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Today’s Podcast
Today’s Devotional
Today’s background scripture comes from Genesis 33.
Sometimes your past catches up with you and you are afraid. That’s the position in which Jacob found himself when he approached his homeland after escaping from his father-in-law, Laban. He cheated his brother, Esau, out of his birthright, blessing, and inheritance and now saw him for the first time since those events…coming toward him with 400 men.
If that was the last remembrance of your brother, you might feel the same way Jacob did. If the last time you saw someone you stole from them and now you saw them with what constituted a small army, you might be scared, too. But a transformation happened in those convening years for both Jacob and Esau. We don’t hear much about Esau in the ensuing years except as enemies of Israel, but he too can claim his heritage from Abraham. And I promised all nations on earth would be blessed by Abraham.
Esau grew into a mighty nation. As long as he and his children followed by teaching, they prospered. Unfortunately, they didn’t do so long and blamed Israel for their demise. They pointed to Jacob, the schemer, as the cause of their troubles and became bitter enemies of Israel throughout their history.
I keep My promises and kept Jacob safe. I kept My promises with Esau as long as he and his descendants followed Me. Most of My promises come as a covenant. I will keep My end of the covenant, but expect you to keep your end also. I give you many opportunities to come back to Me when you err, just as I did Abraham, Esau, and Jacob. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and their descendants trusted Me and became the line of My chosen people. Esau’s descendants chose a different path.
You must choose, also. Will you choose Me or your own path? If you choose My path, you might come across things from your past that look fearful at times, but I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. You need not fear your past, present, or future when you put your trust in Me.
Today’s Scripture
Today’s Bible reading plans include:
Ready – Genesis 33
Set – Genesis 33; Luke 13
Go! – Genesis 31-33; Luke 13
Genesis 33
Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming, and 400 men were with him. Jacob quickly divided the children among Leah and Rachel and their two servants. 2 He put the female servants with their children in front, then Leah with her children, and Rachel and Joseph last of all. 3 He himself went on ahead of them, and he bowed to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. 4 But Esau ran to meet him. He embraced Jacob, kissed his neck, and they both cried. 5 Esau looked up and saw the women and children.Esau: Who are these people with you?
Jacob: These are the children God has graciously given your servant.
6 Then the female servants came closer, along with their children, and they bowed down. 7 Leah did likewise; she and her children approached and bowed down. Finally Joseph and Rachel came forward, and they bowed down as well.
Esau: 8 What was your intent in sending all of your men and herds ahead of you?
Jacob: I hope to find favor with you, my master.
Esau: 9 I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.
Jacob: 10 No, please. If I have found favor with you after all these years, please accept the gifts I offer. Seeing your face again is like seeing the face of God, so graciously and warmly have you welcomed me. 11 Please accept the blessing I bring. God has graciously provided for me and my family. I have everything I could want.
Jacob kept insisting that Esau accept the gift. Finally he did.
Esau: 12 Now let’s be on our way, and I will walk on ahead of you.
Jacob: 13 My master knows that the children are very small and the nursing flocks and herds are under my care. If they are driven too hard for even one day, I’m afraid I’ll lose all the flocks. 14 Please, my master, go on ahead of me, and I will keep on at a slower pace—the pace of the animals up ahead and the children—until I come to you in Seir.
Esau: 15 Let me leave some of my people to accompany you.
Jacob: Why go to all that trouble? You have done enough already. Just let me find favor with my master.
16 Esau agreed and set out that day to go back to Seir. 17 But Jacob journeyed instead to Succoth, and he built himself a house there and put up some shelters for his cattle. That’s why this place is called Succoth, which means “shelters.”
18 At last Jacob came to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. Overall it had been a safe and peaceful journey from Paddan-aram. He camped outside of the city 19 and purchased the land on which he had pitched his tent from the sons of Hamor (who was Shechem’s father) for one hundred pieces of money. 20 And there also he built an altar he called El-Elohe-Israel, which means “God, the God of Israel.”
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
Music by the Booth Brothers from Room for More, “Faithful One” ©2008.
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