Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 37:14-20

¹⁴ Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.

¹⁵ Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”

¹⁶ So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”

¹⁷ And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.

¹⁸ Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him. ¹⁹ Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming! ²⁰ Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, ‘Some wild beast has devoured him.’ We shall see what will become of his dreams!”

Sometimes we just don’t think about what we’re doing. As men, we can fail to grasp the relationship turmoil that can be brewing around us. Why else would Jacob send Joseph on a mission to report on his brothers? They already despise him and his favored status, so their desire to kill him shouldn’t come as a complete surprise.

When we don’t pay attention to relationships, we make similar mistakes. Though we are often task-focused—we want to get the job done—we must be alert to relationships, especially the ones that are crumbling around us. Pay attention to those you lead. Discipline yourself to be aware of their difficulties so you don’t create new situations that will prove to be problematic.

Joseph’s story will ultimately have a happy ending, but there are many years of heartache between this moment and the beautiful ending God will bring to this mess. Be smart about relationships and you can avoid a lot of unnecessary pain.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 37:5-8

⁵ Now Joseph had a dream, and he told itto his brothers; and they hated him even more. ⁶ So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: ⁷ There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.”

⁸ And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.

Look at what favoritism in the home can breed. While Joseph’s dream is God-given, one can’t help but see the turmoil in this family and how telling his dream magnified the conflict. For young Joseph, favoritism has made life and home an unhealthy place. Jacob’s issues are replaying themselves in his children’s generation.

No matter how you interpret Joseph’s behavior or view the animosity developing in his brothers’ hearts, you can’t miss that all of this starts with Jacob and the unhealthy patterns he learned in his childhood. Sadly, many men repeat their own unhealthy experiences as they tried to lead their families. They inadvertently replay their own hurts, failing to realize that the ways of their parents are their “default setting.” In other words, unless they are intentional in making better choices, they will naturally slide back into the unhealthy patterns they know best.

We can understand Jacob’s attachment to Joseph. He’s Rachel’s son and Jacob would naturally feel great affection for him. And we can feel justified in our choices too, but instead we must choose to be different if we want a different future. No matter the childhood pain, it can be overcome if we will choose to act differently and hold ourselves to a better standard than those before us have known.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 37:1-4

Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.

³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of manycolors. ⁴ But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

There’s clearly an antagonism between Joseph and his brothers, and it seems to be brewing early in life. What’s at the core? Jacob loves Joseph more than the others. This favoritism breeds much tragedy—a lesson Jacob should have already learned from his own life.

Remember Isaac’s love for Esau? In the previous generation, Jacob is on the short end of his father’s love, and deception, brokenness, and years of separation result. Why didn’t Jacob learn that lesson? Maybe he didn’t realize that his own pain originated in Isaac’s preference for his brother.

We can’t really figure out Jacob’s issues, but we can try to do better with our own lives. What lessons have you learned the hard way—through pain and disappointment—and what are you doing to make sure those mistakes aren’t made in future generations? We all face difficult circumstances, but it seems a shame to repeat life’s difficult lessons instead of learning from them.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 36:40-43

⁴⁰ And these were the names of the chiefs of Esau, according to their families and their places, by their names: Chief Timnah, Chief Alvah,^[l] Chief Jetheth, ⁴¹ Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, ⁴² Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, ⁴³ Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom, according to their dwelling places in the land of their possession. Esau was the father of the Edomites.

Does God love the outsider? The story of Jacob and Esau focuses primarily on Jacob. After all, he is the son through whom the promises to Abraham will be fulfilled. His name is changed to Israel and his twelve sons shape the tribal structure Israel would live under for centuries.

But that doesn’t mean Esau was forgotten. Like Ishmael of the previous generation, God blesses Esau and makes him a leader of nations as well. Look at all the “chiefs” among his sons and grandsons. Esau becomes the father of a strong nation himself—even though he’s not the “star” of the story in his generation.

No matter who you think you are or who you think you aren’t, God has a great purpose for your life. You may feel like you are “second-string” in your own family or somehow inferior to others around you, but God is the “king-maker.” He will prove His power and love in your life if you will trust Him and follow Him with all your strength.

Don’t let who you’re not become a boundary to who you can become. As God’s child, there’s no limit to what He can accomplish in your life. So reach for His best and you’ll find yourself living with an influence you never imagined possible.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 36:1-3

¹ Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom. ² Esau took his wives from the daughters of Canaan: Adah the daughter of Elon the Hittite; Aholibamah the daughter of Anah, the daughter of Zibeon the Hivite; ³ and Basemath, Ishmael’s daughter, sister of Nebajoth.

Though the point of our study is to learn lessons from Jacob’s life and leadership, a quick glance at, his brother, Esau’s path seems important. We know little about Esau’s life journey, except at points where it intersects his brother, but it seems clear that he had made quite a life among the Canaanites.

But Esau’s life is characterized by separation from his family. After Jacob stole his paternal blessing, Esau had little reason to stay. Jacob lived within the world of his family, working for his uncle and marrying from among his people. Esau didn’t. Though he reconciled with his brother and seems to be a part of things at his father’s funeral, his life was spent pursuing connection to others.

Family matters. Like Esau, you may have reasons for separating yourself from your family. There may be causes that justify disconnecting from a family member or two, but somehow we seem to need a family connection to really have the healthy life we want.

Often broken relationships find some peace when death forces a family together, but there’s no guarantee that even such intense emotional times will bring change. Someone has to be intentional—to want healing even when others don’t. If there’s brokenness in your family, don’t wait any longer. Esau reached out to Jacob and ultimately found the peace he had likely needed for years. Perhaps you can do the same.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 35:27-29

²⁷ Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba^[e](that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt. ²⁸ Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. ²⁹ So Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, being old and full of days. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Managing family relationships is a challenge on many levels. Often as we become men, we wrestle to prove ourselves no longer the “kid” we were in our own home. And that fight for independence can leave a few wounded on life’s battlefield.

So, we end up with strained relationships with our families or feel frustrated when we slide back into “kid” behavior every time we go home. Some families disintegrate or spend years playing out the unresolved conflicts of yesteryear. In such settings, time with family feels needed but doesn’t feel good.

Imagine Jacob’s return home for his father’s funeral. On their last meeting, he had deceived his father and run away. Now, reunited with Esau, Jacob is back for the sad events surrounding Isaac’s death. You can almost feel the awkwardness, can’t you?

Of course, their moment is past, but yours may still be very much alive. Are your relationships with parents and siblings strong or are there unresolved struggles between you? Do your family members know how you feel about them, how you love them? If not, who will take the first step toward healing or loving expression?

Family is God’s primary strategy for growing us. If yours feels a bit broken, don’t wait until funeral flowers are piling up to make things right. It may feel a bit awkward to try resolving those issues, but feeling awkward now will be better than feeling it then.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 35:16-20

¹⁶ Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. ¹⁷ Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear; you will have this son also.”¹⁸ And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. ¹⁹ So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).²⁰ And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

The tragic circumstances of Benjamin’s birth are captured in the naming of the child. Rachel, who dies shortly after seeing her new son, names him Ben-Oni, which means “son of my sorrow.”

But Jacob gives the boy a different name—Benjamin—which means “son of my right hand.” Now, I’m sure Jacob doesn’t intend to disrespect his wife’s dying words, but instead of saddling the boy with a name that will forever remember the day of his birth, Jacob gives his son a name that will speak of his future.

That’s a really good parenting strategy. Rather than allowing your children to be remembered for their past, we can speak into their lives in ways that proclaim the great potential they possess.

Everyone fails, but those who move forward successfully are usually those who believe that better days can be ahead. Your children need to know that you believe in them and that you are excited at the opportunity to walk beside them as they pursue that future. Like Benjamin’s name implies, walk side-by-side with your children into their amazing futures.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 35:14-15

¹⁴ So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone; and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. ¹⁵ And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

Okay, we don’t build rock piles in those places where God speaks into our lives…but maybe we should.

Here, Jacob uses such a memory strategy to mark the spot where God renewed His covenant—the same promises He had earlier given to Jacob’s grandfather. “Bethel” means “house of God” and that’s a good description of what Jacob found in that remarkable place and moment.

How do you remember your significant moments with God? Honestly, our lives move at such a rapid pace that it’s difficult to treasure the moments of blessing. We are too quickly moving onto the next challenge and the next need. But God has been faithful in our lives—AGAIN and AGAIN.

Remembering those vital moments and preserving their memory in a way that our children and grandchildren can benefit seems like a valuable idea. But you’ll have to be intentional if your descendants will know your story about God. It may not involve assembling rock piles, but perhaps a few story times are in order. Whatever you do, don’t forget the moments where God speaks into your lives. Find a way to preserve such memories, and share them with those you love.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 35:9-11

⁹ Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. ¹⁰ And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel.¹¹ Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body.

God’s great love for us is demonstrated in the way He transforms us from what we were to what He knows we can be. Here, Jacob has changed. His days of being known for deceptions are past, family conflicts are resolved, and the insecurities that once drove his behavior have been soothed through his developing relationship with God. He’s becoming a new man, and God gives him a new name to match. Israel is a name associated with the way God will bless Jacob, rather than a description of what Jacob had been on his own.

Now, your nametag may not have changed since Christ began His work in your life, but what else has changed? How are you different today than when you first met Christ? How would your friends and family describe the difference? If the gap between what you are and what you were seems pretty amazing, spend today thanking God for that reality. If the gap isn’t very large, let today mark a new direction in your life—one where you let God guide you more fully. He has amazing plans for you.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 35:5-7

⁵ And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all 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 And he built an altar there and called the place El Bethel, because there God appeared to him when he fled from the face of his brother.

People of faith, there is more to life than what we can see. We understand that God is not limited to concrete, touch and feel realities, but is at work in many ways we cannot perceive with our eyes or touch with our hands. Such confidence in things unseen is called faith.

Here, Jacob journeys though dangerous places and emerges unchallenged and unscathed. How? God’s unseen Hand is at work—the same God that has promised to guide every day for you.

Have you ever wondered just how busy His protecting Hand is in your life? Sure, we may occasionally see evidence of that when we barely escape a car accident or are relieved to find our lost cell phone. We quickly mumble a “thank God” and are grateful for his help and protection. But something tells me there are a thousand moments I never see, problems that never emerge and enemies that never rise against me. That’s really something to think about, isn’t it? It’s certainly something to give thanks for as you live this day.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 35:1-3

¹ Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

² And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments.³ Then 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 in the way which I have gone.” 

How do you prepare for worship? Do you enter your church’s auditorium each week with expectation or wonder if today’s service will be a good one? Or do you drive up on Sunday morning, ready to express your heart to God alongside your Christian friends?

Unfortunately, worship services have become a bit self-focused for many believers. We come to church hoping the message will be meaningful, but often have few other thoughts about it. Sometimes, we can even be completely distracted by the week’s events or our afternoon plans, and end up treating a worship service like something to get behind us as we launch our day.

Here, Jacob prepares his heart and his family for the act of worship. He enters the moment with anticipation, mostly of what he wants to express to God. There is nothing casual in his approach, is there? Can you imagine how our worship services, and even our daily moments of worship and praise might be different if we prepared ourselves like Jacob and his family did? Imagine a Sunday morning when dozens of our friends came ready to worship God with focused hearts…

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 34:27-30

²⁷ The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled. ²⁸ They took their sheep, their oxen, and their donkeys, what was in the city and what was in the field, ²⁹ and all their wealth. All their little ones and their wives they took captive; and they plundered even all that was in the houses.

³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me. I shall be destroyed, my household and I.”

Without question, Shechem had sinned against Jacob and his family when he violated Dinah, Jacob’s daughter. Now Jacob’s sons put a scheme into action to exact revenge. The result—Jacob’s sons plundered the city and took the families and possessions of all of Shechem’s men. A victory? Probably not.

When we take matters into our own hands, we often find ways to make things work. Whenever we are hurt or offended, we can feel justified in whatever actions we choose to take, but find ourselves responding in ways that prove even more damaging. Just because we can “get even” doesn’t mean wisdom would allow us to do that.

Throughout Scripture, God asks us to trust Him to bring justice to our hurts. He knows there’s no healing in our actions of retribution. He heals wounded hearts if we will learn to trust Him to stand on our side. God is just and he will balance the scales in His time and in His perfect way.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 34:11-14

¹¹ Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. ¹² Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.”

¹³ But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.¹⁴ And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us.

While it seems this man, Shechem, genuinely wanted Jacob’s daughter Dinah as a bride, his failure to act honorably and do things in the right order compromised any hope he had of realizing his dream. He had sinned against Dinah, Jacob, and Jacob’s sons, and is now in no real bargaining position to gain Dinah as a wife.

When we don’t do the right thing, we discover the same reality—people cannot trust us and will be unable to treat us with respect. One could argue that the subsequent acts of Jacob’s sons are unrighteous, but that’s what happens we people make sinful choices. Evil is met with evil.

Cutting corners to get what one wants is a mantra of many, but every failure to do the right thing will bring measurable consequences. Short-term victories may be realized, but the path of wrong choices has a destination you’d never want to choose. Don’t deceive; don’t choose the easy over the right. Be a man who is known for ethical choices and conduct and others will trust you and want to work with you. 

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 34:1-4

¹ Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. ² And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her. ³ His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. ⁴ So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.”

This tragic story offers some contrast to the account of David’s son Amnon and his wicked violation of Tamar. Both brought devastating results, but here, Shechem doesn’t despise Dinah after his wicked act. Instead he wants her for a wife.

Now, it’s a little difficult to project modern ideas of morality on this ancient culture, but it’s clear that Shechem got things out of order. Even if he had wanted good things, his actions proved catastrophic to his intent. Because he violated her and then sought to marry her, his sin is too great for Jacob’s sons to ignore.

Okay, this is a mess, but it points to a lesson, even for the modern mind. If you think you want the right things, taking steps in the wrong order will ruin your chance for the greatest happiness. For example, a guy can go too far with a young woman, even though he may want a future with her. The resulting relationship will then usually fall short of the dream. Getting things in the wrong order is almost always costly in some manner.

No matter what you seek, taking it for yourself is usually the wrong approach. We can’t know if Shechem’s desire for Dinah could have played out in a better way, but we can be determined to want what is right and to pursue what is right in the right way.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

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Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 33:18-20

18 Then Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padan Aram; and he pitched his tent before the city. 19 And he bought the parcel of land, where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for one hundred pieces of money.20 Then he erected an altar there and called it El Elohe Israel.

Jacob’s return to the land of God’s promise marks a major moment in the Biblical story. A lot will unfold in Shechem in the years ahead. There is much life to be found in this place. But what’s most significant in this brief story moment is the first step Jacob took in this new home—he built an altar proclaiming that God was his God.

Now modern times are far more transitional than Jacob’s ancient day. Moving from place to place has become a way of life. And we don’t typically construct shrines in the backyard to demonstrate our worship, but how do you reveal your priority of worship everywhere you go? How have you shown your connection with God in the new places of your life?

Jacob’s recent journey had been life-changing. He had fled from the “comforts” of Laban’s country, encountered God in a powerful way, and discovered that his relationship with his brother had been healed. God had truly been faithful, so it seems Jacob felt that this new day in his relationship with God needed to take a central place in his new home. Good thinking, right?

If God is faithfully guiding our steps, we should also place our relationship with Him in the center of every move we make. He goes before us. Makes sense that we would acknowledge that leadership and be grateful for His promise to always be with us.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Genesis 33:13-17

But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak, and the flocks and herds which are nursing are with me. And if the men should drive them hard one day, all the flock will die. Please let my lord go on ahead before his servant. I will lead on slowly at a pace which the livestock that go before me, and the children, are able to endure, until I come to my lord in Seir.”  And Esau said, “Now let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.”

But he said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the sight of my lord.”  So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir.  And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.

Do you find it hard to accept help? In this story, we can only guess at why Jacob was reluctant to travel with Esau. Maybe he was afraid his brother’s kind attitude might change. Maybe he was afraid that his family might learn more about his treacherous past if they walked alongside Esau’s gang. Maybe Jacob is just too proud to let the brother he cheated provide him with some much-needed help. For some reason, in spite of Esau’s desire to be helpful, Jacob cannot receive the aid.

Of course, understanding the “why” behind such an ancient story doesn’t seem as critical as understanding our own reluctance to accept help. Is it our pride or a fear of being in debt to others that has us saying “no” to their efforts of kindness?

Here’s the bottom-line. What if God is offering us the help we need through the one who offers? Why would we turn aside such a blessing in order to maintain our dependence solely on ourselves? Seems foolish doesn’t it?

Consider how God might be blessing you or helping you through the hand offered by a friend or family member. It may be just what you need, even if you think you can make it on your own.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Read Genesis 33:8-11 – Then Esau said, “What do you mean by all this company which I met?” And he said, “These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.” But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; keep what you have for yourself.” And Jacob said, “No, please, if I have now found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your face as though I had seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Please, take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” So he urged him, and he took it. (NKJV)

You can’t buy love. Jacob hopes that an enormous gift will somehow soften the anger Esau has built up over the twenty years since Jacob had deceived him. But gifts don’t cover hurt, neglect or other types of unkindness. You can’t truly make things right by just calling the flower shop. The good news for Jacob is that Esau has already forgiven him and wants a relationship with his slightly younger brother (remember they’re twins but Esau was born first). Had Esau been nursing a two-decade old grudge, would Jacob’s animal parade really have solved that? As men, we must realize that caring for our relationships on a daily basis is essential to the peace we want to maintain. When we fail—and all of us will—we should respond immediately with love and repentance. Too often, we allow hurts to become grudges and anger to become bitterness because we fail to deal with the hurts we’ve caused—either intentionally or accidentally. Don’t let open wounds become infected. Seek to heal the hurts you may have caused in others and you’ll never have to fear the escalating anger of others.  

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Read Genesis 33:1-4 – Now Jacob lifted his eyes and looked, and there, Esau was coming, and with him were four hundred men. So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two maidservants. And he put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children behind, and Rachel and Joseph last. Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother. But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept. (NKJV)

You can learn a lot by someone’s body language. In this story, Jacob is moving hesitantly—keeping his family behind of him, bowing to the ground multiple times as he moves forward. It’s not the look of one who really wants the upcoming encounter with his brother, Esau. But Esau looks different. He runs toward Jacob, demonstrating how much he wants this moment. His heart is light and free of the hatred of the past. It may be the only moment in their story where I’d rather be Esau than Jacob. This is a moment he has longed for—you can tell by his body language. Comparing the two leaves us with an interesting question: Who do you run toward and who are you afraid to encounter—and WHY? This may be a key reason why Solomon told us not to let the “sun go down on your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26) and Jesus told us to leave a worship moment and go to those with whom we have issues (Matthew5:23-24). Why live with the inner turmoil Jacob feels? Why be under such stress? Be Esau. Resolve the issues in your heart—even if your old opponent is miles away. Let the healing you need happen so you can run toward everyone in your life.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Read Genesis 32:30-32 – So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”  Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank. (NKJV)

Jacob’s limp isn’t a scar in the traditional sense, but he would carry a reminder of his moment with God for the rest of his life. In fact, the memory would be so profound that it would forever affect Jacob’s descendants. What memories of God’s presence do you carry with you each day? Sure, we may have some remarkable memories of victories or moments worth celebrating. However, we usually remember difficult moments more easily. Often it’s the setbacks and the lessons learned in those moments that linger in our memories. Has God taught you a few difficult lessons? Perhaps our efforts to pass along those memories might keep our children and grandchildren from needing to learn such truths the hard way. We may be quick to share the best stories with our children, but the lessons learned in difficult times are worth telling as well. First, they provide the whole story of God’s working in our lives, and they can protect those who hear them from the necessary pain of experience. Let others know what God has taught you—that’s the very definition of making disciples.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.

Tuesdays with Jacob

Read Genesis 32:27-29 – So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.”Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. (NKJV)

A new name. That’s what God gave to Jacob. Known throughout his life as a deceiver, a product of the expectations his name conjured, Jacob is now free to live a new life, one defined by a new name. That’s what God has done for us. He has taken what we have been and everything we are known to be and given us a fresh start with a completely new name—sons of God. We are now His! What does a son of God look like? What can one expect from a person with such a name? That’s the joy of this opportunity. Every day we get to explore what it means to be a son of God. We have the opportunity to define and find a whole new future because of the new name we’ve been given. How sad if Israel had left this moment and continued to be Jacob. What would have been won? He was a new man and he became the father of a great nation—one far greater than he could have ever produced by the schemes of his past.

– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.