Tag: Genesis 28:13-15

Israel—Chosen by God: A Blessing to All

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The nation of Israel was chosen by God to be a blessing to all people.

In my nine previous posts, the Israel—Chosen by God series, scripture has been clear about this promise God made to Abraham, the father of Israel, and to every generation of Israel until the end of time.    

God chose Israel to be His nation, to follow His ways (which results in blessing), and to provide the ultimate blessing—a Savior.

This promise was first made to Abraham in Genesis.

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

                                                                                                             Genesis 12:1-3

This same promise was reiterated by God to Isaac, Abraham’s son of promise in Genesis 26:2-5, and later to Jacob, Isaac’s son, in Genesis 28:13-15.

Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel when he was on his way back to Canaan. Israel means “he strived with God and prevailed.” (Genesis 32:24-31)

So, it is from the nation of Israel that the blessed promise was given to all mankind.

This promise is salvation through Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

                                                                                                           Matthew 1:1-17

Jesus’s birth was planned from the beginning of time. The Bible is about the creation of the world, sin, redemption, and defeating evil.

Jesus Christ is the center theme of the Bible and He was with God the Father at the creation of the world. (John 1:1-3)

Jesus is our redemption that was promised and prophesied throughout the Old Testament by the prophets, and He is the God man who left the throne-room in heaven and came to earth as a baby in Bethlehem of Judea in Israel.

He came to this world to teach truth, love, and forgiveness, but most importantly, to be the sacrificial Lamb.

The apostle John who walked with Jesus during His ministry here on earth testifies to this.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

                                                                                                                 1 John 2:1-2

The only perfect human to live on this earth was destined to become the sacrifice for our sins—perfection taking on the iniquity of the whole world.

This is how God the Father planned the redemption of mankind, past, present, and future.    

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

                                                                                                               John 3:16-18

Jesus did not come to this earth to condemn it, but to save the world through drawing the lost to Himself.

He is the fulfillment of the Law given by Moses, not the replacement of the Law, as some may think.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” 

                                                                                                         Matthew 5:17-18

One of the godly men that I have followed over twenty years is John F. McArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church and host of Grace to You, national Christian media ministry.

He explains Matthew 5:17-18 stating, “Jesus was neither giving a new law nor modifying the old, but rather explaining the true significance of the moral content of Moses’ law and the rest of the OT…Christ was indicating that he is the fulfillment of the law in all its aspects. He fulfilled the moral law by keeping it perfectly…And he fulfilled the judicial law by personifying God’s perfect justice.”

McArthur further clarifies, “Christ was affirming the utter inerrancy and absolute authority of the OT as the word of God—down to the smallest stroke or letter…This should not be seen as supplanting and abrogating the OT, but as fulfilling and explicating it.”

Therefore, the ceremonial requirements of the law (Colossians 2:16-23) were fulfilled by Jesus Christ and are no longer required to be followed by Christians. However, other mandates of the law are not to be abolished and very much remain as a standard of scriptural truth in the New Testament. 

Because Jesus obeyed His Father in heaven and died for our sins—the whole world’s sins, we are resolved of our past wrongs if we surrender our lives to Him, ask Him for forgiveness of our sins, and abide in Him.

Jesus’s sacrificial love for us along with our personal acknowledgment of His deity and following Him in obedience shields us from eternal damnation.  

We are indeed blessed through Israel; if from Israel we were given Christ, what better blessing can we acknowledge?

From the twelfth chapter of Genesis, we have been called to bless Israel.

We should certainly want to because of what God has given us through the nation of Israel: Our Lord and Savior—and with Him, forgiveness, freedom, blessings, and eternal life with God.

If you have not yet surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, who gives us eternal life through His loving sacrifice, I hope you will do so today.

I will be happy to help you in making your decision for Christ in any way that I can. Send me a message in the comments and I will respond.

I hope this series has been a blessing to you and has helped you understand why we should bless Israel.

Join me next for Why Stand with Israel?

Below is a song that glorifies our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. May it bless you.

“Thank You Jesus for the Blood” – Charity Gayle

Israel—Chosen by God:  Jacob – Part 2

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If you read my previous post, “Israel—Chosen by God: Jacob – Part 1,” you know that Jacob received the family blessing by deceiving his father Isaac and his brother Esau.

He is now fleeing Canaan to live with his uncle Laban in Paddan-aram, also known as Haran. He is running for his life, away from Esau who was planning to kill him as soon as their father dies. He is sent there by his father and his mother Rebekah. They not only want to protect Jacob, but also want him to choose a wife from his uncle Laban’s daughters.

Isaac blesses him and instructs Jacob before leaves.

“You must not take a wife from the Canaanite women. Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples. May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your sojournings that God gave to Abraham!”
Genesis 28:1b-4

On his way to Haran, Jacob stopped for the night and found a place to rest. While sleeping, he had a dream about a ladder that reached all the way up to heaven. He saw the angels of God going up and down the ladder, and then the LORD stood above the ladder and spoke to him.

“…I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring 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 28:13-15

Jacob woke up and realized that God was there with him, so he took the stone that he used for a pillow and poured oil over it as a landmark to honor God and named the place Bethel, which means house of God. Jacob vowed to worship God and tithe all his earnings if God would protect and provide for him, while leading him securely along the way to Haran and back again to his father’s house.

Jacob undoubtedly remembered the blessing that his father Isaac pronounced over him and he had great expectations. In those days, a family blessing was taken very seriously and believed word for word.

This is why it’s so important for us to speak words of blessing and goodness to our children and teach them about God’s faithfulness. We can achieve our goals if they align with God’s will. 

Jacob continues his journey east to Haran and stops at a well where the local shepherds were watering their sheep. He talks with the shepherds about Laban whom they know and is told that he is well. At that moment, a young lady, Rachel, comes to the well with her father’s sheep, and the shepherds let him know that she is Laban’s daughter.

He is very happy that he finds his family that he traveled so far to meet, and tells Rachel that her father is his mother’s brother. She runs to tell her father Laban who then goes to meet Jacob and embraces him and invites him to stay with him. They share stories and Laban recognizes that Jacob is truly his kinsman. He invites Jacob to stay with him a while, so Jacob begins to work for Laban.

When we belong to God, He is faithful and orchestrates our future—just as He did for Jacob.

After a month’s work, Laban asks Jacob what he wants as wages in return for his work. During the time that Jacob works for Laban, he falls in love with Rachel whom the Bible describes as beautiful. He tells Laban that he will work for him for seven years for Rachel to be his wife. Laban agrees.

It’s important to know that Rachel has an older sister named Leah.

So, Jacob stays and works for Laban for seven years. When this time is completed, he goes to Laban to ask for Rachel in marriage. Laban plans a big wedding feast and in the evening after the ceremony, he takes his eldest daughter Leah to Jacob.

I am not sure why Jacob doesn’t recognize that Leah is with him instead of Rachel—maybe it was too dark for him to see her on their wedding night. The Bible doesn’t give an explanation.

When morning comes, Jacob realizes that he’s been deceived by Laban! The cheater has himself been cheated!

I hate to say it, but “what goes around, comes around.”

Jacob confronts Laban and is told that it is their custom for the eldest daughter to be given in marriage first. He tells Jacob to stay and complete the marriage week with Leah, and then he will be given Rachel for another seven years of work.  

Laban is all too eager to keep Jacob, because he knows God is with him and blesses him in all that he does. Laban reaps these benefits with Jacob working for him and wants to keep him as long as he can.

No doubt Jacob loved Rachel, but now he had to trust Laban once again.

The Bible tells us that Jacob stayed and worked another seven years, and was finally given Rachel to marry.

God is faithful

…when we have been betrayed

…when we cannot see the path forward

…when we ourselves have sinned against Him and others

If we belong to God, He has a plan for our lives— just as he had for Jacob.

We must be willing to trust Him even when the news is bad, or when everything seems like it’s going in the wrong direction.

I have included a song below that speaks to God’s faithfulness. I hope you enjoy it.

“Faithful” – Chris Tomlin

Please join me next for Israel—Chosen by God:  Jacob – Part 3