Neither Jew Nor Greek (Not Your Typical Christmas Story)

Neither Jew nor Greek

Not your Typical Christmas Story

Galatians 3:28

   We have been studying about Paul in my Sunday school class.  He is a remarkable man who had a remarkable calling.  He brought the wonderful message of Jesus Christ to the Gentile world.  Being a Gentile girl, Paul is one of my heroes.

    I admitted to my class that on occasion doubts creep in and I have wondered; is this precious gift of redemption really for me?  That Jewish born baby from a Jewish home and Jewish world who grew up to be the pure and acceptable sacrificial Lamb to provide redemption……does it really include me too?

  When I read the words of Jesus in Matthew 15: 21-28, it caused me to wonder.

²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

  This does not sound like the Jesus I have come to know.  At first glance it would seem that Jesus was cold and uncaring toward this Gentile woman.  First He ignored her, then He as much as said, “What I have is not for you.”  Then He called her a dog not worthy of what He has. 

   As a Gentile girl needing God’s love I found this incident somewhat disconcerting.  I knew there had to more to this than just what meets the ear here because it doesn’t match up with other scriptures.

  I found some comfort in what I read in Luke 2:25-32

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. ²⁷ Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required, ²⁸ Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

²⁹ “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
    you may now dismiss^[a] your servant in peace.
³⁰ For my eyes have seen your salvation,
³¹     which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:
³² a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
    and the glory of your people Israel.”

  This good devout man Simeon was waiting for “the consolation of Israel”.   This reminds me of one of my favorite Christmas songs written by Charles Wesley who lived in the 1700’s.

Come Thou long expected Jesus, born to set Thy people free;

From our fears and sins release us; Let us find our rest in Thee.

Israel’s strength and consolation, Hope of all the earth Thou art;

Dear desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.

Born Thy people to deliver.  Born a child, and yet a King.

Born to reign in us forever, now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all sufficient merit, Raise us to Thy glorious throne.

  This Spirit filled man, Simeon, who was waiting for the consolation of Israel says these words upon seeing Jesus:  “Lord, my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.

  Don’t you love the word “all”?  I do. Then he mentions us Gentiles specifically while holding that manger born baby in his arms, “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles.” Now that makes my heart rejoice.

   

     According to Matthew Henry’s commentary, the interaction between Jesus and the Gentile woman seeking help for her daughter was a glimmer of that light.  He likened it to a down payment of what was to come for the Gentile world.  He points out that her request was for mercy.  She doesn’t claim any merit.  It would seem that the brushing off and seemingly cold words would discourage this woman, but something different happened.  Her faith in who He was rose up and caused her to worship stronger and ask more fervently for His mercy.

  We can clear some things up to help us understand this puzzling story if we ask ourselves some questions.

1. Did Jesus know her need before she ask?  Of course He did.

2. Did He know what her response would be to His silence and His rebuff, and even the put down?  He did.  He knew she would continue in her worship and her plea.

3. How did Jesus commend her?  He praised her faith.  And then this strange incident went viral and became a message to all that it is faith that matters.  Whether you are a Jew or Gentile, man or woman, black or white, it is faith…not something that you deserve….not something that you have earned or strived for…but faith alone.  Not faith in ourselves or what we do but faith in someone else.  Faith in Jesus Christ.

  This baby Jesus born in a manger, this man Jesus who died on a cross, He did all these things for you and for me,  for all people.  Jesus pulled the faith right out of that woman and put it on display.  That is what God wants from us.  Jesus is the Light of the world.  Rejoice in Him and let your light so shine.

Stand Colin Stand

     Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.  Ephesians 6:11-13 NIV

   No one seems to have noticed the subtle way the enemy has slipped in.  But here is the evidence of his lethal nasty work:

57.6% of black children, 31.2% of Hispanic children, and 20.7% of white children are living absent their biological fathers.
* Source: Family Structure and Children’s Living Arrangements 2012. Current Population Report. U.S.  Census Bureau July 1, 2012.

     What difference does this make you ask?  Let me show you the difference it makes.  The enemy knows what he is doing.

63% of youth suicides are from fatherless homes. (US Dept of Health/Census)

90% of all homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes.

85% of all children who show behavior disorders come from fatherless homes

80% of rapists with anger problems come from fatherless homes. (Justice & Behavior, Vol 14, p. 403-26)

71% of all high school dropouts come from fatherless homes.

85% of all youths in prison come from fatherless homes.

  If our spiritual enemy could use only one tool to destroy us I think this would be his tool of choice.  Strip homes of their fathers.  Influence young men to not take serious their role when they become fathers. 

  Over half of the black children in this country live in fatherless homes. Let me shout this as loud as I can type. YES!!! black lives matter.  Those precious little black lives matter greatly, as do Hispanic and white ones.  They deserve to have fathers in their homes raising them, teaching them, loving them, and showing them how to become godly men and women of honor.  They deserve better than the future those statistics give them.  Please wake up America and start doing the things that demonstrate that they really do matter. These lives aren’t just political pawns and a vote tallied for one side or another.  They are people with a soul. They have unlimited potential.

     Colin Kaepernick not standing for the National Anthem won’t change anything about the real problem.  It won’t fight the real enemy. That act doesn’t even recognize the real enemy.   Blaming cops or blaming guns won’t fix anything either.  Guns and cops are not the enemy.  That stealthy one who destroys homes is the real enemy.  His name is Satan. Maybe we should stop joining him in his work.  Blaming the wrong cause is useful for the enemy.

   Maybe our government should not be rewarding fatherless homes with tax dollars, but instead help people and reward people when the father is in the home.  As things are, the government might pay a few bills but it makes a horrible father.  The tax code should be structured to endorse and encourage marriage and two parent homes.  Instead it rewards single parent homes and penalizes two parent homes.

   We talked about Shiphera and Puah in our Sunday school class yesterday.  They were midwives for the Hebrew women.  Pharaoh told them “when you see that it is a boy child being born, kill it.  If it is a girl child, let it live.”  This was to be a form of population control.

   This evil plan didn’t work because these two midwives had a healthy fear and respect for Almighty God and refused to kill the babies.  By the way this was talking about partial birth abortion.  So if you ever wondered how God feels about abortion just read Exodus chapter one. 

     When called to account, these brave women told Pharaoh that Hebrew women are lively and their babies come before we get there.

   These women saw the evil for what it was.  They respected God’s opinion.  Pharaoh had to go to plan two for his evil population control efforts.  They bravely took a stand.  They feared God more than they feared Pharaoh.

   Maybe that good healthy fear of God is what is lacking in our land.  Maybe there is a gross lack of awe and respect for the Almighty.  What are God’s views of the home and marriage and dads being there.

   Proverbs chapter 1 verse 7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge but fools despise wisdom and instruction.  Have we become a country of fools?  Do we despise wisdom because we no longer have that reverent awe and respect for God?

     We will never know the mind of God by looking at the world, by watching the news, by listening to politicians, or even listening to preachers.  We will certainly not get God’s view from watching TV.  Fathers have been ridiculed and devalued for a long time now in Hollywood. 

     We will come to understand the mind of God by reading His Word, by having a personal relationship with Him and by way of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us when we open our heart to let Him in to be Lord and Master. Then, when we come to understand we need to stand.
     

Lessons From Mr. Job

  Over the past few weeks I have felt drawn to study and read in the book of Job in the Bible.  It is not a part of the Bible I am typically drawn to.  As I browse thru the fragile and worn pages of my Bible I notice that there are few if any highlighted or underlined passages and no notes written in the page borders in this particular book unlike other parts of my Bible that are well marked, underlined and notated.

  Even though I don't go there often, I am quite familiar with this story because Mr. Job is very well known for all the troubles he suffered.  People talk about someone having “the patience of Job.”  I guess maybe most days a lot of us have enough troubles of our own that we aren’t really drawn to seek comfort or guidance from someone worse off than we are.  Maybe that is why I routinely skip over that very old story and go to the writings of Paul or David or maybe the Gospels.

  However, after taking a closer look this week, I have come to realize there may be more to glean than I realized from this unusual old book.  The author of Job is not known and it is not known when it was written.  Since all scripture is inspired I will simply conclude that God in His wisdom and love produced and preserved it for our benefit.

  It is evident that the common thinking of Job’s time was:  God is just and good people are blessed and bad people are punished.  So, if this thinking is correct then Job must have sinned greatly to deserve so much pain and misery.  The flaw in this thinking is not that God is just.  Because God is just.  The flaw in this thinking is believing that trials are always punishment and cannot be for the reason of bringing about something good.

  We have the benefit of having the whole book.  Or, as Paul Harvey would say, “the rest of the story”.  Now we know that God had a very important special plan in mind from day one.  Revelation talks about a Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world.  This Lamb would be a spotless (innocent) sacrificial Lamb.  For those who may be unfamiliar with this phraseology, it refers to Jesus Christ the sinless man who suffered greatly when He became the Lamb of sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.  It was this plan that God had in mind even before Adam sinned and carried all his progeny into the enemy’s camp.

   We know that sin was not the cause of Job’s problems. Job had not sinned to bring this trouble to himself.  He was innocent.   We are told this in multiple ways.  First in chapter one, we are shown the dialogue between God and Satan.  Then in chapter 42 we hear God tell Job’s “friends” they must bring a sacrifice of seven bulls and seven rams to atone for their wrong representation of the Almighty.  They are to bring them to Job and Job would pray for them.  This brings to mind the role of a priest.

   If, as I presume, Job is meant to be a picture of, or give a glimpse of Jesus Christ, then this role as a priest also fits because we know from scripture that Jesus is our High Priest and our intercessor.

  God is just, but the innocent do suffer.  God will use pain and suffering to bring about eternal good.  Trials are not always punishment. Mankind needed to understand that there was coming, in the future, an innocent man who would live a sinless life and then suffer greatly.  The purpose of His suffering was to purchase our redemption.  Unfathomable eternal good would come from the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

   We know from the rest of the story of Job that all he lost was restored double and he had seven more sons and three more daughters.  It is interesting that we are told the names of the three daughters but not the sons.  And we are told that they would receive an inheritance which was unheard of in that culture.  We are also told that these girls were the most beautiful women in the land.  Those are strange details to tack on to the end of this story.  Strange,unless these girls represent something having to do with the suffering Savior and I believe they do.  I think maybe they represent the church, the bride of Christ. Scripture tells us believers that we are co-heirs with Christ.  If this is correct then God views us “the church” as the most beautiful in the land.  Blessings to you. 

   If by chance you are in a season of pain and trials my prayers are for you today.  If Jesus is your Savior the pain will not be in vain.  If you do not know Jesus as your personal Savior you can know Him.  He died for you because He loves you and wants to spend eternity with you.

Romans 3:23 tells us that all people have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 says, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 10:9 says, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

John 3:16 says, For God so loved the world (that means you) that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever (you again) believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.

  May you find this wonderful unexplainable love.

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.