Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem(7/5/22)[Prayer]

The Holy Scriptures | 7/5/22 | left that other site

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Genesis 31

Jacob Flees From Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.

3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.

10 “In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,[a] to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

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God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Almighty and Eternal Father,
Strong To Save,
Slow To Anger,
and Infinitely Merciful and Just,
Holy and Sanctified
is Your Most Hallowed and Wonderful Name!
How Marvelous Are Your Works,
That the Very Heavens Declare Your Glory,
Without Embarrassment,
they Just Burst Forth in Overwhelming Praise!
The Stars, The Rocks, The Waterfalls,
Even The Lowly Grasses of The Field,
Burst Forth into Riotous Colors,
In Worship of Their Awesome Creator!
And yet we,
The Crown of Your Creation,
That which You Made in Your Image,
That in Whom You Breathed Your Spirit,
Those in Whom You Share Your Creative Genius,
unlike ANY OTHER CREATURE of Your Wonderful Works,
Continue to Rebel against You,
Please, Oh Father,
Forgive and Restore Our Nation.

Let all that has been Concealed
Be Revealed.

Father, We Pray For The Peace Of Jerusalem,
According To Your Will and Promise.
We Pray That You Will Forgive The Sins
of Our Own Nation,
and Lead us all to Godly Repentance.
Create in Us Clean Hearts, Oh LORD,
and Renew a Right Spirit Within Us.

This we Pray Together,
As We Await Your Messiah,
Blessed Be He,
To Set Up His Kingdom,
And Make All Things Right.

God Bless America.

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Genesis 31

Jacob Flees From Laban

31 Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken everything our father owned and has gained all this wealth from what belonged to our father.” 2 And Jacob noticed that Laban’s attitude toward him was not what it had been.

3 Then the Lord said to Jacob, “Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you.”

4 So Jacob sent word to Rachel and Leah to come out to the fields where his flocks were. 5 He said to them, “I see that your father’s attitude toward me is not what it was before, but the God of my father has been with me. 6 You know that I’ve worked for your father with all my strength, 7 yet your father has cheated me by changing my wages ten times. However, God has not allowed him to harm me. 8 If he said, ‘The speckled ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks gave birth to speckled young; and if he said, ‘The streaked ones will be your wages,’ then all the flocks bore streaked young. 9 So God has taken away your father’s livestock and has given them to me.

10 “In breeding season I once had a dream in which I looked up and saw that the male goats mating with the flock were streaked, speckled or spotted. 11 The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And he said, ‘Look up and see that all the male goats mating with the flock are streaked, speckled or spotted, for I have seen all that Laban has been doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a pillar and where you made a vow to me. Now leave this land at once and go back to your native land.’”

14 Then Rachel and Leah replied, “Do we still have any share in the inheritance of our father’s estate? 15 Does he not regard us as foreigners? Not only has he sold us, but he has used up what was paid for us. 16 Surely all the wealth that God took away from our father belongs to us and our children. So do whatever God has told you.”

17 Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, 18 and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram,[a] to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

19 When Laban had gone to shear his sheep, Rachel stole her father’s household gods. 20 Moreover, Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. 21 So he fled with all he had, crossed the Euphrates River, and headed for the hill country of Gilead.

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When I worked at a Christian Book Store back in the 1980's, there was a piece of jewelry that always puzzled me. It consisted of two necklaces, each with a separate half that fit into the other, like the Yin and Yang. On each half was the inscription : "The LORD Watch between Me and Thee". It was a kind of "Friendship Necklace" that was for two people to wear when they were apart from each other, and symbolized a bond of love and faith that they would eventually get back together again. I didn't know the Biblical Reference, but sold a lot of them because the sentiment was lovely.

The origin of the quote, however was not from a Bible Story about Friendship. It was from this incident in Jacob's life, which was the culmination of years of deceit, trickery, and other not-so-friendly behavior.

The whole reason Jacob was in Haran in the first place was because he fled there to get away from the rage of his brother Esau. Esau's fury was justified, as Jacob had stolen both his Birthright and his Blessing. Jacob, in turn, was deceived into providing Twenty Years of Free Labor to his Father-In-Law Laban, and served so competently that his own wealth increased even as he increased Laban's flocks. This caused Laban's own sons to become jealous, and they lied to Laban about Jacob, implying that Jacob was robbing Laban of their inheritance.

Jacob is told by God to go back to his homeland, and he discusses it with his wives, who agree. Having been deceived by Laban so many times before, Jacob thought it best to just leave without any "Goodbyes". However, Rachel complicates matters by stealing her father's household "gods" which were little idols that symbolized fertility. (These ugly little idols are frequently dug up by archaeologists in the Middle East, and they usually look like a fat, pregnant, female ). Why would Rachel do such a thing?

Here are some possibilities:

1. The "gods" were the symbol of leadership in the household. By transferring the ownership from Laban to Jacob, she was stating that Jacob was now the Head of the Household.

2. These were Fertility Idols, and Rachel was obsessed about her own infertility. Even her first son Joseph was named in a way that she wanted to ADD more sons. She had shown her own superstition by buying the mandrakes, and maybe she thought that these fat little pregnant gods would help.

3. She was alerting Laban to their departure. By the "gods" going missing, it alerted Laban that Jabob had left. Maybe she just wanted a chance to kiss her father goodbye.

Needless to say, this incident caused further rancor between Jacob and Laban. It almost came to blows when Laban caught up with them. Jacob foolishly vows to kill whoever stole the idols, not knowing it was his beloved Rachel. Rachel deceives her father into giving up the search, as she states that she is menstruating (a source of HORROR for men of that era) and he quickly leaves her tent. It is speculated that Rachel was pregnant with Benjamin at that point, as the timeline would seem to indicate. That means that Rachel's excuse for not rising was also a lie.

Finally, in frustration, Jacob and Laban draw a line in the sand and agree to stay away from each other. This is when they say "The Lord Watch Between Me and Thee", hardly a Friendship Necklace statement.

It did look nice in Sterling Silver though.

Come and Pray For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[etabeta]

“The Lord Watch Between Me and Thee”, often said at the end of a Catholic Mass as a blessing during separation. Nice to know the origin of the words.

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Israel and the World. God bless.

[left that other site]

Well, it DOES sound like a “Blessing”.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Etabeta, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

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But it isn’t.

[Hebrews 11:6]

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Yep...that’s the one.

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Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, Hebrews 11:6, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

CONTEXT is everything! :-)

[Hebrews 11:6]

Yes, indeedy, as Jesus often pointed out to the scribes and Pharisees.

[redryder_90]

Amen

[Hebrews 11:6]

Purely by coincidence, I am sure, my Bible-art post for tomorrow features many of those idols.

[TianaHighrider]

Good morning and Prayers up ❤ 🙏

[NEWwoman]

Amen, left that other site

I remember when that necklace was a craze. Few knew the rest of the story...as the late Paul Harvey would say.

Joining in prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem and for our beloved America.

[etabeta]

Indeed, at the same time it’s a nice sentiment for those who don’t know the background.

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, redryder_90, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

Coincidence? I think...NOT. :-)

[left that other site]

Pray For The Peace of Jerusalem

Thank You, TianaHighrider, For Your Prayers For the Peace of Jerusalem, For Our FRiends in Need, For Persecuted Believers, and For Our Beloved Nation.

"He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:25)

God Bless America.

Blessings To All Who Visit This Garden of Prayer.

Hallelujah and Amen

ML/LTOS

[left that other site]

I agree with you.