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Weekly Thoughts
8/2/09
Abraham does something kinda strange in Chapter 24 of Genesis. After losing his wife, he actually grows sorrowful for his son, Isaac, who has lost his mother. In doing so, he sends one of his servants to find Isaac a wife. Chapter 24 is about that search. The servant (who's name we never get to know) heads across the lands and finds himself an oasis. And, while he is there, he asks the Lord for a very specific request to be granted in order to clearly identify Isaac's bride to be. Before the servant even finishes his prayer, a woman appears and answers the servant's request just as he had asked the Lord to make her known. The story grows from there, the woman's name is Rebekah, and she is taken from her home and becomes Isaac's wife. The part that amazes me, however, is the way the servant's prayer was answered...even before he had finished praying it. It seems most of us want our prayers answered just that way, we cannot wait for God's time, we are ready for it right now. It amazes me when God answers prayers like He did for that servant...and it makes me wonder, why doesn't God answer all prayers like that. In faith, I believe that God's wisdom is greater than mine, and so I must trust that God is looking out for my best interests. But sometimes...I wonder...
7/26/09
As Genesis chapter 23 begins, Sarah has passed away at 127 years old. And, Abraham must find a place to bury her. The challenge for Abraham is that he has found himself living as a "stranger and an alien among others". He asks the Hittites to sell him a plot of land that he might bury his wife. But, the Hittites go back and forth with Abraham about how important his presence is. They finally settle on a price and Abraham buys the land, but in all of their bartering and back and forth conversations, the Hittities have opened a door to relationship with Abraham. This relationship would last Abraham's entire life, as his wife was buried in their land. How many of us are willing to invest so much in relationships? The dealership where I bought my truck throws in free oil changes for 3 years with a vehicle purchase. They want me to keep coming back. Beyond the money that motivates so many, how many of us are willing to invest a lifetime in the life of someone else, in hopes that they keep coming back, that we might share our wealth (material or spiritual) with them?
7/19/09
Whoa, my! I always struggle with chapter 22 in Genesis. In particular, because there is no evidence in scripture that Abraham struggles with it. God speaks to Abraham in this chapter and asks him to sacrifice his son Isaac on an altar. Abraham goes and prepares to do just that, without question or debate. I am a divorced father and my son lives with me. It would be a hard call to hear God's voice call out to me, "I want you to take your son to the mountain and sacrifice him for me." This particularly becomes hard as I understand that God did just that for us. In allowing Christ to be crucified, did he not give up His own Son's life, just to reach out to us. Before the chapter is over, God will provide Abraham a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac, as Abraham had shown God his faithful obedience. The lessons in Abraham, and in Christ are indeed a challenging lesson. When we hear in the scriptures, Christ's call to "give up all we have and follow Him", are we willing? Are you?
7/12/09
Sometimes, God does things in ways only God can. Chapter 21 presents to Abraham a dilemma. Thinking that Sarah was barren, Abraham had a son with her slave girl Hagar. But, as this chapter begins, the son Isaac is born to Sarah and Abraham. As Isaac grows, he begins playing with Hagar's son Ishmael, and for some reason, Sarah doesn't like it. She asked Abraham to send them away. What a strange dilemma, Abraham has 2 sons and his wife is asking that he send his firstborn away with the slavegirl who bore him. Abraham is in the midst of a difficult choice, true to his wife or true to his son. But, God intervenes and speaks with Abraham. God reminds him that a covenant had been made in which Abraham would be the father of many nations, and so Ishmael too would be blessed. The challenge continues, as Hagar and Ishmael soon find themselves lost in the wilderness. But God reaches out to them and saves them from despair and possibly death. This is a strange passage. Sarah wanted Ishmael gone from the house because it bothered her to see him. But...and this is a huge but...God's covenant will not be broken. That's the nature of covenant, the one who makes it will uphold their end no matter what. Regardless of what Sarah asked or wanted, God would not abandon Ishmael as the son of Abraham. God has made promises to us. This lesson serves to remind us, those promises will not be broken.
7/5/09
Have you ever been afraid? Most of us, if not all of us have at some point. In Chapter 20, we get a glimpse of desperation in Abraham, one of the most faithful in the scriptures, and it is born of fear. As Abraham and Sarah travel in a different land, Abraham tells a partial lie to the king and did not tell the king that Sarah was his wife. The king took her to be his, but before he slept with her, God sent him a terrible vision which promised his death for sleeping with the wife of Abraham. The king proclaimed his innocence for not knowing and God stated that he already knew that Abraham had lied, and so the king still had a chance. The king challenged Abraham "Why did you do that to me?" and Abraham was forced to admit he feared for his life in a strange land which did not know God. Still, Abraham's fear nearly cost the king and all of his people their lives. Does fear ever get in the way of you living a faithful life? Have you ever put someone at risk, or even hurt someone, because you were afraid to do the right thing? May God give us each the strength and the faith to live lives of courage and wisdom, now and always.
6/28/09
Chapter 19 in Genesis deals with some difficult issues. For the people in Sodom and Gomorrah, it spells their doom. Two angels went to visit Sodom and met Lot at the gates. Lot invited them into his home to stay and protect them. But, the people of Sodom rose up to take the visitors by force and 'know' them. Through scriptural knowledge, this 'know' that the men are after is the intimate knowledge that comes through sexual relations. Lot was so concerned about the visitors in his home, he even offered his daughters to the men outside his door, but it would not suffice. In the end, the angels had to save Lot from the crowds. And then, they attempted to rescue Lot from God's wrath on Sodom. They bid Lot to gather his family and leave for a nearby town because God was going to rain sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah. They were given one command as they left, do not turn back. And, Lot's wife broke it. She was turned into a pillar of salt. Just like in the Garden of Eden, it seems that even the simplest tasks often overwhelm us to the point of failure. We are given a picture in Gen 19 of God's continued frustration and anger towards the people He created. God made room to save the righteous, but for the wicked, there is no mercy, no compassion. Always within God, there is room to wipe from the face of the earth those who turn away. Within the scriptures, such harsh lessons serve to remind us always.
6/21/09
The second half of Genesis 18 is a setup for dire things. The news in the world is that the city of Sodom is filled with all sorts of depravity. It is God's intention to verify the city is not worth saving. It just so happens that Abraham's nephew Lot lives in Sodom and he is worried. When learning of God's intent, Abraham begins to discuss with God the options for now destroying the city. Abraham asks, "if there are righteous people there, can the city not be saved?" And God responds that if there are indeed righteous people there, he will not destroy the city. It is very easy to consider the options which surround us and perhaps these words might sound familiar..."O Lord, can you not destroy all the wickedness in the world and leave the rest be." And yet, righteous people find themselves surrounded every day with evil. And, we can hear the voice of Abraham pleading..."O Lord, if there are righteous people there, do not destroy them all".
6/14/09
I'm gonna divide Genesis 18 into two weeks because there are within it two radically different stories. The thought for this week is about the unbelievable power of God. Often, this power is met with shock, but just as often it is met with anxious laughter. In the first half of chapter 18, God promises to provide a son to Sarah and Abraham through Sarah. While this may not seem like much, through her life, Sarah had been barren, unable to conceive. In addition, she is "grown old" to quote the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Yet, upon a visit by three men, they prophesized that Sarah would conceive a son. Sarah's response...laughter. Like many of us, our vision is too often clouded or obscured by the realities of this world, and blinded to the possibilities of God. As one of the men who spoke with Abraham said, "Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?" Through prayer, spiritual discipline, faith, let us make room for God to do the impossible. Let us make room that God can change our lives and our world forever and fully bring His glory to shine.
6/7/09
From a male point of few, Chapter 17 in Genesis is an interesting reading point. It is in this chapter that God institutes circumcision as an act of faith. After being with Abram through many struggles, God meets him and talks about the blessings of his life. Then, God tells Abram that he is changing his name to Abraham and that God is making a covenant of blessing with him. God then tells Abraham that he is to be circumcised as well as all the men in his house. God states that the men of Abraham will be so marked to remember the everlasting covenant that God provides. The work of Christ is not much different. The scriptures repeatedly note that if you are marked among the faithful, your life will be forever different. The choices you make, the life you lead, will stand out. It will be a mark of the covenant between us and God. The question is, are each of us willing to take such a mark upon ourselves and lead a truly different life, or are we content enough merging with the culture of our times and hiding in our apathy?
5/24/09
Ahhh...the promise. In Genesis chapter 15, God speaks to Abram and makes the promise that his descendants will number like the stars in the heavens. God makes this promise knowing that Abram has not born a son with his wife and yet with all the certainty that only God can offer. Three major religions in the world today claim Abram as ancestor, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. His descendants are great indeed. The challenge that I find most interesting in the promise is actually in the extended part of the promise. In the latter half of chapter 15, while God promises many descendants, he also promises that their lives will be hard and filled with struggles at the hands of others. God promises that they will be rescued as some point by God and judgment pronounced on the oppressors. But still, it seems like other significant works of God. Similar to Adam and Eve being kicked out of the Garden, or Noah building an Ark, and now a promise for Abram, we can almost hear the words...”This is not gonna be easy. Its gonna be downright hard. But, I will be with you, I will watch over you, and you will never be far from my help.” Oh to be reminded of that promise in the lives we life today.
5/31/09
Chapter 16 of Genesis reminds me so much of our relationship with God, not the part that God controls mind you, but the part we try to control. In chapter 16, Abram and his wife are discussing the promise God made that Abram would have many decendents. Abram was 86 years old, and his wife Sarai was barren. Hoping to fulfill God's promise on their own, Sarai offered to Abram her slave girl Hagar with which he might have a child. Hagar indeed does become pregnant. But then, according to the scripture, Hagar looked down on Sarai. Not a good thing to do to your master's wife. Sarai chased Hagar away. Hagar fled into the wilderness and God was there with her while she wept. God made a promise to Hagar, even in the midst of human interference, that she would bear Abram a son who would be called Ishmael. Ishmael would lead a difficult life, and yet the multitude that would be his family would be innumerable. Even in the midst of human beings trying to make God's work happen (which we usually mess up), God extends His grace and promise to be with us...to give us strength...and to fulfill His Word. Even when we mess up or try to do it on our own, God is there, and so is God's Word. Such hope...and such love...
5/17/09
Genesis 14 continues the tale of Abram's connection with Lot. Despite the fact that the two men had to split and go their separate ways, Abram always keeps in mind that Lot is family. He shall not be left to fend for himself as long as Abram can help. The chapter tells of a war that was waged between several kings, and as the war ends, Lot is taken prisoner by the opposing side. When Abram finds out, he gathers his best men and heads out to rescue his nephew. For a lot of people, this might be a difficult struggle. Lot was given first choice of land and the best of everything. Many of us look to those people, waiting for their failures. The tabloids are full of headlines with the sense of “look upon the fallen.” And yet, Abram moves headlong into another's lands...not to kick the down...but to lift him up. Lot is family after all. I wonder...I like to wonder...what would the world be like, if we treated all people as brothers and sisters in Christ, always seeking to lift them up. Hmmm...
5/10/09
In Genesis chapter 13, we begin to see the bounty of the Lord. Abram and his nephew Lot has grown so prosperous and been so gifted that their workers began arguing with one another about fields and foraging. They decide to split up and Abram gives Lot first choice of the lands they shall live on. Most often, when Abram is experiencing his greatest moments of faith, it is when he is in submission to the will of God. Here, that submission plays over into the generousity he shows his nephew. To paraphrase, “Lot, you take first choice, and I will make do with whatever is left.” Its not a lot different from his submissions in faith, “Ask of me what you will, and I will make do.” More often than not, we can look around our society and see too many people, too many times, putting themselves before all others. Perhaps, as we consider the troubles of the world, there is a lesson to be learned.
5/3/09
The beginning of chapter 12 in Genesis is one of my favorite scriptures. Abram is called by God to pick up his stuff and "go". He is not given a specific destination, but is called by God to pack up everything, leave everything else he knows and move on. He is also given a great promise that if he is willing to follow, he will become a great nation and be fully blessed. God places such calls in our life all the time, perhaps they may sound familiar, something like this..."I (God) want you to go do something for me, and you will be blessed in it." Many have heard this call, and turned away. Some have heard it and followed. And others...they wait...they sit and wait, hoping God will call someone else instead, or waiting for something that does not ask them to give up so much or travel so far. I remember this story fondly, because I dream about such faith and willingness...to simply go when asked.
The second half of chapter 12 brings us back to the human-ness of Abram. When traveling through Egypt, Abram asks Sarai (his wife) to pretend to be his sister because he was afraid. How many of us have stooped low, or tried to sneak around our path because we were afraid. Even Abram, whose faith was considered so strong, had his weak moments. It reminds us that there is still such hope for the rest of us.
4/26/09
"The Tower of Babel", what a story that is...at once it is both a story of amazement and a strange story about God. The people descended from Noah and his family set about to building a great tower. As they built it, it was suggested that the finished tower would reach all the way into the heavens. Then, the scriptures tell us, God looked down and saw what they were doing. To paraphrase the scriptures, God notes their work and remarks that as long as they work together, there is nothing they cannot do. Imagine that promise, if we are working together there is nothing we cannot do. I love that part...there is such hope there. It also reminds me of our creation in Genesis 1, in which we are told we are created in God's own image. It seems there is some of God's creative work moving and living in us as the tower is being constructed. The confusing part of the story is what follows. God confounds and confuses the people by taking their shared language from them and scattering them to the ends of the earth. We are not given a specific reason why, but the implication is that God is trying to keep up dependent on Him. As if there is some way we might grow beyond God. This is just one reading, and it is one I have always struggled with. Could it be, that God is taking the rug out from under us on purpose? Or could it be that God knows, if we turn away from him again and we have all of this power, we may go too far, become too dark, and force God to make such a judgment again, as he did in the time of Noah? I don't know, but I wonder...
4/19/09
Genesis 10 is one of those chapters wherein we get a long list of people's names, places, and overall genealogies. We get the stories of Noah's descendants through his three sons. This is an interesting tale, particularly as the sons of Canaan are many, and they grow to be tribes spread throughout the middle east. We are told of Nimrod the great hunter. And, with seemingly no resistance after the flood, the sons of Noah spread out all across the lands. As we look at the patterns of migration and faith, we can begin to see how easily a true belief in the Lord could spread so easily. After all that followed the flood, strong faith in God should have been easily come by. And yet, even by the end of chapter 10, we are several generations removed from the faith that God witnessed in Noah, thus saving him from the flood. Trying to link together the past, present and future requires us to have just such information available. We need to understand how it started, so we can get a picture of where things are headed. In Noah, and his family, God is starting again. Now we wait to see where it leads.
4/12/09
I am reminded in Genesis 9 of our human nature. Many times in the scriptures and through Sunday school lessons, we are given stories that depict heroes of the Bible as superhuman. We are given the core parts of their stories which depict them as good and everything God wants us to be. Near the end of this chapter, we are shown a picture of Noah that many don't recognize. He is passed out, drunk and naked. Many of us can imagine a similar picture as being the height of excess and loss of self-control. That by itself is not enough. Noah is so set off by this that he curses his own son Ham for having seen it. Ham's son is cursed to be the slave of his other two brothers. By the way, Ham's son is named Canaan (which will be at the mercy of Israel). This, for me, is such a relief. I sympathize with Ham and Canaan. But, it seems that Noah is not quite perfect. What grace must God hold for each of us, that beyond our failures there is still room for us in the midst of God's creation and unending love.
4/5/09
Genesis 8 tells us of the floodwaters receding from the earth. Still, it takes a considerably amount of time, and Noah and his family wait patiently. When it is finally time to open the ark and get his family and all of the animals out, the scripture tells us that Noah immediately built an altar to the Lord and set a burnt offering upon it. We are told that the smell of the offering was pleasing to the Lord. At this point, the Lord makes an interesting promise. The promise was "never again" to destroy the earth and living things in such a way. It is almost as if God's compassion has now overcome His wrath. God has seemingly made a decision to keep working with humans as they are, and God will try to find new ways to reach out to them and show them His love. As this message is coming up on Easter, we get that ultimate display of love in Jesus Christ, not that we were destroyed, but that God took on the mantle of death and Sin through the life of Jesus. We get both an early version, and a late version, that God will do all that is possible to reach us. What a gracious God indeed, Amen and AMEN!
3/29/09
In Genesis 7, we are told that Noah has completed the ark and is filling it with everything God commanded. There are some interesting numbers in this part of the story that most people don't know, for example, Noah took 7 pairs of all the types of clean animals and birds, not just the 2 that people think of, or that the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days, not just the 40 that we are reminded of in Sunday school. And then the waters came, and cleansed the earth. The scripture says that everything that breathed through its nostrils perished. I cannot imagine how much it must have hurt God to create such destruction in the midst of God's own creation. And yet, in the midst of it, a spark of hope...in what I imagine was a very dismal place. I cannot even begin to imagine what life on that ark would have been like, 150 days of sharing the place with thousands of animals in the wet and murkiness of the floods. I find it hard to imagine just 40 days of nonstop rain, let alone what it might smell like on the ark. And yet, Noah and his family continued on with their floating mission, to save all that God deemed salvageable---because God intended to begin again. Sometimes it makes be think about our lives today. What if God reached into each of us, saved that remnant worth saving, and simply flooded the rest to make room for new things? I think God does, if we are willing to let it happen, and if we are willing to truly let God have control. But, I think I've seen first hand, that it takes a lot longer than it did in Noah's day. For most of us, it will take our entire life---if we let God love us that much.
3/22/09
Genesis 6 provides us with the third big pronouncement by God against people. Next to the story of the garden of Eden, it is one of the most well known. One day, God looks down upon the earth and remarks that it is filled with evil of every kind. So much so, that God feels it would be easier to just wipe out every living thing that had been created. This image of God is different that the one that makes us comfortable. Many theologians note that the source of God's creation is God's never-ending love, but here in this passage it is almost as if God's love has met its match. God wants to metaphorically wipe the slate clean and start over. There are a lot of us that reach the limits of our love sometimes. But, there is this wonderful example that God provides as God looks upon Noah and recognizes someone worth saving. The Lord commands Noah to build an ark and save his family and some of all the animals that move about on the land. God finds a remnant of goodness in the midst of a creation run amuck with evil. Only a God who can see and know all things would find such a small remnant. But, imagine this concept of love for our own lives---that every person has such a remnant within them that should be loved. For each of us, it is often very difficult, if at all possible, to see such remnants in some of the people we know. But, if we imagine the Christ who died for all, then perhaps we can believe in faith, that every person who is worth Christ's love has such a remnant within them---something that is worth all the love we can provide.
3/15/09
In Genesis 5, we are given the lineage of fathers and sons from Adam to Noah. I would have to admit, if there are sections in the Bible that I usually want to lightly skim over, it is the chapters that just seem to list name after name after name after name...(I think you get the picture). This list includes Methuselah, who we are told is the older person in the Bible and did not die until he was 969 years old. I always wondered how they managed to live so long. Unlike Methuselah, the person on the list that most interests me is Enoch, Methuselah's father. In a long list of people who lived 600+ years, Enoch was the baby. He died at the young age of 365. Even in the scriptures, the death of someone seemingly so young is treated differently. While the rest of the names listed give the person's age and then simply say "they died", Enoch's death is treated differently. The scriptures say "Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more, for God took him." It still seems strange, after all these years that young people die and it seems so different. I must admit, I am constantly amazed by how God grabs me when I read the Word, even when I read those parts that seem so uninteresting at times. Peace.
3/8/09
"Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground" Gen 4:10. Cain was trying to get away with murder and yet even the ground of the earth would cry out his sin. Cain had tried to pretend he did not know of Abel's whereabouts or death with the phrase "Am I my brother's keeper?". Cain had killed Abel in a fit of jealousy feeling that God loved him more. In his hurt, he moved so quickly from love to hatred and even indifference. Throughout the scriptures, we are given lessons of both mercy and grace to make us ever mindful...we are indeed our "brother's keeper". We are indeed responsible for the care of our neighbors, brothers and sisters both. If the ground would cry our in accusation against us, would we dare to stand before God, or could we? Whether through actively hurting one another, or passively living our lives ignoring the needs of others trampled upon, could we stand if the blood of millions cried out from the ground itself?
3/1/09
I have always had a certain appreciation for the "blame game" that takes place in Genesis 3. This is the familiar story of Adam and Eve eating the apple. In all that God had done to provide for them, he had created only one rule that said "no". "Do not eat if the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden." But, Eve was tricked by the serpent who said that the fruit would make her more "like God." Adam was corrupted by Eve who told him the fruit was good. Then, realizing what they had done, they hid from God. When God came calling and accused them of eating the fruit, Adam blamed Eve who blamed the serpent and yet all were held accountable. The question I have always had relates not to the man nor the woman nor the serpent. If we are truly passing the buck like all good blamers do, why aren't we blaming the one who created the tree. If there was no tree to begin with, imagine where we might be. Still, I would reflect that this displays to some of us one of God's greatest gifts. We have the ability to choose "other." To truly understand the nature of free will, there must be opportunity to both obey and disobey. Thus, God created the opportunity for both. And yet, the truth always points back to God. It is but by God's grace and mercy that we might know the true love of God, whether we choose to obey or insist on our own way.
2/23/09
As I was reading through the second book of Genesis, I was struck by the pure innocence of God's creation. The very last verse, Gen 2:25 reads "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed." I often wondered where our lives would be without the needless sufferings of vanity. A short time after this, Adam and Eve will eat from the apple and will become ashamed of their nakedness. We can look at the unrealistic advertisements and expectations of physical perfection in our world and recognize how much our love of ourselves is affected by perceptions of our physical appearance. As my belly has gotten larger and my hairline moved farther from my forehead, I cannot help but wonder how I appear to others. Many are constantly seeking some sense of "approval" of their physical appearance by others. And yet, it seems there are always those who would nitpick even the physical appearance of perfection. I would argue it stems from a need to be loved in all of our being. And, as much as we search, it is only God who is able to do that.
2/16/09
I am starting another round through reading the Bible. I would like to encourage you to read through it with me. I started this week in the book of Genesis and am reminded of one of the important aspects of God. I only managed so far as the 3rd and 4th verses of Genesis 1 before looking face to face at God's timelessness or eternal nature. We often consider God's eternity as an understanding that God was around before us and will be around after us. Yet, if we read Genesis 1 diligently, we find that before there was any sense of time, there was God. Our understanding of time is based on our ability to count the days. Yet, without God speaking and creating the light, there are no days and no nights. In Genesis 1:5, we are told God called the created light "day" and the darkness "night". And so, our understanding of time, thousands of years of counting night and day, is God's good gift and blessing. It is a way to mark our lives. And yet, if we understand the light and the day as God's good gift, how important is our stewardship of time...a gift which a timeless God has given to us.
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