Only A Few Days

Jacob’s Exile, Bethel, and the Providence of God

Well this morning as you can tell we're beginning chapter 29. Looking at verses 1 through 20 We've left Jacob as it were a fugitive. He's absconded from Beersheba from the house of his father. He's on the run.

We fought we found him as it were passing through the wilderness and. Of course, the question of his murder is hanging over these chapters. We we go back to them. It's an unanswered question whether Esau's plot will be successful.

So he's on the run there's this this threat of murder hanging over these chapters as The heir he's left behind everything that he had received through his father's blessing everything that was familiar to him everything that was comfortable to him, especially the mother that he had such a unique and close relationship to and.

And now he's obeyed his mother and his father and they're charged to travel to Haran to find a wife and that Really takes up the first 20 verses of our time this morning. Last week we considered God's providence for all Intents and purposes we could say it was the beginning of God's awakening grace in Jacob's life in chapter 27 He knew about God he could say to his father your God gave me success in the field.

But here in chapter 28 into chapter 29 Jacob has come to know God himself. Now it's the God of Isaac who has revealed himself to Jacob. And so the twister the grasper Jacob who has been writhing for a blessing will begin to learn here and into the next several chapters how to be still and know that the Lord is God and What we see here I think as an overview I'm going to use CH McIntosh as kind of a summary.

This isn't just for this morning, but really for the next month. I Think this is very insightful Jacob. Jacob now begins to realize in some measure the bitter fruit of his conduct. While at the same time God has seen rising above all the weakness and folly of his servant displaying his own sovereign grace.

His profound wisdom in the way he deals with Jacob God graciously overrules our folly and weakness and Even though we're called upon to reap the fruits of our unbelieving ways and Jacob is reaping the fruit of his unbelieving way God takes occasion from these things to teach our hearts deeper lessons of his own grace and wisdom.

And so that's sort of the heading of where we are and where we'll go. Sin has consequences. Error taking a wrong turn Leads to consequence and Jacob is now walking in the midst of that consequence. But it is not wasted on God's purpose in Jacob's life.

In fact, this is at the very heart of God's purpose for Jacob's life and God will use Laban to change Jacob's life. Jacob was compelled McIntosh rights to be an exile from his father's house in Consequence of his own deceitful acting.

But it's equally true that he could never have learned the meaning of Bethel God's house Unless he had left his own home. And so here we are traveling from Bethel to Haran as we begin Genesis 29 we're gonna look at verses 1 through 20 in three parts and then Lord willing We'll have enough time for three points of application.

The three parts that flow out of verses 1 through 20 can be summarized. Thus Jacob first seeks for Rachel. Jacob seeks for Rachel. Secondly, Jacob stays for Rachel and Third and last Jacob serves for Rachel.

Jacob Seeks for Rachel and Sees God’s Providence

Beginning in verse 1 Jacob seeking for Rachel. Jacob went on his journey and came to the land of the people of the east. I guess in our country. We're the people of the east. He looked and saw a well in the field and behold there were three flocks of sheep lying by it.

For out of that well, they watered the flocks. A large stone was over the wells mouth. Now all of the flocks would be gathered there and they would roll the stone from the wells mouth water the sheep and Put the stone back in its place on the wells mouth.

Please note. They moved the stone. They put the stone back. This was a multi-man effort. This was a large stone. We have an odd amount of description about the well set up here outside the border of Haran.

Well Jacob approaches verse 4 my brethren, where are you from? He's been traveling as we said this 500 mile trek. They said we're from Haran. His heart must have jumped a little and he said to them. Do you know Laban the son of Nahor and they said we know him.

So he said to them is he well and they said he is well and look his daughter Rachel is coming with the sheep. So let's take stock of what we've read first. Jacob went on his journey. Now we just read that as the flow of the narrative, but it's actually a unique phrase in Hebrew.

It's literally Jacob lifted his feet and it's not used very often. Just that Jacob went on from there that would be a normal way of talking but here Jacob lifted his feet and it seems like The impact of this vision of God at Bethel and his resultant worship has given a little jump a little spring in Jacob's steps.

So now he's going with a very different attitude with a very different desire. Than when he had left Beersheba to get to Bethel and now leaving Bethel to come to Haran. We see a new motivation in Jacob's life and this is a result of encountering God now.

There's a lot of work as we've said that God's grace needs to perform in the life of Jacob. But you can already see something of the response of Jacob's life to God's grace. He's lifting his feet now.

He has momentum purpose. He has assurance that God is with him and for him. And so when he encounters these shepherds of Haran, he already Realizes I've come close to my destination. Yes. Do you know Laban.

And they do and he asked this would have been a customary. Almost a statement of respect or showing how polite you were. Is he is he well and here we have sort of a narrative setup and literally in Hebrew is Peace with him is Shalom with him and that's an idiom.

Is he well. But it's also setting up the fact that there's not going to be peace Between Jacob and Laban as we turn through the next few chapters. So yes, there's peace right now. Yes, he is. Well, but you won't be well with him for long.

You'll be introducing conflict into the household of Laban. And this whole encounter in terms of God's Providence is parallel to Genesis 24 when the servant went to go fetch Rebecca from Haran to bring her back.

And so this is our second time meeting this character that will get to know very well. The sort of sleazy used car salesman of a guy named Laban. No, no besmirching of used car salesman. I don't know if that's anyone's profession here.

Just you know, it's common stock in The Providence of God he makes it all the way to the borders of Haran and these shepherds. No, this man named Laban and if that wasn't enough Providence you'd say well map quest could get you there.

God turns it up a notch. Not only do they know him behold look and we're brought into the narrative here comes his daughter Rachel now. Remember that whole mission that called you out of Beersheba by the charge of your father.

Well, actually here comes the very woman you you should marry even right now. We read of Rachel that she was a shepherdess. We've been talking about C .R. Wiley right guys family economy. Here you go.

She's a shepherdess. Young lady's probably not the way you'd want to meet your future husband out in the fields covered in manure. You know, you'd want to hopefully meet at some great theological conference and you'd be all perfumed and looking well and feeling confident.

But didn't matter to him dung and all he fell head over heels for Rachel and this is just another signal of God's Providence and The question really as we begin this is have we been tracking with God's Providence in the lives of his people up to this point in Genesis.

It's a major theme in Genesis and that will carry us all the way to the very end when Joseph Uniquely reflects on the providence of God in his life. So with every patriarch were meant to pause and reflect about the sovereign God else.

Should I who controls the ways coming in and the ways going out of his people? And that's a very important lesson for us to learn there's there's people here that are wondering how am I a believer and a rather unique believer at that in this place in our country at this time ever going to find a spouse that has my convictions my vision.

Will share my hopes and dreams. Will want to follow as as imperfectly as we may but but honestly and genuinely God's will and roles for our lives. How am I gonna find someone? This is the prospects are minimal at best.

And I'd say take a look at the patriarchs. Take a look at the matriarchs. Take a look at these households. See the providence of God, which is perfect. Do you believe that God is ordering your steps in the same way?

It's easy for us to read it and go. Yeah, yeah, of course. We know we almost want to rebuke Jacob or Isaac or Abraham. How could you not see that? Why would you go down to Egypt? Don't you know that God is perfect in his providence?

Why are you making these foolish decisions? And of course, we need to hold the mirror of God's Word up to our lives. Do we recognize God's providence? How does that keep us back from making foolish decisions or walking in unwise?

Spiritually unhealthy ways. Do we recognize that God is ordering our steps even when all that's ahead of us is wilderness and when we feel most alone God may be most present to us if we see him with eyes of faith.

We pick up in verse 7 moving the narrative forward. He's still talking to these shepherds. Rachel hasn't quite arrived. Look, it's high day. It's not time for the cattle to be gathered together. Water the sheep and go and feed them.

These are commands and in Hebrew most likely they would have been seen as sort of a request or friendly advice. It would seem rather weird that this stranger comes out of nowhere and starts ordering these shepherds around but it's good advice.

It's not high day yet. Water the sheep go and feed them. And they said no no, no. We can't until all the flocks are gathered together and they've rolled the stone from the well's mouth. We're back to the stone.

Then we water the sheep. And while he was still speaking with them Rachel came with her father's sheep. For she was a shepherdess and it came to pass when Jacob saw Rachel the daughter of Laban his mother's brother and the sheep of Laban his mother's brother that Jacob went near and rolled the stone from the well's mouth and Watered the flock of Laban his mother's brother.

So there's this large stone covering the mouth of the well in the ancient world. Wells or cisterns were commonly built in this way would have been a large opening. There probably would have been some large.

Covering a large stone with a center hole and then an additional stone that would cover up that hole. And this is the rock that's being referred to that needs to be rolled or dragged away. So that you can have access to that cistern or that well.

And of course we've already read that it was common for them plural these men to gather around and and all together on the count of three heave this big stone away and. So the whole episode of this event of moving the rock from the well is recorded in detail here in Part to show us just how strong Jacob is.

This is too much detail to pass over and so we're meant to see something of The strength of Jacob and this is also setting us up for chapter 32. He's a strong man even able to wrestle through the night with the angel of the Lord.

And so this is sort of the Highland games on steroids here at the well. You know, I could picture Jacob in a kilt dragging this big stone. Well, you know Scotland the brave blares through the pipes through the valley.

He's preparing for this divine wrestling match. He doesn't even know it. And so I think there's a lesson here as well that God often puts things in front of us that are preparations for. What's coming our way?

We don't even know. Trials that test us strengthen us prepare us relationships. Circumstances at the time. Maybe we're capable like Jacob seems to be capable. Well, that's just the setup for what God's going to do in a few chapters and it's the same for the Christians life.

Everything we've seen here is sort of Sprouts of what God has done is doing or will be doing in Jacob's life. We see that with this repeated phrase his mother's brother his mother's brother his mother's brother.

That's echoing the command. You will go to the house of your mother's brother your uncle Laban. It's it's showing that this obedience is part of the new step in Jacob's walk. And in the providence of God verse 11, he finds Rachel.

She's finally made it to see this he-man drag away the stone all by himself. And when Jacob finds her we read Jacob kissed Rachel Lifted up his voice and wept aloud.

I.

Don't know if that's romantic or Bizarre, it may be a mix of both. You think of it from Rachel's perspective. This is just another day in the fields. She's trudging along. There's always the sheep that are getting into trouble running up into the bramble.

She's dragging him away. She's covered in mud and things worse than mud. She comes along to the well and here's this stranger and all of a sudden he finds out her name is Rachel. She doesn't realize she's been pointed to by the other shepherds and all sudden this guy out of nowhere Kisses her and and then he starts crying out loud.

So she's probably thinking like where is my pepper spray? I got to get out of here. Who is this lunatic? But of course this kiss is not Not a romantic kiss. It's a customary kiss. It's the same kiss that in a few verses he'll give to Laban and he doesn't start crying out loud when he kisses Laban.

So what what's this cry then if you've ever?

Struggled.

For a long period of time. Wrestling out your your faith with God. When you get to this certain point in your life if you've come to this point in your life where? It's a real watershed moment. You know, it's a fork in the road and it's going to make or break you and it's it's a terrifying reality.

It's a terrifying prospect to walk by faith and not by sight to turn away from the wide path that seems to have all of the stability and security you're looking for and crawl through this this bendy thorny crooked way and yet Faith compels you to go in that difficult narrow way that so few are finding and perhaps the payoffs not there perhaps there's a huge lay down and you're still walking by faith and you're waiting waiting to know if if your faith will be found sure.

If your faith will be rewarded. If this really was worth the sacrifices in the effort of your life, and I think that's what Jacob is realizing in this very moment. This is a more powerful moment for him.

Interestingly than even the vision of God at Bethel. We don't read of him raising his voice aloud and weeping. Remember we saw him negotiating with God. Well, if you know if you really want to be my God make sure I get this this this and this and I'll let you Be my God.

He was still twisting. Still manipulating still had a sense of control. But but he had this new step now and this grace was sprouting and by the time he makes it the rest of that 500 mile journey. He's so cognizant of God's grace and providence and control and when he has it confirmed here.

It's just of Course, he's going to weep aloud. He realizes This this really is the God of my father. This really is my God. He really is protecting and providing. He really does have a purpose for my life.

He really is going to fulfill his promise. That those weren't just empty words. That wasn't just a weird dream. And so he weeps aloud. And I love what Lewis Johnson says anyone who's ever experienced the province of God can understand why Jacob weeps.

I Hope you've had moments like that in your Christian life. And if you haven't you will. Will you just see God's graciousness to you and the way his providence unfolds and it just brings tears to your eyes.

Just say it's sometimes so hard to see it Lord and then moments like this come. Genesis 29 11 comes Lord, and I just see your perfect control and It just takes my breath away. Well, we're also introduced to to Laban.

Laban of course is introduced to Jacob. Rachel rushes off. She's all excited to introduce Laban. To this man who came out of the blue kissed her and started crying into the air. Of course, she realizes that they're cousins and This is our second time meeting Laban.

Laban. The first time seems very impressed by Abraham's jewelry. She's like, oh, you know perhaps more and more to stay a little bit longer a little bit longer. Let's go kind of rifle under the the camels there.

Let's see what we can dig out. But here perhaps it's it's Jacob's prowess his strength. That Laban realizes I could use that too. He may not have gold like his grandfather did but Boy he can move that rock by himself, you know, he'd be great around the farm and that seems to be where Laban goes.

And so we read beginning in verse 12 Jacob told Rachel that he was her father's relative and that he was Rebecca's son. So she ran and told her father and it came to pass when Laban heard the report about Jacob his sister's son that he ran.

To meet him embraced him kissed him brought him to his house. So he told Laban all of these things and Laban said to him surely you are my bone and my flesh echoes of Adam extolling his wife and He stayed with him for a month and we're gonna have to start paying attention to these time cues.

So here we have this time cue for a month. And then after this month Laban said to Jacob because you're my relative should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell me What should your wages be? So here's Laban and he responds like Adam to Eve you really are my flesh and my blood and like Eve you're gonna become my.

Help me you're gonna help me and all that. I'm trying to do around my household. And so name your price. He refers to Jacob as his flesh in his bone, but he doesn't really treat him that way as we'll come to see.

He treats him like an enemy in many respects as the chapters roll on.

But.

Of course, this is also signaling the fact that God had guided Jacob to the completion of his parents charge. He's now at the household of Laban and he has the prospect of marrying Rachel so as we'll see in the coming weeks as I mentioned Laban is going to change Jacob's life forever and God loves to use Laban's in the lives of his people.

Most Christians that I've gotten to know if they've been Christians for any length of time. They've had something that could be named or labeled a Laban. And so we'll spend some time considering that in the weeks to come.

Up until this point Jacob has been living by his own wits his own sense of control his ability to manipulate any situation to come out ahead or to gain the advantage and The Lord now is going to teach him how to be patient and to wait on the Lord to perform all that he has promised.

It's not going to be through twisting and self-reliance. It's going to be on the Lord's timing and this is the beginning therefore of hard lessons in Jacob's life. We might have thought he already had some pretty hard things to endure but it's gonna get a lot harder for him.

And this is instructive for us. It's in these very regions not only here at Haran. But as he continues to travel and even makes his way back to Bethel and Beersheba. It's these very places that the Israelites are also Troubled and tested by the Lord and they repeat in many ways their father Israel Jacob's legacy and of course as believers we're meant to understand the way that God uses his providence to bring about the trials that Shape us into Christlike people and there's this echo of God's voice in the background of all of this.

Remember Jacob. I'm with you. I will keep you wherever you go. And that has to be resonating throughout Jacob's mind as he patiently endures Injustice deceit as as he gets treated the way that he had treated others a sort of anti-golden rule experience and in the back of all of that adversity opposition.

Hostility.

Injustice he has to hear the whispers of that divine promise. I'm with you Jacob. You can trust in me. I'm a refuge for you. And so it is with God's people. We need to hear Resonating in our lives in these difficult times and these difficult trials God's promise lo.

I'm with you always he's our refuge our shield and this also would propel Jacob not only to endure but to work rather hard and I think we actually get a little piece of this as we head to the last four verses beginning in verse 16.

Jacob Stays for Rachel and Learns to Wait on the Lord

Jacob serves for Rachel so He seeks and he finds he stays for a month and now we're heading towards said the first seven-year period and He's going to serve for Rachel verse 16. Laban had two daughters the name of the elder was Leah and the name of the younger was Rachel.

Leah's eyes were delicate. We'll talk about that. But Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance now Jacob loved Rachel and So he said I will serve you seven years for Rachel your younger daughter. And Laban said it's better that I give her to you then I should give her to another man stay with me.

So first we're introduced to Leah and this will be significant as we head in the chapters to follow and of course, we want to understand what it means that Leah's eyes were delicate a Gloss could be Leah's eyes were weak dull even some I've just assumed this is a sort of Hebrew idiom for she didn't have a Impressive appearance she was rather dull on the eyes rather, you know weak to the eyes and delicates a nice way of saying that.

It's not a whole lot of evidence that that was an idiom. We at least don't have it anywhere else. Some would just say well She doesn't have the sparkle in her eyes and to a ancient Middle Easterner. The eyes were you know, these.

These what is the song of Solomon say fish pools of Heshbon? Apparently that's a compliment to a woman back then. Your eyes are like fish pools of Heshbon to me. Oh, you're so romantic. So she has these dull weak eyes.

Not very not very impressive. Not very attractive unlike her sister who's got these sparkling big anime like eyes, right? Well, that doesn't really make sense either. There's clearly an idiom here. What the idiom means is hard to say.

We're probably closest to say.

She wasn't.

Impressive or attractive whether physically or maybe even just in terms of her her character her manner that her sister was sort of fiery and And her appearance had a sort of command and she of course is emphasized being very physically beautiful.

But the contrast is perhaps her character. She's very delicate, you know. Insulated that might be closer. I'm trying to help out our good friend Leah here. Jump and assume after 2 ,000 years of interpretation that she's the ugly sister the proverbial ugly sister.

Let's give her a break. And this is actually important theologically. We're gonna see the way that God actually Causes that gorgeous sister to experience barrenness and makes the sister that wasn't even originally sought delighted in she becomes Beautiful in Jacob's eyes as she bears children for her husband.

And so as we're working through the Genesis narrative, we need to pay close attention. Not only to the primary characters. The patriarchs this is a patriarchal hair heritage a parry patriarchal narrative.

Not only were you paying attention to that? But we're looking at how much God is Concerned about the Hagar's and the Rebecca's and these very prominent women within the accounts and Leia and Rachel are going to be good examples of that.

So Jacob negotiates I Love Rachel. He has clearly no interest in Leia. I love Rachel and I'll serve you seven years for your younger daughter. Hughes points out our Kendall Hughes. He says we have text types from this period newsy tech types of typical bride prices.

And.

Apparently if this is a parallel a typical bride price would be. About four years worth of the average shepherds labor. Now. He's gonna be working as a shepherd, right? He's gonna be managing the cattle in the flock.

So you figure if he was saying I'll work seven years. He's almost saying I'm gonna give you practically double the dowry. I'm gonna go almost double. I'm going well beyond what a standard bride price would be.

And that shows not only.

His heart.

For Rachel as we'll see but it also shows a very different character for Jacob. What happened to the twister and the deceiver who manipulates everything to gain an advantage? What's the easiest way to get the most and cost the least now?

Notice he's doubling up. He's actually starting out the negotiation in the worst way possible. It's like going to the yard sale and it's like, you know I'll give you a hundred bucks for that and the guys like sold sold, you know.

It's like why did you just start out so high you could have whittled this all the way down to maybe two years tops. So we see a character shift in Jacob. He wants to work hard now. He's assured that God is with him and for him.

He knows that if he works to serve the Lord the Lord will prosper him. And so he has no problem saying what's fair and I'm even to go beyond that that is an evidence of grace in Jacob's life. In verse 20 last verse of our passage and we'll move to application.

Jacob served seven years for Rachel and. They seemed like only a few days to him because of the love he had for her. It's a it's a beautiful state who said the Bible isn't romantic. It seemed like a few days to him.

And it seemed like a few days to him because he was working. For love he had this love for Rachel that consumed him. And it called him to rise early and it brought him home late from the fields. He worked hard and he worked long days, but they might as well have been minutes.

He had such a burning love for Rachel. If you've ever been in love, you know something of what Jacob felt time flies. When you're with the object of your love but I think spiritually there's something very important here for us to understand and.

Working from Love: The Christian Life as a Response to God’s Grace

That the three applications are related to this idea of how our love affects our work.

And.

So the three points are simply this first working from love. Second working for love and third working through love. So working from love. For love through love. Those are the points. The first is working from love.

As Christians, of course, we don't. We don't just pursue a love yet to be realized. That's kind of the second point, but we actually begin working because of a love we've already received. We we don't just work for a love yet to be realized.

We work from a love. We've already received and this is a very important theological point. This is the starting point. That Christians begin to operate the Christian life as a response to the love of God poured out upon them.

This is the starting point and if we fail here will fare almost everywhere else. A failure to understand the love of God that is brought through Christ into our lives goes a long way in Explaining so many of our own faults and failures as Christians.

It's simply a misunderstanding a marginalization.

A.

Selfish misconstrual of the way that God has loved or Perhaps there's some disconnect where we we think somehow that we're loved of God and we love God. But we never make it out of that first tablet into the second tablet.

And so we think we can have love of God and yet it never translates into it into a love of neighbor and all of These failures again flow out of not working from love having a proper understanding of God's love.

J. Packer says in the classic knowing God there is a tremendous relief in knowing God's love to me is Utterly realistic based at every point on prior knowledge of the worst things about me. No discovery can disillusion God about me and The way I am so often disillusioned about myself and none of that can quench his determination to bless me.

This is exactly what Jacob is experiencing. God knows Everything that I am and everything that I've done and he's come and poured out blessing on my life. And as a response to that kind of love Jacob learns how to Love a guy like Laban and work really hard and give give a double effort as it were seven years instead of three or four.

We think of the Apostle Paul and how he is Perhaps the best New Testament example of someone working from love received by God through Christ. He delights in the truth. He wants Christians to delight in the truth.

He always sets the sort of horizon of theology before he ever calls them to put away or put on or act or move. He always says consider how God chose you before the foundation of the world. He chose you so that you would be holy and blameless in him.

This is the her before we get to the things you need to do Ephesians. Just take a step back and look at the love.

Of God.

He roots the intentions and the actions of God the Father toward us. He says God who is rich in mercy because of his great love with which he loved us. Ephesians 2 4. Have this horizon. God's great love this love that you've received.

Before you ever get to the and therefore go therefore do therefore put off. Paul prays supremely for the Saints to know the love of Christ. It passes all knowledge. It's an electing love to directing love a providential love in assuring love.

It embraces those who are unholy. Those who are wayward rogue it's a love that is demonstrated for all of us upon the cross. He makes us accepted in the beloved. We'd even want to be he makes us accepted in the beloved makes us willing in the day of his power.

He seats us in the heavenly places. Spiritually we're with the host on high as it were dwelling in this relationship of perfect love between God and his people and. Then Paul asked the question as he does not just in Romans 8.

But everywhere who can plumb the depths of this love who can understand it who can fathom it who can sound it out. This is a love that crosses the the great gulf of sin. It's an unsearchable love. For me perhaps you're like this, especially coming into sort of reformed theology.

If you meet someone off the street and maybe they're Christian most, you know, most likely they're not they just say oh, you know I just believe that God is love, you know, or just like, you know, I love just thinking about the love of God.

You kind of just you're like, oh, okay, you know, there's more, you know, there's a lot more than that. You know, you kind of roll your eyes. It just doesn't seem they take something that is profound and it just seems to be so fickle and cheap and it loses all of its substance and value.

You meet someone who becomes a Christian and their life is still sort of a train wreck. They're at the Genesis 28 part of their Christian life and They're just like I've just been all I can think about is God's love.

God's love. God's love. God's love. And you're like, hey. That's awesome, you know, but you know Laban's are coming, you know, things are gonna get tough and there's gonna be a lot more that God's gonna show you.

He's he's he's got a lot more attributes than just love. So as much as I can struggle against that I've realized over the years how much I gravitate toward theologians or ministers that have labored for decades and they've been diligent students of the word and they've had many different seasons and experiences that have brought them into deeper encounters of God and and have Insight into his word as it's shed abroad in their lives and and when those people can say to me.

You know, I've just been Reflecting on the love of God lately. That's like yeah, okay. This is not some entry-level foothill. This is sort of the summit. We should be we should be very slow and careful as we approach it lest we dare cheapen it.

Make it something fickle and into easy as just for For a reason I was thinking of this book just yesterday called the difficult doctrine of the love of God. It's a difficult doctrine. It's not easy. It's unsearchable.

It's incomprehensible if we're understanding it rightly a Verse that people would have on their refrigerators and maybe not ever think twice about. God is love and That is perhaps one of the most incredibly mysterious significant verses in all of Scripture.

So when we say, you know, we work from love it can't be this fickle cheap Trinket of theology it has to be something so vast.

So weighty.

We're almost intimidated to even approach it but once we're in it there's where can you go? It's an ocean without borders without limits. To be gripped by the love of God in Christ is is Paul's whole foundation for all that he does.

Everything that Paul was called to do has at its root at its core this Love of God in Christ and he prays that Christians would know it. They would experience it. They would abandon it. They would practice it.

He presses forward and in love to know more and more of that love. He works from love. And when we work from that love as we said that the test is that that that love. That draws us close through that first tablet toward the God who is not to be worshiped as his creation.

Not to be worshiped with the idols whose name is not to be taken in vain. This God is then brought into The neighbor so our love for God is now reflected. It's manifest Unto our neighbor and that's how we can know that we've actually pressed into the love of God in Christ for us.