January 7- Laughing At The God Who Sees Me

January 7, 2011

Scripture Readings:
Genesis 16:1- 18:15: Matthew 6:1-24;
Psalm 7:1-17; Proverbs 2:1-5


Genesis 16:1-18:15

Abrams First Child


Today's passage starts with Abraham laughing at the possibility of having children in his eighties.
One of the hardest and most painful things that a woman can experience is the inability to conceive a child.  I could tell you countless personal stories of friends of mine who have found themselves in this situation.  Today's story is a story of infertility and miraculous divine intervention.

Sarai and Abram are getting old.  God promised a child to them, but there has been no pregnancy.  What to do?

Well, like most people they decide to take matters into their own hands.  Abram has faith, but decides to listen to what Sarai suggests. She wants to use Hagar as a surrogate to conceive an heir to Abram's fortune and succeed where God has failed them.  Does this attitude remind you of Eve?  Yep.  The woman is influencing her husband.

Abram agrees, sleeps with the Egyptian slave (Egypt represents the world, remember), and conceives a child.  During her pregnancy Hagar appears to lord it over Sarai.  In frustration, Sarai sends Hagar into the wilderness.

Here is another wilderness experience. Hagar is crying when the Angel of the Lord (another pre-Incarnate Christ situation) comes to her and tells her she will have a boy named Ishmael.  She must go back to her mistress, Sarai, and have the child.  Hagar is warned that the child will be a wild donkey of a man, who will be in constant conflict with others. (Note:  This boy is the father of the Arab nations.)

Have you noticed the pattern that God uses our wilderness experiences to speak to us!  Keep that in mind during your difficult times. Listen for His voice.

Hagar calls the Angel "The God Who Sees Me". What a beautiful statement.  What truth has come from this woman's lips! You and I have a God Who Sees Us.  Do you sometimes feel alone in your struggles?  Let Hagar's story remind you that God sees our struggles. Hagar realizes in her wilderness experience that God cares about her.  Always remember that. He cares for you and me, too.  God speaks to us each day through His Word.

The Covenant


Abram is now given another covenant or promise from God.  God says that He will make him the father of a multitude of nations. God changes Abram's name to Abraham. He promises to give Abraham the land of Canaan (yes, this is the cursed son of Ham's territory) as an eternal inheritance.  I guess Noah was right in his prophecy!  The Promised Land is an eternal possession.  Remember,  Abraham is a descendant of Shem and Shem's kids are enemies with Ham's kid's through Canaan.

Circumcision is now required by all males in Abraham's family, including servants, as a sign of belief in this promise that God has given.

God renames Sarai, Sarah, and tells her that she will have a male child named Isaac, even though she is now ninety years old and Abraham is 100 years old.  Isaac will be the father of twelve princes and Ishmael will be the father of twelve princes.

Why do you think God is setting the story up this way?  Can you see the inevitable conflict between the two half-brothers?  God does have a purpose and He is painting a picture of a spiritual truth.

Ishmael represents the unrighteous of the world. Isaac's offspring represent the righteous. Their lives are part of a bigger purpose, although they probably never really realized that while they were on earth.

Regardless of the picture, Ishmael's descendants are the Arab nations. They are indeed still in conflict with Isaac's kids, who are the Israelites/Jewish people.

Finally, we have another pre-incarnate Christ visit.  This time Sarah hears God's prediction of her having a son as the angel of the Lord speaks to Abraham outside of their tent. Sarah laughs in doubt.  Christ asks Abraham why she is laughing.  He senses that this is a sarcastic laugh of disbelief.  The Lord says to Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"  You and I would do well to say that to ourselves often!

Sarah denies that she laughed.  Here is Christ's answer, "That is not true. You did laugh."

So, "The God Who Sees Me," saw Sarah.  No thing is hidden from His gaze, even our attitudes and lack of faith.

Lesson:  God has His purposes in our lives. He uses wilderness experiences to speak to us. He is the God Who Sees Me. I have a God who knows me intimately and loves me anyway.  That changes everything.


Do you live each day realizing that God sees you?  Has God spoken to you in the wilderness?

Matthew 6:1-24

Jesus keeps going like the energizer bunny on the mount.  Here are more challenging commands from Christ:

• Don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.  Give in secret.
• Pray privately to God and don't pray publicly to be seen by others.
• Don't babble in prayer to seem religious.  God already knows your needs.
• Forgive or you won't be forgiven.
• Don't make it obvious when you fast for religious purposes.
• Don't store up treasure on earth.
• Have clear eyes and a clear conscience.

Are you able to behave this way perfectly? Each of us fails at some aspect of these commands. This does not mean that we completely give up on living moral lives and trying to follow Christ's example, but Christ is showing us that complete holiness before God is not possible in human terms.

Again, this is Jesus' point. We are sinners. We need a Savior.  Okay. We are starting to "get" it.

Lesson:  Seek God for forgiveness of your sins.  Rely on Christ and his work on the cross to secure your position of holiness before God.

Psalm 7:1-17

God is a good judge who is fair.  Verse 17 says, "I will thank the Lord because He is just."

Proverbs 2:1-5

Search for understanding and wisdom like you would search for some money you lost or a hidden treasure you might find.

Do you search for wisdom in your life?  Have you acknowledged that you are a sinner in need of a Savior?

What did you notice in today's reading?

Blessings,

Jubilee Gal

Kathy Fullerton