Author: Kristen Kansiewicz, LMHC

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 33 before reading the devotional below.

Reading today’s chapter, I’m really surprised I have not heard more sermons about Esau. We often hear about Jesus’ story of the prodigal son, whose father welcomed him back with open arms after the son treats him badly. But Esau is perhaps one of the most powerful stories of forgiveness in the Bible. We’ll see another one soon when we read about one of Jacob’s sons, Joseph, who is probably about 3-5 years old in today’s story. Perhaps watching his Uncle Esau forgive his father was one of Joseph’s earliest memories. Imagine the influence that might have had in his life, and in the entire history of Israel!

Esau had every right to be angry with Jacob, and he certainly would have been well within his rights to at least bring up the offenses between the two of them. Jacob’s apprehension is a sign that it would have been reasonable for Esau not to welcome him back. Verse 4 describes a moving scene: “Then Esau ran to meet him and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.” That’s not the behavior of a man who has hung on to bitterness over being wronged.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Forgiveness always sets you free.

Reconciliation, which we see in this story, is possible when both parties are willing to lay aside old ways and start over. That’s not always the case in situations where harm has occurred. However, forgiveness is always possible and it’s a key to freedom. Even if Jacob had never returned to his homeland, Esau had found freedom in releasing anger and forgiving his brother. If he had not worked through those feelings of anger, it’s unlikely he would have been ready to embrace his brother and weep with him. Esau could have lived a life of bitterness, longing for the day he might get revenge if Jacob ever crossed his path again. He chose freedom. What do you need to release and forgive today?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 32 before reading the devotional below.

When you’ve stolen from your brother twice and completely altered the course of his life, it’s not a sure thing that he’ll be friendly when you plan your big homecoming. Jacob is nervous about going back, and he is ready to give Esau some big gifts to try to make peace. When he hears that Esau is ready to meet him on the road with a 400-man army, Jacob starts praying.

This story shows us just how fiesty and determined Jacob is. He has a strange midnight encounter with an unidentified man, who seems to be an early appearance of Jesus (God in the form of man). Jacob’s hip is dislocated but refuses to stop the wrestling match without a blessing. In the end, he gets a blessing and a new name: Israel.

Here’s your freedom for today:

God’s best is worth fighting for.

Jacob seems very eager for blessings throughout his life. It’s what drove him to cheat his brother out of his birthright and the blessing from their father, Isaac. He demands a blessing again here. Jacob clearly wants something more, and he relies on spiritual means to get it. He clearly believes in the power of God to speak into his life and make things happen. He’s willing to fight hard to get God’s best for him. What are you fighting for today? What wrestling match do you need to have with God in prayer?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 31 before reading the devotional below.

They say that good fences make good neighbors, and it turns out that they work for family disputes too. Jacob is fed up with Laban’s mistreatment, and now he’s being accused of trying to cheat Laban out of his wealth. They are living in proximity, but back then when they had lots of livestock they weren’t all living in the same house. Jacob decides to flee without telling Laban, and it takes three days for Laban to find out they are gone. In the end, they build a rock wall to signify their separation.

Rachel pulls a fast one and steals her father’s idols, which suggests that there’s some mixing of allegiances to gods in the family. She pulls a “lady problems” excuse to avoid getting caught and it works. The theft goes undetected. It’s unclear why she stole them, but it’s clear that her life was on the line if she were caught.

Here’s your freedom for today:

Freedom is found when we follow the one, true God.

This entire chapter is a story none of us would want to be in. Bad family relationships, fleeing undercover, stealing, lying, and heading back to a place you had to run from in the first place. Jacob’s not leading his family well, and yet he’s the one God is using to build his special nation. Just another example of how God accomplishes his mission regardless of our failings. So many of the problems here could be avoided if Jacob (and Rachel) had a singular focus on the one, true God. They knew him, he was involved in their lives, yet they had other gods and wealth in mind. They are not living free lives as a result. What allegiances are compromising your freedom today?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 30 before reading the devotional below.

Fertility is a key theme in today’s chapter, both in the pregnancy journeys of Jacob’s wives and in the expansion of his wealth (via sheep). Children and flocks meant power and status in those days, and there’s a reason that many religions have forms of fertility gods. We see here that God is still actively involved in fertility, but again he intervenes for the women’s sake. He’s not trying to make Jacob wealthier — he is answering the prayers of women.

It is important to notice that comparison rarely leads to anything productive. Leah and Rachel are involved in their baby wars, and that leads Rachel to pull the same stunt Sarah tried with Abraham — giving him a servant to sleep with. Jacob apparently didn’t learn from any stories passed down that he should avoid this, so on it goes. It’s amazing how generational issues get passed along so easily within families.

Here’s your freedom for today:

You can release control and trust God to bless you.

Freedom is found in letting go of the things that this world says are important. Money, fame, status, and power all lead to comparisons and competition. We focus on others instead of on God. In today’s chapter, God was ready to bless Rachel. He noticed her and was ready to intervene. She didn’t have to take matters into her own hands and give her husband another woman. Competition and status drove her to repeat that mistake. What are you holding tightly today that might lead you down a path you’ll regret? What would trusting God look like in that situation?

Take a moment to read the entire chapter of Genesis 29 before reading the devotional below.

Love is a funny thing. It makes us do all kinds of things, and in today’s chapter Jacob is willing to work for seven years to marry Rachel. The trouble with a pre-electric society is that you can’t see who you’re sleeping with in the dark, so on Jacob’s wedding night Leah (the oldest daughter) comes in instead. Jacob has to work another seven years for Rachel, who apparently was quite worth it.

God is only mentioned in the story once. He sees the competition between Leah and Rachel and decides to get involved. Verse 31 says, “When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he enabled her to have children, but Rachel could not conceive.” Leah has three sons: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. These names are important in Israel’s history, and you’ll see these names later when you read about the 12 tribes of Israel. Levi becomes the tribe designated for the priesthood. God’s intervention in today’s chapter means that Leah is the mother of the entire line of Jewish priests.

Here’s your freedom for today:

If you are brought low by the world, God will elevate you.

Perhaps you’ve felt like Leah: less than, unloved, and unwanted. God notices you. He sees. He’s not going to forget about you, and he certainly doesn’t agree with any concept of you being unlovable. God loves you, and he’s more than able to tip the scales in your direction. Maybe it doesn’t seem like that right now, just like Leah may not have felt any more loved after she had her three sons. But she was given favor, and an important place in history. God’s looking for people who the world rejects to build his kingdom. Being unpopular is sometimes a spiritual blessing in disguise.