Main Verses: Genesis 33

Good morning,

Jacob and his family were returning to El Beth EL where he had built an altar in response to God’s promise (Genesis 28:10-17). After talking with Esau, Jacob decided to stop at Shechem which belonged to the Shechemites a pagan family. This is where the wheels come off of Jacob’s proverbial wagon. When his only daughter ventured out among the Schemites, where she didn’t belong, and ran into Schechem son of Shiek Hamor who molested her. After the act, Schechem wanted Dinah as his wife. Where the problem went from to worse was when Jacob’s sons created a ruse and then murdered the men and stole their wealth. I brought this up to address a point: These 12 men who were memorialized in reflection stones (Exodus 28:15-30) were the same ones who were willing to commit murder and plunder in the name of “Justice”. Despite their outrageous acts, the loss of a family line, and the black mark that was indelibly marked on Israel’s family time would pass, but they would not be eradicated from Israel’s past because of “grace”. The boys who committed the egregious act would pay for it like Reuben who was removed as the #1 son who would receive his father’s wealth or Simeon and Levi who murdered the Schechemites through their father’s parting words (Genesis 49:7-11).

My encouragement for you today is that if you are racking your mind and heart having committed sin today is the day of your release. Being forgiven does not make our past go away like one would a sponge sopping up water, it makes the blood guilt, the part that keeps us in turmoil,  go away in the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of this world will always know us as the “One who committed _____” but not so in the Kingdom of God.

I.H.S. MK

Father,

Your son Jesus Christ died on a splinter-infested piece of wood pockmarked by nails to pay the full price of our guilt. He did not die so that we would continually pound nails into our lives trying to pay for our crimes and make them non-existent, he did so that we would be free even in a prison cell paying for our crimes. Thank you for your grace Father that enables us to move past our acts to start anew. As a father, it would break my heart to see my children, who I have forgiven, living in a prison of their own making. May this word today encourage people who are beating themselves up to ask for forgiveness and receive it.

Amen