“Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved. Yet when they were…
Author: Conqueror in Training
Genesis 34
“When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw [Dinah, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob], he took her and raped her. His heart was drawn to Dinah… And Shechem said to his father Hamor, ‘Get me this girl as my wife.’ … Hamor said to [Jacob and his sons],…
Psalm 34
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Fear the Lord, you his holy people, for…
Genesis 33
Jacob and Esau meet face to face after a 20-year silence. “Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men… He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms…
Psalm 33
“Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful…
Genesis 32
There are two sections, both of which are rich and critical, so I will attempt to cover both without making this too long, please bear with me. In section 1, Jacob prepares to reconcile with his brother, Esau. “Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau… He instructed them: ‘This is what you…
Psalm 32
“When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions…
Genesis 31
I’m not sure where to begin, there is so much happening in this chapter. Jacob, after receiving a dream from God, packs up his wives and children and leaves Laban to return to Canaan and his father Isaac. This wasn’t a small feat, since he now had 11 children and hundreds or thousands of animals….
Psalm 31
This bittersweet Psalm is more proof that songs included more than just worship – they included lamenting and an outpouring of grief. In you, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame; deliver me in your righteousness. Keep me free from the trap that is set for me, for you are…
Genesis 30
It contains two sections – the first is more competitive child-bearing drama from Jacob’s wives, the second is Jacob tricking Laban to get wealth from him. First I’ll try to summarize the continued saga of the sister wives and their servants. “When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous…