Feb 1, 2014 Be Redeemed

Be Redeemed

Read Genesis 27

Gen 27:19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game so that you may give me your blessing.”

THIS is not a good Mother’s Day message. When Jacob says, “I am Esau.” he lies in a plot his mother Rebekah had devised. Mom’s the one intent for Jacob to steal Esau’s blessing. Mom’s the one to tell her son to lie and to put a hateful wedge between her two sons. Where’s God to stop the sin?

      That’s always the question. Where is God when sin happens? Thankfully, the answer is the same from the Garden of Eden to the battles of Revelation: God is present with his people to redeem them to his ultimate purpose.

      Yes, it is difficult for us to understand that God will use sin to bring glory to his name. But you see that he knew this sin would happen. “The Lord said to Rebekah, ‘Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.’” (Gen 25:13) As God’s prophecy came true, God acted. Just as he had with Abraham’s sin with Hagar, and just as he would act later with David’s sin with Bathsheba, God will reach into this family to redeem them from this evil.

      To His glory, God certainly still redeems today. He knew he would need to always redeem the sin in his people, even you. Graciously he has literally reached down to stretch his hands on a cross and acted to save you from the Evil One.

      To God be the glory.

LIFE Link: Thankfully praise the Savior, who has acted to redeem you.

January 31, 2014 He Knows

He Knows

Genesis 26

Gen 26:26-29 Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. 27 Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” 28 They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’ — between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we did not molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

OUR tendency, I believe, is to look at Bible’s accounts of God’s people as God’s revelation to first Abraham and his wife, then their family and ultimately to a nation called Israel. But it is important to know that God revealed himself to all the people around Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Israel.

      You see in this scripture a pagan leader Abimelech come to Isaac and say, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you.” Yes, they clearly saw the Lord. “Lord” in this context means “Absolute Control”. Abimelech and his people know how God had protected Isaac, and they are afraid to oppose the power and authority of Isaac’s Lord in any way.

      Abimelech does something very few of us do. He actually acknowledges God’s ability to affect our daily lives. In essence, one could say this pagan mad worshiped the Lord as he confessed God’s control.

      Ironically, Abimelech is a common name for any Philistine king. About 600 years after Isaac, the Philistines would become mortal enemies of Israel for centuries. They would not fear the Lord then, but this Abimelech knew God enough to say, “I’ll leave your people alone.”

LIFE Link: Acknowledge the Lord and live in peace.

January 30, 2014 Honor

Honor

Read Genesis 23

Gen 23:7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites.

ALTHOUGH Abraham had essentially settled down in an area that would one day be in the land God had promised for his descendants, Abraham owned no land. Still essentially considered a wanderer by the larger tribal groups in that area, he was at their mercy.

      How does God protect his chosen man and his family amid other people? He instills Abraham with honor.

      Abraham enjoys a reputation of honor among the Hittites. It is likely they would rather Abraham sought to bury Sarah elsewhere. But Ephron, the Hittite, was willing to offer him a cave at a price, which Abraham accepted.

      Read through this exchange, and you’ll see two gentlemen honoring each other as they bargain. Research shows Ephron offered a price twice the going rate for a burial cave in that day. As any seller, he expected Abraham to offer less, and they would come to an agreement. Imagine Ephron’s surprise when Abraham said, “Deal.”

      Abraham was quick to agree as he understood his disadvantage. And he was also quick to agree, I believe, as he sought to honor his “hosts” who lived at peace with him.

      Earlier accounts of Abraham and Lot describe the dangers of living here. A wrong word or a misinterpreted action could have sparked a murderous conflict among these people. Much of the Old Testament is about those conflicts, warring parties and devastating wars.

      Those conflicts occur because rules are greedy, self-seeking and dishonorable. But this was not the case with God’s chosen man. Abraham’s honorable actions caused others to honor him.

LIFE Link: God has honored you with the high cost of his Son.

January 29, 2014 A Tree Is Planted

A Tree is Planted
Genesis 21

Gen 21:33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.  

IF you’ve read Genesis 21, you might wonder, “Why does he use this verse about a tree?” Yes, that is a good question. With the birth of the long-awaited Isaac, the casting out of Hagar and Ishmael, and the settling of a dispute over a well, there are 3 topics in this chapter that are worthy of ample discussion.

      The point of noting that Abraham planted a Tamarisk tree is to see that Abraham came to a point where he settled down. For 25 years he’d been on a spiritual and physical journey that brought great testing and enormous change to his life. His faith had grown from no knowledge of God to a very real and present faith in God. As he faced many difficulties and uncertainties, his life became more centered on the Lord. Yes, he has one more incredible test from God yet to come, but he has come to a point in his life to say, “I am home.”

      Thus he plants a tamarisk tree—some interpreters think this could mean a grove of trees—but it is a tree of shade and one often planted for comfort from the sun. It is a tree that meant to many a wanderer, “This is home.”

      Now Abraham is home. To celebrate, he calls on the name of the Lord. He worships the Lord who has delivered to him all He has promised.

LIFE Link: Life happens. Trust God and worship him in your home.

January 28, 2914 A Sign of Hope

A Sign of Hope

Genesis 17

Gen 17:10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

I was watching a movie last week (It takes me a long time to watch a 2-hour movie—about 40 minutes a night. Thank you DVR.) Anyway, it was called Star of the North and its story was in regard to a Ukrainian village in June of 1941. The movie opens over a peaceful village that lives in great joy. The farms are fertile. The kids are joyful, mannerly and smart. The homes are well-kept. Young couples are in love and making grand plans for their future. Much is made of singing and dancing. About 40 minutes or so into the movie, though, everything changed. The Germans attacked Russia. Bombs fell and the village was strafed. People died. Homes burned. Germans occupied the city. One day all was well. The next day all was a living hell.

      Life is so much that way, isn’t it? Disease, crime, accidents or financial ruin can pop up at any moment. Struggles can seem overwhelming.

      But what we see here in Abram’s story today is that as quickly as things can go badly, God steps in to give us his words of hope.

      And so he spoke to Abram, who received two signs—new names for him and Sarai, and the sign of circumcision. Circumcision is a blood-letting. It cuts the flesh. And it’s a lifetime mark. Circumcision pointed to God’s promise of blessing that would one day lead Jesus to pour out his blood on a cross.

      The changes in our lives can be heart-rending and even life-ending. But we must know the cross is God’s unending sign of hope.

LIFE Link: God has marked his Son for you.