Day 285 - (Today’s Bible readings: Job 15; Psalm 101; Luke 11:27-36)
DECEIT ANS ENVY
And in the morning, behold, it was Leah! And Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Did I not serve with you for Rachel? Why then have you deceived me?” (Genesis 29:25 ESV)
When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied her sister. (Genesis 30:1 ESV)
Just as Jacob and his mother Rebekah had deceived his father, Isaac, now Jacob’s father-in-law, Laban, deceives him. Jacob has worked for seven years for the hand of Laban’s younger daughter, Rachel. But Laban deceives him and gives him Leah instead. The result is that Jacob soon has two wives and another seven years of work for his father-in-law.
Two sisters, one husband, and one sister blessed with children and the other not; this is a perfect situation for the sin of envy. Both Rachel and Leah will be guilty of envy and jealousy and will use their servants as surrogate mothers. There is much in this story that is not good and wholesome.
Once again we see that God can work in the lives of imperfect human beings to carry out His purposes. Jacob has 12 sons born to four women--his two wives and their two servants. From these sons will come the 12 tribes of Israel.
How comforting to know that, while God does not condone sin of any kind, He still works in and through the lives of sinners. How comforting to know that the perfect, holy, sinless Son of God died in our place on the cross to pay for our deceit, our envy, and all of our other sins!
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for paying for all of my sins on the cross. Please protect me from deceit and envy. Please use me to share Your love and mercy with others. Amen.
Pastor David Paape
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 ), is the theme for this three-year journey through the entire Old Testament once (the Psalms - twice yearly), and the New Testament twice. There will be daily readings from the O.T., Psalms and the N.T. Special days on the church calendar will be highlighted with appropriate readings. This calendar has been compiled by representatives of the Lutheran Church of Canada, the North American Lutheran Church and the Lutheran Church – Missouri Synod. Please click this link for the daily reading calendar:
https://blogs.lcms.org/2017/lcms-lcc-and-nalc-compile-three-year-schedule-of-daily-bible-readings
Then scroll down to 2018 Bible Reading Calendar and download it if you so wish. The “assigned” daily readings will appear on a daily basis in this blog. May the Lord bless your meditation upon His precious life-giving Word!
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