I am using One Year Bible Online for my daily Bible study. For today, One Year Bible Online links here. I have found that by writing this daily blog of what I see when I read these scriptures, I get more out of them. I hope that by posting these ruminations others may get some benefit as well. If you have any thoughts or comments regarding these verses or what I have written about them, please post them. I hope that the Spirit is moving in others through these posts as the Spirit has definitely been convicting me.

     Jacob prepares for his meeting with Esau by separating out some of his flocks and sending them on ahead of him. He divides these animals into three herds. He tells the herdsman to tell Esau that these are gifts for him from Jacob and that Jacob is coming behind them. After sending these on ahead, Jacob stays the night where he was. During the night, he gathered his family and started them on their way. Jacob stayed behind and wrestled with a man through the night. As morning approached, the man was unable to overpower Jacob, so he touched Jacob on the hip dislocating his hip. Then the man asked Jacob to let him go. Jacob replied that he would not let him go unless the man blessed him. The man told Jacob that he, Jacob, wrestled with God and with man and had overcome. Therefor the man gave Jacob the name Israel. Jacob asked the man his name and the man did not give Jacob his name, but he did bless him. Jacob is given the name Israel and blessed in part because he was willing to wrestle with God. This tells us that God does not expect our blind obedience. God knows that we will struggle with His commands and that He does not object.
     As Jacob joined his family he saw Esau and his men approaching. Jacob quickly divided his family putting the servant women and their children first, then Leah and her children with Rachel and Joseph coming last. Jacob bowed low before Esau, but Esau ran to him and embraced him. Esau offered to travel with Jacob, but accompany him to Seir, where Esau made his base. Jacob convinced Esau that was not necessary.

     After Jesus had answered John the Baptist’s disciples and they went on their way, He began speaking to the crowds about John. He tells them that no one born of woman is greater than John, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. He goes on to say that society condemn the righteous with whatever excuse they can come up with. They said that John must be possessed by demons (mentally ill in today’s terminology) because he was an ascetic. On the other hand they called Jesus a glutton and a drunkard because He went to the best parties. We often miss one of the points of this passage. There is a place for both those who are ascetics and deny themselves in order to live more holy lives and for those who go to the parties in order to befriend the sinners and show them that they are welcomed into the Kingdom of God. After all, both Jesus and John reserved their most fervent condemnation for those who thought themselves righteous.
     This passage ends with Jesus telling those who are burdened to come to Him, for His yoke is easy and His burden light. when I read this it reminded me of this song.

Several other great songs came up when I searched for this song. Perhaps this song was inspired by another passage, but I always think of this verse when I hear/sing this song. Always remember, count your blessings…count them one by one. If you start doing that when you wake up, you will still be doing it when you fall asleep.

     Evil fools tell themselves that there is no God in order to believe that they will escape the consequences of their actions. It is a temptation that we all face because we have all turned away from God and become corrupt. I will turn from my sin and pray to God, throwing myself on His mercy. I know that He will protect those who turn to Him

     God laid the foundations of the earth with wisdom. If you want to understand how the world works and how to do well in that world, you must use that same wisdom.