Events Linked in a Chain - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 41:39-40,

"Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, 'Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.'"

This was the outcome of Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's dreams. Pharaoh had two dreams one night and when his magicians and wise men could not interpret them he sent for Joseph. Pharaoh's chief cupbearer remembered an earlier incident when Joseph interpreted dreams the cupbearer and chief baker had when they were all in prison together. It is not difficult to see that the purpose of Joseph interpreting the dreams of the cupbearer and baker was God busy at work to bring about Pharaoh's selection of Joseph to manage Egypt's economy in preparation of and during a famine that hit a number of nations.

In following the account of Joseph in Genesis, we see a number of events that are linked and strung together by God in order to bring about a singular purpose: to bring the family of Jacob into Egypt. Egypt, acting as a womb for Israel to develop into a thriving and massive nation, also provided for the context that resulted in Israel's exodus which provides us a picture of God's redemption of mankind through Jesus Christ, our "Passover".

It begins all the way back to Genesis 37 where we read that Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons (he was born in his old age). He made Joseph a special coat that represented this and caused animosity directed toward Joseph by his brothers. This was further exacerbated by dreams God gave Joseph that indicated he would rule over his brothers. As Joseph shared these dreams, the resentment became so great that his brothers sold him to slave traders that took Joseph down to Egypt.

Once in Egypt Joseph was bought by an official of Pharaoh, whose wife falsely accused him of attempted rape. This resulted in Joseph being imprisoned where he met the cupbearer and baker of Pharaoh. These two had dreams that Joseph provided the interpretation for and eventually resulted in Joseph interpreting Pharaoh's two dreams and his appointment as the second only to Pharaoh in all the land of Egypt.

Further things take place following this that eventuate into Jacob moving to Egypt where Joseph was instrumental in providing food for relief from the great famine that also affected Jacob and his family.

My point is that none of these things that God orchestrated were events unto themselves alone. It is fascinating to see how one event leads into the next with the purpose of that event leading to still another event. All purposeful and achieved by God as he "rolled out" this fascinating series of events to bring his covenant people to where he wanted them.

Just fascinating, isn't it? It causes me to wonder about events today. What might be a string of events in the world today, or even in any one of our lives that God is busy accomplishing? And, further, might it be short sighted to assume any one event we might observe really stands alone? Might it not be a part of a chain of events that brings about something much bigger, or more far reaching, as it did with Joseph and the events he was caught up in?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Hardship Is Never the End of the Story - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 40:23,

"The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him."

This comment is made by Moses after he tells us about the interpretation of the dreams the cupbearer and chief baker had. After Joseph had told these men the meaning of their dreams that God had given them, Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him by letting Pharaoh know he was falsely accused. And, as we see, the cupbearer forgot all about Joseph (at least for the time being).

Things just seem to go from bad to worse for Joseph. His brothers planned to murder him, they threw him in a cistern and then sold him as a slave to Ishmaelites, who then sold him to an Egyptian official, Potiphar. He was falsely accused of attempting to take advantage of Potiphar's wife, thrown in prison and forgotten about.

But we read that the Lord was with Joseph, Genesis 39:21. I am reminded that the Lord is with us as well, as his children. Paul provides this wonderful truth to us in Romans 8:34b-39, "Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.' No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

This is not the end of the story for Joseph, as we shall see. And, no matter what hardship we face in this life, just as with Joseph, it will not be the end of the story for us. The Lord will never remove his love from us. He will see us through whatever we face and see us safely into the resurrection. I can't think of a more wonderful theme of worship than this! Our Lord's love for us will remain regardless of anything that comes our way!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Freedom From Bondage to Sin - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 39:11-12,

"One day he [Joseph] went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She [Potiphar's wife] caught him by his cloak and said, 'Come to bed with me!' But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house."

I have to report that I have heard one too many sermons on how sin is festering just under the surface within the heart of each believer and that when it comes to temptation we need to follow Joseph's example and flee or we will simply drop into the cesspool of sin, as it is very thin ice we are all on.

While I in no way underestimate the pull of sin in my own life and recognize its ugly head when it has reared up in my life, I think we do a great disservice to both Joseph and the Lord when we define Joseph's account in this way. To me the account provides an entirely different picture of Joseph. Beyond that, what the Scriptures reveal to us about what the Lord has done for us relative to sin in each of our lives should be great cause for worship and praise for him: the Lord has not left us as spineless wimps relative to sin as some would have us believe. Perhaps it is because some are reluctant to "step up" when confronted with sin. I know I have at times.

Joseph did not flee Potiphar's wife because he was tottering on the brink of giving way to the enormous pull of sin's temptation. The account clearly tells us he was resolute in his dealings with Potiphar's wife. When she approached Joseph his response was a clear refusal, "How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?" Genesis 39:9. The account goes on to say that she spoke to Joseph "day after day" but he refused to go to bed with her. He ran out of the house, leaving his cloak in her hand because she grabbed him. He wasn't fleeing temptation at all, he was fleeing her grip! He defined would-be adultery with her as sin against God.

There is no question that the temptation to sin is great. God told Cain, "…sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you…" Genesis 4:7. Paul also tells us, as believers, our sin nature is in conflict with the Holy Spirit who resides in us. He tells us in Galatians 5:17, "For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want." But note what he tells us in the previous verse, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." We are no longer the slaves to sin we were before we embraced Jesus Christ in faith. In Romans 6:17-18 we read, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." We have become a new creation in him, 2 Corinthians 5:17!

When it comes to the temptation to sin, our wonderful God provides for us. His Holy Spirit dwells within each of us and provides a way out, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. For those of you who like to find a haven to sin in Romans 7:14-23, you need to read it a little more carefully. When you resolve what Paul is saying in Romans 7 with what he has to say in Romans 6 and 8 ("…if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God." Romans 8:13b-14) you will have a clearer understanding of what Paul is saying.

Will I sin? Unfortunately, I suspect so. I need look no further than my own track record as a believer. And so I rely on John's words in 1 John 2:1, "…if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One." It certainly won't be because God has left me, as his child, on thin ice, tottering on the brink of dropping through into the cesspool of sin. He has provided for all of us all we need for life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3. Is not this a wonderful cause for our worship of God?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God: A Consuming Fire! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 38:7,

"But Er, Judah's firstborn, was wicked in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death."

Here is a thought I had about this verse in December, 2007:

In this surprising chapter of the history in Genesis we read a story of deceit, trickery, revenge and vindication. It is a fascinating story, and one in which we learn a few things. One very important truth we learn is that the Lord has put to death some who have been caught up in sin. 

We know that not all who engage in a sinful lifestyle suffer for it right away. In fact some of the psalms bemoan the fact that the sinful seem to live a life free from the hardships of others who attempt to live a life pleasing to God. In psalm 73 Asaph says, "I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong. They are free from the burdens common to man; they are not plagued by human ills." Psalm 73:3-5. However, Asaph later develops another perspective after he has spent some time with the Lord. In verses 17-19 we read, "till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny. Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!"

Sin has its consequences. All of us struggle with sin. Those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith are forgiven all of our sin but that does not mean we do not face certain consequences for entertaining sin in our lives. Paul tells his Corinthian readers, "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." 1 Corinthians 11:30. I am reminded yet again of what the writer of Hebrews has to say to us believers, "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our 'God is a consuming fire.'

Just like Er and his brother, Onan, our Lord can take us out in a heartbeat if he so decides.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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One Family's Dysfunction - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 37:1-2,

"Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. This is the account of Jacob's family line. Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers, the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives, and he brought their father a bad report about them."

Here are some thoughts I had about this passage in February, 2020:

I don't know what the "bad report" was that Joseph took to his father about his brothers, but it certainly led to bad blood between Joseph and his brothers. As I read this chapter I am struck with how we might consider this family a dysfunctional one. Keep in mind, these sons of this family comprise the heads of the various tribes of Israel.

In addition to Joseph "squealing" on his brothers (and, who knows? it may have been a very legitimate concern - which would speak badly of the brothers), we read:

Jacob played "favorites" with Joseph over his brothers (not the best of parental approaches to good family life), verse 3-4. The remainder of the chapter might have been filled with much less drama without this driving factor.

Joseph decided to "share" dreams with his brothers and father that God had given him, dreams that pictured them all (including his mother and father) being subordinated to him, furthering the hostility of his brothers against him, verses 5-11.

Joseph's brothers plotted to kill him, verse 18 - 19. The plot included lying to their father about it. They threw him into a cistern as a part of the plot, verse 24.

Human trafficking - Joseph's brothers forcefully sold him to traveling merchants as a slave, verse 28.

Joseph's brothers plotted an artful deception to cover Joseph's disappearance and lied to their father about what had happened, verses 31-32.

Joseph's brothers allowed their father to live in a marked bereavement over the alleged death of Joseph for years, verses 34-35.

The heroes we meet in Scripture are not heroes because they comported themselves in what we might consider a "saintly manner", but because they were people of faith. Obviously, if these accounts were simply made up stories, these patriarchs would be presented to us in an entirely different way. What we discover is that God's people can be as dysfunctional as any... and yet, look at how God used them!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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A Mother's Disapproval - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 36:2-3,

"Esau took his wives from the women of Canaan: Adah daughter of Elon the Hittite, and Oholibamah daughter of Anah and granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite—  also Basemath daughter of Ishmael and sister of Nebaioth."

We have already been given an estimation of the wives of Esau, at least some of them, in Genesis 27:46. There, Rebekah (Esau's mother) complained bitterly to Isaac (Esau's father) about the wives of Esau. "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." That is first-class, grade A disgust. Rebekah says she would rather die than to have to live with Esau's wives - particularly if Jacob married any!

It has always seemed to me that Rebekah's complaint was actually a ruse, a ploy, to get Isaac to allow their son Jacob (and Esau's twin) to flee from Esau. Rebekah and Jacob plotted against Esau by deceitfully getting Isaac to give his blessing (that was due Esau) to Jacob- which was quite consequential. Having done that, Esau was now plotting to murder Jacob.

Rebekah's complaint about the Hittite women provided the pretext for Jacob to go find a wife from her home town where her brother, Laban, lived.

On the other hand, I have to think there must have been truth behind her complaint for it to work. Might it be that God used Esau's selection of wives from the Hittites the very thing that turned her against her own son, Esau?

In any event, somehow Esau earned his mother's disapproval and disfavor while Jacob earned the opposite. Here are a few proverbs that speak to the importance of maintaining a mother's approval as well as what it means when a son does not:

"Listen, my son, to your father's instruction and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 1:8.

"My son, keep your father's command and do not forsake your mother's teaching." Proverbs 6:20.

"A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son brings grief to his mother." Proverbs 10:1.

"A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him." Proverbs 17:25.

"Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old." Proverbs 23:22.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Manipulates Regions of People for His Purposes - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 35:5,

"Then they set out, and the terror of God fell upon the towns all around them so that no one pursued them."

This comment is made by Moses after he gives the account of Simeon and Levi slaughtering the men of Shechem. Keil and Delitzsch call this a "supernatural terror that came upon the cities round about, so that they did not venture to pursue the sons of Jacob on account of the cruelty of Simeon and Levi." Here is an example of God setting or bringing about an outlook, a perspective, a "mood" for an entire region.

Another example of this is in the book of Joshua where Rahab admitted to the Israeli spies that fear had overcome the inhabitants of Palestine because of what the Lord had done, Joshua, chapter 2. In Exodus 9:16 God has Moses tell Pharaoh, "I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." God had hardened Pharaoh's heart so that the events became so dramatic it insured the story would reach Palestine and still be an active story 40 years later when Joshua would lead Israel across the Jordan to take possession of the Promised Land. Paul observes this in Romans 9 and quotes Exodus 9:16. Paul's point is that God uses who he wants in order to effect what he desires, even the wicked.

I find it just fascinating how God can and will influence perceptions, thought, and reactions over entire regions in order to carry out his agenda. With Pharaoh we see an artful manipulation by God to set the stage for Israel's conquest of Palestine. Looking to their own strength relative to the challenge, the Israelites missed what God had done, his contribution to the effort, and it cost them severely.

I wonder from time to time how often we find ourselves in situations that God might have crafted or manipulated for his purposes, to further his agenda in the world today. It is just intriguing to me to see how he works.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Exploiting the Things of God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 34:13-17,

"Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob's sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. They said to them, 'We can't do such a thing; we can't give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. We will enter into an agreement with you on one condition only: that you become like us by circumcising all your males. Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll settle among you and become one people with you. But if you will not agree to be circumcised, we'll take our sister and go.'"

Here are some thoughts I had about this passage in February, 2020:

This is one wild story! Dinah, the sister of the twelve brothers that became the twelve tribes of Israel was raped by a local named Shechem. Shechem loved her and sought to get her as his wife and so he and his father approached Jacob and his sons to get her. Her brothers were enraged their sister had been raped and when approached, the above was how they responded.

But it was a ruse. Shechem approached the men of the town and somehow got them to agree to get circumcised with the promise of looting Jacob and all he had at a later date, "Won't their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us agree to their terms, and they will settle among us." Verse 23.

Consequently, after the men of the town got circumcised and they were still yet in pain, Jacob's sons came into town and slaughtered them all as they were unable to defend themselves! They exploited circumcision, the rite God commanded Abraham and his descendants as a sign and seal of the covenant they had entered into with God.

Although I admire their creativity and craftiness, circumcision was not given by God for that purpose. Jacob was unhappy his sons had done it, but his unhappiness had to do with the trouble it would create for him, "You have brought trouble on me by making me obnoxious to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed." Verse 30.

I wonder how God felt about it... but it does bring to mind how some things of God are used for that which is unintended in our day. I'll bet you can come up with a few observations of how the things of God are exploited...  I know I can.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Teaches Us to Rely on HIs Promises - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 33:1-4,

"Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants. He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother. But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept."

Here are some thoughts I had on this passage in December, 2007:

This takes place as Jacob returns to his homeland after twenty years spent with his uncle Laban, acquiring wives, children and wealth. When he had left his home it was to flee from Esau, whose blessing, intended by their father, Isaac, was deceitfully taken by Jacob through trickery. Now Jacob heads for home and hears that his brother Esau is coming to meet him with four hundred men. Upon hearing of it we are told that Jacob was "in great fear and distress", 32:7. Jacob pours out his heart to the Lord in 32:9-12 asking the Lord for deliverance, that the Lord would spare him, his wives and children.

Jacob sends gifts ahead as he approaches Esau and when they meet there is a tearful reunion as our text says. The Lord makes good on his promise, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you", 31:3. I note that the way the events unfolded Jacob was left in his "great fear and distress" that had the effect of turning Jacob's reliance on God himself which drove him to his knees in his heartfelt prayer for deliverance. 

And so I recognize in my own life that at times trouble and distress will come and that these will come as the Lord is busy in my life, teaching me to rely on him, on his wisdom and on his strength. He teaches me to reach out for his grace to grapple problems that I may find overwhelming at times. He teaches me to trust in his promises, to recognize his goodness to me when he delivers me and to recognize his great love for me when he expresses it. "Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." 2 Corinthians 1:9.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Is Here and Sends His Angels - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 32:1-2,

"Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he said, 'This is the camp of God!' So he named that place Mahanaim."

Here is something I wrote in this passage in November, 2007:

The name "Mahanaim" means two camps. As Joseph leaves Laban following their confrontation over Jacob's deceitful flight from Laban and the oath they took not to harm one another, Jacob encounters this camp of angels. We are not told how many angels there were, just that there was an encampment of them. What were they doing there? Was their primary mission to meet Jacob as he was facing an encounter with his brother Esau, whose ire he also raised through deceit? Or were they about some other business and took the opportunity to meet with Jacob? The details are pretty sketchy.

My assumption is that if it were important for us to know further details of this encampment of angels more detail would be provided. But, as in other passages, it raises my interest and curiosity. Were the angels of Mahanaim there on business or pleasure? Was Jacob their primary assignment if business was what brought them there? Did they break camp after their encounter with Jacob or did they remain for other purposes? These seem like silly questions but the answers might help me with something I know little about: encountering angels. I sometimes wonder if maybe I might have had an encounter with an angel. In Hebrews 13:2 we read, "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." From this I suspect some of us very well may have had angelic encounters. From the verse in Hebrews it makes it sound as though they might look like any of us and go undetected.

Whatever the answers are to these questions there are a few things I do know. God is very engaged and active on earth. He sends his angels to do his bidding and they have been encountered from time to time. Any of us might possibly have had encounters with them. It leaves me astonished at a whole reality that I am quite certain surrounds us and in which we live our lives largely unaware of. 

God is in this place and sends his angels to do his bidding.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God Brings Change to our Lives - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 31:20-21,

"Jacob deceived Laban the Aramean by not telling him he was running away. So he fled with all he had, and crossing the River, he headed for the hill country of Gilead."

Here are  some thoughts I had on these verses in November, 2007:

Here I read of Jacob as the deceiver again. God tells Jacob to return to his homeland after spending twenty years with Laban, marrying his daughters and acquiring prosperity, "Go back to the land of your fathers and to your relatives, and I will be with you." Genesis 31:3. The Lord tells Jacob he will be with him as he goes and yet Jacob feels the need to deceitfully sneak away. Jacob, as his father, Isaac, and his grandfather, Abraham, seems to rely on an innate proclivity to deception to protect himself. You will recall that both Abraham and Isaac lied about their wives being their sisters so they wouldn't be killed by others to take their beautiful wives. But in all instances we are told that God assured them he would be with them just as God assures Jacob here.

As the story continues, Laban catches up with Jacob anyway and the Lord does for Jacob what he promised to do, to be with him. The Lord warns Laban in a dream, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." Genesis 31:24. Laban tells Jacob, "I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.'" Jacob admits, "I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force." Clearly there is a theme in each generation of these patriarchs where they feel they have to be deceitful relative to their wives.

In Malachi 1:2 God tells us that he loved Jacob. Paul quotes this verse as he makes the point that God can and will decide who he loves and accepts and who he doesn't (in that passage in Romans 9 Paul makes the point that God has decided that all who will embrace him in faith will be his chosen ones, see verses 30-33). There is no question that Jacob is a man of faith. When God tells him to go, he goes. And yet his faith at times seems to be clouded by actions that demonstrate something else.

What am I to make of this? It appears to be a recurring theme through Genesis. The patriarchs are great men of faith and yet they have their moments when their actions appear to manifest a shortcoming to their faith, and, like here, sometimes right in the midst of following a course of action as a result of their faith (e.g. the Lord tells Jacob to go home, so he leaves for home.) One thing is certain: faith does not a perfect man make! One of the refreshing qualities about the Scriptures is the authenticity it provides itself by representing its human heroes honestly. They are people of faith and they manifest that faith in their lives, and yet they have their shortcomings as the Scriptures faithfully report.

On the one hand I find comfort here. As a man of faith, I have my shortcomings and it is reassuring to know other people of faith before me were not perfect either. On the other hand I find no excuse here for my actions that disappoint the Lord, my self and others. In each instance in the Scriptures we find the Lord reassuring the man of faith that he will be with him. Not in one circumstance did the Lord ever fail to follow through on his promises to the patriarchs. I find that true in my life as well. God promises things to me like, "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Corinthians 10:13. There has never been a time in my life where I have witnessed the Lord fail to follow through on his promises. Unfortunately, I can't make the claim for myself.

Such is the wonder of God: he can and does love imperfect people just like me! He commits himself to promises that he always follows through on. But perhaps the most intriguing thing about the Lord is that in the midst of my imperfections he is bringing about those changes that reflect his own character! How astonishing is that?! "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers." Romans 8:29.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Men spoke from God - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 30:22-24,

"Then God remembered Rachel; he listened to her and opened her womb. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son and said, "God has taken away my disgrace." She named him Joseph, and said, 'May the Lord add to me another son.'"

Here is something I wrote on this passage in November, 2007:

In chapters 29 and 30 we read of the offspring that are born to Jacob, his two wives and their maidservants. So far 10 boys and one daughter, Dinah. Now an eleventh son is born to Jacob (number twelve will come later in chapter 35, Benjamin), and the baby's mother, Rachel names him Joseph, which means "May he add". We will be reading much about Joseph in the latter chapters of Genesis. 

It is Moses who has written these accounts for us in Genesis. As he tells us that "God remembered Rachel", I take it to be his way of acknowledging it is God who has blessed Jacob with the offspring that were born to him. But Moses goes on to say that God listened to Rachel. That is a little more specific. How would Moses know this? As I recall the many things Moses has had to say about things from God's perspective, I see that Moses would have to be told these things by God himself. Genesis opens with these words, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light."

Only God would know these things and could pass them on to man. Either God told Adam, etc., whose accounts were passed down through the ages to Moses or God told Moses directly himself. Either way it takes God to say what he thinks, he feels, he communicates to the other members of the Trinity.

This is what is on my heart this morning. As I read the accounts of what took place in the pages of Genesis it strikes me that what is written had to come from God himself. Peter speaks to this issue in his second letter, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2 Peter 1:20-21.

I know many commentators of Genesis have lost sight of this reality as I read their understanding of the text of Genesis and I wonder just how much we have really embraced the reality that our Bibles have their origin in God himself. If we did, if we were convinced that the Bibles sitting on our coffee tables were none other than an all-powerful voice from eternity, from our Creator God himself, we would be spending much more time in them, allowing what he has to say saturate our lives and move us in response to the revelation of his glory found within its pages.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

The Lord Provides Living Water! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 29:10,

"When Jacob saw Rachel daughter of Laban, his mother's brother, and Laban's sheep, he went over and rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well and watered his uncle's sheep."

Here are some thoughts I had about this verse in November, 2007:

We are told in this account that the stone on this well was large, verse 2. The several shepherds already at the well with their flocks of sheep were waiting for the other shepherds to arrive to open the well so they could water their sheep. When Rachel shows up at the well to water her sheep we are told Jacob rolled the stone away from the mouth of the well himself and watered his uncle's sheep.

Far be it from me to draw allusions in Scripture where none exist, but I can't help but think here of the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4. There Jesus told her, "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." She responds with a question, "Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?" Jesus goes on to tell her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Just as Jacob did the "heavy lifting" and provided water for his uncle's sheep, so Jesus Christ did the heavy lifting and provides us "living water" to satisfy a thirst nothing else can quench. Again, I say that I don't know the purpose of the account of Jacob providing water to his uncle's sheep was to foreshadow or picture Jesus Christ's provision of "living water" to us. But nonetheless that is where my thoughts go this morning. If it were not for our merciful loving Savior, we all would be like sheep lying in our thirst and exhaustion, dying at the side of a well that couldn't be accessed. But provide he does! What is it about the heart of our God that causes him to reach out to us, to all of us who rightly deserve his judgment and condemnation? The kindness and graciousness of our God is beyond all measure and all comprehension!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God's Activity in the World Today - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 28:10-17,

"Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. 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. 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. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: 'I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac… When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, 'Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.' 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.'"

Here are some thoughts I had on this passage in November, 2007:

Jacob's dream speaks to the reality of a spiritual realm that exists around us. In various passages of Scripture I am struck with the thought that there is so much that is going on around us that we are not able to see. Much like my dog that hears things and smells things I don't. I know her perspective of our yard is completely different from mine: not only is she perceiving things differently, she is sensing things I don't at all.

In his dream the Lord reveals to Jacob a busy stairway, on the graveyard shift, that is a portal for angels ascending and descending between heaven and earth. When Jacob awakes he acknowledges the importance of the place, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." The Scripture makes no comment that would indicate Jacob misunderstood the nature of the dream - that it simply represented a spiritual reality. I'm left to think Bethel was a location for the literal travel of angels to and from heaven and earth at that time! I'm not saying every aspect of the dream was to be taken literally (ladder, stairway, "beam me up, Scotty" transport unit, etc.), but certainly the Scripture intends to inform us that there was a portal connecting the two and there was busy traffic taking place.

The dream doesn't inform us that the location of travel between heaven and earth is static, that it only resided in Bethel. But it certainly did that night. It also doesn't inform us that it is in constant use, but it certainly was that night. It doesn't inform us that it was the only portal between heaven and earth that night but this one certainly existed that night. It does inform us, however, that there is a connection between heaven and earth and that earth is visited by angels. The purpose of these visits is such that we can only speculate.

We know from Scripture that some angels come with a specific task to accomplish, such as the ones that destroyed Sodom and led Lot and his family out of town. Some came for the Lord's ministry here on earth, at his birth, resurrection and ascension. Those young in the faith have angels that appear before God, Matthew 18:10. Those of us who are born again have angels that are "ministering spirits" sent to us, Hebrews 1:14. Angels accompany us as we go to be with the Lord at our death, Luke 16:22.

To me it is all simply fascinating! Together with the presence of God's Holy Spirit in the world today, angels represent God's activity here and now that goes undetected for the most part. As I often think: I'm sure I would be just astonished to know all the spiritual activity at play in and around us all day long!

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

Earning God's Contempt - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 27:36,

"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!"

Here is something I wrote about this verse in February, 2020:

Here is Esau's complaint to his father, Isaac, upon learning the blessing he was expecting from him was stolen through trickery. I note that Esau claims Jacob had taken advantage of him a "second time", the first was his birthright and now his blessing from his father (which was quite consequential).

I'm sure Esau felt the way he expressed himself, but here is what really happened when Jacob took Esau's birthright (which was quite consequential as well):

"Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!' (That is why he was also called Edom.) Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.' 'Look, I am about to die,' Esau said. 'What good is the birthright to me?' But Jacob said, 'Swear to me first.' So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob. 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." Genesis 25:29-34.

Esau "despised" his birthright by giving it to Jacob for a pot of lentil stew! Now, when he lost his blessing from Isaac (through real trickery where both Jacob, and Esau's own mother, Rebekah, conspired to do so), looking back he claims Jacob "took" it from him by taking advantage of him.

It really is amazing how foolish choices will often tend to be "reinterpreted" after the fact and certainly when repercussions follow. Esau's choices earned God's contempt for him as Paul notes in Romans 9:13 (in a quote from Malachi 1:2-3), "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Imperfect People of Faith - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 26:4-7,12-13,

"'I [the Lord] will make your [Isaac's] 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, because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.' So Isaac stayed in Gerar. 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.'... Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy."

The phrase, "like father, like son" certainly comes to mind here, doesn't it? Twice we read of Abraham, Isaac's father, doing this very thing: telling residents of a new place he went to that his wife was his sister so they wouldn't kill him to take her for themselves, Genesis 12:10-20 and Genesis 20:2-7. Apparently both Sarah and Rebekah were both very beautiful women. Now, here in chapter 26 we see Isaac doing the very same thing.

What are we to make of this? In both cases, the Lord made promises to them, to give them uncountable descendants, land, prosperity, and that all nations on the earth would be blessed through them (the coming of Jesus Christ.)

Both of these men are held up to us as prime examples of what people of faith look like - the kind of faith that the Lord looks for within us that qualifies us for an eternity with him. "he [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why 'it was credited to him as righteousness.'" Romans 4:20-22.

And, yet, following the promises made by the Lord, they resorted to tactics that appear to show anything but faith in the Lord protecting them so that his promises to them might be fulfilled. And, yet further, we read that the Lord, nevertheless, blesses them following their subterfuges, "Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy."

The Scriptures clearly portray this. Again, what are we to make of this?

My thought is that the Scriptures are telling us that the kind of faith God looks for in us is the kind that prompts us to live our lives reflecting that faith (which Abraham and Isaac certainly did). However, that faith does not make us perfect people and that we will not always be perfectly consistent. We are people of faith - imperfect people of faith, at times not as consistent as we might want to be. Something that the Lord is busy working on in our lives.

What do you think?

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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God's Elect: Those Who Embrace Him in Faith! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 25:23,

"The Lord said to her [Rebekah], 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.'"

Here is something I wrote on this verse in October, 2007:

Like Sarah before her, Rebekah was barren. Isaac prayed on her behalf and she became pregnant with the twins, Jacob and Esau. While pregnant the babies "jostled each other within her." When she asked the Lord about it (there must have been significant "jostling" going on!), he told her the two were nations that would be separated and that contrary to the cultural conventions of the day in a patriarchal society, the "older will serve the younger." The two nations of course would be Israel and Edom. Edom became a nation that often battled against Israel. The conflict within Rebekah's womb was a foreshadow of what would take place in the history of these two peoples.

The significance of the answer to Rebekah's prayer that entirely transcends the prophetic aspect of the "jostling" within her womb is that she was told the "older will serve the younger." Here, Paul makes an observation that pierces our assumptions about God, our theology and what we often expect from him. Paul points to this prophecy about Esau serving Jacob as a revelation that our God makes his own choice about things and it has nothing to do with our heritage or our performance. There are some things that God has decided and it has had nothing to do with how good or bad we have been or who our family ties are with.

In Romans 9:6-16 we read, "It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary, 'It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.' In other words, it is not the natural children who are God's children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. For this was how the promise was stated: 'At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.' Not only that, but Rebekah's children had one and the same father, our father Isaac. Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, 'The older will serve the younger.' Just as it is written: 'Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.' What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy."

Note Paul's words, "It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy." And, "Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: not by works but by him who calls—she was told, 'The older will serve the younger.'" God makes his own choices and the purposes of his choices trump any and all efforts to the contrary. Paul's point in Romans 9 is that God has decided who will be declared righteous, who will be saved, who will enter into the resurrection of life! Just as God has the right to determine that an older sibling will serve a younger sibling apart from anything they may do, so he has the right to decide who will be saved.

And, just who will be saved? Who is it he has chosen? It won't be anyone simply because he is a physical descendant of Abraham. And it won't be anyone simply because he has desire or makes an effort. God has decided, he has chosen, it will be those who have obtained "a righteousness that is by faith", Romans 9:30. Those who attempt to establish a righteousness by being good, "as if it were by works" stumble. "The one who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Romans 9:30-33. As Paul puts it in the next chapter, "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Here is the main point behind the book of Romans, "For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: 'The righteous will live by faith.'" Romans 1:17.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.

God's angels are present and active today! - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 24:40,

"The Lord, before whom I have walked, 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."

Here is something I wrote on this verse in October, 2007:

Here is what Abraham told his servant when he sent him to find a wife for Isaac. The Lord would send his angel with him to bring success. Did the servant see this angel on the trip? Did he sense the presence of this angel? The account does not provide the details of it but the thought of it causes me to think of the presence of angels amongst us today.

Angels were very active at the time of Jesus' birth, Luke chapters 1 and 2, and his death and resurrection, Matthew 28:2,5. Jesus had legions of angels at his disposal when he was here in his earthly ministry, Matthew 26:53. We know that angels will accompany the Lord when he returns for us at the end of the age, Matthew 16:27; 24:31, 2 Thessalonians 1:7. Angels were active in the early church, Acts 5:19, 8:26, 10:3-7, 12:7, Revelation 1:1, 20, etc.

Angels rejoice over the change of heart of a sinner when he or she turns to God, Luke 15:10 (can you imagine that when you and I turned to the Lord that the angels in heaven rejoiced?!) We also know that the young in faith have angels that appear before the face of our heavenly Father, Matthew 18:10. We are told all angels are "ministering spirits" sent to serve those of us who have embraced Jesus Christ in faith, Hebrews 1:14. Some believers have unknowingly extended hospitality to angels, Hebrews 13:2, (kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it…) Angels accompany us when we go to be with the Lord at our death, Luke 16:22.

There is so much more to learn of angels in the pages of Scripture as how they will participate in the judgment of the world at the end of the age throughout the book of Revelation. We read of joyful assemblies of angels in worship in that book and how they participate with the Lord in so many ways. The book ends with the Lord saying, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches." Revelation 22:16.

I am thoroughly convinced there are angels amongst us today involved in our affairs - and, I'm sure I would be quite astonished if I had any clue as to just how very actively involved they really are.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.