January 18

Genesis 19; Matthew 18

Genesis 19

Ready:
I left off with Abraham interceding on behalf of the righteous who may be at Sodom and I learn that God does not intend to condemn the righteous or to judge the righteous unjustly but he favored mercy upon the wicked even before injustice upon the righteous who fear him.  I saw that Abraham was to command the people of God to do righteousness and justice as a condition of the covenant.  Lord teach me and show me more of your amazing epic and let me see how the story weaves your Son into its fabric.

Reading thoughts:
I see God dealing mercifully with Lot in this chapter on behalf of Abraham’s request.  Lot seems to be halfhearted in his desire for rescue and though he protects the men (angels) who visited, he did so offering his poor daughters up like a deadbeat father.  The angels had to take him by near force and they led him and his wife and his daughters out by hand.  His son ins laws remained unconvinced of the urgency to leave Sodom and Gomorrah are utterly destroyed due to their wickedness and Lot’s wife is lost due to her looking back upon what must have been her love- she lacked the obedience of faith.  I see Lot’s daughters whom he was so willing to give up in the danger at Sodom trick their dad into laying with them and they both bear children that become peoples whom God uses against the Israelites years in the future.

Key Verses:

“3 But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.” (Genesis 19:3, ESV)

“4 But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. 5 And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”” (Genesis 19:4–5, ESV)

“13 For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”” (Genesis 19:13, ESV)

“16 But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. 17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.”” (Genesis 19:16–17, ESV)

“29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.” (Genesis 19:29, ESV)

I see the theme as- God is righteous and just yet he deals mercifully with Lot whom deserves it not.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-3.  Here it is clear that Lot is not in a good way.  Lot fully understands the wickedness of this city and yet he is pleased to live there with his wife and family.  Lot knows the danger that face these visitors and he immediately intercedes to protect them.  There is no indication that Lot knew they came for him but it sounds like Lot simply noticed strangers entered the city and he knew this was a problem.  So at least it seems that he has a sense of mercy himself in not wanting the men to be abused.
    v4-5.  The complete wickedness of the city is made clear here when every male in the entire city comes to rape the men and demands that Lot release them for such.  I would imagine that this includes Lot’s son-in-laws who are betrothed to his daughters because they were not in the house that night.
    v6-9.  Lot tries to convince the men to leave but he offers his daughters to be raped by the whole town!  Lot is very ill and does not seem to have much backbone.
    v10-13.  Here the angels intercede to protect the daughters and to stop the confrontation by blinding the men of the City.  They inform Lot that they are about to destroy the City.  Here that make it clear that they are messengers of the Lord and that they have come to destroy the City.
    v14.  Lot seems to immediately believe them and he goes to bring out his son-in-laws with this warning but they don’t heed him.
    v15-16.  Lot seems to grow apathetic about the warning himself since the next morning he sleeps in and the angels have to wake him and urge him to get going.  He still wastes time and they literally force him and his family to leave taking them by the hand in the mercy of God.  I note that them overcoming his apathy and his unwillingness was the mercy of God here.  He seemed incapable to make this choice to leave the City even though he knew how wicked it was but it took the pulling of the Lord in mercy to save him.
    v17-22.  I don’t know what to do with Lot here but to know that I am probably a dummy in many of the same ways.  He can’t just listen and do as he is instructed but he has to meddle with the clear direction of the Lord.
    v23-29.  God indeed destroys Sodom and Gomorrah and this will be an event that is referenced throughout the Bible as a warning and as evidence of the judgement of God and of the wickedness of man.  Lot’s wife is lost perhaps due to her longing for the City still and she perishes due to her disobedience.  Abraham sees the evidence of the City being destroyed and knows that there were less than 10 righteous…it would seem that there were none.  Yet in mercy God saves Lot and his daughters.
    v30-38.  Here some enemies of the Israelites are born due to the sin of Lot’s daughters in wanting to extend the line of their father who has retreated to a place apart from others and where he would have no wife to give him any boys.  The prophet Zephaniah declares that the Moabites and the Ammonites will become like Sodom and Gomorrah…a plundered wasteland.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  I hear Moses teaching that the Lord is faithful to do as he says he will do and that he dealt with Lot and his family not according to his iniquity but according to the Lord’s mercy.  The implication is that God may give mercy to the stiff-necked because he does not do it for their sake but for his own glory in keeping a promise that Abraham will be a blessing.  The significance for me is that I can trust God to deliver me in spite of my sin and my messed up thinking because it is not something in me that merits his action.  

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Matthew 18

Ready:
Jesus has transfigured and revealed something amazing to three of the disciples.  The faith of the other nine has fallen into question in their absence and Jesus teaches them that trusting in him and his authority is necessary.  Jesus explained his coming suffering and he demonstrated his authority over the creation as well as a desire to not stumble anyone who may think he needs to pay the temple tax.

Reading thoughts:
I see Jesus teaching about humility and dependence and about our responsibility toward others in not causing them to sin and in forgiving them and our responsibility for ourselves to take extreme measures in caution to protect ourselves from becoming enslaved by sin.

Key Verses:

“3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3–4, ESV)

“7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes!” (Matthew 18:7, ESV)

“8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire.” (Matthew 18:8, ESV)

“21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21–22, ESV)

“32 Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. 33 And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’” (Matthew 18:32–33, ESV)

I see the theme here as- Humble yourself before the Lord and before man and give mercy to the measure you have received it.

Rumination thoughts:
    v1-4.  Here Jesus comes against the vain chatter of the disciples who want to know who is to be greatest in the kingdom of heaven.  They may be recovering from the three being selected to go up the mountain with Jesus and now they want to settle this festering wound.  Jesus explains that the only way to even be in the kingdom is to come dependent and humble and so their question would seem to condemn them.  Knowing that some will become great men of God and accomplish much for the kingdom he adds that the one who humbles himself like a child will be great.  So our gifts and use in the kingdom may differ but we each have opportunity to humble ourselves and to rely not on ourselves but upon the Lord.
    v5-6.  There is great danger in leading people astray.  This is a strong warning for those who would be employed in industries that tempt and lure away would be disciples and that enslave people to the world and to the flesh.  There will likely be great payment made by those who operate the wicked system of this world that lusts after consumerism and sex and power.  This leads immediately into the next paragraph.
    v7-9.  Here Jesus makes clear that there is a purpose of God in temptations as seen by the Spirit leading Jesus into the desert to be tempted.  yet although God uses the evil of temptations and even sin itself to ultimately accomplish his will, he definitely holds those doing the tempting accountable for their wickedness.  He also holds accountable the sinner who falls to the temptation and he makes is clear here that we are to take great care and go to extremes in order to avoid sin.  Jesus speaks with exaggeration here to make this point and does not call us to mutilate our bodies since this will clearly not stop us from sinning anyhow.  The point is to get serious about sin.  The point is to kill sin where it stands and to avoid it like the plague.  We are to be like the righteous man in psalm 1.
    v10-14.  Perhaps here now before we go and despise the one who does fall to temptation and we get arrogant and begin to wish ill upon them then let me consider this passage.  Before I let myself despise the one who falls into sin I need to consider that the angels rally and fight for this one and the good shepherd will go for this one and if he indeed is one of his pasture then his voice will be heard and the sheep return.  Let me not despise but let me pray for the speedy return of the lost sheep.  Interesting the in this parable the shepherd rejoices more over the one who returns than the one who never fell.  It seems maybe that God is more glorified in our conquering of sin and death than that we would have still been in the garden backed and clueless to the depth of his mercy and grace.  Perhaps he is more glorified in mankind whom he rescues than in the angels who remain faithful from the beginning.  This also leads all into the next paragraph.
    v15-20.  Here the goal is not despising and disowning but restoration.  This description of church discipline is about restoring the lost sheep, not destroying him.  The church is given authority to discipline and to put a member out of fellowship as if an offending unbeliever but this is to allow opportunity for them to be guided back by the good shepherd since they are refusing the guidance of the earthly shepherd.  This is the alternative to simply accepting sinful behavior and rebellion within the body of Christ.  We are called to be holy.  Perhaps this excommunication is a statement to God and his angels that this sheep is lost O Lord and we loose him now unto the world that you would guide him back again by your mighty hand.
    v21-22.  Here is a teaching by Jesus that I take to be a reference back to Lamech (from the line of Cain) who boasted of his vengeance of seventy-seven times that he took into his hands in murderous rage.  Jesus responds to the question of how many times do I forgive my brother with this reference and I believe his point is to suggest that such a question is like the attitude of Lamech that would take vengeance into his own hands.  What is the opposite of forgiving?  What do you do if you don’t forgive?  I think Jesus is making the point that his children do not consider not forgiving- ever.  I thank God that his grace abounds!  This point is then expressed differently in a parable…
    v23-35.  Here Jesus teaches a parable that shows a master who is owed an incredible sum of money by someone he has full charge and authority over.  This servant owes more to this master than can ever possibly be earned in many lifetimes (about 200,000 years wages).  I think the point is that the servant owed an infinite and un-payable debt.  The master has pity on his servant who expresses submission and the entire debt is forgiven!  Then this servant who was just forgiven of his completely infinite and un-payable debt goes off and holds someone under him accountable for a ridiculously smaller debt with no mercy and he offers no forgiveness.  The master makes the point in verse 32-33 that the forgiveness given unto him should have translated into a heart that forgives the same of others.  Since this heart change was not present the master re-instituted the debt and the unforgiving servant was delivered to jail presumably for the rest of his life and beyond.  The message here is not very hidden and it is clear that if we have been transformed by the grace and mercy of God then we will be people that extend this kind of mercy to others.  We are commanded to forgive as God has forgiven us (Col 3:12-13. Matt 6:14-15).

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    1.  I hear the message of humble surrender and reliance upon God.  The implication today is that this same is required.  Significance for me is that I need to not seek self-exaltation but I must humble myself and know that it is by relying upon God that I have any standing with him.
    2.  I hear the message that it is grievous to lead people into sin.  The implication remains today and the significance for me is that I want nothing to do with tempting others by my actions or my associations or my statements or anything else.
    3.  I hear Jesus teach that we are to take drastic measures to guard against sin.  The implication is that sin should not be taken lightly and that steps to guard against temptation should be a regular part of a Christian’s life.  The significance is that I cannot ignore or disregard what I would put before my eyes on TV or a movie screen or on the computer.  I cannot disregard what I would expose myself to in where I spend time or in what I do for recreation.  If I know there is a place or an activity that leads me into heavy temptation then I am an idiot for continuing to do that without radically protecting myself in some manner.  I know of men who will unplug and carry the TV from their hotel room down to the front desk for safe keeping during their stay!
    4.  I hear the teaching that Christians are to love the lost sheep and pray for their return and they are to take effort to help this along through church discipline if needed and then the church may need to remove them from fellowship and loose them to the devil (1 Cor 5:4-5) for destruction that they may be saved.  The implication today is that unrepentant sin is not to be tolerated within the church and there is to be accountability and we are to remove the evil person from among us (1 Cor 5:11-13).  The significance for me is that I should not close my eyes but I should love enough to confront brothers who are unrepentant and who need some guidance.  I should be willing to build them up and to help them.  I should seek to restore them and if a couple brothers need to take the lost sheep before the church for more help then so be it.
    5.  I hear the teaching that forgiveness is not optional.  The implication remains and the significance for me is that I must seek the Lord and his strength and I must understand well how much I have been forgiven so that passing this mercy down the line comes quickly to me.  Regular reflection upon my sin and what the Lord has suffered on my account may help in this.  Seeing God and seeing myself properly and understanding the nature of mercy and forgiveness and the wrath and utter destruction I would face without the mercy of God upon this undeserving worm may help.

Response:
“Private”

Reaction:
“Private”

Soli Deo Gloria!