-
Jacob Wrestles With God
(The Long Way Back Home, Part Two) At the end of Genesis 31, Jacob, his wives, and his children have all officially separated from Laban, Jacob’s uncle. This separation was necessary because—as discussed in the prior post—sometimes our sanctification requires ending relationships and parting ways with family. That is because some people are not sanctifying,…
-
Jacob’s Long Way Back Home, Part One (Genesis 30:25–31:55)
Last time we were in the Book of Genesis, I spoke about God’s providence in Jacob’s life. That is, at Bethel, God made a promise to Jacob before he arrived in the land of his exile. That promise (Genesis 28:13–15) told that one day he would return home. Decades later—in Genesis 31:3, which we will…
-
Biblical Answers To Seven Objections Raised By Skeptics
About a month and a half ago where I live⎯in a borough of New York City⎯we were overrun by snow. As a result, the urgent care where I was working was very slow, and during my shift, several of my coworkers began having a conversation about God, religion, and what happens after we die. I…
-
More On the Providence of God: Jacob, Laban, Leah and Rachel
I have previously written about the providence of God in a June 2025 article here on What Christians Should Know. In that article, I talked about Genesis 24, where God’s invisible hand was leading, guiding, and directing people and events in Abraham’s servant’s quest for Rebekah, Isaac’s future bride. The story that unfolds is one…
-
The Real Stairway To Heaven (Genesis 28:1-22)
Recall that when we last spoke about a dysfunctional biblical family—that of Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Esau—Genesis 27 ended with strife, turmoil, division and separation. Jacob had conspired with his mother to steal his brother’s birthright from their blind, soon-to-be-dead father. Resultantly, Jacob had to flee home because his older brother, Esau, was so enraged…