Athlete, God's in Control
*This devotional series was written by the AIA staff team at the University of Virginia
Read Genesis 29:1-30:24
Jacob is in God's School of Hard Knocks. Back home, Jacob deceived his father who could not see, breaking the custom of blessing in regard to the firstborn child. Now it is Jacob who cannot see in the dark, and Laban deceives him, preventing Jacob from breaking the custom of marriage in regard to the firstborn child. Genesis 29:25 has to be one of the funniest lines in Scripture. "When morning came, there was Leah!" Yep, there she was! And Jacob will have to serve seven additional years in return for his marriage to his beloved Rachel.
This far-from-ideal polygamous relationship turns out to be, as expected, a disaster. Jealousy for love and for children, the hiring out of Jacob (30:15), the use of maidservants for childbearing, and superstitions about aphrodisiacal mandrakes (30:13-15) - you name it, dysfunction abounds.
Yet out of this dysfunction, God brings forth the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and, later, Benjamin. They are the beginning of God's promise to make Abraham's offspring into a great nation. Interestingly, the most significant of these tribes in God's work of redemption -- Levi, Judah, and Joseph -- come from Leah and Rachel, not their maidservants.
Whenever Leah and Rachel are blessed with children, they generally give credit to God, not to superstition. Rachel, like Sarah and Rebekah before her, experienced barrenness for many years, but God eventually opens her womb. Perhaps even Jacob is beginning to learn that he, too, is dependent upon God (30:2).
Questions for Reflection & Prayer
1. Do you have any subtle or not-so-subtle superstitions that keep you from fully trusting in God?
2. Today's passage is an especially poignant reminder of God's control. Humans are making real decisions, doing what they want to do, but God is somehow working even through sin and dysfunction, sometimes with comic relief, to accomplish his good purposes. How does God's power and goodness, and his ability to use you even in your weakness, speak to you today?
Read Genesis 29:1-30:24
Jacob is in God's School of Hard Knocks. Back home, Jacob deceived his father who could not see, breaking the custom of blessing in regard to the firstborn child. Now it is Jacob who cannot see in the dark, and Laban deceives him, preventing Jacob from breaking the custom of marriage in regard to the firstborn child. Genesis 29:25 has to be one of the funniest lines in Scripture. "When morning came, there was Leah!" Yep, there she was! And Jacob will have to serve seven additional years in return for his marriage to his beloved Rachel.
This far-from-ideal polygamous relationship turns out to be, as expected, a disaster. Jealousy for love and for children, the hiring out of Jacob (30:15), the use of maidservants for childbearing, and superstitions about aphrodisiacal mandrakes (30:13-15) - you name it, dysfunction abounds.
Yet out of this dysfunction, God brings forth the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel - Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and, later, Benjamin. They are the beginning of God's promise to make Abraham's offspring into a great nation. Interestingly, the most significant of these tribes in God's work of redemption -- Levi, Judah, and Joseph -- come from Leah and Rachel, not their maidservants.
Whenever Leah and Rachel are blessed with children, they generally give credit to God, not to superstition. Rachel, like Sarah and Rebekah before her, experienced barrenness for many years, but God eventually opens her womb. Perhaps even Jacob is beginning to learn that he, too, is dependent upon God (30:2).
Questions for Reflection & Prayer
1. Do you have any subtle or not-so-subtle superstitions that keep you from fully trusting in God?
2. Today's passage is an especially poignant reminder of God's control. Humans are making real decisions, doing what they want to do, but God is somehow working even through sin and dysfunction, sometimes with comic relief, to accomplish his good purposes. How does God's power and goodness, and his ability to use you even in your weakness, speak to you today?
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2019
May
Athlete, God CreatesAthlete, You're Made In His ImageAthlete, RestAthlete, RememberAthlete, God UnitesAthlete, Don't FallAthlete, Pain and Frustration Will EndAthlete, Stop ComparingAthlete, There Is No Middle RoadAthlete, Step Out In FaithAthlete, You're CleanAthlete, Know The CovenantAthlete, Know the NationsAthlete, Divisions ExistAthlete, God Makes PromisesAthlete, WaitAthlete, Location MattersAthlete, Who Is Melchizedek?Athlete, You Are IncludedAthlete, God Sees YouAthlete, God Gives Us Signs
June
Athlete, Be RemindedAthlete, Be Honest With GodAthlete, Reflect On His MercyAthlete, God Keeps CoveringAthlete, The Wait Is OverAthlete, God Tests Athlete, Put On The QualitiesAthlete, Be ChallengedAthlete, God works Evil For GoodAthlete, Glory is ComingAthlete, God Saves Messy PeopleAthlete, God Provides Athlete, God's in Control Athlete, God is PatientAthlete, Step Out in FaithAthlete, See the MarkersAthlete, Take Time to PrayAthlete, Let's Talk About Fresh StartsAthlete, Love is The CureAthlete, Grace is OffensiveAthlete, See the ForeshadowAthlete, Don't ForgetAthlete, God is NearAthlete, Are You Willing To Learn?Athlete, Give Thanks
July
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August
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