Day 6: Assurance of the Promise

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised."  Genesis 28:15

Main Character:  Jacob
Scripture:  Genesis 28:10-22
Symbol:  Ladder

I was a sophomore in high school when our point guard on the basketball team graduated.  With no "heir apparent" our coach asked me if I would be up for the task the following year right before the start of summer ball.  I had always been one of the taller girls on the team and had played in the forward or center position, so this took me a little by surprise.  Not to mention, I had injured my knee during the track and field season that April and was still limping around and attending physical therapy three times a week.

My response:  "I guess so."  Looking back, I would not have been up for the challenge had my father not encouraged me along the way.  He gave me ideas for dribbling drills that I could do without moving my legs very much.  He took me to McDonald's on the way home from surgery that July and said I would be up and running the court in no time.  Dad also reassured me that I was "game smart" and that is what mattered most.

Then there was my mother who carted me back and forth to physical therapy, filled up my ice packs, and reminded me how much she loved me.  She was also the one that gave me the courage to fight through the pain I was feeling.  I went on to have two successful years at that position with their encouragement and reassurance helping me the whole way through.

Jacob, the focus of our study today, also found himself being put into his position in an uncharacteristic way.  He was the second son of Isaac and probably assumed his older brother Esau would inherit his father's blessing.  Their mother, Rebekah, knew God had promised Jacob would receive Isaac's inheritance.  When it appeared the blessing was going to Esau, she stepped in and convinced Jacob to lie to his aging father to gain his blessing.  Esau was furious when he found out what had happened and vowed to kill Jacob upon Isaac's death.  Jacob was forced to flee and found himself near Bethel - the same location where Abraham almost sacrificed his father in our previous lesson.

Once again, something very special happened at that place.  God sent Jacob a dream reminding him that he would receive all God had promised Abraham.  As the third generation in line, he would continue to see his offspring grow more numerous than the stars in the sky.  In fact, his twelve sons would become the founding fathers of the tribes of Israel.  This encounter began a change in Jacob that would help develop him into a trusting man of God.  Just like I received assurance from my parents, Jacob received assurance from his heavenly father that everything would turn out as promised.

Ponder Points:

• Use today's lesson to talk about encouragement as a family.  How often do you encourage one another in your home?
• Is there someone you know at work or school that could use encouragement?  Discuss how you could put this lesson into practice and follow through!
• Promises are easy to make and hard to keep.  This is the third day in a row that we see God fulfilling his promise. 
• What do you think shows someone you are really serious - what you say or what you do?
• Discuss a promise you have made and how you have followed through.
• Remind your children that even though we are not perfect, God is perfect.  He made a promise that would be fulfilled step by step through history - ultimately leading us to the birth of Jesus.