Our society believes that the pursuit of happiness is the highest of goals. That is a dead end; leading to the spiritual cul-de-sac of appetite and consumption. Rather than happiness, we should be searching for meaning in our lives. This leads to purpose and the satisfaction of knowing that we are useful in God's hand.

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Jacob's life was difficult, mostly because of the things he did as a younger man before his encounter with God. Despite his early character flaws, he was used by God to found the twelve tribes of Israel. His use by God is a source of great hope to those who are struggling to find our way.

Jacob stole Esau's blessing by tricking his father. He also 'purchased' Esau's birthright by taking advantage of his brother's impulsive nature. After over twenty years under his hard uncle Laban, Jacob has in many respects become the 'man of the field'. He has, in a sense become Esau.

Comparing the lives of Judah and Esau, it becomes obvious that they are the same character. This casts a different light on Jacob's theft of Esau's blessing in the face of Isaac's desire to split the blessing of Abraham.

In explaining the Parable of the Sower, Messiah concludes that the good soil is fruitful where the road, the rocks and the weeds are not. If we compare his to Genesis 1 where God tells us to be fruitful and multiply, it becomes clear that fruitfulness in God's eyes involves more than just children. We are also expected to reproduce spiritually.

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Before Jacob died, he blessed his sons. To Judah he gave the role of king and to Joseph he gave the blessing of Abraham. Both of these men displayed extraordinary humility. In Joseph's case humility was forced upon him by slavery. Judah had to learn it through being confronted by his own failures.

Because Hebrew names all have a meaning, it is often possible to find sentences in Biblical name lists. That is the case in Genesis 5 where the names spell out the Gospel.

With the nation in turmoil over political events, the prayers of believers are increasingly important. Pray that God have mercy upon the United States.