The wrestler does not fulfil Jacob’s hunger for blessing right away, but instead directs Jacob’s attention to the root of the problem, his name. Jacob has spent his life living up to his name (it means ‘sneaky little rat-bag’) and it’s time to change. … More
The trickster is tricked, the cheater is cheated, Mr There’s-a-sucker-born-every-minute is suckered himself. … More Genesis 29:15-28
Is your walk with God less-than-perfect? Mine too. I like it that we don’t have to try to be someone we’re not when we come to God. Jacob was a schemer (and that’s the polite version – check out the end of the previous chapter for why Jacob was legging it across the desert on his own) and God accepted him as such. … More Genesis 28:10-19a
Was it the name that made Jacob the way he was? Or did God see his heart before he was born and match the name to the nature? Perhaps Jacob could have used his name as a spur to become better than the shyster it implied. … More Genesis 25:19-34
The classic story of servant-meets-girl, servant-gets-girl, boy-finally-sees-girl-on-a-camel. Hollywood should buy the rights immediately. … More Genesis 24:34-38, 42-49, 58-67
So tests are not pleasant, but they are normal and they are helpful. How did Abraham’s test help? It forced him to think seriously about where his faith lay. In the past he had taken matters into his own hands – Pharaoh, Hagar and Ishmael, Abimelch, etc. Now God, the giver of the impossible, had demanded the impossible back. Whom would he trust? … More Genesis 22:1-14
Other times we can find ourselves doing a Sarah – acting out of fear, insecurity and other pretty unflattering motivations, if we are honest. And although God can, and does, redeem our foolish mistakes (and Lord knows I make plenty), the consequences may live on. Sarah didn’t cope well with the consequences of her actions, and Hagar’s distress was the result. … More Genesis 21:8-21
