Readings for today: Genesis 27-29
I am in my seventeenth year as the pastor of a local church. One of the great blessings of serving a single church for that long is the opportunity I get to walk with families through many different seasons of life. Births and baptisms. Weddings and funerals. The challenge of raising kids and maintaining a strong, godly marriage. Launching careers. Struggling with teenagers. Experiencing unexpected tragedy. Healing from trauma. Recovering from addiction. Reconciling broken relationships. I’ve heard it all and seen it all. Perhaps that’s why when I read the stories of the Patriarchs and all the dysfunction within their families, I am not surprised. There’s nothing new under the sun. This is the way human families have always worked and the only thing strong enough to hold us together is the faithfulness of God.
God made an eternal, unbreakable covenant with Abraham and Sarah and their descendants. As we read in chapter fifteen, God literally put His life on the line to guarantee the fulfillment of this covenant. No matter how many times Abraham lies about his relationship with Sarah or Jacob deceives his brother and father, God refuses to let go. He refuses to let their sin derail His plan for their family. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of Jacob or Esau. Esau seems entitled. Jacob seems spoiled. Neither want to take responsibility for their actions. Both would prefer to blame the other for all their problems. Still, God remains faithful. He blesses Jacob in spite of his deceit. He blesses Esau in spite of his homicidal rage. And this gives me hope because, if I am honest, I am not all that different than either of these two men. I have my own issues. I can look back over the course of my life and see plenty of times when my choices put God’s promises in jeopardy. And yet, God remains faithful to me as well. His covenant is just as unbreakable. Just as unshakeable. Just as eternal as the one He made with Abraham.
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays