Tag Archives: Genesis

genesis 27: already yours

Birthright designated who would assume leadership of the family, and who would get the largest portion of the inheritance. The birthright belonged to the firstborn son.

But the blessing was different. With the blessing, the father could designate whichever child he wanted to receive the bulk of the inheritance, and could give him power and authority so that, in essence, the birthright was nothing more than a title worn by the first son.

In Genesis 25:23, God said this to Rebekah (emphasis mine)-

"And the Lord said to her,
‘Two nations are in your womb,
   and two peoples born of you shall be divided;
one shall be stronger than the other,
   the elder shall serve the younger.’

This is why we now read in chapter 27:36- “Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has cheated me these two times. He took away my birthright, and behold, now he has taken away my blessing.” 

Isn’t it quite possible that we have blamed others for something God Himself orchestrated?

{Perhaps we would be better served to be slower to accuse, slower to assign blame, and much quicker to seek God, the sovereign mover of hearts and assigner of blessings.}

The deception was so thick in this story, and the emotions of Esau were hard to watch. Betrayal, sadness, grief, anger- they were all felt so strongly, and could easily dominate this story for us. But there is something else here that I want to try to pull out.

The scheming and lying of Jacob and Rebecca were to get something for Jacob that God had already said was his. Before he was born, God had determined that Jacob would receive the birthright and blessing of the first-born, even though Esau would be the actual first-born.

The question:

What have I spent so much time and energy trying to get, that God has already said is mine? And I am posing the same question to you.

Love. Acceptance. Identity. Blessings. Security. Hope. So much more. Things we no longer have to try to get, for they are already ours in Christ.

One of the saddest sights, in my opinion, is that of a child who is trying to gain the love and attention of a father.

I wonder if God feels the same way.

Today would be a good day to sit down and consider what you have been chasing, that you have actually already been given.

genesis 25: story

I put myself into the first part of this chapter, just for a few minutes, to stand at a funeral. I felt the sadness over Abraham’s death, and so tender to see him buried with Sarah. Standing at a distance watching Isaac & Ishmael bury their father was so touching and felt like such a private moment that I was privileged to watch. Abraham is such a large figure to both the Jewish people and to Christians, so seeing this larger-than-life man breathe his last felt sobering.

{a reminder that our earthly lives are but a breath, but our stories echo on for generations to come – a reminder to mind your story more than your years}

Birthright. Ancient word we don’t use in our world these days. But it meant something then and it means something now.

Because Esau had a birthright and the Jesus people have a birthright and did you know a birthright can be given up? Sold for something temporary. Thought little of when our hearts are bent toward earthly filling. Devalued when there is a carnal itch that is so easily scratched.

There is a LOT to this birthright thing, but I am neither knowledgable enough, nor inclined enough to dive into that topic too deeply. Maybe someday, but not today. Today, it is enough for me to ponder this small revelation –

{esau is a warning for me when material blessings that I want, become elevated above the spiritual blessings I have been given}

I want to mind my story more than my years, and I want my story to be that I knew the value of belonging to my Father, and that I preferred hunger over being filled with what the world could offer. A story that tells of what was lost and what was found and a longing for Jesus that could not be quenched by any earth-bound thing.

genesis 24: what matters

As he neared the end of his life, there were two things that Abraham knew for sure:  First, Isaac could not go back. The faithfulness of God would move Isaac forward to the promised land, not back to a former homeland.

{The faithfulness of God will move you forward, toward promised land, not back to a land He called you out of to follow Him.}

The other thing Abraham knew was that Isaac should marry a woman from Abraham’s kin, not from the Caananites. Abraham knew that God’s people entering into such a covenant relationship with a pagan people would not be a good idea.  

Who the people of God enter into covenant with is still important to Him. It remains a bad idea for a Christian to marry someone who does not follow Jesus.

So Abraham’s servant is sent to find a wife for Isaac from among God’s people. Naturally, the servant prayed for God’s help to find the right one.

{Is that what comes naturally to God’s people today? The servant believed that God knew who Isaac should marry, and prayed He would reveal her. I wonder if that feels archaic to us. I wonder if we have forgotten that God’s wisdom is far more necessary than our physical chemistry or attraction to someone. I wonder if we are teaching the generation coming up that marriage is a covenant, not a checkbox that needs to be marked by a certain age, and that God is the best one to reveal who we should marry.}

And then we see this-

“Before I had finished praying silently, there was Rebekah coming…”

Before he even finished praying, God’s answer was seen coming. Contrast that with this-

“…for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days.” – Daniel 10:12-13

Daniel had gone into mourning for 3 weeks, seeking God. The statement above was made by the angel who had been sent in answer to Daniel’s prayer. 

In the case of Abraham’s servant, the answer to prayer appeared before the prayer was even finished. With Daniel, he prayed for 3 weeks before he saw any kind of movement, because the answer had been contested. But it had been sent from the first day Daniel began to pray! 

My takeaways from this chapter:

  • Direction matters. With God, it is always forward movement. Don’t believe the lie that the promises of God are behind you.
  • Marriage covenant matters. Do not assume that it isn’t important to God who you marry, or who your children marry. Don’t leave such an important decision up to feelings. Seek God.
  • Prayer matters. That’s why it is so heavily contested. Don’t give up because it’s taking too long. Keep praying!

genesis 23: cost

The negotiations between Ephron and Abraham, and Abraham’s insistence on paying for the burial site reminded me of something King David said in 2 Samuel 24:24:

“No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

It was a different time and place, a different culture than the one we live in, but I’m not sure that’s what makes the difference. I think it’s a different heart that does not seek to get something for nothing. A different heart that believed a burial place for his wife was worth paying the cost, a different heart that believed a sacrifice made to God should cost us something.

The culture of the world has trained us to barter for the lowest possible price to pay for anything, with “free” being the ultimate win.

The culture of heaven tells us that what is worth having is worth paying the price. 

How often do I seek to get something for nothing? Has that become my mentality – to try to pay as little as possible for something?

Have I been offering God something that cost me nothing? By cost, I’m not just talking about money. I’m talking about comfort, time, pride, plans I’ve made, dreams I’ve had. How about my rights? The right to be angry, the right to an apology, the right to be right, the right to be treated fairly.

The gospel of heaven tells us that following Jesus will cost us. The gospel according to the world says we can get it for nothing.

Which gospel am I living?

I live in a culture that values something for nothing. But I don’t want the heart of this culture, I want the heart of Abraham and David. The heart of heaven.

I want to make extravagant offers of love and worship and compassion that cost me as much as I have to give. I want to say that following Jesus has come at a price and that price has been more than worth paying.

I will not offer the Lord my God something that cost me nothing.

genesis 22: tested (and Eva Love)

“After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

The proving grounds of faith are no comfort zone. They are not the green pasture and still water places. The testing pushes and pulls at our soul, demands we hand over what we call ours, what we’ve fought for and waited for.

Even what was promised to us.

It isn’t hard to make our offering to God when there is no pain in the offering. But often these proving grounds are also killing fields and the things that we must offer up there are painfully costly. There is only one way things get handed over in that place.

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac…” (Hebrews 11:17)

Our obedience to the testing of our faith will reveal the boundaries of our faith. And maybe that’s the point of the testing.

“Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” Matthew 19:21-22

He wanted eternal life, and he followed the ten commandments, so Jesus told him to get rid of his money. That was the boundary line. He had faith enough to follow the rules, but it did not extend to giving up what meant the most to him. Instead, he walked away.

  • We will not willingly surrender what we believe is ours, not God’s.
  • We will not give what means the most to us if we do not trust the character of God.

There is a family that is deep in the proving grounds of faith. Their daughter is Eva Love and here is a quote from her dad, Dugan Sherbondy:

” In addition to surrendering my daughter, I’m also now surrendering my expectations or desire to control what happens. It’s amazing how much effort it’s requiring to intentionally wait like this. It’s like I have to take a thousand purposeful Sabbaths each day to ensure I’m quieting my spirit and casting my cares upon Jesus.”

This family is publicly living their pain. They have invited all of us to journey with them, to watch them walk through the most painful place they’ve ever been, and see what a faith that surrenders what is most precious looks like. Please join believers around the world as we continue to wait and pray and believe God for Eva’s complete healing!

Visit Dugan Sherbondy’s FB Page

genesis 21: Cast It Out

From promise given to promise fulfilled: 25 years.

Had they stopped waiting? Were they satisfied with their version of the promise they named Ishmael?

Didn’t they know that a God-promise is not fueled by human power?

So the son of promise is here, being birthed in the place where the son of flesh (Ishmael) is already living. These two sons will be at odds until the end of time. For us, they represent Law and Grace. Freedom and slavery. Paul speaks to all of that in Galatians, chapter 4. 

But I am staring at what Sarah said to Abraham in vs. 10 of Genesis 21»»

And it sounds like this to my ears:

Cast our what was of the flesh, for nothing of the flesh will share in the inheritance of the promise.

Every ounce of what I’m doing in an attempt to be right with God on my own, everything I’m doing to try to bring about the promise or plans of God on my own. All of it. Cast. it. Out. 

The promise of God is that I am saved by grace, through faith. So grace and law are always fighting for dominance in my belief system. One makes me free, the other makes me a captive.

My flesh will always be at odds with grace. It will always try to bend toward the law and self. Grace will always bend toward God. Flesh puts my eyes on me and what I can do. Grace always pulls my gaze to God and what He can do. 

While I know these things, the challenge is always in the follow through. To choose to believe God more than I believe in my own ability to make something happen, and then to wait on God.

To cast out my Ishmael, because Isaac is here.

genesis 20: fear

Big picture:  God called Abraham to become the father of many nations, to be a prophet and a patriarch, and to father the line that would bring forth the Messiah. 

Within the scenes that make up that big picture, we see Abraham’s humanity, particularly his fear of man. 

Abraham’s trust and faith in God to fulfill His promise to him did not necessarily extend to every situation. When he came up against pagan kings who could kill him to take his wife, he leaned on his own wits to save himself. Himself, not Sarah. Lest we think Abraham was perfect. 

But we need to find ourselves in this story, lest we think ourselves more holy than Abraham.

Being alone. Being without. Being judged. Being seen as less than. Failure. These are our fears, if we are brave enough to admit it. They are the taskmasters in our lives, and most of them stem from one fear that holds a large whip. Fear of man. Raw honesty compels us to confess that, often, the fear of man in our lives is bigger and louder than the fear of God.

How does that change what Abraham did? It doesn’t. But if we ask ourselves a simple question, and answer it with brutal honesty, we will discover a comrade in Abraham and move from judging him to understanding him, and us:

What have I done in response to my fear?

Who has been allowed in my life, not because they were right for me, but because I didn’t want to be alone? What, or who, have I sacrificed so that I could have more money, more things, more prestige, more of what someone else has? How have I sacrificed authenticity to avoid being judged? How hard have I worked to maintain an image that isn’t true because I fear what others would think if they knew the truth?

How much of the bondage I’m in is a response to fear?

Abraham feared being killed, so he put himself before his wife. If we could stand to be honest with ourselves we would find we are the children of Abraham in more ways than one.

But God.

He is committed to His plans and to His promise. He continues to rescue us, intervene for us and increase us.