Day 24

Genesis 48:1–49:33; Matthew 15:29–16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27

IN OUR GENESIS reading today, we said good-bye to Jacob. He was 130 years old at the time of his reunion with Joseph. He died at 147, but not before blessing Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and then pronouncing his final blessing over all his sons.

“Soon I will die and join my ancestors,” Jacob then told them. “Bury me with my father and grandfather in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite. This is the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite as a permanent burial site. There Abraham and his wife Sarah are buried. There Isaac and his wife, Rebekah, are buried. And there I buried Leah. It is the plot of land and the cave that my grandfather Abraham bought from the Hittites” (Genesis 49:29-32).

This wish was carried out —in royal fashion. A grand procession returned to the land of Canaan and buried Jacob in the cave of Machpelah in the valley of Eshcol. Let’s remember this location. We encountered it first with Abraham (which was centuries ago), and we’ll be visiting it again centuries from now with great consequence.

In today’s reading from Proverbs, we received a megadose of essential and absolute truth: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Our hearts are where we commune with God, and our intimacy with God indeed charts the course for our lives. Giving our hearts to unworthy things can become like drinking from a tainted water source that is corrupt and will make us sick. Our hearts are ground zero for our lives, and we must be intentional, vigilant, and wholly devoted if we want to know and be known by God.

BENEDICTION:

In times of trouble, may the LORD answer your cry. May the name of the God of Jacob keep you safe from all harm. . . . May he grant your heart’s desires and make all your plans succeed. . . . May the LORD answer all your prayers.