WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:13.939 We are going to read the entirety of the chapter. 00:00:15.939 --> 00:00:20.379 Then Jacob went on his journey and came to the 00:00:20.379 --> 00:00:24.519 land of the sons of the east. He looked and saw 00:00:24.519 --> 00:00:28.379 a well in the field. And behold, three flocks 00:00:28.379 --> 00:00:31.760 of sheep were lying there beside it. For from 00:00:31.760 --> 00:00:35.299 that well they watered the flocks. Now the stone 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:38.820 on the mouth of the well was large. When all 00:00:38.820 --> 00:00:42.280 the flocks were gathered there, they would then 00:00:42.280 --> 00:00:45.079 roll the stone from the mouth of the well and 00:00:45.079 --> 00:00:48.280 water the sheep and put the stone back in its 00:00:48.280 --> 00:00:52.399 place on the mouth of the well. Jacob said to 00:00:52.399 --> 00:00:56.539 them, My brothers, where are you from? And they 00:00:56.539 --> 00:01:01.000 said, We are from Haran. He said to them, Do 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:04.819 you know Laban, the son of Nahor? And they said, 00:01:04.980 --> 00:01:09.090 We know him. And he said to them, Is it well 00:01:09.090 --> 00:01:13.150 with them? And they said, It is well. And here 00:01:13.150 --> 00:01:16.450 is Rachel, his daughter, coming with the sheep. 00:01:17.209 --> 00:01:21.510 He said, Behold, it is still high day. It is 00:01:21.510 --> 00:01:25.129 not time for the livestock to be gathered. Water 00:01:25.129 --> 00:01:28.930 the sheep and go, pasture them. But they said, 00:01:29.010 --> 00:01:32.370 We cannot until all the flocks are gathered and 00:01:32.370 --> 00:01:34.370 they roll the stone from the mouth of the well. 00:01:34.709 --> 00:01:39.209 Then we water the sheep. While he was still speaking 00:01:39.209 --> 00:01:42.409 with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, 00:01:42.569 --> 00:01:46.569 for she was a shepherdess. When Jacob saw Rachel, 00:01:46.750 --> 00:01:49.090 the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, 00:01:49.349 --> 00:01:52.049 and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, 00:01:52.290 --> 00:01:55.709 Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth 00:01:55.709 --> 00:01:58.849 of the well and watered the flock of Laban, his 00:01:58.849 --> 00:02:03.590 mother's brother. Then Jacob kissed Rachel and 00:02:03.590 --> 00:02:07.879 lifted his voice and wept. Jacob told Rachel 00:02:07.879 --> 00:02:11.740 that he was a relative of her father and that 00:02:11.740 --> 00:02:15.199 he was Rebecca's son. And she ran and told her 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:19.439 father. So when Laban heard the news of Jacob, 00:02:19.520 --> 00:02:23.479 his sister's son, he ran to meet him and embraced 00:02:23.479 --> 00:02:27.020 him and kissed him and brought him to his house. 00:02:27.379 --> 00:02:32.460 Then he related to Laban all these things. Laban 00:02:32.460 --> 00:02:36.419 said to him, surely. You are my bone and my flesh. 00:02:36.680 --> 00:02:40.979 And he stayed with him a month. Then Laban said 00:02:40.979 --> 00:02:45.139 to Jacob, Because you are my relative, should 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:48.620 you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me, 00:02:48.639 --> 00:02:52.919 what shall your wages be? Now Laban had two daughters. 00:02:53.319 --> 00:02:56.500 The name of the older was Leah, and the name 00:02:56.500 --> 00:02:59.900 of the younger was Rachel. And Leah's eyes were 00:02:59.900 --> 00:03:04.400 weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form. and face. 00:03:04.979 --> 00:03:10.020 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said, I will serve 00:03:10.020 --> 00:03:14.879 you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel. 00:03:15.659 --> 00:03:18.419 Laban said, it is better that I give her to you 00:03:18.419 --> 00:03:22.159 than to give her to another man. Stay with me. 00:03:22.500 --> 00:03:26.659 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel, and they 00:03:26.659 --> 00:03:30.139 seemed to him but a few days because of his love 00:03:30.139 --> 00:03:35.469 for her. Then Jacob said to Laban, Give me my 00:03:35.469 --> 00:03:38.150 wife, for my time is completed, that I may go 00:03:38.150 --> 00:03:41.909 into her. Laban gathered all the men of the place 00:03:41.909 --> 00:03:45.210 and made a feast. Now in the evening he took 00:03:45.210 --> 00:03:48.770 his daughter Leah and brought her to him, and 00:03:48.770 --> 00:03:52.990 Jacob went into her. Laban also gave his maid 00:03:52.990 --> 00:03:56.909 Zilpah to his daughter Leah as a maid. So it 00:03:56.909 --> 00:04:00.569 came about in the morning that, behold, it was 00:04:00.569 --> 00:04:04.610 Leah. And he said to Laban, What is this you 00:04:04.610 --> 00:04:08.310 have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I 00:04:08.310 --> 00:04:12.610 served with you? Why then have you deceived me? 00:04:13.590 --> 00:04:16.689 But Laban said, It is not the practice in our 00:04:16.689 --> 00:04:21.129 place to marry off the younger before the firstborn. 00:04:21.870 --> 00:04:26.350 Complete the week of this one, and we will give 00:04:26.350 --> 00:04:30.060 you the other also. for the service which you 00:04:30.060 --> 00:04:33.819 shall serve with me for another seven years. 00:04:34.699 --> 00:04:39.620 Jacob did so and completed her week and gave 00:04:39.620 --> 00:04:46.160 him to his daughter Rachel as his wife. Laban 00:04:46.160 --> 00:04:50.019 also gave his maid Bilhah to his daughter Rachel 00:04:50.019 --> 00:04:53.819 as her maid. So Jacob went into Rachel also, 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:58.069 and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah. and 00:04:58.069 --> 00:05:00.930 he served with Laban for another seven years. 00:05:01.689 --> 00:05:04.790 Now the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, and he 00:05:04.790 --> 00:05:09.230 opened her womb, but Rachel was barren. Leah 00:05:09.230 --> 00:05:13.189 conceived and bore a son and named him Reuben, 00:05:13.209 --> 00:05:16.069 for she said, Because the Lord has seen my affliction, 00:05:16.269 --> 00:05:20.449 surely now my husband will love me. Then she 00:05:20.449 --> 00:05:22.870 conceived again and bore a son and said, Because 00:05:22.870 --> 00:05:25.420 the Lord has heard that I am unloved, He has 00:05:25.420 --> 00:05:28.500 therefore given me this son also. So she named 00:05:28.500 --> 00:05:32.079 him Simeon. She conceived again and bore a son 00:05:32.079 --> 00:05:35.860 and said, Now this time my husband will become 00:05:35.860 --> 00:05:38.759 attached to me because I have borne him three 00:05:38.759 --> 00:05:43.899 sons. Therefore he was named Levi. And she conceived 00:05:43.899 --> 00:05:49.199 again and bore a son and said, This time I will 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:53.300 praise the Lord. Therefore she named him Judah. 00:05:53.959 --> 00:05:57.500 Then she stopped bearing. Let's go to the Lord 00:05:57.500 --> 00:06:02.779 in prayer. Father, we come to you this Lord's 00:06:02.779 --> 00:06:07.839 Day. And Father, we come to your word. Father, 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:11.800 we ask that you would bless the ministry of your 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:15.779 word to the hearts and minds of your people today. 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:21.519 Lord, I ask that by your spirit, you would comfort 00:06:21.519 --> 00:06:24.720 the afflicted. You would lift up the downcast. 00:06:25.459 --> 00:06:28.439 Lord, you would humble the prideful and haughty. 00:06:28.860 --> 00:06:31.899 Lord, that you would encourage the discouraged. 00:06:32.699 --> 00:06:36.319 Lord, that you would strengthen the weak. Father, 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:38.500 that you would be in our midst and you would 00:06:38.500 --> 00:06:43.060 bless the ministry of your word abundantly. Lord, 00:06:43.100 --> 00:06:46.459 use your word to pierce the hearts and minds 00:06:46.459 --> 00:06:49.560 of unbelieving men and women and young people. 00:06:49.879 --> 00:06:54.199 They would be drawn unto Christ. in faith. We 00:06:54.199 --> 00:06:58.060 ask these things in Christ's name. Amen. You 00:06:58.060 --> 00:07:03.079 may be seated. Do you believe in coincidence? 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:12.759 Do you believe in accidents in your life? Do 00:07:12.759 --> 00:07:21.980 you believe in happenstance in your life? What 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:30.240 about luck? Do we just get lucky sometimes by 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:35.819 this odd existential power and force that kind 00:07:35.819 --> 00:07:39.319 of floats around the universe? It favors some 00:07:39.319 --> 00:07:46.379 people, but it doesn't favor other people. Do 00:07:46.379 --> 00:07:50.240 you believe in those realities, Christian? I 00:07:50.240 --> 00:07:54.319 do not, and I do not believe that the Bible presents 00:07:54.319 --> 00:08:00.079 those to be real. The Bible teaches that God 00:08:00.079 --> 00:08:07.399 is sovereign, that God governs all things, the 00:08:07.399 --> 00:08:13.000 big, important things over the entirety of the 00:08:13.000 --> 00:08:16.339 world and creation and the universe, down to 00:08:16.339 --> 00:08:20.920 the smallest details. in the life of the most 00:08:20.920 --> 00:08:27.279 unknown, unseen person. I don't believe in luck, 00:08:27.459 --> 00:08:31.819 accidents, happenstance, or any of those things. 00:08:32.820 --> 00:08:37.279 I believe in a sovereign God who providentially 00:08:37.279 --> 00:08:47.360 governs his world. And the hope of that is... 00:08:47.899 --> 00:08:54.240 that there is purpose in all things for the believer. 00:08:54.779 --> 00:09:00.200 There is purpose in every situation, in every 00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:04.720 hardship, heartache, pain, hurt, loss, tension, 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:08.500 whatever it might be. There is purpose in all 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:12.779 of those things because God is sovereign and 00:09:12.779 --> 00:09:16.980 God providentially governs all things. That means, 00:09:18.190 --> 00:09:24.750 That nothing in your life, last year, last week, 00:09:24.870 --> 00:09:31.649 this morning or today, was by luck, brothers 00:09:31.649 --> 00:09:37.490 and sisters. It was not by accident. It didn't 00:09:37.490 --> 00:09:42.990 just randomly happen. It is ordered and designed 00:09:42.990 --> 00:09:47.549 and overseen and superintended by a sovereign, 00:09:48.090 --> 00:09:53.809 and a faithful God. That means that today, at 00:09:53.809 --> 00:09:57.629 this very moment, as you sit under the preaching 00:09:57.629 --> 00:10:03.909 of God's word, you are not here by random chance, 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:08.629 brothers and sisters. Right now, in this moment, 00:10:08.789 --> 00:10:14.629 you are here under the superintendence of divine 00:10:14.629 --> 00:10:19.889 and sovereign power. You are here at this moment 00:10:19.889 --> 00:10:24.730 right now because there is a purpose for you 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:29.850 to be here in this moment. There is a purpose 00:10:29.850 --> 00:10:34.309 for you to sit under the preaching of God's word. 00:10:35.889 --> 00:10:39.710 There is a purpose for you to hear the word of 00:10:39.710 --> 00:10:43.690 God proclaimed this morning, at this time, in 00:10:43.690 --> 00:10:49.919 this exact moment. Do you believe that? Because 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:54.600 there is. There is meaning, brothers and sisters, 00:10:54.700 --> 00:10:59.980 in what you are doing right now. God has an intended 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:05.279 design and end for you to be here in this present 00:11:05.279 --> 00:11:07.820 moment to sit under the preaching of the word 00:11:07.820 --> 00:11:14.740 and to worship his holy name. Receive that today 00:11:14.740 --> 00:11:19.049 by faith, brothers and sisters. Sit under the 00:11:19.049 --> 00:11:23.450 preaching of God's Word with open ears and open 00:11:23.450 --> 00:11:27.929 hearts, and be encouraged and strengthened and 00:11:27.929 --> 00:11:34.529 edified by the Word of the living God. He has 00:11:34.529 --> 00:11:38.870 a purpose for it in your life. Today we're going 00:11:38.870 --> 00:11:43.590 to consider Genesis 29, and we're actually going 00:11:43.590 --> 00:11:49.389 to be in verses 1 through... We're going to leave 00:11:49.389 --> 00:11:54.389 verses 31 through 35 for next week. This week 00:11:54.389 --> 00:11:56.690 we're going to consider the providential guidance 00:11:56.690 --> 00:12:02.309 of God in Jacob's life. We'll see this primarily 00:12:02.309 --> 00:12:06.850 in the first 14 verses. Then the second half 00:12:06.850 --> 00:12:11.610 of the text, in verses 15 through 30, we start 00:12:11.610 --> 00:12:16.350 seeing his situation change to some extent, don't 00:12:16.350 --> 00:12:21.019 we? What was harmonious and pleasant and this 00:12:21.019 --> 00:12:24.899 wonderful reception by Laban and his household 00:12:24.899 --> 00:12:30.559 turns volatile fairly quickly in Jacob's life. 00:12:31.100 --> 00:12:34.840 And so the second half of this text, we'll see 00:12:34.840 --> 00:12:40.159 the providential discipline of God in Jacob's 00:12:40.159 --> 00:12:44.019 life. I'm sure that many of you, as you've read 00:12:44.019 --> 00:12:48.250 your Bibles, you come to this. period in Jacob's 00:12:48.250 --> 00:12:52.950 life, and you think, you know, that seems strangely 00:12:52.950 --> 00:12:59.710 fitting that this would occur to Jacob. It almost 00:12:59.710 --> 00:13:05.090 seems ironic that this is happening. Well, it 00:13:05.090 --> 00:13:08.669 is the disciplining hand, the chastising hand 00:13:08.669 --> 00:13:13.429 of God in Jacob's life, teaching him and training 00:13:13.429 --> 00:13:19.009 him. in righteousness, holiness, and godliness, 00:13:19.129 --> 00:13:22.950 brothers and sisters. So we'll see the providential 00:13:22.950 --> 00:13:27.269 discipline of God in Jacob's life. At the very 00:13:27.269 --> 00:13:30.289 end, we'll make a few application points with 00:13:30.289 --> 00:13:34.789 regards to walking faithfully through providence 00:13:34.789 --> 00:13:39.250 as believers in Jesus Christ. Beginning with 00:13:39.250 --> 00:13:42.110 the providential guidance of God in Jacob's life 00:13:42.110 --> 00:13:47.139 in verses 1 through 14. Now, we have to remember 00:13:47.139 --> 00:13:51.039 what took place last week. Jacob is sent away. 00:13:51.080 --> 00:13:55.360 He is blessed. If you remember, God comes to 00:13:55.360 --> 00:13:59.820 Jacob and appears to him in this vision. God 00:13:59.820 --> 00:14:04.460 speaks a great deal. Jacob hears and Jacob receives 00:14:04.460 --> 00:14:08.740 it. Jacob is eager. He's excited. And we read 00:14:08.740 --> 00:14:15.800 this in verses 28 -15 in particular. Behold, 00:14:15.800 --> 00:14:20.179 this is the Lord speaking to Jacob. Behold, I 00:14:20.179 --> 00:14:24.879 am with you and will keep you wherever you go 00:14:24.879 --> 00:14:30.240 and will bring you back to this land. For I will 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:33.659 not leave you until I have done what I have promised 00:14:33.659 --> 00:14:38.799 you. So in this text, we essentially find God 00:14:38.799 --> 00:14:45.200 promising preservation. and providential protection 00:14:45.200 --> 00:14:50.879 for the patriarch Jacob. Now, one interesting 00:14:50.879 --> 00:14:53.559 thing, or one important thing that we need to 00:14:53.559 --> 00:14:57.799 make note of, there is an aspect, anytime we're 00:14:57.799 --> 00:15:01.100 reading the Old Testament, there is an aspect 00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:04.659 in which we as New Covenant believers are nothing 00:15:04.659 --> 00:15:09.039 like Jacob. There is an aspect with regards to 00:15:09.039 --> 00:15:12.490 King David. And Moses and the prophets, where 00:15:12.490 --> 00:15:15.610 we as New Covenant believers are nothing like 00:15:15.610 --> 00:15:19.269 them at all. Why? Because Jacob was a patriarch 00:15:19.269 --> 00:15:22.509 that's providing the physical lineage for the 00:15:22.509 --> 00:15:27.370 coming Messiah. That will never ever be the case 00:15:27.370 --> 00:15:32.669 for you or for me. We could say that a patriarch 00:15:32.669 --> 00:15:36.789 was in a sense an office, kind of like prophet 00:15:36.789 --> 00:15:40.980 or king. It's not... termed that way, but it's 00:15:40.980 --> 00:15:44.720 kind of like that. They're a figurehead that 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:47.460 God worked in and through. The same is true of 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:51.580 King David. As king of Israel, he had a special 00:15:51.580 --> 00:15:55.720 anointing from God, the Holy Spirit, to perform 00:15:55.720 --> 00:16:00.019 that office. Brothers and sisters, we will never 00:16:00.019 --> 00:16:04.860 be like that. We aren't the king of Israel, and 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:08.480 we never will be the king of Israel. specifically 00:16:08.480 --> 00:16:12.840 and uniquely anointed by God to perform that 00:16:12.840 --> 00:16:17.299 task at that time. The same is true of the Old 00:16:17.299 --> 00:16:20.720 Testament prophets. The same is true of the apostles 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:26.299 and so forth. However, there is a sense in which 00:16:26.299 --> 00:16:28.980 we as believers today, as New Covenant believers, 00:16:29.360 --> 00:16:35.059 are very much like Jacob. We are very much like 00:16:35.059 --> 00:16:40.149 David. We are very much like the prophets. Do 00:16:40.149 --> 00:16:42.909 you know what that is? They were men of faith. 00:16:44.690 --> 00:16:47.309 They were men that believed in the promises of 00:16:47.309 --> 00:16:49.490 God. They were men that were indwelt by the Spirit 00:16:49.490 --> 00:16:51.950 of God, that were being sanctified through their 00:16:51.950 --> 00:16:54.570 faith by the Holy Spirit. They were men that 00:16:54.570 --> 00:16:56.610 needed to be changed. They were men that needed 00:16:56.610 --> 00:16:59.470 to grow. They were men that were reliant upon 00:16:59.470 --> 00:17:02.970 the Lord. So there's a sense in which we are 00:17:02.970 --> 00:17:08.680 very... very similar to these men. The same is 00:17:08.680 --> 00:17:14.880 true of us and Jacob. God promises his providential 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:17.359 preservation and protection to the patriarch. 00:17:17.779 --> 00:17:23.960 And God promises new covenant believers his providence 00:17:23.960 --> 00:17:28.940 and his purposes, all his sovereignty to bring 00:17:28.940 --> 00:17:33.059 about his purposes in their life and for his 00:17:33.640 --> 00:17:38.339 Though those have distinct elements in them that 00:17:38.339 --> 00:17:41.660 make us different from old covenant saints and 00:17:41.660 --> 00:17:49.900 so forth. But we're very, very alike with Jacob 00:17:49.900 --> 00:17:54.720 in this sense today. We have a great deal to 00:17:54.720 --> 00:17:58.420 learn from providence and walking in the midst 00:17:58.420 --> 00:18:03.240 of providence. He's given this promise in chapter 00:18:03.240 --> 00:18:07.680 28, verse 15. And then we see at the very beginning 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:12.839 of chapter 29, starting in verse 1, that Jacob 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:17.220 went on his journey. The text literally says 00:18:17.220 --> 00:18:22.819 he lifted up his feet, meaning it's implying 00:18:22.819 --> 00:18:27.240 that there is some pep in his step. There's an 00:18:27.240 --> 00:18:32.609 eagerness in Jacob. to follow the Lord and go 00:18:32.609 --> 00:18:35.569 where the Lord has him. Why? Because of the promise 00:18:35.569 --> 00:18:40.650 that God has made to him. So we see God's clear 00:18:40.650 --> 00:18:44.970 providence in this text. How do we see God's 00:18:44.970 --> 00:18:48.369 clear providence in chapter 29, verses 1 through 00:18:48.369 --> 00:18:51.789 14? Well, the first way that we see his providence 00:18:51.789 --> 00:18:56.430 clearly in this text is that God brings Jacob 00:18:56.430 --> 00:19:02.990 to the exact right region. Notice that he went 00:19:02.990 --> 00:19:05.410 on his journey and came to the land of the sons 00:19:05.410 --> 00:19:11.130 of the east. He knew in a general sense where 00:19:11.130 --> 00:19:15.329 he was headed and how to get there. But what 00:19:15.329 --> 00:19:18.430 we'll find is that there are too many exact details 00:19:18.430 --> 00:19:22.430 and timing issues for this to be incidental in 00:19:22.430 --> 00:19:25.890 his life. God brings him to the right area, the 00:19:25.890 --> 00:19:31.150 right region, safely. But we also see that Jacob 00:19:31.150 --> 00:19:36.650 comes to the exactly right well. In that day 00:19:36.650 --> 00:19:40.029 and age, there were many wells that shepherds 00:19:40.029 --> 00:19:46.309 used. And we see that in 2 -4, verses 2 -4, Jacob, 00:19:46.369 --> 00:19:50.890 after his long journey of weeks and weeks, hundreds 00:19:50.890 --> 00:19:56.529 of miles, he ends up at the exact right well. 00:19:57.710 --> 00:20:02.529 the perfect place where he needed to be. But 00:20:02.529 --> 00:20:05.589 we also see that he immediately meets men who 00:20:05.589 --> 00:20:11.009 knew exactly who he was looking for at that exact 00:20:11.009 --> 00:20:17.910 well that he ended up at. They knew Laban. They 00:20:17.910 --> 00:20:20.589 knew who he was. They knew that he was doing 00:20:20.589 --> 00:20:25.109 well. The man that Jacob was looking for, these 00:20:25.109 --> 00:20:29.440 men knew. And they knew that he was doing well. 00:20:30.599 --> 00:20:35.579 But we also find that Rachel, the daughter of 00:20:35.579 --> 00:20:41.839 Laban, arrives at just the right moment. What 00:20:41.839 --> 00:20:47.200 was Jacob's purpose for traveling to this region? 00:20:48.059 --> 00:20:53.299 To find his family and ultimately to find a wife. 00:20:53.819 --> 00:21:00.130 What is the luck? What is the probability, brothers 00:21:00.130 --> 00:21:04.690 and sisters, that Jacob, after traveling for 00:21:04.690 --> 00:21:08.849 weeks on end, comes to the right place at the 00:21:08.849 --> 00:21:12.250 right time, and one of his future wives ends 00:21:12.250 --> 00:21:16.210 up right there just then, literally coming to 00:21:16.210 --> 00:21:23.309 him, pursuing him, walking up to him? The chances 00:21:23.309 --> 00:21:27.769 fall apart, brothers and sisters. This is divine 00:21:27.769 --> 00:21:33.569 providence at work. She comes and she's introduced 00:21:33.569 --> 00:21:37.009 and he meets her. And then we see that Jacob 00:21:37.009 --> 00:21:42.930 realizes God's provision. In verse 11, then Jacob 00:21:42.930 --> 00:21:45.930 kissed Rachel and lifted his voice and wept. 00:21:46.049 --> 00:21:50.670 He realizes, God has brought me where I need 00:21:50.670 --> 00:21:56.809 to be. God has placed me. where I need to be. 00:21:56.930 --> 00:22:04.109 He has been faithful to me. And then Laban receives 00:22:04.109 --> 00:22:10.049 him into his household. We see this in verses 00:22:10.049 --> 00:22:15.450 12 through 14. The place he was sent to find, 00:22:15.690 --> 00:22:22.170 he ends up there. How is all of this possible? 00:22:23.009 --> 00:22:28.349 Well, it's clear. providence and divine superintendence, 00:22:28.369 --> 00:22:31.589 brothers and sisters. I want to read to you from 00:22:31.589 --> 00:22:35.549 the 1689, which is our church's confession of 00:22:35.549 --> 00:22:40.690 faith. I want to read of divine providence, chapter 00:22:40.690 --> 00:22:48.609 5 and paragraph 1. Listen to how it defines providence. 00:22:49.789 --> 00:22:53.779 God, the good creator of all things. and his 00:22:53.779 --> 00:23:00.319 infinite power and wisdom upholds, directs, arranges, 00:23:00.420 --> 00:23:05.720 and governs all creatures and things from the 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:10.619 greatest to the least by his perfectly wise and 00:23:10.619 --> 00:23:14.779 holy providence to the purpose for which they 00:23:14.779 --> 00:23:20.319 were created. He governs according to his infallible 00:23:20.319 --> 00:23:23.250 foreknowledge. and the free and unchangeable 00:23:23.250 --> 00:23:27.849 counsel of his own will. His providence leads 00:23:27.849 --> 00:23:31.289 to the praise of the glory of his wisdom, power, 00:23:31.470 --> 00:23:36.990 justice, infinite goodness, and mercy. This is 00:23:36.990 --> 00:23:40.690 the providence of God at work, brothers and sisters. 00:23:41.430 --> 00:23:44.130 This is not luck. This is not happen chance. 00:23:44.430 --> 00:23:48.130 This is not random or possibility. This is God. 00:23:49.119 --> 00:23:52.740 Sovereignly directing and ordering and preserving 00:23:52.740 --> 00:23:56.400 this man so that he could accomplish his redemptive 00:23:56.400 --> 00:24:04.160 purposes in and through him in the future. Notice 00:24:04.160 --> 00:24:10.740 in this chapter, whereas God spoke a great deal 00:24:10.740 --> 00:24:14.880 in the last chapter, he manifested and revealed 00:24:14.880 --> 00:24:18.529 himself to Jacob, in this chapter, God doesn't 00:24:18.529 --> 00:24:24.509 speak a word. He doesn't communicate with Jacob, 00:24:24.609 --> 00:24:27.450 does he? He's not manifesting himself to Jacob 00:24:27.450 --> 00:24:29.950 in a vision, but that does not mean that God 00:24:29.950 --> 00:24:34.309 is not actively involved in guiding and directing 00:24:34.309 --> 00:24:40.710 Jacob's life and his steps and his path. He obviously 00:24:40.710 --> 00:24:44.650 is. The same is very true of the book of Ruth 00:24:44.650 --> 00:24:50.049 and Esther. In the book of Ruth and Esther, I 00:24:50.049 --> 00:24:54.150 don't believe it's the case in Ruth. In Ruth, 00:24:54.349 --> 00:24:57.710 the name of Yahweh is not mentioned hardly at 00:24:57.710 --> 00:25:00.730 all. In Esther, I don't believe that it's mentioned 00:25:00.730 --> 00:25:06.069 at all. However, in those books, you know what 00:25:06.069 --> 00:25:13.130 is abundantly clear? God is actively accomplishing 00:25:13.130 --> 00:25:19.460 his purposes. at a distance and uninvolved like 00:25:19.460 --> 00:25:24.339 the deists claim that God is. Deists claim that 00:25:24.339 --> 00:25:27.759 God kind of got the world going. He got it wound 00:25:27.759 --> 00:25:30.740 up and he let go and he stepped back and he became 00:25:30.740 --> 00:25:34.819 uninvolved and he just kind of lets men see what 00:25:34.819 --> 00:25:39.839 their fate is. That's not a Christian view of 00:25:39.839 --> 00:25:44.220 God. Christians believe that God is intimately 00:25:44.220 --> 00:25:49.230 involved. in the world, in the church, in the 00:25:49.230 --> 00:25:52.710 life of his people, accomplishing any number 00:25:52.710 --> 00:25:56.529 of things according to his good purpose at any 00:25:56.529 --> 00:26:02.650 moment in time. Oftentimes in our own lives, 00:26:02.670 --> 00:26:06.589 brothers and sisters, as we look out into the 00:26:06.589 --> 00:26:08.970 unbelieving world and we see the culture and 00:26:08.970 --> 00:26:11.769 we see the difficulty and the pains and the hardships 00:26:11.769 --> 00:26:14.329 of the world, do you know what we need to do? 00:26:16.140 --> 00:26:19.180 We need to close our natural eyes for a moment. 00:26:19.819 --> 00:26:23.039 And we need to lift up our eyes of faith and 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:25.480 see that God is good and God is faithful and 00:26:25.480 --> 00:26:28.420 that God in his providence is working and accomplishing 00:26:28.420 --> 00:26:32.460 all his good redemptive purposes, not just in 00:26:32.460 --> 00:26:38.319 me, but everywhere, brothers and sisters. By 00:26:38.319 --> 00:26:43.960 faith, recognize the providence of God in your 00:26:43.960 --> 00:26:49.059 life. and in this world for the good of the church, 00:26:49.099 --> 00:26:56.180 brothers and sisters. Sometimes faith, with reference 00:26:56.180 --> 00:27:00.420 to providence, is just a matter of recognizing 00:27:00.420 --> 00:27:05.859 providence at work, brothers and sisters. Don't 00:27:05.859 --> 00:27:10.920 just accept and be okay with this taking place 00:27:10.920 --> 00:27:14.619 and this happening. But brothers and sisters, 00:27:14.640 --> 00:27:21.500 actively believe by faith that God governs all 00:27:21.500 --> 00:27:29.079 things. Not just the good things. Not just the 00:27:29.079 --> 00:27:32.880 pleasant and enjoyable things. But brothers and 00:27:32.880 --> 00:27:37.519 sisters, God governs the hard, the terrible, 00:27:37.640 --> 00:27:43.920 the painful things in our lives. That's the hope 00:27:43.920 --> 00:27:48.319 of providence for the believer. And we'll see 00:27:48.319 --> 00:27:53.059 that more as we continue considering this. So 00:27:53.059 --> 00:27:55.420 we've seen the providential guidance of God in 00:27:55.420 --> 00:27:58.460 Jacob's life. He brought him right where he needs 00:27:58.460 --> 00:28:01.579 to be, didn't he, brothers and sisters? But we 00:28:01.579 --> 00:28:06.859 also see the providential discipline of God in 00:28:06.859 --> 00:28:10.920 Jacob's life. This begins to come into focus 00:28:11.559 --> 00:28:18.880 with Jacob's love and labor for Rachel. Now, 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:21.859 I want to make a brief side note regarding this 00:28:21.859 --> 00:28:25.339 text. I made the same side note when we were 00:28:25.339 --> 00:28:29.519 in Genesis chapter 24 and Abraham sent his servant 00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:34.420 to find a wife for Isaac. He sent her looking 00:28:34.420 --> 00:28:37.960 for Rebecca, sent the servant looking for Rebecca. 00:28:39.000 --> 00:28:55.119 This text, This text is not written for the purpose 00:28:55.119 --> 00:29:00.599 of understanding how you normatively find a wife. 00:29:02.039 --> 00:29:07.940 This text is written to show us how God preserves 00:29:07.940 --> 00:29:12.069 and brings about His redemptive purposes so that 00:29:12.069 --> 00:29:15.789 Christ could come and be the Savior of the world. 00:29:18.150 --> 00:29:22.150 Are there elements in here that are encouraging 00:29:22.150 --> 00:29:24.910 and uplifting with regards to relationships? 00:29:25.650 --> 00:29:29.369 Yes, there are, brothers and sisters. But you 00:29:29.369 --> 00:29:32.230 also have to remember that there wasn't just 00:29:32.230 --> 00:29:37.420 one wife involved in this situation. By the end 00:29:37.420 --> 00:29:42.079 of it, there would be multiple. What is the purpose 00:29:42.079 --> 00:29:47.039 of this text? We can't just take it and rip it 00:29:47.039 --> 00:29:50.559 out and use it for some moralistic purpose for 00:29:50.559 --> 00:29:56.359 practical ends in our lives. Brothers and sisters, 00:29:56.480 --> 00:30:00.579 this text is written. It is inspired so that 00:30:00.579 --> 00:30:03.940 we know how God brought about his redemptive 00:30:03.940 --> 00:30:08.049 purposes in Christ. And if we hone in on that, 00:30:08.190 --> 00:30:13.809 we will benefit spiritually the most from it. 00:30:15.009 --> 00:30:18.069 If we seek to moralize it and just use it for 00:30:18.069 --> 00:30:21.589 relationships, we are not going to benefit from 00:30:21.589 --> 00:30:26.390 the word of God as we ought to. But if we apply 00:30:26.390 --> 00:30:30.670 it based on what it was intended to accomplish 00:30:30.670 --> 00:30:35.619 and its meaning, It will edify our souls as it's 00:30:35.619 --> 00:30:40.920 meant to, brothers and sisters. So we see this 00:30:40.920 --> 00:30:46.559 providential discipline of God in Jacob's life. 00:30:47.180 --> 00:30:52.160 And we really do see it start coming into focus 00:30:52.160 --> 00:30:58.160 with his love and labor for Rachel. We see this 00:30:58.160 --> 00:31:03.089 in verses 15 through 20. Jacob's been there a 00:31:03.089 --> 00:31:11.490 bit, and Laban starts to initiate a working relationship 00:31:11.490 --> 00:31:16.690 of some sort with Jacob. Surely Laban has to 00:31:16.690 --> 00:31:21.029 understand and know that Jacob is interested 00:31:21.029 --> 00:31:27.670 in one of his daughters. It says that Jacob shared 00:31:27.670 --> 00:31:30.789 all of these things, likely telling him why he's 00:31:30.789 --> 00:31:34.910 there, The purpose he's come, he's come to find 00:31:34.910 --> 00:31:37.809 a wife. His father sent him there for that purpose. 00:31:39.049 --> 00:31:42.430 Likely he's been working, but we don't know what 00:31:42.430 --> 00:31:44.529 his wages have been or what he's been doing. 00:31:45.250 --> 00:31:47.930 But now it seems as though it's time for some 00:31:47.930 --> 00:31:52.869 sort of formal arrangement. We read this in verse 00:31:52.869 --> 00:31:57.410 15. Then Laban said to Jacob, because you're 00:31:57.410 --> 00:32:00.450 my relative, should you therefore serve me for 00:32:00.450 --> 00:32:05.920 nothing? Tell me, what shall your wages be? Then 00:32:05.920 --> 00:32:08.339 we read in verse 16, Now Laban had two daughters. 00:32:08.900 --> 00:32:12.900 The name of the older was Leah, and the name 00:32:12.900 --> 00:32:17.680 of the younger was Rachel. One important thing 00:32:17.680 --> 00:32:22.160 we have to recognize in verse 16 is the introduction 00:32:22.160 --> 00:32:30.420 of this language of younger and older. If you 00:32:30.420 --> 00:32:34.500 remember throughout the book of Genesis, especially 00:32:34.500 --> 00:32:37.359 in the last several chapters, we've seen this 00:32:37.359 --> 00:32:42.119 language of younger and older, firstborn and 00:32:42.119 --> 00:32:45.920 so on, all throughout it. That's an important 00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:49.059 element in Jacob's life in general, isn't it, 00:32:49.059 --> 00:32:52.480 brothers and sisters? He is the younger, and 00:32:52.480 --> 00:32:55.980 he stole the blessing from the older Esau through 00:32:55.980 --> 00:33:01.150 deception. So those are relevant terms for Jacob 00:33:01.150 --> 00:33:05.210 in his own life. Now we see the heart of this 00:33:05.210 --> 00:33:12.509 discipline from God with most clearly with Laban's 00:33:12.509 --> 00:33:17.630 deceit of Jacob. And we see this in verses 21 00:33:17.630 --> 00:33:23.130 through 30. It comes to its head in a sense in 00:33:23.130 --> 00:33:29.180 verse 25. So it came about in the morning after 00:33:29.180 --> 00:33:33.720 the consummation of the wedding ceremony. A long 00:33:33.720 --> 00:33:37.460 process, a long celebration. It culminates with 00:33:37.460 --> 00:33:40.680 the consummation of the bride and the husband. 00:33:41.200 --> 00:33:44.880 And it's dark out. It ends at night. She's likely 00:33:44.880 --> 00:33:48.319 wearing a wedding veil that covers her face. 00:33:48.700 --> 00:33:53.619 Jacob has not seen an inch. Of either one of 00:33:53.619 --> 00:33:56.400 these individuals, whether it be Leah or Rachel, 00:33:56.579 --> 00:34:00.059 beyond their face down likely, brothers and sisters, 00:34:00.200 --> 00:34:03.200 there's no defining characteristic that he knows 00:34:03.200 --> 00:34:09.440 where he can determine. So it's night. They consummate 00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:15.440 the wedding. Jacob wakes up in the morning. And 00:34:15.440 --> 00:34:21.889 what does he discover? The woman that he wanted 00:34:21.889 --> 00:34:27.929 to marry was not the woman he woke up next to. 00:34:29.670 --> 00:34:34.469 He wanted to marry Rachel, the youngest daughter. 00:34:35.030 --> 00:34:40.349 But he ends up with Leah, the oldest daughter. 00:34:41.289 --> 00:34:45.610 It's quite a surprise. So it came about in the 00:34:45.610 --> 00:34:50.150 morning that behold, it was Leah. And he said 00:34:50.150 --> 00:34:54.250 to Laban, what is this you have done to me? Was 00:34:54.250 --> 00:34:57.809 it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then 00:34:57.809 --> 00:35:03.110 have you deceived me? Now think about the individual 00:35:03.110 --> 00:35:09.150 that is saying that. Why then have you, Laban, 00:35:09.150 --> 00:35:16.690 deceived me, Jacob the trickster? The deceiver 00:35:16.690 --> 00:35:21.670 has been deceived, brothers and sisters. The 00:35:21.670 --> 00:35:28.690 trickster has been tricked. The schemer has now 00:35:28.690 --> 00:35:34.690 been schemed. He's been brought face to face 00:35:34.690 --> 00:35:39.829 with the same reality that he brought upon his 00:35:39.829 --> 00:35:47.010 aging father and his elder brother. He's blown 00:35:47.010 --> 00:35:53.050 away. And you know what? It's already cost him 00:35:53.050 --> 00:35:58.250 seven years of his life. He worked and labored 00:35:58.250 --> 00:36:03.789 seven years for Rachel. And now he can't get 00:36:03.789 --> 00:36:08.869 what he wants. And what will it cost him to get 00:36:08.869 --> 00:36:13.929 what he wants? Another seven years of his life. 00:36:15.309 --> 00:36:20.090 The author is obviously making a comparison between 00:36:20.090 --> 00:36:27.170 Jacob's behavior, his deception, and Laban's 00:36:27.170 --> 00:36:31.750 deception of Jacob. One account is in Genesis 00:36:31.750 --> 00:36:36.969 27, and this account here in Genesis 29. What 00:36:36.969 --> 00:36:40.690 is he showing us? What is similar? What is he 00:36:40.690 --> 00:36:47.219 comparing between the two? Well, we think about 00:36:47.219 --> 00:36:51.280 Genesis 27, Jacob deceived Isaac, his father. 00:36:51.579 --> 00:36:58.599 Here we find that Laban deceives Jacob. We see 00:36:58.599 --> 00:37:04.179 that Jacob disguised himself, brothers and sisters. 00:37:04.659 --> 00:37:11.199 And what do we find here? Leah is concealed so 00:37:11.199 --> 00:37:16.480 that he doesn't know who she is. Isaac, his eyesight 00:37:16.480 --> 00:37:23.179 was failing. He could not see. What was in front 00:37:23.179 --> 00:37:25.860 of him was not visible. He was blind in a sense, 00:37:25.880 --> 00:37:29.139 brothers and sisters. Yet what do we find here? 00:37:30.019 --> 00:37:34.300 Jacob could not see who was in front of him. 00:37:35.139 --> 00:37:39.960 We find that Jacob used clothing in his deceit. 00:37:40.480 --> 00:37:45.119 Here likely the wedding veil. contributes to 00:37:45.119 --> 00:37:50.780 the deception. Previously, Jacob gets what he 00:37:50.780 --> 00:37:55.239 wants through the deception. Here, he does not 00:37:55.239 --> 00:37:58.519 get what he wants through Laban's deception. 00:37:59.940 --> 00:38:05.219 Think about what God might be doing in Jacob's 00:38:05.219 --> 00:38:14.239 life in this trial, in this hardship. What is 00:38:14.239 --> 00:38:18.440 the significance of the older and younger language 00:38:18.440 --> 00:38:25.139 exactly? Think about the majority of Jacob's 00:38:25.139 --> 00:38:30.980 life. What has he been doing? He's been seeking 00:38:30.980 --> 00:38:36.900 the preeminence of the younger himself. He's 00:38:36.900 --> 00:38:42.389 been seeking to supplant the older. to get that 00:38:42.389 --> 00:38:48.769 which the older had, the blessing. Yet here, 00:38:48.889 --> 00:38:55.090 he wants the younger, but he can't get the younger. 00:38:55.909 --> 00:39:01.969 Here, the younger is supplanted by the older 00:39:01.969 --> 00:39:05.570 brothers and sisters. It's almost like we see 00:39:05.570 --> 00:39:09.349 a providential and divine reversal that is intended 00:39:09.349 --> 00:39:13.130 and meant to instruct and teach Jacob about the 00:39:13.130 --> 00:39:15.670 realities of his own heart, brothers and sisters. 00:39:17.630 --> 00:39:21.929 God is teaching him through this trial about 00:39:21.929 --> 00:39:26.409 the nature and condition of his own sinful, deceitful 00:39:26.409 --> 00:39:34.219 heart. He's showing him the folly of sin. and 00:39:34.219 --> 00:39:39.300 his need for holiness and godliness in his own 00:39:39.300 --> 00:39:45.780 life. Isn't that what God is doing? There is 00:39:45.780 --> 00:39:50.179 divine chastisement. There is divine discipline 00:39:50.179 --> 00:39:53.639 and correction taking place in and through these 00:39:53.639 --> 00:39:58.619 providential circumstances. What is a person 00:39:58.619 --> 00:40:04.059 forced to do? When that which they want so dearly, 00:40:04.059 --> 00:40:13.400 they cannot have. Meaning Rachel. What is Jacob 00:40:13.400 --> 00:40:18.179 forced to do? In his own heart, in his own life. 00:40:19.639 --> 00:40:25.500 When he can't have what he wants. What his heart 00:40:25.500 --> 00:40:29.539 desires. He's forced to reckon with himself, 00:40:29.820 --> 00:40:34.500 brothers and sisters. He's forced to reckon with 00:40:34.500 --> 00:40:39.079 his God. He's forced to reckon with the reality, 00:40:39.300 --> 00:40:42.619 will I be content with what God has given me, 00:40:42.719 --> 00:40:46.079 with where God has placed me? Will I be content? 00:40:46.900 --> 00:40:52.739 Will I be content with God himself? He's forced 00:40:52.739 --> 00:40:56.050 to reckon with his own heart. his own situation, 00:40:56.289 --> 00:40:58.829 his own life, and he is forced to reckon with 00:40:58.829 --> 00:41:01.869 his God, brothers and sisters, because God is 00:41:01.869 --> 00:41:06.349 withholding that which he so longs to obtain. 00:41:07.610 --> 00:41:12.429 The same thing happens in our lives. Are there 00:41:12.429 --> 00:41:14.969 things that you want and you long for in your 00:41:14.969 --> 00:41:19.170 life and your situation? Are there things you 00:41:19.170 --> 00:41:23.429 want to come about? Are there things you desire 00:41:23.429 --> 00:41:27.429 and you long for, brothers and sisters, yet they're 00:41:27.429 --> 00:41:31.030 always outside of your grasp? You can't change 00:41:31.030 --> 00:41:32.710 them. You can't fix them. You can't bring them 00:41:32.710 --> 00:41:36.010 back. You can't make it right. You can't get 00:41:36.010 --> 00:41:38.989 it. You can't obtain it. What are you to do? 00:41:42.309 --> 00:41:47.409 Reckon with your own heart. Reckon with your 00:41:47.409 --> 00:41:51.409 own situation. Reckon with the providence of 00:41:51.409 --> 00:41:57.969 God. Trust him, brothers and sisters. We see 00:41:57.969 --> 00:42:02.150 this taking place in Jacob's life. And brothers 00:42:02.150 --> 00:42:05.750 and sisters, the exact same thing happens in 00:42:05.750 --> 00:42:12.809 our lives regularly. You see, Jacob needed providential 00:42:12.809 --> 00:42:21.570 correction. Jacob needed. providential chastisement 00:42:21.570 --> 00:42:27.050 in his life for the sake of holiness, godliness, 00:42:27.329 --> 00:42:35.269 and training in righteousness. We all need providential 00:42:35.269 --> 00:42:40.510 discipline in our lives. We all have a remnant 00:42:40.510 --> 00:42:45.190 of sin within us. We are all more wayward than 00:42:45.190 --> 00:42:51.719 we really think we are. We all have much further 00:42:51.719 --> 00:42:56.920 to go than we think we do. We all miss the mark 00:42:56.920 --> 00:43:02.800 far below that which we think we do. Brothers 00:43:02.800 --> 00:43:05.900 and sisters, we all need the correcting hand 00:43:05.900 --> 00:43:09.780 of God in our lives to grow us in holiness. We 00:43:09.780 --> 00:43:14.659 need his grace and his mercy to change us effectively 00:43:14.659 --> 00:43:20.219 and to partner with providence. to transform 00:43:20.219 --> 00:43:23.840 us more and more into the image and likeness 00:43:23.840 --> 00:43:28.820 of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not some of us, but 00:43:28.820 --> 00:43:34.800 all of us in Christ as the children of God need 00:43:34.800 --> 00:43:42.599 loving, fatherly discipline from his hand. That 00:43:42.599 --> 00:43:47.780 brings about greater holiness, greater godliness. 00:43:48.619 --> 00:43:53.159 and further righteousness in our lives. The right 00:43:53.159 --> 00:43:58.340 orientation of our affections in our life, where 00:43:58.340 --> 00:44:01.559 we love the Lord supremely and preeminently over 00:44:01.559 --> 00:44:08.119 and above everything else in our lives. Jacob 00:44:08.119 --> 00:44:11.920 needed it. How do we know that he needed this 00:44:11.920 --> 00:44:15.599 correction? Well, first, because this narrative 00:44:16.940 --> 00:44:21.480 is being likened to, and it's mirroring Genesis 00:44:21.480 --> 00:44:27.860 24, which we've already spoken of briefly. In 00:44:27.860 --> 00:44:32.400 Genesis 24, Abraham sends his faithful servant 00:44:32.400 --> 00:44:36.599 to seek out and pursue a wife for his son, Isaac, 00:44:36.780 --> 00:44:40.679 who is Rebekah. You can go back and read that 00:44:40.679 --> 00:44:44.579 account and you will see all kinds of similarities 00:44:44.579 --> 00:44:48.239 and differences. likenesses between it and this. 00:44:48.860 --> 00:44:53.860 One of the significant differences is that the 00:44:53.860 --> 00:44:58.840 servant, which Jacob is likened to in this story, 00:44:58.900 --> 00:45:04.519 I believe, the servant was a pious and a prayerful 00:45:04.519 --> 00:45:11.059 man. He prayed to God to show him his will, to 00:45:11.059 --> 00:45:13.519 bring about his providence, to manifest his purposes, 00:45:13.679 --> 00:45:17.289 and God answered, his prayer. He prayed several 00:45:17.289 --> 00:45:22.210 times throughout that account. Yet, when Jacob 00:45:22.210 --> 00:45:27.809 arrives on the scene, we have no record of him 00:45:27.809 --> 00:45:33.730 being a man with deep spiritual depth and piety. 00:45:35.030 --> 00:45:39.090 We find a man, honestly, that's still kind of 00:45:39.090 --> 00:45:43.070 a show -off. and a man that's eager to tell others 00:45:43.070 --> 00:45:45.489 what they ought to be doing with their sheep 00:45:45.489 --> 00:45:51.010 and their herd. If we think about what he does 00:45:51.010 --> 00:45:59.309 here, early on in the text, he says this, starting 00:45:59.309 --> 00:46:03.269 in verse 7. This is Jacob speaking to these shepherds 00:46:03.269 --> 00:46:06.849 he just met. He obviously knows a little bit 00:46:06.849 --> 00:46:11.760 about the business. He said, behold, it is still 00:46:11.760 --> 00:46:14.980 high day. It is not time for the livestock to 00:46:14.980 --> 00:46:18.860 be gathered. Water the sheep and go pasture them. 00:46:19.840 --> 00:46:26.880 Jacob, you just got here. Who is this guy? And 00:46:26.880 --> 00:46:29.280 all of a sudden he's bossing all these men around. 00:46:30.059 --> 00:46:33.039 Maybe he's in the right. Maybe they're just lounging 00:46:33.039 --> 00:46:36.320 around, killing their time when they ought to 00:46:36.320 --> 00:46:39.380 be doing something else. But still. Who is this 00:46:39.380 --> 00:46:45.500 man? And then what does he do when Rachel arrives? 00:46:47.800 --> 00:46:52.659 Previously, it says, it implies that multiple 00:46:52.659 --> 00:46:57.460 men would have rolled the stone away from the 00:46:57.460 --> 00:47:00.199 mouth of the well. There's a big rock on top 00:47:00.199 --> 00:47:03.239 of the well that keeps out the dirt and all the 00:47:03.239 --> 00:47:07.000 junk from the water. But what does it say that... 00:47:07.179 --> 00:47:13.099 Jacob did. In verse 10, when Jacob saw Rachel, 00:47:13.340 --> 00:47:16.539 the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, 00:47:16.820 --> 00:47:19.280 and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, 00:47:19.400 --> 00:47:23.280 Jacob went up and rolled the stone from the mouth 00:47:23.280 --> 00:47:27.559 of the well. What's he doing? He's showing off 00:47:27.559 --> 00:47:33.659 for Rachel. He's puffing himself up. Look at 00:47:33.659 --> 00:47:40.039 me. I can move that rock all by myself. I didn't 00:47:40.039 --> 00:47:42.039 need a shepherd over here. I didn't need a shepherd 00:47:42.039 --> 00:47:45.679 over there. There you go. Now let me water your 00:47:45.679 --> 00:47:51.480 camels. Obviously, brothers and sisters, Jacob 00:47:51.480 --> 00:47:57.619 needs a little bit of maturity to be worked into 00:47:57.619 --> 00:48:03.320 him. He needs a little bit of growth. in godliness 00:48:03.320 --> 00:48:08.159 and holiness in his life. Now, how else do we 00:48:08.159 --> 00:48:10.559 know that Jacob needs providential correction? 00:48:11.739 --> 00:48:17.760 Well, we have the entire episode of him deceiving 00:48:17.760 --> 00:48:24.340 his older brother and his father. He wasn't innocent. 00:48:27.940 --> 00:48:32.719 Jacob needs correction in his life, brothers 00:48:32.719 --> 00:48:38.380 and sisters. More than he needed a wife. More 00:48:38.380 --> 00:48:42.880 than he needed prosperity. More than he needed 00:48:42.880 --> 00:48:50.940 wealth. More than he needed influence and blessing, 00:48:51.000 --> 00:48:54.179 brothers and sisters. Do you know what he needed? 00:48:55.340 --> 00:48:59.340 Do you know what Jacob needed in his life? He 00:48:59.340 --> 00:49:03.119 needed to be personally changed by the power 00:49:03.119 --> 00:49:08.440 of the living God. He needed to be transformed 00:49:08.440 --> 00:49:13.940 more and more. He needed to be sanctified, brothers 00:49:13.940 --> 00:49:18.219 and sisters. He needed to grow in the grace and 00:49:18.219 --> 00:49:20.480 knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. He needed 00:49:20.480 --> 00:49:23.500 to love his covenant. making covenant, keeping 00:49:23.500 --> 00:49:26.960 covenant, promising God more than he did. He 00:49:26.960 --> 00:49:29.860 needed to learn how to rely and trust upon the 00:49:29.860 --> 00:49:32.960 Lord who has just made these glorious promises 00:49:32.960 --> 00:49:37.019 to him more and more. He needed to be changed 00:49:37.019 --> 00:49:42.219 himself. And he would be changed. We see a big 00:49:42.219 --> 00:49:45.739 change take place in him. Just a few chapters 00:49:45.739 --> 00:49:49.889 later, now many years later, But a few chapters 00:49:49.889 --> 00:49:54.090 later, we read this in chapter 32, starting in 00:49:54.090 --> 00:50:00.349 verse 9. As he's approaching Esau to meet, Jacob 00:50:00.349 --> 00:50:05.210 said, notice he is praying now to God. Jacob 00:50:05.210 --> 00:50:09.829 said, O God of my father, Abraham, and God of 00:50:09.829 --> 00:50:14.340 my father, Isaac, O Lord, who said to me, Return 00:50:14.340 --> 00:50:17.579 to your country and to your relatives and I will 00:50:17.579 --> 00:50:20.679 prosper you. He's understanding and he knows 00:50:20.679 --> 00:50:24.960 who this God is. He knows his covenant faithfulness 00:50:24.960 --> 00:50:28.340 now. What does he say at the start of verse 10? 00:50:29.019 --> 00:50:34.260 I am unworthy of all the loving kindness and 00:50:34.260 --> 00:50:36.980 all the faithfulness which you have shown to 00:50:36.980 --> 00:50:43.269 your servants. What a marked change. has taken 00:50:43.269 --> 00:50:50.550 place in the patriarch Jacob. He sees the fact 00:50:50.550 --> 00:50:54.489 that he is unworthy of the loving kindness of 00:50:54.489 --> 00:50:59.750 God. Humility has been worked deep down into 00:50:59.750 --> 00:51:05.909 his soul over the years. How has God worked that 00:51:05.909 --> 00:51:10.369 humility into his life? Through providential 00:51:10.800 --> 00:51:16.019 correction, and discipline, in particular through 00:51:16.019 --> 00:51:20.739 this Rachel and Leah and Laban episode, brothers 00:51:20.739 --> 00:51:26.159 and sisters. God's discipline was fitting for 00:51:26.159 --> 00:51:30.980 him. It was revealing in his heart. And brothers 00:51:30.980 --> 00:51:36.139 and sisters, it was effective to work and change 00:51:36.139 --> 00:51:40.639 in him. The doctrine of divine discipline for 00:51:40.639 --> 00:51:46.760 us today is very similar. Let me read another 00:51:46.760 --> 00:51:54.239 paragraph from the 1689. The same chapter, paragraph 00:51:54.239 --> 00:52:02.659 5. And here it speaks of the particular use or 00:52:02.659 --> 00:52:06.599 purpose of providence in the believer's life. 00:52:07.659 --> 00:52:13.000 in the life of the church. The perfectly wise, 00:52:13.219 --> 00:52:17.480 righteous, and gracious God often allows his 00:52:17.480 --> 00:52:21.719 own children for a time to experience a variety 00:52:21.719 --> 00:52:25.360 of temptations and the sinfulness of their own 00:52:25.360 --> 00:52:30.739 hearts. Do you hear what it's saying? God allows 00:52:30.739 --> 00:52:35.880 his children to experience the effects of their 00:52:35.880 --> 00:52:40.900 own sinful hearts for a time. He does this to 00:52:40.900 --> 00:52:44.920 chastise them for their former sins or to make 00:52:44.920 --> 00:52:48.099 them aware of the hidden strength of corruption 00:52:48.099 --> 00:52:51.980 and the deceitfulness of their hearts so that 00:52:51.980 --> 00:52:56.159 they may be humbled. He also does this to lead 00:52:56.159 --> 00:52:58.940 them to a closer and more constant dependence 00:52:58.940 --> 00:53:04.559 on him, to sustain them, to make them more cautious, 00:53:05.420 --> 00:53:08.980 about all future circumstances that may lead 00:53:08.980 --> 00:53:14.179 to sin, and for other just and holy purposes. 00:53:14.619 --> 00:53:18.139 So whatever happens to any of his elect happens 00:53:18.139 --> 00:53:22.119 by his appointment, for his glory and for their 00:53:22.119 --> 00:53:27.179 good. Brothers and sisters, what an edifying 00:53:27.179 --> 00:53:32.929 and encouraging portion of the confession. God 00:53:32.929 --> 00:53:35.449 has a purpose in the pains and the hurts and 00:53:35.449 --> 00:53:38.409 the losses and the suffering and the brokenness, 00:53:38.449 --> 00:53:43.409 whatever it might be. God has good, holy purposes 00:53:43.409 --> 00:53:48.469 in all of it. When we think about providence 00:53:48.469 --> 00:53:53.630 as believers, it's vitally important that we 00:53:53.630 --> 00:53:59.469 don't think about it as divine judgment. Now, 00:53:59.489 --> 00:54:03.320 when we say judgment, I mean this. as coming 00:54:03.320 --> 00:54:13.139 from God as a judge or from wrath. There is therefore 00:54:13.139 --> 00:54:19.139 now no condemnation for those who are in Christ 00:54:19.139 --> 00:54:25.019 Jesus. God in his providence does not treat his 00:54:25.019 --> 00:54:30.480 people like he does those who are not his people. 00:54:31.019 --> 00:54:38.460 in his providence. All correction from a sovereign 00:54:38.460 --> 00:54:45.500 God is from a hand that is loving. It is remedial 00:54:45.500 --> 00:54:49.500 in a sense, brothers and sisters, meaning it's 00:54:49.500 --> 00:54:53.800 a remedy for certain cure, for certain maladies 00:54:53.800 --> 00:54:58.989 and sicknesses and diseases in them. It is corrective, 00:54:58.989 --> 00:55:02.150 it's formative, it shapes, it brings them on 00:55:02.150 --> 00:55:06.369 the right path. And brothers and sisters, it 00:55:06.369 --> 00:55:11.730 is restorative. Meaning God is seeking to restore 00:55:11.730 --> 00:55:15.150 the believer. He's seeking to grow them and mature 00:55:15.150 --> 00:55:19.349 them in holiness and godliness. The end is always 00:55:19.349 --> 00:55:22.789 redemptive in nature, brothers and sisters. God's 00:55:22.789 --> 00:55:26.550 discipline in the life of his people always. 00:55:27.340 --> 00:55:33.539 always, always has a redemptive purpose. How 00:55:33.539 --> 00:55:41.440 so? Well, it is what evidences sonship, according 00:55:41.440 --> 00:55:48.860 to Hebrews chapter 12. It's not as though God 00:55:48.860 --> 00:55:52.239 abandons his people when hardship comes upon 00:55:52.239 --> 00:55:55.219 them. No, brothers and sisters, it's a loving 00:55:55.219 --> 00:56:00.849 God. teaching and training his beloved children. 00:56:01.989 --> 00:56:06.269 Because it would be a wicked, an unholy father 00:56:06.269 --> 00:56:12.030 who refuses to discipline and to correct his 00:56:12.030 --> 00:56:16.389 children whom he professes to love. God in his 00:56:16.389 --> 00:56:21.869 love corrects his children because he knows ultimately, 00:56:22.130 --> 00:56:27.019 though it's painful in the moment, It is good 00:56:27.019 --> 00:56:32.980 for them in the end. It is glorifying for his 00:56:32.980 --> 00:56:39.940 name. According to Romans 8, verse 28, correction 00:56:39.940 --> 00:56:50.099 is good for us. And that good is defined as conformity 00:56:50.099 --> 00:56:55.940 to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ. Meaning 00:56:55.940 --> 00:57:01.840 anything that makes us more like Christ is good 00:57:01.840 --> 00:57:06.599 for us, brothers and sisters. Anything that teaches 00:57:06.599 --> 00:57:12.920 us to love in a biblical capacity more. Anything 00:57:12.920 --> 00:57:16.699 that teaches us to forgive. Anything that teaches 00:57:16.699 --> 00:57:20.820 us to love God, to be more patient, to be more 00:57:20.820 --> 00:57:26.150 holy. to walk and to live and to think in accordance 00:57:26.150 --> 00:57:29.809 with God's holy law more and more, just like 00:57:29.809 --> 00:57:33.010 the Lord Jesus Christ did perfectly. Anything 00:57:33.010 --> 00:57:36.190 that produces that in our life, brothers and 00:57:36.190 --> 00:57:40.489 sisters, that is the good. And it's preparatory. 00:57:40.869 --> 00:57:45.809 How is it preparatory? Well, when God disciplines 00:57:45.809 --> 00:57:50.030 his children that he loves so dearly, he is preparing 00:57:50.030 --> 00:57:57.110 them for glory. He is preparing them for heaven, 00:57:57.250 --> 00:58:00.309 brothers and sisters. He is preparing them for 00:58:00.309 --> 00:58:05.269 the appearing of Christ. Discipline and correction. 00:58:06.269 --> 00:58:09.070 God working all things for the good of his people. 00:58:09.150 --> 00:58:11.949 Brothers and sisters, it always leans toward 00:58:11.949 --> 00:58:17.550 and works toward glory every single time because 00:58:17.550 --> 00:58:22.659 it prepares us for that reality. We have the 00:58:22.659 --> 00:58:28.039 absolute promise that if we are in Christ Jesus, 00:58:28.260 --> 00:58:36.039 all things work together for our good. Every 00:58:36.039 --> 00:58:43.199 hardship in your life has a purpose. Every painful 00:58:43.199 --> 00:58:50.960 situation, every frustrating occasion, Every 00:58:50.960 --> 00:58:56.559 time your heart spikes or anger flows or whatever 00:58:56.559 --> 00:59:00.500 it might be, whenever downcast moods come upon 00:59:00.500 --> 00:59:03.559 you, whenever you're cast down by the devil and 00:59:03.559 --> 00:59:06.079 you're driven to near despair, do you know what? 00:59:06.159 --> 00:59:09.139 Those are occasions, brothers and sisters, for 00:59:09.139 --> 00:59:13.179 God to work good in your life, to sanctify you 00:59:13.179 --> 00:59:17.760 and to prepare you for the weight of eternal 00:59:17.760 --> 00:59:24.500 glory. How do we walk faithfully through these 00:59:24.500 --> 00:59:28.780 providential realities? Let me just briefly walk 00:59:28.780 --> 00:59:34.099 through these. First, don't despise God's providence 00:59:34.099 --> 00:59:40.019 in your life, whether it be good or bad, meaning 00:59:40.019 --> 00:59:44.440 hard or difficult, easy or painful. Don't despise 00:59:44.440 --> 00:59:47.079 it, brothers and sisters. Submit to it by faith. 00:59:48.430 --> 00:59:51.969 Don't let difficult providences drive you deeper 00:59:51.969 --> 00:59:55.349 into the flesh. Let them compel you closer to 00:59:55.349 --> 01:00:00.050 the Lord Jesus. Don't let them drive you deeper 01:00:00.050 --> 01:00:02.989 into despair or bitterness or away from the Lord. 01:00:03.070 --> 01:00:08.750 Let them draw you unto God by faith. Receive 01:00:08.750 --> 01:00:14.150 them by faith. Don't despair. Vehemently seek 01:00:14.150 --> 01:00:19.760 out holiness, godliness. and maturity. Mortify 01:00:19.760 --> 01:00:25.099 that which God works out of you through discipline. 01:00:26.320 --> 01:00:33.320 Kill it. Rid that which God is disciplining you 01:00:33.320 --> 01:00:39.960 for in your life. Zealously seek out likeness 01:00:39.960 --> 01:00:46.510 to Jesus Christ as those who are in Christ. And 01:00:46.510 --> 01:00:51.909 out of that godly life, make wise decisions in 01:00:51.909 --> 01:00:57.269 your life and in this world. We think about the 01:00:57.269 --> 01:01:02.670 world that God has made. He has created a world 01:01:02.670 --> 01:01:06.050 of means, brothers and sisters. We use those 01:01:06.050 --> 01:01:08.469 terms in church with regards to the Lord's Supper 01:01:08.469 --> 01:01:12.670 and the preaching of the word and baptism, the 01:01:12.670 --> 01:01:16.139 means of grace, but we have to remember. that 01:01:16.139 --> 01:01:21.400 God has made the entire world to be a world of 01:01:21.400 --> 01:01:26.179 means. So out of your godliness, out of your 01:01:26.179 --> 01:01:31.599 pursuit of Christ, make good and wise decisions 01:01:31.599 --> 01:01:35.260 in this life to bring about God's providence 01:01:35.260 --> 01:01:40.119 in your life. Use the means that God has given 01:01:40.119 --> 01:01:44.539 to this world to accomplish the ends that you... 01:01:45.039 --> 01:01:51.420 So desire. Make good and godly decisions. Bad 01:01:51.420 --> 01:01:57.920 decisions have real consequences. But decisions 01:01:57.920 --> 01:02:04.880 made prayerfully with a good and godly motive 01:02:04.880 --> 01:02:10.059 that are not prohibited by the scriptures, brothers 01:02:10.059 --> 01:02:15.460 and sisters. Things that are unclear. Things 01:02:15.460 --> 01:02:18.039 that do not bring you under the power of sin. 01:02:18.559 --> 01:02:23.099 Things that are not unhelpful for you or unedifying 01:02:23.099 --> 01:02:26.800 for your neighbor. Brothers and sisters, make 01:02:26.800 --> 01:02:31.239 good and godly decisions. Make the decision and 01:02:31.239 --> 01:02:37.739 move forward. Trust the Lord. Pray. And live 01:02:37.739 --> 01:02:43.969 a bold life. Knowing that you are immortal. until 01:02:43.969 --> 01:02:53.030 your personal task is complete. Nothing can kill 01:02:53.030 --> 01:03:01.989 you until your appointed time. Be bold in this 01:03:01.989 --> 01:03:07.030 life, brothers and sisters. Don't be timid. God 01:03:07.030 --> 01:03:10.349 has appointed an end for your life. Zealously 01:03:10.349 --> 01:03:14.730 pursue your purposes in Christ. Be bold and confident 01:03:14.730 --> 01:03:20.670 in those realities. Use the means. And live according 01:03:20.670 --> 01:03:24.690 to what is revealed. There is a temptation with 01:03:24.690 --> 01:03:29.309 providence. It is good and right to meditate 01:03:29.309 --> 01:03:32.269 and contemplate on God's providence in your life. 01:03:33.190 --> 01:03:35.489 We see this all throughout the scriptures. We 01:03:35.489 --> 01:03:39.940 ought to do this. But it can... Take on another 01:03:39.940 --> 01:03:44.880 form in that you seek out the secret things of 01:03:44.880 --> 01:03:50.159 God. Meaning, God, I don't understand this. Why? 01:03:51.960 --> 01:03:59.340 We start complaining and doubting and accusing 01:03:59.340 --> 01:04:03.659 God himself. That's never good and that's never 01:04:03.659 --> 01:04:07.199 right. So live according to what is revealed 01:04:07.199 --> 01:04:10.340 in the word of God and leave the secret things, 01:04:10.539 --> 01:04:16.059 God's decretive purposes to him. Obey that which 01:04:16.059 --> 01:04:19.940 God has made known. Live by faith, brothers and 01:04:19.940 --> 01:04:23.019 sisters. I want to close by reading one paragraph 01:04:23.019 --> 01:04:28.659 from the confession. For those here who don't 01:04:28.659 --> 01:04:33.239 know Christ, how do you relate to the providence 01:04:33.239 --> 01:04:38.610 of God? How does God in his providence relate 01:04:38.610 --> 01:04:43.510 to you? Because he is not working all things 01:04:43.510 --> 01:04:48.630 for your good. Listen to what paragraph five 01:04:48.630 --> 01:04:55.369 says. God, as the righteous judge, sometimes 01:04:55.369 --> 01:04:59.449 blinds and hardens wicked and ungodly people 01:04:59.449 --> 01:05:03.469 because of their sins. He withholds his grace 01:05:03.469 --> 01:05:06.880 from them. by which they could have been enlightened 01:05:06.880 --> 01:05:09.900 in their understanding and had their hearts renewed. 01:05:11.340 --> 01:05:14.840 Not only that, but sometimes he also takes away 01:05:14.840 --> 01:05:18.719 the gifts they already have and exposes them 01:05:18.719 --> 01:05:25.360 to situations that their corrupt natures turn 01:05:25.360 --> 01:05:29.099 into opportunities for sin. Moreover, he gives 01:05:29.099 --> 01:05:31.659 them over to their own lust, the temptations 01:05:31.659 --> 01:05:34.630 of the world, and the power of Satan. so that 01:05:34.630 --> 01:05:37.550 they harden themselves in response to the same 01:05:37.550 --> 01:05:43.690 influences that God uses to soften others. Turn 01:05:43.690 --> 01:05:50.690 to Christ and live. Turn to Christ, trust in 01:05:50.690 --> 01:05:56.429 him, and be the benefactor of God's good purposes 01:05:56.429 --> 01:06:00.349 in his providence in your life.