Saturday, January 25, 2020

With New Eyes

Image by Gerhard Gellinger, from Pixabay

Puttering around the house today, dealing with the inevitable clutter that piles up, I saw a plaque with a worn, plastic sleeve over it.  It was a memorial plaque, made in honor of my husband's brother, who died in 2015.  For the past 3+ years, it had been sitting in a spot I pass by several times a day.  Initially, with the best of intentions, the sleeve was left in place to protect the plaque.  Now, though, as I looked at it, I saw it with new eyes, and ... it just looked ridiculous to me.
It's best not to "assume" about such, however; so, I asked The Hubs if he minded if we got rid of the plastic sleeve.  He had no objections.  Into the trash the plastic cover went.  Now, there was nothing obscuring the beautiful plaque beneath...

Job had a similar experience.  The episode is revealed in Job 38 and 39.  He had been viewing God a certain way for years.  Repeatedly, in earlier chapters, Job described his God as he believed Him to be.  At the end of his book, though, he saw God "with new eyes".

We can get a lot of information about the character of God by studying His words and actions in the Bible.  But, at the end of the book of Job, God gave a lot of information about Himself at once, in an effort to describe The Indescribable to a mere human.  He did so in the form of questions, peppered with asides to Job like, "Can you do that?"  "Have you ever done that?"

We find God describing himself in Job 38 and 39, because Job had been busy justifying his life before God, telling God how righteous a man he was, and how he really didn't deserve all the calamity that had befallen him.  Essentially, Job was questioning God's actions in his life.  This is how God so aptly put Job's actions and attitudes in Job 40:8 (NIV) - - -

Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

Here are the things God listed (not in question form, though, but in statements)

  • He laid the foundation of the Earth.
  • He measured the Earth and marked off its dimensions.
  • He laid the Earth's cornerstone, while stars sang and angels shouted for joy.
  • He brought the seas under control, setting their "doors and bars" in place.
  • He gave orders to the morning and showed the dawn its place.
  • He knows the location of the "springs" of the sea and walks in the recesses of its deepest parts.
  • He knows the location of the gates of death.
  • He also knows the way to the abode of light, where light lives, and where darkness resides.
  • He binds up the snow and hail in storehouses, held waiting for when He calls on them to fall.
  • He knows the point from where lightning is dispersed and where east winds originate.
  • He designs the paths for torrents of rain and decides the path of the thunderstorms.
  • He fathers the rain and the drops of dew.  He births frost and frozen waters.
  • He brought forth the constellations of the heavens and controls them to this day, displaying His dominion over heavens and Earth.
  • He counts the clouds and sends lightning bolts on their way.
  • He provides food for the lioness, the raven and all living things.
  • He knows where the mountain goats give birth and the does bear their fawns.
  • He created and easily controls the wild donkey and the wild ox.
  • He created the silly ostrich who, although created with little sense (she tends to kill her young), can run faster than horse and rider.
  • He created the wild mustang, giving him his strength and spirit of fearlessness.
  • He created the hawk and eagle and knows their ways as well.
  • As He sees fit, He endows human hearts with wisdom and gives understanding to the mind.

After hearing this list, Job's response was much like Isaiah's when he "saw the Lord, high and lifted up" (Isaiah 6:5 NIV).  Isaiah said, "Woe to me! ... I am ruined!"  In Job 40:4 Job answered the Lord saying, "I am unworthy...how can I reply to you?  I put my hand over my mouth."

Then, God goes for round two.  

In Job 40:9-41 He continues to describe His marvelous character, attributes and deeds.
After that list, Job confessed that he despised himself, and he repented of his actions, in dust and ashes (42:6).  Humility and repentance, in the presence of One Job could not begin to fully comprehend.

Now, remember, Job was "the finest of the fine".  I don't think any of us, even those who love the Lord the most (not me, by the way), can truly see him for who He is.  The apostle Paul confessed that he saw "through a glass darkly"(1 Corinthians 13:12).  Ever look through a glass window pane into the abject darkness?  That window is clear as glass, but it is of no use.....  Darkness is still all you can see.  None of us can fully appreciate our God, because we can't approach a full understanding of His character.

Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, we do as Job did - - construct a God of our own making.  It may be we go beyond what God reveals in Scripture to do that.  Other times, we may do so out of an ignorance of what the Scriptures say.  I take comfort in this verse, though:

                       Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
James 4:8a

This is a call to shut out the clamoring voices of the world and to spend time in prayer and Bible study with the Lover of our Souls, to "draw near".  

...that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving...
Ezra 9:8

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Job

Image by Kasun Chamara, from Pixabay

The chronological Bible I'm using for my daily reading is in the book of Job at the moment, which I find to be an extraordinarily difficult book.  I confess to having a limited understanding.  For me, at the moment, its value is in God's responses to Job and his three friends, (since I can't make heads or tails of what those 3 friends are saying...)  When God answers Job, He takes the opportunity to both help Job know Him better and also to demonstrate His incomparability.

Even so, Job's words in 13:15 stand out:

"Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him." (KJV)

Say what you want to about him, but Job was held up by God as the prime example of a righteous man of his day: an outstanding worshipper/follower of Almighty God.  I find that to be astounding and humbling.  Wow, what an honor!  May all of us who follow Jesus Christ aspire to that!
We can see/know now, with our benefit of reading the story, what was going on behind the scenes.  But, Job certainly did not know that.  He had no idea why God was dragging him through the pain and suffering he experienced.
Yet....
Job trusted God.  No matter what.
He stated this before God ever "answered him" one word!
He fully trusted God, and left the outcomes to Him.

I have issues in my life about which I'm not fully trusting God.  My faith is faltering in those areas.  One of them has to do with loved ones who have "rejected the faith".  I constantly pray for their salvation.  But, am I 100% trusting that God is going to save them?  No.  My understanding of the sovereignty of God gets in the way of my faith.  It's a stumbling block, I think.  I want to believe 100% that these precious beloveds WILL come to saving faith.  I certainly believe 100% that He CAN save them.  But, it is up to God whether or not they do place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ.  It is my role to pray earnestly for their salvation.  I am trying hard to trust God with their souls, although it breaks my heart into a million little pieces - - contemplating they may continue in their rebellion and unbelief until they reach eternity.  Just being 100% honest here, folks.  You can comment in the comments section on this point, if you feel led.

So, going on...
Another thing that impresses me about the story of Job is this:  God never tells Job "the backstory".  He never explains His actions or justifies them.  As humans, we always want to know "why", especially when tragedy strikes.  What God does is draw Job's attention to Himself, to His majesty, His power, His glory.  God invites Job's worship, which is as it should be.  God owes none of us any explanation...about anything.

Here's what the Bible tells us about God's ways, though, whether He explains Himself to us or not.  The prophet Habukkuk, in 3:6 tells us that God's ways are eternal and everlasting.  And, in Psalm 31:19,  David affirms God's ways are loving, toward all who love Him.

He stood and measured the earth; He looked and startled the nations; the ancient mountains crumbled; the perpetual hills collapsed. His ways are everlasting.
Habukkuk 3:6 (BSB)

Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you and worked for those who take refuge in you, in the sight of the children of mankind!
Psalm 31:19 (ESV)

Bottom line: Job's story shows us God really IS "good all the time", even when we don't understand our circumstances, even when there's no way we can fully comprehend God.  I don't know about you, but I take great comfort in that truth.  I can rest my heart in the goodness of God.


Saturday, January 18, 2020

Parting Words

Image by kalhh on Pixabay.com

Parting words are particularly poignant and meaningful, aren't they?

  • The last words you say to loved ones when you hang up the phone.
  • The last words spoken to one you know you will never see again.   Etc.

Wills are more or less "parting words", aren't they?  Friends of mine, an entire family of 9, are going on a trip today, and they revised their wills this week.  Parting words matter.

Today, we are looking at the parting words Jacob spoke to his 12 sons, shortly before he died.
This was a common practice in that day, a combination of blessings and prophecies.  Let's take a look at each son and see what Jacob had to say to each - - - see if those blessings/pronouncements came true.  If you have a Bible, turn to the back to the maps section.  See if you can find a map of where the 12 tribes of Israel settled in the Promised Land.  That will help.

1.  Reuben was Jacob's firstborn.  As such, he should have received a double portion of Jacob's inheritance (2/12 or 1/6).  However, you may have noticed that, thus far in the Bible, firstborn sons have not been faring so well.  They have mostly made bone-headed decisions that messed things up for them.  Reuben was no exception.  See if you can find the land allocated to Reuben on your map.
I'll wait.
Didn't find it, did you?  Here's why.

While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. Now the sons of Jacob were twelve.
Genesis 35:22 (ESV)

When you see this verse in the original Hebrew, though, there is a gap in the text, in the middle of the verse, where the letter "peh" resides.  This break is a Hebrew punctuation, a "loud silence" before the words "And Israel heard."  You betcha he did.
Strangely, the Torah, the Old Testament, tells us little more about the consequences of Reuben's great transgression until we get to Jacob's deathbed and the parting words.  Then, he unloads.

“Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, and the firstfruits of my strength,
preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.
4Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence,
because you went up to your father’s bed;
then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!
Genesis 49:3-4 ESV 

This is the Old Testament equivalent of going to the will-reading and discovering there that you have been cut out.  Reuben is described as being as "unstable as water", not exactly a ringing endorsement.  (We learn, for example, in Genesis 37, that he failed to lead his brothers rightly in dealing with their brother, Joseph.) Jacob goes on to say he is taking Reuben's birthright as firstborn, his double-portion of the inheritance, and is giving it to Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.  (You will see those on your map!)

2.  Levi and Simeon are described by their father as being very angry, cruel, murderous men.  He pronounces that their land would be divided (49:3-4).  This proved out to be true.  The Levites were eventually named the priestly class, and they got no land allotment.  Instead, they were scattered throughout the land.  Simeon's tribe was given only a few cities in the Promised Land.

3.  Judah was praised as "a young lion" and a ruler.  In Revelation 5:5 Jesus is called "Lion of the Tribe of Judah", because his lineage (both biological - Mary and adoptive - Joseph) is from this tribe.  One descended from Nathan and one from Solomon (both sons of David and Bathsheba).

4.  Zebulun (49:13) was prophesied to live by the seashore, and this came true.  His tribe was allotted the land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee.  The prophet Ezekiel also predicted that, in Jesus' millennial kingdom Zebulun will have that same land allotment.  (Ezekiel 48:1-8, 23-27).

5.  Issachar's pronouncement was a little backhanded (49:14-15).  First, his daddy calls him a donkey and then decrees his descendants would be "forced laborers", or you might say agricultural workers.  True to the prophecy, Issachar inherited the fertile land, the rich farmland of Jezreel, in The Galilee.

6.  Jacob called Dan "a snake in the road", (49:16-18) but decreed his descendants would become the judges of Israel.  And, Samson was from the tribe of Dan.  Unfortunately, many of Dan's descendants veered off into idolatry.

7.  Gad's prophecy (49:19) was sort of nebulous, other than to say his people would often be involved in strife but that they would be competent in military campaigns.  And, when we read of David's troops in 1 Chronicles 12, a great number of them came from the tribe of Gad.

8.  Asher (49:20) was decreed to produce food for the rest of the nation, and what do you know?  His tribe inherited the very fertile land of Carmel, along the Mediterranean.

9.  Naphtali (49:21) received a very nebulous prophecy/blessing, although it seemed like a "good word".  It essentially said that this tribe would be prolific, having many offspring, and that the other tribes would admire them for that.

10-11.  Verses 49:22-26 indicate, as previously mentioned, that Joseph's offspring, his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, would each receive 1/12 of Jacob's inheritance.  Joseph received the privileges of the firstborn, which Reuben disparaged and lost.  Also, and this is very odd - - when Jacob held a private session to bless Joseph's sons, he gave the younger (Ephraim) the blessing of the firstborn.  (Genesis 48).

12.  Benjamin was described as a mighty warrior in 49:27.  This tribe produced many of Israel's military leaders, including Ehud, Saul and Jonathan.  (See Judges 5:14, Judges 20:16 and 1 Chronicles 8:40.)

Isn't that a mixed bag?  Wow.
This has been sort of a "connective tissue" type of post, and more than a little bible-nerdy.  But, this type of connective information is important in the Bible.  In particular, Genesis 48-49 show how clearly God works in the lives of His people, how His good providence  prevails, despite the worst of human treachery.

Shortly after this "will reading" by Jacob, he died.  Jacob had him embalmed in the Egyptian tradition, and the entire clan, hundreds of people by this time, made a trip back to Mamre, and buried Jacob in the cave where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah were interred.  This Cave of the Patriarchs, as it is now called, is in the area we now call the West Bank.

As a footnote: when Joseph died, his bones were buried in Egypt, but when the Hebrew people were set free from slavery there, they exhumed Joseph's bones and took them with them to the Promised Land.  Before he died, he had made them swear to do so.  (Genesis 50:24)

And, now, I think I'm done with blogging through Genesis.  What a trip!  It has been over a year in the making, although it would have been finished much sooner if I had not gotten the wagon wheels bogged down and had to abandon the project for a few months.  God's timing just was not right, I guess.  I was just unable to go on at that time.  Oh well.  As the Scriptures tell us, His timing and His ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30).

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_the_Patriarchs






Wednesday, January 15, 2020

Bad Means, Great Ends


I'm determined to soldier on through Genesis today, but the truth is that I am in deep grief.  Our family pet, Charlie, died three days ago.  He had been a member of our family for nine years, from just a puppy.  We loved him dearly and gave him a very good life.  However, what we gave to him pales in comparison to all the joy he brought to us.  Gone, but not forgotten.  I don't know if there are pets in Heaven; the Bible does not speak to that.  But, if they are, I surely do look forward to seeing him again.

Some may wonder why the story of Judah and Tamar, (Genesis 38) is even in the Bible.  There are various speculations about that. One thing this story does, as well as the story of how Joseph's brothers treated him, is to show how far these 12 brothers were wandering from the God they purported to serve.  The law of Moses had not yet been given, although elements of it were in place, as evidenced by Genesis 38:6-10.  I'm getting ahead of myself today.  This story is not that familiar.  So, let me back up and give a synopsis.

God, in His divine plan, had determined that He would send Messiah Jesus through the line of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah.  He had a dickens of a time getting that line to bear godly fruit, however.  The first problem was that Judah married a pagan, a Canaanite woman.  Remember that, prior to this, all the way back to Abram, the godly line of Abraham's descendants had married "within the family".  The Scriptures tell us that Judah "got a wife" for his firstborn son, Er, predictably his chief heir.  It is highly likely Judah chose a Canaanite woman, as opposed to a godly woman with family lineage (a distant cousin), for Er, due to the nature of Tamar's name.1

However, Er was killed by God because of his evilness, before he could sire children.  Here's where the aforementioned element of the Law of Moses came in - - Levirate marriage.  Even in those days, probably instituted by Abraham, if a man died without children, his brother was expected to marry the widow and produce heirs.  (Note this was the case in the story of Ruth and Boaz.  See also Deuteronomy 25:5.)
Now, the second-born of Judah was Onan, whose name perhaps should have been "oh no", because he was just as evil as his older brother.  Recognizing if he produced heirs for Er, they would snatch away the firstborn's inheritance, whereas if he failed to produce heirs for Er, Onan's OWN children would inherit.  Therefore, he was deceptive and although he had sexual relations with Tamar, he deliberately failed to impregnate her.  Accordingly, God "took him out" also.
Judah found all this rather sobering.  A widower by this time, he had only one son left, a boy who was years away from marriage.  He promised Tamar she would be wed to the third son, Shelah, although Judah had no intentions of doing so.  I guess he assumed the problem was with her and that it would be a death sentence for the only son he had left.  He shuffled her back to her father's house to continue her widowhood.... indefinitely.

Meanwhile, Shelah grew to be of marriageable age, and Judah did not wed him to Tamar.   For whatever the reason she was determined to see the dictates of the Israelite God through, in her own life.  Still a young woman, she did not want to remain a widow.  Her methods for achieving that end cannot be condoned.  I think it highly unlikely she knew that God had chosen Judah to be the progenitor of the Messiah; she was merely thinking of her own future when she dressed herself as a Canaanite prostitute and laid a trap for Judah...a trap into which he happily fell.

As He often does, God overrode the many evils in this story to His own good purposes.  The offspring of Judah and Tamar were Perez and Zerah, twin sons.  Through Perez, despite Satan's attempts to thwart Him, God continued the Messianic line which ultimately produced Jesus Messiah (Matthew 22:24.)

So, this Bible story is here to show how God overcomes evil with good, in order to bring about His master plans.  Secondly, this story is here to illustrate how deeply the family of Jacob was being corrupted by the Canaanite influences around them.  During Judah's lifetime, the entire family of Jacob, we will see, has to flee to Egypt, where Joseph saves them and they band together to grow the Hebrew nation.  Enslavement by the Egyptians reinforces their religious, cultural unity, further protecting them from spiritual corruption over the 400 years they are there.

And, if you are familiar with Old Testament history, you will know that when God liberated the Hebrew people, He sequestered them in the Arabian desert, further refining them, giving them the Torah, weeding out the tares, burning off the chaff, getting them ready to inherit the Land promised to their forefathers.  Then, upon returning them to the Promised Land, he ordered them to annihilate all the Canaanite peoples living there, for the very reason of preventing such spiritual corruption from disrupting the Messianic line again.


Sources:

1     https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Tamar-No-1

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Tree Bark and Teraphim (Genesis 30-31)

Image by JPataG, on Pixabay

If I asked you to list your family's top three traits, what would you say they are?  Today's post revolves around the family traits of Jacob, Rachel and Laban.  At the end of the post, see if you can make a comment and name what you think those traits are.  ;)  Bet you can!

It was revealed in earlier chapters that Jacob was prone to twist things to his own advantage.  This has already been seen in his influencing Esau to sell to Jacob his birthright, tricking Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn, etc.
It seems, though, that in his father-in-law, Laban, he had met his match.  Laban deceived Jacob into marrying Leah, when Jacob thought he would be getting Rachel.  Laban also exhibited a pattern of changing the rules on Jacob as it pertained to the accumulation of family wealth (Genesis 31:41).  That's where we are in today's study - - Genesis 30-31.

After 20 years of abiding in Laban's world, Jacob was wise to his rascally ways.  Jacob was feeling led to return to the land of his father, Isaac, the land of Canaan; but, he knew Laban would be loathe to let him go.  After all, Laban had prospered greatly because Jacob had been managing Laban's herds. (Genesis 30:25)
So, because he was good at scheming, Jacob concocted a scheme to build his herds and amass a fortune in sheep flesh to take with him back to Canaan.  He revealed in Genesis 31:10 that God had spoken to him in a dream about how He would bless Jacob through the variegated (streaked, spotted and speckled) males.  Consider how God works in even the seemingly most mundane circumstances!

The interesting thing about this sheep-breeding escapade is the revelation that Jacob knew a great deal about animal husbandry.  He knew, and science supports today, that the barks of the almond, willow and chestnut (plane) trees (Genesis 30:37-39) have beneficial health properties, when the livestock either eat the bark or when they drink water infused with the bark.  Apparently, the water releases the health properties as well.1   Once again, the Bible lines up with science.

There has been some consternation over the phrase "in front of the branches" or "in view of the branches", in Genesis 30:41.  The logical conclusion is not that some magic, hocus-pocus happened when the ewes saw the branches and were mesmerized.  Rather, the logical conclusion is that the ewes would chew on the branches during the mating process, or drink the infused water, thereby ensuring more healthy young.
Regardless...
The sheep and goats with the genetic characteristics Jacob had been assigned by Laban grew stronger and more numerous, while Laban's flock was nowhere near as healthy or prolific. (Genesis 30:39-40).
When Laban began to notice this, his attitude toward his son-in-law soured.  Even though he believed ALL the goods were his (even Jacob's share), Laban realized he had been snookered, beaten at his own game!

In Genesis 31:3, we see God reiterating His command to Jacob to return to Canaan.
Realizing that Laban would never willingly let him go, Jacob met with his wives, Leah and Rachel, and conspired with them to gather together all of Jacob's massive herds, slaves and such, and to sneak off with the booty back to Canaan.  They made their exit while Laban was away, shearing his sheep.

You may recall, if you are reading through Genesis and using these blog posts as an aid, the first part of Genesis featured "the great reproductive wars".  In other words, Leah was using procreation as a strategy to gain the heart of Jacob, and Rachel was struggling to validate herself as a woman by becoming pregnant.  They were both competing for Jacob's affections, a sad by-product of polygamy.  In that larger culture, pagan women believed in the concept of fertility goddesses or "household gods" (Hebrew: teraphim).  An infertile woman was considered practically "cursed", or at a minimum, disgraced (Genesis 30:23); accordingly, she would do just about anything to bear a child.  This included acts of appeasement to false gods, idols.

Could Rachel's long-standing infertility explain why she stole her father's household idols (Genesis 31:19)?
Or, could there be another reason she did this devious thing?  (Note that the "apple did not fall far from the tree", as the saying goes....)  Some Bible scholars postulate that Rachel's motives were more financial than spiritual.  In those days, there was no common coinage, nor were there any banks.  Wealth was accumulated in weights of precious metals, which were often melted and molded into forms/representations of animals, imaginary beings, etc.  It was sort of a combination of aesthetics and pragmatics.
We see in Genesis 31:14-16 that both wives felt their father had cheated them, through his cheating of Jacob.  So, it is entirely possible that Rachel felt like she was absconding with what was rightfully hers.
Her actions were stealing, to be sure, however.  Let's not gloss over that.  By right, such goods should have been passed on generationally to the sons, not the daughters.  Both Jacob and Laban were highly concerned that a theft had taken place; it is not recorded the idols were ever found.  I doubt they would have been overly concerned about a mere household "trinket", or female fertility talisman.  Obviously, what had been taken had real monetary value.
Or, maybe you believe Laban went tearing out across the desert, chasing Joseph, just to kiss his grandchildren good-bye?  LOL

Thus, the escapades of Genesis continue.


Sources:

1     https://answersingenesis.org/genetics/animal-genetics/jacobs-odd-breeding-program-genesis-30/

2

Friday, January 10, 2020

Sarah Was a Looker, and Abraham a Liar (Genesis 20)


The Bible never shies away from telling the truth about its heroes and heroines, of which Abraham and Sarah are most certainly two - - despite the somewhat disparaging title of this post.

Things were certainly very different in the human genome before the Great Flood, and still somewhat different 4000 years ago (the time of Abraham).  People lived longer.  They were able to procreate longer (somewhat) and they retained their vitality much longer (case in point - - Abraham was around 90 years old when he sallied forth to rescue Lot.)

Genesis 20 relates these facts, in the context of a strange tale.  Even at 90 years of age, Sarah was so beautiful the King of Gerar, Abimelech, sought her out to make her one of his wives.  This incident records the SECOND time Abraham "stretched the truth" about his relationship to Sarah.  (See also Genesis 12:12-20.)  Sarah WAS Abram's half-sister.  In those days, there was no biblical prohibition against marrying a close relative.  It was later, through God's Law, delivered through Moses and the Levites, that such prohibitions were issued. (See Leviticus 18:16-18 and 20:17-21.) Their mutual father was Terah.   \{Additionally, Nahor, Abraham's brother, married their niece.}  Technically, Terah was father of both Abram and Sarai, although they had different mothers.  (Genesis 20:12) 
These two incidents where Abram lied reveal a faltering, unsteady faith in God, His purposes, His will, His protection.  Y'all, Abram did not pop out of his mother's womb with this great, laudable faith.  It was forged in the furnace of hardship.

There are only two women mentioned by name in "the roll call of faith".  That is what I've often heard Hebrews 11 called.  Such a beautiful and heart-breaking chapter!  Guess who one of them was?  Guess whose husband was also commended?

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

Here are some facts about this remarkable woman:

1.  She is first mentioned in Scripture (Genesis 11:29) living in a land called Ur, which most scholars place in southern Mesopotamia, near the Euphrates River.  This would be modern day southern Iraq or Kuwait.
2.  Ur was an incredibly wealthy city of that day; it is reasonable to conclude that Terah also was rather wealthy, as well as his sons.
3.  Abram and Sarai left Ur as relatively young people, at the urging of Terah.  Ur was also a highly pagan society, where the moon god was widely worshipped. Perhaps Terah wanted to move his family to more pure surroundings.  Abram was nine generations descended from Shem, Noah's son.  The fact that Abram knew and followed Jehovah God indicates that knowledge of Yahweh had flowed through that family line since the Great Flood. Other contemporaries of Abram (Job and Melchizedek {Gen. 14:18} ) indicate that true followers of Yahweh were scattered throughout the general region of the Middle East.
4.  (Gen. 11:13) Terah went with them on the first leg of this journey.  After about 650 miles they temporarily lived at Haran, until Terah's death. Speculation is that he was unable to journey farther.  It is not recorded exactly how long they stayed there.
5.  At age 65 (Abram was 75), Sarai again left all that she knew to follow her husband on the remainder of the 1000-mile journey across the desert to the land of Canaan.  They left because they both worshipped Yahweh, who had given them the command to go, along with a tremendous promise (Gen. 12:1-3).  Even considering that people lived much longer than we do, in those days, this was still quite a physical and emotional challenge for a woman of 65.  Yet, Sarai respected and obeyed her husband.
For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.
1 Peter 3:5-6 (NIV)
See also Genesis 18:12, where we indeed find Sarah addressing Abraham as "lord".
6.  Despite her obvious beauty, her marriage to a prophet (Genesis 20:7) and being a woman of great wealth, Sarai/Sarah lived with a deep, all-consuming grief over her barrenness.  For approximately 60 years, she had tried to conceive with her husband, to no avail.  She had heard of God promising and reiterating His promise to Abram/Abraham no less than 3 times (Gen. 12:3, 13:16 and 15:1-6)!
7.  By the time Sarai/Sarah was 75, she had made a trip to Egypt, as mentioned above, and returned with her husband to the area of Bethel, a fertile land of many springs.  Sarai/Sarah, however, continued to be infertile.  She had heard from Abram the promise of God (Gen. 12:2-3)  to her husband ten years earlier (note that the promise was not to her, but to her husband); and, accordingly, she determined to step into the role of God.  Let's have a personal moment of silent reflection....
Can any of us women unequivocally declare that we would have done any different?  This foolhardy ploy was the greatest mistake of her life, one that she would regret for the rest of her days. (Don't miss, though, that Abram agreed to this ill-hatched {pardon the pun} plan!  Both had sagging faith.)


Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slavenamed Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years,Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
Gen. 16:1-3
{Polygamy was never God's design.  Genesis 16:3 is the first recorded instance of polygamy involving a righteous man.  It was a poor example that Abram set for his descendants, one which was later seen with Jacob (Leah and Rachel), David (Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba, etc.), Solomon (1000 wives/concubines!) and has carried on in the Ishmael branch of the Abrahamic line to this day.}

Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.
Psalm 127:1

8.  In spite of this strategic error and gross lapse of faith Sarai/Sarah is mentioned in "the roll call of faith".   Why?  Because even after all the debacle with Hagar and Ishmael, Sarai/Sarah still judged God to be faithful in His promises.  It was only in this, the 4th reiteration of God's promise to the couple, that God specifically included Sarai/Sarah in the promise.  Prior to this....listen now....she was only taking Abram's word that "God said so".  Think about the implications of that!  I marvel at how she trusted her husband.
It was at this time, in Genesis 17, that God gave the couple their covenant names:  Abram ("exalted father") to Abraham ("father of many") and Sarai ("princess") to Sarah ("mother of nations").

9.  We find in Genesis 18:1-15 that El Shaddai (the new name Jehovah God revealed to Abraham in Gen. 17:1) appeared to Abraham a 5th time.  It was at this appearing He gave a timeline to the promise (18:10).  And, it seems He visited with the express purpose of allowing Sarah to hear this promise personally since He asked (rhetorically) where Sarah was.  Sarah was listening to the conversation, behind a fold of the tent.
What are we to make of the fact that Sarah laughed when she overheard El Shaddai (which means "all-sufficient, all-powerful God {El}"?)  Who can blame her?  I certainly do not.
Her laughter was replaced by fear as she realized that God Himself was sitting under her tree, eating her food.  How did she know this?  She had not laughed aloud, only to herself.  Yet, God had heard her, and said so (18:15).  This so terrified Sarah that she lied about having laughed to herself.

10.  Despite it all, we see that Sarah had a sense of humor about how God had dealt with her.  When Isaac was born, she obediently (and bemusedly, most likely) named him "Laughter".  That is what the name Isaac means, in Hebrew.
Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
Genesis 21:6-7
11.  The last time we see Sarah mentioned in Genesis, she makes a demand of her husband that is rooted in her deep faith in God's promise to Isaac.  Sarah demands that Hagar and her son, Ishmael, who was at that time about 16 years old, be sent away.  Things had come to a head when the family was celebrating Isaac being weaned.  Isaac would have been a 2-3 year old toddler at this time. Ishmael made the serious error of ridiculing Isaac.  This action caused Sarah to realize that Ishmael's continued presence would continue to be a threat to God's purpose for Isaac.  God affirmed her actions in Gen. 21:12.  Furthermore, neither Ishmael nor Hagar was utterly abandoned by God. Some type of family ties did remain, as we discover both sons burying their father in Gen. 25:9-10.

So, we see both a great woman of faith and also of great flaws.  The hallmarks of her character were her submissive obedience to her husband, her faith in God's promises and her sense of humor.

Can you relate to Sarah's struggles of faith?  I can, and her story gives me hope.


Sources:

MacArthur, John. "Sarah: Hoping Against Hope." Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do with You. Nashville, TN: Nelson, 2005. 27-50. Print.

http://www.bible-history.com/geography/ur_of_chaldees.html

https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Sarah-Sarai-Sara

http://www.myredeemerlives.com/namesofgod/el-shaddai.html

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Cutting a Covenant - - Genesis 15 and 17

Image by JIHALA from Pixabay

You may wonder at the title of today's post.   One of the meanings of this word, "cutting", in today's culture, is to cut the skin either repeatedly or ritualistically, because of deep, mental disease and spiritual desperation.  It is often young people who do this, as an outward expression of their internal agony.  As our culture continues to reject God, destructive behavior among the young is increasing.  The second leading cause of death among teenagers in the USA today is . . . no, not accidents, not cancer ... it's suicide.  Why do you think that is?

Other, different types of cutting are mentioned in the Bible.  For example, In Galatians 6:11-14, Paul hearkens back to our text today when he refers to circumcision, a cutting of the flesh.  Paul then goes on to emphasize the importance of cutting of the carnal human nature.
 If you are not familiar with God's Old Testament command of circumcision, it is commanded to Abraham for the people of God in Genesis 17:9-14, as part of the Abrahamic Covenant.

Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
(NIV)

In The Message version, vs. 13b is stated like this:  "That way my covenant will be cut into your body, a permanent mark of my permanent covenant."

Examining Genesis 15:9-17, we see God "cutting" the Abrahamic Covenant with Abraham.  Abraham was instructed to cut the larger animals (not the birds) in half (vs. 10).  To seal the deal, in verse 17, God passed between the cut portions of the animal sacrifices.  God goes on to command that all of Abraham's descendants circumcise their male members shortly after birth (Genesis 17:9-14).  This mark was a required condition of keeping the covenant with God.  The Abrahamic Covenant established between God and Abraham that the Hebrew people, the Jews, would be God's chosen people, chosen to bring the Messiah into the world. And, the circumcision was God's mark of ownership.

However, when Jesus Christ, the Messiah, came He fulfilled all the old covenants and established a new covenant, (which allowed but) did not require the marking of circumcision in the body of male believers.  Rather, the new covenant was "marked" by circumcision of the heart.

What is this New Testament "circumcision of the heart"?  Actually, it is not a strictly New Testament concept.  There are several Old and New Testament verses which speak of "circumcision of the heart".  Here are three:

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live!

Deuteronomy 30:6


16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer.

Deuteronomy 10:16

Don’t you see: It’s not the cut of a knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew. And recognition comes from God, not legalistic critics.
Romans 2:28-29

After Christ's ascension/departure in physical form from the earth, the Holy Spirit came to believers on the Day of Pentecost.  When a person receives Jesus as his or her personal Lord and Savior, he or she figuratively "cuts the heart" to allow the Holy Spirit to enter.  And, the Holy Spirit is a mark, a "cut" if you will, on each person's heart to indicate both His everlasting presence as well as the believer's eternal belonging to Jesus Christ.  This was not the case in the Old Testament.  The Holy Spirit did not dwell with each Jewish person, whether circumcised in the flesh or not.  The Spirit of God descended on those He chose for His specific purposes. The ever-present Holy Spirit in the heart of every follower of Jesus Christ is His mark of ownership.

And, what does the Holy Spirit's mark and presence produce in the heart and life of each believer? Well, if that believer will allow the Spirit to do His transformative work, what is produced is stated in Deuteronomy 30:6.  This yielding by each person produces an all-consuming love for the Savior, down deep in the soul.  The Spirit produces, as Paul said in Gal. 6:14, a willing, daily crucifixion of one's will to the Cross of Jesus Christ, a daily dying to Self.  Further, this love for Christ produces the "fruits of the Spirit", listed in Galatians 5:22-23.

I think about those dear ones who, in agony of spirit, cut their flesh.  I long to say to them that the only answer to their extreme pain of the soul is found in Jesus Christ. Only He can touch the human heart and radically change a life.  When His Spirit cuts you, marks you - - - you are never the same.  (Thank God!)

Source:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/06/opinion/suicide-young-people.html?smtyp=cur&smid=tw-nytimes