1
00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:03,000
Speaker 1: And it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel, the

2
00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,560
Speaker 1: daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and the sheep of Laban,

3
00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:10,760
Speaker 1: his mother's brother, that Jacob went near and rolled the

4
00:00:10,840 --> 00:00:14,160
Speaker 1: stone from the well's mouth and watered the flock of

5
00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:21,440
Speaker 1: Laban for his mother's brother. Genesis twenty nine ten. My Lord,

6
00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,320
Speaker 1: as the sun greets me, and as I take in

7
00:00:25,360 --> 00:00:29,080
Speaker 1: the breath of life, I do so meditating on the

8
00:00:29,160 --> 00:00:32,559
Speaker 1: truths found in Genesis twenty eight one through twenty nine

9
00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:36,760
Speaker 1: twenty nine, I do so basking in the wonder of

10
00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,199
Speaker 1: your glory, because, like Jacob, I know that you have

11
00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,560
Speaker 1: a vision for my future. Thank you God that angels

12
00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:49,159
Speaker 1: are ascending and descending on my behalf, bringing blessings and

13
00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:53,600
Speaker 1: provision for my future. As I lay on the rock

14
00:00:53,680 --> 00:00:57,640
Speaker 1: of your word, I will be reminded of your faithfulness.

15
00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:00,720
Speaker 1: I will be reminded of your limitless love towards me.

16
00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:05,360
Speaker 1: Thank you that you are with me and that you

17
00:01:05,400 --> 00:01:09,840
Speaker 1: will never leave me no matter where I go. As

18
00:01:09,880 --> 00:01:13,080
Speaker 1: I begin to take territory in the land you've promised me,

19
00:01:13,880 --> 00:01:17,560
Speaker 1: I thank you that you're providing the perfect partner for me.

20
00:01:19,160 --> 00:01:22,720
Speaker 1: As I set my gaze on my promise, I will

21
00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:26,160
Speaker 1: not hesitate to put the necessary work in to lay

22
00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:30,360
Speaker 1: hold of my heart's desire like Jacob did with Rachel.

23
00:01:31,760 --> 00:01:35,920
Speaker 1: I declare that I will not stop until I've obtained

24
00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:43,480
Speaker 1: what you have ordained in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you

25
00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,000
Speaker 1: for making prayer a priority in your day. To learn

26
00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:50,880
Speaker 1: more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story, brought

27
00:01:50,920 --> 00:02:01,120
Speaker 1: to you by Bible in a Year dot com.

28
00:02:01,520 --> 00:02:06,920
Speaker 2: Jacob meets Rachel. Before this story, we learned about Jacob's

29
00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,280
Speaker 2: trick to rob his brother of his blessing. He deceived

30
00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:13,839
Speaker 2: his father into giving him his blessing instead of Esau.

31
00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,720
Speaker 2: Esau's rage boiled and he sought after the life of Jacob.

32
00:02:19,480 --> 00:02:22,680
Speaker 2: Rebecca told Jacob to go stay with her brother Laban

33
00:02:22,919 --> 00:02:26,679
Speaker 2: until it was safe to return. Now we will learn

34
00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:30,240
Speaker 2: about Jacob's vision of a ladder and his desire to

35
00:02:30,320 --> 00:02:34,639
Speaker 2: marry Laban's daughter Rachel, inspired by the Book of Genesis.

36
00:02:37,720 --> 00:02:39,880
Speaker 3: I'm so glad you've joined us on the Bible in

37
00:02:39,919 --> 00:02:44,280
Speaker 3: a Year podcast today, But before we get to today's episode,

38
00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:46,840
Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love

39
00:02:46,919 --> 00:02:50,120
Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional that will give you

40
00:02:50,240 --> 00:02:54,919
Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day, from the moment

41
00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:57,640
Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits

42
00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:01,840
Speaker 3: the pillow. There are thousands of things demanding our attention,

43
00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,760
Speaker 3: but it's in the midst of all this crush and

44
00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:07,640
Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and

45
00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,600
Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help

46
00:03:10,639 --> 00:03:14,560
Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life giving,

47
00:03:14,760 --> 00:03:18,880
Speaker 3: life changing word by sending you my free daily email

48
00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:24,200
Speaker 3: devotional PowerPoint Today. So visit Jagraham dot org to sign

49
00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:29,440
Speaker 3: up for your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's Jagraham dot org

50
00:03:30,040 --> 00:03:34,800
Speaker 3: Jack Graham dot org. When we last saw Jacob in

51
00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,800
Speaker 3: our previous passage, he was running from Esau, fearing for

52
00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:42,560
Speaker 3: his life. Isaac and Rebecca send him to Rebecca's brother

53
00:03:42,800 --> 00:03:48,240
Speaker 3: Laban to wait out Esau's anger. Today, we'll rejoin Jacob

54
00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,120
Speaker 3: on his way to his uncle's home, but before that,

55
00:03:51,720 --> 00:03:54,520
Speaker 3: we'll see what Esau is doing as he mourns his

56
00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:58,160
Speaker 3: losses and seeks to reclaim in some way a blessing

57
00:03:58,280 --> 00:04:02,560
Speaker 3: that he knew and felt was due to him. As

58
00:04:02,680 --> 00:04:06,440
Speaker 3: Jacob travels, we'll see him encountering God in a dream.

59
00:04:07,080 --> 00:04:09,880
Speaker 3: Notice the promises that God makes to Jacob there and

60
00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:14,280
Speaker 3: Jacob's response. Then, as he finally arrives in Laban's land,

61
00:04:14,400 --> 00:04:17,520
Speaker 3: Jacob encounters a woman with whom he'll fall madly and

62
00:04:17,560 --> 00:04:20,440
Speaker 3: deeply in love, and that love will lead him to

63
00:04:20,520 --> 00:04:25,200
Speaker 3: extraordinary lenks to ensure Rachel will be his wife. Notice

64
00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:28,240
Speaker 3: how Jacob and Laban begin a close relationship, a fact

65
00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:31,960
Speaker 3: that will seem peculiar in a future passage, But for now,

66
00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,960
Speaker 3: Jacob seems to have found the home and family that

67
00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:38,799
Speaker 3: he has lost, the theme of today's passage is really

68
00:04:38,839 --> 00:04:42,960
Speaker 3: that of promises. First is the promise God gives to

69
00:04:43,040 --> 00:04:46,160
Speaker 3: Jacob as he meets him along the way in a dream.

70
00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:49,800
Speaker 3: These promises are profound and will shape the course of

71
00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:53,839
Speaker 3: history as the line of Abraham continues, heading in the

72
00:04:54,080 --> 00:04:57,960
Speaker 3: ultimate promise, the Messiah who will deliver the world from sin.

73
00:04:58,880 --> 00:05:02,280
Speaker 3: But we'll also see promise of a wife, the treasured

74
00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:04,960
Speaker 3: prize for which Jacob will agree to work for years

75
00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:09,640
Speaker 3: on end. As you listen, notice the conviction in Jacob's heart,

76
00:05:10,200 --> 00:05:13,960
Speaker 3: the certainty about what he desires. Less hear now the

77
00:05:14,040 --> 00:05:16,360
Speaker 3: love story of Jacob and Rachel.

78
00:05:17,600 --> 00:05:21,160
Speaker 2: Jacob desired to be blessed by God, and he sought

79
00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,279
Speaker 2: it out from his father, since he knew it would

80
00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:26,680
Speaker 2: not come to him through birthright, Jacob was one of

81
00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:29,960
Speaker 2: the first to pursue God's blessing. Instead of allowing it

82
00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,559
Speaker 2: to be given to him through birth, he chose God,

83
00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:37,159
Speaker 2: yet his desire was at the expense of his brother Esau.

84
00:05:37,839 --> 00:05:41,240
Speaker 2: In fear for his life, Jacob fled to pad ann Airam,

85
00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,719
Speaker 2: the land of Laban, Rebecca's brother. There he sought to

86
00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:48,960
Speaker 2: build a life for himself and hopefully find a wife,

87
00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:52,600
Speaker 2: since it was always his father's desire to marry from

88
00:05:52,640 --> 00:05:57,360
Speaker 2: the family of Laban. Sorrow plagued Esau's knights, and he

89
00:05:57,440 --> 00:06:01,159
Speaker 2: mourned the loss of his blessing and birthright night. He

90
00:06:01,279 --> 00:06:04,359
Speaker 2: had not cherished his birthright before, and now that it

91
00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:08,640
Speaker 2: was given away, he was greatly disturbed. While Jacob was away,

92
00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:13,680
Speaker 2: Esau also sought out another wife. His desire to reclaim

93
00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:17,520
Speaker 2: a blessing from God was muddied by rage and contempt.

94
00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,120
Speaker 2: In an effort to please his father, he went to

95
00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:26,880
Speaker 2: Isaac's half brother Ishmael and married his daughter Mehalath. Esaw

96
00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:31,719
Speaker 2: began grasping for any sort of blessing he could. Jacob

97
00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:35,360
Speaker 2: was on his way to padan Aram. The eastern sun

98
00:06:35,480 --> 00:06:37,719
Speaker 2: was setting, and the lights scraped the top of the

99
00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:42,239
Speaker 2: plains before finally descending beneath the valley. The cool dark

100
00:06:42,279 --> 00:06:45,839
Speaker 2: of night replaced the sun, and Jacob found a secluded

101
00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:48,919
Speaker 2: place to lay his head. He took a stone and

102
00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:51,960
Speaker 2: put it under his head and laid beneath the stars.

103
00:06:52,720 --> 00:06:56,400
Speaker 2: Jacob counted the stars in the sky, mindful of God's

104
00:06:56,440 --> 00:07:00,680
Speaker 2: promise to his grandfather Abraham that his people would outnumber

105
00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,960
Speaker 2: the stars. The summer breeze hummed across the valley, and

106
00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:10,520
Speaker 2: Jacob drifted into a deep sleep. Jacob opened his eyes

107
00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,760
Speaker 2: to a dream. Set firmly in the earth was a

108
00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:17,360
Speaker 2: ladder that stretched all the way to the heavens. He

109
00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,560
Speaker 2: watched as the angels of God were ascending and descending

110
00:07:21,600 --> 00:07:25,920
Speaker 2: on the ladder. Jacob stood, watching as the heavenly hosts

111
00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:29,960
Speaker 2: of God moved gracefully to and fro. The Lord stood

112
00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:34,240
Speaker 2: above the ladder, setting his gaze towards Jacob. The gentle

113
00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:38,160
Speaker 2: yet terrifying voice of God bellowed across the earth, and

114
00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:42,440
Speaker 2: Jacob marveled as he listened to the Creator speak, I

115
00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:48,280
Speaker 2: am the Lord, the God of Abraham, and Isaac, your forefathers.

116
00:07:48,840 --> 00:07:51,240
Speaker 2: The land in which you lie your head will be

117
00:07:51,320 --> 00:07:55,160
Speaker 2: given to you and your offspring. They shall be like

118
00:07:55,280 --> 00:07:59,040
Speaker 2: all the dust of the earth, spread abroad and limitless.

119
00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:05,080
Speaker 2: Through them, every family on earth shall be blessed. Jacob

120
00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:08,320
Speaker 2: marveled as he hung upon every word the Lord spoke.

121
00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:12,760
Speaker 2: I am with you, the Lord said, and I will

122
00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:15,760
Speaker 2: keep you wherever you go, and I will bring you

123
00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,240
Speaker 2: back here to this land. I will never leave you.

124
00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:24,240
Speaker 2: And Jacob awoke with a mixture of joy and terror.

125
00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,760
Speaker 2: Surely God is in this place, Jacob said to himself.

126
00:08:29,240 --> 00:08:32,000
Speaker 2: This is none other than the House of God, and

127
00:08:32,040 --> 00:08:35,520
Speaker 2: the gates of Heaven meet here. As the sun was

128
00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,120
Speaker 2: rising and the heat of day replaced the coolness of night,

129
00:08:39,640 --> 00:08:42,080
Speaker 2: Jacob took the stone that he had put under his

130
00:08:42,200 --> 00:08:45,320
Speaker 2: head and set it up for a pillar, and poured

131
00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,440
Speaker 2: oil on the top of it. And he named that

132
00:08:48,600 --> 00:08:53,000
Speaker 2: place Bethel. This would be a special place Jacob would

133
00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:58,160
Speaker 2: return to. Jacob journeyed alone to Laban's land. When he

134
00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,280
Speaker 2: arrived and began to greet some of the men there, Rachel,

135
00:09:01,640 --> 00:09:06,000
Speaker 2: Laban's daughter, came with her father's sheep. Rachel was a

136
00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:09,920
Speaker 2: sheep herdis and beaming with a strong, yet gentle beauty.

137
00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,760
Speaker 2: Jacob watched Rachel descend from the fields where she was

138
00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:18,080
Speaker 2: working and immediately began to weep. Though they had yet

139
00:09:18,080 --> 00:09:20,880
Speaker 2: to meet, Jacob knew that he had just gazed upon

140
00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:24,160
Speaker 2: the woman meant to be his wife. His love for

141
00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,240
Speaker 2: her was immediate, and he ran to her to give

142
00:09:27,320 --> 00:09:30,480
Speaker 2: water to the flock. As he helped her care for

143
00:09:30,520 --> 00:09:34,320
Speaker 2: the sheep, their eyes met, and Jacob, in a moment

144
00:09:34,400 --> 00:09:40,319
Speaker 2: of unexpected passion, kissed her. Jacob told Rachel who he was,

145
00:09:40,679 --> 00:09:44,600
Speaker 2: and immediately she went to go find her father. Labon

146
00:09:44,760 --> 00:09:48,600
Speaker 2: ran to Jacob and the two embraced. A joyful mingling

147
00:09:48,640 --> 00:09:52,959
Speaker 2: of souls began to emanate from the entire family. Jacob

148
00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,880
Speaker 2: was accepted into the house of Laban, and the two

149
00:09:55,920 --> 00:10:00,520
Speaker 2: became closer than father and son. Jacob asked that he

150
00:10:00,559 --> 00:10:04,800
Speaker 2: could serve under Laban and his family. Laban was ecstatic

151
00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,440
Speaker 2: and accepted Jacob's request. Just because you are my kinsmen

152
00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:12,600
Speaker 2: does not mean you should work for free, Laban said,

153
00:10:13,240 --> 00:10:17,120
Speaker 2: name your price for working for me. Jacob knew that

154
00:10:17,160 --> 00:10:20,200
Speaker 2: there was one thing more precious than money or land.

155
00:10:21,080 --> 00:10:23,800
Speaker 2: He knew the second he laid eyes on her that

156
00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:28,120
Speaker 2: Rachel was the one he was supposed to marry. Allow

157
00:10:28,160 --> 00:10:31,120
Speaker 2: me to work for seven years under you so that

158
00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:35,920
Speaker 2: I can marry your daughter, Jacob asked. Laban agreed, and

159
00:10:35,960 --> 00:10:40,520
Speaker 2: so began their friendship and Jacob's diligent pursuit to work

160
00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:45,360
Speaker 2: for his bride. Jacob loved Rachel deeply, and their love

161
00:10:45,480 --> 00:10:47,920
Speaker 2: for one another grew each year.

162
00:10:50,400 --> 00:10:53,080
Speaker 3: Jacob had sought out a blessing from Isaac, his father.

163
00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:57,000
Speaker 3: In reality, it was God's blessing that Jacob wanted to claim,

164
00:10:57,679 --> 00:11:00,120
Speaker 3: and he was able to claim it, but his his

165
00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:04,000
Speaker 3: way of securing the blessing was dishonest and deceitful. His

166
00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:08,320
Speaker 3: motives were right, but his methods were very wrong, so

167
00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,160
Speaker 3: his victory seems hollow. At this point, He's been blessed

168
00:11:12,200 --> 00:11:14,560
Speaker 3: by Isaac, but now his life is in danger. His

169
00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:17,880
Speaker 3: own brother wants him dead, so he flees, leaving his

170
00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:22,640
Speaker 3: mother and his homeland far behind. Sometimes when we achieve things,

171
00:11:22,720 --> 00:11:25,160
Speaker 3: even though it's a good thing, the way we get

172
00:11:25,160 --> 00:11:29,600
Speaker 3: there can have lasting negative consequences. That was the case

173
00:11:29,640 --> 00:11:33,960
Speaker 3: for Rebecca and Jacob. They would never see each other again,

174
00:11:34,760 --> 00:11:38,320
Speaker 3: a mother and a son now separated in life. But

175
00:11:38,400 --> 00:11:41,560
Speaker 3: what to say of Esau? He had not cared for

176
00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:45,080
Speaker 3: the blessing until it was lost. He didn't treasure it

177
00:11:45,200 --> 00:11:48,240
Speaker 3: or value it, so he became careless. And when he

178
00:11:48,280 --> 00:11:52,040
Speaker 3: lost God's blessing, he became bitter and enraged, but he

179
00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,920
Speaker 3: still craved his father's approval. Esau did what he thought

180
00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:59,079
Speaker 3: his father would want and marry one of Ishmael's daughters.

181
00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,760
Speaker 3: Was desperate for any form of blessing he could attain.

182
00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:07,120
Speaker 3: How often we are like this, not valuing the thing

183
00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:09,200
Speaker 3: that is right in our reach until it is no

184
00:12:09,280 --> 00:12:14,120
Speaker 3: longer available, so we begin grasping at straws, acting out

185
00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:18,079
Speaker 3: of desperation, trying to make things right. Sometimes it proves

186
00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:20,839
Speaker 3: to be too little, too late, as in the case

187
00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:24,280
Speaker 3: of Esau. Next, we heard of Jacob's dream as he

188
00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,480
Speaker 3: traveled in Layman's Land, God appears to him and makes

189
00:12:27,480 --> 00:12:30,360
Speaker 3: a covenant with Jacob, affirming that the line of blessing

190
00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:34,800
Speaker 3: will indeed pass through him and his offspring. Jenesis twenty

191
00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:39,920
Speaker 3: eighth fourteen and fifteen records God's words, your descendants will

192
00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,880
Speaker 3: also be like the dust of the earth, and you

193
00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:44,080
Speaker 3: will spread out to the west and to the east,

194
00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:46,560
Speaker 3: and to the north and to the south. And in

195
00:12:46,600 --> 00:12:49,360
Speaker 3: you and in your descendants, shall all the families of

196
00:12:49,400 --> 00:12:52,880
Speaker 3: the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and

197
00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:55,400
Speaker 3: will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you

198
00:12:55,480 --> 00:12:58,240
Speaker 3: back to this land, or I will not leave you

199
00:12:58,600 --> 00:13:05,520
Speaker 3: until I've done what I've almist you. With each generation Abraham, Isaac,

200
00:13:05,640 --> 00:13:10,000
Speaker 3: now Jacob, God is reminding them that his blessing isn't

201
00:13:10,040 --> 00:13:12,920
Speaker 3: only for them, but it is for all the families

202
00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:16,360
Speaker 3: of the earth. We need to remember that the blessings

203
00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:18,880
Speaker 3: that we receive from God not only benefit us, but

204
00:13:18,960 --> 00:13:21,720
Speaker 3: they are given for a larger purpose, and that is

205
00:13:21,760 --> 00:13:24,680
Speaker 3: to bless others. We are blessed to be a blessing.

206
00:13:25,559 --> 00:13:28,240
Speaker 3: This is certainly the case with this covenant, as we

207
00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:32,440
Speaker 3: see glimpses of Jesus the Messiah, coming through a blessing

208
00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:36,480
Speaker 3: for all the families of the world. Jacob awakens and

209
00:13:36,600 --> 00:13:39,440
Speaker 3: sets about building a monument a pillar to mark this

210
00:13:39,559 --> 00:13:42,719
Speaker 3: place where God spoke to him and made his promises

211
00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:48,240
Speaker 3: to Jacob, this place, named Bethel, will have great importance

212
00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:53,320
Speaker 3: as the house of God. Finally, Jacob arrives in Laban's

213
00:13:53,360 --> 00:13:57,520
Speaker 3: land and greets his family, and then he first sees

214
00:13:57,640 --> 00:14:03,120
Speaker 3: Rachel Laban's beautiful Jacob cannot wait to meet her and

215
00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,439
Speaker 3: rushes to her. We can see here that Jacob, though

216
00:14:06,520 --> 00:14:09,680
Speaker 3: described as mild when he first came into the world,

217
00:14:10,040 --> 00:14:12,959
Speaker 3: is not a man without passion. He even steals a

218
00:14:13,040 --> 00:14:15,560
Speaker 3: kiss from Rachel, knowing this is the woman for whom

219
00:14:15,600 --> 00:14:18,920
Speaker 3: he would do anything. But it is not only in

220
00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:22,240
Speaker 3: Rachel that Jacob seems to find a home. He feels,

221
00:14:22,280 --> 00:14:24,840
Speaker 3: perhaps for the first time, like he is accepted into

222
00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:28,280
Speaker 3: a family. Rebecca his mother loved him, but he never

223
00:14:28,400 --> 00:14:32,360
Speaker 3: enjoyed the approval of his father. Now Laban is giving

224
00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:36,160
Speaker 3: him that it's really a beautiful time. Jacob, on account

225
00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,680
Speaker 3: of his own actions, had to flee from his own home,

226
00:14:38,720 --> 00:14:42,240
Speaker 3: but God, just as he promised, does not abandon Jacob,

227
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,880
Speaker 3: and even gives him a sense of place among Laban's family.

228
00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,640
Speaker 3: Even when we go in the wrong direction, God can

229
00:14:49,640 --> 00:14:53,000
Speaker 3: bring us back to himself, because where God doesn't rule,

230
00:14:53,080 --> 00:14:56,280
Speaker 3: he overrules, and this is what is happening with Jacob.

231
00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:00,320
Speaker 3: In this closeness and connection, an agreement is struck between

232
00:15:00,400 --> 00:15:04,040
Speaker 3: Jacob and Laban, Laban wanting to pay Jacob for his work,

233
00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,920
Speaker 3: ask his wages, and Jacob setting his eyes on a

234
00:15:06,960 --> 00:15:10,480
Speaker 3: prize greater than gold. Says he will work seven years

235
00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:14,400
Speaker 3: for Rachel's hand in marriage. You could say that Jacob

236
00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:17,400
Speaker 3: was blinded by his desire and entered into a deal

237
00:15:17,440 --> 00:15:20,200
Speaker 3: that would cost him greatly. You could also say that

238
00:15:20,240 --> 00:15:22,720
Speaker 3: he knew the great value of a mate, a wife,

239
00:15:22,760 --> 00:15:26,520
Speaker 3: and whom he could delight both. It is true, and

240
00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:29,360
Speaker 3: as we continue in our next time together, we'll see

241
00:15:29,400 --> 00:15:32,480
Speaker 3: what happens in this agreement. We'll see what comes of

242
00:15:32,520 --> 00:15:37,080
Speaker 3: this agreement between Laban and Jacob. Heavenly Father, thank you

243
00:15:37,160 --> 00:15:39,120
Speaker 3: for the story that we have just read, and how

244
00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:43,000
Speaker 3: we can see your hand guiding Jacob and continuing to

245
00:15:43,080 --> 00:15:46,160
Speaker 3: affirm and to keep your promises as he rescues the

246
00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,680
Speaker 3: family line of Abraham. Thank you, also, Lord, for what

247
00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:53,080
Speaker 3: this passage today teaches us about the purpose of blessing,

248
00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:56,480
Speaker 3: and that we can see your heart for the fatherless,

249
00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,800
Speaker 3: the lonely, as you gave Jacob a family who loved

250
00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:03,800
Speaker 3: and welcomed him as he had never experienced before. Thank

251
00:16:03,840 --> 00:16:07,360
Speaker 3: you for welcoming us into your family through your son,

252
00:16:07,440 --> 00:16:10,560
Speaker 3: the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is in his name

253
00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:14,640
Speaker 3: that we pray. Amen. Thank you for listening to today's

254
00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:18,520
Speaker 3: Bible in a year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas,

255
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:20,680
Speaker 3: and before we go, I want you to know that

256
00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,720
Speaker 3: I would love to send you my daily devotional to

257
00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:28,040
Speaker 3: give you fresh encouragement every single day. So visit Jack

258
00:16:28,120 --> 00:16:32,000
Speaker 3: Graham dot org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.

259
00:16:32,320 --> 00:16:34,360
Speaker 3: That's Jack Graham dot org