can this post be mostly devotional in nature? just glancing at what's next in the story...the section heading "jacob's deception" aptly describing the narrative in chapter 27...thoughts that come to mind immediately have to do with my understanding of these historical icons/figures who define israel's heritage and ancestry...and how i think these accounts should be approached by the reader. i discovered an amazing children's book this past year entitled the Jesus storybook bible which tells in beautiful language (and beautiful illustrative brilliance!) the story of God's plan to redeem His broken/fallen creation through Jesus. so...i'm just going to include bibliographic info at the end of this post and make my blog today a recitation of some amazing thoughts intended for children (but enormous to our understanding of how to read the bible!):
now, some people think the bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. the bible certainly does have some rules in it. they show you how life works best. but the bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. it's about God and what He has done.
other people think the bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. the bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the bible aren't heroes at all. they make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). they get afraid and run away. at times they are downright mean.
no, the bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. the bible is most of all a Story. it's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back His lost treasure. it's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves His palace, His throne-- everything--to rescue the one He loves. it's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
you see, the best thing about this Story is--it's true.
there are lots of stories in the bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. and at the center of the Story, there is a baby. every Story in the bible whispers His name....
(capitalization/punctuation/etc altered a bit in the transcription. :) )
from...Lloyd-Jones, Sally. the Jesus storybook bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2007.
more about jacob and his story in my next post. for now, as you read about him, keep in mind sally lloyd-jones' perspective on how to think of these biblical characters...and how their stories will eventually lead to the most important Story/the one Big Story...of Jesus....
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