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)

Over the past few weeks there has been this recurring theme of offense in my personal time in the word.  As I was reading and studying this subject I realized that the principle of experiencing what you teach was exceptionally true for this topic of offense.  The fact is even yesterday I was struggling through this subject in relationships with others, and I’m sure the same is true for you as well.  Perhaps not yesterday, but at one time or another we all have either been offended or offended others.  While spending time with my mom she read to me the vignette excerpted from the daily devotional book “Daily with the King”.  It not only redirected my perspective on the subject, but it blessed and edified my soul with the knowledge and heart desires to abide with God’s will pertaining to this topic.  As you read and enjoy the following; may the Lord bless you abundantly and guide you as offenses come.

God bless

-Dan

“And while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously”

1 Peter 2:23

As a disciple of Jesus Christ I must learn never to give or take offense.  Jesus said that the world constantly offends us, but we as His followers must never offend (Matthew 18:7-9).  He was so strict about the matter that He said even an eye, a foot, or a hand must be cut off rather than offend someone else.  He meant this: get rid of anything that causes offense to someone else, no matter how painful to yourself.

                Yet, as a discerning disciple, I must expect offenses to come my way.  I must be wise as a serpent (in expecting offenses), yet harmless as a dove (in giving them).  It is only natural that somewhere along the way I will offend others.  The gospel itself is offensive to many, and if I preach it faithfully I will most certainly put some people out.  But that is not the offensiveness Jesus is talking about.  He is talking about the offense that comes from an evil mind.  He is thinking about the offense that comes from an evil intention.  We cannot make everybody love us; but we can, like Daniel, force those who dislike us to say, “It’s because of his God.”

                Taking offense is a different matter.  By God’s grace I must never take offense, as Jesus Himself did not.  Regardless of how evil the intention, how vile the source of offense, I must never attribute to a person’s action a malicious cause, but rather turn my case over to God and say, “Lord, You judge in the matter.”  Thus, vengeance is safely given to Him.

                The offenseless life is a rugged discipline for the follower of Jesus Christ.  Yet the same Jesus who exemplified it perfectly on earth will not fail to continue the good work in me.  The One who said I am to be as harmless as a dove (Matthew 10:16) will not ask me to do the impossible; He will energize me for it.

Excerpt from “Daily with the King” by W. Glyn Evans

Genesis 15:12

Throughout the Bible whenever God was arriving with His glory there also accompanied a thick darkness. As Abram is waiting for God to show up, he gets messy trying to prepare an offering, battles the birds that want to ruin his offering, and now he’s smack in the thick of a horrible darkness. Abram was working hard to draw near to God in this covenant, but it seemed like things were only getting harder.

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re drawing closer to God, bringing your offering to the Lord and then something happens. Things start coming apart at the seams, what may have started as a good situation is now getting dark, the birds are circling overhead, and like Abram, you are feeling a bit horrified.

What’s happening?

God is showing up. God’s Holy presence was falling down and in the thick of it all Abram couldn’t help but naturally feel a bit overwhelmed. This kind of reaction to God’s holiness seemed to be the usual thing, David would see and feel the same thing in God’s presence, Moses and Israel would see it when God came to the tabernacle and to the mount where the 10 Commandments were given, and Isaiah even saw it in the temple. This serves as a bit of insight for us…In the dark moments when we feel overwhelmed and horrified, God is closer still. His presence is always among us, even in the darkness (Psalm 139).

Even though in the beginning darkness was over the face of the deep, John would tell us:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the Beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shined in darkness; and the darkness could not overcome it.”

John 1:1-5

You see, darkness cannot overcome the light.

When I walk into a dark room and want to have some light, I don’t start trying to cast out the darkness. I don’t complain, combat, or counter the darkness…I simply hit the switch and turn on the light. In the same way when we are walking thru life and all of a sudden the lights go out, there’s no need to worry, fret, or panic. All we got to do is simply go to the “light of men” the “word made flesh”, Jesus Christ. And watch as the light shines, the darkness will not overcome it!

Genesis 8:1

Sitting on the floor of his cell, he buries his head in his hands.  He tries to make sense of the events that lead him to this prison.  His jealous brothers plotted to kill him, in their mercy they threw him down an empty cistern, later to be sold as a slave to a passing caravan.  Just when things seem to be getting better, everything gets horribly worse.  He is falsely accused of trying to rape his boss’ wife.

Life for Joseph wasn’t easy.  I’m sure at some point or another he might have thought, “Where is God?” “Has He forgotten me?”  Although God used all these events to prepare Joseph for the salvation of the worldwide famine, in the darkness of the moment he must have thought God didn’t remember he was rotting away in prison…the baker and cup-bearer didn’t, that’s for sure.

Sometimes God allows us to go through long difficult times.  I’m sure after 40 days and nights of rain Noah began to wonder if God had forgotten His promise of grace and hope.  We might look at these great men of the faith and think they just cruised through their situations, the fact is they were human just like you and I.  I’m sure they wrestled with their thoughts and emotions as well.  The truth is they didn’t have chapter after chapter of the Bible to tell them the story was going to end well, or everything was going to be okay.  They were blazing the trail of faith for you and I.  They were learning to listen to God, and respond in faith in the midst of their circumstance, just like us.  Noah was in a poorly lit zoo for over a month without any word from God.  He didn’t hear a peep…not a word…no sunshine…no potpourri…smelly animals…no encouragement…he had one window to look through, and the view was cloudy. 

The scripture here tells us God “remembered” Noah.  During times of extended suffering sometimes our faith wanes, we grow weary in the waiting, and we’re tempted to believe God has forgotten.  This scripture lets us in on the truth…God remembered Noah…and the waters subsided.  In the quiet moments never doubt that God is working, when it seems as though God has forgotten, it may likely be that the flood of suffering is beginning to reside. 

If you find yourself today wondering, “Why is God silent?” “Why am I still in this situation?” “Why am I floating around and not moving forward?”…remember Noah’s story.  In the quiet moments, God remembers, and is working.