“Glory to the Precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Psalms 44: 4 You are my King, O God; Command victories for Jacob.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Hallelujah

Jacob - Two types of appearances in the churches

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, let us think about the portion of the Bible which we meditated upon yesterday. First Leah gave birth to four sons for Jacob. Rachel, who became envious of her gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob as his wife and we see that she gives birth to two sons for him. When Leah saw that, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to her husband as wife. She gave birth to two sons named Gad and Asher for Jacob.

Now Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them to his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 

But Leah said to her, “Is it a small matter that you have taken away my husband? Would you take away my son’s mandrakes also?” And Rachel said, “Therefore I will give you my husband today for your son’s mandrakes.” When Jacob came out of the field in the evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come in to me, for I have surely hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” And Jacob listened to her and Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a fifth son for Jacob called Issachar. 

Then Leah gave birth to a sixth son for Jacob called Zebulun.

In this manner, Jacob gives birth to four fleshly generations.

Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 

Genesis 30: 23, 24 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, “God has taken away my reproach.” 

So she called his name Joseph, and said, “The Lord shall add to me another son.”

Then Leah after she had given birth to the sixth son gave birth to a daughter called Dinah.

What we understand from this is that, twelve sons and one daughter were born for Jacob. The daughter went around the city and becomes defiled. The explanation about this is it is showing the growth of God's church. We understand that the generation that is born from the true wife - the bride is the blessed generation.  If it is under the bondage of flesh or lusts it will be a cursed generation. We see that the blessing that Isaac gave Jacob was that -  Blessed be those who bless you! and cursed be everyone who curses you.

Also, the first son of Jacob - Reuben  lost his blessing. The reason for him losing that blessing was his mother - Leah. The mandrakes show God's love. Rachel receives that. That is why, when her womb opens the first child that is born is Joseph. It is written he is a fruitful bough. Genesis 49: 22 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a well; His branches run over the wall.

Reuben loses his birthright. When we look at this, just like how Jacob received Esau's portion in his life, in the same way God makes his eldest son to lose his portion of birthright.

Genesis 49: 1 - 4 And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days:

“Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father.

“Reuben, you are my firstborn, My might and the beginning of my strength, The excellency of dignity and the excellency of power.

Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it— He went up to my couch. In this manner, we see that Jacob is telling Reuben that you shall not excel.

God is showing Jacob's twelve sons as the twelve tribes. We see that six of them are made to stand in Mount. Gerizim to be blessed and six of them are made to stand in Mount Ebal to be cursed. 

God is showing this as a pattern that the spiritual church receives blessing and the worldly church with fleshly thoughts receives curse.

Deuteronomy 27: 11 - 15 And Moses commanded the people on the same day, saying,

“These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin; 

and these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

“And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel: 

‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ “And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen!’

From this what we understand is that if anything that is made by the work of the hands of the craftsman is given an important place in our souls we see that God says they are cursed.

The next part will be continued tomorrow.

Let us pray. May the Lord bless you all.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        - To be continued