Hiatus..

As you can tell.. I have not been blogging about my readings as of late.
I promise that I have been reading, but I just haven't had time to blog about every read since I don't always have internet connection or the time to do so while I am doing my DTS.
Sorry to those of you who were reading along with me.. I will hopefully resume after my DTS is over.
Love you all!!
Ehjae

Day 22- Genesis 28

Esau was marrying women from the Hittites and obviously, in chapter 27, we see how much they annoyed Isaac and Rebekah. When Jacob leaves, his father instructs him to marry a wife from their family and blesses him.  

On his way, he stops to sleep.  He has a dream in which God speaks to him.  

"I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.  I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.  All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land.  I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you." Genesis 28:13-15

When Jacob wakes up, he wakes up a different guy.  For the first time, he acknowledges God. He's still not completely sure about him, and he says that he would only acknowledge God as his God after God watches over him and keeps him safely.   It's kind of like a test.  

It's funny how conditional people are.  It's such a contrast to how unconditional God is.  

God just spoke to Jacob, giving him some huge promises, with no conditions.  We already know from earlier in Genesis that regardless of how hard people try to give him reasons to change his mind, and he doesn't. 

(It's funny how God works) I wrote this at least a month and a half ago, but I think that God had this passage for me today.


I have been struggling with trusting Him lately.  Everything has a condition on it.  "God, I will trust you as long as nothing bad happens."  " I will acknowledge you as long as I am happy, and my life is good." 


How incredibly wonderful that God does not put conditions on our relationship like I do.  How shameful am I.. How despicable am I..
Yet, he just wants me the way I am.. and that means despite my conditions.  What a love, not only would he give up his son, give up his life through excruciating pain, but willingly face our rejections and conditions every day. 


There really is nothing more to say. 

Day 21- Genesis 27

In this chapter, Isaac calls for Esau and instructs him to go out and hunt.  Esau is to catch some wild game and cook some of Isaac's favourite food, and Isaac would in response give Esau his blessing.
Rebekah hears this and convinces Jacob to deceive his father and take his brother's blessing by dressing him in goatskin and cooking Isaac's favourite food.
The whole time that Jacob is in there with Isaac, Isaac suspects that it is not really Esau.  He questions him 4 times. (vs 18, 20,21, 22-24)

In Isaac's blessing for Jacob, God's earlier promises to Rebekah are fulfilled.

"May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you.  Be lord over your brothers; and may the sons of your mother bow down to you." vs 29

Esau returns only to discover that the birthright he sold to Jacob had really gone to Jacob.  Because of this, Esau decides that he will kill Jacob after mourning for his father.  Hearing this, Rebekah sends Jacob to live with her brother to save his life.

Once again, we see the disfunction in this family.  In chapter 25, it was about the favouritism, in this chapter, its about the lack of communication in the marriage.  It is also about the favouritism because Isaac and Rebekah pit their sons against each other.  Rebekah must have told Isaac when God told her that "the older will serve the younger."  Isaac knew what God had spoken about his sons.  He probably should have listened to that as a message to acknowledge Jacob as the one who should receive the birthright.
Rebekah should have trusted that God would follow through on his promises, instead of teaching Jacob to be deceitful.
Isaac and Rebekah taught Esau and Jacob deception and dissension, which in the end leads to a chasm between the two brothers and eventually dissension between the nations of their descendants.

Day 20- Genesis 26

Seems that Isaac takes after his father.
Due to a famine, he heads to where Abimelech reigns as king.  When the men there see Rebekah and ask Isaac about her, he answers, "She is my sister" because he was afraid. " The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful."
You'd think he would learn from his father's mistakes.
But God is still following through on his promises, and he's blessing Isaac and continuing to follow through on his promises to Abraham by blessing Abraham's descendants.
Eventually, Abimelech asks Isaac to move on because he has become too powerful and successful and that is intimidating.  Especially when you know God is on their side.
"We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; " vs 28

Once again, this reminded me to pray that I learn from my mistakes, and ALWAYS trust that God will take care of me.

Day 19- Genesis 25

Rebekah was barren, just like Sarah had been.

God answered Isaac's prayers and Rebekah became pregnant with twins.  Already at that point, the two boys were fighting within her (vs 22).  So Rebekah asked God why, and he answered her plainly.
"Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated;
one people will be stronger than the other, 
and the older will serve the younger." vs 23


Jacob and Esau grew to be opposites.  Esau was an outdoorsmen and Jacob stayed indoors.  You could say Jacob was a momma's boy.  Rebekah loved Jacob and Isaac loved Esau.  Blatant favouritism expressed in families never turns out well.

I've always pictured Esau as a massive redhead.  If you've ever seen this years' "How to Train Your Dragon," the main character's father (who is voiced by Gerald Butler.. of course) is basically what I've always imagined Esau to look like.

Jacob seems more like a skinny, quieter, shy boy, momma's boy..

Esau is the firstborn of the twins.  In those days, the firstborn sons would receive the inheritance, and would be given a blessing by their father.  Esau didn't really care about being the firstborn, or he didn't seem to respect the honor of being the firstborn.
"Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished.  He said to Jacob, 'Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I'm famished!' Jacob replied, 'First sell me your birthright.' 'Look I am about to die,' Esau said. (what a drama queen!) 'what good is the birthright to me?'
Vs 29-32

Jacob understood the honor and importance of the birthright.  There are a few thoughts about Jacob's actions in this passage.  Did Jacob see that Esau obviously despised his birthright, and decided that he would be a more appreciative recipient?
Because Rebekah loved Jacob, she probably told him about God's reply to her earlier inquiry. (the older will serve the younger).  Was Jacob acting this way, trusting that God would fulfill his promise?
Maybe he didn't even care about what God had in store for him at this point of his life, and he was just selfishly trying to take something that had yet to be given to him.

Why does God choose Jacob? Why does he tell Rebekah that the older will serve the younger? Is it because God is all-knowing and he knew that Esau would reject his birthright?  God's ways are not the ways of the world, is it because he sometimes chooses the unexpected person to fulfill his promises and carry out his will?

This passage brings up another question..
We are heirs with Christ, so what birthrights are we willingly forfeiting because we are stuck in the moment thinking about "what I want/need RIGHT NOW"?

Day 18- Genesis 23+24

Sarah dies at the age of 120.  Abraham asks for a burial place for his wife, and the response is quite remarkable. 

"Sir, listen to us, you are a mighty prince among us.  bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs. None of us will refuse you his tomb for burying your dead." vs. 5,6

Why are they so willing to have Abraham take their burial grounds that they have for their own families? My guess would be that they had witnessed Abraham's success and the fact that God was with him, so they desired to be on his good side.  In those days, quite similar to nowadays, people wanted to be buried in the land of their fathers, with their families. Abraham was acting in faith- declaring this to be the land of his descendants. 

After Sarah's death, Abraham is starting to feel his age and calls on his chief servant.  He asks the guy to stick his hand under his thigh, close to his- you-know-what, and has him swear that he will bring back a wife for Isaac from Abraham's own family.  Abraham does not want Isaac to return to the land where Abraham's family was because God had led them out of Mesopotamia into the land that had been promised to Abraham's descendants. 

Because Abraham did not want Isaac to return, the woman had to be willing to go without even seeing her future husband.  Through this, not only is Abraham ensuring that his son would remain where God had brought them, but he was also ensuring that Isaac would have a God-fearing, faith-filled woman.  She would trust God with her life enough to head into a foreign land to marry a man she had never met. 

I love how the servant prays for such a concrete, literal sign.  If a woman comes out and offers him something to drink, and then offers water for his camels- he knows that it is a sign from God that this is the woman that God has chosen.

Rebekah comes out and offers water to the servant and to pull up water for his camels.  When he discovers that she is Abraham's brother's granddaughter, he is ecstatic! 

Her father and grandfather hear the entire story relayed through the servant, and at the end, 

"This is from the LORD, we can say nothing to you one way or the other.  Here is Rebekah.." 

Vs. 50,51

Her brother and mother don't seem too keen on letting her go so quickly, so they ask for more time with her.  The servant is pressed for time, because he wants to return to Abraham with Rebekah before Abraham's death. 

So they call for Rebekah, and let her decide.  

"I will go."

No questions, no compromises, just, "I will go." I really respect Rebekah for her bravery and active faith. What a step! Going with a strange man to travel to a foreign and pagan land to marry a stranger, trusting that God was taking care of her and providing for her.  

Before she leaves, Rebekah`s family blesses her saying,

"Our sister, may you increase to thousands upon thousands.

May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies." vs 60

Without realizing it, they blessed her in accordance to what God would be fulfilling through her in God's promises to Abraham. (22:17)

Rebekah had a strong faith in God, and was willing to act in her faith and go to the land where she had been called to go.  It was so clear through the signs that God had given through the servant.  She is an example to me of the faithful life I should live.  

May we be challenged through Rebekah's life to be willing, faithful followers when God calls us to go. 

Day 17- Genesis 22

Testing, testing, 1..2..3...

When I was in school, tests sent me into panic/stress/freak out mode.  I would often feel sick to my stomach at the thought of a test.   What I dreaded was discovering whether I passed or not. (I must admit that lower than a 70 in my mind was a fail.)  I also dreaded the "blank-out."
Everyone's had at least one experience with the "blank-out" You know you know it, but there is the question- right in front of you and nothing is coming to mind.
So, the thought that God would test us does not bring me much comfort.
Here in chapter 22 of Genesis, that is what God does to Abraham.
  "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." vs 2

Just as we saw in chapter 21 with Ishmael and Hagar, Abraham immediately obeyed God's command, despite the sadness it brought him.  He packs up his son, and heads off towards the mountains with a heavy, heavy heart.

It is in those moments, the journey towards the challenge where I begin to question God.
I have been learning a lot about active faith in the past few months.  It is easy to believe in God, but to trust and obey him? Easier said than done.
This upcoming fall, I will be attending Bible school.  After calculating costs.. I am starting to feel the stress.  However, when this journey first began, I felt God pushing me towards this and I trust that he will provide.  I am also slightly confused, because I am leaving a place where I felt God placed me.  It was a wonderful, challenging time full of love, growth and God's grace. Now, I feel like I am being led away from a place which brings me peace, happiness and I felt like I was serving God's kingdom.
However, I feel a little like what I imagine Abraham might have been feeling. God promised him a son, blessed him with a beautiful son- and then suddenly He asks Abraham to give up his son.  What is God doing?
Well He's testing Abraham's faith.

  "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." James 2: 17b

You know what the great thing about this story is? God provides :) Today, this chapter is God's word of encouragement to me.  God is giving me a chance to put my faith into action, trust him... He will not lead me up a mountain without providing. He can't provide if I don't begin the trek upwards, and allow myself to have a need. 

Abraham had bound Isaac on the altar and had gotten out his knife to kill his son, but an angel of the LORD stopped him.  At that moment, he looks and he sees a ram to be sacrificed. 

He then names the place "The LORD will provide." 

That's a good reminder for me today. 

The Lord will provide.

AMEN.