Hey everybody. Welcome back to another edition of the daily Bible podcast. What's up. Y'all. You are actually not here today. Oh, I am. No, you're not. I am. No, but you're leaving. Yes, but I am here today. Yeah, almost guaranteed. I have to come to the office because this is where we're going to be departing from. Yes. We're going to be meeting here so that we can check in and then depart to blooming. Springs grooming Dale, blooming Grove homey Grove blooming Grove. Texas, which is where our house is going to be. It's really beautiful. I cannot wait to get there. Yeah, but all that to say you're re revival, winter edition, RWE. It kicks off today. RWE. And this is probably the last year. I think. That will do a Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and the next year. I'm pretty confident we could do Friday, Saturday, come back Sunday and join you guys for church. There we go. Or somewhere thereabouts. Yeah. Yeah. Cause our setup team and tear down team will be so robust. So many people will be doing it and we'll have worship covered and we'll have David Rapido will be, it's going to be quickly. yeah, absolutely. A hundred percent. Yeah. God-willing well, we're praying for a great weekend for you guys. Great time away. Thank you. Yeah, safety and everything else. And a heated pool. Hopefully. It's pretty pricey. I was looking at him, so the guy texted me back. Okay. So get this. Everybody. Listen. Ready? For treat DFW is the company that we're using. We're putting everybody on blast right now. Okay. They've been great. They've been great. We used them two years in a row. Now this will be our second year. And this year at this PO this place that we. Rented. They're saying that they charged to heat the pool, which I thought, oh, I thought they'd be included. Yeah. No. It's okay. We're being a pretty Benny for this. Yeah. Anyway they're charging for the propane and it's not cheap. I. I don't buy propane with any regularity. So this is a, this is more than I expected it. Can you be like, can you heat it? Like some. Okay. Can you subsidize it right? I have a little bit, at least. Can you just raise it like a few degrees? So that's not as cold. I don't know, man. I don't want them to take away our HVAC. And then I say, okay, you can use the heating in the house, but we're going to charge you extra for that. I'm sorry guys. I like these guys. They're nice people. I've interacted with them now multiple times because of our retreats. So I'm just confused as well. It's cold out there, man. It's 29 right now. Yeah, and it's supposed to be here's the thing. It was almost supposed to snow, it's almost 10 days ago now when we had the snow that came in. Yeah. And they're predicting snow for this week because of how cold it was going to be. So I'm really thankful you don't have snow. Cause that could have been a really awful situation. Postponing rescheduling. I don't want to do that. So I'm thankful that it's not happening. Yep. Same here. I'm glad that that you're going in and a couple of my kiddos are going to you. We don't take good care of them. They should have a good time. I'm confident. Hey we addressed a couple of questions yesterday, but some more questions today. Pastor rod arranged marriages. Let's talk about that. Because we're reading about this, right? Hey, go get a wife for my son, for my relatives. And we had somebody that wrote in that. How some experience living in other cultures. Yeah, that really, this is one of the first times living in the United States was his marriage arranged. I don't think so. I don't believe so that's a bummer. He might write into correct us, but I don't believe so. But he wrote in, in, in this is unfortunate, but he said, one of the things that they've noticed about being in the American culture is how prevalent divorces and that's true. Mueller has talked about this numerous times on the daily briefing on how no fault divorce has increased the prevalence of divorce and the ease of divorce and everything else. And he even found some. This this color, this email. I call her included some graphs for for our graphs too. Yeah. And it shows the United States is not favorable when it comes to comparing other countries to divorce rates compared to the United States. And so he wonders if a part of this might be too. Reflection on our motivations and the way we go about finding a wife. And so he asks some questions based on Genesis 22 through 24 that we've been reading in the daily Bible reading. He says can we say from Genesis 22 through 24, that relying on God's Providence and wisdom from others is a better approach than the one, our culture champions. I think we could yes. A hundred percent. But unpack that a little bit. How what's some of the differences there that we might find. Yes, we agree. And we would say that application can be pointed either way. Whether it's do arranged marriage or whether it's through personal preference marriage, because a marriage like that, even in an American culture, if you had a young man and a young woman seeking the leadership and the wisdom of the collective church that they attend saying help us to discern the appropriateness of this marriage. That's going to be good. Because then you'll have the ability to get some of the same input. From people that love you care about you and know you really well to determine is this a good fit? And a similar situation. If you had mom and dad do it. And I don't, I'm not against that. I prefer to do that for my kids. Cause I think I'd make a better decision than they would. I'd like that. But assuming that things don't change in our culture. If you had mom and dad do it, I think there's going to be similar benefits. They love you. They care about you. They have a vested interest in you. But I think you can get much of those benefits from the church. So taking advantage of the church as your safety net to say, I really like this person, can you help us discern the appropriateness of this marriage or even to meet with the. A pastor. I had a couple of meet with me recently to say, Hey, we're really serious about our relationship. What do you think about us pursuing this? And so we met 2, 3, 4 weeks. I can't remember exactly how many, but at the end of it, they decided not to before it, and I would call that success. Yeah. Because it's better that they figure that out on the front end, then it on the back end, after they made a commitment, a hundred percent agree with you. Yeah. Yeah. He goes on and asks that with the challenges of divorce in the United States compared to other places, should we interpret the arranged marriage in Genesis 23, purely as a cultural way of doing things? Or is this maybe. Typically better wait, man, this is hard. Because. I as a college pastor. I often told our college students. Because I would get the question. Hey, is it wrong to want somebody to be attractive? Is that wrong to, to look for in a spouse? There's this biblical idea that, that has crept in and not biblical idea that there's this fraudulent notion that has crept in that somehow. To only care about the attractiveness or to care about the attractiveness at all is shallow. And we shouldn't as Christians care about the attractive, this is really about the inner beauty. What you got to say by this bro Como. And we've had this conversation before we have had the conversation and I don't agree with that at all. And yet, man. I Isaac didn't get a choice of Rebecca. Abraham said to his servant, go find a wife and it appears that he was attracted to Rebecca when he was in the field meditating. He was probably praying for that. It's oh Lord, please. Beautiful. She not have fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. Yeah. I think physical attraction is part of the way that God designed us towards our spouse. And I think that's okay. I used to tell our college students that should be on your list of things you're looking for in a spouse. You should want to be physically attracted to them. You shouldn't just marry someone. 'cause it's oh, they're there. The godliest person I could find. And yet they look like they got beat with the ugly steak like that. That's not. I don't think that's what we're called to do as Christian. I get arranged marriages work and I get that. Th that culturally it's a thing in some cultures where it works. And yet, I also know that we, as human beings were created. Physically to be attracted to people. And I think God uses that in the way that to your point with wisdom and the input of other people that we as Christian seek a godly spouse, I think physical attraction enhances that. And it's a good thing. And it's worthwhile to have, and I don't know that I would have wanted to trust my parents. To be like, yeah, we think she's cute. Sorry, Dr. Berner. Yeah. Yeah sorry. Dorothy. Yeah. Okay. And here's my only pushback because we've had this conversation before. I'll just give you my 2 cents on this. Physical attraction can be directed. That's my point. Physical attraction is malleable and variable to an extent. I, yes. If you go throughout human history, the standards of beauty have shifted and changed dramatically. To the point where someone beautiful today probably would not qualify as beautiful back then. So I would say. It is shaped in a lot of ways by culture. But it also can be shaped by your own design and desire. So for instance, one of the things that I pray for constantly is my own marriage, obviously. And so I pray that God would help me to make a Christian my standard of beauty. And we've both changed since we've been married, we looked different. Not fundamentally different. But we both changed. And we both love each other through that. In fact, I would say my relationship with my bride is deeper and more profound and more attractive than what she was when I first met her. Which I would say is evidence that human desire. Our willingness to willingness, our ability to be attracted can be enhanced or. Unenhanced. Detracted by our own choice and that it's a larger dependent upon what you do with it. So I think this makes a case for arranged marriages. Yeah. Except that you're talking about micro evolution now, not macro evolution. Okay. Perhaps, I'm just making the point that this is possible. And I'm not saying this is a Darwinian evolutionary situation. Please don't confuse this right. I'm just saying it's possible. And I think for most people, if they're willing to let God lead them and let's just say it meant some. Some awful situation happens to one of our spouses. And it disfigures their faces fundamentally. I don't think. Would it be a struggle to have the same kind of affection? I guess in one sense. Yes. But I think God would give us grace to love them and even say that they're beautiful, how they are and even be more attracted. I know this puts you in a really bad situation. You can't say anything about this. It'd be like you're the bad guy. I don't want to do that. I'm just saying it's okay. I'm the shallow pastor. You're the pastor with the deep loving, romantic. I had topian ID. This is not what I'm saying. I'm just thinking you could, I think you can do it. And I think it's super malleable in fact, oh, here's another point. Our broken culture. Is attracted to everything in anything. Sure. Sure. It's wrong and it should not be that way, but that tells you are. Our drive and our attraction can be shaped. Yes, but I think it's part of what he uses to attract us to espouse. Or it can go the other way. We know an arranged couple. Yeah. And they. They love each other. Yeah. And I think there's attraction there. Yeah, that probably became after the fact. I don't know, maybe. They didn't have a choice. Yeah. So they might as well be attractive. I don't know, man, if we go range. Do you set five pictures down in front of your kid and be like, okay, you can choose one of these five. I was struck deals with. The gallery is better on this one over here. Not so much on this one over here. So maybe. I obviously, I'm not going to start a movement, not gonna start a revolution. Do you think it could be really cool? Hopefully that helps answer that question. We do find problems with the way that culture obviously says you should seek a spouse. And a lot of that is self centered, right? And, to your point PR we can go. So far on the physical side of things that we forfeit something that God may desire for us or a gift that he may be given us in a spouse, because we're so consumed with the superficial in the outward. Expression of beauty when internally. It doesn't matter the most. Yeah. That is what matters most. Yeah. Let's get to our texts. We've had 10 minutes of Googling, but we haven't had this much good. This is Christianne fault. It's going to blend. We're just going. There it is. This is your fault. But thank you. That was fun, but it was an intelligent question. It was really good. Yeah. Hey, Genesis 32 first 21 verses here. Jacob sets out again after this interaction with Laban and fears. His impending encounter with Esau. So he prays here that God's going to spare him from any harm and appeals to God's promises of blessing that he received in connection with the Abraham at Kevin. So he's anticipating meeting up with Esau again, and he's nervous just because of everything that's gone on here. Versus 32 or chapter 32, then verses 22 through 32. He has this interesting encounter with gun interesting as an under statement here. It's the scene at Bethel there where he ends up having a dream and in, or not at Bethel. Sorry. Where he ends up a wrestling. He. He wrestles with God, not knowing at the time that it was God until afterwards. And during this altercation, God allows him to hold on to him, so to speak. And that's what's going on here. He's he, God is not losing to Jacob. All right. God is teaching Jacobs something through this encounter. And so even though it seems that Jacob is quote unquote winning or prevailing. God is teaching him something, allowing him to be retained by Jacob. And Jacob recognizes something different enough about this situation that he asks for this blessing. And the man. Who is God, pre-incarnate probably Jesus in the. At this point in time, blesses Jacob, but at the same time touches Jacob's hip and leaves him crippled. And so it's this. Two edged sword. Say that anymore, bro. Leaves him lame. Physically disabled. Okay. I can't say those words, it's still attractive. You're going to get us rated R okay. Anyways, he leaves him hurt. And one of the study Bibles, the net study Bible. And I thought this was insightful, said to be successful with God meant that he had to be. They use the CRI P L E D word. In his own self-sufficiency so the net was saying that God was going to bless him and yet humble him at the same time through this encounter in this wrestling match here. And then his name is going to be changed to Israel, which means either fights with God or God fights. And it, God fights is probably the better approach there that God is going to fight for Israel from this point. This is God's people and he's going to take Jacob and make Jacob into this nation. Through his descendants, this nation of Israel here. Interesting encounter between Jacob and God in chapter 32. Yeah, I think it's really cool that he allows him to win. Yeah. That's I think that's interesting in that. It's not directly related to prayer, but I think there's something about that prevailing with God in prayer. Gives you a sense of the intensity that our prayers could take shape with. Yeah, I agree. Yeah. Chapter three, Jacob and Esau reunite briefly, I had somebody text me and say, Hey, was this was the blessing really stolen from Esau? If the younger was always going to prevail over the older, was the blessing really stolen. If God was always going to do it this way. And that's an insightful question. I think. At the end of the day, though, from a humanistic point of view. Yes. From earthly point of view. Yes. There are things that we can look at from a God's eye view and say from God's eye God's perspective. No, because he's sovereign and this, that, and the other thing. But on the ground. It can have a totally different implication. And I think that's what we have here. And so Jacob and Esau is frustration or anger, even though God sovereignly ordained that the younger was going to rule over the older that the older was going to serve the younger. Esau, his frustration here is understandable. His brother tricked him out of his blessing, which, he's not. When God. Sovereignly told his mom, Hey, that the younger is going to rule over the older. He didn't know that. He's in utero at that point in time. This conflict this frustration that you saw, how does that I think is well founded here, but they reunite briefly and. You saw his credit. He seems to be quite merciful towards his brother and even tells his brother, Hey, don't worry about giving me all this stuff. I'm well taken care of and well provided for him. Why don't you just come and live with me and let's reunite together. But Jacob either. Doesn't fully trust his brother, which appears to be the case or one commentary. He said maybe he was concerned that the land wouldn't be able to support all their flocks together. He either way, it makes this decision not to go with Esau. And so he splits off and go somewhere else. While Esau goes to where Esau was planning to go. Chapter 34 then We get it. A little bit of an abrupt shift because we leave off Jacob and Esau and starts to talk about one of Jacobs. Offspring here and that is, is Dinah. Dinah was the daughter of Leah. The only daughter that we find mentioned that Jacob had here. And she goes out into this region where Jacob is into the Canaanite region to see the women in Atlanta and there's questions. Should she have done this? Was this wrong of her to go and do this. Was she taking UN. Unwarranted interest in. Pagan, religion, and pagan things going on here either way. This man named check him the son of a more sees her and defiles. Keep it PG and saying that and Jacob finds out about this in verse five. And when he finds out about this, his initial reaction is he's not going to do anything. He keeps his peace until his sons come back. We talked about this last year and I think PR you and I were going back and forth on, on what was warranted. What was good about this? And I think action was warranted, but I. It seems that Simeon and Levi what they end up doing in this chapter. Because beyond the pale of what was just, or at least they were taking into their own. Their own hands, what they should have trusted to God in this situation, or perhaps, maybe Jacob should have led the response against this rather than his sons standing up and doing this. Either way. I think it's. It's a failure of leadership on Jacob's part. And this is the way that he responds. Amen. Bro. He abdicated his role. As leadership, he lets his sons do what they do knowing full well the implications because he did nothing. It feels very Davidic to me, David, eventually, he doesn't, he just sits back and just lets it all happen. I don't understand, man. I look at godly men like this end, David, and say, Lord, please guard me from that. I know. My temptation like Adam, the first Adam. Is to just sit back and let my wife lead and let her make the decisions and, or let my kids do whatever. And just hope that things turn out. Okay. And then I want to be actively involved. And I think that would have prevented them from a lot of trouble here. Yeah. I would agree a hundred percent. Yeah, this is not a good scene that we find in Genesis 34. let me pray. And then we'll be done with this episode of the daily Bible podcast. God, thanks for your wisdom and your word and guidance and principles of guidance. Even as we talk about marriage and what the right things to pursue are, and we can. Look at different cultures and how that works out. And yet at the end of the day, we want to find a spouse for ourselves, and we want to find our children to find a spouse that is going to ultimately let us worship you in glorify Christ. Better. As a result of our marriage to them than we would. Otherwise that's super crucial for us is that is concerned. And so whether we're married now or. Single listening to this, or a young person listening to this. That's the target is a marriage that glorifies God. And we're both spouses are more like Jesus as a result of that. So that's our desire. That's our heart. And so we are thankful for Gabby marriages in our church. We pray that you'd make more of them and keep them strong to keep us a strong church as well. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. All right, we'll keep her in your Bibles and turn it again tomorrow for another edition of the daily Bible podcast. I'd love. Bye.