Genesis 31

Day 24

Genesis 31

Genesis 31:38-40
³⁸ “I have been with you for twenty years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. ³⁹ I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. ⁴⁰ This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. ⁴¹ It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. ⁴² If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you.”

Ever feel like you got taken advantage of?  Jacob had just left town because his mom was worried his brother Esau was going to kill her son…  Jacob goes back to his mom’s stomping grounds and meets Rachel daughter of Laban and fell madly in love…  Jacob had been working for Laban, when he offered to pay Jacob for his labor.  Jacob decided to ask Laban for the hand of his youngest daughter for his payment.  They struck an agreement and Jacob promised Laban to work seven years for the hand of his youngest daughter Rachel.  7 years is a long time to be engage to marry and Jacob became very anxious.

Genesis 29:21
²¹ Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

The ole switcheroo
Jacob got some of his own medicine when Laban pulled one over on him.  He gave Jacob Leah, his oldest (not so good looking daughter.)   Then when Jacob realized he’d been duped, Laban suckered into working 7 more years for Rachel’s hand…  He worked a total of 21 years for Laban and during that time Laban lowered Jacob’s wages 10 times.  To say the very least Laban squeezed every drop of sweat out of Jacob for the lowest wage!

The bible is the ultimate authority on ALL relationships; including employee – employer. 

Colossians 4:1
¹ And employers, treat your employees considerately. Be fair with them. Don't forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master—God in heaven.

Colossians 3:22-24
²² Employees obey your earthly bosses in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Remember whether you’re an employee or an employer, we are all working for a higher power!

Genesis 19-20

 Day 15

Genesis 19-20

Genesis 19:30-36

³⁰ Lot and his two daughters left Zoar and settled in the mountains, for he was afraid to stay in Zoar. He and his two daughters lived in a cave. ³¹ One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man around here to lie with us, as is the custom all over the earth. ³² let’s get our father to drink wine and then lie with him and preserve our family line through our father.”
³³ That night they got their father to drink wine, and the older daughter went in and lay with him. He was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
³⁴ The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Last night I lay with my father. Let’s get him to drink wine again tonight, and you go in and lie with him so we can preserve our family line through our father.” ³⁵ So they got their father to drink wine that night also, and the younger daughter went and lay with him. Again he was not aware of it when she lay down or when she got up.
³⁶ So both of Lot’s daughters became pregnant by their father. ³⁷ The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today. ³⁸ The younger daughter also had a son, and she named him Ben-Ammi; he is the father of the Ammonites of today.

Whoever said that the bible is not an interesting book surely did not actually read it!  There are a lot of applications we can pull from this passage, but I’m going to try to highlight a few that apply to me

*Drunk – Lot was unaware of what was going on because he had too much wine…  We know it is not a sin to drink, but it is a sin to be drunk…

(Proverbs 20:1) Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. (1 Peter 5:8) be sober-minded (Ephesians 5:18) And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit

*Deceit – Lot was deceived by his daughters…  Lot was more easily deceived because of his drunken state of mind.  Obviously some people are naturally gullible, but we are prone to deception when our mind is altered or not focused on what it is supposed to be focused on… (James 1:22) Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves

*Danger – When we sin the danger comes from the consequences of our sin.  The consequences of Lot’s and his daughters produced to races of people that God’s people had to contend with.  The Amorites and the Moabites did not follow after God.  They created more problems for God’s people.