Individuals in the nation are committing acts of betrayal against God. This concerns Yahweh because betrayal against God always leads to betrayal against others, even their partners in the marriage covenant. Ultimately, this points us to the one faithful groom who's never betrayed His bride.

After reminding the nation of His love for them, God gets right into His case against the leaders of the nation - the priests. They had shunned their responsibilities, bringing chaos and cursing on God's people. The situation is dark, but it forces us to lift our eyes to the only true Priest of peace.

The prophet, Malachi, moderates a debate between God and His people. Israel's actions have proven that they are believing some lies about God, and these need to be challenged. God graciously starts by reminding them that no matter their earthly circumstances, He loves them. He always has, and He always will.

The Jacob portion of the story begins to wind down, and the narrator ties up some loose ends. The one constant through all the ups and downs, the highs and the lows, and the births and the deaths is this: God has been with Jacob everywhere he has gone.

The story gets dark and personal as Dinah, Jacob's daughter, is raped by a powerful man in a neighboring city. The act is reprehensible, and the story causes us to wonder what the response of the characters will be. Challenging ethical questions are raised about the solutions proposed, but the biggest question is this. Where is God, and how does he respond in the face of grave injustice?

*DISCLAIMER: This sermon contains themes of sexual abuse.

Chapter 15 of Luke contains one of the most familiar stories in the entire New Testament, the story of the prodigal son. Though this story has taken a life of its own, close examination causes us to stop and ask: Who really is the most prodigal one in the story?

God has been freely offering Jacob the blessing, but he's still striving to posture and earn. On the eve of a fearful meeting with his brother Esau, God interrupts and meets Jacob, speaking to him in the only language he'll understand - wrestling and striving.

The narrator of Genesis uses the close of the Jacob/Laban saga to reinforce an essential truth for God's people: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one." There are no other gods who compare to the one true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This story is not about Jacob's superiority over Laban. It's about God's superiority against the false gods of this age. He alone is worthy.

Even while dwelling in a foreign land and even in the midst of much strife and pain, Jacob's family expands. God provides for this family - not because of their goodness but because of His. This points us to Jesus - the ultimate fulfillment of God's promise of a people and provision.

Jacob continues on the run, trying to escape the mess he created. But even as he runs, he can't outrun God's grace. Through the story of Jacob and his unwanted wife, Leah, we learn that there is grace abundant for the fleeing, the failing, and the forgotten.