I am not a poet. This is my first shot at it, so I probably made some mistakes, but here it is:
Scripture References;
6Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:6-7KJV
11For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.12How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?13And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you…
I haven’t written much poetry lately. Whenever I do write a poem I usually post it at my other blog “Serenaded Softly”. Here is the link to one I was thinking about a few minutes ago:
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“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.
3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long.
4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.” Psalm 32:1-5 KJV
“1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.
19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.
20 And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.” Genesis 33 KJV
I just love happy reunions! I also love it whenever a heavy burden of guilt and fear is lifted. I know Jacob was so relieved at that moment when Esau ran to meet him, fell on his neck, and kissed him. He was relieved that he and his wives, servants, and children were safe from harm. However, that wasn’t all. There was a huge bonus. Esau poured out his love on Jacob. I keep bringing up the fact that these men were not only twins, but at this chapter of their lives they were about 100 years old, and it just amazes me. Jacob was hobbling along because of his hip.
What a sight that must have been! I can almost hear that beautiful, stirring music like they used to play on dramatic occasions on television shows such as “Little House on the Prairie” or “Highway to Heaven”, as the two of them embraced and wept. Had Jacob memories of times when they were still boys all of those years before things started to go down hill? They were certainly two different personality types, but it’s not too far fetched to imagine that they might have had some affection for each other.
Isaac, their father, was still alive but not for long. He was close to 180 years old. It is interesting that in the 27th chapter of Genesis (about 20 years earlier) it gives the account where Jacob deceived him. It said that Isaac’s eyes were dim, and that he wanted to go ahead and bless his son Esau, because he was old and didn’t know how much longer he would live. If I have calculated everything correctly he lived 20 more years, and Rebekah, his wife, preceded him in death.
I have been crying off and on for a couple of hours now, as I think about their poor mother Rebekah, and the tears she must have shed over the years. A part of me wishes she could have lived long enough to hug them, too. I know that it was her idea for Jacob to deceive his father, but we must remember that we all come into the world as sinners. Even believers still sin. That is why scripture tells us to confess and to turn from our sins.
I have been thinking about so many families who have experienced reunions of this type, and so many families who are still waiting, so many people still kneeling in prayer…still soaking there pillows with tears.
Do you know someone who is carrying a burden like that? Perhaps there is something you might be able to do to comfort that person, and even help fill that void for them. Are you the one who is hurting? I am praying for you this very minute. Are you far away from “home” afraid to return to a loved one because of a burden of guilt? I am praying for you, too. ❤
Below is a song I found on youtube that is so moving and powerful. Please listen. I hope it blesses you.
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just click here:www.biblegateway.com They have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 KJV
” 1 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying,
3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” Matthew 5:1-9 KJV
I am taking up where I left off in my last post that was focusing on highlights from the life of Jacob, and all that I had noticed not only about him, but also about the people with whom he interacted. At the end of that post Jacob ( who was about 100 years old at the time) was about to wrestle with God. I wrote about this not too long ago. You can read that post here: https://pronetoponder.wordpress.com/2015/01/12/a-loving-pursuit-part-17-gods-transforming-touch/
Towards the end of this wrestling match God asked Jacob to tell him his name. The name “Jacob” meant “supplanter” or “schemer“. Other commentaries used names like “cheater“, and “deceiver“. For a hundred years he had lived up to that name. It was not a noble name. He was not the first person mentioned in the Bible to use deception, and he wouldn’t be the last. He came into the world a sinner, and like so many others, in time, he began to grasp the significance of that fact. Let’s compare a couple of statements that Jacob made. The first was made about 20 years earlier. It was made after Jacob’s first encounter with the Lord.
“20 And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
21 So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:
22 And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.” Genesis 28:20-22 KJV
Then after 20 years of striving with Laban, and as he anticipated facing his estranged twin brother Esau, he was no longer so confidant in himself. These are the words he spoke that evening not too many moments before the Lord wrestled with him:
“9 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the Lord which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee:
10 I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.
11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.
12 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.” Genesis 32:9-12 KJV
The Lord had called Jacob, and then He had brought him to this place; this geographical location, and also to another place…a place known as contrition. It’s the kind of place where one suddenly realizes that he or she is lacking, and in turn, begins to “hunger and thirst after righteousness”. The words of someone else come to my mind at this moment:
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Psalm 51:17 KJV
At this pivotal moment the Lord moved in a magnificent way. The Lord came down, and wrestled with Jacob. He weakened Jacob physically, but strengthened him spiritually, and bestowed on him a new name!
“24And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh.And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name?And he said,Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ” Genesis 32:26-28 KJV
It didn’t stop there. There is more that I am looking forward to sharing with you in my next post, part “c”.
Do you have a Bible? If you don’t have one, you need not worry. Just click here:www.biblegateway.comThey have many versions and translations of the Bible that you can read. Some of the best things in life are free!
Moore to Ponder 