I think it’s even stranger than Laban had deceived Jacob into sleeping with Leah thinking it was Rachel; indeed, Laban’s country believed it was best to give the oldest daughter to the groom first, and he used it to trick Jacob. I think it’s ridiculous when someone uses a national belief to deceive or devalue someone. Still, all this took place over 14 years, so Jacob was middle-aged by that time, in today’s lifespan standards (for by the time anyone turns 40, they usually lose a lot of zest — I’ll comment on that later). This passage is found in page 17 of my NKJV Bible, pages 21-22 of my NASB Bible (Old Testament), pages 37-38 of my VOICE copy, and page 37 of my Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) copy. (I just realized I had goofed a bit on how I referenced the previous 14 verses on the previous post today, sorry!)
Why would Jacob sleep with multiple women while being married to at least one? (As a reminder, they did this because there weren’t a lot of people in any nation or tribe yet, and tribes always fought with one another, so God allowed that to happen to bide some time until Paul would write his monogamous philosophy in 1 Corinthians 7:2 many years later, for that philosophy was inspired by the Holy Spirit.) But it wasn’t Jacob’s idea to sleep with more than one female while interchanging relationships like this with them… also, I read some commentary about this several years ago; it said he shouldn’t have deceived anyone in the first place… whoever wrote that was (and still is) anti-grace, anti-Christian, and anti-freedom, not to mention an unforgiving atheist (I wrote something pretty unfriendly to describe this, but edited it a few minutes later) — that commentator deserves to be consumed by hell for all eternity, as all atheists will, given Psalms 14 and 53. Didn’t God later forgive Jacob for his misdeeds? And wasn’t He behind Jacob in eventually having a Saviour being descended from him? This should be plainly obvious, given the words of Jesus in Matthew 8:11-12 (NASB). I think it’s very clear that the Bible says Jacob is now in Heaven, though I only did find out a few years ago. Esau should NEVER have been worshiped by those godless men. Whomever becomes unforgiving is an Esau, so to speak. No wonder God promised the Edomites (his descendants) no future (see Obadiah)! Some note writers for this section of Genesis, when describing Jacob, had the same prideful attitude toward him. They, too, are going to Hell… and I’m not looking forward to any of it, like I had said about most of the U.S. people in an earlier note.
I should mention I’m currently at 1 Peter 3:7 in my progression of reading the NASB translation, and I’m at Matthew 23 in the Amplified Bible (Classic Edition) version. But I’m only up to here in the VOICE, and I remember finishing the NKJV before. Still, I pray for better understanding as I read through all these, and by the Holy Spirit, too. I know I don’t want to act against Him or His Word, yet I feel like I can’t avoid it sometimes, and in a noticeable way, too. Maybe it’s because I know of both how many other churchgoers in other communities will respond if I tell them that… that I’m keeping a low profile about my faith unless the Spirit tells me to do something and fills me with the boldness… lest I get put on trial again and learn something outrageous this time to keep me from getting sent to a mental hospital a third time, if I even have the chance to leave. As it is, I think Satan can use the low profile thing against me and rationalize it so I don’t know what happens until it’s too late. All this (and especially the reality of too little cash and needing to work for a very long time so that I don’t go anywhere until I’m 60, if I even get to live that long, since my mom had been lacking in funds herself to pay rent, yet I was able to move out a year later (this was in 2015-2016), but I didn’t find another place to live for 8 months, and I was homeless most of the time — I finally paid my first payment of rent to Jonathan in Cinco de Mayo 2017, and I’ve been living in the house since) — all this has scared me to death that I might do something (even something good) that might tick off someone and send a chain reaction of a more powerful wave of hostility so I don’t make it out by the time the first deliverance comes. I even fear there’s really nothing left from God for me, and that I’m completely delusional in thinking I can ever go further in solving even the slightest unresolved problem, for I still have debts to pay, I still don’t have a second job to match my Fry’s position in meeting student loan payments, and nothing has happened in terms of getting another interview (though I did have one for a cashiering position in a taco stand set up some time ago, but I couldn’t make it there) — I was just too busy. “I guess I’ll have to wait too long for an interview again… and the hiring managers can just keep worrying about themselves. That’s what they’re best at, right?” That’s what I said to my friend, Josh, as I was writing this down.
But pray that I find something; even if I’m getting several hundred dollars in cash again from someone, I need another part-time job to match my Fry’s shifts. I think that’s something you can pray about… and if you have any other prayer requests, you can submit them to my e-mail: ron.outland4727@gmail.com! I’ll read each one, write them down (if they’re good), then tape them to my bedroom walls! I’ll see you in the final portion of this chapter (and possibly the next in the same note)!
Ron And His Stories 