Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 38 which covers Judah’s strange and unrighteous relationship with Tamar. Here is a link to that chapter – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+38&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“1 And it came about at that time, that Judah departed from his brothers and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah. 2 Judah saw there a daughter of a certain Canaanite whose name was Shua; and he took her and went in to her. 3 So she conceived and bore a son and he named him Er. 4 Then she conceived again and bore a son and named him Onan. 5 She bore still another son and named him Shelah; and it was at Chezib that she bore him.

6 Now Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. 7 But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord took his life.”  Genesis 38:1-7.

“27 It came about at the time she (Tamar) was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb. 28 Moreover, it took place while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.” 29 But it came about as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. Then she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.”  Genesis 38:27-30.

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First, we can see and understand from today’s Scripture that problems could arise and did arise for Judah because he married a Canaanite. From prior Scripture, we see the care that Isaac took to insure that his son Jacob (Israel) would not marry a Canaanite. Genesis 28:1-5. From prior devotions, we gathered Scriptures about the Lord’s commands and warnings.

“… the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them (foreign wives), nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods. …” 1 Kings 11:2.

“The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. ” Judges 3:5-7.

But, second, we can also see and understand from today’s Scripture how Jacob’s fear and lust and perhaps other shortcomings contributed to Judah’s problems.

Nevertheless, the Lord was gracious to deliver Jesus through this line of descendants. “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.” Matthew 1:1-3.

We see this “Nevertheless” of God’s grace throughout Scripture.

“21 Blessed be the Lord,

For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.

22 As for me, I said in my alarm,

“I am cut off from before Your eyes”;

Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications

When I cried to You.

23 O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!

The Lord preserves the faithful

And fully recompenses the proud doer.

24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,

All you who hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:21-24.

“21 When my heart was embittered

And I was pierced within,

22 Then I was senseless and ignorant;

I was like a beast before You.

23 Nevertheless I am continually with You;

You have taken hold of my right hand.

24 With Your counsel You will guide me,

And afterward receive me to glory.” Psalm 73:21-24.

“6 We have sinned like our fathers,

We have committed iniquity, we have behaved wickedly.

7 Our fathers in Egypt did not understand Your wonders;

They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses,

But rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.

8 Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name,

That He might make His power known.” Psalm 106:6-8.

“43 Many times He would deliver them;

They, however, were rebellious in their counsel,

And so sank down in their iniquity.

44 Nevertheless He looked upon their distress

When He heard their cry;

45 And He remembered His covenant for their sake,

And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness.

46 He also made them objects of compassion

In the presence of all their captors.” Psalm 106:43-46.

Devotion comes from Genesis 37:18-36 which covers the plot of Joseph’s brothers against Joseph. Here is a link to that chapter. http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+37&version=NASB

I will quote the following verses.

“When they saw him from a distance and before he came close to them, they plotted against him to put him to death. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer! Now then, come and let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; and we will say, ‘A wild beast devoured him.’ Then let us see what will become of his dreams!” But Reuben heard this and rescued him out of their hands and said, “Let us not take his life.” Reuben further said to them, “Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to his father. So it came about, when Joseph reached his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the varicolored tunic that was on him; and they took him and threw him into the pit. Now the pit was empty, without any water in it.

Then they sat down to eat a meal. And as they raised their eyes and looked, behold, a caravan of Ishmaelites was coming from Gilead, with their camels bearing aromatic gum and balm and myrrh, on their way to bring them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. Then some Midianite traders passed by, so they pulled him up and lifted Joseph out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. Thus they brought Joseph into Egypt.” Genesis 37:18-28.

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God delivered Joseph from the literal waterless pit.   God delivers us from the figurative waterless pit of the helplessness and misery and destruction of being dead in our sins.

“He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm.” Psalm 49:2.

“1 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And all that is within me, bless His holy name.

2 Bless the Lord, O my soul,

And forget none of His benefits;

3 Who pardons all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases;

4 Who redeems your life from the pit,

Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion;

5 Who satisfies your years with good things,

So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.” Psalm 103:1-5.

“… It is You who has kept my soul from the pit of nothingness, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back.” Isaiah 38:17.

“55 I called on Your name, O Lord,

Out of the lowest pit.

56 You have heard my voice,

“Do not hide Your ear from my prayer for relief,

From my cry for help.”

57 You drew near when I called on You;

You said, “Do not fear!”

58 O Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause;

You have redeemed my life.” Lamentations 3:55-58.

“I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.” Jonah 2:6.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 37:1-11.

“1 Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan. 2 These are the records of the generations of Jacob.

Joseph, when seventeen years of age, was pasturing the flock with his brothers while he was still a youth, along with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives. And Joseph brought back a bad report about them to their father. 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. 4 His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.

5 Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. 6 He said to them, “Please listen to this dream which I have had; 7 for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” 8 Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

9 Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” 10 He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind.” Genesis 37:1-11.

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God does come to people, speak to them, and give messages that need to be interpreted in dreams. One can search the Scriptures using the word “dream” and there are 93 verses that have the word “dream” in it in the New American Standard Version. http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=dream+&version1=NASB&searchtype=all

But, we need to be careful and discerning between good and bad uses of dreams.

On the one hand, we should not get lazy about our study of Scriptures and use “dream-like” mysticism as a crutch or replacement for diligent study of Scriptures. Just because we have dreams does not mean that they are from God.

Some also wrongly use “dream-like” spirituality as a crutch or replacement for diligent study of Scriptures. Just because we have dreams does not necessarily mean that we are “filled with the Spirit” or are spiritual in a true and Godly sense.

On the other hand, we can meditate on Scriptures in our bed and fall asleep and dream about them.

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2.

We can also pray and fall asleep and dream about our prayer.

“When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches,” Psalm 63:6.

And, there are other good uses of dreams.

” ‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says,

‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all mankind;

And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,

And your young men shall see visions,

And your old men shall dream dreams;” Acts 2:17.

But again, in conclusion, be careful. “For in many dreams and in many words there is emptiness. Rather, fear God.” Ecclesiastes 5:7.

“1 So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan. 2 Arise, go to Paddan-aram, to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father; and from there take to yourself a wife from the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. 4 May He also give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and to your descendants with you, that you may possess the land of your sojournings, which God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Now Esau saw that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him away to Paddan-aram to take to himself a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he charged him, saying, “You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram. 8 So Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan displeased his father Isaac; 9 and Esau went to Ishmael, and married, besides the wives that he had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, the sister of Nebaioth.” Genesis 28:1-9.

We see the consequences.

Esau moved away from Canaan, the land of promise.  Verses 6 to 9.

Later, we see the descendants of Esau move entirely away from the worship of the true God to worship other gods.

Even many of the descendants of Israel took foreign wives and also moved away from the worship of the true God to worship other gods.

“… the Lord had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not associate with them (foreign wives), nor shall they associate with you, for they will surely turn your heart away after their gods. …” 1 Kings 11:2.

“The sons of Israel lived among the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and they took their daughters for themselves as wives, and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods. The sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth. ” Judges 3:5-7.

This command is not just in the Old Testament applicable only to the nation of Israel.  The command has been expressed in the New Testament in the following terms with the following reason for us today. 

“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?” 2 Corinthians 6:14-15.

Conclusion

When the Law was handed down to Moses at Mount Sinai in the form of two stone tablets, “Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;  who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”  Exodus 34:6-7.

Esau’s sins not only affected him, but Esau’s sins affected his descendants.  Likewise, our sins will not only affect us, but our sins will also affect our descendants.

May Genesis Chapter 36 not be viewed as a boring list of names.  But rather, may Genesis Chapter 36 cause us to remember prior Scripture and other Scripture to motivate us to seek Christian spouses and to stay close to the Lord (and even get closer to the Lord).  It is easy but dangerous to drift away.  Our sins not only affect us, but our sins also affect our descendants. 

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 35:16-29.

“16 Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor. 17 When she was in severe labor the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.” 18 It came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni; but his father called him Benjamin. 19 So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). 20 Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. 21 Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

22 It came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine, and Israel heard of it.

Now there were twelve sons of Jacob— 23 the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun; 24 the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; 25 and the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali; 26 and the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

27 Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.

28 Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. 29 Isaac breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, an old man of ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him. Genesis 35:16-29.

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“Then they journeyed … Then they journeyed …” Verses 16 and 21. Today’s relatively short Scripture contains some of the journeys of Israel (Jacob). There was the encouragement by Rachel’s midwife, the birth of Benjamin, the death of Rachel, the immoral action of Reuben (with its sexual and defiant elements), and the death of Isaac. At first thought, it may seem like a random mix of events from different sources: some sad, some joyful, some surprising, some ordinary and expected, some righteous, and some wicked.

But then, we remember Jacob’s confession of faith earlier in the chapter: “God … has been with me wherever I have gone.” Genesis 35:3.

And thus, we gain insight and faith that though our life’s journeys may seem to be filled with a mix of events from different sources, there is one sovereign God in control of everything.

We also think of other Scripture as cross-references and gain encouragement from them.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9.

“Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; And I will bear you and I will deliver you.” Isaiah 46:4.

“… “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 35:9-15. The next devotion, God willing, will be next Tuesday, September 17, 2012; I am going on a long weekend vacation to Michigan.

“9 Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Paddan-aram, and He blessed him. 10 God said to him,

“Your name is Jacob;

You shall no longer be called Jacob,

But Israel shall be your name.”

Thus He called him Israel. 11 God also said to him,

“I am God Almighty;

Be fruitful and multiply;

A nation and a company of nations shall come from you,

And kings shall come forth from you.

12 “The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac,

I will give it to you,

And I will give the land to your descendants after you.”

13 Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him. 14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a drink offering on it; he also poured oil on it. 15 So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.

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We tend to want to be blessed by God to get things or to be delivered from troubles. Those can be good prayer requests, and we see those type of prayers throughout Scripture. But, I just loved the much better reason why the Psalmist wanted to be blessed in the following Psalm Chapter 67.

“1 God be gracious to us and bless us,

And cause His face to shine upon us— Selah.

2 That Your way may be known on the earth,

Your salvation among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.

4 Let the nations be glad and sing for joy;

For You will judge the peoples with uprightness

And guide the nations on the earth. Selah.

5 Let the peoples praise You, O God;

Let all the peoples praise You.

6 The earth has yielded its produce;

God, our God, blesses us.

7 God blesses us,

That all the ends of the earth may fear Him.” Psalm Chapter 67.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 35:1-8.

“Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and live there, and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves and change your garments; 3 and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 4 So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had and the rings which were in their ears, and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

5 As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob. 6 So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him. 7 He built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him when he fled from his brother. 8 Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.” Genesis 35:1-8.

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Despite the fact that the sons of Jacob acted so unjustly in their deception and killing every male of the city of Hamor and Shechem in revenge for the rape of their sister Dinah, and despite the fact that Jacob had good reason to fear the repercussion, God delivered Jacob and his household. (See Genesis Chapter 34 for the actions of the sons of Jacob.)

Despite the fact that Jacob acted so unjustly in his deception and in his stealing the blessing away from Esau, and despite the fact that Jacob had good reason to fear the repercussion, God delivered Jacob. (See Genesis Chapter 27 for the actions of Jacob.)

Jacob’s actions and his son’s actions remind us of “Total Depravity”. God’s actions remind us of “Unconditional Election”.

“Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

What shall we say then? There is no injustice with God, is there? May it never be! For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Romans 9:13-14.

Today’s Scripture also remind us of what happened at Bethel. Let us look at God’s promises to Jacob at Bethel.

“He (Jacob) had a dream, and behold, a ladder was set on the earth with its top reaching to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie, I will give it to you and to your descendants. Your descendants will also be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and in you and in your descendants shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:12-15.

These promises of God are unconditional. God did not say to Jacob: “If you do not deceive and act justly, then I will bless you.” God promised: “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

And, Jacob realized it in today’s Scripture. Jacob said: “and let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” Verse 3.

Oh saints, how do we want to live our lives? Do we want to trust ourselves and our alleged free-will, our alleged goodness, and our alleged wisdom and strength? Or, do we want to cling to the unconditional promises of God?

“for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis Chapter 34. It is rather lengthy, but it is very interesting and tough to determine which verses (and facts therein) could be omitted, so I quote it all.

I will quote the following verses.

“1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land. 2 When Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force. 3 He was deeply attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. 4 So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young girl for a wife.” 5 Now Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter; but his sons were with his livestock in the field, so Jacob kept silent until they came in. 6 Then Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to speak with him. 7 Now the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved, and they were very angry because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, for such a thing ought not to be done.

8 But Hamor spoke with them, saying, “The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter; please give her to him in marriage. 9 Intermarry with us; give your daughters to us and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 Thus you shall live with us, and the land shall be open before you; live and trade in it and acquire property in it.” 11 Shechem also said to her father and to her brothers, “If I find favor in your sight, then I will give whatever you say to me. 12 Ask me ever so much bridal payment and gift, and I will give according as you say to me; but give me the girl in marriage.”

13 But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor with deceit, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. 14 They said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. 15 Only on this condition will we consent to you: if you will become like us, in that every male of you be circumcised, 16 then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters for ourselves, and we will live with you and become one people. 17 But if you will not listen to us to be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and go.”

18 Now their words seemed reasonable to Hamor and Shechem, Hamor’s son. 19 The young man did not delay to do the thing, because he was delighted with Jacob’s daughter. Now he was more respected than all the household of his father. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem came to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city, saying, 21 “These men are friendly with us; therefore let them live in the land and trade in it, for behold, the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters in marriage, and give our daughters to them. 22 Only on this condition will the men consent to us to live with us, to become one people: that every male among us be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Will not their livestock and their property and all their animals be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will live with us.” 24 All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and to his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city.

25 Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the city unawares, and killed every male. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went forth. 27 Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and looted the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; 29 and they captured and looted all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, even all that was in the houses. 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I will be destroyed, I and my household.” 31 But they said, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?” Genesis 34:1-31.

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Today’s Scripture teaches us the importance of proportionate punishment to the severity of the crime in justice. Jacob’s sons acted unjustly in their deception and killing every male of the city of Hamor and Shechem in revenge for the rape of their sister Dinah.

Certainly, the crime of rape is a very serious crime, but it is unjust to use the ultimate punishment of death on all the male inhabitants of the city.

For example, we read God’s law in Deuteronomy 22:25-28.

“25 “But if in the field the man finds the girl who is engaged, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lies with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the girl; there is no sin in the girl worthy of death, for just as a man rises against his neighbor and murders him, so is this case. 27 When he found her in the field, the engaged girl cried out, but there was no one to save her.

28 “If a man finds a girl who is a virgin, who is not engaged, and seizes her and lies with her and they are discovered, 29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the girl’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall become his wife because he has violated her; he cannot divorce her all his days.” Deuteronomy 22:25-28.

The Biblical saying:  “An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.” is not an excuse to wreak havoc.  It is a principle of proportionate punishment and comes from the following Scripture.  To make it clear, if someone chips your tooth, you can’t maim him or kill him.  “‘If a man takes the life of any human being, he shall surely be put to death.  The one who takes the life of an animal shall make it good, life for life.  If a man injures his neighbor, just as he has done, so it shall be done to him:  fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth;  just as he has injured a man, so it shall be inflicted on him.  Thus the one who kills an animal shall make it good, but the one who kills a man shall be put to death.  There shall be one standard for you;  it shall be for the stranger as well as the native, for I am the Lord your God.’”  Leviticus 24:17-22.

Proportionate punishment is an element of justice, and we can’t ignore proportionate punishment and still claim that we are just. And yet, how often do Christians feel comfortable ignoring proportionate punishment to “be tough on crime”!

Justice is important to God. Justice is the foundation of His sovereign rule.

“Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Lovingkindness and truth go before You.” Psalm 89:14.

“Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.” Psalm 97:2.

Justice is important to us too. The Lord requires us to do justice.

“He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis Chapter 33 which covers Jacob’s meeting with his brother Esau. As we remember, Jacob was fearful of meeting Esau. Here is a link to the chapter – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+33&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. He lifted his eyes and saw the women and the children, and said, “Who are these with you?” So he said, “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Genesis 33:4-5.

“And he (Esau) said, “What do you mean by all this company which I have met?” And he (Jacob) said, “To find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have plenty, my brother; let what you have be your own.” Jacob said, “No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then take my present from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably. Please take my gift which has been brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have plenty.” Thus he urged him and he took it.” Genesis 33:8-11.

“Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. He bought the piece of land where he had pitched his tent from the hand of the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money. Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.” Genesis 33:18-20.

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Today’s Scripture presents a lesson on detecting and acknowledging God’s grace. An important element of faith is being aware of God’s blessing on our lives. “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6.

Jacob was aware of God’s blessing on his life. Jacob detected and acknowledged God’s grace. We see at least four examples of it in today’s Scripture.

First, Jacob detected and acknowledged that his children were graciously given to him by God. “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.” Verse 5.

Second, Jacob detected and acknowledged that his property was given to him by God. “God has dealt graciously with me and … I have plenty.” Verse 11.

Third, Jacob detected and acknowledged that the favor that he had with Esau was given to him by God: “for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably.” Verse 10.

Fourth, Jacob remembered when he wrestled and the blessing that he received from God, part of which was receiving the name of “Israel”. Genesis 32:24-32. “Then he erected there an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel (which means ‘God, the God of Israel’).” Verse 20.

“Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer Nor His lovingkindness from me.” Psalm 66:20.

“Many are the sorrows of the wicked,

But he who trusts in the Lord, lovingkindness shall surround him.

Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones;

And shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart.” Psalm 32:10-11.

Today’s devotion comes from Genesis 32:24-32.

“24 Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. 30 So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.” 31 Now the sun rose upon him just as he crossed over Penuel, and he was limping on his thigh. 32 Therefore, to this day the sons of Israel do not eat the sinew of the hip which is on the socket of the thigh, because he touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.” Genesis 32:24-32.

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Jacob sought a blessing. “Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” Verse 26.

Jacob strived until he got that blessing. “He said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.” Verse 28.

We can learn from Jacob’s focus, passion, and endurance.

“Seek the Lord and His strength; Seek His face continually.” 1 Chronicles 16:11 and Psalm 105:4.

“Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” Luke 13:24.

Such focus, passion, and endurance is worth it.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” Matthew 13:44.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:45-56.