Genesis 32:13-34:31, Matthew 11:7-30, Psalm 14:1-7, Proverbs 3:19-20
Today is the 16th day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian. It is wonderful to be here with you today as well, as we reach out and grab the doorknob and throw open the threshold and walk into a brand-new shiny sparkly week and this is the third time that we’ve been able to greet a brand-new week, in this sparkly brand-new year. So, let’s take the next right step forward, which will lead us back into the Scriptures. We will read from the New Living Translation this week and we’ll do what we do every day, pick up where we left off yesterday. In Genesis, Jacob has finally dealt with the Laban, his uncle, and that separation is final. He’s on his way back to his homeland. But he’s got a brother out in front of him and the last time they were around each other, this brother, named Esau wanted Jacob dead because of all the trickery. And Jacob has been informed that his brother Esau is on his way to greet him with 400 men and whether or not that’s a good or a bad thing, well let’s find out, Genesis chapter 32 verse 13 through 34 verse 31.
Commentary:
Okay so, in our time in the book of Genesis today a pretty pivotal thing happens. Jacob gets a name change, after an all-night wrestling match and his name becomes Israel, which means one who wrestles with God and in so many ways that is a theme that we will see over and over and over. So, basically Jacob was returning to his homeland, knew that his brother Esau was there, knew that there was a tremendous amount of animosity between Esau and Jacob when he had left, in fact Esau wanted to kill Jacob. So, it’s been a couple of decades and nobody is the same as they were a couple of decades ago, so a lot has changed but he doesn’t really know how Esau is gonna react and he’s coming with 400 men so he pretty much does everything that he can think of to do to give himself some kind of defensive posture and he starts sending gifts of animals in front of him so that, as Esau encounters this train basically of gifts coming his way before he meets Esau, that Esau will understand that Jacob is coming in peace, that Jacob is coming humbly and Jacob does what he can to protect his wives and children, and his possessions. And then he spends the night alone when this wrestling match happens and there has been a very, very long running, like centuries long-running discussion about who Jacob was actually wrestling with, was this just some random guy that wanted to have a long wrestling match, was this Esau his brother or was this God because, based on the text alone you could think any of those three things. So, the Scripture says, a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. When the man saw that he would not win the match he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out a socket and then the man said let me go. The dawn is breaking and Jacob says no I’m not gonna let you go unless you bless me. That’s a clue right there though because Jacob had stolen right, he went through deception and taken the blessing of his father, Isaac, that was intended for Esau. So, you can see Jacob holding onto this person for this blessing, if it’s his brother in an attempt to make things right between them. But this blessing that gets offered includes a name change, which is something that God initiated with Abram, changing his name to Abraham. So, in the text for us watching it we would like who is this and then Jacob asked the important question, tell me your name. But the person replies, why do you want to know my name and then he blesses Jacob so, we don’t get to know the name but then Jacob names the place where this wrestling match happen Peniel, which means face of God. Jacob says I have seen God face-to-face, yet my life has been spared. So, we can’t really say for certain, with whom this wrestling match is taking place, but it’s a pivotal moment because this is when Jacob becomes Israel, and this is the first time for us to have this kind of reference. So, now we know Jacob’s children, Israel’s children, are the children of Israel and that is important because as we’ve already mentioned previously, it is their story that we are reading.
Prayer:
And so, Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for the Scriptures. Thank You for all that we can learn and glean and orient ourselves toward as we move systematically day-by-day, step-by-step through the Scriptures. We are grateful for that; we are grateful for this brand-new week that we have entered. We humble ourselves before You and ask for Your leadership and Your comfort and Your counsel and we pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Prayer and Encouragements:
Hi this is Ivy from Missouri. The last time I called in was last year. I don’t even know where to start, I just feel like my life is going nowhere. And I believe in Lord Jesus Christ, I know He lives in me but it just seems like maybe it’s the winter, maybe it’s my situation but since my husband has passed almost two years ago, I just feel like I’m so alone and I’ve got four beautiful children but I feel like I’m the only one that professes my belief in Christ. They used to but they don’t anymore. I especially need to know how to handle my daughter Veronica, who is such a lover of animals sometimes it just gets in our ways of being loving to each other. And please Lord I just pray that you would help her too. Understand that I do love her, I don’t know what I’m trying to say I just know that I need some help here in knowing how to go on loving them and letting them know that Jesus loves them too. Just pray for me please. Lord Jesus, thank You for this program Amen.
Hi DAB fam this is Asia from the City of Angels. And I do want to report that this has been my first year with the Daily Audio Bible and I just want to thank the Harding family so much for this platform. Thank you, Brian. Thank you, Jill. Thank you, China. Thank you, Ezekiel. Thank you for all of your contributions as a family to spreading the word of God and drawing people near to Him through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. So, thank you so much, this has been definitely life-changing for myself and I recently asked my daughter if she’d be interested to start listening as well. And she started listening this year. So, I just pray that it feeds into her like it has so many of us. But that’s actually not really why I’m calling and actually calling to covet your prayers for a young man out here as I’m sure you all know and see that Los Angeles, we have so many homeless people, like many other cities but I think we have more than most other cities. We have thousands upon thousands at least 80 maybe 100,000 homeless people at any given time. And there’s a young man I recently saw sitting down in front of the 99-cent store and honestly it was last Sunday and the Lord provoked me to speak with him. So, I sat down and talked with him and his name is Cyrus, he’s 25 years old. He knows the Lord. He just feels completely abandoned by Him. He’s angry. So please pray for him. His name is Cyrus. Thank you. God bless you all.
Happy New Year! May 2022 be the greatest year and with God it will be. I can say, life if wonderful. February the 19th I will be 86 years old living life more abundantly. May the blessings to the Harding family be great and all involved in making this wonderful platform. I’m retired now for 30 years. I listen to all…all programs; the chronological order, Proverbs, Psalms, Ezekiel, oh and definitely the DAB. This is Dorothy Jean from Fort Worth, Texas. Love you much and may God’s blessings continue in your life. Love you much, bye. Love Ezekiel’s goodbyes.
Hello everyone, this is Rob from Grand Forks, British Columbia Canada on January 11th. I’m new to the Daily Audio Bible on January 1. My dear wife passed away from a sudden heart attack five years ago. And the first year I was in a fog and just going through the motions. Part-way into the second year God helped my realize that I was coasting spiritually and while I was going to and serving in my church each week, I had no quiet time or devotional so I just got myself a read-through the Bible in a year outline and committed myself to do that and after about a month I knew God was working in my life because there was a piece that was unexplainable. I remember finishing my devotions in the sunshine on my friends’ steps one Spring Sunday, there was just enough time to shower and get to church and I said, God, one more thing, I sometimes feel I’m in a swirly and as I go to grab on to something it is already gone and then I’m not accomplishing anything. So, I’m just gonna trust that you will put prominently on my brain what you want me to do and unless it’s against Your word or in some way wacked I’ll know it’s from You. Then a thought hit my brain hard as I stood up. You should wash the dog. I objected, I don’t have time to wash the dog, I don’t want to wash the dog and I’m sure he doesn’t want a bath. But what did I just pray? Bathing the dog wasn’t unbiblical and while it was odd it wasn’t wacked. So, I called the, our dog Banjo and he jumped in on his own but he sure was anxious to get out. After about five minutes of wrestling with him I got a little frustrated and turning back parallel to the tub and said Banjo, just stand there, relax. Do what I ask you to do and I’ll do the rest. It was as if God said, hello. It was the best sermon I had that year. God continues to be faithful in my journey as I move from healing to being prepared for a new relationship. And I’ve been encouraged by the many reminders I’ve already had in just the short time with the DAB family that God is good, He is faithful, that He is greater and He will provide.
Hello, my name is Julie and I’m a first-time caller. Today is the 11th of January and this time last year I started my journey on the Daily Audio Bible and it has been amazing. I’m just so grateful for the fact that I’ve been able to read or listen to the Bible from the beginning to the end for the first time in my life. So, I just called to say thank you Brian for everything you do, thank you for the way you break down the word in bite size pieces for me to understand. Thank you, thank you, thank you, and I really do appreciate this family. My kids also listen to Ezekiel and yes, I love this Community. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And if there is anybody out there who is starting and don’t think they can do it, I just want to encourage you that you can do it, with God you can do it.