Saturday, April 25, 2020

Genesis 31: It is best not to think too highly of one's self

The theme of Jacob's life with Laban is that God gave Jacob the increase. Laban's actions had always been to try to personally profit from God's wealthy blessing of Jacob. We see in 31:14-15 that Laban had even spent his daughters' dowry on himself so that they had no inheritance to look forward to. The girls agreed that God had blessed Jacob and that Jacob did not get wealthy at Laban's expense. In this chapter, Jacob makes explicit that whatever is Jacob's is God's blessing.

Genesis 31:42
If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands, and rebuked you last night.”

It seems that God had honored the bargain Jacob made back in chapter 28.

Genesis 28:20-22
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear, so that I come again to my father’s house in peace, then the Lord shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house; and of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you.”

It is important to note that God blesses different people in different ways and there are no guarantees of health and wealth to the faithful. God chose to bless Jacob the way God blessed him. We need to be careful to not boast improperly about whatever successes we experience by God's grace.

Romans 12:3
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

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