One Year Bible, January 16

GENESIS 32:13-34:31
Can you see this?  Here is Jacob, with his two wives, 2 concubines, 11 children, herds, and household goods, moving across the land, heading toward Edom, where Esau, his estranged brother, lives.  Many miles away, coming toward Jacob is Esau with 400 of his men.  What does Jacob do?  He sends bribes ahead of him with his servants, and tells them to let Esau know that Jacob is coming.  But Jacob is going to find out that he cannot prevail by his own strength and trickery, but by the mercy and goodness of God.

The night before the two parties are to meet, Jacob sends everyone and everything over the Jabbok River for the night, and he is left alone in the night.  Jabbok means "emptying, pulverizing, wrestling".   Jacob is 97 years old now, but "a man" pounced on him and they wrestled all night!  It was "life as usual" for Jacob - always struggling for everything he has.  This is no exception.  He's not letting go. So "the man" put Jacob's hip out of joint and told Jacob to let him go.  But Jacob told "the man" that "I will not let you go unless you bless me." But the fight had gone out of him.

How was Jacob "blessed"?  His name was changed!  From "Tricky" to "Power with God"!!!! (Israel) Jacob had to accept his own human impotence and cling to the omnipotence of God.  It would show in his WALK - he limped the rest of his life.  Joseph had been a fighter from birth, and had discovered along the way that it hurts to run.  He was gradually subdued by God in the night.  In crippling our lusts and desires, God delivers us from self-deception and hypocrisy. 

RESPONSE:  Does my walk show that I have been subdued by God?  In Gen 48:16 Jacob says he wrestled with an "angel which redeemed me from all evil."  The evil he must have been talking about was HIMSELF.  My own human nature is scheming, runs away and needs subduing by God.  Jacob acknowledged that "the man" he wrestled was actually God - and God didn't kill him!  God is the aggressor, and He wrestles me in the night, alone, because He wants to bless me!  I will keep that in mind.

MATTHEW 11:7-30
I hope you read every word of this reference.  First Jesus says that John the Baptist was not what they thought.  They rushed, crowded and forced their way to hear him preach because of their own preconceptions, however John was actually a prophet, fulfilling the prophecies about Elijah returning to prepare the way for the Messiah. 

For those who THINK these verses justify trying to "take the Kingdom by force" - as if we can exert pressure on God - let's just straighten that out right now!  Jesus said, "from the day of John the Baptist UNTIL NOW".  We cannot seize the Kingdom.  Matthew 5 says Jesus GIVES it to us.  It is RECEIVED.  The only violence acceptable in the Kingdom of God is against the flesh.  Any other violence expresses an untamed love of "freedom" (away from His Lordship). 

Everyone had their reasons for rejecting the Gospel of the Kingdom.  But Jesus extends His offer of covenant (like a marriage proposal)  "Come to Me...."  "Learn from Me...."  He GIVES "rest" from trying to qualify for God's goodness.  And we FIND "rest" by wrestling our hearts into believing faith. 

RESPONSE:  If I want more of the Kingdom of God in my life, I need more of Jesus.  What is the Kingdom of God anyway, except the rulership of God?  I am grateful that it is "the Father's good pleasure to give me the kingdom." (Luke 12:32)  I accept! 

PSALM 14:1-7
"The fool says in his heart, There is no God."  In the Bible, the fool is contrasted with the wise.  Whereas wisdom begins with God and the fear of God, the fool is at the bottom of the pile in that he has no fear of God.  Not only that, but he is not content to just live like there is no God, but he actually expresses his disdain in his heart.  Oh, he thinks there may be "A God", but not a Personal God to Whom we must give account.  So, a fool has no conscience either.  He is described throughout Scripture as being shamelessly self-deceived, self-sufficient, careless, and conceited.  Here we learn that he is on the path to destruction and death.  This empty and hollow person is a spiritual maniac.  Psalm 14 additionally says that without any spiritual knowledge and without a conscience, the fool is filthy and corrupt and "does abominably".   

PROVERBS 3:19-20
Ah!  Wisdom and understanding were present at the Creation.  So, all of Creation has wisdom and understanding at its foundations. 

I have been asking myself how I might know if something is "wise" or not.  When am I using wisdom?  How will I know?  I had a good taste of it last week with a family situation, and it was obvious that I wasn't using wisdom, but, thank God, my brother was.  Here is what I came up with (okay, not me, but the Bible) :

James 3:17 says that "wisdom that is from above is FIRST OF ALL pure" that is, without hidden motives.  You aren't trying to get something for yourself, whether it be control, status, possessions, etc.

"then peaceable" - not going to provoke a war or a quarrel.  "gentle" - not harsh or rude.  "open to reason" - not easily offended, approachable, teachable.  "full of mercy and good fruits" - wanting the best for everyone involved, being nice about it.  "without partiality" - is not based on what YOU want.  "without hypocrisy" - does not contradict the Word of God, is not just empty talk. 

The opposite is listed here as confusion, envying and strife (competition), and results in evil. 

RESPONSE:  God, give me wisdom.  And give me the insight to know when I am being stupid.  I don't ever want to live as if I think there is no God to Whom I am accountable.  I pray for those that I know who do live like that.  Open their eyes to Truth and to Your goodness.  Strip away their self-deception.  Help me know how to answer them without being quarrelsome or harsh.  This isn't about being right or wrong, but it is a matter of life or death.