Bible Study Series: Don\’t Settle: Genesis 28,29

DON’T SETTLE

There is a way to set yourself up so you never have to settle for less than

The best God has for you.   Let me give you seven rules

OBEDIENCE

Genesis 28:6-7

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, \”Do not marry a Canaanite woman,\” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram

DEVOTION

Genesis 28:20-22

 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, \”If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father\’s house, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God\’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.\”

What we notice in this text is that Abraham was obedient to God

It is obvious that he trained his son to be obedient.

The love of God was passed on to Isaac and Jacob

Our devotion to God affect generations of children

LET GOD LEAD

Genesis 29:5-6

5 He said to them, \”Do you know Laban, Nahor\’s grandson?\”

\”Yes, we know him,\” they answered.

6 Then Jacob asked them, \”Is he well?\”

\”Yes, he is,\” they said, \”and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.\”

Genesis 29:9-12

9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father\’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother\’s brother, and Laban\’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle\’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud.

ASK FOR WHAT YOU WANT

Genesis 29:16-18

 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, \”I\’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.\”

NIV

SERVE WITH GLADNESS

Genesis 29:19-21

19 Laban said, \”It\’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.\” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

TRUST GOD IN YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES

Genesis 29:21-26

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, \”Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to lie with her.\”

22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and Jacob lay with her. 24 And Laban gave his servant girl Zilpah to his daughter as her maidservant.

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, \”What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn\’t I? Why have you deceived me?\”

Life has unexpected twists and turns.   It is not uncommon to be lied to and deceived.

We must remember that when we incur set backs, that God is still with us.

DON’T SETTLE

Genesis 29:28-31

28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant girl Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her maidservant. 30 Jacob lay with Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban for another seven years.

Life is never a bed of roses.

Serving the Lord does not exclude you from trials and tribulations

Sometimes we reap what we have sowed in the past

Jacob tricked his father into believing he was Esau. He gained Essau\’s blessing

Of the firstborn of family.

His uncle Laban tricked Jacob into believing Leah was Racheal on the wedding night

It eventually cost him an additional 13 years to get back to his home in  Beersheba

The setbacks and disappointments in life cause you to work harder and work smarter.

Setbacks are an open door to understand that everybody your kin may not be

Your kind.

Setbacks teach you to rely on and trust God

When Jacob left his uncle, he had become rich in family and possessions. 

He had two wives and two maidens to deal with plus baby momma drama

Know that God has a divine plan for your life

Your troubles are part of God’s divine plan

Jacob returned to Beersheba with his sons and a daughter by four women after being away 20 years.

The twelve sons became the 12 tribes of Israel who fulfilled the promise God made To Abraham

When you are devoted to God, you don’t have to settle

In Summary, a life that does not settle for anything but the best is based on the following:

      Obedience to your parents

      Devotion to God

      Serving God with gladness

      Ask God for what you want

     Trusting the Lord in all circumstances

      Considering trials as strengthening exercises from    

      the Lord

Romans 8:37-39

 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Jacob’s faithfulness was the start of the Nation of Israel grew to

2 million people in slavery in Egypt.

The Israelites once freed, couldn’t see the promised land for complaining in the desert.

They couldn’t see the freedom in the Lord. They settled for slavery

DON’T SETTLE FOR SLAVERY IN THE WORLD, SETTLE FOR VICTORY IN THE LORD.

When you serve the Lord, you don’t have to settle.

Don’t have to settle with sadness when Jesus gives us Joy

Don’t have to settle for frustration when Jesus gives us peace

Don’t have to settle for failure when Jesus is our victory

Don’t have to settle for family problems when Jesus is our mediator

Don’t have to settle for weakness when Jesus is our strength

Don’t have to settle for an old house when Jesus has prepared a mansion in heaven

Don’t have to settle for poverty, when Jesus owns all the riches of the world

Don’t have to settle for a little when we have the fulness of the Lord

Don’t have settle for mediocrity when we have the best in Jesus

Don’t have to settle for lies and deception when Jesus is the truth.

IN THE LORD, SETTLE FOR THE BEST