Read Genesis 25, Ephesians 1, 1 Peter 1 & Philippians 3:12-4:1
There are a lot of "big events" that take place in the 25th chapter of Genesis. Abraham dies. Isaac and Ishmael come together to bury their father. Isaac inherits everything and he and Rebekah have twins. A lot of really important events in a short section of Scripture...
These "big events" are in large part fulfilled promises from God from Genesis 17. Anytime you see God fulfill a promise, you should rejoice! Why? Because God ALWAYS KEEPS HIS PROMISES! This week we spent some time rejoicing in v.5 "Abraham gave all he had to Isaac." This inheritance was promised by God through Abraham to Isaac. We are reminded of the promises that we have in Christ and how great it is that God keeps His promises. Ephesians 1:3-14 paints a beautiful picture of this beautiful and ABUNDANT blessing! We are not given "some" spiritual blessing, but EVERY spiritual blessing; we were not an afterthought, but were chosen before the world was formed; not just excused from our sin, but made holy and blameless before God, through Christ; not just welcomed, but ADOPTED through Christ and blessed in the beloved. We have redemption through His blood, forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He did not just place upon us, but that He LAVISHED upon us! 1 Peter 1:3-19 reminds us that our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled, unfading, and kept in heaven for us, who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed. Consider, your most valued possession on earth, no matter how nice and well-made it is, it is still perishable, defiled, and fading...and if it makes it to the last day, it will still burn up because it is flammable. You brought nothing into this world and you can take nothing with you. Your only true treasure is that which existed for you in Christ from before the world was formed. And that treasure is an ABUNDANT INHERITANCE!
The problem is that in the calamity of life, we forget how precious our treasure is. This is why we need to be sober-minded. True joy is not just the absence of conflict. There will always be conflict. But setting our minds and eyes on the things above and never losing sight of our God-given treasure will sustain us through the hardest storms. Interestingly, both Paul and Peter, after communicating a clear picture of their beautiful and abundant inheritance, urge the people to be sober minded. Paul prays that their eyes would be opened (Eph. 1:15-21) so that in the midst of THIS, we would not lose sight of THAT! Peter urges his hearers to "prepare their minds for action, be sober-minded! don't be conformed to your former ignorance! Conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile! Your inheritance is great! Don't lose sight of it!"
A look at 1 Peter 1:6-7 shows us that we are to REJOICE in the inheritance and blessing, WHILE we are grieved by trials and testing. In the midst of calamity, those in Christ who have the promised inheritance are the ones whose faithful responses result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Christ. And if you don't praise Him now, you will not praise Him then. Those eternally separated from God will not be crying out for another chance. But for all of eternity they will hate Him as they hated Him on earth.
To rejoice while you are grieved is to take up your cross and bear it. Jeremiah Burroughs states, "Christ does not say, 'do not count as a cross what is a cross'; He says, 'Take up your cross daily.'" What this means is that we don't have to pretend like our crosses are flowers or rainbows or anything more pleasant than a cross. It is ok for us to have a due sense of our affliction. But, "TAKE UP YOUR CROSS" and save your life. Refuse and lose your life. But REJOICE ALWAYS...AGAIN I SAY REJOICE.
So in Genesis we have seen Abraham drawn out of the world and blessed abundantly. He has gone on a walk with the CREATOR who hung the stars, and that CREATOR pointed to the stars that He hung and said, "that's how much I am going to bless you." Abraham was given livestock, riches, servants, and power. He knows that his offspring will be blessed FOREVER! His wife's barren womb was opened by the loving hand of God, and in their old age they had laughter. This was announced by Jesus who came and had lunch with Abraham in his tent! And it was through the seed of Abraham that our Savior Jesus Christ came into the world! It was through this seed that the head of the serpent was crushed! Abraham indeed lived a life of ABUNDANT BLESSING!
But we must see that this abundant blessing did not result in a "charmed" life. It did not result in the absence of conlict. This abundant blessing came in a very different way. Consider...
- Abraham's father was a Babylonian idolater
- Out of fear for his life, Abraham made a bad decision to whore out his wife to Pharaoh
- He had to go to war to save his bonehead, freeloading nephew
- His wife was barren, unable to have children
- He had an affair with Hagar, producing an illegitimate child named Ishamel, creating horrible tension within his house that exists to this day in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
- He was circumcised at the age of 99 (ouch)
- His wife laughed at God and MOCKED Him
- He whored his wife out again to Abimilech, in fear of his life
- He had to send his son, Ishmael, away and this caused him great sorrow
- He was tested by God and told to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering
- He actually stood over his bound son with a knife, ready to obey God
- His wife died
- He had to pay an exorbitant price just to bury her
- He had to arrange for his son to be married at the age of 40
- And finally, in chapter 25 Abraham, though great by the hands of God, is unable to escape the common lot of men...and he dies.
But, maybe it was just rough for Abraham because he had to get the ball rolling on this whole blessing thing... So let's then look at what happens to his abundantly blessed son who receives ALL that Abraham had...
- First, he has to bury his father
- The result is an uncomfortable confrontation with his half brother who hates him
- Then his wife is barren for TWENTY YEARS
- And when she finally conceives, the children struggle within her, causing anguish physically, mentally, and spiritually
And all of this calamity was upon the lives of some of the most abundantly blessed people to ever walk the earth.
So how quickly do we become weary? Are we content with God's blessings and abundant provision, even when our faith is tested? Would we have continued in prayer after being unable to have a baby for two decades? Would our bonehead family members push us over the edge? Do we expect charmed lives because of our eternal blessing?
Burroughs states... "We should prize duty more highly than to be distracted by every trivial occasion... [for the believer] the authority of the command so overawes his heart that he is willing to spend himself and to be spent in discharging it." I encourage you to consider those things in your life that run the risk of keeping you from rejoicing. And I encourage you to respond to those things in a sober-minded manner, never losing sight of your inheritance, constantly rejoicing through your grief.
We indeed are abundantly blessed.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Genesis 24 - Conclusion
Read 1 Corinthians 2, Ephesians 5:31-32, John 6:38, Luke 22:42, Titus 2, & Hebrews 8 & 9
What happens when something or someone is misrepresented? You don't actually get a true picture of that thing or that person. What we have considered in this study is that marriage is a worldly shadow of a heavenly reality. As it is designed by God, it is to represent what God designed it to represent. Marriage is not an end in itself. The goal is not just to get married, stay married, and die. Although, in our culture that is still rare. We are designed by God to live within an order and structure that represents the New Covenant. Ephesians 5 tells us to leave and cleave. Christ modeled this for us as He left the Father and cleaves to the Church. And the cleaving is not temporal. As you sit with your spouse and cleave, the only way that you could ever have any right to leave is if Christ abandons His bride...the church. To say it another way... As long as Christ cleaves to His bride, you cleave to yours. Why? Because if you don't, you are misrepresenting the unbreakable covenant-keeping love that Christ has for His bride.
In John 6:38, Jesus says, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me." So if husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church they must die to themselves and die to their own will, and submit, like Christ, to the will of the Father. And the will of the Father is that you sacrifice your selfishness for the well-being of your bride, not because she has earned it or deserves it, but because GOD TELLS YOU TO...and why did He tell you to? Because you are representing the "groom part" of HIS COVENANT LOVE! Consider. if I was to ask you why you love your wife, would you have anything more to say than, "Well, she does this and says that..."? Would any part of your answer be that God tells you to... that it is the will of the Father for you to love her? If not, I would submit that you are not loving your wife in the robust manner by which you were designed... because a robust love represents the New Covenant! And the world is watching...
So if someone asks me, "why do you love your wife", a good answer would be, "because God tells me to. God modeled this love in the New Covenant that exists in Christ, so just like Christ loves the church by the will of the Father, I will love my bride, by the will of the Father."
Wives, in Titus 2 you are called to be trained to love your husband and children. This goes far beyond loving them just because your Husband stirred your emotions or your child said something sweet and smiled at you. And why? Because you are representing the "bride part" of the New Covenant love. Ravi Zacharias states "The will is that faculty which can only be tested when pain is as much a part of its choice as pleasure is... Nothing brings harmony more than embracing the will of God. Nothing brings fragmentation more than turning away from the will of God. Marriage is the harmony of God synchronizing two wills with the will of the Father." There will be times when we have to choose pain, just like Christ did. If not, it is those times that we will run away.
As Christ embraced the will of the Father, He ushered in a NEW COVENANT. As you embrace the will of the Father, you are representing that New Covenant. In Matthew 22, God reminds us that marriage on earth is temporal, and when you die it is over. So death separates you from the love of your spouse. But in Romans 8, we are reminded ("we" being the bride of Christ)... "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through HIM WHO LOVED US". So love between a husband and a wife is separated by death, but NOT EVEN DEATH can separate us (the BRIDE) from the love of Christ. So our aim is to love in such a way that we are able to communicate that hidden and secret wisdom of God. Our aim is to rightly represent in our spark and shadow of a life, the eternal,, beautiful, rich truth that the love of Christ is FOREVER!!! From our marriages, from our community of faith, our church, in the midst of our conflicts, on the mountain tops, and in the deep valleys, we want to cry out to a lost and dying world and boldly proclaim, "The love of Christ is forever! He will never forsake you! RUN TO HIM!!!"
What happens when something or someone is misrepresented? You don't actually get a true picture of that thing or that person. What we have considered in this study is that marriage is a worldly shadow of a heavenly reality. As it is designed by God, it is to represent what God designed it to represent. Marriage is not an end in itself. The goal is not just to get married, stay married, and die. Although, in our culture that is still rare. We are designed by God to live within an order and structure that represents the New Covenant. Ephesians 5 tells us to leave and cleave. Christ modeled this for us as He left the Father and cleaves to the Church. And the cleaving is not temporal. As you sit with your spouse and cleave, the only way that you could ever have any right to leave is if Christ abandons His bride...the church. To say it another way... As long as Christ cleaves to His bride, you cleave to yours. Why? Because if you don't, you are misrepresenting the unbreakable covenant-keeping love that Christ has for His bride.
In John 6:38, Jesus says, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me." So if husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the church they must die to themselves and die to their own will, and submit, like Christ, to the will of the Father. And the will of the Father is that you sacrifice your selfishness for the well-being of your bride, not because she has earned it or deserves it, but because GOD TELLS YOU TO...and why did He tell you to? Because you are representing the "groom part" of HIS COVENANT LOVE! Consider. if I was to ask you why you love your wife, would you have anything more to say than, "Well, she does this and says that..."? Would any part of your answer be that God tells you to... that it is the will of the Father for you to love her? If not, I would submit that you are not loving your wife in the robust manner by which you were designed... because a robust love represents the New Covenant! And the world is watching...
So if someone asks me, "why do you love your wife", a good answer would be, "because God tells me to. God modeled this love in the New Covenant that exists in Christ, so just like Christ loves the church by the will of the Father, I will love my bride, by the will of the Father."
Wives, in Titus 2 you are called to be trained to love your husband and children. This goes far beyond loving them just because your Husband stirred your emotions or your child said something sweet and smiled at you. And why? Because you are representing the "bride part" of the New Covenant love. Ravi Zacharias states "The will is that faculty which can only be tested when pain is as much a part of its choice as pleasure is... Nothing brings harmony more than embracing the will of God. Nothing brings fragmentation more than turning away from the will of God. Marriage is the harmony of God synchronizing two wills with the will of the Father." There will be times when we have to choose pain, just like Christ did. If not, it is those times that we will run away.
As Christ embraced the will of the Father, He ushered in a NEW COVENANT. As you embrace the will of the Father, you are representing that New Covenant. In Matthew 22, God reminds us that marriage on earth is temporal, and when you die it is over. So death separates you from the love of your spouse. But in Romans 8, we are reminded ("we" being the bride of Christ)... "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or the sword? No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through HIM WHO LOVED US". So love between a husband and a wife is separated by death, but NOT EVEN DEATH can separate us (the BRIDE) from the love of Christ. So our aim is to love in such a way that we are able to communicate that hidden and secret wisdom of God. Our aim is to rightly represent in our spark and shadow of a life, the eternal,, beautiful, rich truth that the love of Christ is FOREVER!!! From our marriages, from our community of faith, our church, in the midst of our conflicts, on the mountain tops, and in the deep valleys, we want to cry out to a lost and dying world and boldly proclaim, "The love of Christ is forever! He will never forsake you! RUN TO HIM!!!"
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Genesis 24 - Love, Marriage, Family...
In our sixth week in Genesis 24 we have considered God's design for marriage, the family, and how to love. We have been reminded that marriage is not a creation of culture. It is a divine design by God to accomplish the purpose of putting His glory on display by creating man and woman in His image, commanding them to be fruitful and multiply, thereby filling the earth with his glory. Psalm 127 reminds us that "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain." This begs us to ask the question, "Are we letting the Lord build our houses and homes? Are we submitting to His design as the Master Builder?" If not, then we are apparently building in vain. In Genesis 24 we see God fulfilling the promise to make Abraham's name great. One of the means He is using is this arranged marriage between Isaac and Rebekah. God has brought them together and is continuing to build their house, SO THAT they may point others to God and proclaim HIS GREATNESS.
So what happens if we don't submit to Gods design and allow him to build our homes? Exodus 34 says that in turning from God, we, a covenant people, may in fact make a covenant with the culture. And as we covenant with the culture they will invite us to come and "WHORE" after their gods with them. And as we do, we will marry our sons and daughters off to their sons and daughters and they will follow suit, whoring after the gods of the spouses that they have been unequally yoked to. The strong language in this passage reminds us of the sobering and terrifying reality of what happens when we shelve God's design and make a covenant with the culture. We are supposed to be a reflection of God to the culture, not of the culture back to God.
Seeing these two very different pictures, it is easy to conclude that it is of HUGE IMPORTANCE that we care about our marriages and families flourishing. So we must ask, how do we flourish? What is God's design that we might submit to so that our homes are being built by Him in faith, rather than us in vanity? What kind of love is it that builds a home faithfully?
Ephesians 5 commands husbands to "love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her". Has the church, the bride of Christ, ever merited the love of Christ? Is there anything that we could do to earn it? Or is Christ's will to love us greater than our lovability? And Titus 2 explains that in a church, where there is a right order of things, that "older women are to train younger women to love their husband and children". Have you ever considered that within the community of faith, you could be trained... by another sinner... to love your husband and children? Husbands, are you eager to have your wife connect with an older woman so that she might be trained to love you and the kids? TRAINING is a picture of something you do when you want to be pushed beyond your natural ability. Good training usually involves a good amount of sacrifice and pain and being broken down so that you may come back stronger. To keep at it, there must be a will to do so, because your emotions will tell you it is just too much.
Ravi Zacharias, author of "I Isaac take thee Rebekah" states, "Love is as much a question of the will as it is the emotion. And if you will to love somebody, you can." That may be one of the most UNCULTURAL quotes that I have ever shared. It is not cultural to will to love someone. Culture says that if it takes work to love, then it probably isn't love. Culture says that it is supposed to be easy because the two in the relationship are "just soooo lovable". I would add that there obviously has to be a balance of the emotion and the will. But I would also offer that your emotion and passion will be limited by your will to love. If your will to love is great, passion will likely be great. A will to love will rightly inform passion and the emotions.
In both Ephesians 5 and Titus 2 we see an intersection between marriage and church. Marriage, Church, and Family are not separate spheres of life. They have everything to do with each other. Our standard for love within marriage is the example Christ set in loving the church. It is within the church, the community of believing covenant people, that our love is tested and tried and informed and trained.
This week, we will continue to look at this relationship between marriage, family and the church, and we will consider that as the church has become less about the family and more about the individual, marriage has followed suit. One indicator that we will consider is how similar the language is between the unhappy individualistic spouse, and the unhappy individualistic church member... "You are not making me happy, so I am going to go and look elsewhere..." This selfish, individualistic approach to marriage and to church is so damaging. If we submit to God's design, the will to love will keep us from parting ways over a difference of opinion, while holding high the value of TRUTH as it is revealed by God.
So what happens if we don't submit to Gods design and allow him to build our homes? Exodus 34 says that in turning from God, we, a covenant people, may in fact make a covenant with the culture. And as we covenant with the culture they will invite us to come and "WHORE" after their gods with them. And as we do, we will marry our sons and daughters off to their sons and daughters and they will follow suit, whoring after the gods of the spouses that they have been unequally yoked to. The strong language in this passage reminds us of the sobering and terrifying reality of what happens when we shelve God's design and make a covenant with the culture. We are supposed to be a reflection of God to the culture, not of the culture back to God.
Seeing these two very different pictures, it is easy to conclude that it is of HUGE IMPORTANCE that we care about our marriages and families flourishing. So we must ask, how do we flourish? What is God's design that we might submit to so that our homes are being built by Him in faith, rather than us in vanity? What kind of love is it that builds a home faithfully?
Ephesians 5 commands husbands to "love their wives as Christ loved the Church and gave Himself up for her". Has the church, the bride of Christ, ever merited the love of Christ? Is there anything that we could do to earn it? Or is Christ's will to love us greater than our lovability? And Titus 2 explains that in a church, where there is a right order of things, that "older women are to train younger women to love their husband and children". Have you ever considered that within the community of faith, you could be trained... by another sinner... to love your husband and children? Husbands, are you eager to have your wife connect with an older woman so that she might be trained to love you and the kids? TRAINING is a picture of something you do when you want to be pushed beyond your natural ability. Good training usually involves a good amount of sacrifice and pain and being broken down so that you may come back stronger. To keep at it, there must be a will to do so, because your emotions will tell you it is just too much.
Ravi Zacharias, author of "I Isaac take thee Rebekah" states, "Love is as much a question of the will as it is the emotion. And if you will to love somebody, you can." That may be one of the most UNCULTURAL quotes that I have ever shared. It is not cultural to will to love someone. Culture says that if it takes work to love, then it probably isn't love. Culture says that it is supposed to be easy because the two in the relationship are "just soooo lovable". I would add that there obviously has to be a balance of the emotion and the will. But I would also offer that your emotion and passion will be limited by your will to love. If your will to love is great, passion will likely be great. A will to love will rightly inform passion and the emotions.
In both Ephesians 5 and Titus 2 we see an intersection between marriage and church. Marriage, Church, and Family are not separate spheres of life. They have everything to do with each other. Our standard for love within marriage is the example Christ set in loving the church. It is within the church, the community of believing covenant people, that our love is tested and tried and informed and trained.
This week, we will continue to look at this relationship between marriage, family and the church, and we will consider that as the church has become less about the family and more about the individual, marriage has followed suit. One indicator that we will consider is how similar the language is between the unhappy individualistic spouse, and the unhappy individualistic church member... "You are not making me happy, so I am going to go and look elsewhere..." This selfish, individualistic approach to marriage and to church is so damaging. If we submit to God's design, the will to love will keep us from parting ways over a difference of opinion, while holding high the value of TRUTH as it is revealed by God.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Love then Marriage...or is it Vice Versa??? (Gen. 24)
In the last few verses of Genesis 24, we engage something that is completely foreign to us. In fact, it doesn't even seem sensible, logical, or appropriate. Isaac is introduced to his wife, Rebekah...they have never met, and have only known each other for a few short moments, and the result is the consummation of marriage with physical intimacy and LOVE...REAL LOVE!
This scenario presents us with some obvious questions about the very "uncultural" way they came together, given our dating and marriage climate in America in 2009.
We considered 4 particular things...1.) Arranged Marriage 2.) Dowry 3.) Bride-Price 4.) Polygamy...As we considered these things we realized that our view of each of them is not true to their original form. Our view is birthed from our current knowledge of the perverted form, not the original form of these things.
We have to be careful, because we are not giving full-fledged approval to any one of these things, especially since they are so different from their original forms. However, in going back to what they were at the onset, we gain insight into a theme that runs through the heart of each of them. A divine theme. This theme is FAMILY!!!
In short, an arranged marriage was a mother and father going to the necessary lengths to ensure that the continued growth of the FAMILY is not wicked and unequally yoked. Dowry and Bride Price were a means by which each FAMILY was taken care of while future generations were kept in view. Polygamy, in short...more mommies mean more babies and a bigger FAMILY.
This view of the family, in each of these situations, has been lost due to fallen man using each of these things as a means to making his own name great. But we know from Genesis, that God made Abraham's name great. And one of the means that God used to do so is this arranged marriage.
Today, marriage is less about the family and more about the individual. You don't often hear a young man or woman say to their parents, "Can you help me find the right one?" Rather, we often hear, "This is who I love! And if you don't like it, then you will have to make the decision if you want to be a part of our lives or not!" In our culture if a parent tries to give their opinion about who their son or daughter should marry, that parent is quickly considered to be meddling and over-bearing.
We must remember that marriage and family are God's design. They are not cultural. The only reason that any culture has marriage and family is because God made it that way. And marriage, families, and the church have everything to do with each other! Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Wives are called to submit to their husbands as the church submits to Christ. Young men are called to treat older men as fathers, older women as mothers, younger men as brothers, and younger women as sisters. And older women are called to train younger women to love their husbands! Again, marriage, family, and the church have EVERYTHING to do with each other.
Sadly, as the church has become less about the family and more about the individual, marriage has followed suit. Divorce rates are at an all-time high, and the only reason we have seen any decline is because of a new trend where people act like they are married without actually marrying. Currently, 40% of all children are born out of wed-lock. These, and many other realities, point to the overall state of the family being less healthy and not flourishing as they were designed to do.
Next week we will consider why we should care if the family flourishes or not. And we will look at what it means to flourish RIGHTLY...in a God-glorifying and God-honoring way. Looking forward to it...
This scenario presents us with some obvious questions about the very "uncultural" way they came together, given our dating and marriage climate in America in 2009.
We considered 4 particular things...1.) Arranged Marriage 2.) Dowry 3.) Bride-Price 4.) Polygamy...As we considered these things we realized that our view of each of them is not true to their original form. Our view is birthed from our current knowledge of the perverted form, not the original form of these things.
We have to be careful, because we are not giving full-fledged approval to any one of these things, especially since they are so different from their original forms. However, in going back to what they were at the onset, we gain insight into a theme that runs through the heart of each of them. A divine theme. This theme is FAMILY!!!
In short, an arranged marriage was a mother and father going to the necessary lengths to ensure that the continued growth of the FAMILY is not wicked and unequally yoked. Dowry and Bride Price were a means by which each FAMILY was taken care of while future generations were kept in view. Polygamy, in short...more mommies mean more babies and a bigger FAMILY.
This view of the family, in each of these situations, has been lost due to fallen man using each of these things as a means to making his own name great. But we know from Genesis, that God made Abraham's name great. And one of the means that God used to do so is this arranged marriage.
Today, marriage is less about the family and more about the individual. You don't often hear a young man or woman say to their parents, "Can you help me find the right one?" Rather, we often hear, "This is who I love! And if you don't like it, then you will have to make the decision if you want to be a part of our lives or not!" In our culture if a parent tries to give their opinion about who their son or daughter should marry, that parent is quickly considered to be meddling and over-bearing.
We must remember that marriage and family are God's design. They are not cultural. The only reason that any culture has marriage and family is because God made it that way. And marriage, families, and the church have everything to do with each other! Husbands are called to love their wives as Christ loved the church. Wives are called to submit to their husbands as the church submits to Christ. Young men are called to treat older men as fathers, older women as mothers, younger men as brothers, and younger women as sisters. And older women are called to train younger women to love their husbands! Again, marriage, family, and the church have EVERYTHING to do with each other.
Sadly, as the church has become less about the family and more about the individual, marriage has followed suit. Divorce rates are at an all-time high, and the only reason we have seen any decline is because of a new trend where people act like they are married without actually marrying. Currently, 40% of all children are born out of wed-lock. These, and many other realities, point to the overall state of the family being less healthy and not flourishing as they were designed to do.
Next week we will consider why we should care if the family flourishes or not. And we will look at what it means to flourish RIGHTLY...in a God-glorifying and God-honoring way. Looking forward to it...
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
A Silhouette of Camels (Genesis 24)
In our last study in Genesis 24, we ended with Isaac seeing a silhouette of camels in the distance. And those camels meant one thing! His wife had arrived!
Before getting to this point we have had a long chapter of divinely ordered events. Abraham sends out Eliezer, the head servant of the house, to find a wife for Isaac among his kindred in his homeland. Eliezer sets off on his 450 mile journey and we see a beautiful display of quiet diligence...a servant who does not get entangled in civilian pursuits but is insistent on sticking to his orders...a servant who is all about pleasing his master and trusting God. Upon arrival he prays to God for a sign, and before He is done praying, BEHOLD! Rebekah enters the picture. This was a beautiful reminder to us that God knows our deepest needs before we voice them. And as the story continues, a three-part theme forms that is good for us to consider. Eliezer (1) pays attention to the details, (2) worships God in the midst of the details, and (3) then shares the details with others so that they can worship God in a like manner.
As good servants of God, we can learn from this. The heart of the worshipper is to glorify God in all things. Worship is a response to God revealing Himself to us. If we do not pay attention to the details, there is no fuel for our worship. There is nothing to proclaim. One of the simplest forms of worship is recounting... saying "Wow! God did _______". But if we do not pay attention to the details, we have nothing with which to fill in the blank. And we have nothing to share with others so that they might worship God in a like manner. Psalm 9:1 "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds." Whole-heartedness in worship is directly linked to recounting His deeds! These deeds are the very treasure that we are to pass on to our children. It is paying attention to these details and sharing them that there is any true heritage to be cherished.
Through the end of the chapter we continue to see Eliezer use sober-minded judgment as he shares and interacts. Upon arriving back home, he sticks to the original theme as he tells Isaac "all the things that he had done." We have a 67 verse chapter that reiterates and repeats the same details again and again. Let us not look them over quickly, missing what God has done. At the end of this chapter, God has brought two people together who have never met. Two people that have lived hundreds of miles apart. Two people who would be GOD'S HERITAGE FOR HIS PEOPLE! And they meet and LOVE each other. Real LOVE after only a few moments of knowing each other! How can this be?
This week we will begin to look at the last 2 verses of chapter 24 and consider how true, lasting, enduring love could possibly exist in such a short amount of time. We will also consider what this marriage has to do with the church.
Before getting to this point we have had a long chapter of divinely ordered events. Abraham sends out Eliezer, the head servant of the house, to find a wife for Isaac among his kindred in his homeland. Eliezer sets off on his 450 mile journey and we see a beautiful display of quiet diligence...a servant who does not get entangled in civilian pursuits but is insistent on sticking to his orders...a servant who is all about pleasing his master and trusting God. Upon arrival he prays to God for a sign, and before He is done praying, BEHOLD! Rebekah enters the picture. This was a beautiful reminder to us that God knows our deepest needs before we voice them. And as the story continues, a three-part theme forms that is good for us to consider. Eliezer (1) pays attention to the details, (2) worships God in the midst of the details, and (3) then shares the details with others so that they can worship God in a like manner.
As good servants of God, we can learn from this. The heart of the worshipper is to glorify God in all things. Worship is a response to God revealing Himself to us. If we do not pay attention to the details, there is no fuel for our worship. There is nothing to proclaim. One of the simplest forms of worship is recounting... saying "Wow! God did _______". But if we do not pay attention to the details, we have nothing with which to fill in the blank. And we have nothing to share with others so that they might worship God in a like manner. Psalm 9:1 "I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds." Whole-heartedness in worship is directly linked to recounting His deeds! These deeds are the very treasure that we are to pass on to our children. It is paying attention to these details and sharing them that there is any true heritage to be cherished.
Through the end of the chapter we continue to see Eliezer use sober-minded judgment as he shares and interacts. Upon arriving back home, he sticks to the original theme as he tells Isaac "all the things that he had done." We have a 67 verse chapter that reiterates and repeats the same details again and again. Let us not look them over quickly, missing what God has done. At the end of this chapter, God has brought two people together who have never met. Two people that have lived hundreds of miles apart. Two people who would be GOD'S HERITAGE FOR HIS PEOPLE! And they meet and LOVE each other. Real LOVE after only a few moments of knowing each other! How can this be?
This week we will begin to look at the last 2 verses of chapter 24 and consider how true, lasting, enduring love could possibly exist in such a short amount of time. We will also consider what this marriage has to do with the church.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Funny Responses...
My oldest daughter Ella has some of the funniest responses to comments that I make or questions that I ask. Sometimes she will misuse words and it just turns out funny. People keep saying that I should write these things because one day I will read them and laugh... So here is my first attempt to begin a record of these things...
Daddy: "Ella, come here so that I can wipe your hands off."
Ella: "No Daddy, I want to keep them on..."
Daddy: "Ella, come here so that I can wipe your hands off."
Ella: "No Daddy, I want to keep them on..."
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Cobwebs...
It would appear from the CF website that my blog has gathered some cobwebs...not sure how long the cobwebs have been there, but they are there:) So, what better time to start back to the blogging than at the beginning of the new year. I hope that everyone has had a great year. My wife and I were talking about how excited we are about the upcoming year. I have a brother who is getting married, there are lots of ministry opportunities, and probably most "oddly" of all, we realized that by next Christmas Olivia, our youngest daughter, will likely be walking and talking... very crazy.
We have had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas break. We got some good rest and some projects done around the house. Most of all, I had some really great...and much needed time with my wife and two little girls. I would love to hear how your time off was, and what you guys are looking forward to in the coming year..... :) And hopefully the website "troll" will find it in his heart to remove the cobwebs...haha....
We have had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas break. We got some good rest and some projects done around the house. Most of all, I had some really great...and much needed time with my wife and two little girls. I would love to hear how your time off was, and what you guys are looking forward to in the coming year..... :) And hopefully the website "troll" will find it in his heart to remove the cobwebs...haha....
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Creator’s Purpose & Created Purpose
Read Genesis 8:20-9:17; 2 Thess. 1:10-12; 2 Tim. 4:18; Isaiah 46:9-10
As a believer, I have an urge to ask two questions. ‘Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” Without answering these questions, we will naturally slip into a life of idleness, laziness, confusion, and sin. There is so much in the Bible that urges me to be steadfast, enduring, and persevering…but why? And to what purpose?
In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says, “…for I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”
Our Creator has a final purpose in Creation. As a part of that creation, we have a created purpose. God, the Creator, stands outside of time and declares what will be. Before sin entered the world, this purpose existed. And God will not allow man’s sin to keep His purpose from being accomplished. So, you may ask, “what is this purpose?!" This purpose is HIS GLORY FOREVER!!! Hebrews 2:10 says the He is drawing many sons to this glory. 2 Tim 4:18 expresses that this glory is to be to God forever and ever. God’s high renown, God’s honor, God’s magnificence, God’s great beauty, God’s distinctive and unimaginable being is what Christ died to bring us to. The aim is specific and its finality is certain. God will reign forever in glory.
On earth, God has given us the created purpose of putting His glory on display. But on earth, because of sin, we exist in a fallen state. In Genesis 9, God makes a covenant with us to assure protection from the THREE main things that could threaten God’s final purpose of His glory being enjoyed by us forever; Animals, Man, and God. The animals could pose a threat to man being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth. With their physical strength and sometimes deadly instincts, they could kill man one by one. But God places the fear and dread of man upon every animal and gives man dominion over them all. Next, mankind, in his sin, could keep itself from being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth by killing each other. But God establishes “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.” Finally, as we saw in the flood, the biggest threat to man being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth is God’s righteous judgment and wrath. But in this covenant God establishes that until the end of time, He will not wipe man out completely, specifically with a flood. You can imagine the great comfort this was to Noah and his family the next few times it started to rain…
Man is still sinful, but God, within the bonds of covenant, has gone to great lengths to redeem a people to accomplish His final purpose. Indeed, to Him be the glory forever and ever!
As a believer, I have an urge to ask two questions. ‘Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” Without answering these questions, we will naturally slip into a life of idleness, laziness, confusion, and sin. There is so much in the Bible that urges me to be steadfast, enduring, and persevering…but why? And to what purpose?
In Isaiah 46:9-10, God says, “…for I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’”
Our Creator has a final purpose in Creation. As a part of that creation, we have a created purpose. God, the Creator, stands outside of time and declares what will be. Before sin entered the world, this purpose existed. And God will not allow man’s sin to keep His purpose from being accomplished. So, you may ask, “what is this purpose?!" This purpose is HIS GLORY FOREVER!!! Hebrews 2:10 says the He is drawing many sons to this glory. 2 Tim 4:18 expresses that this glory is to be to God forever and ever. God’s high renown, God’s honor, God’s magnificence, God’s great beauty, God’s distinctive and unimaginable being is what Christ died to bring us to. The aim is specific and its finality is certain. God will reign forever in glory.
On earth, God has given us the created purpose of putting His glory on display. But on earth, because of sin, we exist in a fallen state. In Genesis 9, God makes a covenant with us to assure protection from the THREE main things that could threaten God’s final purpose of His glory being enjoyed by us forever; Animals, Man, and God. The animals could pose a threat to man being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth. With their physical strength and sometimes deadly instincts, they could kill man one by one. But God places the fear and dread of man upon every animal and gives man dominion over them all. Next, mankind, in his sin, could keep itself from being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth by killing each other. But God establishes “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image.” Finally, as we saw in the flood, the biggest threat to man being fruitful, multiplying, and filling the earth is God’s righteous judgment and wrath. But in this covenant God establishes that until the end of time, He will not wipe man out completely, specifically with a flood. You can imagine the great comfort this was to Noah and his family the next few times it started to rain…
Man is still sinful, but God, within the bonds of covenant, has gone to great lengths to redeem a people to accomplish His final purpose. Indeed, to Him be the glory forever and ever!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Hope When Our Hearts Are Far
Read Genesis 8:20-21; Rom. 15:4-7; Psalm 51:5-6; Micah 7:8-9; 2 Cor. 4
As I see Noah worshipping God when he steps off of the ark, before he does anything else, I see the clear truth that God should be worshipped in every circumstance. But sometimes our hearts are not in the same place. Sometimes our circumstances and sin give us a sense of hopelessness that makes us believe we can never worship God like that. We know it is the right thing, but our heart is not in it. In the next verse in Genesis 8, God explains that “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Psalm 51 explains this heart condition by saying we were “brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin”. But it goes on to say that God goes to great lengths to redeem His children who are guilty of this sin. God aims His truth at the inward being of man. And God delights in this truth. He goes further to teach wisdom in the secret heart of man.
Romans 15 tells us that everything written in the Old Testament was written for our instruction so that we might have HOPE! What a TREASURE! And we have this treasure in jars of clay. That means that we are common and fragile vessels, so that when people see us called out of darkness and into light it is obvious that it is not by our own power. Rather, it is made known that the surpassing power belongs to God! My hope is that when sin and lies try to keep us from worshipping, we can proclaim with Micah, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him…[but] He will bring me out to the light!”
As I see Noah worshipping God when he steps off of the ark, before he does anything else, I see the clear truth that God should be worshipped in every circumstance. But sometimes our hearts are not in the same place. Sometimes our circumstances and sin give us a sense of hopelessness that makes us believe we can never worship God like that. We know it is the right thing, but our heart is not in it. In the next verse in Genesis 8, God explains that “the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” Psalm 51 explains this heart condition by saying we were “brought forth in iniquity and conceived in sin”. But it goes on to say that God goes to great lengths to redeem His children who are guilty of this sin. God aims His truth at the inward being of man. And God delights in this truth. He goes further to teach wisdom in the secret heart of man.
Romans 15 tells us that everything written in the Old Testament was written for our instruction so that we might have HOPE! What a TREASURE! And we have this treasure in jars of clay. That means that we are common and fragile vessels, so that when people see us called out of darkness and into light it is obvious that it is not by our own power. Rather, it is made known that the surpassing power belongs to God! My hope is that when sin and lies try to keep us from worshipping, we can proclaim with Micah, “I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against Him…[but] He will bring me out to the light!”
Monday, April 7, 2008
The Right Response / Some Worship is Unacceptable
Read Genesis 8:20-21; Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor. 2:14-17
As we come to the end of Genesis 8, it is hard for us to really take in what is going on here. Noah has just stepped off of the ark after a long, tedious, scary, lonely, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud ride. There is so much to do and they are the only ones left. But rather than taking a nap to get ready, or writing up a game plan, or even just getting straight to work, NOAH WORSHIPS! There are a million things to do, but Noah worships. Resources are limited, but Noah gives his best to God. It is good for us to try to consider what God is receiving at this point. Only one year before it says that God was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. But now, about a year later, every source of grief is gone and only one Patriarch is left. And he, Noah, is WORSHIPPING! This pleases God.
I think it is safe to say that since the flood, there has not been another man who has had more on their plate than Noah! Our schedules usually include “feed the dog, pay the electric bill, and don’t forget about soccer practice…” and somehow this keeps us from worship! Noah’s schedule, however, included “build a house for you and seven others, establish a city, and populate the earth…” yet, the first thing he did was worship! Noah could have said, “God, let my flock repopulate, and then I will sacrifice a burnt offering…or God, let me at least get a roof over my families head, and then I will worship You.” Noah is alive! And he knew that he didn’t deserve to be. As a recipient of God’s mercy and grace, Noah saw no other option than to worship God and offer a pure sacrifice.
God has offered Christ, the purest of all sacrifices, to cover our sins and bring us back into fellowship with Him. The result is that we are now called to live every day AS living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, and we are to BE the sweet aroma, first to God and then to the world. God is not pleased when His children are half-hearted creatures. It does not please Him if we put off worshipping Him for ANY reason! Our encouragement, as we repent and move forward in faith, is the same encouragement that Peter gave to his brothers and sisters in Christ. “Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
As we come to the end of Genesis 8, it is hard for us to really take in what is going on here. Noah has just stepped off of the ark after a long, tedious, scary, lonely, sometimes quiet, sometimes loud ride. There is so much to do and they are the only ones left. But rather than taking a nap to get ready, or writing up a game plan, or even just getting straight to work, NOAH WORSHIPS! There are a million things to do, but Noah worships. Resources are limited, but Noah gives his best to God. It is good for us to try to consider what God is receiving at this point. Only one year before it says that God was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. But now, about a year later, every source of grief is gone and only one Patriarch is left. And he, Noah, is WORSHIPPING! This pleases God.
I think it is safe to say that since the flood, there has not been another man who has had more on their plate than Noah! Our schedules usually include “feed the dog, pay the electric bill, and don’t forget about soccer practice…” and somehow this keeps us from worship! Noah’s schedule, however, included “build a house for you and seven others, establish a city, and populate the earth…” yet, the first thing he did was worship! Noah could have said, “God, let my flock repopulate, and then I will sacrifice a burnt offering…or God, let me at least get a roof over my families head, and then I will worship You.” Noah is alive! And he knew that he didn’t deserve to be. As a recipient of God’s mercy and grace, Noah saw no other option than to worship God and offer a pure sacrifice.
God has offered Christ, the purest of all sacrifices, to cover our sins and bring us back into fellowship with Him. The result is that we are now called to live every day AS living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God, and we are to BE the sweet aroma, first to God and then to the world. God is not pleased when His children are half-hearted creatures. It does not please Him if we put off worshipping Him for ANY reason! Our encouragement, as we repent and move forward in faith, is the same encouragement that Peter gave to his brothers and sisters in Christ. “Be diligent to be found by Him without spot or blemish, and at peace.”
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