Category Archives: Genesis

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Room For Only One Throne

Reflect:
Genesis 32:28

 “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.”

There was a day when entertainment didn’t come through the television set; it came through the radio. Believe it or not, I can remember those days—at least the tail end of them. But in the good old days of radio, before my time, the folks were entertained with shows like “The Adventures of Sam Spade”, “Fibber McGee and Molly”, “The Shadow” (“the Shadow knows—bwahaha), and of course, “The Lone Ranger.”  The Lone Ranger, who was known as “The Masked Man”, was the greatest! He would ride into town, save the day, then ride off into the sunset with a “Hi-yo, Silver, away!” to the tune of the William Tell Overture.  And invariably an awestruck bystander would ask the question, “Who was that Masked Man anyway?”

“Who was that masked man anyway?” may be your response to the mysterious wrestling match that took place between Jacob and the unknown assailant here in Genesis 32:22-32.  Of course, if you’ve grown up around the Bible, you’ve been instructed that Jacob’s opponent was God.  But when you read the text, that’s not so clear.  From Jacob’s perspective, his opponent was nothing more that a man (Genesis 32:24)—perhaps a shadowy assassin from Laban’s clan or a hitman from Esau’s tribe—both men whom Jacob had cheated and had sufficient reason to “rub out” the cheater!

imagesBut as the death match (“wrestling” would be far too tame a term if you were in Jacob shoes) continued through the night, and Jacob held his own against this stranger, it began to dawn on him that this was no mere human he was fighting.  As you get to the end of the story and the two opponents finally speak, the stranger is identified—as least vaguely—when Jacob exclaims, “I have seen God face to face.” (Genesis 32:30)

We get a little more insight into the stranger’s identity all the way over in Hosea 12:4, when the prophet writes that it was none other than the Angel of the Lord who was duking it out with Jacob.  The Angel of the Lord is identified as God himself throughout Scripture (for instance, Acts 7:30), and has even come to be known in Christian theology as a pre-incarnate revelation of Jesus Christ.  So who was that masked man anyway?  I think it is safe to say that Jacob was wrestling with none other than Jesus.

Now all that information may be nothing more than relatively useless Bible trivia to you, but there is something in this story with which you and I can identify: Wrestling with God. Jacob wrestled with God, and the essence of the wrestling match was over who was going to run Jacob’s life, and how.  It had been clear to Jacob throughout his life that God wanted to bless him, but Jacob, whose name meant “deceiver”, had tried to manipulate and coerce those blessings into reality.  Jacob wanted it done his way.

Wrestling with God is a clear indication of a struggle over who is going to run your life—and how. Just remember, God can’t be God of you if you are trying to be God, too. There is room for only one throne in your life!

I’ll bet you can relate to that; I sure can. You know that God has promised to bless you, but perhaps you are trying to force his favor according to your timing and to your liking.  But it won’t work that way—it never does.  God can’t be God of your life if you’re trying to be God of your life, too.  There is room for only one throne in your personal world, and guess what, God gets it.  When you resist, the wrestling begins.

God can’t be God of your life if you’re trying to be God of your life, too.

Learn from Jacob, my friend.  The only way to go with God is by way of surrender.  Jacob learned that the hard way—and he was left with a lifelong limp—but at the end of the day, Jacob’s fundamental approach to life changed from deceptive striving to faithful obedience.  It is the surrender to a life of faithful obedience and ruthless trust that, as Andrew Murray wrote, must become “the essential characteristic of our lives.” C.S. Lewis said,

 “The full acting out of the self’s surrender to God therefore demands pain: this action, to be perfect, must be done from the pure will to obey, in the absence, or in the teeth, of inclination.”

Where in your life do you need to surrender to God’s rule?  Where are you wrestling with God?  The sooner you cry “uncle” the better off you’ll be!

Prayer… You are God and I am not. Take my life—all of it—and let it be yours, wholly devoted to your will.  Today, I cry “uncle!” I surrender all of me to you!

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I Am A Friend Of God

Reflect:
Genesis 25:7-8

Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people.

Reading the story of Abraham in Genesis can lead to only one conclusion: This man was a true hero of the faith! Here’s a guy who was saved by faith even before there was a Bible or the Law or Christ’s death and resurrection or a community of faith. God appeared to Abraham one day—we’re not even sure if he’d had any previous interaction with God or if this was simply an out-of-the-blue encounter—and Abraham said, “Okay God—I’m on board. What’s next?”

Abraham then went on a life-long journey with God in which he became known as a friend of God—a pretty cool designation, I’d say—the genetic father of God’s people, the Jews, and the spiritual father of all who believe in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. (James 2:23, Romans 4:16-17)

Obviously, Abraham was a very special man, and the Bible holds him up as an example to emulate for believers like you and me. We all ought to be Abraham-like in the spiritual dimension of our lives.

1738005_sBut is that even possible? Is there even the smallest chance that I can develop that same kind of Abraham-like relationship with God? Can I attain a walk with God that will be an Abraham-like example to others?  And if it’s possible, then how?

Well, it is possible!  Paul goes on to say, “God will count us righteous too if we believe in him who raised from the dead this Jesus who died for our sins and was raised to make us right with God.”  (Romans 4:24, NLT)

How can we attain friendship with God?  I can sum up the “how” in two words: Faith and hope—technically, that’s three words, but work with me!

First, you’ve got to make resurrection the foundation of your faith.

That’s what Abraham did! Romans 4:17 says, “Abraham believed in the God who brings back the dead to life.” Abraham was a little ahead of his time—like a few thousand years—but he believed in the God of the resurrection. What Paul is referring to here is the story of God’s call to Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac on the altar (you can read the story in Genesis 22), and Abraham’s willingness to actually go through with it. Why would Abraham be willing to do such a thing? Because he had faith in the God of the resurrection—the God who could, and would, raise Isaac back to life again.

The truth is, to have that kind of Abraham-like faith, you and I have to have that same Abraham-like trust in the God of the resurrection. If you don’t have a foundational and resolute belief in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and his promise to resurrect you from the dead, your faith will not only not develop to Abraham-like proportions, it will be meaningless. Paul teaches us in I Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.”

In other words, if we have no faith in the God of the resurrection, then I am wasting my energy writing this blog…and you’re wasting your time reading it…and you’ll never come close to living an Abraham-like life of faith. But the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead proves that God is who he said he is and will fulfill what he has promised to do. And the faith you place in the God who resurrects the dead will empower you to live the kind of God-honoring faith that Abraham had.

The historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead proves that God is who he said he is and will fulfill what he has promised to do.

Second, you’ve got to claim resurrection as the basis of your hope.

That, too, is what Abraham did. Romans 4:18 tells us that “even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept on hoping”…believing in God’s promises that one day he would be the father of many nations when his only son, through whom his lineage would continue, was about to die. In other words, Abraham didn’t let his circumstances dominate his life; he allowed God’s promises to dictate his life. Abraham believed that if Isaac was going to die on the altar, God would raise him to life. That was his hope.

People of faith don’t let circumstances dominate their lives; they allow God’s promises to dictate their life.

I don’t know if you’ve ever thought about this, but the exercise of that kind of hope is arguably the most powerful discipline you can engage as a believer. Count Bismarck said, “Without the hope of [Christian resurrection], this life is not worth the effort of getting dressed in the morning.” He was right! Christian hope is that important, and that powerful.

Karl Marx proclaimed that religious hope is the opiate of the people. But Hebrews 6:19 says, “We have this hope as an anchor of the soul, firm and secure.” And Paul writes in Romans 5:5 that this “hope does not disappoint us!”

Do you practice hope? I’m not talking about the breezy kind of optimism that Mary Martin sang about in South Pacific when she crooned, “I’m stuck like a dope with a thing called hope.” I’m talking about the exercise of hope that declares that you are choosing to believe in God’s promises, not just in spite of the evidence, but in scorn of the consequences. We’ve been called to practice that kind of hope.

Faith, hope and the resurrection…that was Abraham’s secret. I have faith that it will be your secret too…at least I hope so!  He is risen!

Prayer… Father Abraham had many sons, and I want to be one of them. I want to offer the same kind of believing faith that led him to follow you without knowing the destination, to obey you when it seemed foolish, and to stare death in the face and express the hope of the resurrection. And I want to be your friend, too! Give me Abraham-like faith!

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Your Part

Reflect:
Genesis 17:9

Then God said to Abraham, “Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility.”

There is nothing more important in life, really, than to live in covenantal relationship with God.

That is the path to a blessed life—success (Biblically defined), significance (personal value, a deep and abiding sense that I have inherent worth, that my life matters and by my existence I have had an impact and made a difference) and satisfaction (joy, completeness, fulfillment). It is also the path to eternal life—forever living in the presence of God and fully living out his purposes in eternity without either the limitations of this fallen world or our flawed DNA.

Covenantal relationship—we were created to walk in covenant with our Creator, and when we do, there is nothing better. What is that covenant? That God contracts to be our God, walk with us, provide for us, even prosper us and fulfill his purposes on Planet Earth through us. That is God’s part of the covenant, which sounds pretty good to me. And pretty lopsided, too, when you consider our part.

We were created to walk in covenant with our Creator, and when we do, there is nothing better.

What is our part? Simply this: to listen, then obey. We are to hear God’s voice and order our steps accordingly. We are to align our hearts to love God fully, trust God unreservedly, honor God in both our attitudes as well as our actions, and leverage the totality of our lives to bring him glory.

Pray-Obey-TrustThis is what a covenantal response to God means: first to listen to what God says, and second, to do what God says. In essence, that is called faith—to believe God and to order our lives accordingly. As you read about the life of Abraham, this is the pattern you see: Abraham listened to God’s voice, believed God’s word, obeyed God’s plan, ordered his life accordingly and stepped out in trust daringly in anticipation that God would uphold his end of the covenant and fulfill all his promises.

Our part of living in covenantal relationship requires us to hear God’s voice and order our steps accordingly.

Of course, that doesn’t mean Abraham’s covenantal relationship with God was problem-free or unchallenged. And yours won’t be either. But what made Abraham’s life stand out as an extraordinary example of faith was that when he encountered these faith-rattling, covenant-crushing problems, over and over again his response was to listen, then obey.

Is that your pattern, too?  Are you ready to offer that kind of life-response to God today?  If you are—and if you will—and if, like Abraham, you will make that the pattern of your life, then you will live in a covenantal relationship with the Creator of the universe who will fulfill both his purposes and promises in your life.

And it doesn’t get any better than that.

When our problems lead us to pray and obey, we should embrace them as doing more good than harm.

Prayer… Father, I suspect that problems will challenge my covenantal journey with you today.  May those problems lead me to prayer, and then to action.  And because my problems lead me to pray and obey, I will embrace them as doing more good than harm.

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Man’s Good Vs. God’s Best

Reflect:
Genesis 11:4

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

You might read this story about the Tower of Babel and wonder, like I did, what’s so bad about Babel? I mean, was God just having a bad day or something? After all, it’s not often you see unity of purpose and effort achieved among human beings like this. The United Nations could learn a lesson here!

So why did God look upon what these folks were doing and say, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.” (Genesis 11:6-7) And with that, he put an end to their efforts, confused their language, and scattered them across the face of the earth. (Genesis 11:8-9)

UnknownThe problem was not the tower they were trying to build, nor their effort to achieve unity among the nations. In large part, public work projects and united efforts are a good thing. But in this case, good was the enemy of best. You see, after the great flood of Genesis 7-8, God had told these nations to scatter across the earth, repopulate it and establish human civilization wherever they went. (Genesis 9:1,7) In fact, this was a critical piece of the covenant God made with Noah and his descendants (Genesis 9:8-9), and was likely the reestablishment of the original covenant God had made with but had been forfeited by Adam. (Genesis 1:26-30)

What was wrong with Babel? Simply this: Disobedience, pride and independence from God. Instead of fully devoting themselves to God’s command, they thought they could do it better. They chose to go it alone. And God put a stop to it!

Babel represents any good of humankind divorced from obedience, humility and dependence upon God!

That’s always the problem with human beings, including you and me, isn’t it? Every single day, we wrestle with who is going to be God in our lives. Rather than seeking and doing what God says, we seek and do what we want to do. Of course, we acknowledge God to a degree, but then we pursue what we want. With regularity, we twist Jesus’ well known prayer of submission into, “God, not your will but mine be done!”

Stop and think about that today. Is there a Tower of Babel in your life—something that seems so good; something that makes sense to those around you; something that would advance your comfort, security and name? Remember, what looks good to you may in fact be the enemy of God’s best for you! Maybe it’s a purchase you are considering, a plan you are making, a relationship you are considering, or…you fill in the blanks.

Peter Marshall, the venerable Chaplain of the U.S. Senate in the mid-twentieth century, once prayed, “Save Thy servants from the tyranny of the nonessential. Give them the courage to say ‘No’ to everything that makes it more difficult to say ‘Yes’ to Thee.”

Revolt from the tyranny of the nonessential. Have the courage to say ‘No’ to everything that makes it more difficult to say ‘Yes’ to God!

That’s a great prayer: saying no to the good and yes to the Best!  Why don’t you join me in praying that prayer all this week?

Prayer: “Dear God, Your will, nothing more, nothing less, nothing else. Amen!”  

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You Must Master It

Reflect: Genesis 4:6-7

The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry?  Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted?  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

There are occasions, of course, when anger is appropriate.  But let’s be honest, that’s not very often.  Benjamin Franklin once said, “Anger is never without a reason, but seldom with a good one.”

Proverbs 29:11 says that only “a fool gives full vent to his anger.”  How many times have you proven that platitude to be true?  If you’re like me, at least once, probably more!

The truth is, it is next to impossible to be angry and intelligent at the same time.  To be sure, some anger is good. Channeled anger has been the motivation for much of the justice and societal change that has benefited the human family over time.  Even the Bible indicates the appropriateness of righteous anger.  But—and this is a big one—only if the anger is wrapped in intelligent thought!

So the question is, how do we win out over anger, rid ourselves of it before it either corrodes or destroys our most significant relationships, and turn it into an emotion that propels us toward positive personal growth?

AngerThe story of Cain here in Genesis 4:1-14 is a great case study. Unfortunately for Cain (and for Abel!), anger was not brought under control. But from Cain’s failure comes several anger management principles we would be wise to embrace.

To begin with, from Cain we learn that our very first response to the emotion of anger ought to be self-analysis. In other words, whenever I find myself getting upset, I ought to stop and say, “What does this say about me?”  You will notice in the story how God attempts to get Cain to look within himself at the source of his anger:  “Then the LORD said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry?  Why is your face downcast?” (Genesis 4:6)

In essence, God is telling Cain that before he reacts, he ought to reflect.

Our first and best response to anger is simply to think about it. That simple action would keep us from so much of the hardship that results from our uncontrolled anger. William Penn wrote, “It is he who is in the wrong who first gets angry.” In reality, anger reveals what kind of person I am—what is really in my heart, my true character. C.S. Lewis said,

“Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is. If there are rats in a cellar, you are most likely to see them if you go in very suddenly. But the suddenness does not create the rats; it only prevents them from hiding. In the same way, the suddenness of the provocation does not make me ill-tempered; it only shows me what an ill-tempered man I am.”

So if you find yourself reacting in anger, ask yourself what the presence of anger is saying about your spirit or your character. Practice “slowing” … what James 1:19-20 says is being, “Quick to listen…slow to speak…slow to anger!”

Develop the discipline of stopping to think it through!

Another crucial lesson this story teaches is that our response is more important than the circumstances that cause the anger. The truth is, what happens to me is never as important as what happens in me. That what God is saying to Cain: “If you do what is right, you’ll be accepted…”  (Genesis 4:7) God doesn’t address the fairness or unfairness of what’s happened; he just says, “Cain, do the right thing!”

When situations arise that disappoints me, I can either unleash an emotional reaction or I can offer an intelligent response that honors my walk with God and releases his blessings in my life.

Finally, Cain’s story teaches us that we are accountable to God for our anger. When Cain fails to do the right thing and instead, murders his brother, God calls to him to account: “Where is your brother?” (Genesis 4:9-12)

What we must remember is that one day we will stand before God and give account for our lives, including the inappropriate display of our anger. Jesus said in Matthew 12:36 that on judgment day, we’ll be answerable even for every idle word we speak. We won’t be able to say on that day, “My wife made me do it…my husband pushed me too far…my kids drove me nuts…the devil made me do it…I was genetically predisposed to anger…” If we try that excuse, God will look at us and say, “I expected you to master it, and you didn’t.”

We’re accountable for anger!

Angry feelings are inevitable. We can’t escape them, but our anger doesn’t have to destroy the people we love—and in the process, cause our own spirits to shrivel. If we do the right thing with our anger, God says to us just as he said to Cain, “you will be blessed!”

Prayer… Father, thank you for making me response-able.  With your help, I will give diligent effort to master the emotion of anger and the sin that is crouching behind it so that I can turn it into a response that glorifies you and makes me blessable before you.  

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It All Starts With God

Reflect: Genesis 1:1

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

If you accept the Bible to be true, that it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and that it is the authoritative Word of God, then this opening sentence in Genesis 1:1 is nothing less than explosive—the most important statement ever uttered in human language! Think about it:

“In the beginning, God created…”

That is more than just a good opening line to a great novel. It is the fulcrum by which everything moves in your life.  Or at least it should be!

god-creates-man-sistine-chapelWhat do those words tell us? Simply, yet profoundly, this: It all starts with God (by the way, go to the end of the book and you will see that it all ends with God too!) He created everything that exists—all the planets, all the systems that bring order to the universe, all the life that exists in the created order. He designed it, built it, owns it, sustains it (a fact invisible to all but the spiritually aware) and therefore—get this—has a right to rule over it as he chooses.

The Creator gets to set the rules—it is his work, after all! And that includes ruling over you. Your very existence, every breath, abilities, accomplishments and aspirations for the future are from him and therefore should be for him. Remember, he is the Creator.

So the question every person, including you, must ask is, “does he truly own me? Am I living for him—which is only fair, since he created both me and everything at my disposal—or am I living for my own pleasure and to accomplish my own purposes?”

Remember, if you accept the fact that it all starts with God, there is no other logical conclusion than to recognize his total rulership over all the details of your life. If you don’t recognize his ownership of you, then you can go your own way—the Creator made you with that choice. But that does not lessen the truth that he is the Creator and still has right of rule over you (a reality that will come home to roost some day).

Now if you accept God’s rulership, then here is something else you would do well to remember; it is repeated throughout Genesis 1: What he created, including what he had in mind when he created you, is “good.”

“And God saw that it was good.”

And what you can conclude from that oft repeated analysis is that his plans for those who honor his right to rule will also experience his good rule over their existence—present and future.

The Creator owns you—and that is good!  So honor his right to lovingly rule your life, and let the good times roll.

Prayer… Creator God, you rule. You rule over this world and you rule over my life. Forgive me when I live in ignorance of, or even in complete disregard of that truth. Today, I acknowledge and surrender control to you and your purposes. Fulfill your good plan through me, I pray.

 

 

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Forgiven!

Genesis 48:1-50:26

Forgiven!

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me,
but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many
lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.”
And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.
Genesis 50:19-21

Go Deep: The willingness to forgive is the most obvious of Joseph’s virtues, but given what his brothers had done, it is the hardest to relate to on a personal and practical level.  How do you forgive those who were supposed to cherish, encourage and protect you, when instead, they betrayed you in the worst possible way?

The key to Joseph’s forgiveness was an uncommon understanding and a radical commitment to the sovereignty of God—that God was in control of his life.  He believed it was God who had allowed his brothers to sell him into slavery some two decades ago as a part of God’s plan to save their lives.

He understood that it was God who had allowed the injustice of Potiphar’s wife as God’s way of arranging a meeting with the cupbearer in prison.  He realized why God allowed the cupbearer to then forget about him, leaving him to rot in prison another two years:  God’s timing wasn’t right.

Joseph chose to interpret all the events of his life—even these incredibly hurtful events—as God’s perfect will for his life.  He knew that if God allowed injustice or injury or inaction, it was for a greater purpose.  Therefore, letting go of bitterness and offering forgiveness was the only wise thing to do.

That’s tough when we’ve been wounded.  The last thing we want to do is forgive.  But the only healing salve for the deep emotional wounds that get inflicted from time to time in our lives is forgiveness!

Now some people think forgiving is forgetting. It’s not! It’s precisely because of we can’t forget that forgiveness is needed.  Some people think forgiveness minimizes the hurt.  It doesn’t!  It’s precisely because of the intensity of our pain that forgiveness is needed.  Some think that forgiveness means forfeiting justice.  Not true!  It’s precisely, and perhaps most importantly, that because we ourselves deserve God’s judgment, we need to extend forgiveness.

That’s why Paul taught, “Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” (Colossians 3:13)  That’s why Jesus said, “You can’t get forgiveness from God without also forgiving others.” (Matthew 6:15, MSG)  Gorge Herbert said, “He who cannot forgive another breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself.”

You see, without forgiveness, there is no future of divine blessing in our lives.  Without forgiveness, there is only an endless recycling of resentment, retaliation and alienation.  Without forgiveness, our deepest wounds will never heal. Harry Emerson Fosdick was right when he wrote that not forgiving someone is like “burning down your house to get rid of a rat.”

Maybe you have someone in your life that has hurt you deeply, and you have sworn to never forgive. Joseph would advise you to rethink that position.  He would encourage you that with God’s help, you can take a step toward forgiveness, and with that step, take a giant leap toward a destiny of divine blessing!

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis said of forgiveness, “Only the truly forgiven are truly forgiving.”  And I would add to that, “Only the truly forgiving are truly forgiven.”