Genesis chapters 32-34

God's Message to me: God will fulfill his promises more fully than you can imagine. Jacob would have been happy to come home in peace but God brought him home to find his brother happy to see him and welcoming him back with open arms.

Promises: If God says it you can depend on it. Jacob was protected and made to prosper on his journey and returned home safely and with such wealth that large gifts to his brother and the price of land for his new ranch were pocket change.

Commands: Trust and follow God's commands. Jacob didn't leave Laban until God told him to. When he did leave he left as one of the wealthiest men in the land.

Timeless principles: God will not let you down.

How can I apply what I've learned: Seek God's guidance and follow it when I find it. It does no good to search for truth if you choose to do your own thing anyway. People today place great stock in "situational ethics". They give lip service to the "timeless wisdom of the 10 commandments" but ignore them when the feel that they get in the way. If your going to make up the rules as your going along why learn them in the first place?

More to learn for in-depth study: It is interesting to note that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all took precautions to ensure their safety and the safety of those around them. They did so despite promises from God that they would be protected. They were never rebuked for doing so. In point of fact this is a recurring theme through the entire bible and even Christ himself accepted that the better part of valor sometimes meant escaping to continue another day.

Throughout the bible our heroes have willingly given themselves into the hands of persecutors and killers when God's appointed time had come but, until they knew that was God's plan they made every effort to protect themselves and God prospered them for doing so.

We also see here that pre-marital sex was considered wrong long before the law of Moses. The son of the local ruler ignored that rule and violated Jacobs daughter. Had he come for marriage first it would not have been a violation, on the other hand, Jacob would probably have turned him away anyhow but, it would have been a lot less bloody.

This brings us to war. While Jacob may not have approved of the slaughter by two of his sons it seems clear to me that 2 young men with swords could not wipe out a city without the help of God. The fact that they had the swords in the first place shows the family was prepared for armed conflict. In fact, Abraham led a war against more than one city in order to free the people of Sodom and Gomorrah when they, along with his nephew, were taken as prisoners.

War is never pretty and rarely desirable but it is acceptable. God ordered many wars throughout the Old Testament. Some where surgical, taking out the fighting force but sparing the non combatants. Some where "all out" with orders to destroy everything and leave not even a memory of the enemy. It all depended on provocation and the record of the opponent.

Secondary thought: If God expects us to all live happily in poverty, why did He make so many biblical heroes rich? There is around 3 times as many verses on money management in the bible as there are verses on prayer. God expects you to be a good steward of your finances and, as in the parable of the servants and the talents, wise use which makes it grow will convince God to give much more into your stewardship. "you have been faithful in a little I will make you ruler over much." Jacob arrived with nothing and tended Labens flocks as carefully as if they were his own and ended his work with his uncle with great flocks of his own.