Readings for the day: Genesis 34, 35, 36, 37
For two years I worked in a maximum security prison in Trenton, NJ. It was a hard yet fruitful season of ministry. Every day I had to check in. Pass through metal detectors. Leave anything that could become a weapon behind. The large metal doors would slam behind me signaling that I was now in another world. The men I worked with were largely serving sentences for murder and other violent crimes. Their movements were restricted. Their daily routines carefully monitored. When I got started, I thought we were so different. But then I began to listen to their stories. Stories of pain. Heartbreak. Drug and alcohol abuse. I found out we were not so different. I could look back on my own life and see where our roles could easily have been reversed.
The story of humanity is a tragic one. We are a violent, selfish, vengeful people. As we read, we need to remember life in the ancient near east was much different than 21st century America. The rape of Dinah. The wholesale slaughter of an entire city by Simeon and Levi. Reuben sleeping with his father’s concubine. These scenes seem very strange, very foreign, very brutal. We have a hard time wrapping our minds around them. And yet we are not much different. Yes, our rage is restrained by the rule of law but we are no less vengeful. Yes, our propensity towards violence is restrained by our fear of incarceration but we are no less hateful. Yes, our society frowns upon blatant acts of selfishness and greed but that just means they take on more subtle forms. The consistent message from Scripture is that humanity is lost. Hopeless. Helpless. Enslaved to the power of Sin. Canaanites. Israelites. Americans. We would all be the same...but for the grace of God.
Remember, God made a commitment. A covenant back in Genesis 15. He would be Abraham’s God. No matter what may come. No matter what Abraham’s descendents may do. God would remain faithful. And with each successive generation, we see God renew that promise. Isaac. Jacob. In the days ahead, Joseph. Yes, the people of Israel rape and murder and plunder and slaughter entire cities. Yes, they are selfish and greedy and envious. Yes, they are willing to commit tragic acts like selling their own brother into slavery. The point of it all is this...Israel is no different than any other pagan nation...but for the grace of God.
In Christ, God fulfills His covenant. He extends it out to all who believe. He seals it with His body and His blood. No matter what may come. No matter where we’ve been or what we’ve done. God remains faithful. Every generation must encounter God anew. Must experience the renewal of this covenant. For we are no different than those who’ve come before us. No different than the pagans and atheists and secularists and humanists that surround us...but for the grace of God.
The message today from Scripture is this...God’s grace is amazing. Truly amazing. We don’t deserve it. We cannot earn it. We can only receive it and walk in it.