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Daily Devotions

Genesis

Genesis 
Day 
Day 202

"I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever; With my mouth will I make known Your faithfulness to all generations." Psalm 89:1

Text: Genesis 28:1-22

REMEMBERING GOD’S PROMISES

As Isaac prayed for his son Jacob, his memory must have been greatly stirred. He must have recalled what God had spoken to him, concerning his descendants, and that meant Jacob’s offspring!

“And give you the blessing of Abraham,
To you and your descendants with you,
That you may inherit the land
In which you are a stranger,
Which God gave to Abraham.”

GENESIS 28:4

How important it was to recall the promises of the Lord in prayer. For too long these promises of the Lord had lain dormant in Isaac’s memory. But in prayer, the word of promise came to mind and they became the substance of his blessing for Jacob.


BEYOND PERSONAL PREFERENCES

Isaac preferred Esau. He loved him much more than Jacob. As Isaac prayed for his son, he realized that he must go beyond personal preference! The word of promise from God obviously went beyond Isaac’s personal desire! He knew that what he uttered before God, as he blessed Jacob, he could not offer on behalf of Esau!


INHERITANCE OF THE LAND

Isaac had many other half-siblings. He was not the firstborn. Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, but it was he, Isaac, who would inherit the land! The inheritance of the land was not about personal desires and preferences. It was a question of fully recognizing whom the Lord has chosen to carry on the line!


LOOKING BEYOND PADAN ARAM

Jacob would be leaving the promised land of inheritance shortly. Isaac’s prayer went beyond Padan Aram. He did not see Jacob dwelling in the native land of his mother! Jacob must return home after he had obtained a good wife from his mother’s family.


A SOLEMN REMINDER

The more Isaac thought and prayed, more is revealed! How should one regard the promised land? It was wonderful to be named “heir” of the promised land, but through insight of faith, one is but a “stranger” on earth!


THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL

As Isaac concluded his prayer, he ended it remembering the Name of God! It was the Lord who had called Abraham and blessed him all his life. It was the same God who had blessed Isaac throughout his life too! It would be the same wonderful God that would lead and bless Jacob – as he journeyed forth to Padan Aram and then back again to Canaan in due course! God was to be the most important Person in Jacob’s life!