation
27:45
of Israel, I find it interesting. Also, homeboy
27:48
can't seem to catch a break when it comes to
27:50
being named. Anyways, Jacob's story is one of
27:54
many messy human stories that shows us God can
27:58
and will use us if we have faith in him to keep
28:00
his promises and not one of us is past redemption,
28:05
even when you steal all that you can from your
28:07
own brother. Okay, let's pray. Father, thank
28:13
you so much for writing our stories. Thank you
28:16
for showing us people with messy histories and
28:19
messy pasts. Thank you for allowing us to be
28:22
human and make mistakes. That no matter where
28:24
we're coming from we can be used by you and we
28:27
are loved by you. That you didn't hold the choices
28:30
that Jacob made against him but you used him
28:32
and you continued to bless him. That his heart
28:35
was full of redemption and repentance and that
28:38
he chose to act and live on the promises that
28:41
you made. I ask that we feel encouraged by this,
28:44
that we are reminded that we are never too far
28:46
from redemption and that it can always come from
28:49
a humble heart. That no matter what we've done
28:51
in the past, you can still use us. I ask that
28:55
our faith continues to stand strong in you and
28:58
that we are set free from whatever we have done.
29:02
Whatever hurt we may have caused others or whatever
29:04
hurt others may have caused us. Whatever trouble
29:08
we've gotten into, whatever mistakes we might
29:10
have made, All right. That's all I have for y
29:39
'all today. Thank you so much for listening to
29:41
the Living Freed Podcast. Let's get connected
29:43
on Instagram at hannelizd or email me at livingfreedpod
29:47
at gmail .com. If you're loving the podcast,
29:50
I'd be so honored if you'd go ahead and hit that
29:53
subscribe button and leave me a review. And if
29:56
you have feedback or a subject you'd like me
29:58
to cover, please email me or DM me on Instagram.
30:01
Again, thank you so much for listening and I
30:03
hope you feel encouraged and lighter today. Bye
30:05
y 'all. Let's pray.