Genesis 13; Matthew 12
Genesis 13
Ready:
In the previous chapter you called Abram and you are now establishing a certain people with whom you will dwell and through whom you will bless all families of the earth Lord and you will be keeping promises to Abram for all time to come and this will result in many more covenants and promises and in action and in mission. Let me see again how your plan unfolds Lord and may you cause me to be humble and submissive to your Word today that I do not bring in biases or preconceptions without checking all against you Word. Teach me Lord I pray.
Reading thoughts:
This chapter describes how Abram and Lot parted ways after they left Egypt with great possessions. They had been blessed by God and now the great deal of possessions caused trouble between them. Abram shows faith and love and humility in allowing Lot to make his choice of the land and determine where he will settle and then God speaks again to Abram reiterating the promise to give the land of Canaan to the offspring of Abraham.
Key Verses:
“2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” (Genesis 13:2, ESV)
“4 to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord.” (Genesis 13:4, ESV)
“8 Then Abram said to Lot, “Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen. 9 Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”” (Genesis 13:8–9, ESV)
“12 Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. 13 Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.” (Genesis 13:12–13, ESV)
“14 The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, 15 for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. 16 I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted.” (Genesis 13:14–16, ESV)
“18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord.” (Genesis 13:18, ESV)
I see the theme as- The blessings of God are also a test of our love for God and for others and our possessions should not become a distraction from our trust in God alone.
Rumination thoughts:
v1-4. Here Abram leaved Egypt pretty much expelled by Pharaoh for the trouble he brought them…again just like the Israelites will leave 400 years from this point and they also take a plunder of wealth with them. Exodus records that they Israelites took silver and gold and much livestock just as Abram does here in Genesis. Abram does not forget the Lord in the enjoyment of his wealth and prosperity but he goes back to an altar he had previously built where she lived before and he called upon the Lord. I take this to mean that he asked God to direct him in his next actions in anticipation of God keeping the promises he had made to Abram.
v5-7. I take the reason for this conflict being the next thing perhaps to be God’s answer to Abram’s call. Just as I do not know how to pray for myself as I ought to pray and so the Holy Spirit intercedes for me according to the will of God (Rom 8:26-27) so God here seems to bring about what would be a negative scenario in order to do good and to further his purpose in something Abram would never know or want to pray for (Rome 8:28-29).
v8-13. Here Abram and Lot settle their conflict well no doubt due to Abram’s humility and trust in God for his future. Lot makes a choice based on what he sees rather than hoping in what is not seen like Abram (Rom 8:24-25). We are given a clue by Moses of the trouble to come since he says that the land Lot is choosing is full of great sinners against the Lord.
v14-18. Here God speaks to Abram again and it follows this faithful and loving response that Abram had to the conflict. God again gives confidence to Abram that his hop is in the right place and he reminds him that in all directions the land of Canaan shell belong to his offspring. But those born after the flood in chapter 11 were fathering children at about the age of 29-70 years old and Abram was more than 75 years old (Gen 12:4) at this point with no offspring. God tells Abram to travel through the land so that he can survey it and rejoice in what will belong to his family. Then, settling at Hebron, Abram builds another Altar to the Lord and worships the God in whom he trusts.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance:
1. I hear Moses saying that God blessed Abram with riches but Abram kept his original focus of relying on God. The implication is that it is honoring to God when we are more in love with him than with the gifts that he gives. The significance for me is that I need to continue to go to God with my devotion and praise even during times of prosperity.
2. I hear Moses saying that trust, action, and worship was the response that Abram had to God speaking promises to him. Since this is consistent with the rest of scripture I take the implication here is that trust in God does not lead to sitting on my butt but on getting going in the direction he leads. The significance for me is that I should act upon what God promises and I should do so with confidence in his goodness and I should be grateful for his faithfulness to his own name. Now to see the promises and understand them as intended is another thing! Lord let me hear your promises well and know how they apply to me.
Response:
“Private”
Reaction:
“Private”
Matthew 12
Ready:
In the last chapter Jesus responded to the messengers sent by John the Baptist and he addressed the crowd to explain the transition from the Old Testament to the New Testament for those with ears to hear. I also consider this morning how I make observations with my eyes but I hear messages with my ears. I think it is helpful to approach text of the Bible with that tough that I need to see the plain things stated and the story unfolding but then I need to try to hear what message or meaning is intended by the author..as Jesus says there to those listening “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”. Lord let me not only observe the story and see what is said but let me hear your message and may you change me in this hearing.
Reading thoughts:
I see teaching here on the Sabbath about how to honor it and how to dishonor it. I see that by the Spirit of God leading Jesus he comes and goes and chooses where he will teach and heal and he works toward the goal of the cross as primary. I see Jesus teaching on the seriousness of calling God’s work by his Holy Spirit evil. Jesus relates this to how our actions come from within us and suggests that evil brings forth evil and good brings forth good. Jesus speaks of a universal sign to be given as his death and resurrection like Jonah in the great fish that they would know about. He speaks of a couple instances where the people reacted to messengers but notes the irony that now the incarnate message himself speaks and this evil generation does not react. I also see him teach about how a demon removed is a job incomplete that will only invite him back with friends. He closes the chapter announcing that it is the family of God, the church united by the Spirit of God, that is our enduring and true family. Abraham is our father!
Key Verses:
“8 For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”” (Matthew 12:8, ESV)
“12 Of how much more value is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”” (Matthew 12:12, ESV)
“20 a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”” (Matthew 12:20–21, ESV)
“30 Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew 12:30, ESV)
“35 The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. 36 I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, 37 for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”” (Matthew 12:35–37, ESV)
“40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40, ESV)
“50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”” (Matthew 12:50, ESV)
I see the theme here as- Surface level law keeping and power wielding is different than the obedience of faith and the one who knows God will bear good fruit that will testify to their standing with God and their faith in him and their love for one another.
Rumination thoughts:
v1-14. Here Jesus corrects the Pharisees and simultaneously rebukes them for not reading the scriptures that they claim to live by. He cites and instance where David sustained himself and his men with the holy bread from the temple that is meant only for priests who indeed do labor on the Sabbath. Two things stated here at once is that there indeed is work to be done on the Sabbath…the work of God! Priests are to labor at the work of the Lord and so shall we! Here David is assuming a priestly role in taking this bread and looking at the reference to 2 Samuel where this occurred I see that the priest also gave David Goliath’s sword which he had used to cut the head off Goliath years earlier. Very cool providence of God to give David a sign of victory at this moment when he and his men are lacking food and need help! Jesus also seems to be saying that gathering and eating is also a valid use of the Sabbath. David had no other option…it was necessary for him to do this on the Sabbath for the sustaining of himself and his men. Similarly I may need to go to work on the Sabbath in order to provide for the basic necessities of my family and because my employment requires it. Jesus makes clear that the Sabbath is not intended as an excuse for not working for the Lord and for not doing good to others and for not helping one another and for not meeting our basic needs of provision. This is making the Sabbath about man’s convenience rather than about honoring the Lord with our time. Besides, Jesus created the Sabbath and they need to let him explain it to them instead of the other way around. The pharisees despised this teaching and sought to destroy Jesus who would turn their religious observances upside down, stripping them of their pride and accusing them of doing wrong.
v15- 21. Here Matthew narrates here giving the inside scoop about how Jesus is the servant of God that is referenced in Isaiah 42 and therefore also in Isaiah 53 and it is his sacrifice that vindicates the justice (righteousness) of God. Jesus fixes a huge problem for God in that his mercy given for ages past to mankind who is allowed to live in spite of our sin is an attack on his justice. Verse 21 makes clear that Jesus came to make God’s justice victorious. Jesus came to show exactly how it is that God’s mercy is not set against his justice…because the price is fully paid in the blood of Jesus for all who trust in an offspring of old and for the present time for those who hope in the offspring himself, Jesus (Rom 3:24-26)! So it seems here that Jesus tries to not cause excessive eruptions in order to continue on his main purpose of heading to the cross of Calvary.
v22-32. Here is a difficult passage about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. I think the main teaching here is directly related to the next passage so to say that the Holy Spirit, being goodness, brings forth good fruit in Jesus and in anyone person. To claim that the good work of someone who works by the power of the Holy Spirit is evil is to claim ascribe God’s good work to the devil and it not only makes no sense but that is a wicked refusal to accept the work of God. Jesus basically says you can question my identity and my authority because I am here as a man and it takes some illumination by the Holy Spirit for you to perceive me as God in the flesh, but never…never question the identity of the Spirit of God. Indeed test the spirits (1 John 4:1) but when you see God working in perfect agreement with his Word then you dare not accuse it to be the devil’s work. This is to deny God working in the world that he created. Jesus declares that whoever is not with me is against me and so do not set yourself against the Holy Spirit or against the Word of God. Most people say that if you are worried whether you may have blasphemed the Holy Spirit at some point…that very thought of humble submission is evidence that you have not!
v33-36. Here Jesus tells them to stop hiding the truth about themselves. Stop dressing up the ugly fruit on the rotten tree to make it seem good. Jesus declares that our words spring forth from our hearts or our inner person and the real desires of our soul. This makes out words very indicative of our real self and there are no words we speak that are meaningless. He says that we will be justified or condemned by our words. This can sound like a contradiction to Rom 10:9-10 that says belief in the heart justifies. I take this as complimentary and it helps me understand that the truth of that belief in my heart will in fact come forth from my mouth as clear evidence of the reality of what is unseen within me. So my trust in God will be known even to me (since I cannot see the justification of my heart) by what comes forth through my mouth. My words are meaningful. Do I speak life and peace and do I build up? Do I evidence a trust in God with my words or something else?
v38-42. Here the pharisees ask for a sign from Jesus and I learn that there are two ways to ask for a sign. Here the Pharisees seek to make Jesus prove something they do not believe. They do not trust him and want him to provide them with a reason to trust him. This is wicked. Abraham, however, asks for a sign (Gen 15:8) of God’s intention not from distrust but from joy and from wanting something tangible to help him focus his remembrance and he knows that his flesh is weak and will later wonder about spoken words. God then displays before Abraham the amazing covenant that is made only by God on behalf of Abraham. Zechariah is an example of the wrong motive in asking for a sign (Luke 1:18) because he did not trust that God could do what was being said (it seems, but the angel’s reaction). Jesus declares that his resurrection will be the true sign of his authority and identity (Rom 1:4) and he condemns those who do not see and believe this sign. The Bible regularly speaks of people condemning other people by their responses (Rom 2:26-28) because what is possible to see and to understand or to accomplish is evidenced by one person to the discredit of the other. The perfect man, Jesus, is the standard we are judged by and we are thus condemned by his perfect obedience (Rom 2:16).
v43-45. I take Jesus to be teaching here that the Pharisees may cast out demons but if they are not bringing a message of trust in God and reliance upon God rather than empty external religion, then the demons will return. I figure this speaks of the exorcisms performed by unbelievers (professing believers who are not trusting in God and bearing real fruit- The Pharisees) because Jesus adds “So also it will be with this evil generation”. I don’t see him using this term to refer to the work being done by the Apostles who preach the arrival of the Kingdom or God (the bridegroom or offspring). The evil generation simply preaches to be good and to keep rituals and to impress God. v46-50. Here I think Jesus is making the point that the eternal bond of the Holy Spirit forming the body of Christ (the church) is deeper and more real than the fleshly bond of bloodlines and family. He knows some will be divided from their families by his message and some will need to choose him over family. Jesus also knows that our eternal marriage is to him and not to our earthly spouse. We recognize our church family because they are the ones doing the will of God.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance:
I have included some of this above and will focus on the following.
1. I hear Jesus teaching concerning the Sabbath that it is better to love mercy than religious observances. I take the significance to be that I am not to use some religious excuse to avoid helping the needy around me. I take the significance to be that I should not look for reasons to make it right to ignore the needy and to not help anyone but I should instead seek to have mercy on those in need and I should carry the message of loving kindness wherever I go.
2. I hear Jesus teaching that my words matter and are an evidence of my heart. I take the implication to be that I can know my heart by my words. The significance for me is that I should reflect upon my speech and the use of my words and this will help me to know the ever changing condition of my heart and help me to pray better and to seek God’s help to mold me better. This would not just apply to specific word choices but conversations and the total of what I use my speech all day long to accomplish. Do I speak the Word of God to anyone? Do I speak about Jeff? About Jesus? About cars and luxury? About the needs of others? About global missions? About what do I speak?
3. I hear Jesus teaching that the church is our family in a way that is bigger than our blood relatives. I take the implication to be that I need to consider my relationships with brothers and sisters in Christ to be pretty important (including within my physical family). A significance for me here can be to ensure that I am not ignoring needs among my brothers and sisters and that I am loving them like I love my physical family. My physical family is still the standard to compare to and I am certainly not do discard them or think less of them because of this teaching but I am simply called to elevate my understanding of the family of God.
Response:
“Private”
Reaction:
“Private”
Soli Deo Gloria!
