1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,080
Day 10, or January 10.

2
00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,640
Don't Forget Who Comes First.

3
00:00:07,640 --> 00:00:14,640
Our thoughts today are in Genesis chapter 28, verses 20 and 21.

4
00:00:14,640 --> 00:00:20,720
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, If God will be with me and will watch over me in this

5
00:00:20,720 --> 00:00:27,040
journey I am taking, and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return

6
00:00:27,040 --> 00:00:34,520
safely to my father's household, then the Lord will be my God.

7
00:00:34,520 --> 00:00:38,080
First the big picture surrounding these verses.

8
00:00:38,080 --> 00:00:44,020
As Isaac grows older and nears the end of his life, Esau is hoping that his action of

9
00:00:44,020 --> 00:00:48,760
selling his birthright for a bowl of soup has all been forgotten.

10
00:00:48,760 --> 00:00:52,560
Jacob, on the other hand, is very unlikely to do that.

11
00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:54,880
There's too much at stake.

12
00:00:54,880 --> 00:01:00,760
In fact, he is set on confirming it by getting his dying father's blessing, which will

13
00:01:00,760 --> 00:01:06,400
make him certain to inherit all that his father leaves.

14
00:01:06,400 --> 00:01:13,440
In a bold charade of dressing up to feel and smell like Esau, Jacob is confident he can

15
00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:16,560
trick Isaac into blessing him.

16
00:01:16,560 --> 00:01:17,560
And he does.

17
00:01:17,560 --> 00:01:23,400
Esau is furious, as you can imagine, and vows to kill him.

18
00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:27,520
Jacob suspects as much and runs for his life.

19
00:01:27,520 --> 00:01:32,160
He leaves at his mother's urging and with his father's approval, even though Isaac

20
00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:38,200
must still be seething by the way Jacob has stolen all that should have gone to his favorite

21
00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:40,720
son Esau.

22
00:01:40,720 --> 00:01:47,000
Jacob runs north to Haran or Nehor, where his mother comes from originally, looking

23
00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:48,780
for refuge.

24
00:01:48,780 --> 00:01:54,400
On his way, Jacob has a real encounter with God and dreams of a ladder linking earth and

25
00:01:54,400 --> 00:02:00,320
heaven and names the place Bethel, house of God.

26
00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:05,160
It's here that he tries negotiating with God.

27
00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,460
And now our action step for today.

28
00:02:08,460 --> 00:02:14,000
Jacob encounters God and makes a promise to him, but he has conditions.

29
00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:19,640
If God is with me and protects me and supplies me with food and clothes, then I will follow

30
00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:20,640
him.

31
00:02:20,640 --> 00:02:27,000
If God doesn't demand total faithfulness from us before he welcomes us as his children,

32
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:34,520
and he doesn't, how dare we demand all he has for us before we agree to follow him?

33
00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:41,560
We cannot barter ourselves into a relationship with God, and the sooner we recognize that,

34
00:02:41,560 --> 00:02:45,000
the better it will be for all of us.