5 May - Genesis 28

Today's reading in our daily plan is Genesis 28. Take a moment to pray, asking God to speak to you from this passage. Then read, using the following notes and questions to help you get everything out of the passage.

SAY WHAT? (What is the passage saying?)

• In the first line of this chapter we see that Isaac listened to the plea of his wife and reconciled with Jacob. Isaac warned his son Jacob not to marry someone who didn’t have the same faith as he did. 
• Then Isaac tells Jacob to marry his cousin. Weird? Absolutely, but it was normal for their culture.
• Esau (Jacob’s brother who he had tricked) heard about his father’s advice to his brother and realized how important it was to his family to marry someone who had the same beliefs. 
• Then we read about how God met Jacob in a dream (at the soundtrack of a famous Led Zeppelin song). Ok, that last part was just my idea of what the dream might have been like. But Jacob did promise to follow this God who met him in his dream. 
• Interestingly, one of the things Jacob established as a sign of his commitment to God is giving God back 10% of everything he had. 

SO WHAT? (What are the underlying principles?)

• Isaac’s warning to his son to marry someone who has the same faith is important to us as well. The Bible talks about this idea as being “equally yoked,” which is a farming term. Being “yoked” is when two animals are essentially tied together to work as one. When these two beasts are tied together they have exponentially more strength than working separately. This is the same for a husband and a wife. If we have opposing spiritual beliefs we will be pulling in different directions. But I think it applies to a lot of areas in our marital relationships. It’s certainly true about the spiritual beliefs of our potential spouse but we also being equally yoked in other directions in life will make for a happier marriage; such as finances, desire for children, future plans and dreams. 
• When Jacob promised to give 10% of everything to God it is the first mention of a certain amount to give to God. The Bible teaches that giving to God is an act of worship on our part and it has been my personal experience that God does indeed bless us for our financial “worship” to him. 

NOW WHAT? (How will you personally apply this passage?)

• This story of Jacob’s dream with God is a pretty well known story in the Bible. It’s cool seeing how God provided for Jacob because of his willingness to follow him. We’ll see more of God’s provision for Jacob in the coming chapters. 
• In the Bible God does promise to bless us for giving to him. In fact, it’s the only thing God tells us to test him on. Do you give regularly to God as another way to worship him? If not then why? God doesn’t need your money but he knows where we invest our money often our hearts are pulled in that direction and I think that’s the big reasons he asks us to worship him that way too.
• God doesn’t promise us fame or fortune when we follow him but he does promise to always be there with us. Do you live your life to honor God like Jacob promised to? What things in your life do you need to change to honor God more?