We begin today one of the most amazing stories in the Bible. It is the incredible story of the infinite grace of God dealing with a man who was a deceiver, a liar and a cheat, yet God turned him into 'Israel', a prince with God. It is also a family story. We would call it a 'church family' today. The grandparents had been a very godly couple, Abraham and Sarah. Grandma had passed away but Grandfather Abraham was alive until the twins in today's reading were 15 years old. The father, Isaac, too was a godly man. His own birth had been remarkable. (Genesis 21) Then his wife Rebekah had come to him in a beautiful way in which the hand of God had been clearly seen. The twins themselves were a direct answer to prayer. Isaac and Rebekah had been married 20 years before they were born. But it was not a happy family. There were tensions and jealousy. The father Isaac preferred the outdoors boy, Esau. The mother, Rebekah, preferred the quieter, younger twin, Jacob. Parents have only themselves to blame if tension is created by their 'playing favourites'. As the boys grew older, the family travelled from place to place. The father wasn't always what he should have been but God's grace and patience were continually seen in his life. The older son, Esau, married two heathen girls. That caused real heartache to his parents. What a family! Yet out of it, God finally brought Jacob to a place of great blessing and made him an ancestor of God's own Son, Jesus Christ. A SONG FOR TODAY: John Newton's 'Amazing Grace'. Sing a verse or two and thank God again for His amazing grace. |
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