Journey Through the Bible in a Year
Reading God's Word and learning more about His plan for my life each day!
Wednesday, October 2, 2002
Introduction to Journey Through the Bible
A note about online study
My Prayer Today
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for a new day to serve You! I praise You for the gift of life, and for the gift of eternal life through Jesus. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit today that I may experience the fullness of Your presence and power as I go about this day. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
My Journey Verses for Today
Genesis 30:1-36
1 When Rachel saw that she wasn't having any children, she became jealous of her sister. "Give me children, or I'll die!" she exclaimed to Jacob. 2 Jacob flew into a rage. "Am I God?" he asked. "He is the only one able to give you children!" 3 Then Rachel told him, "Sleep with my servant, Bilhah, and she will bear children for me." 4 So Rachel gave him Bilhah to be his wife, and Jacob slept with her. 5 Bilhah became pregnant and presented him with a son. 6 Rachel named him Dan, for she said, "God has vindicated me! He has heard my request and given me a son." 7 Then Bilhah became pregnant again and gave Jacob a second son. 8 Rachel named him Naphtali, for she said, "I have had an intense struggle with my sister, and I am winning!" 9 Meanwhile, Leah realized that she wasn't getting pregnant anymore, so she gave her servant, Zilpah, to Jacob to be his wife. 10 Soon Zilpah presented him with another son. 11 Leah named him Gad, for she said, "How fortunate I am!" 12 Then Zilpah produced a second son, 13 and Leah named him Asher, for she said, "What joy is mine! The other women will consider me happy indeed!" 14 One day during the wheat harvest, Reuben found some mandrakes growing in a field and brought the roots to his mother, Leah. Rachel begged Leah to give some of them to her. 15 But Leah angrily replied, "Wasn't it enough that you stole my husband? Now will you steal my son's mandrake roots, too? "Rachel said, "I will let him sleep with you tonight in exchange for the mandrake roots." 16 So that evening, as Jacob was coming home from the fields, Leah went out to meet him. "You must sleep with me tonight!" she said. "I have paid for you with some mandrake roots my son has found." So Jacob slept with her. 17 And God answered her prayers. She became pregnant again and gave birth to her fifth son. 18 She named him Issachar, for she said, "God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband as a wife." 19 Then she became pregnant again and had a sixth son. 20 She named him Zebulun, for she said, "God has given me good gifts for my husband. Now he will honor me, for I have given him six sons." 21 Later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah. 22 Then God remembered Rachel's plight and answered her prayers by giving her a child. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. "God has removed my shame," she said. 24 And she named him Joseph, for she said, "May the LORD give me yet another son."
25 Soon after Joseph was born to Rachel, Jacob said to Laban, "I want to go back home. 26 Let me take my wives and children, for I have earned them from you, and let me be on my way. You know I have fully paid for them with my service to you." 27 "Please don't leave me," Laban replied, "for I have learned by divination that the LORD has blessed me because you are here. 28 How much do I owe you? Whatever it is, I'll pay it." 29 Jacob replied, "You know how faithfully I've served you through these many years, and how your flocks and herds have grown. 30 You had little indeed before I came, and your wealth has increased enormously. The LORD has blessed you from everything I do! But now, what about me? When should I provide for my own family?" 31 "What wages do you want?" Laban asked again.Jacob replied, "Don't give me anything at all. Just do one thing, and I'll go back to work for you. 32 Let me go out among your flocks today and remove all the sheep and goats that are speckled or spotted, along with all the dark-colored sheep. Give them to me as my wages. 33 This will make it easy for you to see whether or not I have been honest. If you find in my flock any white sheep or goats that are not speckled, you will know that I have stolen them from you." 34 "All right," Laban replied. "It will be as you have said." 35 But that very day Laban went out and removed all the male goats that were speckled and spotted, the females that were speckled and spotted with any white patches, and all the dark-colored sheep. He placed them in the care of his sons, 36 and they took them three days' distance from where Jacob was. Meanwhile, Jacob stayed and cared for Laban's flock.
Reflecting on God's Word for My Journey
What is the one thing You want God to give you more than anything else?
A Deeper Exploration of God's Word for My Journey
What is the major source of conflict at the beginning of today’s Scripture? How is it managed? (30:1-24)
What is Jacob’s reason for wanting to return home? What is Laban’s response?
Understanding God's Will for My Journey
What do you learn about God from the process of the birth of Jacob’s children?
Why does Laban want to keep Jacob with him?
Applying What God's Word Tells Me to My Journey
What is the one thing you learn about God in today’s Scripture that you can apply in your relationship with Him?
My Personal Journey Thought for the Day—“The Blessing of Children!”
In today’s reading we find that Rachel was distraught because she didn’t have any children. Her sister, Leah, already had four sons, but she had none. While the story gets rather complicated from a modern viewpoint, with Jacob having two wives and two concubines, who will produce a total of twelve sons and a daughter before it’s all over, the principle of children being a blessing from the Lord is well established in Scripture. In particular, Jacob was promised that he would have countless descendants, as had his father, Isaac, before him, and his grandfather, Abraham, before him. The twelve tribes of the nation of Israel were named for the twelve sons of Jacob, whose name will later be changed by God to Israel. The blessing of children is obvious in our readings from Genesis. The key for us to remember is that children are still a blessing from the Lord. Each new generation is God’s hope for the world! Our children are vital to the church today, but one day they will be the Church. We will be home with the Lord, and they will carry on. Thus, it is our privilege and responsibility to nurture and disciple the children of our faith community (AND those outside the church), so that the heritage of Jesus Christ and the personal relationship we have with Him that has been passed on to us, will continue through every generation!
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