The Reluctant Messenger

   In our Sunday school class we have been looking at the lives of various women of the Bible.  My personal studies took me to the book of Jonah and I discovered that no women are mentioned at all in that little book.

   It is easy to judge poor Jonah and declare that maybe he could have used a good woman who would have told him it’s not a good idea to run from the Almighty.  In fairness, however,  I really wouldn’t want my life to be put under a microscope to examine all the character flaws like Jonah’s life was and then put on display for untold generations.

  We can actually learn quite a bit from Jonah’s life and God’s interaction with Him, as we look at 10 things that God did.

  First He 1. came.  God came to Jonah with an assignment to deliver a message to the inhabitants of the city of Nineveh.  God said “I want you to cry out against it because their wickedness has come up before Me.”  

  God sees wickedness.  God cares about the victims of wicked people.

  Nineveh had a reputation for cruelty, terror, violence and torcher.  Does this remind you of anything?  It does me.  It makes me think of ISIS.  It makes me think of drug lords who are cruel and vicious. From these current situations we can get a feel for what God was asking of Jonah.  It would be like asking Jonah to go tell the ISIS soldiers that God has a message for them.

   Well Jonah wasn’t too keen on the idea and he quickly got himself out of Dodge.  He wanted no part of taking any message to the reprobates of Nineveh.  They were the enemy.  I’m not so sure I can blame him.  If God called me to go cry out against ISIS I might run the other way too.  I might forget that I could trust God. 

   Jonah’s plan was to flee “from the presence of the Lord”.  Seriously, is that even possible?  No.  Do we sometimes try to flee from God’s presence?  Do we shun the things He asks of us?  Like obedience, faithfulness, looking out for others?  We may not get on a boat and head for another country, but do we mentally head in a different direction?  Do we fill our minds and time with so many other things that we block out the whispers of the Holy Spirit?  It can happen but it’s not a good thing.

  Next we read that 2. The Lord sent a great wind.  This was no gentle breeze, and it was not happenstance.  This was a great wind by the hand of God.

   The men traveling on that ship with Jonah were in a very strange situation.  This man of God who came aboard was saying “this storm that threatens us is my fault.  You must throw me overboard.”  They believed that Jonah was indeed connected to the one true God so what a dilemma they faced.  What would happen to them if they killed this man of God?  Well, they did throw him overboard but they immediately took some vows and offered a sacrifice to Jonah’s God.   The Almighty knew that no sacrifice was necessary because Jonah wasn’t going to die.  This was all part of God’s plan.

  The third thing God did was 3. He prepared a great fish.  This specially provided fish swallowed Jonah and from within this fish Jonah prayed.  This prayer is recorded in chapter two of the book of Jonah.  As part of this prayer, verse 4 says, “I have been cast out of your sight.”  I can almost hear God saying…. “Ummmm wasn’t that what you wanted Jonah to flee from me?”  Actually that is human thinking I believe God had much deeper thoughts going on right then.

  The next thing God did was 4. He spoke to the fish.  At God’s command the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land.  Poor Jonah, was now a seaweed covered, vomit dripping, fish expelled human hairball. 

   Then God  5. came again.   Jonah was given a second chance to be obedient.  Aren’t you glad that God gives second chances?  It demonstrates God's deep love in several ways.  He loved Jonah and He loved the people of Nineveh, and He loved the victims of their cruelty and torture.

   Jonah obediently took God’s message to the people of Nineveh this time.  Nineveh was a large city.  It would take three days to walk across the whole city.  On the first day he began telling them God’s message, which was: “In forty days Nineveh shall be overthrown.”

   He must have been pretty persuasive, (Or God did some work ahead of time) because the people believed what Jonah was saying, including the king.  This message began a great revival. The king ordered a city wide fast.

   Can you imagine how it would be if all the ISIS soldiers started bowing down before Jesus Christ, God’s Son and the world’s Savior.  How it would be if they were to put down their weapons and started lifting up Christ.  Imagine how it would be if today the Boko Haram soldiers were to release the abducted young women and allowed them to go back home to their families with the soldiers begging for their forgiveness and God’s.  Jonah’s frightening words brought just such a revival.

   6.  God saw their works.  God saw the need because of the cruel Ninevites, and God saw when they repented.

   7.  God relented from the plan He had for them.  God prefers repentance to discipline.  Not so Jonah.  We get a closer look at Jonah in chapter 4.  Jonah threw what southern folks know as a hissy fit.  He wanted God to destroy them.  He couldn’t wait to see that happen.  Have we ever wanted God to reign down judgement on someone?  If we are honest we probably have to answer yes.  But we all want God’s mercy shown to us.  We don’t want Him to rain down His judgement on us.

   In the midst of his hissy fit Jonah made himself a little pity palace to mope in.  He was hoping that he could sit and watch and maybe God would change his mind and destroy Nineveh.

  8. God provided a vine. It grew up quickly in one day and provided shade over Jonah’s pity palace and brought him comfort.  Jonah was pleased.

  9. God provided a worm.  The worm chewed on the vine and the vine withered.  Jonah was not pleased.  Then God 10. Provided a vehement east wind. Now Jonah was really not pleased and he whined that he just wanted to die.

   God was teaching Jonah (and us) a hard lesson about God’s priorities and ours.  The book of Jonah ends with God asking Jonah a couple of questions.   He asks “Is it right for you to be angry about a vine that you had nothing to do with.  You didn’t create or plant or tend it.”   You pity a plant.  Should I not pity Nineveh where you will find 120,000 persons who cannot discern between their right and their left? (Referring to children) 

   Jonah was throwing a fit over his lost shade from a vine but had no concern for the loss of 120,000 innocent children.  It is a rhetorical question.  It needs no answer.

   Maybe we should be praying that God would send some messengers into our world today.  

   One of the ladies in the Sunday school class pointed out how even with all of his flaws God still used Jonah.  We are all people with flaws and bad attitudes and self-centeredness, but when we are obedient to God amazing things can happen.  Blessings.

Chicago, Chicago

Chicago, Chicago

     With the controversy between the black lives matter protestors and the police in this country, it got me to thinking about some things.  First let me make very clear black lives do matter.  Equally, so do all other lives.  If you use God’s measuring instruments (which is what we should do since He is infinitely more wise than we are) each and every person is equal in value.

     The very well-known verse from John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  It doesn’t say that He loved the white persons of the world, or that He loved the black persons of the world.  He loved all from black to white and every shade in between.  And He purchased them all and gave them all opportunity to have a relationship with Him.

     In the midst of this current controversy, one of the things that people keep bringing up, or should I say they keep trying to bring up, but are finding that it gets no traction is the problem of black on black crime. Young black men killing other young black men.  Do young black men’s lives only matter if they are destroyed by a white person?  Nonsense!  I have to question why is this sad loss of life not being treated as though those black lives matter? They do matter. They matter to God. They should matter to us. Why are there not people marching in the streets in defense of these young lives lost?  What a waste.  What could their contributions to the world have been?

    When I start thinking about things it is interesting (to me) the different things that connect together in that dancing jumble of thoughts in my head.

     The next thought that comes is a passage of scripture from Jonah.  It says: Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

     Then from somewhere in my memory another thought comes pirouetting into view, the memory of a man named Billy Sunday. 

     Billy Sunday was born in 1862 in Iowa and died in 1935.  He was a professional baseball player in the National League.  Billy “got saved” in 1886. 

     To anyone who may not be familiar with that phrase “got saved” it means to enter into a relationship with God by claiming the blood of Christ as that which cleanses a person to become worthy to enter into a relationship with a holy God.  Christ sacrificed his life as atonement for mankind.  When this atonement is accepted, one is “saved” from the consequences of his own sinfulness. 

     In 1896 Billy became an evangelist.  He had a passion to see people come out of darkness and sin and worldly vises and enter into relationship with God and find wholeness and light.  We could use a few Billy Sundays in our world today.

     There are some interesting quotes attributed to Billy Sunday such as:

 “Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.

Temptation is the devil looking through the keyhole. Yielding is opening the door and inviting him in.

They tell me a revival is only temporary; so is a bath, but it does you good.”

     I think the reason thoughts of Billy Sunday came prancing into this particular thought process is because I think somewhere in his spirit Billy heard words similar to those that Jonah heard.  I think he felt God calling to him:  “Arise, go to that great city of Chicago and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”

     Billy Sunday arose and went and cried out against the wickedness in the city of Chicago but his efforts did not have the same outcome as Jonah’s.

     The city of Chicago wanted no part of Billy Sunday’s God.  In fact a song was written mocking him.  It was recorded and sung by Frank Sinatra. Some of the words go like this:

Chicago, Chicago that toddling town
Chicago, Chicago I will show you around - I love it
Bet your bottom dollar you lose the blues in Chicago, Chicago
The town that Billy Sunday couldn't shut down.

     Back to my original thought, the lost black lives taken by other black people:  Chicago is the main city from which statistics are used to bring awareness of this very sad problem.  Chicago is a city that should hang its head in shame for the opportunity they had and missed.

     According to Wikipedia, Chicago is a city with a very tarnished reputation because of its long history of corruption of its public officials.  These officials have kept federal law enforcement and prosecutors very busy.  It seems that Chicago’s politicians, (predominantly democrats for over 50 years) had a well-known reputation as a “political machine”. 

     In the 1980s, FBI Operation “Greylord” uncovered within Chicago’s judicial system massive and systemic corruption.  It was the longest and most successful undercover operation in the FBI’s history.   This investigation resulted in 92 federal indictments, which included 17 judges, 48 lawyers, 8 policemen, 10 deputy sheriffs, 8 court officials, and one state legislator. Nearly all were convicted on a variety of charges including bribery, kickbacks, fraud, vote buying, racketeering and drug trafficking.

A quote from Wikipedia:

     “A 2015 report released by the University of Illinois at Chicago's political science department declared Chicago the "corruption capital of America", citing that the Chicago-based Federal Judicial District for Northern Illinois reported 45 public corruption convictions for 2013 and a total of 1,642 convictions for the 38 years since 1976 when the U.S. Department of Justice began compiling the statistics.  UIC Professor and former Chicago Alderman Dick Simpson noted in the report that "To end corruption, society needs to do more than convict the guys that get caught.  A comprehensive anti-corruption strategy must be forged and carried out over at least a decade. A new political culture in which public corruption is no longer tolerated must be created".

Examples of other high profile Chicago political figures convicted on corruption related charges include Rod Blagojevich, Jesse Jackson, Jr., Isaac Carothers, Arenda Troutman, Edward Vrdolyak, Otto Kerner, Jr., Constance Howard, Fred Roti and Dan Rostenkowski.”

     What a sad commentary for a city, but that’s not the total of Chicago’s sad story.  Street crime statistics show that Chicago is considered the most gang infested city in the whole US.  There were close to 500 homicides in Chicago in 2015.

     I guess the real thought in my head that all this mental dancing culminates in is this: How might things have been different if Chicago had welcomed and embraced the Truth that Billy Sunday brought? 

     My conclusion is this: If God blesses you with the opportunity to hear the Gospel, to hear Truth, don’t turn away.  Open your ears, your mind and your heart.

     Those verses I quoted early are indeed encouraging, the ones that say that God so loved us that He sent His Son to save us, but just a few verses later, John 3: 19-20 says: And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.

     Maybe your town and my town and Chicago town all need another visit from a Billy Sunday.

BE ANGRY.....

     This week has been a hard one.  As I watch the news I see that our possible next president is reckless and careless with information that our enemies don’t need to have access to.  I listen and discover that she has told many lies running from accountability.  Then I learn that she is seemingly above the laws that others have to live by.  I feel angry.

    And then yesterday just to the West of me in our neighboring state of Texas news reports tell of five police officers being gunned down simply because they are white police officers.  Two of my daughters are married to law enforcement officers.  I grieve for these families.  I feel angry.

    I see the freedoms we enjoy eroding away and I feel the oppressive politically correct nonsense of misguided leaders being forced on us.  I feel angry.

    In Ephesians 4:26 the Bible tells us to be angry….that’s nice cause boy I am angry.  But wait, there is more.  It says, “In your anger do not sin:  Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  Be angry and sin not.

    Anger is a natural response when there is injustice and cruelty and senseless pain inflected on others.  Smacking people doesn’t fall into the “sin not” area.  Becoming a vigilante probably isn’t the right thing either.  Our true enemy is not flesh and blood.  Notice that the verse warns us not to give the devil a foothold.  Presidential candidates are not the enemy.  Racist hate filled activists are not the enemy. Our anger and our action should be directed toward the true enemy.  He hates when we pray, so pray hard.  Pray for those who are hurting, pray for those with whom you differ.  Pray for your community and your leaders.  Pray for truth and light to shine.

    Our enemy also hates when we forgive and when we encourage one another.  So forgive and encourage each other.  Our enemy also hates when we praise love and praise the Messiah.  Love Him, and praise Him, draw close to Him, hear His voice as He shows you what to do with your anger. Use the strength and power of your anger against the real enemy.

     Be angry………….but sin not.  

LEAH, UNLOVED BUT BLESSED

     Abraham’s grandson Jacob found himself in the midst of some pretty dysfunctional family issues.  Dysfunctional families are not a new thing.  The very first family was wrought with such dysfunction that one brother killed the other brother.

     There were several reasons for the dysfunction in Jacob’s home.  Part of the issue was that Mama was interfering with the traditions.  She wanted Jacob to get the blessing meant for the oldest son and devised a plan to make it happen.  Maybe the older son’s choice of wives entered into Mama’s interference.  The Bible says that these wives of the brother were grief of mind to Jacob’s father and mother.        Prior to the theft of the blessing, Jacob had finagled his brother out of his birthright.  It is hard to conjure up much sympathy for the brother since he showed such a lack of interest in his own birthright.  Jacob, you might remember acquired it with a bowl of tasty stew. 

     After these incidents, Jacob’s brother hated him enough to kill him.  Mama advises Jacob to run to her relatives in Padan Aram.  So he runs from one sticky situation to a new sticky situation.  He now finds himself on the receiving end of deception and trickery.

    In Padan Aram he meets and falls in love with Rachel.  So taken with her he makes a deal with her father to work for seven years for her hand in marriage.  The seven years go by quickly because he is so in love with her.  The big day comes.  A feast is made and then the bride is brought to him.  But come morning he discovers that it is not Rachel his beloved, it is her sister Leah.  After the marriage week with Leah he is given Rachel also but he now he has to work another seven years for her.

    Poor Leah.  What a horrible way to start a marriage.  I guess you could almost classify her as an unwanted step-wife, excess baggage.  Rachel was a beautiful girl and nicely formed.  Leah we are told had delicate eyes. From what is not told we can assume that maybe she was not so beautiful and maybe she was not so nicely formed. 

    I have to believe that the tenderness of her eyes started from a tenderness of heart.  She was in a very hard situation that no woman would want to be in, but she was very human and she longed to be loved by her husband.

     We can learn some encouraging things from Leah’s life because we all go thru painful situations.  We all long for love and acceptance from those around us, and sometimes just like with Leah, it is not there.

    The Bible says, (Genesis 29:31) When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.

    God sees our pain.  God sees unfairness.  God knows when the scales are unbalanced.  Don’t think for a minute that God does not see your pain or your situation.  God reacts to our pain.  God’s reaction to our pain is based on His wisdom and not ours. God did not swoop in and cause Jacob to fall head over heals in love with Leah, instead God wooed Leah to fall in love with Himself.

     In this paraphrase (my own) of these verses we can follow Leah’s struggle. Genesis 29: 31-35.  Leah conceived and bore a son; she named him Reuben which means “see a son” Leah named him this because she knew that the Lord saw her affliction.  She thought, “Now my husband will love me.”  But that did not happen.

    Then she conceived again and bore a son, she said “Because the Lord has heard that I am unloved he has given me this son also.”  She named this son Simeon, which means “hearing”.  She was still hoping that these sons would cause her husband to love her.

     She conceived again and bore a third son, and said, “Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons.”  So she named him Levi which means “joined or attached.”

    She conceived again and bore a son and said, “Now I will praise the Lord.”  She named this boy Judah which means “praise.”

     I don’t want to read too much into this, but it seems that there is a change.  Her mind is not so much on what she doesn’t have but it seems that she understands that she has something wonderful in a God who sees, who hears, who understands, cares, and blesses.  She seems to have a contentment in praising her God.

    It is interesting to follow the heritage of Leah’s six sons.  Of the twelve tribes of Israel Leah was mother of six.  Through her son Levi whose name means “attached” came Moses and Aaron, the priests and high priests.  Through her son Judah whose name means “praise” came King David and then down the line came Jesus our redeemer and Savior.

     In the midst of dysfunctional homes and people God can work miracles and blessings.  He loves you.  He sees your pain.  He can turn your pain into something beautiful.  Blessings.

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.

Mrs. Noah

  Last Sunday we talked about Mrs. Noah in Sunday school class.  We decided a couple of things right away. One, she didn't have it easy and two, boy did she pick the right man.  Does that mean women should keep their eyes open for a man with a good boat? Well no, not necessarily, however if you like to fish it might not be a bad idea.
  That catastrophic world wide flood that Mrs. Noah went through was a one time thing. That particular time of judgement has come and gone.  We even have rainbows to remind us that there will never be a world wide flood again. You women now need to keep your eyes open for a man who knows about the next judgement.
  No, our dear Mrs. Noah didn't have it easy.  Those rainy days cooped up in a rocking sea vessel with all those smelly animals, three daughters in law, (hopefully all like Ruth) and four possibly sea sick men.  Does it get any worse that that?  Yes, those dark rainy days were undoubtedly some of the dreariest known to man, (and women). 
  This ark which carried Mrs. Noah and her family took anywhere from a few years up to possibly seven years to build.  It was about 450 ft by 75 ft. by 45 ft. had similar proportions of a modern ocean liner, but trust me this was no Carnival cruise. After that door was closed and locked by God Almighty and the rain started falling,  I can imagine that the cries of the people on the outside could be heard by those on the inside who were powerless to do anything.  Every friend, every family member not on board, every acquaintance, every man woman and child perished.  Gloom and grief  and maybe fear, were the companions of those eight persons on the ark. There had to be a measure of comfort in knowing that they were in God's safe place because of faith in what God had said.
  There was no TV and no internet aboard the ark, no I phones and I'm guessing not even any books. They were in the ark for approximately one year.  Think how we react when it snows and we are snowbound for a few days.  Enough said.
  These people, this ark, this event, these were all very real.  But this bit of history was also a picture.  That ark was a place of safety and security from the judgement God brought upon the earth and all the inhabitants. It is a type of Christ. A picture of Jesus.  There will be another time of judgement in the future.  Jesus Christ is our ark.

Romans 3:23-24 : For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 

Romans 12:5 So we being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.

II Cor. 5: 17-19:  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them.  And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Colossians 1:13-14:   For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Romans 8:1: Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:38 for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

  One more thing I want to mention about Mrs. Noah.  We don't know her name.  In fact we don't know much of anything about her except she was there.  She did not have a long list of attributes and accomplishments that bought her passage on that ark.  It was provided in return for her faith.

  I don't have to have a list of accomplishments or a famous name. Maybe you don't either. God has provided a way for us to be in the next Ark of safety.  This passage also comes thru faith.  Faith in believing that Christ died on a cross to take the punishment for my sins. With His blood, I am clean and can enter the Ark.

  Kudos to you Mrs. Noah you are an inspiration.  Don't you just wonder how many times Noah got asked "Are we There yet?"