One Year Bible, January 11

GENESIS 24:52-26:16
Here is where Isaac meets Rebekah for the first time - out in his fields under the stars, meditating.  Shortly after the wedding, Abaham remarried and had six more children, as well as children by concubines.  But he left everything he had to Isaac, including the blessing. 

Rebekah was barren like Sarah and bore miraculously after 20 years of marriage.  While her twins were still in her womb, they started fighting and so Rebekah asked the Lord what was going on.  God told her they were the beginning of two nations and that the older would serve the younger, which meant the younger would have the Blessing and the Inheritance.  This is important because the Blessing followed the generational path to Jesus.  Also, the older would automatically receive the Birthright, and usually the Blessing and the Inheritance followed - but God had other plans. 

As we know the elder was named Esau because he was hairy, the younger was named Jacob because he was "tricky" and a "schemer" (he grabbed his older brother's heel to pull himself out of the womb) 

The Bible tells us that although Esau had the Birthright, he "despised" it.  It means he held it in contempt as having little value.  And so, when he was hungry, he sold it to his brother Jacob for something to eat, to satisfy his flesh.  The birthright was a responsibility to prepare himself for the blessing and the inheritance.    The blessing and inheritance involved more than property, although it did include a double portion of that.  It was also a succession to his father's authority, to govern the family over the other brothers, and perform domestic priesthood. 

Those two sons, Jacob the younger and Esau the elder, typify the spirit and the flesh. And so in Romans 9:13 and Malachi 1:2-3 God said He "loved Jacob" and "hated Esau". "Hated" actually means God loved him less than He did Jacob.   He preferred Jacob.   The spirit is to rule the flesh.  The flesh hates God and cannot do what God tells it do (Romans 8:7)

Esau's problem was that he loved the blessing, but didn't want the responsibility.  His flesh ruled him.  Over in Hebrews 12:16 we see Esau's decline.  He had become bitter at some point his his life and it grew out into him becoming "profane" or "secular" - and he had no more respect for spiritual things.  Once he sold out to satisfy his flesh, it was TOO LATE.  He tried to repent, and couldn't, it says. 

RESPONSE:  I hope I am never too hungry, too impatient, too tired, too lazy to live up to my birthright, should the choice present itself.  What am I saying?  Yeah, the choice presents itself, all the time.  That's what fasting is for, to weaken those necessary appetites that claim our attention - always at the wrong times.  Sometimes, like the Apostle Paul said, (1 Cor 9:27) "I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize." When  it comes to obeying God, I must make my body my slave.  I think the original language actually implies "to take myself at spear-point".  Hey!  Whatever it takes!  I'm tired to doing it wrong.  No more missed opportunities.

MATTHEW 8:18-34
Matthew was a Jew originally.  His Gospel is written to show that Jesus was not here to restore the old system, but to bring the Kingdom of God, an entirely new thing.  The Sermon on the Mount contains some of the most anti-Jewish statesments in the whole Bible.  When a scribe came and wanted to follow Jesus, Jesus let him know that it wouldn't be without a price.  It would cost him everything. 

Now, chapters 8-9 are to establish Jesus' heavenly authority to reign over this new, invisible, heavenly and eternal  Kingdom. First he had authority over devils and diseases, fevers and uncleanness.  Now we see that He also has authority over the natural elements, namely a storm at sea. 

Next, when they put to shore, they are met by two madmen, probably one of them a former VIP of the city.  If we compare the story to Luke 8 and Mark 5, we learn they were naked and lived in the tombs, and were so violent that people could not get past them without being set upon.  Some tried to chain them up but with super-human strength, they broke the chains.  Now here's something interesting, Mark 5:5 says they were CUTTERS.  Jesus called them "demon-possessed".  He also called it an "unclean spirit".  They didn't sleep, but were up all night, tormented.  They were restless, dirty, didn't like to be alone, and self-destructive.  This is all culled from the descriptions in the three portions.  With one Word, Jesus freed them!  That's the authority of the Kingdom Jesus came to establish. 

At the demon's request, Jesus allowed them to go into a herd of swine instead of going straight to judgement.  The herd of swine probably belonged to some Jews illegally, but the town rushed back out to ask Jesus to "just move along" because they were afraid of him, now. 

RESPONSE:  I am intrigued that Jesus turned a hopeless case around in just minutes.  Mark says that the man was later "in his right mind".  Wow!  Sometimes I think everything has to take time to get fixed.  Other times, God does things quickly.  I wonder how long those men had lived like that before Jesus came along?  I want the boldness to speak with authority when God tells me to "do something", and the wisdom to shut up when He says not to. 

PSALM 10:1-15
Psalm 10 is a prayer for help.  Everything David went through drove him straight to God.  If there is a theme here, it is to trust in God, no matter what life is doing. 

To begin, I have prayed this Psalm myself a few times!  "Why, O LORD, do you stand far off?  Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?"  The wicked man (our own flesh) is described as arrogant, boastful, reviling God, haughty yet prosperous, sneering, sure of himself, foul-mouthed, cursing, murderous, and on-and-on.  And then in vs 11 the wicked man actually thinks that God doesn't even see him!  And neither will he be held accountable! 

BUT, vs 14-15 says God DOES SEE,  and He does do something about all this. 

PROVERBS 3:7-8
The greatest hindrance to all true wisdom is the thought that we have already attained it.  The "fear of the Lord" is the antidote to thinking you know everything.  I find that the more time I spend with the Lord, the grander He is to me, the more magnificent, the more wonderful - and the less I think I know what I'm doing.  It's easier to just ask God for wisdom, and then listen well to hear what He has to say.  1 Corinthians 3:18 says, "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise." 

The healing spoken of here is not necessarily from sickness, but from body weakness.  That the fear of God and staying away from evil is nourishing and strengthening to our bodies.  Ain't that the truth!

RESPONSE:  Last night when I tried to help my 6-y-o granddaughter with her math homework, I experienced the frustration of an adult whose child thinks they know more than you do!  She insisted that I was telling her wrong, that she knew more than I did, and that her teacher certainly did!  Nothing I said would change her mind.  Today, after school, she told me that her teacher explained it a little more, and that Yes! Grandma was right, and Boy! Was she cooperative. 

God, don't let me do that to You.  It is tempting sometimes when I think You aren't paying attention to what's really going on.  How stupid is that?  You don't miss a thing!  Jesus is the most savvy Person alive.  He INVENTED the psyche.  He MADE the universe.  He taught the stars to sing!  Sometimes I can be so dense.  I am comforted in knowing that You see it all.  That You are in charge, and that TRUE EVIL is in not trusting You.