Day 17: Marriage , Abram & Sarah

The Readings for today are
Genesis 12
Genesis 20
1 Peter 2

I was astounded at the fact that on two occasions, Abram in fear of being killed for his gorgeous wife asks her to say that she is his sister. There are three things that amaze me here:
1) How God fiercely protects marriage
2) Abram's fear despite becoming the father of faith
3) Sarah's courage

1) Gods fiercely protects marriage
In the first case this happens in Egypt where Sarah is taken into the household of Pharoah. God however vociferously protects Abram-Sarah's marriage and casts plagues on the household of Pharoah. Give back Abram's wife! It wasn't long before Sarah, Abram and all they have are kicked out of the country.

In the second case, this happens in Gerar in Abimelech's kingdom. Consider this as a response from God as He comes to Abimelech in a dream: "Indeed you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is a man's wife". God inflicts disease on the household of Abimelech and closes the wombs of all the women.

This is definitely a show of God's fierce protection of marriage. If you mess with a man's wife, you are going to get messed by this God! It is a strong warning to us now today that what God has joined, let no man separate. Don't try. If however things have not gone well in this area, pray for God's forgiveness and repent - a 180 degree change of direction to see God's intended plan restored.

2) Abram's fear

Not long after Abram has set out from Haran he receives this promise from God:
"I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you...(Gen 12v2-3)"

A promise of this magnitude is something that should dispel all fear. God will fight for your protection and come against all who come against you. Yet, he is very fearful for his own life and being killed on account of his wife's beauty. In his fear, he asks Sarah to compromise her own safety, integrity and the security of marriage to live as a potential harlot in the house of Pharoah and Abimelech. His fear also causes other good people to sin/nearly sin before God and experience very negative consequences. See Abimelech's response to God in Genesis 20.

Let us learn from this situation and trust in God's promises that faith may dispel fear. Our fear can be very destructive not only for ourselves but for the lives of people around us.

Let us also consider however, that despite our fear God is still able to use us in his kingdom. It is quite remarkable really that despite this fear Abram is considered a father of faith. God is able to use our humanity and frailty and still work out something awesome to His glory and praise.

3) Sarah's courage
If I was Sarah I probably would have given Abram a klap on the head, a serious talking too and scolded him for his fear and unwillingness to be prepared to fight for my life and his own. In an era of woman's rights this really would not have gone too well.

However instead she holds her head up high, witnesses to Abram about the courage she has in God in contrast to his fear. She goes forward and claims 'sister' to these kings in submission to her husband's instruction even though she was probably questioning the validity of his idea. She trusts in God to protect her from abuse when her husband cannot. She was made even more beautiful in these two situations as she adorned herself with a gentle and quiet spirit, trusting in God and not being afraid of any terror.

Day 5-6: If you want to leave a legacy, fear God

Day 6 and 7: Reading Genesis 4-5

Okay, I am starting to move through this reading but not rigorously enough and was slightly derailed from the plan. I didn't miss day five as it may appear. There were just no readings for day five. I then got to day 6 readings on the terrible event of the killing of Abel by his brother Cain and I was a little stumped as to what to write  as I find it quite depressing...This story can be read in Genesis 4. However on further insight it has much to reveal to us. So here is my take home from these scriptures.
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Today I noticed a political poster drawing on a particular party's claim to 'stay true to the legacy of Madiba'. This got me thinking. What does it take to leave a legacy behind? The story around Cain and Abel and their genealogies provides some good clues.

The slaughter of Abel is the first recorded murder committed on earth. It is not one of of a good guy trying to protect himself from a bad guy or the murder of somebody unknown to the killer. This is blood of brother blood. The source of this murder is a lack of respect and fear of God as reflected in Cain's substandard offering which was not the best of what he had to offer. He then sins again in jealousy of his brother, Abel,  jealousy of God's favour on his life, jealousy of his character and standing before God. In the absence of a fear of God, sin accumulates upon sin to the point of murder and worst of all where Cain is waving a fist before his Maker in blatant disregard of the Lord's power. There he is lying and denying the killing before an omnipotent God. This truly is evidence that man had fallen in the chapter before, and how quickly he falls, how quick.

In the story of Cain and Abel we see a picture develop of the world versus the people of God. It is the picture of lasting legacy versus one enveloped by the temporal. Cain moves off, double accursed by God. From his line comes generations of sons and daughters who do not follow God's way. There is no mention of serving, fearing or bringing offerings before God in Cain's neighbourhood. No fear of God as "Cain went out from the Lord's presence (Gen 4vs15b)". What is interesting however is that Cains' descendants are still successful despite a rejection of God. In fact, on the surface they were considerably more successful than the descendants of Adam and Eve and his brother Shem, born in place of Abel.

For example, among Cain's descendants was Jubal, the father of music; Tubal-Cain, a successful weaponry maker  and a set of pretty ambitious architects and builders erecting self-glorifying cities. By contrast we have Adams descendants through Seth. They lived in mere tents, not fancy cities. But the condition of their hearts and standing before God is distinctly different. They started calling upon the Lord in vs. 7 for example. The distinction is also specifically seen in contrasting descendants with the same name across the two groups.

Enoch is born of Cain. From Enoch we have Irad, Mehujael and then Lamech. This Lamech was one arrogant guy who is the first recorded polygamist in the Bible (this was never God's design!) and  seems to think that he can murder people and not be avenged by God because he has been less evil than Cain of whom God said "if anyone kills Cain he will suffer vengeance seven times over (vs15)".

By contrast through Adams line, Enoch is born. This guy was so pleasing to God that after 375 years, God just takes him away. Vanished. Ca poof! His line is blessed, and his son Methuselah lives the longest of anyone one earth at 969 years. And then Lamech is born, the father of Noah, who prophesies so accurately of his son that "He will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed". This Lamech is humble before his Maker and so mindful of his frailty and that of mankind.

Now when the push comes to shove, its is through Abel's replaced brother Shem that the geneology of man continues. In other words it is in those with hearts that fear God and live in His presence  that we see life in its fullest and not those that live in fancy cities with all their self-glorifying success. Despite all their wealth, cities and accomplishments, Cain's descendants were most certainly annihilated in the great flood while Noah, son of Lamech is the remaining father of mankind. It is through fearing God, not through our own success that we leave a legacy behind.

I am reminded again that if we are to leave an legacy on earth it starts with fearing God and fixing one's gaze on an eternal God and his plans. This is success. As we forfeit the temptation of the temporary in a race for the eternal, I have no doubt that we will leave something that lasts for the generations to come.

Day 4: Grace that outweighs a history of decay

Genesis 3, Romans 5 

Adam and Eve bite into the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil:
This is the most tragic event of all history and time. From this moment flows judgement and condemnation, perfection is nullified and mankind banished from living Eden. Pain and man's affinity for evil are multiplied many times over in that one bite of a moment as their once protected minds are exposed to the knowledge of evil and the earth is cursed.  

Just think for a second on the intense drama when God asks them "who told you that you were naked?". This is just overwhelmingly tragic. From this flows a separation of a Father from the one's He lovingly created. Children are eternally separated from their Father as they were deceived into thinking they should become like God. It was not for riches and wealth that they were allured to betray their Maker, but it was with the knowledge of good and evil for it is through 'knowledge' that we become more like God.

Consistent with the character of a Good God, there are still glimmers of grace in a midst this cosmic disaster and epic betrayal. The Father voices the proceeding pain and the deepest consequences for their actions, yet still reaches down and makes garments to cover their shame and nakedness despite their gross evil and utter betrayal of Himself. This reflection of grace and forgiveness  is echoed again on earth as Jesus washes his disciples feet, knowing they would either betray Him or desert Him in just a few minutes. It's as if He is saying "I love you, I will serve you, regardless of your sin and shame". There is Grace even in our lowest moments.

While God lays out his curse and judgement, He is all the while devising a plan to show them the abundance of His Grace.

Genesis 4 vs 14-15 
"So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers, he will crush your head and you will strike his heal". 

All ready there is reference to the coming Messiah, to His victory on the cross...the Grace to be revealed. If this grace had been revealed at the fall of man or anytime between then and Jesus' coming, man could never have begun to contemplate its magnitude. Time was needed that Magnificent Grace could be juxtaposed against the cumulative atrocities of mankind and his sin. Romans 5, probably one of the most powerful revelations of the new testament, reflects this....

Romans 5 vs 6-7,15
vs 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
vs 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 

Jesus' coming to this earth is appointed for a period of time, thousands of years later when sin had accumulated upon sin and the extent of atrocities deserved only the complete annihilation of mankind and his eternal destruction. Jesus dies for us, taking all this cumulative mess upon His perfect, blameless self. And as He says "It is finished" it is almost as if He is saying:

"Look here, this is infinite grace. You have committed a weight of sin from the time of Adam till now and today you commit the worst sin of all, killing your very Creator. Yet I chose to love you. I choose to completely forgive and set you free from all condemnation and judgement for every sin committed on earth. The extent of My Grace exceeds the weight of your historical sin, and this sin. My Grace outweighs it all."

Day 3: Created to create

Genesis 2

There is so much to take out of Genesis 2. Today, however, I would like to focus on three sections highlighting the creativity of God and His desire for us to participate in this process.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done (Gen 2v2-3) 

I was struck by the fact that God had to rest from creating. Imagine creating so much in a week that you have to rest from this process? We work all week, get exhausted and then contemplate how we can unwind on the weekend by doing something creative because the week's work is often so non-creative. I rush off on a regular occasion on a Saturday to buy an Ideas magazine, for just the thought of being so creative gives me great pleasure. Being made in the image of God,I believe there is an inward dwelling desire in us to create - this may be through innovative thinking, fluid speech or crafting beauty out of our hands or bodies.

I have no doubt this is God's desire. He calls us to participate in the  process, bringing to us his creative appointments and then observing with great delight as he gives us the autonomy to breath life into what he has appointed us to do. Just look at this powerful scripture:

Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals (Gen 2v19-20) 

At the dawn of time, when science and language were undeveloped, God's appointment for Adam is to name what He had made. Two things strike me here.

• First, who in their right mind would leave the naming process up to someone else when they have put all the effort in making it? You are not exactly going to let your neighbour name your child after the pain of giving birth, are you? But God in his humble love and desire to see us participate with Him, gives mankind this privilege. In an act of utter grace, he lovingly brings the animals to Adam, stands back and observes with great joy what name Adam will come up with for each of His creatures. 
• Second, this naming process is one gigantic feat. Even if we go for a very very conservative figure of just mammals, birds, amphibians and reptiles then this would be about 31000 species in the world to name  (http://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/Plants-Animals/number-species.php). If we were to expand this to all known vertebrate animals and invertebrate animals this would take us to 1,4 million and then if you went further and considered new estimates of all created living species on earth 8,7 million (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14616161)!! If we take the very conservative 31000 in light of the current number of words in the English Oxford Dictionary at 171,000, Adam would have had to have had to have come up with the equivalent of 18% of our known English language. I suspect he would have had to have been VERY creative. 

We must not forget that it is God's desire for us to create in work. When he made the earth, functionality was not the only requirement of his work process, but things were to be both aesthetic and functional. It was never the intention for these two factors to be divorced from one another. 

God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground - trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food (Gen 2v9)

Today as you go about your work, whatever it may be, know that God takes delight in our working and desires for us to participate in it with great creativity. He is cheering us on to innovate, think abundantly and do our jobs better each day. This is consistent with His image within us.

Day 1 and 2: What is seen was not made out of what was visible.

I have started a reading plan on You Version - 365 days through the Bible called Ownit. I think it's titled this because there are no associated commentaries, just connected daily readings in both the new and Old Testament. I am going to use this as the foundation of these blog entries. I have chosen not to use a commentary reading plan because it is so easy to read someone else's revelation (which is good) but then fail to engage in your own. You forget another's findings but seldom forget your own. I have attended countless research seminars over the years and continually find this holds true...For this reason the name of the reading plan is appropriate: 'own it', take responsibility for your personal revelation of God. Here is my first stab at my 'own it' reading plan:

Day 1 and 2: What is seen was not made out of what was visible (Hebrews 11:1-3 NIV)

Genesis 1 
Hebrews 1:10-12 NIV
Colossians 1:15-19 NIV
Hebrews 11:1-3 NIV

This is quite a statement when you think about it. When we read the account of creation in Genesis it's power is somewhat lost because we've heard it before and we have seen the evidence daily of what is described. But just think, this world as we have known it was created not using a blueprint or developing on someone else's idea as almost every other invention of man has done. It was conceived afresh in the infinite invisible creationist of the Triune God. Conceived afresh! The intricacy of millions of different creatures and species of plant and animal. I marvel alone at just how the body works or how a mountain came to be! What is even more unbelievable is that this earth and universe is just one canvas on Gods wall. He will roll up the current, and start afresh with a new work. Except the second round will be even better than the first. 

I then got thinking, if we are made in Gods image, does something of this invisibility exist within us? Jesus was born with this in-crafted invisibility as the image of the invisible God who created both visible and invisible things. Are we able to create when we have not seen? Are we wired to believe in something we have never seen before? The only physical manifestation I could think of in this regard is to figure out if any born completely blind person has created and painted what he or she has never seen before.  Blow me down, I came across the story of Turkish Esref Armagan. He was born without eyes.  I suspose he can feel and smell, and hear the stories recounted of the details around him but still, he can create with colour and accuracy things of this life.

http://esrefarmagan.com/

Volvo recently asked Esref to create a picture of the s60. For someone who has never seen a car or anything, he produces this?  http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xaybzk_all-new-volvo-s60-esref-armagan-bli_auto

Watching this was quite overwhelming for me. How gracious is our God that in our deep darkness we encounter His image within us, invisible creation life and the ability to see through our blindness. One day I will come face to face with the author of creation who makes this possible. Our eyes and hearts will be opened to understand who He is and the fullness of the power that exploded the earth into being with just a word.

He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Hebrews 1:10-12 NIV)

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:1-3 NIV)

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, (Colossians 1:15-19 NIV)

The reason for this blog

Today, I started off my quiet time acutely aware that the term "quiet" should not apply to our initial praise and thanksgiving to God. We must declare in our thoughts, on our lips and the top of lungs the gargantuan power and glory of the living God. Praise cannot be kept under the sheets of quiet bedrooms or muffled in the cushion of our comfortable couch. The glory of our Father demands a daily response of non-quiet declaration. But then I was stumped at how to take this further. Our vocabulary is so terribly diminutive in its ability to describe even the least of who Jesus is, of the Word of life that spoke nuclear power of epic proportions into the creation of the earth. Our vocabulary cannot even come close to describing the power station on which His words of grace and truth are founded. The Words that spoke Light, separating it out from a darkness that could not comprehend it and ignited the universe of this world came from the same life and person that spoken to us on this earth, declaring the mystery of His grace for grace upon grace (Read Genesis 1 and John 1 together which provide glorious connections between Jesus' God head power at creation and that which he brought to bear on us as a mere man on earth).

In response I started researching synonyms for 'amazing', 'power' and 'greatness' and came across Brobdingnagian. It refers to something of tremendous size and power. It was first described in Gulliver's travel as they encountered giants 100s of times greater than themselves. This may be a better adjective to describe the grace bought for us through Jesus. This grace is not a nice little idea, like a loving peck on the cheek. This grace is ferociously powerful, backed by the nuclear power plant of Jesus' infinite life and the growing prodigious love of a Father.

Today, I am using Brobdingnagian and grace together as the inspiration for this blog. In faith I pray that it inspires me to share reflections on our Father whose infinite character demands that we at least try to catch a daily glimpse, even just a reflection of His worth. Who would dare be given a map to a treasure chest of unimaginable value and not make the effort to find it?