Life Lessons: Discouragement Genesis 28:10-30:43

Life Lessons: Discouragement

Genesis 28:10-30:43

SITUATION:  Jacob left his home and started a four hundred-mile trip north to Huran to search for a wife. Jacob married, secured work, and had twelve sons.

OBSERVATION:  Jacob’s wives knew that children were one way that God blesses his people. The meaning of many of the children’s names reflect this understanding: “Judah” means “praise”; “Gad” means “lucky”; “Asher” means “happy”; “Zebulun” means “honor.” More than merely status symbols, these children became the patriarchs of Israel.

INSPIRATION:  Scripture clearly teaches that children are blessed gifts from the Lord. God designed them to be a blessing. They are supposed to be a joy. They are a benediction from the Lord to grace our lives with fulfillment, meaning, happiness, and satisfaction. Parenthood is God’s gift to us.

    This is true even in a fallen world, infected with the curse of sin. In the midst of all that’s evil, children are tokens of God’s loving-kindness. They are living proof that God’s mercy extends even to fallen, sinful creatures . . .

     Throughout Scripture we find a running theme that highlights children as blessings from the hand of a loving and merciful God. This becomes evident, for example, in the contest between Leah and Rachel for Jacob’s affection . . .

     Throughout this tale of the parents who gave birth to the various tribes of God’s chosen people, one thing is clear: All parties understood that children signified the blessings of the Lord. (From Successful Christian Parenting by John MacArthur)

APPLICATION:  Do you view children as a blessing or a hassle? What’s your attitude when you hear children cry during church or when they get underfoot in the store? Catch yourself during the times when children frustrate you and remember that even the smallest children are blessings from God.

EXPLORATION:  Discouragement—Deuteronomy 1:9; Joshua 1:9; 1 Samuel 1:10-18; Psalm 62:5; Proverbs 13:12; Ephesians 3:13; James 5:13-18.

God does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.