Bibledoorajar Reports God Sees Everything

      "Be not dismayed whate'er betide, God will take care of you;
        Beneath His wings of love abide, God will take care of you.

        No matter what may be the test, God will take care of you;
        Lean, weary one, upon His breast, God will take care of you.

       God will take care of you, Thru ev'ry day, O'er all the way;
        He will take care of you, God will take care of you. "

                                                 Civilla D. Marin about 1904

The name Civilla is not found among any American public records. Perhaps her parents wanted her to always be civil to those around her. Perhaps they thought that in naming their baby girl Civilla other people would always be prompted to treat her civilly. But thanks to Cruella De Vil we know that the Civillas of this world can be mistreated. And Civilla D. Marin must have experienced some of that as she was motivated to pen the hymn above.

I am impressed with how civil Jacob, who entered the world a deceiver,  treated Laban fairly. Surely he had kept the vow he made to God.  And, likewise, I am impressed with how uncivilly Laban treated Jacob. Surely his vows were not made to God. And, most importantly, I am very impressed with how God saw everything that was going on between civil and cruel. The lesson here seems to be that God can and will prosper us in the midst of difficult relationships as we try to make a living. And, a greater lesson is that He is watching so closely that He can remove His anointed ones from bad situations and deliver us into a better ones. The angel of God called to Jacob and Jacob replied "here I am". What followed was God's instruction to Jacob about what he was to do in the face of Laban's (and his sons) changed feelings toward him. He reminded Jacob of who He was: "I am the God of Beit-El, where you anointed a standing-stone with oil, where you vowed your vow to me. Now get up, get out of this land, and return to the land where you were born."

If you are a Christian and dealing with uncivil behavior, God is calling you to remember who you knew He was when you accepted His gift of salvation. Pray. Expect a message like Jacob got. Share with brothers and sisters. God may speak through them. Network with other Christians. Your next opportunity may be on their lips. Trust God to work; He sees everything! You are a member of God's Beit--His House.

Bibledoorajar appraises justice and suffering

 "This is what the Lord says: 'A voice is heard in Ramah; lamenting and bitter weeping. It is Rachel
weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted for her children, because they are no longer alive.' This is what the Lord says: Stop your weeping, and dry your eyes, for your work will be rewarded."

                                                                      Jeremiah 31: 14-17

Jacob had a new son, but he had lost the love of his life. She died sorrowful; her life cut short. Perhaps she thought she had made a mistake leaving the safety of her home with her father. Perhaps she was so weak and helpless that she wondered if her children would be able to make it to the promised land. Anyway, years later, those descendants, sinful and weak would be taken captive by the Babylonians
(some scholars say Assyria).  They were gathered in Ramah, a city given by God to the descendants of Benjamin before being taken into Babylon (Assyria). They were a miserable lot who had given their hearts over to other gods and who in the main did not value the gifts God had given them. God said Rachel had every reason to be crying, but He told the people to stop their weeping, dry their eyes, for their work would be rewarded.

What a great thing that even as the church sorrows over not being able to rescue those of their number who have been lost to the world, He reassures us through these Bible stories that our work, our efforts, even if unsuccessful, will be rewarded. How great is it that God does not give up. He is always extending His power. His Spirit is always leading. The challenge today is not to give up and to stop our weeping, dry our eyes, and keep on being a servant of the Lord in this troubled world and in the troubled church. Come on, He will help us. He will comfort our hearts.

Bibledoorajar Examines Proper Foundations

     Jacob and his large family left Laban's home. The story gives us one more possibility as to why God wanted them to leave. Laban kept idols. These household items as they were called were used by Laban and his family to discern things. Maybe Rachel took the idol because she did not want her Dad to be able to discern information about their whereabouts. Or, sadly, Rachel may have been an idolator. The story is not clear as to why she took it, but it is clear that she wanted to keep it, for she hid it under the saddle of her camel. God sees to it that Laban searches and finds the idol. So the party got underway with Laban having the ability to seek help from his idol.  Rachel was pregnant with her second child. Pregnancy and riding a camel, Ouch! I rode one of those animals while in Israel and it is not the most comfortable ride around even when you are not pregnant. 
     Once, when frustrated, Rachel had told Jacob to give her children lest she die. Now, she rode a camel carrying her second child. Along the way she gave birth to her second son and when weak and dying she named him Benjamin and commented: he is the son of my sorrow. But her husband took his twelfth son and held him toward God and proclaimed: this is the son of my right hand. With the birth of the 12th, the foundation of the nation Israel was accomplished. God Himself was involved with this earthly endeavor to ensure that there would be twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve was the proper number from God's point of view for this plan to move forward.
    Many years later, the Messiah that Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah all wondered about would come to earth as the Son of God's Hand. Before He returned to Glory, he would establish His church with pillars of twelve apostles. How wonderful is God's intent that spiritual foundations be established properly. We can believe the lessons we learn as we follow the twelve tribes each having their distinct role in the Israeli experience. Likewise, we can believe the lessons and instructions left for us by the twelve apostles as we live out the vision God has for the Church of Christ. The apostle Peter declared that we are living stones being added all the time to the structure. Israel was a masterful and colorful nation as they marched out by their tribes each with their distinct images. So, as God looks down surely He has an image of a church built on a proper foundation seeking to do His will. Each stone shines with a gift or gifts to help move the kingdom of God forward, achieving great things for Him. Today, remember your gifting(s). Walk in them. Please God because you are built on the proper foundation and give Him praise that He has graced your life with gifts to help others see and find the life giving words of Christ and His twelve apostles.

Bibledoorajar says "When God Remembers..."

     Jacob now had 10 sons. Leah and her maid servant had been the most productive. Rachel, although her maid had given sons, had remained unproductive no matter how often Jacob "put his shoes under her bed".  But now, now something other worldly would happen. God would remember and a baby was coming because of His remembrance of her. Jacob's eleventh son would be very special with a God ordained destiny and he would at last be born to Rachel. Although all of Jacob's wives presented him with sons, each to be a part of the 12 tribes, this son, the eleventh son, was destined to show forth an example of what God intended to do in the fullness of time with  his own Son. When he was born, Rachel named him Joseph which means God will add or increaser. Rachel  said, "God will add to her another son". The Bible does not record a comment from Jacob at this son's birth, but later in the story we will see just how beloved he was by his father. But for now Jacob had a lot on his mind.
     For a long time, he had watched his father-in-law treat him unfairly in their business arrangements. Even amidst this unfairness, Laban had had to admit that he was only being blessed because of Jacob. This was true because every time Laban changed the plan in order to get the upper hand, God remembered his servant Jacob and gave him increase opposite of Laban's plans. Although Jacob had asked Laban once to let him leave, God had not told him to do so. Laban plotted again. Jacob had been patient during all Laban's maneuverings to get and keep the upper hand, but now Laban's sons were also adding to Jacob's misery.  Now, God told Jacob to leave Laban's home and to return to the promised land and to live out his destiny there.  Now, there was a future savior of God's people to think about in the mix. It was God's time for Jacob to take his wives and his children and leave.  Jacob called his wives out to the field where he was at work and shared the reasoning for leaving. No doubt as they listened, each woman wondered if one of the children before them would be the promised Messiah. Yes, Laban was their Dad, but a future king must be protected at all costs.
     Laban had been blessed because of another. You too, have been blessed because of another.  "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only son (John 3:16)". One day He will come and take us to the Promised Land because God will remember. You can count on it. Hallelujah!

Bibledoorajar Talks of Mandrakes and Sexuality

     Reuben, Jacob's oldest, has now matured to the point that he has some understanding of the supposed ability of mandrakes to make one fertile. While Reuben later used his sexuality inappropriately with Bilhah, at this point in the story he has harvested the plants and has brought them to his mother, Leah. One wonders if he was now old enough to sense or know the rivalry between Jacob's two wives and had decided to help his mother. Rachel saw the boy with the plants and negotiated with her sister for some so that she might become fertile. Jacob must have been spending most of his time with Rachel because Leah commented: "Isn't it enough that you have taken away my husband? Do you have to take my son's mandrakes too?" So a deal was struck. Rachel would get the mandrakes in exchange for Leah getting to sleep with Jacob that night. The text does not say if the mandrakes were used by Leah in some way before she slept with Jacob, but it does reveal that she conceived and bore a son whom she named Issachar which means hire or reward. Her words were "God has given me my hire, because I gave my slave-girl to my husband."

     The race to have sons; the use of exotic plants to have sons; the blessings and judgments of God in the race. What a mix!!! It certainly points up the old human adage "do all you can and let God do the rest!" This is the fifth son that Leah has given to Jacob herself. With men, blessings and judgments come from God. Clearly, Leah is seeking vindication against her sister in the race to produce the line from which God said to Abraham that a Messiah would come. And just as clearly God is involved in Leah's affairs with or without the mandrakes. All of this leads us to ponder the old human adage and to assure ourselves that we have elevated God to the top in all our plans and efforts. It truly is, "If the Lord wills." Isn't it?