Week of Monday January 12 – January 18
Delivering Decisions – Man as Instructor
Then the angel of God said to me in the dream, “Jacob,” and I said, “Here I am!” And he said, “Lift up your eyes and see, all the goats that mate with the flock are striped, spotted, and mottled, for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and made a vow to me. Now arise, go out from this land and return to the land of your kindred.’” Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, “Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and to our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do.” Genesis 31:11-16
Have you ever been faced with a life-altering decision? Especially as a husband, a father, and the leader of your home? A decision that impacted everyone involved? How did you come to that decision and how did you describe and deliver it to your family? What we read here in Genesis 31 provides us with a model for our role as Instructors in our home. God’s word provides practical wisdom for not only how to make that big decision but also how to communicate it to those whom we love and lead.
As Genesis 31 opens, we find Jacob not only fed up with the injustice he had endured for 20 years at the hands of Uncle Laban, but he also received some fresh back-channel intel and then made a clear-eyed assessment that his tenuous relationship with Laban had further soured. His heart was open for a solution, and God provided it in verse 3, “Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred, and I will be with you.” Consequently, Jacob gathered his wives and told them about what God said, the decision to leave, and the reasons why. Now this is no small matter. This is a huge life-altering decision to pick up and move. When you look at what Jacob does here as the husband and leader of his family, it is a model for us.
What especially impressed me is the way Jacob provided a providential perspective of their circumstances that led to this big decision. He takes them back and rehearses how God has been involved at every point in their lives:
READ MORE -->
