Consider all that Joseph had gone through. Assaulted by his own brothers. Sold into slavery. Falsely imprisoned. He could easily have adopted a victim mindset. He could easily have become bitter and angry. He could easily have sought revenge. But Joseph - perhaps more than anyone else save Abraham in the Book of Genesis - walks with God.
God often speaks to us in our dreams. If we have the ears to hear and the heart to listen. Sometimes those dreams are prophetic in that they tell the future. Sometimes those dreams are prophetic in that they convict us of sin. Sometimes dreams bring to light anxiety and fear that we need to bring to our Heavenly Father. Sometimes our dreams affirm us or reveal the deepest desires of our heart.
Readings for the day: Genesis 38, 39, 40
Today’s readings include all kinds of material that can often seem confusing to our 21st century ears so we’ll save Joseph’s story for tomorrow.
The story of Judah and Tamar seemingly comes out of nowhere. It’s almost an interruption in the much larger story of Joseph. And yet, it is critical for our understanding of the saving purposes of God. In the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Judah and Tamar are both mentioned and Matthew knows his audience will immediately call to mind this story from Genesis. Women, by the way, are almost never included in any genealogy but Matthew makes sure we know the names of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. That’s prostitute, prostitute, Moabite, and adulteress for those scoring at home. The point Matthew is making is that even the family tree of Jesus is not free from scandal and sin!
All kinds of important questions are raised by this text. Why does God kill Er and Onan for seemingly minor offenses? Why is Judah engaging the services of cult prostitutes? Is this his regular practice after his wife dies? And why is the penalty for adultery so harsh for Tamar? Burning at the stake? What is God up to here?
After the incident with Joseph where Judah sells his own brother into slavery, he leaves his family. Perhaps out of guilt over what he has done. Perhaps just to get away from the family dysfunction. We aren’t given a reason. He marries outside his clan and his wife bears him three sons. Er, his oldest, is so wicked that the Lord puts him to death. Again, no reason is given. It is simply something we have to accept. In the ancient near east, brothers were required to take their widowed sister-in-laws into their home with the hope they could get them pregnant and thereby continue the family line. Onan is fully aware of this custom but apparently only uses Tamar for his own personal sexual gratification while refusing to fulfill his filial responsibility. And the Lord puts him to death for his offense. This rightfully frightens Judah. He’s not about to lose his third son as this will put his own family’s future at risk so he sends Tamar home to her own family and asks her to wait until Shelah comes of age.
Then the subject of the passage shifts. Tamar is now the primary actor. She also is frightened for her future. She’s been married twice. Her reputation is in tatters as both men have died. She’s been sexually abused by at least one husband. And she knows by now that Judah has no intention of fulfilling his promise. So she dresses herself as a cult prostitute, complete with a veil so he won’t recognize her. She knows his wife has died. Perhaps she even knows Judah visits prostitutes with regularity although the text doesn’t indicate as such. And she places herself in prime position to meet him along the way. Judah takes the bait and Tamar is crafty enough to ask for his signet, cord, and staff, all of which clearly identify him to the community. Then she returns home. Three months later, she starts showing. And even though she’s living in her father’s home, she is technically Judah’s responsibility. He brings her out to be burned at the stake and that’s when the other shoe drops.
So what is God up to here? Over and over again, this family He has chosen puts their promised future at risk. The scheming and lies of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The barrenness of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel. And now Judah’s failings as a father-in-law. It always seems like the salvation plan of God is teetering on the edge of collapse. And yet God remains faithful! He continually bends the arc of human sin towards His purposes!
What about your life? Where have you sinned and fallen short? Where have you failed and lost sight of God’s promises? Where have you seen God bend even your failings towards His purposes? Where have you seen God use all things for your good?
That’s when God shows up and He begins to go to work on Jacob. Wrestling with him. Struggling with him. Forcing Jacob to come to grips with himself on a lot of levels. Forcing Jacob to face his past, his sin, his fear, his brokenness. But Jacob is a strong and stubborn man. He fights God all night long.
These are all honest, real questions that should be raised by any reflective, thoughtful, engaged readers of the Bible. And they press us to the primary question which will undergird our entire journey this year...Will we let God be God? Can we agree that His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts? Can we agree that in standing outside of time and space, He has a perspective we can never grasp? Can we agree that God is infinite in wisdom and understanding? Omniscient and omnipotent? Again, will we let God be God?
One of the most famous stories in all of Scripture is the sacrifice of Isaac. It has been the subject of some of the most incredible artwork throughout the centuries. It has influenced the plot lines of famous works of literature. There is just something deeply compelling about this story for believers and non-believers alike. An old man taking his son. His only son. The son whom he loves and offering him as a sacrifice.
All one has to do is look at the life of Abraham...It’s not a perfect life. It’s not a safe life. It’s not an easy life. Abraham is given far more than he can ever handle. He is pushed further than he himself would ever choose to go. God never stops demanding, never stops commanding. And he just keeps walking by faith.
Readings for the day: Genesis 12 and 13
Welcome to week 2! This week begins with the call to Abram. A seminal event in salvation history. God choosing one man from one family, one clan, one tribe descended from Noah’s oldest son Shem to become the father of a great nation. God’s nation. The nation of Israel.
And what is God’s call to Abram? Essentially the same call He gave to Adam and Eve. The same call He gave to Noah and his family. Be fruitful. Multiply. Fill the earth. Have dominion. Only this time, God isn’t going to leave it up to Abram. Because human beings remain so prone to evil, God steps in...
All that sounds well and good except Abram’s got issues! He is 75 years old which is not the best time in life to be starting over. His wife Sarai is barren and their childlessness is a source of incredible shame. He has to leave yet another city where he was established to go to an unknown place. When he finally arrives in the Promised Land, there is a famine. This drives him to Egypt where he fears his life will be in danger. He lies about his relationship with Sarai which puts God’s promise at risk. He returns from Egypt only to experience so much conflict with his nephew, they have to separate. LIfe is certainly not easy for Abram!
And yet the call of God remains. After everything is said and done and Abram’s finally found a good spot to settle down, God speaks to him again...
God’s promise will be fulfilled. Not because Abram is faithful. Not because Abram is righteous. Not because Abram found favor with God. But because God is all these things and more! God will bring about His will on the earth! God will deliver on His promises! God will fulfill His purposes! And it doesn’t really matter what humanity does or doesn’t do. God will bring His plan to pass!
Does this give you hope today? To know He is at work in your life right now making you fruitful? Multiplying you in ways you cannot begin to imagine? Sending you out to fill the earth with His image and glory? Giving you dominion over all He has made? Does it take the pressure off a bit? Knowig that God will accomplish this in your life? I hope so! And like Abram, it doesn’t matter what obstacles stand in your way! God is faithful! In Christ, His promises are sure! In Christ, His promises will come to pass! In Christ, He will fulfill His plan and purpose for our lives!
The corruption was so vast and so evil that God actually regrets that he made man in the first place and is deeply grieved to see what has become of the special creature He made in His own image. And because the evil is so radical and so pervasive, God performs an equally radical and pervasive form of surgery.
Who knows how long Adam and Eve lived and worked in the glory of Eden. What we do know is that there came a day when paradise wasn’t enough. Tempted by Satan, they disobeyed God. They fell into sin. And because of their exalted position - literally God’s vice-regents on earth - all of creation suffered the consequences of their tragic choice.
Readings for the Day: Genesis 1 & 2
Nothing. Emptiness. Void. Before time. Before space. Before matter. There was only God. Already Trinity. Already Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Existing from eternity in Three Persons. Complete. Full. Rich. God needed nothing. God lacked nothing. God was eternally satisfied in Himself. Decision. Resolve. Commitment. God choosing to create. God choosing to bring forth life and light and beauty and order. God choosing to love and be loved.
Let there be Light!
Let there be Heaven!
Let there be Earth and Seas!
Let there be plants, trees, and flowers!
Let there stars and sun and moon!
Let there be fish and birds!
Let there be beasts on the earth!
Something. Time and space and matter now come into being. A universe filled with stars and planets and galaxies bursts into being. The first sunrise. The first sunset. Tides begin. The first buds appear on the earth. The first babies are born on the earth and in the sea. And through it all, there is God. Still lacking nothing. Still needing nothing. Still eternally satisfied but deeply in love with all He creates.
Out of love, God provides a guardian. Someone to take care of all He has made. A creature made in His own image. Male and female, they too are to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. They are given a sacred charge. To subdue the earth. To hold dominion over creation. God entrusting to them a precious gift. They are to steward life. To make sure it flourishes and God’s good purposes come to pass. They are to nurture and care for it. They are to work and keep it. They are to guard and protect it.
So much gets lost in the debates over whether creation happened in six literal 24-hour days. Or whether the plural first person (“Let us make...”) is an early reference to the Trinity or simply the use of the royal “we” that was common in Ancient Near East literature. Or parsing the differences between the two creation accounts, one poetry (Gen. 1) and one prose (Gen. 2), that we lose sight of the point of the text.
God creates something out of nothing. Brings order to chaos. Light to darkness. Fills the void. And then sets humanity up as His vice-regents on the earth. They are given the authority to rule over all He has made in His name. They are to walk in obedience with Him and thereby enjoy a unique relationship with their Creator. They are to work. They are to be fruitful. They are to multiply and fill the earth with the image and glory of God. This is their purpose. This is the role God designed them to play.
Think about all God has entrusted into your hands today. Think about all the responsibilities God has given you. Family. Friends. Work. Wealth. Talent. Ability. How are you stewarding these gifts for His glory? How are you living out your God-given purpose to nurture life today in all you say, think, and do? How will you contribute to the flourishing of those around you?
To be Christian is to be a missionary. To love God is to love the people God loves. The lost. The lonely. The busy. The hurting. To follow Christ is to follow His lead in extending compassion and grace and proclaiming the truth to those in need wherever they may be found. To serve Christ is our highest calling and to this great end, we must “mutually pledge our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”
As I watched my Facebook and Twitter feeds erupt over the weekend, I found myself grieving for our country. It seems so clear to me that our great adversary, Satan, continues to tighten his grip around our collective throats. The rage, hate, and vitriol is shocking. The name-calling and character assassination is appalling. We appear locked in perpetual adolescence, unable to see beyond our own emotions. In the midst of it all, I have found myself asking, "How would Jesus respond to this situation?"
Senite has the most beautiful smile. Her joy as she speaks is palpable. She laughs when she talks about being put in prison with her husband. She constantly interrupts herself to give praise to God for His faithfulness. She speaks of persecution and beatings and threats as if these thing are normal, which they are in her context. Her passion to share Christ is contagious and convicting.
