Jacob
I. His Character
A. With men. Genesis Non-confrontational; manipulative
1. Esau Genesis 25:24-34
2. Rebekah Genesis 27:6-14
3. Laban Genesis 29:16-28
4. Esau Genesis 32:1-8; 33:8-17 (Insinuated he would follow Esau, then turned West)
B. With God.
1. The Covenant. Genesis 28:11-22
2. The intervention.
a. For the wives. Genesis 29:31; 30:6,17,22
b. For Jacob Genesis 30:27-30
3. The Call. Genesis 31:3
4. The Comparison. Note that Abraham’s servant was dealing with the same man, Laban.
Genesis 24:12-14; 24-27; 34, 35, 40, 42, 44, 48, 50-52, 56.
Jacob received the blessings of God but we do not read of him acknowledging God in his day tod ay life. This is the manner of many believers.
II. His Crisis
A. The defilement of his daughter. Genesis 34:1,2
B. The disgraceful action of his sons. Genesis 34:13-18
C. The destruction of Shechem Genesis 34:25-31
What caused this crisis? –
III. His carelessness. Genesis 35:1-4
Jacob had God on his mind but his family did not have Him in their hearts. He built an altar but they did not prepare themselves for worship! They met the world as they were and reaped the terrible results. Jacob learned the lesson that a casual heart leads to careless living.
A. He acknowledged God as His God.
B. He ignored the activites of his family. They had become ‘of the world’.
IV. His compliance to the will of God.
A. To seek the Lord. “…go up to Beth-el…and make there an altar…”
B. To separate from the world. Note what he told them to do in order to accomplish this –
1. Cleanse your hearts. Put away the idols.
2. Cleanse your minds.
3. Cleanse your bodies.
Jacob instructed his family to separate themselves from the things of the world and separate themselves unto the Lord. They were on their way to worship the Lord and they prepared their hearts and their dress accordingly.
Parents need to ask themselves –
“Am I diligent in my own spiritual growth”?
“Am I negligent of the spiritual condition of my family” (Compromising Biblical values to avoid conflict)
“Am I cognizant of the consequences resulting in my negligence”?
(Beyond anything you might imagine!!)
Parents, will you answer – “I am going to submit myself to God and lead my family to seek His will and obey Him”.
Or are you going to have to face a destructive crisis before you take control. The consequences will have to be borne and they can be beyond anything that we may imagine!
Some will argue that encouraging a “dress in your best” attitude equates to Pharisaism, Matthew 23:25. But remember this, a casual heart tends to result in casual dress.