SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 04-10-2007
My Worship Time Focus: Vengeance
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Genesis 34:25-31
Message of the verses: “25 Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the city unawares, and killed every male. 26 They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went forth. 27 Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and looted the city, because they had defiled their sister. 28 They took their flocks and their herds and their donkeys, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; 29 and they captured and looted all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, even all that was in the houses. 30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I will be destroyed, I and my household." 31 But they said, "Should he treat our sister as a harlot?’”
There are a number of things to point out from this passage: Jacob was suppose to be in Bethel, and if they were there then probably this would not have happened. The vengeance that Simeon and Levi gave to these people was too harsh and Jacob would not forget this. Jacob was more concerned for his safety than he was about what had happened to his daughter and his witness in the land before these heathen people, which is not having his priories in the correct order. When we read in the Scriptures an eye for an eye God is telling us that the punishment should fit the crime, and in this case the punishment certainly did not fit the crime.
Spiritual meaning for my life today: I am wondering how many times that I have not been in the place of blessing because I had decided not to follow the prompting of God. As I think of all of the responsibilities that I am leaving at our church to go and do this job this thought has gone through my mind, yet it is very possible that God has provided this job for us in order to help out in our financial problems like He did when He sent us to Aruba to work and to minister. I would hope that God would give us a place to minister while living here too.
The Word of God has challenged my heart as I read and studied it this morning.
My Steps of Faith Today: To trust the Lord to continue to guide me and to direct my path so that I will be doing the things that He has ordained for me to do before the foundations of the earth were laid, and that the Lord would continue to teach me contentment.
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