Preschool
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice. 1 Samuel 15:22
Family Peace
Memory Verses
Primary
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22
Junior
And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22
Background Scripture: Genesis 31
Lesson Scripture: Genesis 31:43–55
Introduction
Peace may well be the world’s most coveted possession—the condition most desired by mankind. Men go to great lengths and spend great sums attempting to obtain peace. Satan convinces people that peace can be found through various means of self-satisfaction, but it always is just out of reach. The harder they work for it, the farther away it seems to move. In contrast, the quietness of a loving, unselfish, and forgiving Christian family speaks of peace. This is a tremendous testimony and powerful drawing to restless humanity. May this lesson help us to cultivate good virtue in our homes so that they can be bastions of peace in a discordant world.
Key Verse
Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee (Job 22:21).
Lesson Scripture
Genesis 31:43 And Laban answered and said unto Jacob, These daughters are my daughters, and these children are my children, and these cattle are my cattle, and all that thou seest is mine: and what can I do this day unto these my daughters, or unto their children which they have born?
44 Now therefore come thou, let us make a covenant, I and thou; and let it be for a witness between me and thee.
45 And Jacob took a stone, and set it up for a pillar.
46 And Jacob said unto his brethren, Gather stones; and they took stones, and made an heap: and they did eat there upon the heap.
47 And Laban called it Jegar-sahadutha: but Jacob called it Galeed.
48 And Laban said, This heap is a witness between me and thee this day. Therefore was the name of it called Galeed;
49 And Mizpah; for he said, The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.
50 If thou shalt afflict my daughters, or if thou shalt take other wives beside my daughters, no man is with us; see, God is witness betwixt me and thee.
51 And Laban said to Jacob, Behold this heap, and behold this pillar, which I have cast betwixt me and thee;
52 This heap be witness, and this pillar be witness, that I will not pass over this heap to thee, and that thou shalt not pass over this heap and this pillar unto me, for harm.
53 The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge betwixt us. And Jacob sware by the fear of his father Isaac.
54 Then Jacob offered sacrifice upon the mount, and called his brethren to eat bread: and they did eat bread, and tarried all night in the mount.
55 And early in the morning Laban rose up, and kissed his sons and his daughters, and blessed them: and Laban departed, and returned unto his place.
Studying the Lesson
At his father Isaac’s urging, Jacob left his home to go to his people in the land of Padan-aram to find a wife. In echoes of how the Lord led the search for Isaac’s wife, Jacob found Rachel at the well. After introductions were made according to the custom of the time, she ran to tell her father, Laban, and Jacob was welcomed to their home. Within a month’s time, Jacob knew that he wanted Rachel to be his wife. It was agreed that Jacob would serve Laban seven years for Rachel. His love for her was so great that the seven years seemed to him but a very short time.
However, at the end of the seven years, Laban deceived Jacob and gave him Leah instead. Understandably, Jacob was very disappointed and remonstrated with Laban. Laban pleaded the custom of the country as his excuse. Again it was agreed that Jacob would be his hire for another seven years, making a total of fourteen years that Jacob served Laban for Rachel.
After some years, Jacob felt it was time to take his growing family and seek another place to make his living. He bargained with Laban for his wages and agreed to serve him for the payment of all the spotted and speckled cattle, goats, and sheep that would be born during the specified time. Next we see Jacob begin to work in a devious way, cleverly managing the flock so that more spotted and speckled ones would be born than solid colored animals. Although God was clearly blessing Jacob activities (Gen. 31:11–12), to the casual observer it looked as though he was taking advantage of Laban. To counteract Jacob’s supposed duplicity, Laban changed his wages ten times.
As the children of Laban watched Jacob prosper at their father’s expense, tension rose between them and Jacob. At the same time, God told Jacob in a vision that it was time to return unto the land of his people. So while Laban and his family were gone on a three-day journey shearing sheep, Jacob took his family and belongings and fled Padan-aram, intending to return to Canaan. During their hasty flight, Rachel stole her father’s teraphim, thereby adding insult to injury.
With such a history of deception and ill will between them, is it any wonder that reconciliation was needed? God, because of His love and goodwill toward Jacob, intervened in their hearts and caused both Jacob and Laban to see the error of their ways and, especially in the case of Laban, led him to repent of his evil intentions. Today’s lesson text is a beautiful example of God’s grace healing broken family relationships.
Practical Truths for Today
God is a God of peace, and He is also a God of order; when God’s order is followed, peace results. This truth is very evident in the home. God created Adam first, and then as he saw Adam’s need for a helpmeet, he took a rib of Adam’s flesh to create Eve. She being bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, Adam could not help but love her, and Eve, being taken from Adam, could not help but reverence him as her head, just as any member of the body cannot help but be obedient to the head. These simple truths illustrate the proper foundation and order of the Christian home. The world has distorted these truths because of carnality and unwillingness to submit to God’s order,
Though some women rebel at the thought of being subject to their husbands because of the innate rebellion that is within each of us, others struggle to submit because the husband has, by his selfishness, abused his place as the head of the home. He has failed to understand and accept that she is “his own flesh” and thinks that being the head of the home means he can rule according to his own desires, oblivious to her wishes. Being the woman’s head rather means the husband is responsible for her needs as well as her happiness. Someday he will need to give account to God for his care and stewardship of her. As he treats her as his own flesh, she will find it natural to submit herself to him.
In order to have homes free from stress and to enjoy peace in the family, we must deal with selfishness. It was the prime factor in the events leading up to the story of today’s lesson, and it is very evident in the marital and familial stresses of the broken homes around us. Selfishness, simply put, elevates our desires above those of others. Selfishness blinds us to the fact that what benefits one benefits all. I am the happiest when those about me are happy rather than when I please myself. To willingly expend my energies working for the benefit of others and to cheerfully go the second mile will do more for peace in the home than anything else. The family members that live for the good of each other will find no room for envy and strife. This attitude, when caught by children, will bless future generations.
Modern psychology advocates being open about one’s feelings and talking out stresses and difficulties. Though there is benefit to be found in this, it falls short of being the complete remedy. Only true repentance of past attitudes and selfish living will bring lasting change to a troubled home.
When young Christians in our homes have a penchant for much going and doing, it may be that we as parents are not providing the peaceful, loving environment they need. The enticements of the outside world lose their appeal to teenagers who feel appreciated by their parents and who are busy with meaningful activities. This provides children with security, and this security brings peace. Fathers must be willing to put down their devices, hobbies, and material pursuits and spend time with their families, working and playing together. Mothers need to give themselves unselfishly for the well-being of the home.
Father and Mother must maintain a united front against the intrusions of the world and make the home a sacred refuge from the storms of the present day—a holy citadel where Satan cannot enter. May God continue to bless our homes!
Questions
- Stable, secure and peaceful homes are a tremendous witness to the world of the presence of God. Should we make our homes more visible to our neighbors?
- What are ways to make home attractive to our teenage children?
- What creates the foundation for a peaceful home?
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Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).