Day: January 20, 2026

(TEXT : Ephesians 4:8)

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

FOCUS :

Gifts are something that are commonly known from God and from men. When Jesus came into this world, He came as a result of “GIFT” to all mankind to free us all from the power of sin, from the hands of Satan and from the captivity of sorrow and suffering. There are some gifts that you will receive that will set you apart for permanent victory and there are some gifts that will come your way that will land you in bondage permanently.

2 Kings 5:26-27 And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

In addition, when Jesus ascended to heaven, He releases upon all men “gifts”; and this gifts are given to us all according to our abilities. There is absolute nobody in this world that doesn’t have in him or herself “a gift” to show forth. Jesus died on the cross by given Himself up as a “sacrificial gift”; for all mankind. So if you are not using or showing forth your own gift, that means, you are an “ungrateful” fellow.

Matthew 25:15-18 And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.

Finally, you can as well give yourself as a gift to people around you. And you might want to ask that how do you make yourself available as a gift for others? Give people your time, give people your material things, share with people your knowledge, share with people your resources, hold people’s hands for prayers, fast on behalf of people, and lead people to worship God your Maker. You have been gifted to be a “GIVER.”

Matthew 25:35-40 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text: Genesis 21:9)
And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

FOCUS :

The effect of the birth of Isaac, a work of the Spirit, was to make manifest the character of Ishmael, a work of the flesh. The end result of the “mocking” was that Ishmael actually desired to murder Isaac.

Galatians 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.

Ishmael was probably eighteen to twenty years old at this time. Isaac and Ishmael symbolize the new and old natures of the believers. Hagar and Sarah typify the two convents of works and Grace, of bondage and liberty. The birth of the new nature demands the expulsion of the old. Is is impossible to improve the old nature. However, foolish, therefore, appears the doctrine of moral evolution. Allowed to remain, Ishmael would murder Isaac; allowed to remain, the flesh will murder the Spirit.

Genesis 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

In addition, it is always a struggle to cast out this element of bondage, that is, salvation by works, of which this is a type. For legalism is dear to the heart. Ishmael was the fruit and, to Abraham, the fair fruit of his own energy and planning, which God can never accept. The Divine way of holiness is to “put off the old man,” just as Abraham “put off” Ishmael. Man’s way of holiness is to improve the “old nature,” that is, to improve Ishmael. The effort is both foolish and hopeless.

Genesis 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

Finally, It is labor lost to seek to make a crooked thing straight. Hence, all efforts after the improvement of nature are utterly futile, so far as God is concerned. THE “FLESH” MUST GO, which typifies the personal ability, strength, and efforts of the Believer. The Faith of the Believer must be entirely in Christ and what Christ has done at the cross. Then, and then alone, can the Holy Spirit have latitude to work in our lives, bringing forth perpetual victory. It must ever be understood, “in Isaac (in Christ) shall your seed be called.

Genesis 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Out of this “work of the flesh” ultimately came the religion of Islam, which claims that Ishmael is the promised seed, and not Isaac.

Genesis 21:13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 32:30)
And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.

FOCUS :

To God be the glory, on this particular series, here is where is going to stop. Trust this series, has been a blessing to you.

Genesis 33:4-5 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept. And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.

The action of Esau shows how groundless were Jacob’s fear, and how needles his plans. It is obvious that Esau is a powerful Chieftain. How so sad that this man did not see the great spiritual truths. In that case, it would have been “the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau.” But such was not to be.

In addition, Genesis 33:9-11 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself. And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me. Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.

It is not a joke that a single man has four hundred able men, and that exclude his wives and children. So collecting the gift from Jacob, it is like of no “used” as far as Esau in concerned. However, Jacob has always been very smart, intelligent, prudent, wise, and more spiritual in the things of God Jehovah than his brother Esau. So, Jacob uses “face God” to canvas his brother Esau, so that he can collect the gift from him. Esau accepting the gift, as well, stated that he had accepted Jacob, and there were no hard feelings.

Finally, Genesis 33:12-16 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee. And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die. Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir. And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord. So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

We have come to the end of this series. From the last above verses: this was the total speration between Jacob and his twins brother Esau. Now Jacob is free from curse, free from wrong name given to him by his own parents, free from “manipulation blessings” he has been walking around with and free from fear of been getting killed by his own blood twins brother, because of what he had done to his brother (Esau). Now, Jacob can now live peacefully with his family and his possessions.

Genesis 36:1 Now these are the generations of Esau, who is Edom.

This is important only in the sense of showing us the portion of Esau, who had his place in this life, and not the life to come (Pas 17:14). It shows his sons establishing themselves in the world, with their riches and their possessions, while the heirs of Promise, that is Jacob and his sons, are still pilgrims and strangers. This furnishes a prophetic picture.

Are you like Jacob or you are like Esau in your Christian journey? You know yourself more than anyone do; do a random checking on yourself and do the needful.
BD SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 32:17)
And he commanded the foremost, saying, When Esau my brother meeteth thee, and asketh thee, saying, Whose art thou? and whither goest thou? and whose are these before thee?

FOCUS :

Genesis 32:20-23 And say ye moreover, Behold, thy servant Jacob is behind us. For he said, I will appease him with the present that goeth before me, and afterward I will see his face; peradventure he will accept of me. So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company. And he rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two womenservants, and his eleven sons, and passed over the ford Jabbok. And he took them, and sent them over the brook, and sent over that he had.

In 2003 currency these gifts would have amounted to will over $100,000. Jacob’s idea was that the gifts to Esau would be given drove by drove. If he accepted them, this would meant that he came to Jacob in peace. No sooner had the Patriarch quit praying, that he started planning, which means that he wasn’t really trusting the Lord as he should have been. Now the brook Jabbok crosses the Jordan about 30 miles north of the Dead Sea.

In addition, Genesis 32:24-25 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.

In this chapter, and Hosea chapter 12, this man is called God, the Angel, Elohim Sabaoth, and Jehovah. In this scenario, we find that it was not with Esau, his brother, with whom he had to contend, but with Jehovah Himself. This is always the case with every Believer. The great principle that God cannot give victory to “the flesh” appears in the night scene. It is the broken heart that beings to experience what Divine Power means. Better for the sun to rise upon a limping Israel than to set upon a lying Jacob. Jacob, for his misconduct, was exiled from the promised Land, having nothing but his staff. He returns a wealthy prince, but lamed. So, Israel, cast out of Jehovah’s Land because of her sin, will return with avoidance, but broken and contrite in spirit.

Finally, Genesis 32:26-27, 29 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.

“When sore broken by that mighty Hand, he ceased to wrestle and clung with weeping and supplication to the very God Who wounded him, then it was that he got the victory and the glorious name of Israel. Of course, the Lord already knew Jacob’s name. So, why did He insist on Jacob pronouncing his name? He wanted Jacob to admit who and what he actually was, which the name Jacob adequately portrayed. True Faith requires that we admit what we are, before we can receive what He is. The Lord’s answer is revealing. He responds with another question: the idea is, Jacob, by now, ought to know who the one is with whom he has been struggling. And the next statements prove that be did. He gave him power with God and with men.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 32:8)
And said, If Esau come to the one company, and smite it, then the other company which is left shall escape.

FOCUS :

Genesis 32:9-10 And Jacob said, O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, the LORD which saidst unto me, Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee: I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands.

Like many today, Jacob first makes his plans and pray! He should have reversed the action. But the sense of having acted wrongly those years ago regarding his brother, Esau, fills the heart with a thousand fears, and robs the Christian of confidence towards God and dignity before men. Jacob’s prayer is the first recorded in the Bible. His prayer was correct, but his faith, as of yet, wasn’t.

In addition, Genesis 32:11 Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau: for I fear him, lest he will come and smite me, and the mother with the children.

Jacob asked the Lord to deliver him, but then turns around and tries to appease Esau with a present. Was he placing more confidence in a few lambs than he did God, to whom he had just been committing himself? But, as stated, before we criticize him, we had best look into the glass of our own heart.

Finally, Genesis 32:12-13 And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good, and make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude. And he lodged there that same night; and took of that which came to his hand a present for Esau his brother;

Concerning this, “Now, praying and planning will never go together. If I plan, I’m learning more or lesson my plan; but when I pray I should learn exclusively upon God. Hence the things are perfectly incompatible, they virtually cancel out each other. When my eyes fill with my own management of things; I am not prepared to see God acting for me; and,in that case, prayer is not the utterance of my need, but the mere superstition performance of something which I think ought to be done, or it may be asking God to sanctify my plans. This will never do. The life of Faith is not asking God to sanctify and bless my means, but it is asking Him to do it all Himself.
BE SAFE AND GET!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 31:50)
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.

FOCUS :

Genesis 31:52-53 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. 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.

Laban now adds an oath to the covenant, calling on the God of Abraham,and the gods of Nahor, judge between Jacob and Laban; all of this proves that Laban worshipped many so-called gods; he really doesn’t know the God Abraham. But he only puts Him into the mix, and on the same level as the gods of Nahor. However, it was explicit that Jacob ignored the gods of Nahor, and took his oath only in the name of the only True God, who was the “fear” of or “the One Reverence by, Isaac.”

In addition, Genesis 31:54-55 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. 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.

The Sacrifice meant nothing to Laban, even though he was well acquainted with this practice, but everything to Jacob. In essence, Jacob was saying that he was placing his faith and confidence in what the Sacrifice represented, namely the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the price that He would pay to redeem the lost sons of Adam’s fallen race. So, Laban passes from the scene, not to be mentioned again, except in passing (46:18, 25). He had seen the Hand of God greatly so in the life of Jacob, with the Lord, as stated, even speaking to him in a dream. However, he has no heart for God, and thereby the opportunity of Heaven was eternally lost to him.

Finally, Genesis 32:3-7 And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed: and he divided the people that was with him, and the flocks, and herds, and the camels, into two bands;

Some believe that Esau was the founder of the ancient city of Petra, and many have been there when Jacob sent for him. One doesn’t bring that many men, as it regards a mere greeting. It is almost positive that Esau had other things in mind, and they were not exactly meant to be pleasant. Did Jacob not remember the host of Angels around him, according to verses 2? But before we criticize Jacob, we must, as well look at ourselves.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 31:24)
And God came to Laban the Syrian in a dream by night, and said unto him, Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad.

FOCUS :

Genesis 31:31-32 And Jacob answered and said to Laban, Because I was afraid: for I said, Peradventure thou wouldest take by force thy daughters from me. With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, let him not live: before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.

When there was any question about the inheritance, the person who had the teraphim (gods) was considered to have the right to the double portion of the primary heir. When Jacob first came, he was welcomed into the family and adopted as heir, since Laban had no sons at the time. But Laban had sins born shortly after, and that normally would invalidate Jacob’s claim unless he possessed the teraphim. Rachel felt Jacob deserved more than he was getting, so she stole them for his benefit, and for the benefits of Jacob’s family. There is no evidence she wanted to worship these images.

In addition, Genesis 31:33-36 And Laban went into Jacob’s tent, and into Leah’s tent, and into the two maidservants’ tents; but he found them not. Then went he out of Leah’s tent, and entered into Rachel’s tent. Now Rachel had taken the images, and put them in the camel’s furniture, and sat upon them. And Laban searched all the tent, but found them not. And she said to her father, Let it not displease my lord that I cannot rise up before thee; for the custom of women is upon me. And he searched, but found not the images. And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?

How foolish for Laban to call those things his gods which could be stolen? Could he expect protection from things that could neither resist nor discover their invaders? Jacob was now very angry. Instead of Laban being sad regarding his two daughters and all of his grandchildren leaving, and knowing that he would possibly never see them again, he was more interested in material things than anything else.

Finally, Genesis 31:41-43 Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times. Except the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely thou hadst sent me away now empty. God hath seen mine affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked thee yesternight. 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?

Jacob rehearse his twenty years with Laban and, in effect, is saying that Laban has absolutely no reason to be angry with him. The dream that thee Lord gave to Laban, what a spectacle of infinite humor, if it were not so sad. A man seeking for his lost gods! The Gospel presents us with the opposite picture – the ever present God seeking for His lost children. At Beth-el, Jacob learned what God was; at Haran, what man was. And what a difference! At Beth-el, God enriched him: at Haran, man robbed him! Laban wrongly claims everything that Jacob has, but recognizes, due to the Power of God, that there is nothing he can do regarding the taking of them.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 31:5)
And said unto them, I see your father’s countenance, that it is not toward me as before; but the God of my father hath been with me.

FOCUS:

Genesis 31:7, 9 And your father hath deceived me, and changed my wages ten times; but God suffered him not to hurt me. Thus God hath taken away the cattle of your father, and given them to me.

When Laban saw that Jacob’s flocks were increasing according to the bargain originally made, he then changed the rules. Whatever it was that he did we aren’t told; however, we do note that God overruled whatever it is that Laban did, and continued to bless Jacob. From all of this, we learn that Jacob had not done anything wrong, or else God would not have prospered him.

In addition, Genesis 31:12-13 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.

We should take a lesson from this, understanding that the Lord sees and notes all. He reaffirms that He is the God of Beth-el, which proclaims the fact that every promise given there to Jacob still held true, which speak of Christ and the Holy Spirit. This was the “tenth” that was to be given to the Lord; all of these animals had been offered up in sacrifice, seeming that Jacob had been faithful to the vow Genesis 28:20: as stated, twenty years had passed since he had seen his kindred.

Finally, Genesis 31:14-16 And Rachel and Leah answered and said unto him, Is there yet any portion or inheritance for us in our father’s house? Are we not counted of him strangers? for he hath sold us, and hath quite devoured also our money. For all the riches which God hath taken from our father, that is ours, and our children’s: now then, whatsoever God hath said unto thee, do.

Both Rachel and Leah understood completely the duplicity of their father. He not only had done Jacob wrong, but he had wronged them as well. It’s a shame that Laban figures so prominently in the Gospel Message, but yet never came to know the Lord. They recognized the Hand of God in all of this, and reality acquiesced to Jacob’s proposal to leave.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 31:3)
And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

FOCUS :

Genesis 30:36-37 And he set three days’ journey betwixt himself and Jacob: and Jacob fed the rest of Laban’s flocks. And Jacob took him rods of green poplar, and of the hazel and chesnut tree; and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appear which was in the rods.

Laban required that there should be an interval of between 30 and 40 miles between “himself”, that is, his flocks and those of Jacob. His wealth in sheep the goats must have been enormous to require so large a separate feeding. All of this, we learn from verse 30, had been the result of Jacob’s care. Whatever Jacob proposed his plans, which would give him all of the spotted and mingled sheep and goat. Laban reasoned, and rightly to under normal circumstances, that the number of animals falling into this category would be small indeed. The Lord told Jacob what to do in this situation. It is said to have been frequently observed that, particularly in the case of sheep, whatever fixed their attention in copulation is marked upon the young; however, it will be safer to ascribe this Divine Blessing than to human craft.

In addition, Genesis 30:43 And the man increased exceedingly, and had much cattle, and maidservants, and menservants, and camels, and asses.

We must conclude that the proposal of such a singular condition on the part of Jacob was an act, not of folly, but of Faith. Being tantamount to a committal of his cause to God instead of Laban. The acceptance of the agreement on the part of Laban was a display of greed, and a proof that the bygone years of prosperity had only increased that greed. Increase in the best sense is God’s promise. It will be sent as He wills, and when He wills, but will be found the true answer to prayer and the true manifestation of love. On all that belong to us, the blessing rest.

Finally, Genesis 31:2-3 And Jacob beheld the countenance of Laban, and, behold, it was not toward him as before. And the LORD said unto Jacob, Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and I will be with thee.

As long as Jacob was increasing the wealth of Laban, and Jacob remained poor, Laban had no problem with that. But once Jacob begins to prosper, and begins to do so in grand way, this creates jealousy in Laban. It is so pleasing to the heart to note the minute leading of the Lord in the life of the Patriarch; it is now time for him to return in Canaan; he has been away for some twenty years.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE

(Text : Genesis 30:2)
And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel: and he said, Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?

FOCUS :

Genesis 30:4-6 And she gave him Bilhah her handmaid to wife: and Jacob went in unto her. And Bilhah conceived, and bare Jacob a son. And Rachel said, God hath judged me, and hath also heard my voice, and hath given me a son: therefore called she his name Dan.

This was the custom in those days; the child that Bilhah would have be looked at as that of Rachel, but only a sense; the Holy Spirit plainly proclaims the actual mother. Concerning this, God often strives to overcome men’s wickedness through kindness, and pursues the unworthy with His Grace. The meaning of the name Dan is: “Judging.” Whether Jacob understood such or not is open to qoustion; however, he must have 13 sons in order to found the Nation of Israel. Twelve would be for the regular tribes, while one would be for Priestly Tribe. But as usual, even as here, the flesh is mixed with Faith.

In addition, Genesis 30:14, 16 And Reuben went in the days of wheat harvest, and found mandrakes in the field, and brought them unto his mother Leah. Then Rachel said to Leah, Give me, I pray thee, of thy son’s mandrakes. And Jacob came out of the field in the evening, and Leah went out to meet him, and said, Thou must come in unto me; for surely I have hired thee with my son’s mandrakes. And he lay with her that night.

These passage present a perfect picture of prayer mixed with superstition. According to Oriental superstition, the mandrake possessed the virtue of promoting fruitfulness and fertility. It was an apple-like fruit. From this verse 16, we know that Leah sought the Lord as regards her conceiving another son, which she did. The Lord heard and reward her prayer, and this despite the fact that superstition had been involved regarding the mandrake. How so much the Lord overlooks in answering prayer for all of us.

Finally, Genesis 30:20, 22 And Leah said, God hath endued me with a good dowry; now will my husband dwell with me, because I have born him six sons: and she called his name Zebulun. And God remembered Rachel, and God hearkened to her, and opened her womb.

Here is the meaning of Zebulun: “Dwelling.” So, in the six sons of Leah, we have the totality of the plan of God. A “son” is born; he “hears” the gospel; he is “joined” Christ; he “praises” the Lord; he is “rewarded”; and he will “dwell” with the Lord forever. The mandrakes could not remove sterility, the Lord demonstrated by allowing Rachel’s barrenness to continue at least two years longer. Though she had made use of this supposed remedy, and by opening Leah’s womb without them; we should learn from all of this how the Lord rules in all things; but, once again, it’s so easy for any of us to resort to the flesh.
BE SAFE AND GET SAVED!

God bless you richly!
Jesus Christ loves you
Thank you Holy Spirit
ARE YOU SAVED?

T.O AKINSANYA
PRINCE ORATORTEE