January 11

Genesis 12; Matthew 11

Genesis 12

Ready:
The previous chapter left off with the sons of Noah being dispersed over the earth in multiple languages and nations and Terah moving his family from Ur of the Chaldeans into Haran (stopping short of Canaan).  So thus far the lineage of interest is Adam to Seth to Noah to Terah to Abram, with others in between (like Enoch) but these are the main characters leading to Abram.  At this point the person that will be known as Abraham is still named Abram and he lives with his father Terah and it may have only been a few hundred years since the flood.  Lord let me see the wonder of your story here and give me ears to here the significance to my life and eyes to see your plan unfold as I know that Jesus is foreshadowed in all of the law and the prophets by the words of Jesus himself.

Reading thoughts:
I see in this chapter two main parts.  I see Abraham being chosen or “Adopted” by God from among offspring of Adam and Eve to be made into a select and unique people of God.  There had been a promise of an offspring from Eve that would crush the head of the serpent and it seems here now to be narrowed to Abram as he is called out from among the people of the earth, from among the descendants of Noah.  Lamech’s naming of Noah and believing that the curse would be relieved by Noah is coming further along now in God’s calling of Abram.  Abram responds to this call positively and he does as the Lord commands him.  Then I see a second part of this chapter where I get detail of Abram’s journey and his decision and his way of thinking is shown to me.  I see Abram choosing to protect himself in a rather unbecoming manner by giving up his wife to be as a wife to Pharaoh to save his own hide.  Interesting that Sarai goes along with this according to her husband’s will.  Here I remember that as a narrative story Moses is not writing prescriptively so as to tell me that everything recorded is being taught as good and for my instruction, but he write descriptively so as to relay a story to me that will include acts both good and evil by all characters so I can’t assume that what a “good guy” does is always good and recommended for me.

Key Verses:

“1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”” (Genesis 12:1–3, ESV)

“7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12:7, ESV)

“10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.” (Genesis 12:10, ESV)
“13 Say you are my sister, that it may go well with me because of you, and that my life may be spared for your sake.”” (Genesis 12:13, ESV)

“17 But the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” (Genesis 12:17, ESV)

“20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him, and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.” (Genesis 12:20, ESV)

I see the theme here as- God chooses and adopts Abram from among idol worshipers and makes a verbal covenant with him in keeping of his promise to Adam and Eve of an offspring that will conquer the enemy who brought sin and death upon them.

Rumination thoughts:
     v1-3.  Here there are a number of nations and languages on the earth that are all from the line of Noah and any of them could fulfill the promise of an offspring at this point.  But God specifically selects from among them Abram.  He is called out from a land and from a family where idol worship is practiced and most likely by Abram as well (Josh 24:2).  God give him the command to “go” to an unknown land that God will lead him to.  God also makes a promise to Abram involving him  1. becoming a great nation 2. being blessed 3.  having a great name 4. being protected by God by blessing and cursing of his allies and enemies 5.  becoming a blessing to all families of the earth.  So I take it that I should watch for these 5 things to be fulfilled from this point forward in the story up to and including in my lifetime and unto the great day of the Lord where Jesus returns.  These things may come in steps of fulfillment along the way but here God, who is truth, promises something to Abram.  He included the command so there is a sense here that this promise is dependent upon Abram obeying the command to “go”.
     v4-9.  Here Abram responds to the call of God and he goes and he takes his wife and the “people” that are with them (I assume servants and other family members) and specifically mentioned is his nephew Lot.  God again speaks to Abram and now he promises 6.  his offspring will have the land in Canaan.  Abram reacts by building an altar and worshiping God there where God spoke to him again.  He decides to pass through and settle toward a place called Negeb where he builds another altar and worships.  He seems to have a clear picture that he is not yet to go into the land but that he knows it is now given to his offspring.  At that point Abram was 75 years old.
     v10-20.  Here now the story shifts significantly so I know that there is something else that Moses wants me to get or to follow.  The message changes as the plot thickens and more characters are introduced.  There is a conflict of a famine that drives Abram and his bride into Egypt.  This is beginning to play out as a parallel to his descendants who will also end up in Egypt due to a famine.  But here we see something interesting in Abram.  Though he seems convinced that God will deliver what he has promised Abram still interprets that he must lie to protect himself.  It can be debated as to whether this was a lack of faith or if Abram simply figured that he was working toward making God’s promise a reality.  Like when he “went” to fulfill the promise so here maybe he wants to keep alive because he knows that God is doing a work and it seems to involve Abram making choices and taking actions toward that promise.  Like Josephs’s brothers years from now Abram is favored because of Sarai being in tight with Pharaoh just as Joseph was in Pharaoh’s court and offered protection and help to his brothers who arrived seeking relief from the famine (Gen 47).  But also like the Egyptian captivity of Israel where they were eventually abused as slaves Sarai is abused in the sense of being taken as a bride to another man to whom she does not belong.  Then the Lord afflicts Pharaoh with plagues very much foreshadowing what will come upon another Pharaoh in the future when Moses comes to bring the bride of the Lord out from the captivity of Egypt.  Pharaoh ends up sending them off with orders to his men, presumably to provide them with provisions just like the Israelites leave Egypt with gold and provisions when they leave with Moses about 400 years in the future.  So God works with error through Abram’s choice to lie and to treat his wife without the kind of regard that God would have expected but this becomes a visible pattern in the Bible that God uses our imperfect actions and even through the evil of the world he brings his good purpose and cause to fruition.  

Response:
Thank you Lord for the foreshadowing of your plan for your chosen people and for the establishment here of this people.  Thank you for the promises you have made to Abram and I pray that you would allow me to see clearly throughout this entire Bible how you keep these promises because you are truth and your word is authoritative and powerful.

Reaction:
Let me trust the circumstances and outcomes in my life to be under your control Lord and may I understand how my actions and choices play into your work and may I learn that you can and will accomplish your work in my life without my extra helping.  Yet when I blow it and sin and error Lord I know that this does not derail your plan nor does it put me outside of your promises.  Let me worship and rejoice as Abram did when you spoke and when you promised and when you gave him confidence.

Matthew 11

Ready:
Jesus has sent his apostles on mission and he has explained to them how to proceed and what to expect and it is not a rosy picture.  Now He moves on to other cities to teach and preach.

Reading thoughts:
I see Jesus calling attention to a passing of the torch from the prophets of the old testament to Jesus and his pronouncement of condemnation on those who reject God’s speaking through both the prophets and now Jesus.  I also see that Jesus calls those who would set aside the world’s wisdom and come to him like children and take the yoke of his grace rather than the heavy yoke of the law.  These who come to him will be given rest.

Key Verses:

“10 This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” (Matthew 11:10–11, ESV)

“24 But I tell you that it will be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you.”” (Matthew 11:24, ESV)

“25 At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.” (Matthew 11:25–26, ESV)

“28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”” (Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)

I see the theme as- Jesus announces the transition of revelation from the law and prophets to the incarnate Word among them and he declares woe to those who did not and who will not either now receive the message, but rest to those who will receive it.

Rumination thoughts:
        v1-6.  Here is an interesting account that sounds like the mighty John the Baptist as he sits imprisoned may have doubts or at least is looking for further confirmation that he has been right in his assessment of who Jesus is.  I recall that John kept in the womb of Elizabeth when pregnant Mary come into her presence and the two “met” for the first time in-utero.  But now John, like all of us, is thinking to himself and is hoping for confirmation.  Jesus here responds with amazing love for this man.  Jesus first sends word back to him citing prophecies concerning the Messiah and therefore makes plain to John that he is who John has expected.  Then the story gets better as we see how Jesus speaks of John to those that heard this doubt or question coming from him.
        v7-15.  Jesus here defends John and declares to the world and all future reader of this book that John the Baptist is the greatest man ever to have lived on the earth!  My paraphrase of his comments..."Careful there you who would cast stones at John!!  This man is the last of the old testament prophets and he has prepared the way for me like nobody before him.  He came like Elijah and he has done the work of God among you.”  In verse 12 he says “from the days of John the Baptist until now” as if to designate some transition.  Well John is still alive so this is a unique transition and I take it to mean that John was indeed the final prophet of the Old Testament and now God will speak through his Son as described in Hebrews 1:1.  The prophet Malachi spoke of one who would come like Elijah and there was a common question as to whether John was actually Elijah come again but John himself refutes this and he clearly just came with a similar purpose.
        v16-19.  I take this paragraph to mean that there is no pleasing the one who is dead set to reject the message.  Like children who can’t find the right tune at either extreme to please their friends, God has given Israel a prophet who was very set apart and did not commune with sinners and they did not listen to the message.  Then God sent his Son who did commune with sinners and express the same message with compassion and mercy but still the majority of Israel does not listen.  There is no pleasing the one who wants to reject God.  I take the implication to be just that.  There is no arguing someone into trusting God, rather it is a work that the Holy Spirit does on their heart and our job is merely to give the message as faithfully as we can with joy and compassion.    
        v20-24.  I take this paragraph to be Jesus making it clear that knowledge brings accountability.  There can be an error here to watch out for however.  Seeing that someone who knows more about something is held to a higher standard in their response than the ignorant person does not mean that the ignorant person is not still guilty.  I take the context of the clear judgement of God falling upon cities that were known to be God haters to make it clear here that Jesus is not saying that these cities were not condemned as well (Gen 13:13, Gen 19:24-25).  We are talking about degrees of punishment being commensurate with knowledge. This makes sense with Rom 5:20 that says the law came it increase the trespass (knowledge of sin) and Rom 7:13 says that the law made sin more sinful.  Therefore, there remains an urgency to global missions.  Yes, the punishment will be worse for someone who has rejected Jesus outright with a full gospel presentation being made to them, but the truth is that what sets us on a course of judgment is not what we do with Jesus.  It is our sin nature and our rebellion before we ever heard the name of Jesus.  It is the completely free and radically undeserved mercy of God that I ever heard the gospel.  Now I owe it to every other human on the planet to extend that mercy to them because even without the gospel proclaimed to them they are accountable to God and remain under his wrath (Rom 1:18-21, John 3:36, Eph 2:1-4).  The great commission is real and the call to missions and evangelism is directed at me as much as to a missionary in India.  Before I am tempted to judge God or to doubt the plain meaning of this text I need to consider the additional context of Paul’s teaching in Romans (Rom 9:8-29, Rom 11:32-33, & Rom 4:13-25).  These texts help me see that it is the mercy of God alone and God does not owe redemption to a single person.  The way to become a child of Abraham is now through faith in Christ specifically, not just trusting God to send an offspring to deliver us like it was in the Old Testament…now we need to give our lives to the child born in Bethlehem because the offspring has arrived!  “It will be counted to us who believe in the one who was raised form the dead, Jesus our Lord…” so we need to spread this message.  Every New Testament scripture referring to Jesus being the only name and the need for the Son applies to those hearing this message (people alive after the death and resurrection of Christ) and not to the Old Testament saints who did not know who Jesus was and who did not confess his name... but they did trust in an offspring to come and they took God at his word.  How wonderful that the OT saints Simeon and Anna in Luke chapter 2 got to lay eyes on their salvation!!  Most OT saints were not this fortunate to see the source of their salvation (Luke 2:25-38).  These texts help me see that OT saints were saved by the blood of Jesus just like I am.  
        v25-30.  An interesting blending of concepts here in this paragraph where Jesus simultaneously says that only those who he chooses can know the Father and the Son but then immediately makes a broad invitation to anyone to come and take his yoke for deliverance from what oppresses them, namely the law.  Somehow hiding his will from the proud and independent (like Babel) and revealing it to the dependent and submissive is a gracious act of God.  This is gracious to the proud because 1. They are still alive and 2.  The salvation of the Gentiles comes back around and leads to the salvation of Israel as well (Rom 11).

Response:
    I have decided to make these last two sections private from now on in order to preserve the effectiveness and sincerity of my own devotion because I find too much mental distraction related to the fact that this is becoming public.  I recommend that you continue with these steps and I will therefore keep them on the posts but they will simply say “Private”.
    I may begin to post at the end of the rumination section the headings Meaning, Implications, and Significance where I can plainly list what I am taking away from the reading rather than it coming out partially in what I am making private now.

Reaction:
"Private"

Soli Deo Gloria!