#DailyDevotion The Lord Promised To Always Be With You
3rd Sunday in Lent
Read Gen 27:30–45; 28:10–22
Gen 28:13-15 And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, “I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. (14) Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. (15) Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
You would probably think that because Jacob stole by deceit Esau’s blessing that the Lord would be angry with him and curse him. You would be wrong. For as we said yesterday, that blessing the Lord had already promised to Jacob. Now the Lord confirms the blessing with which Isaac blessed him. It is the same blessing the Lord had promised to his grandfather Abraham.
Now it would be 450 years or so until the Lord fulfilled his promise concerning the land upon which Jacob was lying. His family would go to Egypt, grow very numerous and eventually be delivered by the Lord and conquer the promised land. The Lord also makes a very great promise to Jacob which will sustain him the years to come, “I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”
Now the Lord was with Jacob in all his dealings as we shall see. He blessed him with two wives, two concubines and thirteen children not to mention servants. His physical descendants are on every continent upon which the children of men live. But Jacob also has spiritual descendents on every continent as well. These are the true Israel, those who trust in the promises of the Lord. These are the Christians to whom the same Lord who spoke to Jacob spoke to his twelve disciples and speaks to us, Mat 28:20 “…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” The Lord Jesus Christ, who is Israel, God’s Son, joins to himself in baptism all who will believe in him. The promise to Jacob is the promise to all his disciples and we are all Abraham’s and Israel’s children. We have the promise of multiplying. We have the promise of his continual presence among us. We have the promise of a new heavens and a new earth where we shall dwell always with our God and Lord. In Jesus and those who trust in him are all the nations of the earth blessed. Never doubt it.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for blessing the earth with the children of Jacob and most especially with his offspring Jesus Christ through whom all nations are blessed. We thank you for making us your children by adopting us through baptism. Help us always to keep your promises before us knowing you are Lord who keeps his promises so we may always have the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ among us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.