05/05/2023 - SNARE FOR JACOB

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And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves.  Genesis 34.9

Hamor’s solution may be simple, but it is a real snare to those who are of God. Don’t accept anything without the Lord’s consent. The devil will tempt you to take wrong actions, which will harm you tremendously. He is like a lion prowling around, roaring and threatening, seeking those who are weak in faith (1 Peter 5.8,9). Beware! The only way for you to resist evil is to remain steadfast in the faith that has entered your heart by listening to God’s Word.

Jacob knew that the proposal from Hamor, the ruler of the land, conflicted with the teachings of his parents, Isaac and Rebekah. They had also learned from Abraham, his grandfather. If he accepted that proposal, he would certainly betray the Lord’s plan for his home. Never accept something impure, because it does not come from God. Even if you don’t think it’s a big deal, only the Lord can show you that it is a plan of the enemy. Stay alert!

Dinah was a princess and was supposed to be an instrument of God, but the contamination of Shechem caused her to miss what was planned for her life. Why did she decide to meet the girls of her generation if she was naive about the things of the world? Young people who have already embraced salvation should never read or learn what those of their own age practice, for it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret (Ephesians 5:12).

Judas Iscariot was invited and accepted as a disciple of the Master. No doubt he would be an apostle or something else that was prepared for him, but he let the demon turn him into a thief and then a traitor. Result: he ended up hanging from a tree (Matthew 27.3-5). Never let temptation take hold of you; otherwise, the Lord’s purpose for your life will be hindered. Nothing will take us out of the wonderful holy plan, if we are in Jesus and His words are in us!

God led Demas to Paul, who prepared him to be a true messenger of the Gospel. However, seeing how much he could gain in the world, he abandoned the apostle and gave himself up to perdition (2 Timothy 4.10). If Demas did not repent later, where is he now? Likewise, we have seen people who despised the plans of the Most High, and today, they are far from what they would have been. Why do so many people not ponder what they do and go astray?

Hamor did not understand God’s will, nor did he have the fear of the Lord. All he wanted was to deliver his son from the humiliation and consequence of the evil committed. The young man abused the one he should not even come close. Whoever enters the path of error will suffer greatly. So, meet with Jesus and be saved, before the devil destroys you. He who loves God respects his neighbor.

What would be of us if Jacob had loved the safety of his daughter more by agreeing to the young man’s proposal to marry her? Shechem was the Hivite prince of that territory and soon, he could be the king of that part of Canaan. There are decisions made that weigh on the eternal happiness and that of many people as well. Accept only what comes from Heaven!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares