1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:09,720 Thanks, orchestra. 2 00:00:09,720 --> 00:00:17,240 Let's open our Bibles together, please, to the 29th chapter of the book of Genesis. 3 00:00:17,240 --> 00:00:26,560 Genesis chapter 29. 4 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:34,320 This morning, just out of curiosity, I typed into my web engine the search for dreams on 5 00:00:34,320 --> 00:00:36,240 the Internet. 6 00:00:36,240 --> 00:00:42,600 Within a few seconds, the Internet responded back that there were over 240,000 references 7 00:00:42,600 --> 00:00:44,440 to dreams. 8 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,560 I didn't have time to look at all of them this morning. 9 00:00:47,560 --> 00:00:52,680 But I went down the list on the first page that was brought to me, and it was interesting 10 00:00:52,680 --> 00:01:00,400 to see the kinds of things that that particular word brought to the surface of the Internet. 11 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:05,360 Most of them dealt with new age kinds of ideas regarding dreams and the interpretation of 12 00:01:05,360 --> 00:01:06,360 dreams. 13 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,520 There's a lot of interest in dreams these days. 14 00:01:09,520 --> 00:01:15,880 You can walk by the magazine stand in the grocery store, and you will often see some 15 00:01:15,880 --> 00:01:22,660 statement about dreams, the meaning of dreams, how people interpret their dreams, how dreams 16 00:01:22,660 --> 00:01:26,040 have been fulfilled. 17 00:01:26,040 --> 00:01:32,120 Whatever the dreams may be originated in, within the hearts of those who have them, 18 00:01:32,120 --> 00:01:37,560 the dream that we look at in the life of Jacob was an entirely different sort of dream. 19 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:44,960 It was a dream that God gave him as a revelation of himself in the 28th chapter. 20 00:01:44,960 --> 00:01:51,160 Few dreams are life-changing, but Jacob's dream certainly was. 21 00:01:51,160 --> 00:01:58,480 There was an eye-opener of a dream, for it showed to Jacob the activity of God in his 22 00:01:58,480 --> 00:02:00,540 life. 23 00:02:00,540 --> 00:02:06,600 He saw the ladder that reached from heaven to earth, and the angels of God ascending 24 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:12,240 and descending on that ladder or on that stairways. 25 00:02:12,240 --> 00:02:22,520 What he realized in that dream was this, that the angels of God were ministering to him. 26 00:02:22,520 --> 00:02:29,680 George Henderson, a British commentator, quotes an unnamed person in his book that 27 00:02:29,680 --> 00:02:35,600 helps me grasp what Jacob realized as he had the dream. 28 00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:40,480 It was the relieving of the heavenly guard that Jacob witnessed. 29 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:45,240 The angels of God had attended him on his way to Bethel. 30 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:50,120 They were around him when he stopped, when he chose his resting place, and when he laid 31 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:52,960 down his head upon the stone. 32 00:02:52,960 --> 00:03:01,800 They were now ascending in order that those descending might take their place. 33 00:03:01,800 --> 00:03:07,200 I like what that commentator has suggested to my mind, that the angels of God were there 34 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:10,280 to care for Jacob. 35 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:15,840 As of God, so to speak, Jacob grasped that. 36 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:22,200 God spoke to Jacob, affirming to him the promises that God had already given to his grandfather 37 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,520 and father before him. 38 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:30,600 Look again in chapter 28, verse 13, where God says, I am the Lord, the God of your father 39 00:03:30,600 --> 00:03:39,680 Abraham and the God of Isaac, the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to 40 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,200 your descendants. 41 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:48,200 Your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread out to the 42 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:52,440 west, to the east, to the north, and to the south. 43 00:03:52,440 --> 00:03:57,360 And in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 44 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:03,000 The continuation of that concept in that idea from Genesis chapter 12. 45 00:04:03,000 --> 00:04:09,040 And behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go. 46 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:14,960 You see, those angels visualize what God is saying right there. 47 00:04:14,960 --> 00:04:16,320 I am with you, Jacob. 48 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:21,040 You are running for your life from your brother Esau. 49 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:26,160 You are sleeping here in this hidden place with your head on a stone for pillow, but 50 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:28,720 I am with you. 51 00:04:28,720 --> 00:04:29,720 And I will keep you. 52 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:32,040 I will guard you, that is. 53 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:37,400 And I will bring you back to this land, for I will not leave you until I have done what 54 00:04:37,400 --> 00:04:40,920 I promised you. 55 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:51,240 Like Abraham, his grandfather, Jacob also believed God, and that night his faith was 56 00:04:51,240 --> 00:04:54,720 reckoned as righteousness. 57 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:58,320 This is the night of Jacob's conversion. 58 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,640 This is not a teenage conversion, by the way. 59 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:08,040 As I explained to you before, Jacob is in his late 70's at this point. 60 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:12,960 He is a man who is middle-aged in the lifespan of that day. 61 00:05:12,960 --> 00:05:21,200 He is no spring chicken, and yet, in his late 70's on this night, his life had truly just 62 00:05:21,200 --> 00:05:23,720 begun. 63 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:29,680 Because this is the night when he trusts the promise of God for himself. 64 00:05:29,680 --> 00:05:35,600 God had been at work in Jacob's life even before he was born, as we saw. 65 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:43,480 But now Jacob is personally trusting in the promise of God for himself. 66 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:50,720 The following Jacob's experience through the next chapter in chapter 29 provides for us 67 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:55,960 insights about God's work in our lives, too. 68 00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:00,720 So I want you to track with me as we think through the experience of Jacob and see how 69 00:06:00,720 --> 00:06:06,560 what Jacob experienced parallels what God is doing in us. 70 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:16,240 The first insight that I have regarding Jacob is that conversion begins a journey. 71 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,000 Notice how the next chapter begins. 72 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:25,400 After the dream, after Jacob had responded to God, it says in verse 1, then Jacob went 73 00:06:25,400 --> 00:06:28,200 on his journey. 74 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:33,040 Literally it says, then Jacob picked up his feet. 75 00:06:33,040 --> 00:06:38,520 There is something in the picture of joy and new confidence. 76 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:43,240 One can almost see Jacob skipping and dancing on his way. 77 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:44,840 It was a marvellous journey, believe me. 78 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:46,840 He didn't dance all the way. 79 00:06:46,840 --> 00:06:51,160 It was about another 300 miles to where he was headed. 80 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:57,000 But the point is that something was changed in Jacob, and it began a new journey in his 81 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:58,120 life. 82 00:06:58,120 --> 00:07:02,840 His spiritual journey begins at this point. 83 00:07:02,840 --> 00:07:08,560 And the thing that I want to emphasize this morning is this, that conversion occurs whenever 84 00:07:08,560 --> 00:07:12,760 it does in one's life. 85 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:20,040 And when it occurs, it initiates a lifelong journey with God. 86 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:25,480 When we are converted, we have not arrived. 87 00:07:25,480 --> 00:07:31,400 Now please understand that our salvation is settled, it's secure, it belongs to us by 88 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:34,440 the grace of God, and we are kept by the grace of God. 89 00:07:34,440 --> 00:07:42,120 But understand also that there is a journey that follows that moment of faith. 90 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:45,720 Salvation is followed by sanctification. 91 00:07:45,720 --> 00:07:55,760 That is, salvation is followed by God conforming us to the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. 92 00:07:55,760 --> 00:08:01,960 We Christians have been forgiven, thank God, but we have not yet arrived at the place of 93 00:08:01,960 --> 00:08:05,080 perfection. 94 00:08:05,080 --> 00:08:11,560 God still has work to do in every one of us who has begun this journey. 95 00:08:11,560 --> 00:08:18,520 And the apostle Paul confessed decades after he was converted, decades after he was converted, 96 00:08:18,520 --> 00:08:21,600 after he had written some of the New Testament. 97 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:27,920 The apostle Paul said, not that I have already attained, or am already perfected, but he 98 00:08:27,920 --> 00:08:37,400 says, I press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has laid hold of me. 99 00:08:37,400 --> 00:08:44,160 So you see, Paul realized that he too was on a journey, he hadn't arrived, he was still 100 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,160 pressing on. 101 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:50,360 And today that's the attitude and the heart that I want us to have. 102 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:55,520 But if we have trusted Jesus Christ as our Savior, we see that we still have a journey 103 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:57,440 before us. 104 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:03,240 We cannot be content with where we are and just sit back and wait for heaven. 105 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:10,440 God has an exciting journey of faith that he wants us to track. 106 00:09:10,440 --> 00:09:17,200 Paul in that same epistle, Philippians says, So then, my beloved, just as you have always 107 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:27,980 obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation 108 00:09:27,980 --> 00:09:34,920 fear and trembling, which is the idea of humility. 109 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:39,880 Work out your salvation, he says, and then he goes on to say, for it is God who is at 110 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:46,960 work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. 111 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:50,200 The apostle is saying here, God is at work in you. 112 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:57,480 He has placed within you the gift of salvation, Philippians, but now work that out in your 113 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:59,800 life. 114 00:09:59,800 --> 00:10:06,920 Apply it to your life and to your walk so that you may be the children of God, blameless 115 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:15,480 and without reproach in the midst of a very messed up world, a crooked and perverse generation, 116 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:17,880 he calls it. 117 00:10:17,880 --> 00:10:25,080 That's what God calls us to do in our journey of faith to work out what he's already put 118 00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:34,000 in us, becoming a believer in the God of Abraham is the start of an adventure. 119 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,640 But it plays out for the rest of your life into eternity. 120 00:10:38,640 --> 00:10:44,440 It is a journey of faith in which God is at work in you. 121 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:46,760 That's the first insight that I get here. 122 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:51,120 That encourages me, it excites me to know that when I became a Christian at nine years 123 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:59,800 of age, God just began a work and he's been working ever since then, pushing me on toward 124 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:03,280 his ultimate calling in my life, which is to be like Christ. 125 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:06,320 And that's what he's doing in your life too. 126 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:07,960 Sometimes God has to work overtime in my life. 127 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:10,920 Does he do that for you? 128 00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:16,680 That God is faithfully at work and we are to cooperate with him in that work to consciously 129 00:11:16,680 --> 00:11:21,400 realize that we need to work out what God's worked in. 130 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:25,880 Well, there's a second insight I want to get to as we continue on in the thought of the 131 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:33,000 narrative and that is that the journey is directed by divine providence. 132 00:11:33,000 --> 00:11:36,160 Thank God he is not finished with us. 133 00:11:36,160 --> 00:11:39,740 He is still at work in our lives. 134 00:11:39,740 --> 00:11:46,160 We begin a journey and that journey is directed by divine providence. 135 00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:48,400 Now we need to understand what providence is. 136 00:11:48,400 --> 00:11:52,280 So let me just give you a quick definition for it. 137 00:11:52,280 --> 00:11:59,560 The definition of providence is that it is God's supernatural supervision of all things. 138 00:11:59,560 --> 00:12:06,760 It is the supernatural supervision of all things by which God directs all things and 139 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:14,080 yet does so without violating the human will. 140 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:23,880 God is the actor and we are the reactors with respect to the fulfilling of his purposes. 141 00:12:23,880 --> 00:12:30,400 God is supervising and directing and superintending our lives in such a way and all of their affairs 142 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:35,960 so that we are moving toward the ultimate goal that God has for us. 143 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:44,600 And he is doing that in such a way that he doesn't violate our freedom to make bad choices 144 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:48,400 and we do and I do. 145 00:12:48,400 --> 00:12:55,920 And when we make the bad choices, God even uses those as only he can by his providence 146 00:12:55,920 --> 00:13:00,400 to keep us moving toward his ultimate purpose. 147 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:06,440 The journey is directed by divine providence. 148 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:09,720 God was directing the life of Jacob. 149 00:13:09,720 --> 00:13:19,040 Now it's not stated as explicitly in chapter 29 regarding Jacob as it was in chapter 24 150 00:13:19,040 --> 00:13:27,440 when Abraham sent his servant Eleazar to get a bride for his son Isaac. 151 00:13:27,440 --> 00:13:32,800 Let's turn back there for a moment in review in chapter 24 how explicit the language is 152 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:36,760 showing God's direction. 153 00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:43,400 For example in verse 7 of Genesis 24 it says, the Lord, this is Abraham speaking now to 154 00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:49,480 Eleazar before he goes on the journey, he says, the Lord the God of heaven who took me from 155 00:13:49,480 --> 00:13:55,360 my father's house and from the land of my birth and who spoke to me and who swore to 156 00:13:55,360 --> 00:14:03,440 me saying to your descendants I will give this land, he will send his angel before you 157 00:14:03,440 --> 00:14:11,040 and you will take a wife for my son from there, that is from Heron, from the relatives of 158 00:14:11,040 --> 00:14:12,040 Abraham. 159 00:14:12,040 --> 00:14:19,880 Then skip on down in the chapter to verse 27 where Eleazar now is testifying after he 160 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:25,320 has found the beautiful bride for Isaac. 161 00:14:25,320 --> 00:14:34,560 He says in verse 27, blessed be the Lord, the God of my master Abraham who has not forsaken 162 00:14:34,560 --> 00:14:39,200 his loving kindness and his truth toward my master. 163 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:49,960 And as for me the Lord has guided me in the way to the house of my master's brother. 164 00:14:49,960 --> 00:14:56,120 And so he had found Rebecca and he says God directed me in my journey. 165 00:14:56,120 --> 00:14:59,000 He has gone before me, he has shown me the way. 166 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:02,600 Verse 49, once more states it. 167 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:08,000 So now Eleazar says if you are going to deal kindly and truly with my master tell me and 168 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:11,640 if not let me know that I may turn to the right to the left. 169 00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:13,920 Excuse me, I skipped down one verse. 170 00:15:13,920 --> 00:15:15,640 Verse 48 is what I wanted. 171 00:15:15,640 --> 00:15:20,720 But I bowed low and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, 172 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:27,240 who has guided me in the right way to take the daughter of my master's kinsman for his 173 00:15:27,240 --> 00:15:28,240 son. 174 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:34,680 So you see chapter 24 is filled with language that directly shows God's providence, God 175 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,520 going before his servant. 176 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:44,280 The language is not explicit in chapter 29, but it certainly is implicit. 177 00:15:44,280 --> 00:15:48,120 Let's go back there now and pick it up in the last part of verse 1. 178 00:15:48,120 --> 00:15:55,480 And Jacob came to the land of the sons of the east and he looked and saw a well in the 179 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:56,480 field. 180 00:15:56,480 --> 00:16:03,240 How many wells have we seen now in our study of Abraham and his descendants? 181 00:16:03,240 --> 00:16:12,560 Just interesting how often the narrative revolves around these oases, these wells. 182 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:18,440 He saw a well in the field and behold three flocks of sheep were lying there beside it. 183 00:16:18,440 --> 00:16:21,360 For from that well they watered the flocks. 184 00:16:21,360 --> 00:16:25,240 Now the stone on the mouth of the well was large. 185 00:16:25,240 --> 00:16:29,840 When all the flocks were gathered there, they would then roll the stone from the mouth of 186 00:16:29,840 --> 00:16:35,200 the well and water the sheep and put the stone back in its place on the mouth of the well. 187 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:41,760 So apparently this stone was so large, protecting the mouth of this well, that it took several 188 00:16:41,760 --> 00:16:45,520 shepherds to move it normally. 189 00:16:45,520 --> 00:16:49,040 And Jacob said to them, my brothers, where are you from? 190 00:16:49,040 --> 00:16:51,960 And they said, we are from Heron. 191 00:16:51,960 --> 00:16:56,320 And he said to them, do you know Laban, the son of Nahor? 192 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:58,480 And they said, we know him. 193 00:16:58,480 --> 00:17:02,440 And he said to them, is it well with him? 194 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:04,680 And they said, it is well. 195 00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:09,360 And behold, Rachel his daughter is coming with the sheep. 196 00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:13,320 Well, what do you know? 197 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:19,320 It doesn't tell us here that God arranged this by his providence, but it's clear. 198 00:17:19,320 --> 00:17:23,040 This is not merely circumstance. 199 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:30,240 God brought Rachel with these sheep at this time to that well. 200 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:34,360 And he said, behold, it is still a high day and it's not time for the livestock to be 201 00:17:34,360 --> 00:17:35,360 gathered. 202 00:17:35,360 --> 00:17:39,320 Water the sheep and go and pasture them. 203 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:41,400 You see, what he wanted to do was get them out of there. 204 00:17:41,400 --> 00:17:43,320 He's saying to them, this isn't time to water the sheep. 205 00:17:43,320 --> 00:17:45,600 You fellow just run along, will you? 206 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:50,280 Because he sees Rachel coming with the flock. 207 00:17:50,280 --> 00:17:54,600 And they said, we cannot until all the flocks are gathered and they roll the stone from 208 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:57,320 the mouth of the well, then we water the sheep. 209 00:17:57,320 --> 00:18:02,520 While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father's sheep, where she was 210 00:18:02,520 --> 00:18:03,520 a shepherdess. 211 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:08,480 And it came about when Jacob saw Rachel, the daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, 212 00:18:08,480 --> 00:18:12,600 and the sheep of Laban, his mother's brother, that Jacob went up and rolled the stone from 213 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,600 the mouth of the well. 214 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:18,000 Suddenly this guy has a lot of strength. 215 00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:21,600 He has just walked 400 miles, folks. 216 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:26,160 But when he sees Rachel, God gives him strength to move this stone by himself. 217 00:18:26,160 --> 00:18:27,440 Get that thing out of the way. 218 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,880 These sheep are thirsty. 219 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:30,880 You can just kind of see them. 220 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:35,520 They're kind of, you know, flexing his muscles. 221 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:39,960 Maybe that's a little exaggeration, I don't know. 222 00:18:39,960 --> 00:18:44,800 Jacob kissed Rachel and lifted up his voice and wept. 223 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:50,200 When was the last time that was your response to a kiss? 224 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:53,520 He kissed her and lifted up his voice and wept. 225 00:18:53,520 --> 00:19:01,320 Well, you see, you need to understand this was not a romantic kiss. 226 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:02,400 Can I say it that way? 227 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,400 This was a kiss of custom. 228 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,520 It was a greeting. 229 00:19:08,520 --> 00:19:12,240 It would become romantic very soon. 230 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:19,800 But in Jacob's heart at least, but this was simply a kiss of greeting and then he wept. 231 00:19:19,800 --> 00:19:24,120 And I've asked myself the question, why did he weep? 232 00:19:24,120 --> 00:19:26,480 Why did he weep? 233 00:19:26,480 --> 00:19:35,000 And the best answer seems to me is this, that Jacob at this point realizes that indeed 234 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:39,600 God has been with him. 235 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:45,440 And in this journey that he has undertaken, he sees the demonstration, God is here. 236 00:19:45,440 --> 00:19:52,480 He has directed me just like he promised that night, days ago, in that dream. 237 00:19:52,480 --> 00:20:03,720 And he wept out of joy, not of gratitude to God because of God's providence in his life. 238 00:20:03,720 --> 00:20:08,760 And Jacob told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and that he was Rebecca's son 239 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,080 and she ran and told her father. 240 00:20:12,080 --> 00:20:16,600 And so it came about when Laban heard the news of Jacob, his sister's son, that he 241 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:21,320 ran to meet him and embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his house. 242 00:20:21,320 --> 00:20:24,760 Then he related to Laban all these things. 243 00:20:24,760 --> 00:20:28,720 I think that includes what happened back at the well. 244 00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:30,440 He is telling Laban these things. 245 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:37,800 And Laban said to him, surely you are my bone and my flesh, which may have been a statement 246 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:41,360 of adoption of sorts. 247 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:47,840 He is embracing this young man at least as a relative and bringing him into the clan 248 00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,520 there in Heron. 249 00:20:51,520 --> 00:20:53,760 And he stayed with him a month. 250 00:20:53,760 --> 00:21:05,320 Well, what a month that must have been as Jacob begins to know what a wonderful daughter Laban 251 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,120 has. 252 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:11,720 And he sees someone very, very special in Rachel. 253 00:21:11,720 --> 00:21:16,520 And Laban said to Jacob, because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for 254 00:21:16,520 --> 00:21:19,480 nothing? 255 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:23,400 Tell me, what shall be your wages? 256 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:24,600 Laban had two daughters. 257 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:26,280 The name of the older was Leah. 258 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:29,800 Okay, so there are two daughters, not one. 259 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:32,640 And the name of the younger was Rachel. 260 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:38,760 And Leah's eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful with form and face. 261 00:21:38,760 --> 00:21:43,440 Now Jacob loved Rachel, so he said. 262 00:21:43,440 --> 00:21:44,440 Here's how he's going to serve. 263 00:21:44,440 --> 00:21:46,640 This is the price that he wants. 264 00:21:46,640 --> 00:21:52,000 I will serve you seven years for your younger daughter, Rachel. 265 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:56,760 And Laban said, it's better that I give her to you than I should give her to another man. 266 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:00,880 Not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it? 267 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:03,960 But nonetheless, he accepted the proposal. 268 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:05,480 So he said, stay with me. 269 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:09,760 So Jacob served seven years for Rachel. 270 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,880 And they seemed to him but a few days because of his love for her. 271 00:22:13,880 --> 00:22:16,880 Isn't that a wonderful romance? 272 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:19,680 Seven years of hard labor. 273 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:20,680 Seven years of life. 274 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:23,440 And this one sentence is gone. 275 00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:26,800 That's seven years. 276 00:22:26,800 --> 00:22:29,400 So he's about 85 now. 277 00:22:29,400 --> 00:22:32,600 85 years old. 278 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:40,200 And then Jacob said to Laban, give me my wife, for my time is completed that I may go into 279 00:22:40,200 --> 00:22:42,200 her. 280 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,560 Laban gathered all the men of the place and made a feast and it came about in the evening 281 00:22:45,560 --> 00:22:50,400 that he took his daughter Leah and brought her to him. 282 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:53,920 And Jacob went into her. 283 00:22:53,920 --> 00:22:56,920 Laban also gave his maid, Zilpah, to his daughter Leah as a maid. 284 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:01,120 And so it came about in the morning that, behold, it was Leah. 285 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:05,560 It must have been a very dark night. 286 00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:11,960 Because there's a switch that is made here that Jacob is not aware of. 287 00:23:11,960 --> 00:23:16,640 Leah has been given to him. 288 00:23:16,640 --> 00:23:19,480 What happens? 289 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:23,400 He said to Laban, what is this you've done to me? 290 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:27,160 Was it not for Rachel that I served with you? 291 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,840 Why then have you deceived me? 292 00:23:30,840 --> 00:23:37,400 Now can you remember what it is that is the chief characteristic of Jacob's life to this 293 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:39,400 point? 294 00:23:39,400 --> 00:23:40,400 Right. 295 00:23:40,400 --> 00:23:41,400 Trickery. 296 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:42,400 Deceit. 297 00:23:42,400 --> 00:23:48,920 Now he turns to this guy who's gotten the better of him and he says, why have you deceived 298 00:23:48,920 --> 00:23:49,920 me? 299 00:23:49,920 --> 00:23:54,680 And Laban said, it is not the practice in our place to marry off the younger before the 300 00:23:54,680 --> 00:23:56,160 firstborn. 301 00:23:56,160 --> 00:23:58,160 Now he tells him. 302 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,600 Now he tells him what the custom is. 303 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,440 It's against our custom to give away the youngest. 304 00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:05,080 We have to give to you the older. 305 00:24:05,080 --> 00:24:06,080 That's why I did this. 306 00:24:06,080 --> 00:24:09,080 It's a custom. 307 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,320 And yet there is in this language something more. 308 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:18,600 You notice what he says, the younger before the firstborn? 309 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:23,760 Who was the younger between Jacob and Esau? 310 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:30,520 Jacob was the younger and yet he got the birthright of the firstborn, didn't he, by 311 00:24:30,520 --> 00:24:31,760 his cleverness. 312 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:38,400 And so you see, even in the language that Laban used, undoubtedly without being aware 313 00:24:38,400 --> 00:24:45,360 of this whole story from Jacob's past, Jacob had to be smitten in his heart. 314 00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:51,160 He realizes now that he has been deceived. 315 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:58,240 And he hears this language, the younger before the firstborn, and it brings back this whole 316 00:24:58,240 --> 00:25:02,480 thing from his earlier life. 317 00:25:02,480 --> 00:25:06,760 You see, God is bringing, I think, conviction upon Jacob. 318 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:09,680 God does that in the journey. 319 00:25:09,680 --> 00:25:14,320 He does that for reasons we're going to talk about. 320 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:21,720 Keep the week of this one, and we will give you the other also for the service which you 321 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:24,520 shall serve with me for another seven years. 322 00:25:24,520 --> 00:25:30,720 And so he says basically, look, you've married my older daughter, Jacob. 323 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:32,040 Let's party for a week. 324 00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:38,280 We'll celebrate that wedding, and then you can serve another seven years for Rachel. 325 00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:40,680 Such a deal, right? 326 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:45,880 And so that was what the arrangement was, another seven years for Rachel. 327 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:51,800 Now, she came to live with him immediately, but he served another seven years. 328 00:25:51,800 --> 00:25:57,720 Jacob did so, and completed her week, and he gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife, 329 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:02,640 and Laban also gave his maid, Bilhah, to his daughter Rachel as her maid. 330 00:26:02,640 --> 00:26:10,800 And so Jacob went into Rachel also, and indeed he loved Rachel more than Leah. 331 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:13,200 He loved Rachel more than Leah. 332 00:26:13,200 --> 00:26:21,360 So you see, we have polygamy here in the Old Testament. 333 00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:25,280 This is outside of God's design for marriage. 334 00:26:25,280 --> 00:26:29,840 It was according to the custom of the day, the cultural custom of the day. 335 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:36,800 That isn't the issue here, but it's outside God's design, yet God allows this cultural 336 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:37,800 accommodation. 337 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:47,880 At the same time that he does that, however, he does not hide the consequences of not following 338 00:26:47,880 --> 00:26:51,600 his design. 339 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:57,120 Because immediately there is division in this home because of the two wives. 340 00:26:57,120 --> 00:27:00,080 That's going to get much worse. 341 00:27:00,080 --> 00:27:01,720 It's going to get much worse. 342 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:09,640 But you see here that Jacob preferred Rachel, so there's conflict in this home. 343 00:27:09,640 --> 00:27:17,920 But what I want to point out to you is this, that the journey begins with conversion, 344 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:21,520 but it goes on for a lifetime, and it's directed by divine providence. 345 00:27:21,520 --> 00:27:25,360 God is at work here in the life of Jacob. 346 00:27:25,360 --> 00:27:30,040 And God blesses Jacob in his time with Laban as we shall go on to see. 347 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:33,800 There's a third insight that I want to gain before we close this morning. 348 00:27:33,800 --> 00:27:45,600 It's this, that divine providence faithfully works its purpose, which is life change. 349 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:55,680 The journey is directed by divine providence, and divine providence faithfully works its 350 00:27:55,680 --> 00:28:01,400 purpose, which is life change. 351 00:28:01,400 --> 00:28:06,880 That is what God is after in his followers. 352 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:17,640 He is after a transformation of life, conforming us to the perfect likeness of his Son. 353 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:19,880 Jacob had been a sinner. 354 00:28:19,880 --> 00:28:22,240 His character had been marked by deceit. 355 00:28:22,240 --> 00:28:26,120 He was stained that way from his birth. 356 00:28:26,120 --> 00:28:31,360 But now he meets Laban, who is more than a match for him. 357 00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:36,640 And through it, God begins to change the heart of Jacob. 358 00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:44,480 There's tremendous similarity here between what happened with Jacob and Rebecca, and 359 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,920 what they had done rather, Jacob and Rebecca had done to Isaac. 360 00:28:47,920 --> 00:28:50,200 There's irony there. 361 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,880 Jacob had exchanged the younger for the older. 362 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:59,120 Here Laban exchanged the older for the younger. 363 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,280 Jacob is getting a taste of his own medicine. 364 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:07,160 God is doing that so as to change the heart of this man. 365 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:17,240 He wants him to have a dose of this medicine and to show him the effect of his past behavior. 366 00:29:17,240 --> 00:29:22,560 So that he might motivate Jacob to change. 367 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:27,400 That is the reason that God allows some of the things to come into our lives that he 368 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:33,520 does by his divine providence. 369 00:29:33,520 --> 00:29:38,320 It is to motivate us to life change. 370 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,800 We pay a price. 371 00:29:40,800 --> 00:29:43,080 We take the medicine. 372 00:29:43,080 --> 00:29:49,560 And in doing that, God changes us on the inside. 373 00:29:49,560 --> 00:29:54,320 Providence continues its work in Jacob's life in the birth of children. 374 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:57,040 It says here, Jacob loved Rachel. 375 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:03,440 And obviously his desire was to fulfill God's promise of many children through her. 376 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:13,080 But as was the case with Abraham and Sarah and with Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Rachel 377 00:30:13,080 --> 00:30:17,040 suffer from infertility. 378 00:30:17,040 --> 00:30:21,600 God's plan was different than Jacob's plan. 379 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:29,080 He thought he could bring about the promise of God by his own scheming. 380 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:35,320 God wanted to show him that he could not do that and that his promise could only be fulfilled 381 00:30:35,320 --> 00:30:43,120 in God's own way and in God's own time. 382 00:30:43,120 --> 00:30:50,640 Jacob had to learn, as did Abraham, that he will have to depend upon God to experience 383 00:30:50,640 --> 00:30:56,000 the promised blessings of God in his life. 384 00:30:56,000 --> 00:31:01,280 And so we see that she was without children, but Leah conceived and bore a son, and two 385 00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:07,120 sons, and three sons, and four sons. 386 00:31:07,120 --> 00:31:10,240 And the score is four to zip. 387 00:31:10,240 --> 00:31:12,520 And you don't think they looked at it that way? 388 00:31:12,520 --> 00:31:15,320 Read the text. 389 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:16,960 And Rachel saw what was happening. 390 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:24,600 And so according again to the custom of the day, she arranged for her handmaiden to lie 391 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,120 with Jacob. 392 00:31:27,120 --> 00:31:30,800 And Bilhah conceived and bore a son. 393 00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,560 Rachel claimed the son as her own and named the son. 394 00:31:34,560 --> 00:31:41,360 And then there was another son born to the maiden on behalf of Rachel, sort of a surrogate 395 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:44,520 mother kind of an arrangement. 396 00:31:44,520 --> 00:31:48,080 But Leah had stopped bearing at this point. 397 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:49,520 And she saw what was happening. 398 00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:54,960 And so she took her maid to Jacob and said, you must lie with him. 399 00:31:54,960 --> 00:31:59,920 And she bore two sons to Jacob. 400 00:31:59,920 --> 00:32:05,640 And then there was another arrangement made that we don't have time to go into, which 401 00:32:05,640 --> 00:32:12,120 Leah herself conceived again and bore a son to Jacob. 402 00:32:12,120 --> 00:32:17,200 And then another son to Jacob. 403 00:32:17,200 --> 00:32:26,640 And so you see now there's all these kids running around the house with three mothers. 404 00:32:26,640 --> 00:32:31,440 And the wife that's loved the most has no children. 405 00:32:31,440 --> 00:32:36,880 But it says in verse 22, then, God remembered Rachel. 406 00:32:36,880 --> 00:32:38,640 It wasn't that God forgot Rachel. 407 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:45,400 The language means that this now was the time that God wanted to show Jacob. 408 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:47,200 It was through him the promise would be. 409 00:32:47,200 --> 00:32:50,840 And God gave heed to her and opened her womb. 410 00:32:50,840 --> 00:32:53,200 And she bore Joseph. 411 00:32:53,200 --> 00:32:56,920 She bore Joseph to Jacob. 412 00:32:56,920 --> 00:32:59,920 Well the story continues and we will continue with the story. 413 00:32:59,920 --> 00:33:02,160 But we need to close it out this morning. 414 00:33:02,160 --> 00:33:11,160 Do you see how divine providence is bringing this schemer to the end of himself? 415 00:33:11,160 --> 00:33:17,120 God is at work by divine providence to bring Jacob to the point of life change, a change 416 00:33:17,120 --> 00:33:22,560 of his heart, making him more of a holy man. 417 00:33:22,560 --> 00:33:25,000 And that's what God is doing in your life and mine. 418 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:30,560 So I want to close this morning simply by recapping with some application of all this 419 00:33:30,560 --> 00:33:31,800 to ourselves. 420 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:35,480 The very first and obvious question is this, my friend. 421 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:42,600 Have you begun the journey with God? 422 00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:47,320 Have you come to that place in your own spiritual walk where you've actually believed the promise 423 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:55,560 of God in Christ Jesus, that Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead, where 424 00:33:55,560 --> 00:34:00,960 you believe that death and resurrection was for you, and you have received Christ into 425 00:34:00,960 --> 00:34:03,480 your life as an act of faith. 426 00:34:03,480 --> 00:34:07,400 You see that begins the journey. 427 00:34:07,400 --> 00:34:15,160 This man was born into a believing home, but in his late seventies he yet had not personally 428 00:34:15,160 --> 00:34:23,000 related to God Almighty. 429 00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:26,760 Just this morning heard a story about a man who was a member of the first church that 430 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:27,760 I pastored. 431 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:33,320 His wife had just gotten married then, and I became their pastor and then they moved 432 00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:36,360 on and did some other things in life. 433 00:34:36,360 --> 00:34:44,440 And now 25 years later they are back at that same church. 434 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:53,960 And just within the last few weeks this man got saved. 435 00:34:53,960 --> 00:34:58,400 He was a member of that church when I was the pastor there in the early 1970s. 436 00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:02,960 I was very young then, very young. 437 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:06,960 He was a member of that church in good standing. 438 00:35:06,960 --> 00:35:12,720 As far as I know, served in the church, as I recall, he was even a Sunday school teacher. 439 00:35:12,720 --> 00:35:17,760 But only in the last few weeks has he come to the place where he's realized that all 440 00:35:17,760 --> 00:35:23,920 of these years he had never really trusted Christ as his Savior. 441 00:35:23,920 --> 00:35:31,360 Boy, that's a great danger in an evangelical church like ours. 442 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:37,520 Because we hear the language and we repeat the language and we sort of conform and fit 443 00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:38,520 in with the culture. 444 00:35:38,520 --> 00:35:46,880 And it's possible to do all of that and never to have begun the journey with God ourselves. 445 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:55,680 And so this morning if you are still like Jacob on the other side, I want to plead with 446 00:35:55,680 --> 00:36:02,080 you today to take that step of faith onto the promise of God for yourself and begin 447 00:36:02,080 --> 00:36:05,080 the journey. 448 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:08,320 I hope you'll do that this morning. 449 00:36:08,320 --> 00:36:13,200 Now if you have begun that journey and you are experiencing it, I wonder where you are 450 00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:14,200 in the journey. 451 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:15,200 Where are you? 452 00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:25,160 Is the journey taking you right now through pleasant valleys or beautiful vistas? 453 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,880 You're experiencing great joys and victories then? 454 00:36:27,880 --> 00:36:35,400 Thank God, that's his providence taking you through that pathway. 455 00:36:35,400 --> 00:36:42,280 Is your journey on the other hand taking you through deep valleys and dark places and 456 00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:47,720 confined narrow walks? 457 00:36:47,720 --> 00:36:49,120 Then thank God. 458 00:36:49,120 --> 00:36:54,160 If you've begun the journey, God is still directing your life and his providence is leading 459 00:36:54,160 --> 00:36:55,320 you. 460 00:36:55,320 --> 00:37:01,800 And so today wherever you are in the journey, just give yourself a fresh to God. 461 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:10,040 Give thanks to him that he has promised never to leave or to forsake you too. 462 00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:12,320 I will never leave you, Jesus said. 463 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:16,880 I will never forsake you. 464 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:21,440 And in your journey of faith today, he's right there with you. 465 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:26,440 Whatever the outward circumstances, he's right there. 466 00:37:26,440 --> 00:37:30,160 And he knows where you're headed together. 467 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:34,080 Give him thanks for that and renew your commitment to him this morning. 468 00:37:34,080 --> 00:37:36,080 Let's pray. 469 00:37:36,080 --> 00:37:46,160 Father, in the name of Jesus I come praying that you will use Jacob's experience in this 470 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:55,160 part of Genesis to write in the hearts of every one of us who believe in Christ, that 471 00:37:55,160 --> 00:38:00,160 you are divinely directing our steps. 472 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:06,400 And though some of us today are here with smiles and joy in our hearts, others of us 473 00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:13,480 here are here with doubt or with pain in our lives, and we're wondering. 474 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:21,160 O right of fresh, I pray in our hearts, your promises. 475 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:24,360 For Lord, we give ourselves a fresh to you. 476 00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:30,320 We commit ourselves to those promises and determine to learn in our journey to live 477 00:38:30,320 --> 00:38:39,080 by faith and to allow you to change us through our circumstances that you bring into our 478 00:38:39,080 --> 00:38:41,880 lives. 479 00:38:41,880 --> 00:38:44,720 Lord, do change us. 480 00:38:44,720 --> 00:38:48,160 Do conform us to be like Jesus. 481 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:55,120 Father, I pray especially for those who may be here who have never begun the journey. 482 00:38:55,120 --> 00:38:58,160 Help them today to begin that journey right now. 483 00:38:58,160 --> 00:39:04,480 And with our heads bowed and our eyes closed, if you're here and you've not begun the journey 484 00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:08,280 of faith, you've never trusted the Savior. 485 00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:15,240 But today you are willing to say, Lord God, today I step out in faith. 486 00:39:15,240 --> 00:39:19,600 I believe that Christ died for my sins, that He rose again from the dead. 487 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:24,880 And I invite Him to come into my life and be the Lord of my life. 488 00:39:24,880 --> 00:39:31,880 God, I want to begin this exciting adventure of faith today. 489 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:34,880 Would you indicate your desire just by lifting your hand? 490 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:40,080 I'm not going to embarrass you or come back to you or point you out, but I would love 491 00:39:40,080 --> 00:39:42,720 to pray for you. 492 00:39:42,720 --> 00:39:49,880 By the uplifted hand you're simply saying, God, today I begin the journey. 493 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:54,200 Is there one? 494 00:39:54,200 --> 00:40:05,520 Father, I pray that as we go from here, you will burden us for those who don't know anything 495 00:40:05,520 --> 00:40:06,520 about this journey. 496 00:40:06,520 --> 00:40:13,280 And as we walk along under the protection and the provision of your divine providence, 497 00:40:13,280 --> 00:40:19,560 experiencing your work in our lives, bringing about life change, also give us a burden for 498 00:40:19,560 --> 00:40:30,080 those who are lost, who are wondering in life and headed to hell. 499 00:40:30,080 --> 00:40:34,280 And give us a passion to reach out to them, to love them, to bring them along to that 500 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:40,400 place where they can understand how to take this step of faith and begin the journey with 501 00:40:40,400 --> 00:40:41,400 you too. 502 00:40:41,400 --> 00:40:48,560 Oh, God, will you burden us and give us a passion about that and as a congregation? 503 00:40:48,560 --> 00:40:50,560 In Christ's name I pray. 504 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:51,560 Amen. 505 00:40:51,560 --> 00:41:06,140 Amen.