Guided by God
God's providence guides us.
Genesis(59) (Part of the Origins(58) series)
by Stuart Johns(66) on December 28, 2025 (Sunday Morning(84))
God's guidance(2), God's Providence(1), Joy(3)
Origins
Guided by God
(Genesis 29:1-14a)
INTRODUCTION
“In Leadership Weekly, Joe McKeever writes:
Late one night, a man in Slim Cornett's church was showing Slim around a county airport in rural Mississippi. ‘This switch lights up the runway,’ the man said as he flipped it. ‘Then, let's say there is a plane in distress up there. I would throw this switch and turn on the search lights.’
As the night skies lit up, a small plane materialized out of the darkness and landed. Slim and his friend watched in amazement as Franklin Graham, son of the famous evangelist, stepped off the plane. The pilot had been flying Franklin back to school in Texas when the electrical system shut down, leaving them stranded in the Mississippi night without lights or radio or any means of guidance. From out of nowhere, the search beam had come on and guided them to the landing strip. [#1 – Young people, what guided the small plane to the landing strip? (search beam)]
As Franklin's mother, Ruth, tells the story, earlier that evening before they left home, Billy Graham had prayed for the Father to protect and guide his son and the pilot.”
Source: Joe McKeever, "God Winks,"Leadership Weekly (12-18-02).
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2003/january/14072.html].
BODY
ME
Dating
Judy and I started dating our Freshmen year of college
I knew during that first year that she was the one!
We continued to date during our Sophomore and Junior years
Summers were hard, because we lived 621 miles apart
Driving to her home took around 10 hours
Using the phone cost $0.05 per minute
During our Sophomore year we both came to the same realization that our relationship had grown to the point that we either needed to get married or break up
There were certain lines in our relationship that we had determined not to cross before marriage
So, during our Sophomore year we started talking very seriously about getting married the summer between our Junior and Senior year of college
Marriage
We both shared our thoughts and feelings with our parents, so that we were not making this decision based solely on feelings and emotions
Our parents gave us their blessing to move forward with wedding plans for the summer between our Junior and Senior year
Most of our friends at college thought we were crazy to get married while still in college, but we had sought God’s guidance and the wisdom of our parents in making the decision
Our Senior year of college was blessed because God had guided us
We both attended college classes full-time
Judy had two part-time jobs and I had three part-time jobs
Judy was already an A student
I got straight A’s the first semester of my Senior year, which was a first for me)
We knew that we had to work hard and focus, so that we could spend time together as husband and wife and continue building our relationship
It was a crazy time, but a blessed time, because God had guided us
WE
Where have you experienced God’s guidance in your life?
Jacob had just experienced the presence of God in Bethel through a vibrant dream. The Lord had reaffirmed the Abrahamic covenant through Jacob and had promised to be with him and not leave him until He had done what He had promised Jacob. Jacob experienced God’s presence with him as he continued his journey from Bethel to Haran in Paddan Aram. He experienced God’s active, purposeful involvement, so that the Lord’s divine plan would be accomplished. Jacob experienced God’s providence in his life. We will learn today that…
BIG IDEA – God’s providence guides us.
Let’s pray
GOD (Genesis 29:1-14a)
Jacob and Shepherds (vv. 1-8)
Jacob’s journey continued
The Hebrew for “continued on his journey,” literally reads, “then Jacob lifted up his feet” [#2 – Young people, what did Jacob do with his feet? (lifted them up)]
It can also mean “to put into action [his original journey]” [Waltke, Genesis: A Commentary, 400]
Imagine for a moment that you have been caught in some deception and the person that you hurt through your deception is out to kill you. So you decide to move to a new state. On your way there you spend the night in a motel and have a vision from the Lord in which He tells you that you will eventually return to your home state and that while you are gone, He will be with you and take care of you until He accomplishes what He has promised
What would your attitude be the next morning?
Would you still be sad, fearful, and apprehensive?
Would it be excitement, enthusiasm, and hope?
Perhaps Jacob had a spring in his step and a strengthened spirit as he continued his journey
We know that God was directing His steps
PRINCIPLE #1 – There is joy in the journey when we know God is with us.
This has been true in my personal experience
I like adventure and discovering new things, so there has always been joy in our journeys across the United States
When I tell people all of the places we have lived, sometimes they ask me which place was my favorite
I always tell them it is the place where I am currently living, because I know that God’s providence has guided us here
I also share the unique benefits of the other places we have lived – like being a mile away from the beach, or being able to see snow-capped mountains almost every morning, or being surrounded by beautiful orchards, especially in the spring and summer
In every move that we have made, we know that God was guiding us providentially to the place where He wanted us to be – it was never by chance
How about you?
What has your experience been?
Have you experienced joy in the journey, because you know that God is providentially guiding you?
Has there been a spring in your step and a strengthening of your spirit?
Have you been excited, enthusiastic and hopeful?
If you have not experienced joy in the journey, perhaps it was because you were moving, out of your own desire and not in obedience to the Lord’s providential plan
Maybe you are currently facing a potential move, because God is guiding you in the next part of your life’s journey
Be sure to spend a lot of time in prayer
Seek the insight and wisdom of godly family members and friends
Then venture out to where God is leading you and experience joy in the journey
#1 – My Next Step Today Is To: Obediently and joyfully follow the providential guidance of God to where He is leading me.
We can experience joy in our life’s journey when we know that God is with us
Jacob probably had a spring in his step and a strengthened spirit as he “lifted up his feet” and continued his long journey to the land of the eastern people
Land of the eastern peoples
We know from Genesis 27:43 that Rebekah urged her son, Jacob, to flee to her brother Laban in Haran, which was in the region of Paddan Aram
The narrator does not give us any additional details about Jacob’s 400 mile journey from Bethel to Haran
We just know that he came to the land of the eastern peoples
This is certainly a general term for all people groups that lived east of Canaan, such as Transjordan, Syria, and north Arabia [Mathews, The New American Commentary, Vol. 1B, Genesis 11:27-50:26, 461]
Throughout the book of Genesis we have seen that heading east usually represented judgment and separation from God [Hamilton, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament, The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50, 252]
Jacob was going to definitely experience some hardship while in the east, until he returned to the west
“The narrator could have been more specific, but by this designation he suggests both that Jacob is unaware of his precise whereabouts and that he is in a place of danger.” [Waltke, 400]
Jacob had a general idea of where his uncle Laban lived, but he did not have a global positioning system to let him know exactly where he was
When Jacob arrived in the northeast, he saw a well with sheep lying nearby
Saw a well
The well was outside the town in the field
The narrator explained the procedure for how the sheep would get watered
The well was covered with a large stone [#3 – Young people, what was covering the well? (large stone)]
The large stone served multiple purposes
It was a protective covering to help keep the well clean
It was a safeguard to make sure animals and people did not accidentally fall into the well
It restricted the use of the well, so that only those who were supposed to access it, could
It was probably easier for multiple shepherds to move the large stone, but perhaps not impossible for one person to do it
When all the shepherds arrived the large stone would be removed and all of the sheep would be watered
After all the sheep were watered, then the large stone would be placed back on top of the well
The three shepherds were waiting for the rest of the shepherds to arrive
We are not told why they were there earlier than the rest of the shepherds
Some scholars speculate that they were lazy
I believe that God’s providence was at work
“God’s providence means His ongoing, purposeful involvement in the world, sustaining and governing all things—from nature to human history—not by chance, but by His wise, fatherly hand to accomplish His ultimate divine plan and display His glory, ensuring even the smallest details serve His purposes.” [AI Overview, Google Chrome search]
These shepherds, being at the well early on this day, was not by chance, but by God’s providence
PRINCIPLE #2 – God’s providence guides us.
How many of us have experienced the providence of God in our lives
At the time, an unexpected circumstance may make us irritated until we realize that God protected us or provided for us
One couple had been visiting their child’s family in Iowa and had let the family’s dog out to go to the bathroom before they left for home. The dog ran off in the neighborhood and it took them longer to get the dog back in the house then they had expected. When they final got on the road there was a major accident on the interstate that they probably would have been involved in had the dog not run off—coincidence? No, God’s providence!
George Mueller, the 19th Century Christian evangelist, was an incredible man of faith and prayer. He built five orphanages in Bristol, England that served 10,000 children. He trusted the Lord to provide just what they needed. He understood the providence of God, especially one morning. “‘The children are dressed and ready for school. But there is no food for them to eat,’ the housemother of the orphanage informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. ‘Mr. Mueller,’ he said, ‘last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will bring it in.’ Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk. George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was just enough for the 300 thirsty children.’” [https://www.georgemuller.org/devotional/a-famous-story-about-mullers-faith] [#4 – Young people, how did God answer George Mueller’s prayer? (bread and milk)]
We can trust in God’s providence in our lives too, because He is in control of everything
The Lord was in control of the three shepherds who had arrived at the well early
The three shepherds needed to be there, because Jacob had three questions for them
Jacob’s three questions
Question 1: Where are you from?
They told Jacob that they were from Haran
“In God’s sovereignty, Jacob was no longer just wandering through the land of the eastern peoples; he made contact with the people he was sent to find.” [Gangel & Bramer, Homan Old Testament Commentary, Genesis, 244]
Jacob now knew that he was close to his destination
Question 2: Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?
Yes, they knew Laban
“These three verses provide illustration of the fulfillment of God’s recent promise to Jacob, ‘I will be with you’ (28:15), for the text should be read as a providential leadership of Jacob in his wanderings. It is no coincidence that he stumbles upon some individuals who know Laban well, anymore than it is coincidence that Ruth happens to glean in the fields of Boaz.” [Hamilton, 253]
God’s providence guides us.
Jacob was getting even closer to his destination
Question 3: Is he well?
Yes, they knew that Laban was well
In fact, his daughter, Rachel, was coming with the sheep
Again, it was providential that Rachel arrived at just this time
God had guided her to take her father’s sheep to the well a little early
Jacob had been a shepherd with his father’s flocks back in Canaan, so he probably knew a thing or two about shepherding
With this knowledge, he challenged the three shepherds
Jacob’s challenge
Jacob challenged the shepherds to water their sheep and take them back out to pasture
It was not time to bring the sheep into the fold for the night
“This is a striking display of providence. At what appears to be the wrong time, Jacob meets the right people and the right girl.” [Waltke, 400]
God’s providence guides us.
Shepherd’s response
The shepherds were not going to rock the boat
They were not going to be accused of breaking the watering tradition and procedure
They would wait until all the flocks had gathered and the stone had been rolled away
The reason for Jacob’s challenge to the other shepherds is not explicitly mentioned here, so we do not know why he wanted them to water their sheep and take them back out to pasture
In our humanness we can speculate that he wanted to spend some time alone with Rachel once he knew that she was Laban’s daughter
Remember that Isaac encouraged Jacob to find a wife from Laban’s daughters
So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him and commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother.” (Genesis 28:1-2)
While Jacob was still talking with the shepherds, Rachel came to the well
Jacob and Rachel (vv. 9-12)
The narrator mentioned that Rachel was a shepherdess
Jacob watered Laban’s sheep
Jacob probably recognized Rachel’s beauty when he got to see her up close
The narrator tells us in Genesis 29:17 that Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful
We are not told in this section of chapter 29 how Jacob felt about Rachel, but in the next section of verses we are told that Jacob was in love with her (Gen. 29:18)
Perhaps this was love at first sight, but more likely Jacob realized that Rachel was a potential wife, because she was one of Laban’s daughters (Gen. 28:2)
Marrying Rachel would fulfill the command that his father, Isaac, had given him (Gen. 28:1-2)
Maybe he was trying to impress her when he rolled the large stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep, but he may have been trying to make a good impression too
He would need Laban’s blessing in order to marry Rachel
Jacob introduced himself to Rachel
God’s divine providence guided Jacob and Rachel to this point—it was not by chance or luck
God’s providence guides us.
That was true for Judy and I
God’s providential guidance brought us together in History of Civilization class in college
God’s divine providence had a friend of mine sitting beside Judy in that class, who was able to answer some of my questions about her
How have you experienced God’s divine providence in your life?
Did it happen with your spouse?
Were you in the right place at the right time to talk with the right person about a job opportunity (Levi and Hershey at the Virginia DMV)
Think about your salvation experience
How did God’s divine providence bring you to the point of repentance and acceptance of His free gift of salvation?
Whom did God use in your life to help you understand your need for salvation?
How about when you bought your house?
It happened with my parents and my siblings when we moved to Alabama (all 5 of us agreed that the house my parents eventually bought was the right one)
It happened when Judy and I saw the house we bought here in Virginia
Application
#2 – My Next Step Today Is To: Ask the Lord to help me not miss His divine providence about a(n) ________ (relationship, job, house, investment, move, etc.).
#3 – My Next Step Today Is To: Worship the Lord for His divine guidance about _______ in my life.
Jacob and Rachel’s divine appointment had arrived
Jacob’s actions
He kissed Rachel
This was not a romantic kiss
This was the customary greeting among relatives
He wept aloud
Jacob’s outburst was probably an emotional release at having successfully completed his long journey and finding his relatives
“The combination of these terms [“kissed” and “began to weep”] describes the emotional events of family reunion or separation.” [Mathews, 464]
How many of us understand this?
It is always emotional when we meet family members after a long time of being apart
It is more emotional when we have to leave family after a short time of being together
I don’t know about you all, but when I get to spend time with family it never seems to be long enough
[#5 – Young people, how did Jacob greet Rachel? (kiss and weeping)]
God’s providence is once again obvious, because Jacob was now in the right place and had met the right person [Hamilton, 256]
He told Rachel who he was
Jacob told Rachel that they were cousins
He was Rebekah’s son
Rachel’s reaction was the same as Rebekah’s when Abraham’s chief servant had come 100 years before—she ran to tell her father
Jacob met his uncle for the very first time
Jacob and Laban (vv. 13-14)
Laban’s reaction was the same as it was 100 years before—he ran to meet this person who had traveled from the southwest
When he ran to meet Abraham’s chief servant it may have been because of the jewelry that his sister, Rebekah was wearing (nose ring and bracelets)
This time he may have run, hoping that there would be more gifts from his wealthy relatives [Rebekah—gold & silver jewelry and clothing; Laban and Rebekah’s mother—costly gifts (Gen. 24:52-53)]
More likely, he ran because family relationships were very strong in the ancient Near East [Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, Pentateuch, 126]
Laban hugged and kissed Jacob and brought him to his home
Jacob recounted everything that had happened at the well and perhaps during his long journey
Laban acknowledge that they were family and that Jacob was welcome to stay with he and his family
YOU
Are you ready to obediently and joyfully follow the providential guidance of God to where He is leading you?
Do you need to ask the Lord to help you not miss His divine providence?
Have you worshipped the Lord for His divine guidance in your life?
WE
We need to obediently and joyfully follow the providential guidance of God to where He is leading us.
We need to ask the Lord to help us not miss His divine providence for Jerusalem Chapel.
We need to worship the Lord for His divine guidance in the life of the church.
CONCLUSION
“In his book The Many Faces of Evil, author John Feinberg tells the story of when his wife, Pat, was diagnosed with Huntington's Chorea—a genetically-transmitted disease that causes deterioration in the brain, thus causing deterioration of physical and psychological abilities. John and Pat were not only concerned about the future of her health, but the health of their children. If one parent has the gene that causes Huntington's, children of that parent have a 50-50 chance of suffering from the same disease. What was also troubling to John was that they had no warning that Huntington's was a possibility for Pat—and they should have been warned. Soon after the diagnosis, they requested a copy of Pat's mother's medical chart to see if there was any family history of the disease, and Pat's mother had suffered from Huntington's unbeknownst to the family. Feinberg was angry, realizing this diagnosis came five years before he met his wife. It could have altered everything! But Feinberg writes of his realization that the hidden knowledge was a gift of grace from God:
For twenty years that information had been there, and at any time we could have found it out. Why, then, did God not give it to us until 1987?
As I wrestled with that question, I began to see his love and concern for us. God kept it hidden because he wanted me to marry Pat, who is a wonderful wife. My life would be impoverished without her, and I would have missed the blessings of being married to her had I known earlier.
God wanted our three sons to be born. Each is a blessing and a treasure, but we would have missed that had we known earlier. And God knew that we needed to be in a community of brothers and sisters in Christ at church and at the seminary who would love us and care for us at this darkest hour.
And so he withheld that information, not because he accidentally overlooked giving it to us, and not because he is an uncaring God who delights in seeing his children suffer. He withheld it as a sign of his great care for us. There is never a good time to receive such news, but God knew that this was exactly the right time.”
Source: John S. Feinberg, The Many Faces of Evil (Crossway Books, 2004), pp. 464-465
[https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2010/july/5072610.html]
