The Book of Genesis
Day 288
Ge 31:25 So Laban
overtook Jacob. Now Jacob had pitched his tent in the mountains, and Laban with
his brethren pitched in the mountains of Gilead. 26 And Laban said to Jacob: "What have
you done, that you have stolen away unknown to me, and carried away my
daughters like captives taken with the sword?
27 "Why did you flee away secretly, and steal away from me, and not
tell me; for I might have sent you away with joy and songs, with timbrel and
harp? 28 "And you did not allow me
to kiss my sons and my daughters. Now you have done foolishly in so doing. 29 "It is in my power to do you harm,
but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful that you
speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.'
Have you ever been
overtaken by a besetting sin? You know, those habitual wrongdoings that you
just can’t seem to shake? I think this relationship between Laban and Jacob
paints a picture of our own struggles with temptation and besetting sins.
Laban,
representing the besetting sin, and Jacob representing the one enslaved by that
sin. Jacob has been a slave to Laban for 20 years! Rather than argue with the
devil about his slavery, Jacob takes off, making a clean break and heading back
to his homeland! Good advice in the matter of the devil and besetting sins!
Resist! Jas 4:7 says, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will
flee from you.”
But the besetting
sin and the devil catch up with Jacob, (those sins aren’t called besetting for
nothing!) Temptation will come again even as we seek to resist and flee! “C’mon
Jacob,” says the besetting sin, “I wasn’t all that bad was I? We could’ve had a
real nice send off with joy and songs!”
Jacob was in a
sense, powerless for those 20 years for he was under contract with Laban, but
now something new has been added to the mix, and that someTHING is really SomeONE!
God has intervened and pulled Jacob away from the besetting sin and tells him
to return to his homeland. He does this in a dream to Laban and warned him to
keep his hands off Jacob. God, in effect, was demonstrating His love toward
Jacob saying, “I love you Jacob! I love you too much to see you go back to
bondage!”
Listen, if you are
struggling with besetting sins. God the Father wants you to know the fullness
of joy in Christ! He wants to set us free from the bondage of besetting sins!
He has given us all we need to be set free In His Son Jesus Christ. Flee from sin and run to Jesus! For if the
Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
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