January 9- It's A Boy!

January 9, 2011

Scripture Reading:
Genesis 20-22; Matthew 7:15-29;
Psalm 9; Proverbs 2:16-22

Genesis 20

A number of years ago when I was pregnant with my first child ultrasounds or sonograms to determine the child's sex before birth were a fairly new thing. Nowadays you can see your child in utero in 3D and take home a digital image. But way back then I felt a little guilty about finding out the child's sex before the it was born. My guilt disappeared and joy filled my heart when my husband and I saw our little boy on the monitor.  Here's a pic of my son all grown up!

In our reading today Sarah and Abraham finally get the son they have been promised so many years ago by God. God's promises are not always fulfilled immediately or even in the time that seems good to us, but God is true to His Word. His trustworthiness is complete.

Before we discuss the birth of Abraham and Sarah's child, we  see that Abraham is back to his behavior of deceiving local royalty. Because his wife is so beautiful, Abraham is afraid he will get killed by the king and Sarah and all of his possessions will be taken to Abimilech's palace. Abraham tells King Abimelech that Sarah is his sister. Remember, this is a half truth. She is his half-sister and his wife. Sarah is taken into the king's harem, but Abraham's possession are not touched. God is displeased. As a result, God causes the whole royal harem to become barren because of Sarah's presence.

Abraham increases his wealth again when Abimelech asks Abraham to pray to his God to heal the women. King Abimilech gives Abraham a bunch of stuff to get rid of him after Abraham's prayers are effective and the women are healed. This is very similar to what happened to Abraham and Sarah in Egypt. Abraham is one sly guy who has a tendency to deceive those he does not trust!


We finally get to the part of the story where Sarah gets her son! Through the miracle of God, Sarah has a child in her nineties. She finally joins the Mommy Club and sheds the shame of a barren womb. We see that Sarah is enjoying laughter again, but this time her laughter is filled with joy, rather than sarcasm.

Sarah is now in a position of power in her household. Once Isaac is born, Sarah insists that Hagar (the servant) and Ishmael (the son) be sent away. Abraham is distressed because Ishmael is his first born son. God assures Abraham that He will care for the boy.

Scriptural Principle: This story illustrates a principle that is found throughout the Bible. "The first shall be last and the last shall be first." We saw this with Cain and Seth. We saw it with Jacob and Esau We will see this repeated in our readings.  The first born is set aside and the last is brought forth and declared righteous. What is God's point? There are several legitimate interpretations, but one that cannot be denied is that his first born, the nation of Israel, is set aside for a period of time so that the Gentile nations (all the rest of us) can come into God's Kingdom. See Romans 11 for an explanation of this principle. Ultimately though, this principle is summed up with this truth: Adam, God's first son, is set aside because of his sin. Jesus, the last Son of God, is declared righteous and is the Savior who lives a sinless life, dies a sacrificial death for the world, and is the first to be resurrected to new life. The first is last and the last is first. That is what Adam and Jesus show us. The last son, Jesus, is the first fruit of the resurrection and leads us all to our salvation.

Hagar has a wilderness experience as she lays her boy down to die of thirst in the desert. God shows her a well and assures her that He will make Ishmael a great nation. Again, God meets her in the wilderness. Remember, Ishmael's kids become the Arab nations.

Here is one of the strangest incidents in the Bible. It is proof that our lives are part of a larger story and God wants to use our lives as living pictures of His Truth. In this story, Abraham is a picture.

Finally having received his promised child through whom the whole world will be blessed, Abraham is now told by God to go sacrifice that child. Isaac is probably around 13 years old. How in the world could a man of faith like Abraham do this?  Here are some reasons I have contemplated:

• You may have noticed that Abraham has been having many face to face conversations with God lately. He has gotten to know the Lord quite well. I believe that Abraham completely trusts the Lord and has amazing faith in everything God says.
• Abraham has been regularly worshiping God by doing animal sacrifices. Abraham is proving that he believes in a Redeemer Child through whom a sacrificial death will redeem and bless the whole world.
• My theory is that Abraham believes that Isaac is the promised Redeemer Child.
• I think Abraham believes that Isaac will be immediately resurrected after the sacrifice to lead the whole world in salvation.
• Did I mention that Abraham has faith in God? His faith results in obedience.

Abraham is a picture of God the Father in this situation. Just as God the Father will one day sacrifice his first born son on the altar of the cross, Abraham is a picture of that future truth. Note:  I am sure that Abraham did not realize that his life was going to be a picture to future generations. Isaac is a picture of Jesus Christ in that he gives his life willingly, sacrificially. What a beautiful picture of a future reality.

The true test of a believer is how your beliefs manifest themselves in your life. Are you at peace? Do you trust God? Abraham's life bears the fruit of true faith. He acts upon what he believes.

Lesson: Our lives are designed by God to be a picture to future generations. Live a life of faith that bears good fruit. Your life matters in His story.

Matthew 7:15-29

When I was growing up my parents took me to both the neighborhood Methodist church and the Unitarian church that was downtown near the Mississippi River. At the Unitarian church I was taught that Jesus was just a good teacher. Well, the Unitarians had it partially right. Jesus was a very good teacher. But as we have already learned in our Bible reading, he is much more than just a good teacher.  Because Jesus was able to keep the whole Law without any sin, he is not just a normal person who has a gift for teaching. He is God.

Today, Jesus concludes his teaching session associated with the Sermon on the Mount by giving us a method for determining if someone truly loves God. He is especially talking about those who seek to lead us spiritually. Here is the method: Look at their life.

Jesus compares people to trees. One is able to tell if a tree is good or bad based on if it bears fruit. If the tree does bear fruit, one can tell if the fruit is good or bad. Our lives on earth are like these trees. They either bear good or bad fruit.

Do you trust God? If so, your life will reflect that by your peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control. Do you say you love God, but your life is filled with strife, anger, addiction, lack of control? These are ways for us to test our own faith.

Jesus also speaks authoritatively about a Judgment Day. Again, he is mainly speaking about wolves in sheeps clothing. These are people who are false religious teachers. He says that many will come to him that day claiming to have known him having done many works in his name. Here is his response, "I never knew you. Go away.  The things you did were unauthorized."  Matthew 7:23 (NLT)

Lesson: There will be a Judgment. Jesus is the Judge. Behavior matters.

The Bible says that the crowd who heard his teaching session were amazed at the authority with which Jesus taught. They noticed that he was nothing like their religious leaders. I would have loved to have been there!

Psalm 9

• Verses 1-4 are the I wills (what the psalmist will do).
• Verses 5-12 are what God will do.
• Verse 12 confirms what Jesus just said, he will judge the world with justice (vs. 8).

Proverbs 2:16-22

This proverb provides confirmation that the wicked will be judged and removed.

What did you notice today?  Be sure to invite a friend to read with us, if you are enjoying this!

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton