Genesis 32:9 Then Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, the God of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, Go back to your country and your family and I will be good to you: 10 I am less than nothing in comparison with all your mercies and your faith to me your servant; for with only my stick in my hand I went across Jordan, and now I have become two armies.
11 Be my saviour from the hand of Esau, my brother: for my fear is that he will make an attack on me, putting to death mother and child. 12 And you said, Truly, I will be good to you, and make your seed like the sand of the sea which may not be numbered.
OBSERVATION
Jacob was sent away to hide from his brother Esau after Jacob received the blessing from his father. Jacob has worked hard for Laban, his father-in-law; he worked 14 years for the girl he loved he was tricked after the first seven years Gen 29:16-25 and given the wrong girl. He worked hard with Laban’s flocks and the Lord blessed the animals birth rate Gen 30:25-30 .
Jacob went to a far country without much more than his walking stick to the “land of the east” which was how the Old Testament writers referred to the land beyond the Euphrates, approximately a 400 mile walk. He is leaving that area to go back to the Promised Land with two wives, 11 sons, 1 daughter, servants and live stock; he is a rich man.
I am less than nothing in comparison with all your mercies and your faith to me your servant.
But what an awesome attitude! Jacob could have thought that he accumulated all this wealth because of his hard work; he did have to work for everything including his wives. Instead of feeling that he deserved all these because of his hard labor he still saw God as the source of all good things.
It is more difficult to see your blessings when you feel like you worked hard to get them. It is so much easier to take the credit for our rewards than to give the credit back to God. My success that comes after having worked hard for something must still be seen as blessings from God.
I will tell of the kindnesses of the LORD, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all the LORD has done for us— yes, the many good things he has done - Isaiah 63:7
By experience you will see that the Lord is good; happy is the man who has faith in him. - Psalms 34:8
APPLICATION
No matter how hard I work and how much I succeed I must remember that all good things come from the lord, I didn’t deserve any of it.
PRAYER
Help me to remember that all good things come from you. No matter how hard I work or how good I may be at doing something,
