January 12- Deception and Dysfunction

January 12, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 26:17-27:46; Matthew 9:1-17;
Psalm 10:16-18; Proverbs 3:9-10

Genesis 26:17-27

Did you know that your brain is 95% water?  Your blood is 82% water and your lungs are 90% water.  Going just a few days without water can kill you.

The church that my family and I attend supports an organization called Living Water.  This ministry digs wells for people who have no source of water in the third world.  The wells are dug in the name of Christ as a demonstration to these people of God's love for them.

Today Isaac digs many wells. These are precious sources of life for his family. Ancient people named their wells and claimed possession of them for their lifetime.  The names Isaac gives the wells he digs shows us how difficult it was for him to be a stranger in a strange land.  Here are the names of Isaac's wells:

• Argument -Vs. 20
• Opposition- Vs. 21
• Room Enough- Vs. 22
• Oath - Vs. 33

Isaac finally comes to an agreement with King Abimelech that he can stay in the territory and neither of them will attack the other.  Finally, the last well (this water of life) dug by Isaac represents  an oath that secures peace between these two people groups. 

Isaac may have peace with his neighbors, but there is no peace in his household.  As an old man, Isaac calls Esau to come to his death bed to receive the spiritual blessing reserved for the oldest child.  Isaac sends Esau out to hunt and prepare a meal for him before he gives the blessing. Rebekah gets wind of this and convinces Jacob to dress in animal skins and trick Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing instead. 

Isaac is old and practically blind,  making him susceptible to being fooled in this way. Jacob prepares the stew for Isaac, gives it to him to eat, and seals the deceit with a kiss.  Here is the spiritual blessing that Jacob receives,

"May God always give you plenty of dew for healthy crops and good harvests of grain and wine. May many nations become your servants. May you be a master of your brothers.  May all of your mother's sons bow low before you.  All who curse you are cursed, and all who bless you are blessed."  (vs. 28 -29)

We learn later through the minor prophets that Esau represents those who rebel against God and are wicked, while Jacob represents people who are saved by their faith in the Messiah and are loved by God.


Esau returns, realizes what has happened, cries out in anguish and threatens to kill Jacob.  Just a typical day in a dysfunctional family!  We find out that Rebekah hates all of Esau's foreign wives and these daughter-in-laws are making her miserable.  Rebekah sends Jacob away to keep him safe and to make sure that he marries someone from her family in Haran.

What can we learn from this demonstration of dysfunction?  Did you realize the patriarch of the Jewish nation was such a flawed person?  Why does God let us see all the warts on these people?

Lesson:  God has His purposes.  He uses sinful people in the process of bringing about His will on earth.  If you are flawed, don't worry.  He can still use you to promote the Kingdom of God on earth.

Matthew 9:1-17

When I was young and in elementary school, I always felt sorry for any substitute teacher who came to teach my class at Scenic Hills Elementary School.  As I sat at my desk in the middle of the pack and watched the interaction between the substitute teacher and the class, I could feel the woman's attempts to establish authority. Perhaps she would speak too loudly. At times she would slam a book down on her desk. But always, she struggled to keep the class in line. She struggled to establish her authority.

Today Jesus demonstrates his authority to forgive sins by not only telling a paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven, but by also by healing the man completely.

After choosing Matthew the tax collector to be his disciple and then eating at his house with a bunch of sinners, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees, who question his spiritual credibility.  With authority, Jesus explains that he has come for the sick, not the healthy.  He emphasizes that he has come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough.

Lesson:  If you are not good enough, Jesus is calling you!  He has the authoriy to forgive your sins.

Jesus confirms that he is, indeed, our groom.  Back in Genesis when God ordained marriage, it was designed to be a picture of the wedding of Christ with His bride, the Church.  Today Jesus reiterates that picture.

The Pharisees are upset because Jesus' disciples do not fast like John the Baptist's disciples do.
He states that his disciples do not fast because their bridegroom is in their presence. He is the groom and the disciples are the wedding guests. When the wedding guests are with the groom, they celebrate.  They don't fast. Jesus is introducing concepts that will be seen in his parables, namely that there is a new covenant (promise) coming that is different than the old covenant. This new covenant will include a bride for Christ.  The nation of Israel will be the wedding guests at the marriage of the Church and Christ, which is consummated at the end of God's Story as seen in Revelation 21-22. Jesus continues to teach about this new promise using the picture of wine and wineskins. This fits nicely with the wedding theme. Since he is talking about a wedding celebration, he emphasizes that his teaching (new wine) must be put into a new context (new wineskins).

In other words, the gospel of the New Testament is an expanded approach to our relationship with God. It is no longer going to be based on whether or not the Jews followed a bunch of laws and regulations. A person's relationship with God will be based on forgiveness and mercy.  This is a new approach for the Jewish nation and their religious leaders. Jesus states in verse 13, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: 'I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.''  (NLT)

This is a revolutionary concept for the religious teachers of Jesus' day, who were completely immersed in lording the Law over everyone's heads.  They felt that obedience to both the Law and their manmade customs were the way to enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus is beginning to teach them that the Messiah would draw sinners to himself. The Christ would be approachable to those who had failed at keeping the Law.  Grace and mercy given as a result of faith in the Jesus, the Messiah, would result in salvation and entrance into God's eternal kingdom.

Lesson:  Be merciful to others.  Realize that we are all sinners, and God came to save sinners.  Don't be self-righteous.  Give love to others.

How can you show mercy to others this week?

Psalm 10:16-18

The Lord is the king forever and ever!  This is the same point that Matthew is making in his gospel!

Proverbs 3:9-10

Here is an admonition that we have seen Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob do...honor the Lord with your wealth and the best part of everything your land produces.  We should practice this.

What did you notice in today's reading?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal
Kathy Fullerton