Genesis 30 - The Children Born to Jacob
The adage, those who do not learn from their parents or history, may doom themselves to repeat the SAME mistakes…applies here with Jacob & Rachel. Genesis 29 told us that Jacob married BOTH sisters, Leah the elder and Rachel the youngest daughter of Laban. And we know that Jacob loved Rachel, but not Leah, right?
Regardless, Jacob visits Leah enough, to produce 4 sons. 4 sons that he is NOT in attendance when they are born, and does not even bother to name them, which is his duty and right…Leah names them all.
All we know from Genesis 29 is that Rachel does not conceive at all during this time…she remains barren.
So that brings us to Genesis 30. Rachel is tired of TRYING to conceive on her own, so she, like Sarah wife of Abraham, decides to take things into her own hands…INSTEAD of hitting her knees and ASKING Almighty God for a child. Rachel gives her maid, Bilhah to Jacob in a “surrogate mother” arrangement & two sons are born to Bilhah & Jacob.
Verses 1-4 tells us Rachel, out of frustration with herself AND Jacob, gives her maid Bilhah to Jacob.
“Now when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister, and said to Jacob, “Give me children, or else I die!” And Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, “Am I in the place of God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?” So she said, “Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her.” Then she gave him Bilhah her maid as wife, and Jacob went in to her.”
Give me children, or else I die! Despite Rachel’s great beauty, she also was near despair. And instead of seeking Almighty God, she blames Jacob, let’s face it, Jacob’s seed is fertile, he is creating children left and right, Amen? But Jacob turns around and points the finger at and probably puts the blames God & Rachel for her barren womb.
Conversely, we know that Leah often said, “If I ONLY HAD my sister’s beauty and the love of my husband as she does.” And, no doubt, Rachel often said, “If I ONLY HAD sons like my sister.”
ALMIGHTY GOD IS TELLING US ALL SOMETHING RIGHT HERE…ANOTHER SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT HUMANS AND HUMAN NATURE.
Beautiful or plain, rich or poor, well loved or lonely, we ALL have our problems & our insecurities. Stop looking to how God deals with others and set your eyes on Him & seek JESUS INSTEAD FOR YOUR HEART CRIES AND YOUR ANSWERS!
Rachel envied her sister . . . Give me children, or else I die . . . Jacob’s anger was aroused against Rachel: The tension in this family is apparent. At least Jacob WAS RIGHT WHEN HE SAW the hand of God in the matter, even though he BLAMED GOD & stated it to Rachel cruelly.
Can you imagine how vain Rachel was, knowing Jacob worked 14 years with no pay out of love for her, and knowing Jacob would not have worked one day for Leah?
Here is my maid Bilhah; go in to her, and she will bear a child on my knees, that I also may have children by her: Much like Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham in a surrogate-mother type arrangement in Genesis 16, Rachel gives her maid Bilhah to Jacob.
On my knees refers to the custom where the husband impregnated the surrogate while the surrogate, IN THIS CASE, BILHAH reclined on the lap of RACHEL during sexual intimacy, and how BILHAH would have then reclined on the LAP OF RACHEL as she gave birth. The custom & symbolism clearly showed the child was legally the child of RACHEL, not the surrogate BILHAH, who merely “stood in” for the wife both in conception and birth.
She gave him Bilhah her maid as wife:This does not mean that Jacob actually married Bilhah. It means Jacob did with Bilhah what a man should only do with his wife. He had sex with her AFTER being given the “NOD” from Rachel.
And I do not know about you married women out there, but me personally, I do NOT share. Thankfully, there is invitro now, and legal adoption…and even THEN, it all DEPENDS on Jesus plan and grace for us, Amen?
And thank you Jesus, I did not live during this age & thank you Jesus blessed us with children, but had He chosen NOT TO, there is no way, I would bring another woman into my home, have her lay against me, while I was face to face with MY husband while he WAS SEXUALLY INTIMATE with her and then be forced to have her lie in my lap during the birth? If this were the practice here now, my husband would be dealing with MUCH more than tears and anger, Amen?
Verses 5-6 tells us of the birth of Dan.
“And Bilhah conceived and bore Jacob a son. Then Rachel said, “God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son.” Therefore she called his name Dan.”
She called his name Dan: Jacob’s fifth son, born to him through Bilhah, the maid of Rachel, is named by Rachel Dan meaning, “judgment.” Because of her own envy, she viewed this child born of the flesh as a victory and a vindication for her.
Did you catch this…even with Rachel…Jacob does NOT do his duty and name his fifth son either…Rachel did.
God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son. Rachel IS WRONG IN THIS THOUGHT AND SHE IS DECEIVED into believing that GOD vindicated her. Almighty God ALLOWED Bilbah to CONCEIVE WITH JACOB, but Jesus did NOT bless it nor condone it. And those of you who KNOW your Bible, know what the FUTURE TRIBE OF DAN will do.
Verses 7-8 tell us of the birth of Naphtali.
“And Rachel’s maid Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. Then Rachel said, “With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed.” So she called his name Naphtali.”
She called his name Naphtali: Jacob’s sixth son, born to him through Bilhah, the maid of Rachel, is named Naphtali by Rachel, meaning “wrestle.” Relationships in this home have broken down to the point where Rachel will openly acknowledge this “baby competition” between her and her sister by naming the new baby wrestle.
DO you SEE how Satan PLAYS on the insecurities of BOTH WOMEN…PLAIN LEAH WANTS ONLY TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED AND CARED FOR, IF NOT LOVED BY JACOB & THE PEOPLE SURROUNDING THEM.
BEAUTIFUL RACHEL ONLY WANTS TO WIN AND OUT SHINE HER SISTER…WHATEVER THE COST.
AND JACOB, WELL HE IS JUMPING FROM BED TO BED, ENJOYING HIMSELF, AND TRYING TO KEEP THE “WOMEN” SATISFIED OR OFF HIS BACK.
THE PROBLEM IN THIS FAMILY…ONLY LEAH, TO THIS POINT, HAD FINALLY TURNED AND SOUGHT OUT AND DECIDED TO FOCUS ON JESUS…FOR HER WANTS, NEEDS, JOY, PEACE, AND HAPPINESS.
With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed: This seems strange. How do two sons prevail over four? Perhaps she meant it in the sense that now Leah seemed to have stopped having children.
BUT IN THE NEXT VERSES, WE SEE THAT LEAH IS A BIT COMPETITIVE HERSELF, AND USES HER OWN MAID ZILPAH, TO BE SURROGATE FOR HER WITH JACOB, SINCE SHE (LEAH) HAS STOPPED BEARING CHILDREN.
Two sons born to Zilpah, the maid of Leah.
I can almost hear, the old soap opera drama musicial intro sounding out here…And these are the DAYS OF OUR LIVES….Can’t you?
Verses 9-11...tells us of the birth of Gad.
“When Leah saw that she had stopped bearing, she took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife. And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, “A troop comes!” So she called his name Gad.”
She took Zilpah her maid and gave her to Jacob as wife: Leah, who has stopped bearing children, figured she could use the same “surrogate mother” method to increase “her” number of children, so she gave her maid Zilpah to Jacob as Rachel gave her maid Bilhah to Jacob.
She called his name Gad…Jacob’s seventh son, born to him through Zilpah, the maid of Leah, is named Gad, meaning “troop” or “good fortune”; the wives of Jacob are still using their children as pawns in a power struggle within the home, Amen!
And with all the DRAMA stirring WITHIN the family & with all the people around them…we see that Satan has been VERY BUSY, AND Leah HAS apparently LOST the peace she had when her fourth son was born; she no longer has the peace “praise” brings & she is NO LONGER focusing on Jesus NOR going to Him with her hurts and cares, is she?
Verses 12-13 tells us of the birth of Asher.
“And Leah’s maid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. Then Leah said, “I am happy, for the daughters will call me blessed.” So she called his name Asher.”
So she called his name Asher…Jacob’s eighth son, born to him through Zilpah, the maid of Leah, is named Asher, meaning “happy”; Leah is more concerned about the status the child will bring her (all the daughters will call me blessed) than about the child himself.
This whole drama, women in competition & using their children as pawns, reminds me of seeing mothers in this day and time dress their kids up like live mannequins…to parade them around before everyone else…these LIVE mannequins are ALWAYS NEAT AS pins, they ALWAYS WEAR THE NEWEST, THE BEST, & THE LATEST FADS…and they are at times, PAWNS, SALVES TO PERSONAL INSECURITIES, and the kids SUFFER.
They are NOT REALLY CHILDREN to their parents…but POSSESSIONS. You NEVER see them playing like other kids, who come in dirty, sweaty, laughing, and excited about playing in the rain or a mud puddle, or romping with their dogs for sheer joy. NO, these children, much like LEAH AND RACHELS children for a time, most probably were MODEL children. They did not get dirty, no creases in their clothes, no scuffs on their sandals…they were trotted out to be SEEN AND NEVER HEARD…then sent away to their own caregivers until THE NEXT PARADE.
I do not know about you…but I HURT for these children. I enjoyed, and most times joined in with waterhose and water balloon fights, I played in the rain, jumped in mud puddles, raked leaves, played chase…with my children and now my grandchildren…and we all came in exhausted, laughing, and in dire need of baths…Amen?
My point, children ARE a blessing and to be TREASURED AND ENJOYED…children/grandchildren alike, if we ALLOW it, help keep us in contact with our inner child, and they may wear us out, but they KEEP us young too, & seeking the simple fun and beauty in this life…Amen?
And here we gooooooo again…
You know Satan was having a LARGE time with Leah, Rachel, Jacob, Bilhah, & Zilpah. Leah herself bears two more sons and a daughter.
Verses 14-18 tells us of the birth of Issachar.
“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 she 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 he will lie with you tonight 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 he lay with her that night. And God listened to Leah, and she conceived and bore Jacob a fifth son. Leah said, “God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband.” So she called his name Issachar.
Reuben found mandrakes in the field.
What is the importance or value of mandrakes?
The mandrake is a root, called “love-apples” in Hebrew. They were thought (and still are among some peoples) to increase fertility in women. Because Leah had the mandrakes, she knew Jacob would have relations with her, believing there was a greater likelihood she would become pregnant.
TO THIS DAY, we don’t know if the effect of the mandrakes was something biological, or if it functioned more as a placebo. But under the guiding hand of God, the mandrakes seemed to “work” in the case of Leah and Jacob. Whatever strange agencies God may allow to be used (such as mandrakes), the real factor is His sovereign will (God listened to Leah).
You have taken away my husband.
WOW…TALK ABOUT OPEN WARFARE AND HOSTILITY. The hostility between Leah and Rachel is as obvious as it is painful, IS IT NOT?
It must have been terrible living in a home where one wife believed the other had stolen her husband from her.
BUT RIGHT HERE…WE SEE THE WISDOM OF GOD’S ORIGINAL PLAN FOR MANKIND. God’s original plan, as expressed in Genesis 2:24 tells us… “ONE man to be joined to ONE woman in a ONE-flesh relationship.”
AND WE SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN IT IS NOT FOLLOWED.
I fought a headache and a heartache while PREPARING this Bible study…
AND THIS IS ALL LAYING THE FOUNDATION…AND GIVING US THE INSIGHT AND THE REASONS BEHIND…THE WHY?
WHY this family has & will have a history of strife and bloodshed. The SIMPLE ANSWER…AND WARNING IS THIS…Children REFLECT the atmosphere of the home & their upbringing when they are grown.
AND INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH…later in Leviticus 18:18, it becomes FORBIDDEN FOR the marrying of sisters, and this shows why, Amen?
So she called his name Issachar…Jacob’s ninth son, born to Leah, is named Issachar, meaning “reward”; Leah WRONGLY SAW THIS son as a reward from God because she was “generous” enough to offer her maid to Jacob.
Verses 19-20 tells us of the birth of Zebulun.
“Then Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. And Leah said, “God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons.” So she called his name Zebulun.”
So she called his name Zebulun…Jacob’s tenth son, born to Leah, is named Zebulun, meaning “dwelling.” In the pain of her heart, LEAH STILL waits for her husband to truly love her and live with her, and she hopes the sheer quantity of sons will win his heart to her.
We see Satan still having a wonderful time tormenting everyone, and STILL LEAH has forgotten her FIRST LOVE and her TRUE PROVIDER…she and Rachel are STILL living in the flesh, just as SATAN wants it…NEITHER IS TURNING TO ALMIGHTY GOD THE TRUE AND ONLY ABSOLUTE AND UNSHAKEABLE SOURCE FOR THEIR FOR PEACE, COMFORT, LOVE, AND REASSURANCE, Amen?
Verse 21 tells us of the birth of Dinah.
“Afterward she bore a daughter, and called her name Dinah.”
Afterward she bore a daughter…FINALLY, after ten MALE children, Jacob becomes father to a daughter through Leah, who is named Dinah. Apparently, there was nothing symbolically significant in her name or the Bible would have told us.
The ungodly competition has, in one sense, ended. Leah and the two maids will have no more children.
But the wives fought each other as in a poker game… a game of CONSTANT ONEUPMANSHIP…WITH NEITHER BEING THE WINNER…AND UNFORTUNATELY the children being NOT only the pawns, but emotional, unintended casualties of this war, Amen?
Verse 22 tell us Rachel herself bears a son to Jacob & this SHOWS US God’s sovereignty over the womb.
“Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb.”
And opened her womb…The idea of God’s sovereignty over the womb is a persistent theme in the Bible.
WHERE?
God granted twins to Rebekah (Genesis 25:21).
God opens the womb of Leah (Genesis 29:31).
God closes the womb of Hannah (1 Samuel 1:5).
The purposes of God in opening one and closing the other may be completely unknowable, but what we DO KNOW & CAN ALWAYS TRUST WITHOUT A DOUBT…IS THAT OUR JESUS has His purpose, AMEN?
Verses 23-24 tells us of the birth of Joseph.
“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.”
So she called his name Joseph…The eleventh son born to Jacob, through Rachel, is named Joseph, meaning “may he add”; Rachel feels she has been “vindicated” by the birth of one son, but longs for more children to continue the competition with her sister Leah.
DO YOU NOTICE…TWO THINGS…NOT MUCH IS SAID OR HEARD FROM BY JACOB VERBALLY IN THIS CHAPTER SO FAR…and sadly, NEITHER WOMAN IS THANKFUL FOR THEIR CHILDREN, NEITHER THANKS ALMIGHTY GOD FOR HIS BLESSING OF THESE CHILDREN…IT IS STILL IN LEAH AND RACHEL’S MIND…A COMPETITION…ONE UPMANSHIP HERE.
AND THINK ABOUT IT, at this point, none would think this eleventh son would end up being THE KEY son used to further God’s redemptive purpose through this family.
BUT JOSEPH IS….
Yet Isaiah 55:8-9 tell us…“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
NOW REENTERS JACOB INTO THIS DRAMA…AND WE REALIZE SOMETHING ELSE HERE…JACOB NOT ONLY HAS TO CONTEND WITH HIS WIVES, JACOB IS STILL DEALING WITH THE GREEDY, SELF-CENTERED, MANIPULATIVE LABAN AS WELL.
Verses 25-27 tells us Jacob KNOWS it is time to go back to Canaan & OF his agreement with Laban.
“And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban, “Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country. Give me my wives and my children for whom I have served you, and let me go; for you know my service which I have done for you.” And Laban said to him, “Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake.”
Send me away, that I may go to my own place and to my country… Though Jacob was in Haran with Laban and his daughters for more than 14 years at this point, & he is NOT ALL THAT HE WILL BE WITH GOD YET, JACOB knew that he belonged in the land promised to him by God, through the covenant made with his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac. After 14 years, Jacob still called the Promised Land MY country...NOT HARAN.
Please stay, if I have found favor in your eyes, for I have learned by experience that the Lord has blessed me for your sake: Laban IS STILL THINKING ABOUT HIS POCKETBOOK AND HIS SOCIAL CACHE HERE….LABAN HAS NOT CHANGED.
LABAN KNOWS Jacob has been an invaluable worker for him. Laban says this knowledge was learned by experience. Literally this means, “learned by divination.” THIS TELLS US THAT GOD WAS RIGHT TO REMOVE ABRAM FROM HARAN, THAT LAND OF UR OF THE CHALDEANS…AND THAT EVEN HUNDREDS OF YEARS LATER, ABRAHAM’S RELATIVES/FAMILY STILL PRACTICE THE OCCULT & WORSHIP OTHER GODS. Laban practiced occult divination and by this he knew the source of blessing. THIS TELLS US OCCULT OR NOT, SATAN KNOWS WHO IS THE POWER AND THE RULER OF ALL THINGS…WHETHER HE WANTS TO ACCEPT IT OR NOT.
Verses 28-34 Jacob negotiates a deal with Laban to start building a flock of sheep and goats for himself.
“Then he said, “Name me your wages, and I will give it.” So Jacob said to him, “You know how I have served you and how your livestock has been with me. For what you had before I came was little, and it has increased to a great amount; the Lord has blessed you since my coming. And now, when shall I also provide for my own house?” So he said, “What shall I give you?” And Jacob said, “You shall not give me anything. If you will do this thing for me, I will again feed and keep your flocks: Let me pass through all your flock today, removing from there all the speckled and spotted sheep, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and the spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. So my righteousness will answer for me in time to come, when the subject of my wages comes before you: every one that is not speckled and spotted among the goats, and brown among the lambs, will be considered stolen, if it is with me.” And Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!”
The spotted and speckled among the goats; and these shall be my wages. Jacob will take the speckled and spotted offspring, but will separate the currently speckled or spotted animals from the rest of the flock, so the odds are set against him.
WHY?
Allowing the speckled and spotted sheep and goats to remain in the flock would increase the likelihood of more speckled and spotted offspring coming from the flock at large.
Laban said, “Oh, that it were according to your word!” This is an agreeable deal to both parties. First, it was a foolproof way to distinguish between the flocks of Laban and Jacob. As well, Laban liked the deal because the odds were stacked in his favor. Jacob may have proposed the deal because he was FINALLY willing to BEGIN TO trust in God. And he is BEGINNING TO REALIZE THAT STACKED DECK OR NOT….ALMIGHTY GOD RULES AND REIGNS AND CONTROLS ALL DECKS, AMEN?
Verses 35-36 tells us the agreement is made, and the flocks are separated.
“So he removed that day the male goats that were speckled and spotted, all the female goats that were speckled and spotted, every one that had some white in it, and all the brown ones among the lambs, and gave them into the hand of his sons. Then he put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob, and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks.”
Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks…Jacob now will care for the large flock of his father-in-law Laban, made up of solid-colored animals, and Jacob will receive any speckled or spotted offspring of this flock. Obviously, if there was a way Jacob could encourage these solid-colored sheep to bring forth spotted and speckled offspring, it would greatly increase his personal wealth.
He put three days’ journey between himself and Jacob…KNOWING LABAN CHEATS….So there would be no mixing of the flocks, Laban’s sons took care of all the existing speckled and spotted sheep and goats, keeping them a three-day journey from the main flock. Jacob himself would take care of the solid-colored flock of Laban, as well as their speckled and spotted offspring, which belonged to him.
Verses 37-43 tells us God blesses Jacob’s method of breeding, and he greatly increases in wealth.
“Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink. So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted. Then Jacob separated the lambs, and made the flocks face toward the streaked and all the brown in the flock of Laban; but he put his own flocks by themselves and did not put them with Laban’s flock. And it came to pass, whenever the stronger livestock conceived, that Jacob placed the rods before the eyes of the livestock in the gutters, that they might conceive among the rods. But when the flocks were feeble, he did not put them in; so the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s. Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks, female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.”
Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees…When Jacob put these branches in the drinking troughs of the flocks it apparently increased the number of speckled and spotted offspring from the solid-colored flock Jacob managed on Laban’s behalf.
So the feebler were Laban’s and the stronger Jacob’s…Jacob also used selective breeding to increase the strength and vitality of his flock.
Christian breeding experts in animal husbandry…do not TO THIS DAY KNOW WHY OR HOW this method OF GREEN POPLAR, ALMOND, & CHESTNUT TREES IN THE WATER worked IN THE NATURAL. It is possible Jacob knew more about animal husbandry than we do today; but it is MORE LIKELY Jacob did the best he knew, and God blessed it, AMEN?
Thus the man became exceedingly prosperous…The ancient Hebrew says, “the man burst out exceedingly exceedingly.” God blessed Jacob, but it was not because Jacob was especially good. It was because of the promises God made to Jacob in Genesis 28:13-15 and the covenant made to Abraham.
We may fail and falter…miss the mark, but ALMIGHTY GOD IS A PROMISE MAKER AND KEEPER. ALMIGHTY GOD DOES NOT BREAK HIS WORD.
In the same way, blessing comes from the Lord to us, not because we are great or good, but because of the covenant God has made with us through Jesus, and promises He has given us in His word, Amen?
ABOVE AND BEYOND THE IN-FIGHTING WITHIN JACOB’S FAMILY…AND SATAN’S EVIL PLOTTING AND TORMENT, ALMIGHTY GOD GIVES US FOUR UNIQUE BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES FOR PERSONAL AND LIFETIME PROSPERITY HERE.
1. Don’t make wealth your goal told to us in Genesis 30:25-26.
2. Don’t be afraid to work for others & try to increase their wealth before or as you work to increase your own wealth told to us in Genesis 30:27.
3. Work hard, dedicating yourself to your employer’s success told to us in Genesis 30:26, 31:38-42.
4. Trust God told to us in Genesis 30:31-33.
And GENESIS 30 ALSO, ONCE AGAIN, SHOWS US THE PATIENCE OF OUR ABBA FATHER IN HIS DEALINGS WITH SWABBLING/IN THE FLESH/DOUBTING CHILDREN.
THEN AND NOW ALMIGHTY GOD WANTS THEM TO SEEK HIM, LEAN ON HIM, ASK FOR ALL THINGS FROM HIM…NOT THE WORLD, NOT SPOUSES, FAMILY OR FRIENDS…BUT HE ALSO WANTS US TO CHOOSE HIM OF OUR OWN FREE WILL…HE DID NOT CREATE US IN HIS IMAGE TO BE ROBOTS, THAT OBEY WITHOUT WILL OR THOUGHT.
ALMIGHTY GOD, JUST LIKE US, WANTS TO BE CHOSEN. WANTS TO BE WILLINGLY AND FREELY LOVED BY US.
AND AS A PATIENT FATHER, HE WILL AT TIMES ALLOW US TO CHOOSE WRONGLY, AND LET US SEE THROUGH OUR OWN WILLFULNESS…OUR OWN ACTIONS…THAT APART FROM HIM, HIS WILL AND HIS DIRECTION FOR OUR LIVES…WE, MORE TIMES THAN NOT, BRING HEARTACHE AND AN EMOTIONAL TRAIN WRECK INTO OUR LIVES.
BUT EVEN THEN, ALMIGHTY GOD HAS A PLAN. ALMIGHTY GOD IS FAITHFUL. ALMIGHTY GOD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE FOR OUR LIVES WILL NOT BE STOPPED BY SATAN, THE WORLD, OR EVEN WE OURSELVES. HIS PLAN WILL BE COMPLETED. WHAT A BLESSING AND A RELIEF THAT IS.
OUR JESUS DOES NOT GIVE UP ON US, AMEN?
THE MAIN POINT HERE….TRUST OUR TRIUNE GOD, WHO LOVES US, HIS PLAN IS PERFECT AND HIS PLAN NEVER FAILS!