GENERATIONS OF JEALOUSY

Posted on October 22, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Jealousy is a sin that hampers all relationships.  Jealousy comes from comparing ourselves to others which turns all our thoughts, words, and actions into a competition for affection, worth, and value.  Leah and Rachel are two sisters who are extremely jealous for the affection of Jacob who was fooled into marrying both.  Laban created this competition of comparison from the moment Jacob came into their lives.  Laban used Jacob as a way to solve a cultural issue—marrying off both daughters. 

Jacob’s past was also filled with jealousy.  This trait is not new to him.  Jacob was the twin brother to Esau. The two of them, with different interests and abilities, were in constant competition of their parents’ favor—and blessing!  “Issaac loved Esau, Rebekah loved Jacob.”  God loved them each one of His created; but chose Jacob to carry on the promise He gave to Abraham. 

This chapter in the story of God shows His amazing wisdom as He sorts through all the jealousies, competitions, and comparisons of sinful souls while accomplishing His will in them.  Jealousy still exists today—in my family and probably in yours when we pause to admit it. 

RECAP:  Jacob left his home and started a four hundred-mile trip north to Harran to search for a wife. Jacob married, secured work, and had twelve sons.  Jacob’s wives knew that children were one way that God blesses his people. The meaning of many of the children’s names reflect this understanding: Judah means “praise;” Gad means “lucky;” Asher means “happy;” Zebulun means “honor.” More than merely status symbols, these children became the patriarchs of Israel.

Genesis 30

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I’ll die!”

2 Jacob became angry with her and said, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?”

3 Then she said, “Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.”

4 So she gave him her servant Bilhah as a wife. Jacob slept with her, 5 and she became pregnant and bore him a son. 6 Then Rachel said, “God has vindicated me; he has listened to my plea and given me a son.” Because of this she named him Dan.

7 Rachel’s servant Bilhah conceived again and bore Jacob a second son. 8 Then Rachel said, “I have had a great struggle with my sister, and I have won.” So she named him Naphtali.

9 When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife. 10 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. 11 Then Leah said, “What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.

12 Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a second son. 13 Then Leah said, “How happy I am! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.

14 During wheat harvest, Reuben went out into the fields and found some mandrake plants, which he brought to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”

15 But she said to her, “Wasn’t it enough that you took away my husband? Will you take my son’s mandrakes too?”

“Very well,” Rachel said, “he can sleep with you tonight in return for your son’s mandrakes.”

16 So when Jacob came in from the fields that evening, Leah went out to meet him. “You must sleep with me,” she said. “I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So he slept with her that night.

17 God listened to Leah, and she became pregnant and bore Jacob a fifth son. 18 Then Leah said, “God has rewarded me for giving my servant to my husband.” So she named him Issachar.

19 Leah conceived again and bore Jacob a sixth son. 20 Then Leah said, “God has presented me with a precious gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor, because I have borne him six sons.” So she named him Zebulun.

21 Some time later she gave birth to a daughter and named her Dinah.

22 Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and enabled her to conceive. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, “God has taken away my disgrace.” 24 She named him Joseph, and said, “May the Lord add to me another son.”

Jacob’s Flocks Increase

25 After Rachel gave birth to Joseph, Jacob said to Laban, “Send me on my way so I can go back to my own homeland. 26 Give me my wives and children, for whom I have served you, and I will be on my way. You know how much work I’ve done for you.”

27 But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, please stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.” 28 He added, “Name your wages, and I will pay them.”

29 Jacob said to him, “You know how I have worked for you and how your livestock has fared under my care. 30 The little you had before I came has increased greatly, and the Lord has blessed you wherever I have been. But now, when may I do something for my own household?”

31 “What shall I give you?” he asked.

“Don’t give me anything,” Jacob replied. “But if you will do this one thing for me, I will go on tending your flocks and watching over them: 32 Let me go through all your flocks today and remove from them every speckled or spotted sheep, every dark-colored lamb and every spotted or speckled goat. They will be my wages. 33 And my honesty will testify for me in the future, whenever you check on the wages you have paid me. Any goat in my possession that is not speckled or spotted, or any lamb that is not dark-colored, will be considered stolen.”

34 “Agreed,” said Laban. “Let it be as you have said.” 35 That same day he removed all the male goats that were streaked or spotted, and all the speckled or spotted female goats (all that had white on them) and all the dark-colored lambs, and he placed them in the care of his sons. 36 Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob continued to tend the rest of Laban’s flocks.

37 Jacob, however, took fresh-cut branches from poplar, almond and plane trees and made white stripes on them by peeling the bark and exposing the white inner wood of the branches. 38 Then he placed the peeled branches in all the watering troughs, so that they would be directly in front of the flocks when they came to drink. When the flocks were in heat and came to drink, 39 they mated in front of the branches. And they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted. 40 Jacob set apart the young of the flock by themselves, but made the rest face the streaked and dark-colored animals that belonged to Laban. Thus he made separate flocks for himself and did not put them with Laban’s animals. 41 Whenever the stronger females were in heat, Jacob would place the branches in the troughs in front of the animals so they would mate near the branches, 42 but if the animals were weak, he would not place them there. So the weak animals went to Laban and the strong ones to Jacob. 43 In this way the man grew exceedingly prosperous and came to own large flocks, and female and male servants, and camels and donkeys.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Since the fall, jealousy (and all related sins) is a generational curse that is birthed and expanded from self-will.  Jealousy destroys our relationships with each other and in turn with God.  Jesus came to reverse the curse!  While on earth, Jesus taught the opposite character traits to desire and obtain so that we may live with each other in peace and unity. (See Matthew 5-7 as a reference to this teaching) We are “blessed,” Jesus teaches, as we grow to be more and more in every way like Him.  Jesus is the one who modeled a life of following God’s will and purpose.  Jesus came to serve, not to be served.  Jesus was sent to seek and to save the lost—all the lost of the world.  Jesus did exactly what His Father in Heaven told him to do—even willingly obeying God’s plan to lay down His life for our redemption.

What Jesus was not—

Jesus did not sin.  He was never jealous of the priests, teachers of the law and the scribes.  He did not seek position for He was God, the Word of God in flesh but did not seek equality with God while He walked the earth among humanity.  Jesus did not manipulate the thoughts of the lost; He saw their hearts and grieved over their hardening arteries and told the Truth of how to turn from their wicked ways.  Jesus did not hold a grudge or become bitter over being slandered, beaten, and hung on a cross; instead He forgave them.  Jesus could have called down thousands of angels to rescue him—but He did not.

We are not Jesus, the one sinless, who saves us; but we are the saved to tell others who Jesus is and what He did and does for us!  We are commanded to point the Way to leaving sin’s darkness to live as children of the Light of God’s love, mercy, and grace!  All because of Jesus, God’s Son.

“Get rid of it,” says Paul!  “It” is sin.  We need Jesus to do this for us.  We cannot do it without Him.

“That, however, is not the way of life you learned…when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.” Ephesians 4:20-32

Looking ahead…

Rachel conceived and gave birth to a son whom she named Joseph. The mandrakes had nothing to do with this pregnancy; it was God who blessed her in answer to her prayers. The Hebrew word qsaf means “take away,” and yosef means “to add.” God had taken away her “disgrace” of being childless and had added to her blessings. Her declaration “The LORD shall add to me another son” (v. 24) was eventually answered in the birth of Benjamin (“son of my right hand”), but the delivery led to her death (35:16–20). Many years later, it was Joseph whom God would use to save the entire family during the time of terrible famine.  Yeah, “spoiler alert”.  But we need to connect the dots in God’s story through His beloved.

Lord,

Thank you for helping to see how sin can corrupt not only us but our relationships with others as well as with you.  Forgive us our sins as we forgive others who sin against us.  May our first thought be your love in us when faced with difficulties as humans.  Even today, guide and and provide all you know we will need as we walk with you, relate to you and others, while seeking Truth in all things. May your will be done.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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WHAT WE DO FOR LOVE!

Posted on October 21, 2024 by randscallawayffm

May His favor be upon you
And a thousand generations
And your family and your children
And their children, and their children

May His presence go before you
And behind you, and beside you
All around you, and within you
He is with you, he is with you

In the morning, in the evening
In your coming, and your going
In your weeping, and rejoicing
He is for you, he is for you
He is, He is

Amen, amen, amen
Amen, amen, amen

(The Blessing by Songwriters: Chris Brown / Steven Furtick / Cody Carnes / Kari Brooke Jobe; Blessing lyrics © Worship Together Music, Capitol Cmg Paragon, Be Essential Songs, Kari Jobe Carnes Music, Writers Roof Publishing)

What would we do for the love of our lives?  To what lengths would we go? Would our love be so great that we would do whatever it takes?  Would we work without pay for seven years for the privilege of marrying the one we loved?  And then, after being cruelly fooled, work another seven years to have and to hold the one we loved “at first sight”?  Only God working in and through the life of Jacob will his true love be obtained.  But obtaining the “one” brings a multitude of circumstances that challenge him. 

God is with Jacob. God is teaching Jacob His character traits while giving him wisdom, strength, and patience with plenty of opportunities to display these traits in challenging circumstances!  The Blessing plays in the background as we read the love story of Jacob and Rachel.  We hear the music swell as these two meet for the very first time!

Genesis 29

Jacob Arrives in Paddan Aram

Then Jacob continued on his journey and came to the land of the eastern peoples. 2 There he saw a well in the open country, with three flocks of sheep lying near it because the flocks were watered from that well. The stone over the mouth of the well was large. 3 When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well’s mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well.

4 Jacob asked the shepherds, “My brothers, where are you from?”

“We’re from Harran,” they replied.

5 He said to them, “Do you know Laban, Nahor’s grandson?”

“Yes, we know him,” they answered.

6 Then Jacob asked them, “Is he well?”

“Yes, he is,” they said, “and here comes his daughter Rachel with the sheep.”

7 “Look,” he said, “the sun is still high; it is not time for the flocks to be gathered. Water the sheep and take them back to pasture.”

8 “We can’t,” they replied, “until all the flocks are gathered and the stone has been rolled away from the mouth of the well. Then we will water the sheep.”

9 While he was still talking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherd. 10 When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of his uncle Laban, and Laban’s sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle’s sheep. 11 Then Jacob kissed Rachel and began to weep aloud. 12 He had told Rachel that he was a relative of her father and a son of Rebekah. So she ran and told her father.

13 As soon as Laban heard the news about Jacob, his sister’s son, he hurried to meet him. He embraced him and kissed him and brought him to his home, and there Jacob told him all these things. 14 Then Laban said to him, “You are my own flesh and blood.”

Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

After Jacob had stayed with him for a whole month, 15 Laban said to him, “Just because you are a relative of mine, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.”

16 Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. 17 Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. 18 Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.”

19 Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” 20 So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

21 Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife. My time is completed, and I want to make love to her.”

22 So Laban brought together all the people of the place and gave a feast. 23 But when evening came, he took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob made love to her. 24 And Laban gave his servant Zilpah to his daughter as her attendant.

25 When morning came, there was Leah! So Jacob said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? I served you for Rachel, didn’t I? Why have you deceived me?”

26 Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older one. 27 Finish this daughter’s bridal week; then we will give you the younger one also, in return for another seven years of work.”

28 And Jacob did so. He finished the week with Leah, and then Laban gave him his daughter Rachel to be his wife. 29 Laban gave his servant Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her attendant. 30 Jacob made love to Rachel also, and his love for Rachel was greater than his love for Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years.

Jacob’s Children

31 When the Lord saw that Leah was not loved, he enabled her to conceive, but Rachel remained childless. 32 Leah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben, for she said, “It is because the Lord has seen my misery. Surely my husband will love me now.”

33 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Because the Lord heard that I am not loved, he gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.

34 Again she conceived, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “Now at last my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.” So he was named Levi.

35 She conceived again, and when she gave birth to a son she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There are bumps and pitfalls along the way in this love story of Jacob and Rachel because of a meddling father-in-law who is an opportunist. All kinds of sinful feelings of strong emotion explode between Rachel and her older sister, Leah. They both love the same man so their sinful traits grow and expand giving birth to jealousy, envy, greed, bitterness, selfishness, abuse of the innocent, which develops into hate between two sisters as they vie for Jacob’s attention and love.  That’s what sin does best—destroy relationships.  These sinful character traits develop quickly and easily when self-will is our first desire followed by action. 

Fun fact:  The Twelve Sons born to Jacob will comprise the Twelve Tribes of Israel.  It is this story of God that shows us yet again the way God can take a bad human situation and bring good from our mistakes and shortcomings, consequences and circumstances.

God intervenes and shows Jacob once more how deceit is evil and does not yield good results in the life of one who trusts and obeys God.  This teaching is valuable to anyone called to follow God.  If we remember, Jacob, following his mom’s orders, used deceit to get what he knew God wanted him to have, but the way of deceit led to banishment from his home.  Laban used deceit on the former “deceiver” who fooled his brother and father.  Laban used deceit to get both of his daughters married off! Laban was crafty in his methods but at the expense of those involved.  He used “this is our custom” as an excuse but what he really wanted was free labor from a “blessed man” of God!  All Laban’s efforts resulted in broken relationships–with God, each other, others, and Jacob.

But our God, our compassionate, all powerful, all-knowing God works all things good for those who believe, love Him back, with a desire to walk with Him.  God gave Jacob want it takes to live with broken contracts, jealous women in his household, while sons and daughters were born to continue the generational line by God’s hand as promised to Abraham.  The promise lives on through Jacob.  But wait!  There’s much more to the story!

PAUSE TO PRAY

So, if God is leading, the One who loves us most, what would you do for His love and the love of those God puts into our life?  This is a question worth pondering as we spend time realizing the depth of love God has for each one of us.  Spend all the time you need.  I am.  We humans, created in the image of God, himself, are a rebellious lot in challenging situations. We are in continual need of a Savior who wants to be our Lord.  And, know what?  Jesus is Lord, whether we choose Him to be or not.  He will have the last word for He is the Word.

Call on God in Jesus Name, with a desire to follow.  Surrender your will to the resurrection power and awesome leading of God’s Holy Spirit who lives in all who believe.  God, our father in heaven, loves to help us.  That is His unchanging nature and character! 

Lord,

Thank you for these moments in the lives of others that teach us more about who you are.  Your leading of imperfect people teaches us a perspective and view that we might not fully understand at first reading, but when your Holy Spirit speaks, we see and understand a more each time we study Your story of grace and goodness. 

Thank you for your compassionate love that saved us and set us free to love like you love—with gracious kindness. Thank you for your Word that clearly shows us the difference between good and evil thinking and behaving.  Even though the culture and traditions were different then, Your character of love, mercy, and grace has not changed. 

Thank you for you merciful kindness to us as we seek to develop your traits so that we may be more like you who saved us.  We call on your power and leading to transform from our sinful nature to your character.  You are our first love and you are the one I seek each morning! 

In Jesus Name, Amen 

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BLESSED AND SENT

Posted on October 19, 2024 by randscallawayffm

There is nothing we will do that will prevent God from accomplishing His will among His people.  Jacob was chosen from the womb by God to be the one who will carry on the promise He had given to Abraham, “the father of all nations.”  Rebekah’s deception to get Jacob in position to do God’s will was wrong and unnecessary. 

How we carry out the will of God is as important as answering the call of God. God doesn’t need our help, only our obedience.  Jacob is learning what God taught his father and his father—to obey is better than sacrifice.  To manipulate people and circumstances by deceiving others, thinking you know better than God with how to accomplish His will is dishonoring to the God we say we love and serve.  We are only serving ourselves, thinking we can do better. Yikes.  Jacob will learn there is no one like our God!

Genesis 28 

So Isaac called for Jacob and blessed him. Then he commanded him: “Do not marry a Canaanite woman. 2 Go at once to Paddan Aram, to the house of your mother’s father Bethuel. Take a wife for yourself there, from among the daughters of Laban, your mother’s brother. 3 May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and increase your numbers until you become a community of peoples. 4 May he give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now reside as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.” 5 Then Isaac sent Jacob on his way, and he went to Paddan Aram, to Laban son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, who was the mother of Jacob and Esau.

6 Now Esau learned that Isaac had blessed Jacob and had sent him to Paddan Aram to take a wife from there, and that when he blessed him he commanded him, “Do not marry a Canaanite woman,” 7 and that Jacob had obeyed his father and mother and had gone to Paddan Aram. 8 Esau then realized how displeasing the Canaanite women were to his father Isaac; 9 so he went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.

Jacob’s Dream at Bethel

10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. 11 When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. 12 He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13 There above it stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. 14 Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” 17 He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

18 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. 19 He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, “If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father’s household, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God’s house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The call of God upon the hearts of those He has chosen humbles us or it wells up a pride within us.  This pride nature must be controlled and leashed.  Unleashed, pride blocks our view of how God wants us to accomplish what He has given us to do.  Walk with God, avoid running ahead of God!

Isaac gives Jacob his final blessing with direction.  He is to go to Rebekah’s family to choose a wife from among the clan of the chosen.  Esau, still bitter from the manipulating and deception by his mother and brother; marries a Canaanite woman and adds her to his haram just for spite.  This will not go well for him.

Although Jacob was a reluctant player in his mother’s scheme, but he obeyed his mother and did what she said.  God is now going to put Jacob back on the right path to walk with Him as did his grandfather, Abraham!  On his way to seek a wife; Jacob is not rebuked but humbled and affirmed by God in a dream.  Notice how Jacob responded to God!

Jacob responds in worship in these ways:

  1. Jacob recognizes God for who He is and what He does with a grateful heart.
  2. Jacob hears the message of affirmation from God.
  3. Jacob honors God in that place by turning his pillow into a memorial to God.
  4. Jacob responds with a vow of dedication to God’s provision.

Jacob may have left with only a father’s death-bed blessing and prayer, fleeing an angry brother who wanted him dead, with the command to seek a wife from among “our people,” but God was with Him and God wanted Jacob to know that.

God is with us.  And God wants US to know that!  God came down from heaven as promised through the preaching of God’s prophets. Jesus, who was God in the flesh left the glory of heaven, moved into the neighborhood of humanity, and became a servant.  God’s Promised Son was called Emmanuel, the Hebrew name, which means “God with us.”

Emmanuel was sent to be the Savior of all who would believe in Him and call on His Name.  To the world; He was to be called Jesus.  Jesus, Savior who is Lord, was a demonstration of God’s love for us who laid down his life for all sinners of whom I am one of them and so are; “for all of us have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and in need of rescue.  (Romans 3:23)

“But while we were sinners, Christ died for us,” a demonstration of God’s relentless, abiding, never-ending, unchanging, love for us!  (Romans 5:8) We join Jacob in worship of our awesome God! “Surely the Lord is in this place” as we read the story of God through his people who answer his call with obedient praise and honor!  Yes, God is with us right now, right where you are!

I pray that we, too, will be attentive and recognize God when He calls.  May we hear God with grateful hearts.  May we worship, believing God when He says;

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go…

I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you—eternal life because of Jesus who by believing gives us entrance into the throne room of God!

Lord,

May we all truly realize the depth of love you have for your created.  Thank you for being with us as we read your story and learn from those who followed you.  May we learn from their mistakes and shortcomings with how to come back to you, learning from our sins’ consequences.  Thank you for your saving grace and amazing mercy.  Thank you for saving me and making me whole.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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DECEPTION DESTROYS RELATIONSHIPS

Posted on October 18, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Relationships that include deception, betrayal, hate, envy, jealousy, and arrogance do not fare well and can lead to avenging thoughts of getting even.  In fact, all unhealthy relationships consistently “keep score” of wrong doings and the stuff accumulated by deceptive means.  The score card of sins between people is hard to overcome unless God steps in to bring an end to the foolishness with His Love, teaching His character traits that are opposite of all the traits of the Enemy. 

Relationships between humans are not perfect.  The sin of selfishness, wanting to have our own way in all things, gets in the way. It is in our nature to grab all we can and possess it for as long as we are can—no matter who it hurts or hinders.  Just watch toddlers at play for a demonstration!

We are born with this generational sin in our DNA. It is in our “nature” which drives our first thought and first response.  This “born into sin” nature began with Adam and Eve, the first humans created “in the image and likeness of God” by God, the Creator of all.  Sin entered into them when they fell for the deception of the Enemy of God. Sin became a part of them when they disobeyed God.  The enemy manipulated their thinking about who God is and convinced them that what God says wasn’t true.  The Enemy still uses the same tricks to deceive us today.  His goal is death.  His scheme is to distract and deceive us so that our relationship with God and others are destroyed.   

From birth, this condition is displayed in Jacob, whose very name means “he grasps the heel, a Hebrew idiom for he takes advantage of or he deceives.”  From the womb, Jacob, the twin of Esau, was determined to be the “blessed one” who would lord over his brothers.  It didn’t help that his mom showed him favor and helped him accomplish his goal through deception.  God is sovereign. God knows our hearts. God knows.

We must keep in mind that this is the story of God working through the imperfect relationships of His imperfect people to demonstrate His unchanging, relentless, loving relationship that does not change, does not take advantage, does not deceive or manipulate.  God is Love who compassionately loved the world so much He sent His Son to save us.  So, observe how God works through all these tedious, challenging relationships to achieve His goal of salvation for His Chosen people.  Our God is amazing!

Genesis 27

When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.”

“Here I am,” he answered.

2 Isaac said, “I am now an old man and don’t know the day of my death. 3 Now then, get your equipment—your quiver and bow—and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me. 4 Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”

5 Now Rebekah was listening as Isaac spoke to his son Esau. When Esau left for the open country to hunt game and bring it back, 6 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, 7 ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ 8 Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: 9 Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. 10 Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.”

11 Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, “But my brother Esau is a hairy man while I have smooth skin. 12 What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.”

13 His mother said to him, “My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.”

14 So he went and got them and brought them to his mother, and she prepared some tasty food, just the way his father liked it. 15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. 17 Then she handed to her son Jacob the tasty food and the bread she had made.

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”

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.”

20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied.

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied.

25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.”

Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank. 26 Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come here, my son, and kiss me.”

27 So he went to him and kissed him. When Isaac caught the smell of his clothes, he blessed him and said,

“Ah, the smell of my son
    is like the smell of a field
    that the Lord has blessed.
28 May God give you heaven’s dew
    and earth’s richness—
    an abundance of grain and new wine.
29 May nations serve you
    and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
    and may the sons of your mother bow down to you.
May those who curse you be cursed
    and those who bless you be blessed.”

30 After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting. 31 He too prepared some tasty food and brought it to his father. Then he said to him, “My father, please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

32 His father Isaac asked him, “Who are you?”

“I am your son,” he answered, “your firstborn, Esau.”

33 Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”

38 Esau said to his father, “Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!” Then Esau wept aloud.

39 His father Isaac answered him,

“Your dwelling will be
    away from the earth’s richness,
    away from the dew of heaven above.
40 You will live by the sword
    and you will serve your brother.
But when you grow restless,
    you will throw his yoke
    from off your neck.”

41 Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”

42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

46 Then Rebekah said to Isaac, “I’m disgusted with living because of these Hittite women. If Jacob takes a wife from among the women of this land, from Hittite women like these, my life will not be worth living.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Deception and betrayal are not the makings of a healthy relationship.  Manipulation of emotions and taking advantage of the weak is not of God either.  Rebekah manipulated and Jacob deceived.  Now, Jacob must run away and hide from his father and his brother for fear of retribution.  Relationship severed and lost until God is heard and obeyed.  This certainly isn’t the end of the story, there is so much more. 

We learn is that we humans will go to ridiculous measures to get what we want and think we deserve. We even use “righteous reasoning” when we go ahead of God, thinking we need to help God out. Interesting to note—Isaac was about to disobey God’s command. Before the boys were born, God had told Rebekah that Jacob, the younger son, was to receive the covenant blessing (Genesis 25:19–23); yet Isaac planned to give the blessing to Esau.

Knowing that Jacob was chosen to receive the covenant blessing, Rebekah immediately took matters into her own hands to make sure her favorite son got what the Lord had promised him. Had she and Jacob talked with Isaac while Esau was out hunting, perhaps he would have seen the light and agreed with them. Instead, however, Rebekah chose to control Jacob and deceive her husband.  Isaac’s philosophy was “if it feels good, it is good,” but Rebekah’s philosophy was “the end justifies the means.” She couldn’t trust God to fulfill His plan; she had to “help” God out because it was for a good cause. But there’s no place for deception in the life of the believer, for Satan is the deceiver (2 Corinthians 11:3), but Jesus Christ is the truth (John 14:6). “Blessed is the man . . . in whose spirit there is no deceit” (Psalm 32:2).

How do we avoid this flaw in our sin nature?  Run to God, ask what He wants, really believe what He says, repent, then trust and obey Him!  When we choose to hurt others, God disciplines. God seeks, through his discipline, to save his children from eternal harm. God rescues us and helps get us back on track.  Listen to Him!  Sometimes we head our own way and God disciplines us by allowing us to face the consequences of our actions. We need to look to him for help to find our way back to where he wants us.  This will occur in the life of Jacob and Esau.

Rebekah’s fear, “Why should I lose both of you in one day?” It turned out that Jacob was gone twenty years, and she never saw him again on earth.

Instead of ruling, Esau would live by his sword. The Edomites who descended from Esau (Edom) built their nation at Mount Seir (Genesis 36:5–8) at the southern end of the Dead Sea, and were constant enemies of the Israelites.

Trust and obey for there’s no other way to healthy relationships with God and each other.

Lord,

Thank you for your story as it unfolds through the lives of your people.  May we lean into the love you have for us, the goodness your provide, and the rescue you sent to save us!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  There is no need for deception and manipulation.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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MAKING PEACE AS A STRANGER IN THE LAND

Posted on October 17, 2024 by randscallawayffm

This world will try to shut me down
Push and shove me to the ground but I
I been covered by the blood of Christ
I am His and He is mine
May be hated but this ain’t my town
Persecuted constantly beat down
But there’s a joy in the suffering
Cause He is my identity
I’m not of this world

I’m a stranger in this land
There’s a narrow road ahead
No matter what comes my way
I’ll be okay, okay, okay
I will keep my eyes on you
Knowing You will see me through
No matter what comes my way
I’ll be okay, okay, okay
Cause You got me in Your hand
Cause You got me in Your hand

(By Robert Pierre)

I have learned from God that as “newcomers” to traditions with a culture unlike our own that it is best to follow God’s guidance with every thought, word, and deed.  If we do not follow God’s guidance, quarreling quickly escalates, based on faulty information.  Those who are not like us and we are not like them fosters anxiety caused by the sin of assuming you know but you don’t know. This is followed quickly by the sin of presuming that we must do unto them before they do it to us.  Many disagreements arise from lack of knowledge and misinformation between both parties.  It seems to be human nature to size each other up at first glance and assume they will respond in the way you imagine without really getting to know them.

One thing is for certain, those who know God, believe in God, ask God for direction and follow in His ways, are noticed by those around them—no matter culture!

It’s always darkest before the dawn
But I can see the rising sun as it
Shines bright of what’s to come
My hope will never be undone

I’m a stranger in this land
There’s a narrow road ahead
No matter what comes my way
I’ll be okay, okay, okay
I will keep my eyes on you
Knowing You will see me through
No matter what comes my way
I’ll be okay, okay, okay
Cause You got me in Your hand
Cause You got me in Your hand

There’s a day coming
There’s a day coming
There’s a day coming I’ll see Your face

Isaac has now taken the leading role in the story of God, following in the footsteps of his father, Abraham who believed God and walked with God.  It is interesting to note that Isaac made the same errors as his dad when faced with adversity.  Despite God’s clear promise to Isaac, he lacked faith. But through his encounter with Abimelek, Isaac learned to trust that God would protect him, provide for him, and fulfill his promise.

Genesis 26

Isaac and Abimelek

Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

7 When the men of that place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” because he was afraid to say, “She is my wife.” He thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.”

8 When Isaac had been there a long time, Abimelek king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah. 9 So Abimelek summoned Isaac and said, “She is really your wife! Why did you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac answered him, “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.”

10 Then Abimelek said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the men might well have slept with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.”

11 So Abimelek gave orders to all the people: “Anyone who harms this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. 13 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.

16 Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”

17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.

19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 That night the Lord appeared to himand said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

25 Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

26 Meanwhile, Abimelek 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 harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

30 Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. 31 Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

32 That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” 33 He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.

Jacob Takes Esau’s Blessing

34 When Esau was forty years old, he married Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and also Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 They were a source of grief to Isaac and Rebekah.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

God protects and provides for people who follow him. Even though we may be afraid, God’s faithfulness does not waver.  Where God guides; God provides. No matter what we face; new job in a new city, new marriage with new traditions for each family, new baby with new beginnings, new church family with customs and traditions, new neighbors down the street who are not like you brings new opportunities to grow in our faith and extend our love.  No matter what—God goes before us, behind us, beside us, while surrounding us with His holiness to lead us where we have never been for the purpose to grow in our love for God and each other who share His creation. 

Issac enters the land God has promised, but he comes as a stranger to its inhabitants.  After a few years the inhabitants realize Isaac is a blessed man who knows God.  “We see clearly that the Lord is with you.”  What a testimony from those who observed the life of Isaac who comes in peace.  What a testimony to God who blessed Isaac and led him to make peace with those with whom he shared the land—and the water!

So, it is important—to know and trust our God who leads us to wherever He wants us to reside.  We’re all strangers in a world of unbelievers who don’t know God, yet.  So, don’t get too comfy in this world we share momentarily; for we are merely passing through.  But on our way through may all know Who we know so they will know.  All who believe God who gave His Son, Jesus to save us and redeem us of all our sins, look forward to the day when we will see Jesus face to face in all His glory in a new land called eternity.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”  Romans 12:18

Lord,

Give us wisdom and courage to live with others who you have created with the same love you have given to us.  May your love, mercy, and grace flow freely from us to others.  In Jesus Name, Amen

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HOW HUNGRY ARE YOU?

Posted on October 16, 2024 by randscallawayffm

“I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!”  “I’m so hungry I could the walls!” Our kids would come in from school famished and say ridiculous statements like this to indicate the seriousness of their hunger.  But when we would say, grab that apple or banana, they whined for a snack of cookies which was their choice.  Our response?  “I guess you’re not really as hungry as you thought, then.”  How hungry are you? 

Would you give all you had now and in the future for a bowl of stew?

Generations follow after the death of Abraham. Descendants are named that will be of concern later. Upon the death of Abraham, it is interesting to note that Ishmael, half-brother to Isaac, joined him to bury their father next to Sarah, his beloved wife.  God blessed Isaac and Rebekah with twins who fought for position from womb to grown men!  Now, we’re getting to what a good bowl of stew can do to a hungry, or should we say a “hangry” man.

Genesis 25

The Death of Abraham

Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.

5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.

7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites. There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.

Ishmael’s Sons

12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.

13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.

Jacob and Esau

19 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Isaac.

Abraham became the father of Isaac, 20 and Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean.

21 Isaac prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. 22 The babies jostled each other within her, and she said, “Why is this happening to me?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

23 The Lord said to her,

“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.”

24 When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. 25 The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. 26 After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob. Isaac was sixty years old when Rebekah gave birth to them.

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

The story of God in these twin boys, Jacob and Esau, doesn’t end here!  There’s way more to come! Rebekah, Isaac’s beloved wife, gave birth to Jacob and Esau. Even before they were even born, the boys were hostile to each other. Conflict between the two intensified throughout their lives. Eventually Esau threatened to kill Jacob—but that episode comes later. 

When Esau sold his rights as the firstborn son to Jacob for a bowl of stew, further dissension grew between the brothers. Jacob later stole Esau’s last remaining firstborn privilege: the blessing from his dying father!  More about that later, too.

These boys were angry with each other from birth.The parents ignited the fire of hostility between them by choosing their team favorites.  Isaac favored Esau who enjoyed hunting and Rebekah favored Jacob who stayed home and learned to cook with her.  Jealousy between the brothers gave birth to consistent bitter anger. 

Max Lucado writes;

“Anger. It’s easy to define: the noise of the soul. Anger. The unseen irritant of the heart. Anger. The relentless invader of silence.  The louder it gets the more desperate we become.”

Anger robs us and those around us of peace and calm.  Anger expands and gives birth to envy, arrogance, bitterness, hate, while entertaining thoughts to doing away with the one who makes you angry.  Where do these thoughts come from? —not from God!  God is the opposite of all these feelings and emotions displayed. Anger makes all parties miserable until anger is dealt with and confronted in a Godly way—in His love.

We can’t change yesterday’s display of anger; but we can run to God, ask forgiveness from who we hurt and from God in Jesus Name, requesting help from God to be transformed by the power of God’s Holy Spirit to avoid repetition of the sins our anger produces.  We cannot do this alone, but with God all things are possible! 

God’s Word reminds us that anger will well up within us, especially when we see injustice with no mercy being shown, but we must not sin in our anger.  Paul writes to the church;

“Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.” Ephesians 4:25-27

Anger can quickly escalate to hurtful hate—the “devil’s way in” to gain access to our hearts.  I don’t know which one comes first but hate and anger can join forces to tear down relationships in a flashfire of emotions that destroys everyone around the hater.

In the same chapter to the church, Paul writes of ways to avoid sinning in our anger by changing our thoughts, words, and actions;

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”  Ephesians 4:29-

We can’t change yesterday but our reaction to yesterday can change.  We cannot change the past; but our response to our past can change. Avoid bitterness and grudge holding as this is a cancer to our being and hinders our health physically, emotionally, mentally, and most of all spiritually.

Anger. Is this our immediate response? Are we known for our quick temper? For our grudge? Are we known for desiring revenge?  Let us ask God to help us change our response to past hurts.

Forgiveness diffuses the anger in our hearts.  Getting rid of anger and all sins that accompany anger, brings the peace of Christ to rule our hearts, minds, and souls.

Lord,

Hallowed is Your Name.  May your Kingdom come, Your will be done in all the details of our lives in which you delight.  Give us this day all you know we will need to be first responders of your love, mercy, and grace.  Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us—and you.  Lead us not into temptations of evil but deliver us from evil and his schemes to destroy our relationship with you and with others.  May we love like you love us, devoid of hate.  To you be the glory for your continuing transformative work in us.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD CREATED LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT!

Posted on October 15, 2024 by randscallawayffm

As believing parents, we pray for our children to meet that special someone that God as chosen to come into their lives to love and cherish them.  We pray for God’s will to be done. We pray that this person will love and adore your child as much as you do.  What we desire for our children is what Abraham wanted for his beloved Isaac—the kind of loving relationship bond that he and Sarah had with God and each other! 

Well, hang on—This is a love story for the ages!  This reading will take a bit longer than usual, but it is mesmerizing to watch God at work in and through Abraham, his senior assistant, Rebekah, her family, and Isaac. That “love at first sight” look between Isaac and Rebekah at the end of the story brings a well of emotion as we read it.  We can almost hear the beautiful crescendo of the orchestra when their eyes first meet. 

God—the greatest wedding planner on the planet! God, who is Love, arranged every detail of this moment in time. Abraham who loved and trusted God knew He would.  Notice that the faith of Abraham was also formed in his senior servant who prayed, obeyed, and worshiped God at every step of his journey.

Yes, God demonstrated His real love in this love story! God is amazing. Nothing is too hard for God. Abraham and Isaac knew God well and relied on His provision because God is faithful.

Genesis 24

Isaac and Rebekah

24 Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”

6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels. 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”

26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

28 The young woman ran and told her mother’s household about these things. 29 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he hurried out to the man at the spring. 30 As soon as he had seen the nose ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s arms, and had heard Rebekah tell what the man said to her, he went out to the man and found him standing by the camels near the spring. 31 “Come, you who are blessed by the Lord,” he said. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.”

32 So the man went to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and fodder were brought for the camels, and water for him and his men to wash their feet. 33 Then food was set before him, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say.”

“Then tell us,” Laban said.

34 So he said, “I am Abraham’s servant. 35 The Lord has blessed my master abundantly, and he has become wealthy. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys. 36 My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and he has given him everything he owns. 37 And my master made me swear an oath, and said, ‘You must not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I live, 38 but go to my father’s family and to my own clan, and get a wife for my son.’

39 “Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’

40 “He replied, ‘The Lord, before whom I have walked faithfully, will send his angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you can get a wife for my son from my own clan and from my father’s family. 41 You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you—then you will be released from my oath.’

42 “When I came to the spring today, I said, ‘Lord, God of my master Abraham, if you will, please grant success to the journey on which I have come. 43 See, I am standing beside this spring. If a young woman comes out to draw water and I say to her, “Please let me drink a little water from your jar,” 44 and if she says to me, “Drink, and I’ll draw water for your camels too,” let her be the one the Lord has chosen for my master’s son.’

45 “Before I finished praying in my heart, Rebekah came out, with her jar on her shoulder. She went down to the spring and drew water, and I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’

46 “She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too.’ So I drank, and she watered the camels also.

47 “I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’

“She said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milkah bore to him.’

“Then I put the ring in her nose and the bracelets on her arms, 48 and I bowed down and worshiped the Lord. I praised the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who had led me on the right road to get the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. 49 Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; and if not, tell me, so I may know which way to turn.”

50 Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the Lord; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, as the Lord has directed.”

52 When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.

When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you may go.”

56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.”

57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I will go,” she said.

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“Our sister, may you increase
    to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
    the cities of their enemies.”

61 Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate, and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Abraham obeyed God’s plan. Abraham might have married Isaac to a local girl or sent him back to his family’s land to find a wife. That would have been easier.  But Abraham obeyed God by selecting the right wife from the right spot. Abraham’s loyal servant discerned God’s will and found the right wife—Rebekah, a woman of good heart and determination.

In God’s will we find successful living. God’s way may be harder than the world’s way—but he rewards obedience!  Trust and obey, for there’s no other way…

As we read the story of God in His Word;

Ask God to show you how your plans, goals, and directions are conforming to his will. 

Need help? Pray Romans 12:1-2 as worship to God;

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing, and perfect will.”

This prayer prepares our hearts, minds, and souls to yield to and receive the message from His Holy Spirit who stands ready to help us in all areas of our life that need correcting, comforting, convicting, consoling, while compelling us to seek discernment for His “good, pleasing and perfect will”. 

Lord,

I will meditate on your love demonstrated through Abraham, his servant, Isaac, and Rebekah all day long.  Help us to love each other like you love us.  Thank you for this beautiful love story produced by faith in You.

In Jesus Name, For Your Glory, Amen

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WHO WILL PAY?

Posted on October 14, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Most of us do it.  We go out to eat together with family or close friends.  At the end of the meal, we have a friendly argument over who will pay the check. It becomes a friendly game of “who’s going to get the check first and pay” before anyone else does! 

“Let me get that.” “No, let me get that this time.” And the game begins of who will slyly get the check first and pay the bill the server lays down before anyone else sees what is going on while conversation continues. It’s a fun game we play among those we love and want to serve.

There is dignity and respect when we pay our own way, not depending on others.  However, in our next passage, we learn the customs of the inhabitants of Canaan.  We can’t help but notice the respect the Hittites have for Abraham who is grieving over the death of his beloved Sarah, but they also know he is a weakened state of mind—or is he?  Who’s going to pay for a burial site for Sarah?  Why is Abraham so insistent?

Genesis 23

The Death of Sarah

Sarah lived to be a hundred and twenty-seven years old. 2 She died at Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham went to mourn for Sarah and to weep over her.

3 Then Abraham rose from beside his dead wife and spoke to the Hittites. He said, 4 “I am a foreigner and stranger among you. Sell me some property for a burial site here so I can bury my dead.”

5 The Hittites replied to Abraham, 6 “Sir, listen to us. You are a mighty prince among us. Bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead.”

7 Then Abraham rose and bowed down before the people of the land, the Hittites. 8 He said to them, “If you are willing to let me bury my dead, then listen to me and intercede with Ephron son of Zohar on my behalf 9 so he will sell me the cave of Machpelah, which belongs to him and is at the end of his field. Ask him to sell it to me for the full price as a burial site among you.”

10 Ephron the Hittite was sitting among his people and he replied to Abraham in the hearing of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of his city. 11 “No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.”

12 Again Abraham bowed down before the people of the land 13 and he said to Ephron in their hearing, “Listen to me, if you will. I will pay the price of the field. Accept it from me so I can bury my dead there.”

14 Ephron answered Abraham, 15 “Listen to me, my lord; the land is worth four hundred shekels of silver, but what is that between you and me? Bury your dead.”

16 Abraham agreed to Ephron’s terms and weighed out for him the price he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weight current among the merchants.

17 So Ephron’s field in Machpelah near Mamre—both the field and the cave in it, and all the trees within the borders of the field—was deeded 18 to Abraham as his property in the presence of all the Hittites who had come to the gate of the city. 19 Afterward Abraham buried his wife Sarah in the cave in the field of Machpelah near Mamre (which is at Hebron) in the land of Canaan. 20 So the field and the cave in it were deeded to Abraham by the Hittites as a burial site.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Honoring Sarah

Sarah had been a good wife to Abraham and a good mother to Isaac. Yes, she had her faults, as we all do, but God called her a princess (the meaning of her name). 

“God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Genesis 17:15-16

Sarah was listed with other heroes and heroines of faith.  “And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.” Hebrews 11:11 –Even though she chuckled upon hearing the news! 

The apostle Peter named Sarah as a good example of inner beauty for Christian wives to follow:

“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 3:1-6

Paul illustrates the grace of God in the life of the believer with Sarah’s life:

“Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise…”  (Read Galatian 4 to get the full picture of the grace of God.  Grace, not earned works, is the gift of salvation to us because of Jesus.  Judaizers taught that Gentile believers had to obey Jewish laws to be saved. Paul wrote to correct this false teaching. As a result of God’s promise, Christ followers are children of God. As adopted children, believers can enjoy all the benefits of being in God’s family. One of those benefits is freedom from the bondage of legalism.

Sarah carried the promise of God because her faithfulness to God.

Like Abraham and Sarah, God’s people today are foreigners in this present world (See 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). We live in temporary “tents” (2 Corinthians 5:1–8) which one day will be taken down when we move to glory! 

Who will pay the bill?

This was an artful manipulation by the Hittite leader to a grieving Abraham, a foreigner who he knew was rich and blessed.   Following the custom of the East, Ephron offered to give Abraham not only the cave but the whole field in which the cave was located. Of course, this was only a clever maneuver on his part, for he had no intentions of giving away a valuable piece of property, especially to a man as wealthy as Abraham. But Ephron’s reply gave Abraham two pieces of information: Ephron was willing to sell, but he wanted to sell the whole field and not just the cave. This sly negotiation allowed both men to achieve their objectives. 

There is more going on here as we dig deeper!

Abraham did not ignore the body but gave it a proper burial in view of the promised resurrection. When God saves us, He saves the whole person, not just “the soul.” The body has a future, and burial bears witness to our faith in the return of Christ and the resurrection of the body.  Scripture tells us that resurrection is not “reconstruction.” God will not reassemble the dust of the body and restore the body to its previous state. God promises us a new body! (1 Corinthians 15) Christian burial bears witness that we believe in a future resurrection!

Who ultimately paid the bill, in full, once and for all, for our salvation?  Jesus!

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep”. 1 Corinthians 15:3-6

We must respond with the deep faith of Abraham and Sarahwho stood firm in their obedience to God.  Abraham’s weeping over his beloved Sarah displayed His love for her, not his lack of faith.  Buying a field to bury her, and later himself, displayed his hope of resurrection by God because of his relentless faith in God.  Abraham knew more than we think at first reading. Abraham was a Friend of God.

“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.’” James 2:23

Therefore,

“‘Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?’

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-58

Savior and Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for saving me—all of me for all of you! Great is thy faithfulness!

In Jesus Name, for Your glory, Amen

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“BECAUSE YOU OBEYED…”

Posted on October 13, 2024 by randscallawayffm

“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22

“…the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you:
to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8, NLT

When God calls our name and tells us specifically what to do; what is our first thought?  Do we immediately respond with simple obedience?  Do we lay down what is most important to us to do what God has asked us to do?  Do we trade obedience that seems too hard for working harder at “doing good”?  Or do we simple trust God?

How many of us have had to “lay our Isaac down” in an act of humbled, faithful obedience? Only then can we fully understand what God was asking Abraham to do.

Genesis 22

Abraham Tested

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

15 The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

19 Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

Nahor’s Sons

20 Some time later Abraham was told, “Milkah is also a mother; she has borne sons to your brother Nahor: 21 Uz the firstborn, Buz his brother, Kemuel (the father of Aram), 22 Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel.” 23 Bethuel became the father of Rebekah. Milkah bore these eight sons to Abraham’s brother Nahor. 24 His concubine, whose name was Reumah, also had sons: Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maakah.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

We have read and observed the growing faith in God of a man and his wife.  Their behaviors and attitudes are changing right before our eyes.  God has blessed them in their old age with a baby boy, the one and only son they will have biologically.  Abraham wondered how and Sarah doubted but God provided.  God fulfilled his promises when conditions appeared hopeless. God will fulfill his promises, no matter how difficult our problems. Even when we don’t know how God will act, we must trust that he watches over us.

God’s Word records the greatest test that Abraham ever faced. As believers in Jesus, we also see the beautiful picture of our Lord’s sacrifice at Calvary, but the main lesson is obedient faith that overcomes in the trials of life. Abraham teaches us how to face and handle the tests of life to the glory of God.  Abraham’s faith in God reached a new peak on the mountain that day.  So much so, that he named the place; “The Lord Will Provide.”  Imagine the testimony of God later!  Imagine telling the story down through the generations of the miracle of provision graciously given by God to Abraham because of his obedience to God.  He was willing to lay down his Isaac, his one and only son, on the altar before the Lord God! 

This same God is our God!  This same God wants our faithful obedience to Him.  This same God still provides all we need to obey and be blessed in the obedience!  Whatever God asks us to be and do—do it!  The Lord Will Provide.

Pause to pray—

What is God asking me to do?  How quickly will I put down what my hands are holding onto tightly for what God wants to provide in my life? Take all the time you need—I am.

Know the difference between a test and temptation.  Temptations come from our desires within us (James 1:12–16) while trials come from the Lord who has a special purpose to fulfill. Temptations are used by the devil to bring out the worst in us, but trials are used by the Holy Spirit to bring out the best in us (James 1:1–6). Temptations seem logical while trials seem very unreasonable. Why would God give Abraham a son and then ask Abraham to kill him?

Warren Wiersbe, Bible Commentator, writes; “God told Abraham to sacrifice his son. Consider how unreasonable God’s request was. Isaac was Abraham’s only son, and the future of the covenant rested in him. Isaac was a miracle child, the gift of God to Abraham and Sarah in response to their faith. Abraham and Sarah loved Isaac very much and had built their whole future around him. When God asked Abraham to offer his son, He was testing Abraham’s faith, hope, and love, and it looked like God was wiping out everything Abraham and Sarah had lived for.”

“Two statements reveal the emphasis of this passage: “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering”; and “Yahweh-Yireh”, which means, “The LORD will see to it,” that is, “The LORD will provide.” As he climbed Mount Moriah with his son, Abraham was confident that God would meet every need.”

“Abraham could depend on the promise and provision of the Lord. He had already experienced the resurrection power of God in his own body (Romans 4:19–21), so he knew that God could raise Isaac from the dead if that was His plan. Apparently, no resurrections had taken place before that time, so Abraham was exercising great faith in God. According to Ephesians 1:19, 20 and 3:20, 21, believers today have Christ’s resurrection power available in their own bodies as they yield to the Spirit of God. We can know “the mighty power that raised Him from the dead” (Philippians 3:10) as we face the daily demands and trials of life.”

In times of testing, it is easy to think only about our needs and our burdens; instead, we should be focusing on bringing glory to Jesus Christ. We find ourselves asking “How can I get out of this?” instead of “What can I get out of this that will honor the Lord?” –Wiersbe, Study Bible

If ever two suffering people revealed Jesus Christ, it was Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah. Their experience is a picture of the Father and the Son and the Cross.  From Genesis to Revelation Jesus is present and represented!  Jesus said to the Jews, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). In Isaac’s miraculous birth, Abraham saw the day of Christ’s birth, and in Isaac’s marriage (Genesis 24), he saw the day of Christ’s coming for His bride.

But on Mount Moriah, when Isaac willingly put himself on the altar, Abraham saw the day of Christ’s death and resurrection.  Wow.

The greatest thing that can happen as we experience the trials God sends is that we grow closer to our Father and become more like the Lord Jesus Christ. Calvary is not only the place where Jesus died for our sins, but it is also the place where He sanctified suffering and, by His resurrection, transformed suffering into glory.

We must seek to glorify the Lord, and He will do the rest. The Lord Will Provide!

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for drawing me closer to you this morning as I realize the depths of your love and the lengths you went through to save me.  I am grateful.  So very grateful.  Thank you for all you have provided, are providing, and will provide as my faith grows in You.  To you be the glory!

In Jesus Name, Amen! Yes, and Amen!

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TEDIOUS RELATIONSHIPS?

Posted on October 12, 2024 by randscallawayffm

The quality of our relationships with each other; those outside our family, those in our workplaces, and those with the church family begins with and depends on the quality of our relationship with God. 

God is the creator of relationship.  God is the sustainer of the relationship between God and mankind.  Sin cannot be a part of this relationship.  Sin must be removed from the equation of God and mankind in relationship.  So, God created a Plan for the reconciliation of relationship with Him.  Jesus, who is alpha and omega, from the beginning to end was that Plan.

Although God’s prophets proclaimed the importance of relationship with God, many refused to hear and live it.  Jesus was sent to show others how to be in relationship with God.  Throughout His time on earth, Jesus tenaciously explained in detail the depth of God’s desire to be in relationship with us—a relentlessly loving, intimate, wholly devoted relationship!  God wants us to love Him back purely because He first loved us!  (1 John 4:19) Jesus demonstrated the love of God daily as He related to all of humanity. 

Abraham’s relationship with God is extremely vital as he relies on God to lead him through some challenging and tedious moments with others. He will discover the joy and peace of going to God for direction and wisdom.

Genesis 21

The Birth of Isaac

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 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.”

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

The Treaty at Beersheba

22 At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. 23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”

24 Abraham said, “I swear it.”

25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized. 26 But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”

27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty. 28 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29 and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

30 He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”

31 So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.

32 After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Watching from the sidelines, we enjoy reading the story of God’s relationship with Abraham.  Abraham is growing in his faithful relationship with God while displaying his obedience to God.  Faith, love, and obedience are important, vital components of a relationship with God!

A great relationship with God must also include intimate communion and constant conversation.  Notice that Abraham has special places where He can meet with God, get direction from God, as He worships God! 

God helps Abraham with wisdom in family squabbles produced by resentment and bitterness, and guides him to make land treaties with surrounding inhabitants, while enjoying and celebrating God’s promised blessing of the birth of Abraham and Sarah’s one and only son, Isaac!  All in day’s work for God!

Our relationship with God through believing in Jesus, His Son is the most important relationship we will ever have!  God knows us from the inside out and outside in because he formed us in our mothers’ wombs.  He created each one of us to be in relationship with Him and with each other.  This relationship gives us blessed assurance that He is with us always, through good times and bad because His love, mercy and grace never changes for us. 

Even though Sarah doubted, God demonstrated his faithfulness by providing a son for her. God also took care of Hagar after she was forced to leave Abraham’s camp. God fulfilled his promises when conditions appeared hopeless.  God still does that for us today.  God will fulfill His promises, no matter how difficult our problems. Even when we don’t know how God will act, we must trust that He watches over us and is always at work.  When doubts arise, go to God.  When we make big mistakes and life appears to be headed for shipwreck, we must depend on our relationship with God who is already at work on our behalf! 

Seriously, are there any promises more comforting than God’s? When you feel anxious today, pause to pray in the Name of Jesus; “Lord, I trust in your faithfulness to change both my attitude and my circumstances. But even if you don’t change the circumstance, transform me; for my hope is in You.”

Lord,

Thank you for relationship.  Cleanse our hearts, renew our minds to think more like you, refresh our souls with you tender new mercies for today.  May our relationship be so tight and unwavering that we know instinctively that your Presence is with us always even when we don’t “feel” it.  May our hearts, minds, and souls be so in tune and in step with you that we hear the mere whisper of your voice as all other voices fade into the background. Yes, continually replenish the joy of your salvation at work within us.  We need you every hour of every day.  We can do nothing without you.  We don’t want to anything without you!  What a friend we have in you!  Lead us, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen 

God sent His One and Only Son, Jesus to reemphasize this loving relationship.  God’s Son also demonstrated how much we need God in relationship as the director of our lives!  Jesus also showed the world how to live in relationship with each other as He came “not to be served, but to serve.” (See Matthew 5-7) Eventually, according to Plan, Jesus also willingly sacrificed his life for ours so that our relationship with God could be reestablished forever.

God, in His mercy, gave all He had to “recreate” the relationship He desires with us.  How deep the Father’s love for us indeed!  Who we are in relationship to God affects all other relationships we will have with others. We are all created “in the image and likeness of God.” 

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