1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:04,240 So a couple of Fridays ago, my wife Emily and I realized very 2 00:00:04,240 --> 00:00:10,160 excitedly that it is October. So for us, that means a trip to 3 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:14,240 the great institution of seasonal vibes, Hobby Lobby. 4 00:00:15,520 --> 00:00:18,280 We walk in and we immerse ourselves in the autumn 5 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,200 decorations all around. Some soprano saxophone version 6 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:24,400 of Come Thou fount of every blessing coming over the 7 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,000 loudspeaker and trying to avoid the Christmas section because 8 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:30,480 we're not there yet. Some of you maybe we're not 9 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:34,480 there yet, enjoying autumn. So we're walking and we're 10 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:38,800 meandering, and we come across that thing that Hobby Lobby is 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,280 also known for very well, at least in our minds. 12 00:00:42,480 --> 00:00:46,360 And that is their witty signage. We were especially impressed 13 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:48,920 this year at the signs depicting family life. 14 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,880 For example, if you are feeling pretty good about your family 15 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,720 and yourself, you might pick up the sign that says best family 16 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:58,480 ever. There's an option for you. 17 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:03,720 But then there's the format that says it's basically a zoo in 18 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:07,240 here just to make sure your guests have accurate 19 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,720 expectations of what they're going to get when they're 20 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,240 entering the house, whether it's the pets or the people 21 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:18,400 themselves, you can decide. Then there's the sign saying my 22 00:01:18,400 --> 00:01:21,640 housekeeping style is best described as there appears to 23 00:01:21,640 --> 00:01:25,800 have been a struggle. Another one, please excuse the 24 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:27,880 mess. Our standards have lowered with 25 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:31,520 each child. And the last one, perhaps my 26 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:35,280 very favorite of them all, says as far as anyone knows, we are a 27 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,800 nice, normal family. That's the code. 28 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:43,680 That's the mantra. We've all lived in the chaos of 29 00:01:43,680 --> 00:01:47,320 family at one point or another, whether it was years ago, 30 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:51,760 whether you're living it now, whether it's a family that was 31 00:01:51,760 --> 00:01:55,320 very large or a family that was much smaller. 32 00:01:56,040 --> 00:02:00,840 Sometimes it is pretty funny, and sometimes that chaos can dip 33 00:02:00,840 --> 00:02:05,400 further and further away from it until it's so far from anything 34 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,120 funny. There are plenty of times, maybe 35 00:02:08,120 --> 00:02:12,280 most obviously at the holidays or other gatherings, when it can 36 00:02:12,280 --> 00:02:16,280 be downright painful. Our families have the ability to 37 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:20,800 give us the best support and encouragement and memories, but 38 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:24,640 it also has the opportunity to give us the deepest and most 39 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,200 lasting scars of our entire lives. 40 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:33,280 And yet God has designed families as building blocks of 41 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:37,520 society, beyond government institutions or book clubs or 42 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,480 schools, music organizations, sports. 43 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:44,640 The family has a special influence for forming and 44 00:02:44,640 --> 00:02:48,680 shaping all of us, whether we want it to be that way or not. 45 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:53,560 And while family origins and genetics are not determinative, 46 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:57,400 there's no escaping the fact that they heavily inform our 47 00:02:57,400 --> 00:03:02,120 concept of self. Our family influences what we 48 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,400 think about the questions that Pastor Dan keeps putting before 49 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:06,760 us. Who am I? 50 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:09,960 What am I? Why am I here? 51 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:15,080 If we're not careful, the family can also have too much influence 52 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,680 on these questions. There are two ditches, either 53 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,080 too much of an influence and we try to define ourselves 54 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:25,240 completely by our family, or not enough and we try to pretend 55 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,880 like it never existed. So we have to answer these 56 00:03:28,880 --> 00:03:33,120 questions through a redemptive lens the way God would have us 57 00:03:33,120 --> 00:03:35,640 answer them through a biblical worldview. 58 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,560 And this is where the corrective experience of the family of God 59 00:03:39,560 --> 00:03:42,840 comes in through. Though the church itself is far, 60 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:48,680 far from perfect, no matter how great or how terrible your 61 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:53,040 experience, God has a way of using your family for His 62 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:55,840 purposes. Whether you feel like you're 63 00:03:55,840 --> 00:03:59,240 rocking it, or if you feel like you're just barely getting by 64 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:03,760 with the people that God has placed you with, He has the 65 00:04:03,760 --> 00:04:08,480 power and the ability to use the most dysfunctional families for 66 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:12,960 redemptive purposes beyond our wildest imaginations. 67 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:16,920 In today's passage, we're going to see this family of promise, 68 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:21,640 this legacy of blessing, get as messed up as it's ever been. 69 00:04:22,000 --> 00:04:25,320 It's going to be weird. It's going to be dark, and in a 70 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:29,520 wild turn of events, He's also going to bless them in ways they 71 00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:32,760 couldn't possibly deserve or make happen on their own. 72 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:37,000 This family is going to prosper in amazing ways, and it's 73 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:39,360 obvious that they don't deserve this at all. 74 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:45,440 But God sees the bigger picture, and He is going to work in spite 75 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,840 of their sin. God fulfills His promises in 76 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:52,360 unlikely ways, and in today's passage, we're going to see how 77 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:56,400 God fulfills His promises through broken families and 78 00:04:56,400 --> 00:05:00,680 through undeserved grace. Through broken families and 79 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:04,760 through undeserved grace. 1st, through broken families. 80 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:10,600 So we have one man in today's chapter 4, women and twelve 81 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:12,480 children. One more son will come in 82 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:14,280 chapter 35. What could go wrong? 83 00:05:15,440 --> 00:05:17,320 So let's jump in. We already read the end of 84 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:19,600 chapter 29. Leah is in the middle of this 85 00:05:19,600 --> 00:05:21,960 horrible polygamy, and the text is clear. 86 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,680 When the Lord saw Leah was hated, He opened her womb, but 87 00:05:25,680 --> 00:05:28,840 Rachel was barren. So here's a quick recap of the 88 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:31,880 kids so far. Leah first gave birth to Reuben. 89 00:05:32,080 --> 00:05:36,520 This means see a son testifying that the Lord has seen her. 90 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:40,600 Then she gives birth to Simeon. This sounds like the Hebrew for 91 00:05:40,640 --> 00:05:43,720 heard. God has not only seen but he has 92 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,360 also heard her. The situation sounds very 93 00:05:47,360 --> 00:05:50,840 similar to Haggar, if you remember with me to last fall in 94 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:55,880 Genesis chapter 16, Abraham's servant Hagar, after being 95 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:59,560 misused horribly in order to bear children, calls her son 96 00:05:59,640 --> 00:06:03,680 Ishmael, which means God hears in response to an encounter with 97 00:06:03,680 --> 00:06:05,880 him. She also names the place where 98 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:09,120 she encountered the Lord that he is a God of seeing to 99 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:11,880 memorialize it. So no matter how messed up these 100 00:06:11,880 --> 00:06:16,120 situations, no matter how messy the relationships, she is 101 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,720 testifying that God sees and God hears Hagar then and Leah today. 102 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,320 These children will always remind Leah of that blessed 103 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:28,000 truth. Then we have Levi. 104 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:30,400 This sounds like the Hebrew for attached. 105 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:35,520 And this is a prayer from Leah desperate for Jacob's love, 106 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:39,520 which she still doesn't have even after bearing these 107 00:06:39,520 --> 00:06:42,360 children. And then fourth, she gives birth 108 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:44,080 to Judah. And this sounds like the Hebrew 109 00:06:44,080 --> 00:06:47,200 for praise. And this is a beautiful 110 00:06:47,280 --> 00:06:49,720 response. Even after going through all of 111 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:54,720 this, Leah says, this time I will praise the Lord, a heart of 112 00:06:54,720 --> 00:06:58,720 praise in the midst of years of rivalry and suffering. 113 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,680 Now we pick up in Genesis chapter 30. 114 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:06,000 If you would read along with me verse 1, chapter 30. 115 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:11,000 When Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, she envied 116 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,120 her sister. She said to Jacob, give me 117 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:18,120 children or I shall die. Jacob's anger was kindled 118 00:07:18,120 --> 00:07:20,800 against Rachel. And he said, Am I in the place 119 00:07:20,800 --> 00:07:24,680 of God who is withheld from you the fruit of the womb? 120 00:07:25,320 --> 00:07:29,000 Then she said, here is my servant Bilhah, go into her, so 121 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:31,960 that she may give birth on my behalf, that even I may have 122 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:35,520 children through her. So she gave him her servant 123 00:07:35,520 --> 00:07:38,840 Bilhah as a wife. And Jacob went into her, and 124 00:07:38,840 --> 00:07:41,440 Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. 125 00:07:42,440 --> 00:07:47,200 Then Rachel said God has judged me and has also heard my voice 126 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,840 and given me a son. Therefore she called his name 127 00:07:51,120 --> 00:07:53,800 Dan. Rachel's servant Bill Hawk 128 00:07:53,800 --> 00:07:56,400 conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 129 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,760 Then Rachel said with mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with 130 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:05,320 my sister and have prevailed. So she called his name, Naftali. 131 00:08:06,600 --> 00:08:09,880 Already we begin to see a character change in Jacob. 132 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,880 As Pastor Dan mentioned, it started last week when this 133 00:08:12,880 --> 00:08:16,520 deceptive man found himself being deceived for once by his 134 00:08:16,520 --> 00:08:19,400 uncle Laban. And we look how he immediately 135 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:21,440 attributes this event to God's hand. 136 00:08:22,040 --> 00:08:24,760 He messes up a lot. But here there may be some 137 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,520 glimmerings, some showing that Jacob might be just starting to 138 00:08:28,520 --> 00:08:31,960 get it right and beginning to see God's hand in his life. 139 00:08:33,159 --> 00:08:38,520 And yet we also have an echo of ongoing generational sin. 140 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:42,919 Like grandfather, like grandson. It's just like Sarah and Abram. 141 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:46,920 If you remember with me again to last fall in Genesis chapter 16, 142 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:50,520 Sarah was supposed to be the one to give birth according to God's 143 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:54,200 promises, and she couldn't. She was barren. 144 00:08:54,920 --> 00:08:58,480 So she took matters into her own hands, and she gave her servant 145 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,640 Haggar to Abram so that Haggar would bear children in Sarah's 146 00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:06,120 place. In today's passage, Rachel is 147 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:09,960 the one Jacob chose as his wife, and yet she can't bear children. 148 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:14,560 So what does she do? She gives her servant Bilhah to 149 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:18,240 bear children instead. This is not OK, and it only 150 00:09:18,240 --> 00:09:23,600 increases the rivalry. Bilhah has given birth to Dan. 151 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:25,240 This sounds like the Hebrew for judged. 152 00:09:25,520 --> 00:09:29,160 Rachel is testifying to God's mercy in judging her servant 153 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:31,600 worthy to bear children for Jacob. 154 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,520 Then Bilhah gives birth to Naphtali, which sounds like the 155 00:09:35,520 --> 00:09:38,240 Hebrew for wrestling. Rachel is not rejoicing in 156 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,920 praise to God, but an excitement that she has wrestled and won in 157 00:09:41,920 --> 00:09:47,600 this rivalry with her sister, or so she thinks moving forward in 158 00:09:47,600 --> 00:09:53,040 verse 9, when Leah saw that she had ceased bearing children, she 159 00:09:53,040 --> 00:09:56,880 took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 160 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:02,600 Then Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son and Leah said good 161 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:06,120 fortune has come, so she called his name Gad. 162 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:10,880 Leah's servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son and Leah said happy 163 00:10:10,880 --> 00:10:13,320 am I for women have called me happy. 164 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:18,200 So she called his name Asher. So not a great moment for Leah 165 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:20,240 either. She's sinking down to Rachel and 166 00:10:20,240 --> 00:10:23,080 Sarah's level. Here's her servant Zilpah being 167 00:10:23,080 --> 00:10:26,800 used like a pawn in a game. Two more children come. 168 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:29,600 We have Gad, which sounds like good fortune, and Asher which 169 00:10:29,600 --> 00:10:31,520 sounds like happy. These are pretty 170 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:34,560 self-explanatory. But as we move forward we see 171 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:36,560 another bonkers situation that comes up. 172 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:40,440 Verse 14. In the days of wheat harvest, 173 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:43,560 Reuben went and found mandrakes in the field and brought them to 174 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:47,200 his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, please 175 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:49,080 give me some of your son's mandrakes. 176 00:10:49,520 --> 00:10:53,160 But Leah said to Rachel, Is it a small matter that you have taken 177 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:56,120 away my husband? Would you take away my son's 178 00:10:56,120 --> 00:11:00,320 mandrakes also? Rachel said, then he may lie 179 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,360 with you tonight in exchange for your son's mandrakes. 180 00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:08,000 When Jacob came from the field in the evening, Leah went out to 181 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,800 meet him and said, You must come in to me, for I have hired you 182 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:13,680 with my son's mandrakes. So he lay with her that night, 183 00:11:14,280 --> 00:11:17,240 and God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a 184 00:11:17,240 --> 00:11:20,320 fifth son. Leah said God has given me my 185 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,600 wages because I gave my servant to my husband. 186 00:11:24,240 --> 00:11:28,120 So she called his name Yusakar. And Leah conceived again, and 187 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:32,440 she bore Jacob a sixth son. Then Leah said, God has endowed 188 00:11:32,440 --> 00:11:36,240 me with a good endowment. Now my husband will honor me 189 00:11:36,440 --> 00:11:38,440 because I have borne him six sons. 190 00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:43,760 So she called his name Zebulon. Afterward, she bore a daughter 191 00:11:43,840 --> 00:11:48,800 and called her name Dinah. So Leah gives birth again, first 192 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,400 to Isakar, which sounds like the Hebrew for wages or higher. 193 00:11:52,680 --> 00:11:56,120 We see Leah is actually proud enough of what she did to get 194 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:59,240 another son out of Jacob that she memorializes it in a name. 195 00:11:59,920 --> 00:12:02,440 Then we have Zebulun, which sounds like honor. 196 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:06,400 Now we see some of the motivation for Leah's ongoing 197 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:12,640 sadness, maybe even bitterness. Here is yet another son named as 198 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,640 a living prayer that her husband would honor her. 199 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,680 She's born six sons for him herself, plus two more by her 200 00:12:19,680 --> 00:12:23,560 servant, and still that love that she yearns for is not to be 201 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:27,480 had. And then she has Dinah. 202 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,240 This is a female version of the name Dan from the Hebrew for 203 00:12:31,240 --> 00:12:33,160 Judge. And this is perhaps a 204 00:12:33,160 --> 00:12:37,560 disparaging taunt at Rachel. Rachel still hasn't conceived 205 00:12:37,560 --> 00:12:39,680 herself yet. The first time Rachel gave her 206 00:12:39,680 --> 00:12:43,360 servant to Jacob, she named him Dan. 207 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,160 Rachel saw that as the Lord's judgement in her favor. 208 00:12:47,240 --> 00:12:50,800 Now Leah is saying to Rachel by naming her daughter Dinah. 209 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:54,040 Not only do I have an abundance of sons, but a daughter as well. 210 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:57,600 See how the Lord has judged on my behalf. 211 00:12:58,360 --> 00:13:02,520 In terms of children, Leah has provided more than Rachel. 212 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:05,840 But here comes the turning point. 213 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:10,080 Finally, after all of this, including a final jabbing taunt, 214 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:13,440 Jacob's beloved Rachel gives birth to his son. 215 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:17,760 Verse 22. Then God remembered Rachel, and 216 00:13:17,760 --> 00:13:20,520 God listened to her and opened her womb. 217 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:25,240 She conceived and bore a son and said, God has taken away my 218 00:13:25,240 --> 00:13:28,000 reproach. And she called his name Joseph, 219 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:31,760 saying, May the Lord add to me another son. 220 00:13:32,480 --> 00:13:38,240 After so much rivalry and shame and infighting, here His mercy 221 00:13:38,440 --> 00:13:42,840 prevails, just like with Abram and Sarai, and with Isaac and 222 00:13:42,840 --> 00:13:46,800 Rebecca, and later in the Bible with Hannah and her son Samuel, 223 00:13:47,040 --> 00:13:50,560 or in the New Testament with Elizabeth and her son John. 224 00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:54,320 The Lord provides. It is not always this way, but 225 00:13:54,320 --> 00:13:59,760 praise God when it is streams in the desert and fruitful wombs to 226 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:03,160 the desolate. Thus Rachel exclaims in relief. 227 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:08,000 God has taken away my reproach. Just when the night was darkest 228 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,120 and the mockery was more than she could bear. 229 00:14:11,120 --> 00:14:14,920 So she gives birth to Joseph, which means, may he add, and 230 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:19,880 sounds like taken away his name is an ongoing prayer for yet 231 00:14:19,880 --> 00:14:24,680 another son, and also a living memorial to God's provision. 232 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:27,400 He has taken away Rachel's reproach. 233 00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:32,360 So that's half the chapter and a whole lot of brokenness and 234 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,360 dysfunction throughout Genesis. We're going to see sibling 235 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:39,920 rivalry and parental favoritism cause so much pain. 236 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:44,200 But throughout all of it, God is working His purposes out. 237 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:46,960 He does not approve of these sinful ways. 238 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:50,520 It's very clear that every time polygamy enters the picture in 239 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,640 the Bible, everyone is having a terrible time. 240 00:14:54,040 --> 00:14:59,600 And yet God will use this family line to bless the nations in 241 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,120 spite of themselves. What we have here is an 242 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:08,640 outworking of the people portion of God's promises to Abraham and 243 00:15:08,640 --> 00:15:13,200 to his descendants. Abram went from no children to 244 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:17,480 two children, then eventually 8 total, but not by Sarai, but 245 00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,520 only one through the line of promise. 246 00:15:21,240 --> 00:15:24,880 Then Isaac, he went from no children to two children, and it 247 00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:27,000 stops there. So what about this home? 248 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,720 More than the stars in the sky or the number of grains of sand 249 00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:32,320 on the seashore? Promise. 250 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:34,280 We're not seeing a lot of fertility. 251 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,840 There aren't a lot of descendants from the promised 252 00:15:36,840 --> 00:15:41,120 line. Then we have Jacob and his wives 253 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:45,720 and their servants. Through this broken family, God 254 00:15:45,720 --> 00:15:49,200 is blessing the world with 12 children, soon to be 13. 255 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:53,080 And from 12 of these, we will find the 12 tribes of Israel, an 256 00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:55,440 entire nation, a blessing to the world. 257 00:15:56,440 --> 00:16:03,360 The ends do not justify the means, but God can redeem even 258 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:06,720 the worst of motives. It's like Joseph says later in 259 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,520 Genesis 50. As for you, you meant evil 260 00:16:09,520 --> 00:16:13,600 against me, but God meant it for good. 261 00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:21,200 This is Pearl. Many of you have either heard of 262 00:16:21,200 --> 00:16:24,840 or read Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic novel The Scarlet 263 00:16:24,840 --> 00:16:27,920 Letter. It includes this little girl, 264 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:33,320 Pearl, in 17th century America is born out of wedlock. 265 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:37,600 She is conceived in sin and shunned, being the very 266 00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:41,600 embodiment and personification of the shame which her mother 267 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:45,480 bears for her sin. Pearl is a painful daily 268 00:16:45,480 --> 00:16:52,520 reminder of her parents sin, and yet this child will be the 269 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,520 catalyst for redemption which her parents will experience. 270 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,840 Without Pearl's presence, her parents sin would be concealed 271 00:16:59,840 --> 00:17:03,000 forever, perhaps forgotten completely, and never addressed. 272 00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:06,480 Maybe the couple would continue to live an emotional torment and 273 00:17:06,480 --> 00:17:10,240 perhaps never experienced the reconciliation that comes 274 00:17:10,400 --> 00:17:12,640 through confession and repentance. 275 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:17,640 But Pearl's very existence will not let them hide from their 276 00:17:17,640 --> 00:17:20,160 sin. It must be addressed. 277 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:23,480 And when it comes into the light, we see redeeming love 278 00:17:23,720 --> 00:17:26,200 triumph over the darkness of evil. 279 00:17:26,880 --> 00:17:31,360 How much more beautiful is God's redeeming grace once that sin 280 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:35,880 has been revealed and overcome? How much more powerful the 281 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:38,800 gospel when the sin hasn't just been forgotten, but is 282 00:17:38,800 --> 00:17:42,080 confessed, forgiven, and redeemed. 283 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,000 So it is with Jacob's children. In this horrible, messed up 284 00:17:47,040 --> 00:17:49,400 situation. God is going to redeem this 285 00:17:49,400 --> 00:17:53,600 entire family and use them to show that He is God and they are 286 00:17:53,600 --> 00:17:57,480 not, and that He can bring beauty out of an ugly mess. 287 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,640 Well, we might say, if that's true, should we just continuing 288 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:05,240 continue sinning in order that grace may abound and we echo 289 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:08,120 with the apostle Paul by no means. 290 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:13,440 And yet, where we see sin for the magnitude of what it is, it 291 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:18,120 makes God's redemptive power shine out all the brighter. 292 00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:23,160 Again, the ends do not justify the means, but God can take our 293 00:18:23,160 --> 00:18:27,320 worst mistakes and redeem them for His purposes far better than 294 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,080 we could possibly imagine. God will take the worst mistakes 295 00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:35,960 of Jacob, Leah, Rachel, and Uncle Laban and use it to bless 296 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,640 the world. The Lord even chooses to 297 00:18:38,640 --> 00:18:41,560 memorialize the names of Jacob's children forever. 298 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:44,120 They become the 12 tribes of Israel and they will be set 299 00:18:44,120 --> 00:18:47,560 apart as a Kingdom of priests and a holy nation. 300 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:52,800 As he says in Exodus 19, this family, coming from friendless, 301 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:58,280 hopeless, helpless Jacob will be chosen to represent the world, 302 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:02,680 represent to the world God Himself, and to bless the 303 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,600 nations. So maybe your family feels 304 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:09,880 pretty messed up and maybe you're the cause, or maybe 305 00:19:09,880 --> 00:19:14,760 you're mostly the victim. You are not beyond hope, and 306 00:19:14,760 --> 00:19:18,240 neither is your family. The whole of Genesis, even the 307 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,360 whole of the Bible, is a testimony to that. 308 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:24,360 And we can consider the church, the family of God messes up over 309 00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:26,520 and over again, and we will continue to. 310 00:19:26,680 --> 00:19:30,920 There's so many times we get it wrong, and yet it is God who 311 00:19:30,920 --> 00:19:33,520 turns our messes out for His glory. 312 00:19:33,760 --> 00:19:38,560 It is God who uses our faltering efforts, even our twisted and 313 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,920 selfish motives, to bring everlasting blessing. 314 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:45,040 He works through us and in spite of us. 315 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:50,160 And God has more in mind for Jacob and for his family. 316 00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:53,360 They're going to get help that they have not earned, Not by a 317 00:19:53,360 --> 00:19:56,160 long shot. We've looked at Jacob's wives 318 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,720 and children, and now we're going to see a turn of the 319 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:02,400 tables with sheisty Uncle Laban. Yes, God fulfills his promises 320 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:06,080 through broken families, but now we're going to see how God 321 00:20:06,080 --> 00:20:10,000 fulfills his promises through undeserved grace. 322 00:20:10,280 --> 00:20:13,680 We're continuing in chapter 30, verse 25. 323 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:18,600 As soon as Rachel had borne Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, 324 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:21,440 send me away that I may go to my own home and country. 325 00:20:21,960 --> 00:20:25,440 Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you. 326 00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,800 That I may go, for you know the service that I have given you. 327 00:20:30,120 --> 00:20:33,760 But Laban said to him, If I have found favor in your sight, I 328 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,680 have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because 329 00:20:36,680 --> 00:20:39,080 of you. Name your wages and I will give 330 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:43,840 it, Jacob said to him, You yourself know how I have served 331 00:20:43,840 --> 00:20:46,360 you, and how your livestock has fared with me. 332 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:49,160 For you had little before I came, and it has increased 333 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,520 abundantly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I turned. 334 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,560 But now when shall I provide for my own household also? 335 00:20:57,600 --> 00:20:59,080 Laban said, What shall I give you? 336 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:02,280 And Jacob said You shall not give me anything. 337 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:05,520 If you will do this for me, I will again pasture your flock 338 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:07,840 and keep it. Let me pass through all your 339 00:21:07,840 --> 00:21:11,720 flock today, removing from it every speckled and spotted sheep 340 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:15,320 and every black lamb and the spotted and speckled among the 341 00:21:15,320 --> 00:21:17,760 goats, and they shall be my wages. 342 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:22,400 So my honesty will answer for me later when you come to look into 343 00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:25,800 my wages with you. Everyone that is not speckled 344 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:29,320 and spotted among the goats and black among the lambs, if found 345 00:21:29,320 --> 00:21:31,560 with me, shall be counted stolen. 346 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,360 Laban said. Good, let it be as you have 347 00:21:34,360 --> 00:21:37,160 said. But that day Laban removed the 348 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:40,240 male goats that were striped and spotted, and all the female 349 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:43,160 goats that were speckled and spotted, everyone that had white 350 00:21:43,160 --> 00:21:46,800 on it and every lamb that was black, and put them in the 351 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:50,280 charge of his sons. And he said a distance of three 352 00:21:50,280 --> 00:21:54,120 days journey between himself and Jacob and Jacob pastured the 353 00:21:54,120 --> 00:21:58,320 rest of Laban's flock. Things are not looking good. 354 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:01,960 Jacob is being deceived, this deceiving man. 355 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,880 It started with Laban giving Leah to Jacob instead of giving 356 00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:09,240 Rachel, which began this whole mess that obligated Jacob to 357 00:22:09,240 --> 00:22:12,240 stay and work for seven years for Laban in order for Laban to 358 00:22:12,240 --> 00:22:15,000 give up his daughter Rachel, and then through trickery, an 359 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,920 additional 7 years for Leah. 14 years of Jacob's life gone. 360 00:22:19,200 --> 00:22:22,360 But now when Jacob seems as if maybe he's trying to go 361 00:22:22,360 --> 00:22:25,400 straight, he gets cheated out of his wages. 362 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:29,240 Laban says he can have all of the speckled spotted in black 363 00:22:29,240 --> 00:22:31,440 livestock and then he goes through and he takes them all 364 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:33,600 away. Jacob is still getting a taste 365 00:22:33,600 --> 00:22:36,920 of his own bitter medicine. Now he doesn't certainly doesn't 366 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,680 deserve fair treatment after the way he's lived his life. 367 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,080 But now even God is going to say enough is enough. 368 00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,120 We're going to continue in verse 37. 369 00:22:45,120 --> 00:22:48,000 Remember, Laban has left with the livestock that belongs to 370 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,480 Jacob. Jacob's taking care of it. 371 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:52,800 Verse 37. Then Jacob took fresh sticks of 372 00:22:52,800 --> 00:22:56,720 Poplar and almond and plane trees and peeled white streaks 373 00:22:56,720 --> 00:22:59,040 in them, exposing the white of the sticks. 374 00:23:00,000 --> 00:23:02,320 He said the sticks that he had peeled in front of the flocks in 375 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:05,320 the troughs, that is, the watering places where the flocks 376 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:08,200 came to drink. And since they bred when they 377 00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,400 came to drink, the flocks bred in front of the sticks. 378 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,320 And so the flocks brought forth striped, speckled, and spotted, 379 00:23:16,040 --> 00:23:19,080 And Jacob separated the lambs and set the faces of the flocks 380 00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:21,840 toward the striped and all the black in the flock of Laban. 381 00:23:22,560 --> 00:23:26,280 He put his own droves apart, and did not put them with Laban's 382 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:28,600 flock. Whenever the stronger of the 383 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:31,600 flock were breeding, Jacob would lay the sticks in the troughs 384 00:23:31,720 --> 00:23:34,720 before the eyes of the flock, that they might breed among the 385 00:23:34,720 --> 00:23:37,840 sticks. But for the feebler of the flock 386 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,080 he would not lay them there. So the feebler would be Laban's 387 00:23:41,440 --> 00:23:45,360 and the stronger Jacobs. Thus, the man increased greatly 388 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:49,800 and had large flocks, female servants and male servants, and 389 00:23:49,800 --> 00:23:52,360 camels and donkeys. This is weird. 390 00:23:53,040 --> 00:23:56,600 This is one of those passages of the Bible where if you're 391 00:23:56,800 --> 00:23:59,960 reading through, whether in a Bible study or at home among 392 00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:04,200 your family, and everyone kind of just goes, huh, isn't that 393 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,080 interesting? What do you think? 394 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:09,640 OK, we'll keep reading and then move on. 395 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:11,520 We don't always know what to do with strange stuff like this. 396 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,920 So how did this happen? There are a couple of ways that 397 00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:17,960 Christians have handled this in the past. 398 00:24:17,960 --> 00:24:21,720 First, some people think that maybe there was an ancient 399 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:24,760 understanding of genetics that we aren't aware of today. 400 00:24:24,760 --> 00:24:27,600 Maybe there was a technique that Jacob applied and it worked 401 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:30,040 well. This position takes us to help a 402 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:33,600 humble posture toward our understanding of the world from 403 00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,640 over 3000 years ago, recognizing that there could be a lot that 404 00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:41,080 we don't know about. Or maybe it was an enacted 405 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:42,840 prayer. We see this elsewhere in the 406 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:46,360 Bible, such as in Numbers chapter 5 when we're going 407 00:24:46,360 --> 00:24:49,240 through Levitical law. And in that passage, a woman has 408 00:24:49,240 --> 00:24:53,240 the opportunity to receive vindication of her honesty 409 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:56,640 through drinking dusty water and showing that it doesn't harm 410 00:24:56,640 --> 00:24:59,240 her. The dust would never actually 411 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:02,080 harm her unless God's hand is in it. 412 00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:06,320 But by drinking it anyway, she is enacting a prayer of God and 413 00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,000 a prayer to God in front of other people for her vindication 414 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,440 of innocence if it does harm to her. 415 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,920 That had to be God's hand alone. Dust in water doesn't hurt 416 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:19,360 people in the same way. Maybe Jacob knows that the 417 00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:21,160 sticks aren't actually doing anything. 418 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,480 Maybe he places them in front of the troughs as a way of saying, 419 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:28,480 Lord, please act on my behalf injustice by making these 420 00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:32,440 animals my own. I think the key to this passage 421 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:37,280 actually comes a chapter later in Genesis chapter 31 verse 7 422 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,720 and following. Jacob tells Lee and Rachel some 423 00:25:39,720 --> 00:25:42,800 of what has happened. And Jacob says your father Laban 424 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:48,400 has cheated me and changed my wages 10 times, but God did not 425 00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:52,960 permit him to harm me. Thus God has taken away the 426 00:25:52,960 --> 00:25:56,200 livestock of your father and given them to me. 427 00:25:57,120 --> 00:26:00,960 And Jacob goes on to describe how God in a dream specifically 428 00:26:00,960 --> 00:26:04,240 told him that the flock would made and produced striped and 429 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:08,160 spotted and mottled sheep that would clearly belong to Jacob. 430 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:12,320 So in perplexity, I took the liberty of asking a former 431 00:26:12,320 --> 00:26:14,920 veterinary doctor I know who also used to be a pastor here, 432 00:26:16,960 --> 00:26:20,720 and he confirmed that he's never heard of any legitimate reason 433 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:24,480 as to why or how this was supposed to yield the results it 434 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,520 did. No genetics or husbandry of 435 00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:31,360 today can explain it, so we can assume the technique probably 436 00:26:31,720 --> 00:26:34,160 isn't what yielded the results now. 437 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:38,200 At the end of the day, no matter which approach you take, it had 438 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:42,560 to be God who ultimately ordained for this to work. 439 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,800 God is putting Jacob in these dire situations where he can't 440 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:51,280 possibly save himself or weasel his way out of it. 441 00:26:51,760 --> 00:26:55,520 The only one who can possibly turn this mess around is God 442 00:26:55,640 --> 00:26:58,560 himself. And boy does God turn it around 443 00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:02,000 in verse 43. Thus the man Jacob increased 444 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:05,280 greatly. Jacob's prosperity abounds far 445 00:27:05,320 --> 00:27:07,840 more than he could have possibly imagined. 446 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:11,240 And it's grace because it's undeserved. 447 00:27:11,240 --> 00:27:15,560 That's what grace is. It is undeserved favor from the 448 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:19,880 Lord, unmerited, unearned. It is a gift of grace. 449 00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:26,880 So we ask, why would God prosper Jacob throughout all of this? 450 00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:31,320 He does not deserve this. So what if Laban deceives him? 451 00:27:31,880 --> 00:27:36,120 What goes around comes around. After all, Jacob and his family 452 00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:39,960 are part of God's promise to the world, this legacy of blessing. 453 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,040 They will be the ones to mediate blessing as the nation of 454 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:47,240 Israel. Even more profound, God will use 455 00:27:47,240 --> 00:27:52,040 this family line to bring the Messiah into the world. 456 00:27:52,920 --> 00:27:56,120 So God provides for them, not just the blessing of a big 457 00:27:56,120 --> 00:27:59,840 family, despite their sin, in an abundance of wealth and amazing 458 00:27:59,840 --> 00:28:02,040 gift of undeserved grace to provide for them. 459 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,880 But let's look closer at the Messianic line. 460 00:28:05,720 --> 00:28:08,720 As Pastor Jan has been challenging us to see Jesus 461 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:12,440 throughout the Old Testament, let's consider for a moment what 462 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:18,600 a messed up family Jesus has. He came from this family line. 463 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:23,000 These are his ancestors. Do you ever feel like you have a 464 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:27,000 family, either living or in the past that you should be ashamed 465 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:31,160 of? Look to Jesus and see how God 466 00:28:31,280 --> 00:28:34,400 brought redemption through the most twisted family line 467 00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:37,720 imaginable. Look and see how God turned such 468 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:41,640 brokenness for good. Think about how God blessed them 469 00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:44,960 in spite of themselves, that He might use this family for a 470 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:47,680 purpose beyond their wildest imagination. 471 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:52,720 God used this broken family to give the world the most precious 472 00:28:52,840 --> 00:28:57,720 gift of grace that they never could have deserved, and we 473 00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:02,400 never could either. He has given it freely and in 474 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:07,160 the most unlikely way. God is not done with your story 475 00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:11,240 yet, and He's not done with the story of your family. 476 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:14,640 No matter what you've come from, no matter what you're dealing 477 00:29:14,640 --> 00:29:18,880 with now, He has a purpose for you, and it is meant for His 478 00:29:18,880 --> 00:29:22,640 glory and for your good, and ultimately the spread of the 479 00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:25,400 gospel. And no matter how messy, it is 480 00:29:25,400 --> 00:29:29,360 the Lord alone who can bring redemption out of sin and deceit 481 00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,760 and a resurrection life out of death and decay. 482 00:29:34,640 --> 00:29:37,280 It was true for Jacob and his family, and it's true for you 483 00:29:37,320 --> 00:29:40,080 and yours. God fulfills His promises in the 484 00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:45,880 most unlikely ways through brokenness and undeserved grace. 485 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:52,840 Let's pray together. Our Heavenly Father, we come 486 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:59,120 before you humbled by your great goodness and grace. 487 00:29:59,880 --> 00:30:01,280 We see it everywhere in the Bible. 488 00:30:01,720 --> 00:30:06,040 We can see so much of ourselves and Jacob and his family, and 489 00:30:06,040 --> 00:30:10,480 yet, Lord, not only in their mess, but also in how they are 490 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:13,800 redeemed. And so, Lord, we pray that every 491 00:30:13,800 --> 00:30:18,600 day you would help us to rest in your redeeming grace, walking 492 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:23,360 hopefully, trusting every day that You are the one who can 493 00:30:23,360 --> 00:30:28,480 bring such glory out of darkness, who can bring the 494 00:30:28,480 --> 00:30:33,440 brightest day out of the darkest night, who can bless the world 495 00:30:33,440 --> 00:30:37,640 even through our mess. Father, thank you for making all 496 00:30:37,640 --> 00:30:40,520 things well and for guiding us through these ups and downs. 497 00:30:40,520 --> 00:30:43,800 Have your way in US and use us for your purposes. 498 00:30:44,040 --> 00:30:47,160 The blessing of the nations and the spread of the gospel. 499 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:51,360 We pray this in Jesus name and by the Spirit, Amen.