Dave Yadallee's personal blog

Day 23, 23 Jan 2021







Gen 32-34



GENESIS 32



Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau



1 Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him.

2 When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is God’s camp." So he called the name

of that place Mahanaim.

3 Jacob sent messengers before him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir,

the country of Edom. 4 He commanded them, saying, "This is what you must

say to my lord Esau: This is what your servant Jacob says, 'I have sojourned

with Laban and stayed there until now. 5 I have oxen and donkeys, flocks,

and male servants and female servants, and I am sending this message

to tell my lord, so that I may find favor in your sight.' "

6 The messengers returned to Jacob, saying, "We went to your brother Esau.

He is coming to meet you, and what is more, four hundred men are with him."

7 Then Jacob was very afraid and distressed, and he divided the people

that were with him, along with the flocks and herds and the camels,

nto two groups. 8 He said, "If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it,

then the other camp which is left may escape."

9 And Jacob said, "O God of my father Abraham and God

of my father Isaac, the Lord who said to me, 'Return to your country

and to your relatives, and I will prosper you,'

10 I am not worthy of all the lovingkindness and of all the faithfulness

which You have shown to Your servant. For with my staff I crossed over this

Jordan, and now I have become two encampments. 11 Deliver me, I pray,

from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau. For I fear him,

that he will come and attack me and the mothers with the children.

12 You said, 'I will surely prosper you and make your descendants as the sand

of the sea, which is too many to be counted.' "

13 So he spent the night there. Then he selected from what he had with him

a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male

goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels

with their colts, forty cows and ten bulls, twenty female donkeys

and ten male donkeys. 16He gave them to his servants, every drove by itself,

and said to his servants, "Pass over before me,

and keep a distance between each drove."

17 He commanded the one leading, saying, "When my brother Esau meets you

and asks you, saying, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going,

and to whom do these animals belong?' 18t hen you are to say,

'They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau,

and he is also behind us.' "

19 Likewise he commanded the second and the third and all that

followed the droves, saying, "This is what you are to say to Esau

when you find him. 20 Moreover, say, 'Your servant Jacob is behind us.' "

For he said, "I will appease him with the gift that goes before me,

and then I will see his face. Perhaps he will accept me."

21 So the gift went before him, but he lodged that night in the encampment.



Jacob Wrestles With God



22 The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants,

and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them

and sent them across the stream along with all that he had.

24 Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him there until daybreak.

25 When the man saw that He did not prevail against Jacob,

He touched the socket of his thigh, so the socket of Jacob’s thigh

was dislocated, as he wrestled with Him. 26 Then He said,

"Let Me go, for the day breaks."

But Jacob said, "I will not let You go, unless You bless me."

27 So He said to him, "What is your name?"

And he said, "Jacob."

28 Then the man said, "Your name will no more be called Jacob, but Israel.

For you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed."

29 Then Jacob asked Him, “Tell me, I pray You, Your name.”

But He said, "Why do you ask Me My name?" Then He blessed him there.

30 Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying,

"I have seen God face to face, and my life has been preserved."

31 As he crossed over Peniel, the sun rose over him,

and he was limping on his thigh. 32 Therefore to this day the children

of Israel do not eat the sinew which is attached to the socket of the thigh,

because He touched the socket of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.



GENESIS 33



Jacob Meets Esau



1 Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming and four hundred men with him.

So he divided the children among Leah, Rachel, and the two female servants.

2 He put the female servants and their children in front, then Leah

and her children next, and then Rachel and Joseph last. 3 He went on before them,

bowing himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.

4 But Esau ran to meet him and embraced him and fell on his neck

and kissed him, and they wept. 5 When Esau looked up and saw

the women and the children, he said, "Who are those with you?"

Jacob said, "The children whom God has graciously given your servant."

6 Then the female servants came near, they and their children,

and they bowed down. 7 Leah also with her children came near

and bowed themselves. Afterward Joseph and Rachel came near,

and they bowed themselves.

8 Esau said, "What do you mean by all this company that I met?"

Jacob answered, “These are to find favor in the sight of my lord.”

9 Esau said, "I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself."

10 Jacob said, "No, I pray you, if I have now found favor in your sight,

then receive my gift from my hand. For I have seen your face,

and it is as though I have seen the face of God, with you having received me

favorably. 11 Please take my blessing that has been brought to you,

because God has dealt graciously with me and because I have plenty."

So he urged him, and he took it.

12 Then Esau said, "Let us journey on our way, and I will go ahead of you."

13 But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are weak,

and the flocks and herds with young are with me. If they are driven

too hard one day, all the flock will die.

14 Please let my lord pass over before his servant, and I will lead on slowly,

according to the pace of the livestock that goes before me and the pace

the children will be able to endure, until I come to my lord at Seir."

15 So Esau said, "Let me leave some of the people that are with me with you."

But Jacob said, "What need is there? Let me find favour in the sight of my lord."

16 So Esau returned that day making his way back to Seir.

17 But Jacob journeyed to Sukkoth and built himself a house a

nd made booths for his livestock.

Therefore the name of the place is called Sukkoth.

18J acob came peacefully to the city of Shechem,

which is in the land of Canaan, on his way from Paddan Aram,

and camped before the city. 19 He bought a parcel of a field,

where he had pitched his tent, from the children of Hamor, Shechem's father,

for a hundred pieces of silver. 20 He erected an altar there

and called it El Elohe Israel.



GENESIS 34



Dinah Is Defiled



1 Now Dinah, the daughter of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see

the daughters of the land. 2 When Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite,

prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her and defiled her.

3 He was very smitten by Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl

and spoke kindly to her. 4 Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying,

"Get me this girl for my wife."

5 Now Jacob heard that Shechem had violated his daughter Dinah,

but his sons were with his livestock in the field,

so Jacob held his peace until they came.

6 Hamor the father of Shechem went out to Jacob to commune with him.

7 The sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it,

and the men were grieved and were very disturbed,

because Shechem had disgraced Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter,

a thing that should not be done.

8 Hamor spoke with them, saying, "The soul of my son Shechem longs for

your daughter. I pray that you will give her to him to marry.

9 Make marriages with us, and give your daughters to us,

and take our daughters for yourselves.

10 You may dwell with us, and the land will be before you.

Dwell and trade in it and get possessions in it."

11 Shechem said to her father and to her brothers,

"Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give.

12 You can make the dowry and gift I must bring high, and I will give

according to what you say to me. Just give me the girl to marry."

13 The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully,

because he had defiled Dinah their sister.

14 They said to them, "We cannot do this.

To give our sister to one who is uncircumcised would be a disgrace to us.

15 But we will consent to you in this: If you will become as we are,

that is, every one of your males be circumcised,

16 then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your

daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.

17 But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then

we will take our daughter, and we will leave."

18 Their words pleased Hamor and She­chem, Hamor's son.

19 The young man did not delay to do the thing,

because he wanted Jacob's daughter. Now he was more respected

than all the household of his father.

20 So Hamor and Shechem his son came to the gate of their city,

and they spoke with the men of their city, saying,

21 "These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land

and trade in it. For the land is large enough for them. Let us take their

daughters as our wives, and let us give them our daughters. 22 Only on this

condition will the men consent to dwell with us and be one people: if every

male among us will be circumcised as they are circumcised. 23 Will not their

livestock and their possessions and every animal of theirs be ours? Only,

let us agree with them, and they will dwell with us."

24 All who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and Shechem

his son, and every male was circumcised,

all who went out of the gate of his city.

25 On the third day, when they were in pain, two of Jacob’s sons,

Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords

and went to the unsuspecting city and killed all the males.

26 They killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge

of the sword and took Dinah out of the house of Shechem and departed.

27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and looted the city,

because they had defiled their sister.

28 They took their flocks and their herds, their donkeys

and whatever was in the city and in the fields.

29 They took captive and looted all their wealth, all their little ones,

and their wives, even all that was in each house.

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me

by making me revolting among the inhabitants of the land,

among the Canaanites and the Perizzites. Our being few in number,

they will gather themselves together against me and slay me, a

nd I will be destroyed, both I and my household."

31But they said, "Should he treat our sister like a prostitute?"



(Honour killings for us)





2) Our Daily Bread for 20 Jan 2021

https://odb.org/CA/2021/01/23/the-deepest-places

entitled The Deepest Places



Psalm 6



For the Music Director. With stringed instruments.

According to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger,

nor discipline me in the heat of Your anger.

2 Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am weak;

O Lord, heal me, for my bones are terrified.

3 My soul is greatly troubled,

but You, O Lord, how long?

4 Return, O Lord, rescue my soul.

Save me for the sake of Your lovingkindness.

5 For in death there is no remembrance of You;

in Sheol who will give You thanks?

6 I am weary with my groaning;

all night I flood my bed with weeping;

I drench my couch with my tears.

7 My eye wastes away from grief;

it grows weak because of all those hostile to me.

8 Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;

for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my supplication;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 May all my enemies be ashamed and greatly terrified;

may they turn back and be suddenly ashamed.



Victor Hugo (1802–1885), a poet and novelist during the social

and political upheavals of nineteenth-century France,

is perhaps best known for his classic Les Miserables.

Over a century later, a musical adaptation of his novel has

become one of our generation’s most popular productions.

This shouldn't surprise us.

As Hugo once said, "Music expresses that which cannot be said

and on which it is impossible to be silent."



The psalmists would have agreed. Their songs and prayers provide

us with honest reflections on life and its inevitable pain. They touch

us in places we find difficult to access. For example, in Psalm 6:6

David cries out, "I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping and drench my couch with tears."



The fact that such raw honesty is included in

the inspired songs of the Scriptures gives us great encouragement.

It invites us to bring our fears to God, who welcomes us into His presence

for comfort and help. He embraces us in our heartfelt honesty.



Music can give us the ability to express our feelings when words are hard

to come by, but whether that expression is sung, prayed, or silently cried,

our God reaches into the deepest places in our hearts and gives us His peace.



By: Bill Crowder



Reflect & Pray



How would you characterize your prayer life?

How does it make you feel to realize that God Himself allows you to come

into His presence just as you are?



Thank You, loving God, for welcoming me with all my pain, fear, struggle,

and disappointment. Thank You that You don’t want "correct" or "sanitized"

prayers, but my honest heart instead.



3) Daily verses taken from Billy Graham Evangelical Organisation



Words in Season Scripture Memory Tools







Week 6 Showing Grace to Others - Day 7 Our God reigns!



Is 52:7



7 How beautiful upon the mountains

are the feet of him who brings good news,

who proclaims peace,

who brings good news of happiness,

who proclaims salvation,

who says to Zion,

“Your God reigns!”



A messenger has a single duty: to carry information. During World War II, many

parnets dreaded the arrival of the Western Union messenger, believing that

delivery of a telgram meant that their son has been wounded or killed.

Isaiah 52:7, however, indicates that a messenger's word is not always

unwelcome. "How beautiful o nthe mountains are the feet of those who bring

good news ..." the prophet says. The "good news"? Peace , salvation,

and the resultant message: "Your God reigns!"

Our God reigns - in forgiveness, in reconciliation, bringing peace and freedom

and joy. Our God reigns, controlling our lives with a loving hand, ordering

our experiences for our good, and his glory. Our God reigns in relationships,

in professional circumstances, in families, in churches. The good new is

proclaimed: Lif is not unmanageable. Our God Reigns!

When we know that God reigns in our lives, we can relax, let go of the reins

of control, and live in peace. We can forgive those who have hurt us, knowing

that God will reveal to them what they need to know. We can live

with good times and bad, recognising that God uses every circumstance

of our lives to conform us to the image of his Son. We can rejoice in his

grace, free from the compulsion to earn his love and acceptance, and

we can live in the peace that comes only through his lordship in our lives.

Our God reigns - that is , indeed "good news".





Application



a) Have I ever felt that life was "out of control"? Why?



b) What does it mean in practical terms to know that "Our God reigns"?





4) From Prosperity Promises - Kenneth Copeland



2 Cor 9:6



6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,

and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.



5) From a Book called God's Promises for you:





When you are Worried Over Money



1 Tim 6:6-10



6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain

that we can carry nothing out. 8 If we have food and clothing,

we shall be content with these things. 9 But those who desire

to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish

and harmful lusts, which drown men in ruin and destruction.

10 For the love of money is the root of all evil.

While coveting after money, some have strayed from the faith

and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.





6) This come from Praying for Muslims in Canada 2015 (Is there a 2021 edition?)







2015 Population - 4631302 Muslims about 136493







British Columbia - British Columbia's Muslim Population is growing constantly.



Every week there are immigrants ad refugees coming to the Greater Vancouver



and surrounding areas. There are also significant Muslim student populations



in our colleges and universities. Some have even suggested that there are



between 4000 and 5000 Saudi Arabian students alone, without counting all



other nationalities.







Greater Vancouver has an estimated 180000 Muslims, and there are significant



and growing communities in the Fraser Valley such as in Langley, Abbotsford,



Chilliwack, etc. Including these communities the total population for this



region is about 200000.



Of these, there are an estimated 100000 Iranians, 35000 Arabs, 15000 Ismailis,



more than 20000 Afghanis, 10000 South Asian Muslims, 3000 Turks, and small



numbers from other countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Albania, etc.



We are seeing some Muslims coming to Christ and we rejoice in that.



A few people also have some ongoing ministry to Muslims in the area,



for which we also rejoice. Let us agree in that







- the church will catch a vision to pray,



and a burden to train outreach to Muslims



- the church will press in to participate in effective



discipleship of these new Muslim background believers.







Adding further







30 days of prayer for the Muslim World 24 April to 23 May 2020







Under the Keep Praying page







When the new moon is sighted it marks the beginning of t he new Islamic month



and Eid al-Fitr, the "Festival of Breaking the Fast", will start! After 30 days



of fasting, the Eid celebration at the end of Ramadan is a joyful time that



usually lasts about 3 days. Muslims will buy new clothes, exchange gifts and,



of course, enjoy special foods. In Muslim-majority nations, the streets may be



decorated and festivals will be held.







For many Muslims, Eid-al-Fitr begins with communal prayers at daybreak and the



distribution of money (zakat) to the poor, which is one of the 5 pillars of



Islam.







You can greet Muslim friends during this time by saying "Eid Mubarak",



which means Blessed Eid!"







Ramadan is over for this year, but you can continue to pray for Muslims you



know, and Muslims around the world:







- Despite the unsettling developments in our world today that involve actions



in the name of Islam, there is at the same time a largely untold story about



unprecedented movement to Christ among Muslims. There have been more such



movements of thousands or more new disciples among Muslims in the last three



decades or so than in all the previous history of Christian Muslim



relationships! Pray for this momentum to continue.



Acts 2:12-17 : 17 "In the last days it shall be," says God,



"that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;



your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,



your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.



18 Even on My menservants and maidservants



I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.



19 And I will show wonders in heaven above and signs on the earth below:



blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness,



and the moon into blood, before that great and glorious day of the Lord comes.



21 And whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."[a]







Footnotes



Acts 2:21 Joel 2:28-32.



- Pray for Christian workers an organisations focused on seeing effective



discipleship movements among Muslim people.



- Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to inspire you to have god's heart for



Muslims, to see them as He does, and to be the light that then to Jesus.



Matthew 5:14-15 : 14 "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a



hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under



a basket, but on a candlestick. And it gives light to all who are in the



house."







Ideas for prayer







- Pray for opportunities to show the love of Christ to Muslims around you



- Pray for, and offer generous hospitality to, those you know who are serving



Christ among Muslim people -



Romans 12:13 "contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality."



- When you gather with fellow believers, remember to pray for Muslims



throughout the year and encourage them to also participate in 30 Days!







My paternal side is of Muslim heritage and will offer this section to further



call for Muslim converts to Christian and any other converts to Christianity



(Hindus, Jews, aboriginals Canadian, ...) .







7) Prayers for the nation (Canada) coming from Prayer map of Canada



http://www.ehc.ca



Day 23 of the Month



a) Pray for the genuine conversion and successful rehabilitation os those

who have committed crimes.



b) Pray for spiritual and functional unity in the Body of Christ

across Canada.



(



John 13:34-35



34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,

even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples,

if you have love for one another."



Rom 12:10



10 Be devoted to one another with brotherly love; prefer one another in honour



Heb 10:24



24 And let us consider how to spur one another to love and to good works.



1 Peter 3:8



8 Finally,

be all of one mind,

be loving toward one another,

be gracious,

and be kind.



1 John 3:23



23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name

of His Son ­Jesus Christ and love one another as He commanded us.





)





8 ) This month Calvarycommunity.ca is doing 21 days of Fasting

and prayer available at https://calvarycommunity.ca/prayandfast/



https://calvarycommunity.ca/prayandfast/Day20



Verse of the Day: Isaiah 58:6



6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the heavy burdens,

and to let the oppressed go free,

and break every yoke?





Jesus gives instruction on fasting in the Sermon on the Mount.

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do,

for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting.” (Matthew 6:16)

Jesus did not say “If you fast”, but “when you fast”. Jesus seems to assume that

His followers would fast.



Fasting helps us keep our balance in life. How easily we begin to allow

non-essentials to take precedence in our lives.

How quickly we crave things we do not need until

we are addicted to them or enslaved by them.

Pray about the next steps and let this not end here.



Reflection:



What new step is He now calling you to take?



Prayer:



Dear Lord, thank you for the way You have spoken into my life

and the marvelous things You will do through this time of prayer and fasting.

Thank you for refreshing me as I prayed and fasted. Thank you for helping

me finish. Now, as I break this fast, help me to remember to make time for

You each day as I did these last 21 days. I also ask you to help me remain

focus on the things from above.



Let me not forget the principles of spending time with my family and to be

generous with everything we have. And not only to give tithes but offerings

too. Please help me and lead me in how to meet the needs of others. Father, remind me that everything I have is from You. In Jesus wonderful name, I pray, Amen.



Scripture reflection:



James 1:3,



3 knowing that the trying of your faith develops patience.



Matthew 6:31-32,



31 Therefore, take no thought, saying, 'What shall we eat?'

or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32(For the Gentiles seek after all these things.)

For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.



Mark 14:36,



36 He said, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.

Remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You will."



1 Corinthians 10:13,



13 No temptation has taken you except what is common to man.

God is faithful, and He will not permit you to be tempted above

what you can endure, but will with the temptation also make

a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it.





Read Isaiah 58:6-14



6 Is not this the fast that I have chosen:

to loose the bonds of wickedness,

to undo the heavy burdens,

and to let the oppressed go free,

and break every yoke?

7 Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry

and bring the poor who are outcasts into your house?

When you see the naked, to cover him

and not hide yourself from your own flesh?

8 Then your light shall break forth as the morning,

and your healing shall spring forth quickly,

and your righteousness shall go before you;

the glory of the Lord shall be your reward.

9 Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer;

you shall cry, and He shall say, Here I am.

If you take away the yoke from your midst,

the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,

10 and if you give yourself to the hungry

and satisfy the afflicted soul,

then your light shall rise in obscurity,

and your darkness shall become as the noonday.

11 And the Lord shall guide you continually,

and satisfy your soul in drought,

and strengthen your bones;

and you shall be like a watered garden,

and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

12 Those from among you shall rebuild the old waste places;

you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;

and you shall be called, the Repairer of the Breach,

the Restorer of Paths in which to Dwell.

13 If because of the Sabbath you turn away your foot

from doing your pleasure on My holy day,

and call the Sabbath a delight,

the holy day of the Lord honorable,

and honor it, not doing your own ways,

nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words,

14 then you shall delight yourself in the Lord,

and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth,

and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.

For the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.





Conclusion:



Pray to seek the Lord's favour in everything you dot.



Ask the Lord about your prayer life.









Pray for forgiveness of sins and repentance.



Pray to accept Jesus in your life