Verse of the day: Genesis
32:1-2 So Jacob
went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said,
“This is God’s camp.” And he
called the name of that place Mahanaim.
Jacob
has just finished dealing with the conflict between him and Laban, and now as
he heads back to Canaan he encounters God’s welcoming committee. Unlike Jacob,
we may encounter angels and not even know they are angels. Hebrews 13:2 reminds
us to, “Be not forgetful
to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”
Jacob trusted the Lord to take care of him and his family in spite of Laban’s
attempts to oppress him. God was faithful to him then, and now shows Jacob that
He is still taking care of him. In Christ we have God’s full range of
protection. We are in Jesus, and He in us. The Holy Spirit indwells us, and we
have angels that are appointed to us, and minister to us (Matthew 18:10; Hebrews
1:14). With all that said, let us be careful that we do not put them in a place
they do not belong in our lives. We are not to bow down and worship angels;
they are servants of God just as we are (Revelation 22:8-9). To worship them is
to commit the sin of idolatry, for we are only to bow down and worship Jesus
who is the One True God, and far greater than the angels who are also God’s
creatures (Luke 4:7-8; Romans 1:25; Hebrews 1:5-14). In these verses we see
that God is already reminding Jacob of His protection over him, as we human
beings have a short memory when it comes to God and His ways. God already knows
that Jacob will have to face Esau, who had previously plotted to kill him
before Isaac and Rebekah sent him away to his uncle Laban’s. As I read these
couple of verses, I am reminded of the fact that one day we who are born again
will have to face the day our “home-going”. On that day we too will be escorted
by God’s welcoming committee. When Lazarus died the angels carried him to
Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22). In Christ, both the sting of death and victory of
the grave have been removed (1 Corinthians 15:55). In short, we have no reason
to fear the day of our “home-going”. I remember years ago when I had the
opportunity to visit with one of our dear sisters in Christ who was dying of
cancer. On the day she went home to be with the Lord, right before she passed
on, her daughter asked her why she was smiling. She responded, as she looked up
at the corner of the room, “Don’t you see him? Over there…”, as she pointed to
the corner. “They’ve come to get me and bring me to my Savior.” With that said,
she silently went home to be with Jesus. I will never forget that. In spite of
God’s reminder to Jacob that He was still protecting him, we still see that
Jacob is very much afraid of his potential encounter with Esau (v. 7). The fact
of the matter is that whether we face troubles here, or face our last days here
on earth, we have no need to fear tribulations or even death. Regardless of how
many angels God may assign to care for us, our greatest protection and comfort
should come from knowing that Jesus Himself is with us at all times, and will
never forsake us (Matthew 28:20; Hebrews 13:5-6). As in Jacob’s case, the Lord
is already aware of all the obstacles, challenges, and trials that lie ahead of
us in our walk with Him. God knows the day of our departure from here to our
true home. He comforts us when we read and hear his Word preached and taught,
combined with steadfast and continual prayer. Those of us who fail to
experience or see His comfort ahead of time are those of us who fail to spend
time in communion with our Lord.
No comments:
Post a Comment