Bible Reading: Genesis 32 | John 4 | Psalm 32
Devotional for February 13, 2025
Reading: Genesis 32 | John 4 | Psalm 32
Download the PDF edition
Genesis 32
Genesis 32 is an important chapter in the Genesis narrative because it is here that Jacob comes face to face with the God of heaven. That event is preceded by Jacob's preparations to meet his brother, Esau. Understandably, Jacob is fearful about this meeting, although it has been some twenty years since he last saw him. With threats echoing in his ears, Jacob makes plans by dividing his camp into two; that way, if Esau destroys one, the other will remain and escape (32:6-8). Jacob prays to the LORD during these preparations, pleading with him for help and deliverance. It is an essential lesson for us as we face uncertainty in our lives. We may be fearful and grow anxious about things, yet we must pray to our sovereign God, who alone can help us through them all.
The second section of the chapter is the one that most people are familiar with because it is there that Jacob wrestles with God all night, in which the encounter transforms him. God changed Jacob's name to Israel, meaning "he strives with God." It is likely here that Jacob now sees the God of heaven as his own.
Questions and Applications:
Difficult times in life will come. Sometimes, they provoke worry and fear in us. What do you usually do during those times? Do you plead with the God of heaven for relief?
What are those things that are currently causing worry and anxiety? Be open and honest about them before the Lord, and then leave them with him. (1 Peter 5:7).
John 4
John 4 is the account of the Savior's meeting with the woman at the well. By all accounts, this meeting should have never taken place. Jesus was journeying from Judea to Galilee and determined to pass through Samaria. That is the first unusual aspect of the story because Jews would do everything possible to avoid going through Samaria because of the bitter, hostile relationship between them and the Samaritans. Yet, Jesus chooses to go through this region. As he does so, he comes to a well, meets a woman, and begins a dialogue with her. Again, that is a strange aspect of the story because it was rare for a Rabbi to speak openly and alone with a woman.
Further, the time of day should be noted. It is noon (the sixth hour). Typically, women would go to the well early in the morning and later in the evening to avoid the day's heat. However, this woman would go at noon to avoid other people! Why? Because she was ashamed of her past as one who had five husbands and is now living with a man who is not her husband. As Jesus meets her, he seizes the opportunity to teach her about himself. Thus, he asks her for a drink and continues to explain that he is not like the water in the well that must be drawn daily, but he is living water that never ends. Jesus further teaches her about worship because one of the issues that separated the Jews and Samaritans was the place of worship. Jesus assures her that people will worship him here, there, and everywhere one day – not confined to one place. Through this dialogue, the woman is converted. She places her faith in Christ and tells others about him.
Questions and Applications:
Consider the language of 4:4: "He had to pass through Samaria." Did he? What does that tell you about this apparent "chance meeting" with the woman?
Why did the woman perceive Jesus to be a prophet? How does he exercise his prophetic office in this passage?
How is Jesus "living water"?
What does it mean to worship God in "spirit and truth"?
Psalm 32
Psalm 32 is known as a "penitential psalm" because of the references to confession of sin, forgiveness, and the joy that comes to the believer when they know their conscience is clean before God. Some scholars connect this Psalm with Psalm 51, but that is speculative, at best. It is better to consider the Psalm as a standalone offering of David. The Psalm has six stanzas. However, we will consider it by category.
The first category is the weight that comes to one who has transgressed God's law. Every Christian should mourn sin because it offends a holy God (Matt. 5:5). It is not a mere mistake but a transgression, as the Psalm describes it. The nature of the sin is not known (unlike the one in Psalm 51). We do not know what sin provoked the writing of this confession, but we do know that David was greatly troubled by it. When he was silent, his health suffered (32:3), and he was aware of the hand of God's discipline on him (32:4). The nature of sin is to cause Christians to justify and hide their sin. If we do that, its weight will grow until it becomes unbearable. That is the hand of God's discipline, and we should see it as a gracious, loving act from our heavenly Father (Heb. 12).
The second category is the joy that comes when we own our sins and repent. The rod of God's discipline is designed to bring us to this point – the point of repentance. That is expressed in this Psalm with the pronouncement of the two parallel blessings in 32:1-2. A truly blessed man is the one that a holy God forgives. He has promised to forgive (1 John 1:9), and he has promised to bury our iniquities into the deepest ocean (Micah 7:19). To confess sin is to "say the same things that God says about it." It is not a mere "I apologize." It is a grieving for and hatred of it. It is a turning from it, trusting that our heavenly Father will forgive and remember it no more. The problem many Christians experience is that they don't always feel forgiven. They repeatedly ask God to forgive when he has already done so. That itself is a sin and doesn't lead to joy but misery and bondage. When we are brought to a place of confession and receive the promised forgiveness of our Father in heaven, we must trust that he has done what he said he would do.
We should be quick to confess our sins. The longer we wait, the harder it will be (32:6, 9). We will never experience the joy of fellowship with God if we hold on to it. He is faithful, however, and he will break us down until we repent. He must because he loves us. We are his children who need it. It is better to plead with our heavenly Father immediately and trust his promises. When we do that, we experience the joy and gladness to all who are right with God.
Applications:
Sin is deceptive. It will try to convince us that what we did was right when we know it was wrong. It will cause us to begin to justify our behavior. It will fool us into thinking in ways that are contrary to the facts. If we have to convince ourselves that we didn't sin, we likely did.
When we sin, it is better and wiser to repent immediately. We should never let a day go by when we are not evaluating our lives in the light of God's Word and seek forgiveness for the sins committed against God. If we delay, God will place a heavy hand on us. It will hurt. It will cause great sorrow.
When we confess and repent of sin, we must trust God's forgiveness regardless of our feelings. God promises to forgive. Yes, we may experience consequences for our sins, but God will no longer hold them against us. The rod of discipline will end. The joy of our salvation returned.