Genesis 11:27-32

As I read this passage I can’t help but notice how rough life was even for the guys and gals in the Bible.

Followed by the introduction of a dad (Terah), and his three sons (Abram, Nahor, and Haran), we go on a rollercoaster ride of news, rising high on emotion as Baby Lot is born to Haran, and then the devastating fall out of Haran’s death. I’m sure Terah was grieved over the fact his youngest died before him. Soon after these events the family is uprooted to a new place. While en route Terah dies, and Abram is thrust into the position of “Head of the Household”. Not only is Abram trying to pick up the pieces of a broken and grieving family, he’s also in a foreign land separated from everything he was once familiar with. To add insult to injury he discovers his wife cannot bear children, bringing the dilemma of not being able to continue the family name (which was a big deal in the ancient Middle East).

Abram was stuck in the territory of Haran, he had followed his father there in obedience and now he is in the place where God, his heavenly father, will begin to command and lead, and Abram will learn to follow his new father.

“Be still, and know that I am God”

Psalm 46:10

Sometimes I find myself forgetting the fact that these biblical heroes got run over by life just like you and I today. It’s encouraging to me to see that even with the difficult life that Abram had, in the end, God worked amazing things from hopeless situations. This gives me a bit of hope in my seeming hopeless situations.

Let’s be real, all of us have had times where it seemed like the whole world was falling apart on top of us, and we get buried alive under the rubble. I’m sure Abram wasn’t exactly stoked in the midst of his current difficulties. However, God had a plan, and He was going to use this broken life and family to establish peace, restoration, and salvation to the whole human race.

“It is only when our lives are hid with Christ in God that we learn how to be silent unto God, not silent about Him, but silent with the strong restful certainty that all is well, behind everything stands God, and the strength of the soul is that it knows it. There are no panics intellectual or moral. What a lot of panicky sparrows we are, the majority of us. We chatter and tweet under God’s eaves until we cannot hear His voice at all-until we learn the wonderful life and music of the Lord Jesus telling us that our heavenly Father is the God of the sparrows, and by the marvelous transformation of grace He can turn the sparrows into His nightingales that can sing through every night of sorrow. A sparrow cannot sing through a night of sorrow, and no soul can sing through a night of sorrow unless it has learned to be silent unto God -one look, one thought about my Father in heaven, and it is all right.”

-Oswald Chambers (If you will be perfect pg.91)

No matter what gnarly situation you might be facing today, remember that God is working the present difficulty together for His future glory… through you. (Romans 8:28) You are part of His plan, and believe it or not He is using you, and your situation, to prepare the way for the arrival of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus essentially takes the broken pieces and returns to us peace. (Jeremiah 29:11)

“I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of His wrath. He has led me and made me walk in darkness and not in light…He has hedged me in so that I cannot get out; He has made my chain heavy. Even when I cry and shout, He has made me desolate. He has also broken my teeth with gravel, and covered me with ashes. You have moved my soul far from peace; I have forgotten prosperity…Through the Lords mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness…The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. It is good that one should hope and wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord…For the Lord will not cast off forever. Though He causes grief, Yet He will show compassion according to the multitude of His mercies.”

-The Lament of the Prophet Jeremiah (Lamentations 3:1-32)

God bless you

-Dan

“The Lord is my shepherd…”

Psalm 23:1

Just above the first words of this psalm is the introduction, “A Psalm of David”.  As I was soaking up this psalm I found that I never really gave a whole lot of thought to the fact that I’m reading the passion and ponderings of a shepherd.  When considering all the great biblical characters most of us have a picture painted in our minds of what that character looked like.  John the Baptist is often sporting some type of gnarly animal fur and throwing back some type of bug as a snack, Jesus has these wonderful blue eyes, lush long hair, and a nicely trimmed beard, David is often wearing a crown on his head remembered as King or a sling in his hand remembered as a giant slayer, but more often than not people don’t think of him as the shepherd.  That’s because being a shepherd has never really been a job of glory and fame but a job of grace and shame.

A Shepherd in ancient times wasn’t the most socially acceptable position.  Most of them were considered the low lives of society due to their image.  As a shepherd, stepping in pasture patties wasn’t something uncommon, having some poop stains on your robe was normal, and smelling like sheep was just another thing that came with the job.  They tend animals that don’t have the sense to tend themselves.  Often lost, hurt, or hunted, sheep had need of a capable, gracious, and faithful caretaker, and the same goes for you and me. 

In the Bible God is often referred to as The Shepherd, and we are the sheep.  He is the leader and the caretaker and we are those that need leading and taking care of. 

Why?

Because we too get lost in sin, get hurt by this world, and are hunted by the enemy.  So the Lord, our Shepherd, came to be with, provide for, and take care over us, His sheep.

Why would one be a shepherd though? 

Why take a job that stinks and is looked down on by others?

The answer is not “Someone’s got to do it” but “Someone gets to do it”

You see a shepherd doesn’t sign up for the status boost or the working conditions, He signs up because he has a relationship to the sheep, he loves them and wants see them live abundantly well.  His reward is them, in their life, their growth, their abiding.  Just as a Shepherd’s joy is in his sheep, so too the Lord’s joy and reward is in us.  God cares for you and me, He desires to see us not only live life but to live it abundantly well, without being stolen from, without being beat up, without being annihilated. 

“Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.  He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.”

Isaiah 40:10-11

So how do we get to that place with the Shepherd? 

How do we receive abundant life? 

We abide with the Shepherd, we draw near and intimately remain with the Lord…we stay in the pasture of His will, we drink from the water of His word, we eat up the feast of HIs blessings, and we receive the outpouring of the oil of His Spirit. 

As we continue to look deeper into Psalm 23 may we continue to draw nearer to the Lord and enjoy as he draws nearer to us (James 4:8).

Genesis 20:7

Again we see the introduction of a word to the Bible, here is the first time the word “prophet” is used in the Bible.  Although normally this word implies the ability of speaking for God, the word here also implies more the holding of a relationship with God.  Abraham would later be the only one to hold the official title “friend of God”.  It’s pretty amazing if you think about it.  Who would blame God for making a little space between Himself and Abe.  After all, it might put some spots on the ol’ reputation if God was caught hanging with “sinners” right?  The truth is that’s the way we look at each other most of the time, but that isn’t the way the Lord see’s us.  That’s the radical God we serve. 

You better believe He doesn’t turn a blind eye to sin, that’s why Jesus paid such a massive penalty on the cross.  No, God didn’t dismiss our sin; He disarmed its ability to kill us.  Through faith in Jesus Christ we can be justified of our sin.  What does Justified mean?  Just-as-if sin didn’t happen.  That is the Great God we serve!  He graciously looks past our foolishness and sees us through the blood of Christ, calling us friend. 

“For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.  Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.  Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer.  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.  Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-19

So the next time you’re in Abimelech’s position and you’ve been wronged by someone who has a relationship with God, remember God has forgiven that person…and so should you. 

Why?

Because you have been graciously forgiven just like them. 

Just like Abimilech, we too are in danger of death.  You see, if Abimilech held onto his rights and said, “I didn’t do anything wrong!”,  “Why should I be the one to make things right?” then he surely would have died.  And when we don’t restore forgiveness to others when they’ve wronged us then we hold their love captive.  When love is held captive it dies and so will you and your realtionships.  Death will claim your relationship with others, your relationship with God, and your relationship with yourself.  When wronged it’s always best to be the one to initiate restoration.

Jon Courson gives an awesome insight into those of us who have blown it like Abraham.  He says:

“Romans 11:29 tells us that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”  This means when God gives a spiritual gift, a calling, a ministry to a man, woman, or church, He doesn’t change His mind.  He doesn’t take it back.  If God has given you a gift, be it ministry, music, prophecy, teaching, or evangelism-if He’s given you a skill, be it carpentry, mechanic ability, athletic ability, it’s yours to keep.

Perhaps you’ve seen people stumble, fall, drop the ball, and you wonder how God could still use him, her, or them.  The answer is that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  Sin will always bring about its own sadness, depression, defeat, and despair, for the way of the transgressor is hard (Proverbs 13:15).  The fact remains, however, that because the gifts and callings of God are without repentance, God will still use sinners.

I say this because I have found that the thing which hobbles so many people in their service for the Lord is thinking, “God can’t use me.  God wouldn’t use me.  God won’t use me because I’ve failed so miserably; I’ve botched it so badly.”  That’s the voice of the enemy, for the voice of the Lord says, “Because you didn’t earn the gifts I gave you or the calling I sovereignly placed upon you, there’s no way you can lose them either.”  If you’ve been on the sidelines because you think you’ve messed up once too often, remember this story and the mercy of our Master, the grace of our God, the kindness of our King.  Truly, there’s no one like Him.”

Jon Courson {pg.84 Commentary on Genesis 20:7(a)}

Like Jon said, God never takes back the gifts and callings on our lives; however, Jon also mentioned the effects of sin in our lives.  Make no mistake sin does have consequences.  Notice God told Abimelech that Abraham would “pray” for him.  God didn’t say Abraham would “point some stuff out to him” or “preach to him”, or even “partake with him”.  Why?  Because sin affects our hearts, minds, and lives in such a way that after we’ve sinned and hurt people the opportunities to minister in those relationships are never the same.  The damage was done between Abraham and Abimelech, the trust was lost, and rarely in such situations is a relationship fully restored to what it could have been.  God in His wonderful grace and love knows the way we tick, and blesses us with a chance to take part in ministering to those that we’ve perhaps blown our witness to. 

We might not be able to preach to them, or partake with them, but we can pray for them.  God still blesses us with the most powerful of all connections in any relationship, even with those relationships that seem hopelessly lost. 

Genesis 14:16

Earlier in Genesis we saw Abram head in the wrong direction and get into some trouble in Egypt, now we see Lot make the same mistake. Sometimes when we see others making mistakes we tend to hammer down on them, or write them off as a lost cause, but we see here in Abram’s case that when the news came about Lot’s situation, his goal was restoration. And so it goes for you and I, when we see someone overcome by sin, we’re not to condemn “for there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus”, Instead we’re to fix our eyes on seeing that person restored. Attack the problem, find where the sin is encamped and destroy it, so that we might see the good returned to those lives that have been captive.

“Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

James 5:19, 20

That’s great Dan, but how do we work towards restoration?

Our weapons to fight for those we love is in the “Sword of the Spirit” or God’s word. The truth of the Bible is a powerful tool to save others from the destruction they might unwittingly be heading towards. While reminding others through the truth of God’s word, we can take it a step further by taking the offensive on their behalf through the power of prayer.

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.”

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

We are our brother’s keeper.

Genesis 6:5-8

When I’m thirsty I try to drink some water.  It’s simple really; our bodies are made up mainly of water.  So what is it that I need to do when my majority make-up is lacking?  Drink water! 

Could you imagine if I was desperately parched, and while I raised my glass to throw back some refreshing H2O suddenly I decided that I wasn’t going to drink a drop until I was able to separate the water on an atomic level and fully understand the liquid?  Anybody in their right mind would slap the stupid out of me.  As absurd as that approach to quenching thirst might be, this is exactly the way some people approach God.  We have a need that only He will satisfy, however we try to pick Him apart and fully understand Him before we can believe and receive from Him (John 4:10)

Some people get put off by the fact that a loving God can get angry.  To question the validity of The Lord’s love based upon the fact that He also expresses traits like anger, judgment, and wrath is a mark of ignorance.  It would be like questioning a diamond’s splendor simply because it has more than one facet.  Anyone who knows precious stones will tell you, “The more balanced facets presented upon the diamond, the more wonderful and awe inspiring it is to behold.”  The fact that God expresses such a wide and various amount of facets in His personality and character while still remaining perfectly balanced in Holiness is one of the things that makes Him so worthy of our exclusive praise. 

This understanding of God is necessary to really glean the blessing present in this passage.  In verses 6, and 7 God expresses two things towards mankind.  Regret for creating them, and grief for their continued rebellious disrespect towards Him.  God showed anger…heck, when considering destruction to the degree He had intended, I think it’s safe to say “Anger” might be an understatement.  The roses, sunshine, and puppies were all going down… that’s pretty stinking Mad!  This is a very hard reality we have trouble dealing with, but the fact still remains God was justified and holy in His desire.

Why?

Chapter six to this point has explained very thoroughly that mankind has grown extremely wicked.  They were now taking part in sexual intercourse with fallen angels (Gen.6:1, 2 Jude 6 2Peter 2:4), the beloved intimate creation of God was sleeping with the enemy…literally!  They walked out on the one that completely loved them in exchange for some trashy demons, and they were fully okay with it, not even a hint of remorse.

  “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.”

Genesis 6:8

 Then God demonstrates His perfect, holy, gracious self control.  He chooses not to destroy, but cleanse.  With water being an illustration for the word of God, God demonstrates his plan against the flesh.  He will wash away the smut with the water of the word while “baptizing” or uniting us into holiness (Eph. 5:26, John 15:3). 

God also gives us the perfect example of what to do when we are angry… give grace.  When we give grace instead of destruction we abide with God’s great plan of restoration (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19).

“And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.”  And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.”

Mark 3:5

Sometimes it’s a stretch when you want to experience restoration.  Stretching is uncomfortable, and so is being exposed.  It was probably humbling for this man in the story to be vulnerable, allowing others to see your shortcomings.  Here we witness Jesus, the Son of God, portray the heart of His father in the midst of anger.  He’s in the thick of being fed up with the religious people and instead of opening a can of whooping on the Pharisee’s; He chooses to display the wonder of God through grace.  

God speaks to me through this passage, often I’m quick to become angry and often regret the results.  I’ve destroyed relationships, hurt people I love, and broken trust during fits of anger.  How amazing it is to know that even while being angry Jesus was able to be self controlled (a definition of love according to the fruits of the spirit, Gal.5:22) bringing restoration to a withered hand.  All of us are “withered” to some degree, unable to love because of pain we’ve experienced in a relationship, or a grief that circumstances in life have dealt us.  Jesus is the restorer of broken hearts binding up the wounds we suffer or may have caused (Psalm 147:3).

When we give grace, our actions demonstrate to others the image and heart of God.

If you have truly experienced the restoring work of Jesus in your life, you will feel compelled by the Lord to give grace in the most difficult moments of life.