Where did Cain find a wife?

Posted on 06/02/2011 by remso

This is meant to be lite hearted, and make you think at the same time.

While we may not definitive answers for everything, I believe that God fully intended for the answers to be found.

Now Adam knew Eve, his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain, a worker of the ground.(Genesis 4:1-2 ESV)

Here is the background for this discussion.

Sitting in a Wednesday night bible study at a small church. A friend of mine asks the “off-topic” question, “where did Cain find a wife?”

That happens to be a great question.

He even added that “Adam and Eve only had two children didn’t they?”

The leader of the study responded, “I do not know; I will have to study that out.” If in doubt, study it out. That is a good response, but a student of the bible should have had an answer.

Moments passed, and no one could respond; therefore she started to move on.

I could not stand it and asked if I could field the question.

  1.  When God spoke to Eve, after the fall, he told her, “I will increase your pain and your labor when you give birth to children.” Now, why would that be relevant to her unless she had already experienced childbirth? Can I prove that? Well, yes and no. Yes because Cain did take a wife and there is no logical means to that end outside of this assumed chronological and genealogical path. No, because there is nothing in scripture that specifically backs me up.
  2. Cain feared that people would kill him. How would he have any concept of other people, unless there were other people?
  3.  Therefore he (Cain) fled to the city of Nod. Now mind you, I do not think that the city would have been much more than a hut or two and a fire pit, but none the less, it was a city, with people in it.

Hasn’t that ever intrigued you? Where did any other people come from? So, let’s say that we do not know how long Adam and Eve romped in the garden. Physical enjoyment of each other was a limitless aspect of who they were. Therefore, the quantity of offspring could have been tremendous. And the offspring could have easily had their own children. Why does this concept have to seem so odd? There was no sin until the tree of knowledge incident, therefore these potential people were living in the manner that God intended heaven on earth to be like.

Now there is another oddity about this that needs consideration. What would the unpolluted offspring, of two people created in God’s image, be like?

Keep in mind that man was created a spirit being first, and then a body was put on him. Did the body suddenly limit anything that he was capable of? I doubt it. You might say that Adam was the first Superman. Jesus walked through a locked door, walked on water, and may well have rolled back the stone from his own grave – if not, then he walked through stone; and, shortly thereafter ate fish with the disciples.

Haven’t you ever struggled with the idea of sons of God looking upon the daughters of men? What do you think these people were? The Bible tells us that they were fallen, angels. In the book of Job, Satan approaches God, intermingled with “the sons of God – angels.

Jude 1:6 CJB  And the angels that did not keep within their original authority, but abandoned their proper sphere, he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for the Judgment of the Great Day.

Genesis 6:1-4 NET. When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2) the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 3) So the LORD said, “My spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely since they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years.” 4) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.

2 Peter 2:4 NET. For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment.

Add this to the mix the fact that God gave man dominion over the earth. That dominion is a controlling attitude, and things are all good until sin gets thrown into the mix, but now it becomes selfish desire and is as deadly as dynamite in the hands of a curious child.

Suddenly the brakes are thrown on, and everything changed. Sin washed over them like a flood. Strangely we only see the effects demonstrated in Cain and Abel, where Cain smashes his brothers head in with a rock. Why? Cain could not even answer the question. Selfish desire.

Cain wanted his sacrifice accepted even though he knew it was wrong. Wait a minute. How would Cain have known that? We do not specifically see anyone telling the boys how, what, and why they should now offer sacrifice. Who, specifically, was the one that did know? Adam.

After the fall, our two focal points (Adam and Eve,) who happened to be vegetarians at this point, have clothing, made by God, and put on them. Do you believe that this was all there was to that story? God laid out the entire plan of salvation, at least the parts that were necessary for Adam to cover his transgressions, and God showed him how through the sacrifice of an animal.

Adam had to have passed this along to his boys, just as he passed along the information about the Tree of Knowledge and how they were not to touch it.

Let me muddy up your water a little more. Enoch walked with God and was no more. Think about that concept. Enoch walked in a state of worship, and fellowship with the Father to the point that he eventually just walked off the earth. Do you realize that God is telling us something beyond what our minds can seem to conceive? How did Enoch have an understanding of how to do that? Enoch was only a few generations out from Adam, and apparently, someone who had to know; so Enoch asks the question of Adam, “what was it like walking with him in the garden?” Do you realize that Adam was capable of conveying that information to him? Adam, a broken man, thrown out of the garden, and our example of what not to do for thousands of generations. Oh, what I would give to have that kind of intimacy with the Father; my heart cries out for that kind of intimacy. I want to know you as Adam did; I want to feel your breath; to hold your hand, and feel your embrace. To be loved as no one has ever loved me.

Father, through tears I ask you to make yourself more real to me and give me the ability to show your love to others.

There is nothing in scripture by accident; and, it is safe to say that all of it, God’s Word, is completely intentional, and by design. God is well aware of what he is doing and to whom. If you find yourself desiring to dig into in his word it is because he put that desire in you. Explore and grow in the wealth and knowledge that is the King of Glory. Search the scriptures, for in them are the answers that you seek.

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Enduring chastisement. What does that mean?

Posted on 05/23/2011 by remso

Heb 12:7  If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not?

endureG5278
2. hupomeno (G5278), a strengthened form of No. 1, denotes “to abide under, to bear up courageously” (under suffering), Mat_10:22; Mat_24:13; Mar_13:13; Rom_12:12, translated “patient”; 1Co_13:7; 2Ti_2:10, 2Ti_2:12 (KJV, “suffer”); Heb_

Total KJV Occurrences: 18
endure, 5 Mar_13:13 (2), 2Ti_2:10, Heb_12:7, Jam_5:11; endured, 3 Heb_10:32, Heb_12:2-3 (2); endureth, 3 Mat_10:22, 1Co_13:7, Jam_1:12; patiently, 2
1Pe_2:20 (2); abode, 1 Act_17:14; behind, 1 Luk_2:43; patient, 1 Rom_12:12; suffer, 1 2Ti_2:12; tarried, 1 Luk_2:43

The NIV puts it this way: Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

If I am “to bear up courageously” under hardship at then at least there is the hope  that there may be no future punishment. That would seem to be the whole problem that I am having here. The Jews lived under the law, but the testator died and God’s makes a new covenant with man. Under the new covenant, the one that we are living under, the law is written upon our hearts. That would mean that each one of us knows to do right.
Does any of that mean that punishment for breaking the law goes away?
Are we talking man’s laws, which for the most part are really God’s design, or exclusively God’s laws. God’s laws seemed more punitive, as the offender was usually killed.
You have to put things into perspective. Let’s assume that we are talking God’s law. Christ became the one time sacrifice for sins fulfilling the requirements of the law. Since then God is not judging the world for sins anymore. All judgement was placed upon Jesus. Now how was he punished? This passage says to endure your discipline. He was ridiculed, slapped, beaten, mocked, whipped, scourged, nail to a cross, forsaken by the Father (at least momentarily – he said so.), died, and went into hell. If that was what we deserved who would survive? No one. Truth is, believers are suffering fates like this daily. Does that mean they are being punished for their quiet little sins, or perhaps past sins? I do not think so.
Christ took all the punishment upon himself. An old pastor of mine, while trying to do some premarital counseling with the first wife and I, gave us an example in which his daughter had done wrong. She deserved the spanking with the belt (don’t get stupid on me here, that seemed to have been the common method at the time, and a fairly effective deterrent). So he calls her in the room, lays out the facts and the punishment once again, and then tells her “but this time I am going to take the punishment for you” and hands her the belt. She of course could not do it, and broke down crying. His point was two fold. One of which was that Christ did the same for us. We deserved it, merely by birth.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
(2 Corinthians 5:21, WBS)

“All children are disciplined by their fathers. … God disciplines us for our own good so that we can become holy like him.”

Discipline is the Greek word paideia
From G3811; tutorage, that is, education or training; by implication disciplinary correction: – chastening, chastisement, instruction, nurture.
According to the ISBE the radical meaning is that simply of training. In the New Testament the Greek paideia is used with a variety similar to its corresponding Hebrew in the Old Testament. Examples of the fundamental idea, namely, that of “training,” are found in such passages as Act_7:22; Act_22:3, where Moses and Paul are said to have been “instructed,” and 2Ti_3:16, where Scripture is said to be “profitable … for instruction” (compare 1Ti_1:20; 2Ti_2:25; Tit_2:12; Rom_2:20).
So that I have it straight in my head. I am “to abide under or bear up under my education or training.

If I was training to be an Olympic athlete then I might expect some hardship. Having wrestled for a short time in high school, and I can tell you that training sessions were grueling at times. Although they did not really help me any, they were for a purpose, and that was to make us better.
Here is an interesting thought. I said that the training sessions did not help me much; they did. I got stronger, leaner, and faster. What they did not do was build a confidence in me that taught me I could win. That problem has been with me all my life. What training can do to the outside of the body does not necessarily equate to a reformation on the inside. Suddenly the need for a savior becomes apparent, because man cannot save himself. Yes, there are some deluded people that believe you can. Good luck with that. If you are successful, it is only because God has allowed it for a purpose. If you are not fulfilling that purpose then you are not receiving your training very well.

So the bottom line here is that this is not about God being punitive toward us but attempting to train us. I suspect that what we don’t learn down here he will have to take a few extra minutes of our time when we get there. Beside all that scripture establishes that we are in Christ. Is God going to continue training and or punishing Him? NO. The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his feet, and we are complete in him.

If it does not feel like this is who you are then I would suggest that you continue, in the Word, to abide under training.

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Turning to God from Idols – 1Thes 1:9

Posted on 05/14/2011 by remso

1 Thessalonians 1:9 (NIV)  for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,

“….you turned to God from idols..”

Does anyone notice something about this scene? Paul, the scripture tells us, preached in the Synagogue; Pagans would not have been allowed inside, therefore this had to have been a primarily Jewish audience.

To make the statement “you turned to God from idols” implies all of them. What were Jews doing worshiping idols? A foolish question, for this, had been a problem with the Jews for generations, and guess what, we followers of Christ do it too.

Leviticus 17:7  (NIV) They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves.

Leviticus 26:30  (NIV) I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you.

Deuteronomy 32:21  (NIV) They made me jealous by what is no god and angered me with their worthless idols. I will make them envious by those who are not a people; I will make them angry by a nation that has no understanding.

Judges 17:5  (NIV) Now this man Micah had a shrine, and he made an ephod and some idols and installed one of his sons as his priest.

The book of Judges speaks of Micah, this is not Micah the Prophet, but it is a clear demonstration that he, as well as others, had attempted an integration of God with gods’; so, it is not a new phenomenon.

The writer of Hebrews makes what I think is a peculiar statement in Hebrews 13:9 “Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, NOT by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.”

We, today, use this passage to beat up the other denominations that disagree with us. Just listen to some of the radio programs on the “Christian” channels, and you will hear it. We are all in the same big boat, headed toward heaven, but we are shoving our paddles in the water trying to turn the boat every which way, at the same time. No wonder the world cannot handle religion, we can’t either. And the reality is we keep trying to take control from God instead of letting the Holy Spirit have its way, and do the teaching. This Christian life is not that difficult and yet it has taken me 56 years to find this out. Here is the formula. I am giving it to you for free.

Love the Lord, love on people, and live a quiet life.

Now, how hard can that be!

So the strange teaching, in this case above, has something to do with the preparation of food. Food is prepared every day, in homes and places to eat. Now mind you with the prices you pay, and the hoopla that goes into the preparation of the “food”, it is easy to see how this could be an idol, and for many it is. One pastor,   n I sat under, had to tell us that he would not eat this common food served around here. He told us that he would take his wife into downtown Los Angeles to eat lunch at the Ritz whatever. I no longer go to that church and have no interest in doing so.

But there was definitely something being done or said over the food, being referred to in Hebrews, that, in the mind of the person eating it, had some benefit over just satisfying hunger, because there was something more being done to it other than cooking it. You can ascertain that because the writer has to make the statement “it is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.”

Clearly, the writer of Hebrews is in agreement with strengthening the heart., That would be the mind and soul of a person, but the strengthening should be done by grace.

Done by grace?

The ISBE has much to say about the word Grace.

1. The Word Charis:

In the English New Testament the word “grace” is always a translation of (charis), a word that occurs in the Greek text something over 170 times (the reading is uncertain in places). In secular Greek of all periods it is also a very common word, and in both Biblical and secular Greek it is used with far more meanings than can be represented by any one term in English Primarily.

But the word has abundant use in secular Greek in the sense of unmerited favor, and Paul seized on this meaning of the word to express a fundamental characteristic of Christianity. The basic passage is Rom 11:5; Rom 11:6, where as a definition is given, “If it is by grace, it is no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace.” That the word is used in other senses could have caused no 1st-century reader to miss the meaning, which, indeed, is unmistakable. “Grace” in this sense is an attitude on God’s part that proceeds entirely from within Himself, and that is conditioned in no way by anything in the objects of His favor.

In Acts 15:40; 14:26 we see a special blessing of God (his grace) on a particular undertaking. I believe that the reference to the word in Hebrews has to do with God’s work in our lives, and not something that we have conjured up through some act of idolatry.

Look at 1 Cor 8:1-11

“Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that all possess knowledge. ..

vs 4 So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one

vs 7 But not everyone knows this. Some people are still so accustomed to idols that when they eat such food they think of it as having been sacrificed to an idol, and since their conscience is weak, it is defiled.

vs 8 But food does not bring us near to God

Again, clear evidence that these people believed in some god like quality, inherent in their idols, being able to transfer to their food. If their ceremonies to their gods involved some kind of food there had to be some perceived benefit from the eating, and thus we have the admonition of Hebrews 13:9.

3 sessions

3 sessions and their lives were changed forever.

Some people go to the psychiatrist for years and never change. These people turned almost instantly from their idols to worship God. If they were Jews alone why would that be such an incredible thing. This statement has such a western way of thinking embedded in it. In general we modern Americans do not think of idol worship in the same way. Our version does not come with so much fanfare, unless we are involved with Satanism or some other extreme. No, the worship of idols such as a car, food or money, is done quietly and with reserve.

Idol worship, that which takes the place of God, is subtle, and stealthily integrated into our lives. We are bombarded with it’s hooks by the messages on the television, on a daily basis. Oh yes, we have our fair share of idols too.

If you have read the New Testament to any degree then you might be aware that Paul was well capable of preaching long into the night. One young man could certainly attest to that, because the young man fell asleep while Paul was preaching, and fell out of the window. He was probably dead from snapping his neck on impact, but Paul prayed for him, he was healed, and Paul continued preaching.

The point is that Paul may have only taught on 3 consecutive Sabbaths, but they might have marathon sessions. Paul only preached there 3 times because the zealous, religious Jews ran him out. Paul was preaching these freedoms based upon scripture (the Torah), that these listeners knew, and he was doing it in the synagogue. Everything about this situation seems impossible, and yet there is it, and this, along with every stop Paul made, began the process of changing the world toward Christ.

I used to watch cartoons as a child, and they almost always ended with a moral to the story. If there is a moral to Paul’s story it is that he was willing. God took that willingness and changed a world.

Oh, by the way; get the idols out of your life and give God first place, as He should be.

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What of Jacob, or Can a woman really heal what is broken in you?

Posted on 05/09/2011 by remso

We are covering a lot of ground on this one. Look for this story in Genesis 25 -31.

 Church Saturday night. Pastor is talking about relational issues between husbands and wives, and tonight brings up Jacob. He, of course had to do the fast recap of who Jacob is and what “created” him. What I mean by created is the dynamics within his family that made him respond to situations the way he did. This equates to, in this case, a broken man, Jacob, that looks to a woman, Rachel, to bring him wholeness.

 Here is a shocker! We are all broken and though we may not want to admit to it, most of us are looking for something that helps to dull the pain and take our mind off of it for at least a few moments. Sometimes, in the case of a man, it takes the form of a woman because she quiets the storm momentarily. If a man could be honest, he would tell you that there is little that takes away the hurt inside. Come on. Scripture tells us that all of creation is crying out for redemption, so how can you be excluded.

 What we know about Jacob.

Esau was born first, and quickly becomes a very hairy man. Jacob of course was born second. At an early age this second child thing is not important to you, but, depending on how you treated in the home (For example: your father makes sure that you eventually understand the position that you do not hold; that the older will rule the family when father is gone, and the elder will get the lion’s share of any inheritance.) there may also be sibling rivalry and favoritism shown toward the elder. (That could work the opposite too, for often the eldest is held to a higher standard and takes more punishment for mistakes.)

 Whatever the case is with these two we do not know, but we have some clues.

Gen 25:27 tells us: And the boys grew: and Esau was a cunning hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a plain man, dwelling in tents.

What does that mean when it comes to Jacob? While one was constantly out being manly the other seems to have busy playing video games and cooking. In the eyes of a father that wants to pass on the family business Esau is the boy you brag about in the market place. This has to play a role in the character of Jacob.

 Outside of speculation you do not know what made Jacob such a conniver.

Here is what we have next.

One day, Jacob was cooking some stew, when Esau came home hungry and said, “I’m starving to death! Give me some of that red stew right now!” That’s how Esau got the name “Edom.” Jacob replied, “Sell me your rights as the first-born son.” “I’m about to die,” Esau answered. “What good will those rights do me?” But Jacob said, “Promise me your birthrights, here and now!” And that’s what Esau did.

(Genesis 25:29-33 CEV)

 While you probably do not pick up on a major attitude when you read most translations, there is no doubt that it is there.

 Here is an example of attitude that Jesus told us about. The parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus. Both have died. Lazarus is now comforted and the rich man is now demanding, pretty much just as he had always done, that Lazarus be sent back to warn his family.

And he said, Father, it is my request that you will send him to my father’s house; (Luke 16:27 BBE)

This parable is another example that probably escapes most people because the interpreters of the bible, in order for words to make sense, inserted the word please, as though the man was now being polite. It was his custom to order people around, and he still thinks that he can order Lazarus around.

 Esau, though probably not on the verge of death, is hungry enough sale his birthright to Jacob. Doesn’t this imply that the birthright issue has been part of Jacob’s thinking for a long time.

 If you felt confident that you were going to be taken care of by your father then why would you steal what was not meant to be yours? Obviously Jacob did not feel very confident.

 Okay, Esau sells his brother his birthright. Yeah right, only in cheap words, for Esau seems to have had no intent of giving up what was his. Besides that, how do you enforce an illegal sale, with a father who is the only one who has the right to give it, and who is probably not that fond of Jacob anyway.

If Esau had thrown away his birthright nonchalantly, then why go to the trouble of going in to his father in hopes of receiving the blessing?

 As soon as Isaac had finished blessing Jacob, when Jacob had scarcely gone out from the presence of Isaac his father, Esau his brother came in from his hunting. He also prepared delicious food and brought it to his father. And he said to his father, “Let my father arise and eat of his son’s game, that you may bless me.” His father Isaac said to him, “Who are you?” He answered, “I am your son, your firstborn, Esau.” Then Isaac trembled very violently and said, “Who was it then that hunted game and brought it to me, and I ate it all before you came, and I have blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed.” As soon as Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me, even me also, O my father!” But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully, and he has taken away your blessing.” Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” Then he said, “Have you not reserved a blessing for me?” Isaac answered and said to Esau, “Behold, I have made him lord over you, and all his brothers I have given to him for servants, and with grain and wine I have sustained him. What then can I do for you, my son?” (Genesis 27:30-37 ESV)

 Some time has passed, and personalities have not changed.

Now we get to add Rebekah into the mix.

And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, (Genesis 27:5-6 KJV)

 It would seem that she knew about the deal that Jacob had made with Esau, and has decided that she is going to make this deception happen. There is little about what happens next even believable, but it does. Sheepskin, with all that hair, and the voice had to be decidedly different. Besides, Jacob was the cook not Esau.

 The deception is pulled off, and now Jacob has to flee; an exile. He, in a sense, stumbles upon Rachel, and she is a vision of what a girl should look like. He wants her bad, and is willing to work for her to get her. There is an irony here in that Rachel, is not an accident by any means, for Laban, her father is Jacob’s uncle. (Consider: If Rebekah knew how to be devious it only makes sense that Laban would too.)

Jacob makes no effort to barter for her, but tells Laban that he will work seven years for her.

(That in it self may be significant on several levels. 7 is the number of perfection, and redemption, a theme that recurs throughout scripture.)

He does not do what desperate men do, raping her, he waits for the seven years. He then goes to Laban and demands that she be given to him for he has paid for her. Laban deceives Jacob just as Jacob had deceived and gives him Leah.

 Laban makes a statement here, in response to Jacob’s shock and disappointment, that I never noticed before.

And Laban answered, It is not done thus in our country, to give the younger before the elder. Genesis 29:26 Brenton)

As pastor explained: “this had to cut Jacob like a knife“. This is precisely what Jacob and his mother had done to Esau. And Laban may well be aware of it. If not, it is amazing how the Holy Spirit puts words in your mouth.

 Now the premise for all this is: that Jacob, a broken man, and I am not so sure he could understand that for a long time, pursues Rachel, the vision of perfection, in hopes that she would heal him and make him a better man.

 While that may actually be happening in the back of his mind it is not directly noted. Sure, much smarter men than I have analyzed this scenario and concluded these things from the story, but is that necessarily the point that God is trying to make in sharing this with us?

 One of the things that I see in scripture is that God is in control, regardless of how lousy the circumstances seem to be. Pastor said “that God gives us examples of people who are messed up so that we can know what not to do.” If that theory is true, then why would God tell Israel, explicitly, not to learn from the surrounding nations, for the surrounding nations were doing everything wrong, worshiping idols, and sacrificing their children to gods.

 While I might argue that learning from my neighbor how to work with Iron could be a necessity that would allow my civilization to eventually create sewer pipes, there is always a hazard in close associations, especially for those not so grounded. As it can, and most of the time will cause us to be drawn away by the deviant and those used by Satan.

 You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods. They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against Me; for if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you. (Exodus 23:32-33 AMP)

 And you shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will give over to you; your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be a snare to you. (Deuteronomy 7:16 AMP)

 You didn’t merely live by their ways and act according to their disgusting practices, but in a very short time you acted more corruptly than they in all your ways. (Ezekiel 16:47 CJB)

 Is it the person becoming the snare? Perhaps, but what we do know is that Satan will deceive you through any means possible. In some cases it might be an innocent, but attractive looking woman.

 Yes, Jacob’s life is one big psycho drama. He is a liar, a cheat, and generally a mess; he does not even seem to slow down all those years later when he meets Esau. But there is a method to God’s madness. God seems to use broken people; he even seeks them out. He seems to find pleasure in lifting them up and healing them.

 Our savior is a descendant of the line from Jacob.

 My point: That no matter how messed up the story we can and should glean as much as we can from each one, for it is God’s story. Sure, you think it is yours, but it is never anything less than God’s plan, you just get to be a part of it.

“For I know what plans I have in mind for you,’ says Adonai,’plans for well-being, not for bad things; so that you can have hope and a future. ” (Jeremiah 29:11 CJB)

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