[00:00:00] Welcome to Gracious Words. Gracious Words is taken from the Weekly Women's Bible Study,
[00:00:15] taught by Cheryl Brodersen at Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.
[00:00:37] Change is hard, but it's inevitable. On today's program we'll continue our look at the life
[00:00:42] of Jacob and see how he faced change and dealt with the adversity that it brought.
[00:00:49] We will come before you Lord and wander, wander. We will fall on our knees and surrender. We surrender to you.
[00:01:13] And now here is part one of Cheryl's message titled, The Way Forward.
[00:01:19] So what is the criteria that you use to know when it's time to move forward? When it's time for change?
[00:01:27] I think we hate that word change because we're not in diapers anymore. See where my mind is?
[00:01:35] What's your criteria that you use? Do you like things are so good it's time for a change? Or do you wait till the situation becomes intolerable?
[00:01:45] Is it a promise that motivates or moves you to change? Is it a nudging from God? Or is it a confirmation from those who will be affected by the change?
[00:01:55] Now my grandson has this amazing friend, my oldest grandson that you saw a picture of.
[00:02:00] And his friend, he met him on a mission trip, a young high school guy, now they're both almost 19.
[00:02:09] But he met this kid, and I'm going to call him M because I didn't get permission to use his story.
[00:02:15] But M is this amazing kid. And he comes from Arkansas.
[00:02:22] And he was the star football player at his high school in Arkansas. He was even being scouted and he was only a junior in high school.
[00:02:32] He had everything going for him, most popular kid. He's got an exuberant personality.
[00:02:39] He had grown up there. He had grandparents. He had relatives.
[00:02:43] But his parents suddenly had this deep conviction that they were supposed to move to New York City.
[00:02:50] No money, you know, going from a place of security into obscurity in New York City.
[00:03:00] And they said, M, we feel lead, but we're not going to do it unless you're okay with this.
[00:03:05] So M said to his parents, let me pray. That's the type of young man he is. Let me pray.
[00:03:10] And M knew that it would mean probably an end to any scholarships for football.
[00:03:17] He wouldn't be able to play football in New York City. He didn't even know what was ahead.
[00:03:23] And he knew that it would mean being a big fish in a little pond to being a guppy among sharks.
[00:03:31] It was just a total different lifestyle change.
[00:03:34] And when he prayed, instead of weighing the pros and cons, all of a sudden the criteria became for M.
[00:03:43] What is the will of the Lord? What is the will of the Lord?
[00:03:49] And he began to think and he said, Lord, you spoke to my parents.
[00:03:54] You put this on their heart and I don't want to stop my parents or be the deterrent to my parents being in the center of your will.
[00:04:06] So he went to his parents and he said, I just want to do the will of the Lord.
[00:04:10] 18 years old. I just want to do the will of the Lord. Actually 17 years old at the time.
[00:04:15] I just want to do the will of the Lord.
[00:04:17] So they moved to New York City. So they heard about a mission trip for high school kids down to Puerto Rico to help after the devastating earthquake.
[00:04:28] So he says, I want to sign up and that's where he met my grandson Kate.
[00:04:32] And they hit it off. You know M is one of those kids who has a scripture for any situation that you mentioned.
[00:04:41] He's got a scripture. Like he's like, man these guys thought I was, you know, smoking pot because I was so happy.
[00:04:48] And I said, well if you were in California, it would be illegal.
[00:04:50] He goes, yes but I will not be brought into the power of anything but the Lord.
[00:04:55] And he squirts. I'm like, I like you. I like you a lot and I'm glad you're with my grandson.
[00:05:01] Anyway, that's how he was so dynamic.
[00:05:04] So my grandson had won the scholarship to this private Christian high school for a senior just total miracle and in wanted to go there.
[00:05:13] And he just kind of mentioned it to his parents because now he loved my grandson. They just hit it off.
[00:05:18] I mean, to meet another Christian in New York City, you know it's God.
[00:05:21] And so there they were and he wanted to go.
[00:05:24] And so that church in Arkansas found out and they took up an offering.
[00:05:29] And those people in that church paid his tuition for one year to go to that high school, which was Christian.
[00:05:38] But you know how Christian high schools are?
[00:05:40] Well, him turned it upside down.
[00:05:43] Absolutely. In fact he and my grandson and one other kid were the only ones without the stars after their names.
[00:05:52] There are only three kids who didn't have stars, which meant they weren't Magnum cum laude or any of those extra things.
[00:05:59] And there were like so proud the three of us.
[00:06:02] We love Jesus but we didn't get any of the men's accolades.
[00:06:06] We got it from God.
[00:06:08] I mean that's how they were.
[00:06:09] It was like, well, I mean I like was standing up like cheering because we went to the graduation, which is why we're broke.
[00:06:14] It was amazing.
[00:06:18] But that was his criteria.
[00:06:21] Was the will of God the Lord spoke to him and said, if you will give it to me, I'll take care of all the minutiae.
[00:06:30] What are the determining factors for the decisions, especially the monumental decisions in your life?
[00:06:37] Do you weigh the pros and the cons?
[00:06:39] Do you make lists of, you know, this is good.
[00:06:42] This is not good.
[00:06:43] Recently a young woman called me about a life altering decision that she and her husband were about to make.
[00:06:49] And it meant a departure from everything that was familiar in family.
[00:06:54] It meant a different culture.
[00:06:56] And the decision would have direct ramifications on her children.
[00:07:00] And she had a myriad of questions for me.
[00:07:03] And maybe because I'm a woman who's had to uproot at least three times,
[00:07:08] and they were monumental uprootings.
[00:07:11] They were monumental moves.
[00:07:13] Twice, Brian and I have taken over the pastoral of a church.
[00:07:20] And that's hard, especially when everybody adored the pastor.
[00:07:23] Especially when we also adored the pastor.
[00:07:27] It's a hard place because nobody likes the new guy.
[00:07:31] Everybody wants the old guy.
[00:07:32] The old wine is better, they say.
[00:07:34] I know that feeling.
[00:07:36] I know that feeling.
[00:07:37] The first time I taught her on a Friday morning for my mom,
[00:07:40] I felt no sense because you weren't here.
[00:07:42] I felt such resistance like little girl,
[00:07:45] because I was younger then, you get down and you get your mother up.
[00:07:49] It was that strong of a feeling.
[00:07:52] And I know because I love my mom.
[00:07:54] Adore my mom.
[00:07:56] I know what it is.
[00:07:58] And maybe that's why she was asking me,
[00:08:00] because transitions are hard.
[00:08:02] They're hard.
[00:08:04] And you have to just keep going forward into it
[00:08:07] even when it doesn't look promising.
[00:08:10] So she said, I've got all these questions.
[00:08:12] And I said, listen, and I think I've told you this before,
[00:08:15] but I told her I could give you 100 reasons why you should do it.
[00:08:17] And then I'll turn around and give you 100 reasons why you shouldn't.
[00:08:21] Because at the end of the day,
[00:08:22] it doesn't matter what the pros and cons are.
[00:08:24] It is what is the will of the Lord,
[00:08:27] because the right way is always the will of God.
[00:08:31] Always the will of God.
[00:08:33] It doesn't matter what the social benefits are,
[00:08:38] what the future career opportunities are,
[00:08:42] the educational advantages, the financial advantages.
[00:08:46] You know, if people measure decisions by financial advantages,
[00:08:51] social advantages, nobody would go on the mission field.
[00:08:55] Nobody.
[00:08:56] It would be full hearty.
[00:08:57] Why would I go on the mission field
[00:08:59] and spend the rest of my life in New Guinea
[00:09:02] when I won't have a savings account?
[00:09:05] I won't have, you know, a house to come back to.
[00:09:09] Why would you do that?
[00:09:11] You see, it's got to be.
[00:09:13] The criteria has got to be what is the will of the Lord.
[00:09:23] In Genesis chapters 31 and 32,
[00:09:29] Jacob was being guided back to Canaan.
[00:09:32] He had been gone for over 20 years.
[00:09:36] And six years earlier than our text begins,
[00:09:39] he had considered going back,
[00:09:42] but at that time all he had was two wives and a few children.
[00:09:45] He would have gone back penniless,
[00:09:48] but he wanted to go back.
[00:09:50] But at that point, his father-in-law didn't want to lose him.
[00:09:54] He's like, wait, no, I've seen that the favor of God is on you.
[00:09:57] Don't go, just stay, wages. You name the wages.
[00:10:00] And I'll meet you there.
[00:10:03] And during that seven years,
[00:10:06] God had blessed Jacob with flocks and herds and camels
[00:10:09] and donkeys and male and female servants,
[00:10:11] more children and wealth.
[00:10:14] Perhaps he had been waiting
[00:10:17] for the anger of his brother to subside.
[00:10:20] Maybe that was part of it like, oh,
[00:10:22] you know, maybe my mom will write me and say,
[00:10:25] it's time to come back. There's peace now.
[00:10:28] Maybe even a missive from his brother saying,
[00:10:31] hey, Jacob, let's put everything behind us and be friends.
[00:10:36] Let's be twins. Let's just go forward together.
[00:10:40] But there was no, no letter,
[00:10:43] no message of hope forthcoming.
[00:10:46] In fact, his mother had died while Jacob was away
[00:10:50] and Isaac was probably infirmed
[00:10:53] and no longer able to protect his youngest son.
[00:10:58] But the first indication that it was time to return
[00:11:02] was a change in the atmosphere.
[00:11:06] Would it have been a hospitable atmosphere?
[00:11:09] Would it have been a successful environment for Jacob,
[00:11:12] even with 10 salary changes,
[00:11:15] even being blamed for damage to any of Laban's assets,
[00:11:19] even with all the hard work,
[00:11:22] even though he had been outside all day
[00:11:24] and in the fields at night, he prospered.
[00:11:26] He acquired his wealth, he acquired sons,
[00:11:28] he acquired great livestock.
[00:11:31] But he hears that Laban's sons are talking about him
[00:11:34] and they are jealous of him.
[00:11:37] Proverbs 27, 4 says,
[00:11:39] Rout is cruel, anger is a tort,
[00:11:42] but who is able to stand before jealousy?
[00:11:46] In other words, jealousy is worse than wrath.
[00:11:51] Jealousy is worse than anger.
[00:11:53] You know why?
[00:11:54] Because jealousy is irrational.
[00:11:57] Jealousy is unreasonable.
[00:12:00] There's no way to reason someone out of jealousy.
[00:12:04] There's no way to help someone through jealousy.
[00:12:10] Jealousy needs a divine deliverance.
[00:12:14] It's cruel.
[00:12:16] It's absolutely cruel.
[00:12:18] They don't have any appreciation for Joseph
[00:12:21] or his hard work, sorry, for Jacob.
[00:12:24] They don't have any appreciation for Jacob.
[00:12:26] They don't value Jacob or any of his hard work
[00:12:29] that it was Jacob that made their father successful.
[00:12:32] Instead they feel that everything
[00:12:34] that Jacob has accomplished belongs to them.
[00:12:38] They feel entitled and they feel that everything
[00:12:42] that Jacob has actually was stolen.
[00:12:44] So they don't appreciate any of his labor,
[00:12:47] any of his sacrifices.
[00:12:51] This is unrest.
[00:12:52] This is irrational.
[00:12:53] This is unreasonable and there is no way to fix it.
[00:12:56] There is no way to fix it.
[00:12:59] Secondly, Jacob senses that Laban's disposition
[00:13:03] towards him has changed.
[00:13:06] Laban desperately wanted Joseph at first
[00:13:11] as a son-in-law.
[00:13:12] Remember?
[00:13:13] He wanted whatever you named the wage
[00:13:16] when it was being a son-in-law.
[00:13:18] He didn't just give him one of his daughters,
[00:13:20] he gave them both.
[00:13:21] Laban knew that he was being enriched
[00:13:24] and prospering because of Jacob's hard work
[00:13:27] and God's blessing on Jacob.
[00:13:29] Remember after the 14 years, please stay.
[00:13:32] I know by divination that I am blessed,
[00:13:35] that I am successful, that I am prospering
[00:13:39] because of your presence, because God is on you.
[00:13:43] He wanted Jacob to remain with him
[00:13:46] and continue working for him.
[00:13:49] But now suddenly Laban is not favorable
[00:13:52] towards Jacob anymore.
[00:13:54] He's not like, well, I'm blessed because of you.
[00:13:57] No longer.
[00:13:58] He's eyeing Jacob with disapproval.
[00:14:03] Perhaps it was this atmosphere that caused Jacob
[00:14:06] to begin to seek God.
[00:14:08] Maybe when the atmosphere began to change,
[00:14:10] he thought, I need to pray.
[00:14:12] Isn't it true that sometimes we're not praying
[00:14:14] as long as the atmosphere is good?
[00:14:17] As long as everything is favorable, we're just like,
[00:14:19] thanks, I'll get to you soon.
[00:14:22] You know, I don't have you on my schedule
[00:14:24] because it's so busy with all the good things
[00:14:26] that I'm doing.
[00:14:27] But when things begin to get irrational,
[00:14:31] when there's unrest, when you can't make peace,
[00:14:35] when you can't talk it out with somebody,
[00:14:38] that's when we start seeking the Lord.
[00:14:42] Is it bad that you waited? No.
[00:14:44] Just if you don't want unrest, seek God right away every day.
[00:14:49] But God will use these things to get our attention
[00:14:54] so that he might propel us back into all of his promises
[00:15:00] and do all he has said for us.
[00:15:04] So perhaps it's this atmosphere.
[00:15:07] This is an indication, and a substantial indication
[00:15:12] that it's time for a change, this atmosphere,
[00:15:16] this atmosphere.
[00:15:18] When he prays, God speaks to him and says,
[00:15:20] return to the land of your fathers and to your kindred
[00:15:23] and I will be with you.
[00:15:25] Here's God's directive.
[00:15:27] Here is God's will.
[00:15:29] Here is God's promise.
[00:15:31] I will be with you.
[00:15:33] Jacob calls his wives together.
[00:15:37] Because this move, this change will directly impact them.
[00:15:42] They will be moving away from the only land,
[00:15:45] the only people, and the only life that they've ever known.
[00:15:50] They will be going to an unknown place
[00:15:53] and their children could possibly be placed in jeopardy.
[00:15:59] They don't know what awaits them.
[00:16:01] Nevertheless, both Leah and Rachel support Jacob.
[00:16:05] Then Jacob describes to them Laban's attitude towards him,
[00:16:08] your father's countenance is not favorable to me.
[00:16:12] If God wasn't protecting me, Jacob says, verse five,
[00:16:17] I am not sure what your father would have done
[00:16:19] that Cheryl's paraphrase.
[00:16:21] Then Jacob says he has deceived me,
[00:16:23] he has changed my wages one time, no.
[00:16:26] Two times, no.
[00:16:28] Three times, no.
[00:16:30] Four times, no.
[00:16:32] Five times, no.
[00:16:34] Six times, no.
[00:16:36] Seven times, no.
[00:16:38] That would be bad.
[00:16:40] Eight times, no.
[00:16:42] Nine times, no.
[00:16:44] Ten times.
[00:16:46] Ten times he has changed the wages.
[00:16:48] Somebody really related to that.
[00:16:50] I know the feeling.
[00:16:52] Verse seven, but God did not allow him to hurt me.
[00:16:55] He tells his wives how God is blessed,
[00:16:57] but he didn't want to mess with them.
[00:16:59] He said he was not able to protect them.
[00:17:01] Whatever wage Laban gave.
[00:17:03] If Laban said you can only have the speckled animals,
[00:17:06] well guess what, suddenly all the strong animals
[00:17:09] begin to give birth to,
[00:17:11] I like that, Kathy go ahead say it really loud.
[00:17:13] Amen.
[00:17:15] If Laban said they would only get
[00:17:17] streaked in the animals were,
[00:17:19] yes.
[00:17:21] If Laban said I'll make you
[00:17:23] Pina costals yet.
[00:17:25] said that only the spotted would be his earnings than the animals bore.
[00:17:29] Spotted!
[00:17:30] Amen.
[00:17:31] In this way, God showed that he was with Jacob and Jacob testifies.
[00:17:43] So God, this is all God, God has taken away the livestock of your father and given it
[00:17:50] to me.
[00:17:51] I didn't do this for myself.
[00:17:52] Suddenly Jacob is aware, wow, I'm not responsible.
[00:17:57] This went way beyond me.
[00:17:58] Like I was trying to get just speckled spotted and straight.
[00:18:03] But whenever Laban changed my wages, this phenomena happened.
[00:18:10] It was God.
[00:18:11] Do you wonder when he realized it was God?
[00:18:13] Like wait a second, why are they all straight?
[00:18:16] Wait a second.
[00:18:18] Why are they all?
[00:18:20] This dawning realization that it is God.
[00:18:25] Isn't that funny how we're doing things and you're telling the story to somebody and you're
[00:18:29] like, you're not going to believe it?
[00:18:30] And then the triple A guy just happened to be driving down the street.
[00:18:34] He just happened to have a spare tire that was just exactly what I needed and you're
[00:18:37] just going on and somebody goes, oh, wasn't that God?
[00:18:40] You're like, wait, who?
[00:18:42] God.
[00:18:43] I'll never forget.
[00:18:45] This is years ago, the one that just had the baby.
[00:18:48] She was driving her car.
[00:18:50] She had, I don't know, like five or six accidents.
[00:18:52] She kept wiping out our savings account and that's all I thought about is I'm sitting in
[00:18:57] the hospital, my dad's in the hospital and with him and Brandon and I have planned this
[00:19:01] vacation and I get a text picture of Kelsey's car all scrunched up.
[00:19:07] I told you this before we were on a first name basis with Irv's automotive in Santa
[00:19:13] Ana because he kept getting the dents out.
[00:19:15] Amazing.
[00:19:16] Somebody said, oh, your car is in the best condition I've ever seen.
[00:19:19] You're like, Irv.
[00:19:20] Anyway, she was on this side road and she decided to do a U-turn without looking.
[00:19:28] Just, oh, let's do a U-turn.
[00:19:30] And this truck was there that she didn't say it and he was pulling a trailer and
[00:19:35] she hit the trailer and tore the front bumper off her car.
[00:19:40] So this is my daughter.
[00:19:41] What does she do?
[00:19:42] We say, don't go anywhere.
[00:19:44] She will come to you.
[00:19:46] Nope.
[00:19:47] She throws the bumper in the back seat of her car and drives the 15 to the 91 to the
[00:19:54] 55 to the 405 home.
[00:19:57] That's the one that just had a baby.
[00:19:59] Miracle.
[00:20:00] I remember telling my friends, can you believe that?
[00:20:04] I had to be, it's because is she alive?
[00:20:07] Is she hurt?
[00:20:08] I'm like, oh, I didn't think about those things.
[00:20:13] I'm just thinking, she's got the bumper in the back seat of her car.
[00:20:18] Like, you know, boo.
[00:20:20] And I remember Brian, the man who she hit called and he said, it was such a miracle.
[00:20:28] Had I had the truck been just a foot up ahead more or back, I would have killed her.
[00:20:37] I knew it.
[00:20:38] I was shaking.
[00:20:39] And he says to Brian, do you believe in God?
[00:20:40] Brian goes, oh, yes I do.
[00:20:41] He goes, good, because I'm telling you it's only God that she's alive.
[00:20:47] It was, and then you're just like, oh, God, God was there giving us speckles and
[00:20:53] spots and streaks.
[00:20:55] It was God.
[00:20:58] It was God.
[00:21:00] You suddenly, six years later, his eyes are open.
[00:21:05] Wow.
[00:21:06] It's been God.
[00:21:10] Now, I see all the Lord speaks to him.
[00:21:14] All the lands which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled and greatly spotted.
[00:21:21] For I have seen all that Laban is doing to you.
[00:21:25] I am the God of Bethel where you anointed the pillar, where you made a vow to me now
[00:21:30] rise and get out of this land and return to the land of your kindred.
[00:21:34] God was calling Jacob to repeat the steps of his grandfather Abraham.
[00:21:40] Abraham was called to get out of the same country.
[00:21:43] And the word was get out, not just leave, get out.
[00:21:49] Now Jacob too is being called to get out and go back and go into the land of promise.
[00:21:56] His wives confirm the maltreatment and they say to Jacob whatever God has said to you,
[00:22:04] do it.
[00:22:05] Verse 16, in other words, whatever God's will is.
[00:22:08] That is what we want to do.
[00:22:11] So Jacob knows it's time to return and move forward.
[00:22:15] He knows that he senses that the atmosphere change, what God spoke to him, what God revealed
[00:22:19] in a dream, his wives think confirming that it is indeed God's will to go.
[00:22:25] So Jacob still with this backup plan packs up stealthily verse 17 putting his I love
[00:22:32] this.
[00:22:33] I just felt I wanted to point this out.
[00:22:35] Putting his children and wives on camels.
[00:22:38] I don't know why, you know I'm really into the GPS camel thing.
[00:22:43] Why he's putting everyone on camels, Rachel sneaks back to her father's tent while Laban
[00:22:49] is shearing the sheep and takes the household idols.
[00:22:53] She's so upset that she hasn't received the rightful inheritance she feels she's
[00:22:57] entitled to.
[00:22:58] Now this might be a protective measure, like if I get rid of his idols he can't hurt
[00:23:02] us or maybe she thought you know my dad will be powerless without his idols.
[00:23:07] He never goes anywhere without his idols unless he's shearing sheep and that he wouldn't be
[00:23:12] able to divine where they were or when they had left or maybe she's taking them because
[00:23:18] they're valuable silver and gold or maybe she's taking them because they also in those
[00:23:22] days often if you were buying property you got the idol of the property because
[00:23:26] people associated the gods with particular areas or land.
[00:23:33] All of these are possible.
[00:23:35] Any of these, all of these it could be D, all of the above or E, you missed it.
[00:23:42] Joseph successfully pulls up camp and makes his way to the mountains of Gilead.
[00:23:48] Laban finds out three days later and he has a seven day pursuit, I mean seven days.
[00:23:54] He's going to get to Jacob but during that time he has a dream verse 29 and God comes
[00:24:02] to Laban at night and says be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.
[00:24:09] It's like God says you're not doing anything.
[00:24:13] You know I don't even want you speaking good or bad to him, let alone touching him.
[00:24:18] In other words don't try to coax or bribe him to come back.
[00:24:23] Don't threaten him.
[00:24:24] Don't try to intimidate him.
[00:24:26] Do not try to be any influence at all on Jacob.
[00:24:34] Under Laban Jacob prospered.
[00:24:36] He acquired wealth, sons and livestock.
[00:24:39] The hand of God was upon him but the Lord was calling him back to Israel.
[00:24:43] He started to feel pressure and opposition and it prompted him to pray.
[00:24:48] So God directed Jacob and set him on a path back to Israel.
[00:24:53] God may use conflict to get our attention so that our focus is put back on him.
[00:24:58] As we look to God he can direct us into his will and way for our lives.
[00:25:04] We hope you have been blessed by today's Bible study.
[00:25:07] For more information about the Gracious Words radio program and the teaching ministry of
[00:25:11] Cheryl Brodersen please visit our website at graciouswords.com.
[00:25:16] Coming up next time on the Gracious Words program we'll look at Jacob's way forward
[00:25:20] as we continue our series Our Great Creator in the book of Genesis with Cheryl Brodersen.
[00:25:26] We do hope you make plans to join us.
[00:25:29] Again for more information please visit our website at graciouswords.com.
[00:25:50] This program is sponsored by Calvary Chapel, Costa Mesa, California.
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