God's Amazing Patience

    There are countless songs about God’s amazing grace, as well there should be for His grace is truly amazing.  I have to say that God’s patience with children is equally amazing.  Maybe it takes that holy patience before we find our way to His amazing grace.  As one who probably tests His patience regularly I am grateful for the loving patience He shows toward me.

   There is an example of His patience in scripture that blows my mind and I ask myself, “am I ever that stupid?”  Notice that I ask myself rather than God or someone else.  I don’t really want an answer.  Maybe that is a bit harsh.  Maybe I should say “am I ever that clueless?”  That sounds a little better a little less judgmental. 

   Here is the background.  In Genesis chapter 19 some bad things are about to happen.  Some angels, sent by God visited Abraham’s nephew whose name was Lot who lived in Sodom.  They asked him if he had any relatives in the city.  They warned him that if he did he had better get them out now.  This is what the angels told Lot:

Verse 13: “For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the Lord and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” 

  It was a pretty clear message. I think I would have been heading for the door.   From this message we learn a couple things.  One, that God’s patience does have a limit, and two, going past that limit is not a good thing. 

   I am very curious about that “outcry” thing.  I know that God sees all and knows all.  He is aware of every tear we shed, and I know that when Cain (Adam’s son) slew Able (Adam’s other son) God said to Cain, “What have you done?  The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground.”

  When you consider all the sad desperate mournful cries that go to God’s ears no wonder He desires to hear our expressions of praise. No wonder it is dear and refreshing to Him.  I don’t know if angels were taking messages to God from Sodom or if it was the prayers of someone.  God told Abraham that he would spare the city if there were ten righteous people living there.  Evidently there were not.  So I’m not so sure about anyone praying about the evilness that was taking over.

   This outcry regarding the evilness is a mystery to me that causes me to ponder.  I don’t know how the outcry got to God, maybe nature itself speaks to God, but I know God heard the outcry and I know that God acted because of it.  I wonder if there is always an outcry that accompanies evil.  If God’s patience with those people lasted until there were not ten righteous people left that is amazing patience.

   We see His patience again in verse 16.  It says that the angels, knowing what was coming, knowing what their assignment was, physically grabbed Lot and his wife and daughters and brought them out of the city. They told Lot, “Escape for your life!  Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain.  Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.”

  Now, here comes my idea of stupidity or cluelessness.  Lot says, “Please, no, my lords!  I know that I have found favor in your sight, (let me ask a little more favor) and I know that you have shown mercy and have saved my life here,(let me beg a little more mercy) but I can’t go to the mountains, because some evil may overtake me and I might die. Let me stay in this small little town here on the plains.” (I’d rather take my chances among the fire and brimstone) Words in parenthesis and sarcasm are mine not scripture.  If an angel told me destruction was coming go to the mountain I don’t think I would be bargaining with him for more mercy, grace and patience with me. I would be finding that mountain.

  Well, more favor was shown to Lot and he was granted permission to go to the small town of Zoar and that small town was spared.

  I was amazed at Lot’s words regarding the mountains.  The angels designated it as a safe place.  Lot explains “some evil may overtake me and I might die.”  Hmmm, he was living in a place where evil was taking over, that’s why it would soon be raining brimstone.  I don’t think Lot knew what evil looked like. Maybe it was a case of political correctness slowly going to seed.  It begs the question, are we losing our ability to recognize evil?

  I wish I could ask Lot, what “evil” lurked in the mountain that was a worse evil than the evil he had been living amongst? 

   There is a chapter two to this story.  In verse 30 scripture goes on to say: Then Lot went up out of Zoar and dwelt in the mountains, and his two daughters were with him; for he was afraid to dwell in Zoar.  And he and his two daughters dwelt in a cave.

   It is not a good thing when we lose the ability to know when a thing is evil and will bring destruction.  If you want to know what is evil search out what God says is evil.  If the government says something is legal but God says it is evil we are in trouble.  God is amazingly patient but…….I don’t want to be around when it runs out.

A Picture of The Bride

     Last Sunday we discussed a woman named Milcah in our ladies Sunday school class.  She is one of those women mentioned in the Bible that we really don't recognize right off if at all. But, I thought there was a lesson to be gleaned from this obscure life.
   If you follow down through the ancestry of Shem (One of Noah's sons) you will eventually come to a guy named Serug. If you are at all like me, you may be thinking "who in their right mind would name a child Serug?" I don't think they had the same baby name books we have today.  That was a time when you were not apt to find an Aidan, or Liam or Olivia or Sophie. 
   Serug was the chosen name for that particular child. It meant something like "branch or twining". It did not mean "see rug, clean rug".  Moving along to the connection to Milcah, and there really is a connection.  Genesis 11:22-29:  
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor. 
23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah. 
25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. 

27 This is the account of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram,(later called Abraham) Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. 
28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. 
29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iskah. 
   Why, you may ask, do I go back as far as Serug in this little trip down ancestry lane?  My answer: partly because I find it interesting and partly because I wanted to go from the unrecognized to the more familiar.  I apologize if It seems like a couple of generations too many.

   Milcah, our lady of discussion, was the daughter of Haran who was a brother to Abraham and Nahor (her husband). In our culture it is not customary for a man to marry his niece, (in fact it is quite creepy) but in those days it was within customs and was a way of keeping the family away from the worship of other gods.  It is also believed that genetic imperfections were not an issue like they would be today.

    Milcah came from a very influential family and had, within the religious world, some very famous relatives, but she herself was just a regular girl.  She did not have the acclaim that came to others in the family, like Abraham and Sarah.  She and her husband Nahor were not among those who traveled with Abraham to the promised land that God led him to.  They weren't there when God made promises to Abraham to bless him.  God told Abraham, "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you:  I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."  Wow!  That is huge. All the people on earth will be blessed through you. Something good is going to come thru that linage just you wait and see.  God said so.  And meanwhile, back in the homeland, Milcah goes about her "out of the limelight" life.
   Let me interrupt this story for a commercial break.  For the last six months or so, I have been giving piano lessons to my little granddaughter Ella. Tonight she is going to come to my house (along with all her relatives) to have a year end recital.  It will also mark the end of Granny as her teacher.  I learned pretty quick that she has a natural gift and leans towards playing by ear and she will need someone better equipped to guide her with this gift. I think I am more excited about tonight than she is.  I am so proud of her.  There is nothing quite like watching your child or grandchild accomplish something good. Some day I anticipate I will be in an audience, or congregation somewhere and I'll be grinning thinking...that's my Ella playing that piano.
  Okay, back to my story.  Abraham goes on with his life and eventually has the promised miracle son Isaac with Sarah in their old age.  Isaac grows up and it is now time for a wife for him.
  Abraham wants the best for his son.  He sends his servant back to the homeland to get him a wife.  The servant went and came to a well and prayed that God would help him know which was the right girl. Genesis 24:15 ;  And it happened, before he had finished speaking, that behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, came out with her pitcher on her shoulder.  Well, well, well, Milcah had a lovely granddaughter.  A granddaughter who would have a very important place in the scheme of things.
   Rebekah was to become the bride of Isaac, but also this bride was to be a picture of another bride.  A picture meant to teach something that God was telling mankind.  You see God speaks to us with similitudes.  Hosea 12:10 tells us that.  He uses circumstances to make a picture to help us understand His love and His plan.
  In this picture, Abraham symbolizes God the Father.  Issac symbolizes Jesus Christ, and Rebekah (Milcah's granddaughter) symbolizes the bride of Christ which is the church.  The whole world really has been blessed (just as God said) thru the offspring of Abraham then Isaac, then Jacob, then on and on until a Savior was born who provided redemption for mankind. 
   And now God will provide Jesus, His Son with a bride. We, the church are the bride of Christ.  One day, maybe soon, like Rebekah was brought to Isaac the bride of Christ will be brought to Him.  And I have a feeling when we get to Heaven and are enjoying the wedding feast of the Lamb, there will be a little lady named Milcah going around to welcome everyone and telling the story of how her granddaughter was the picture of the Lamb's bride.  Blessings to you.