Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob's sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. – Genesis 34:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 15, 2024): Genesis 34

Maybe one of the most common mistakes we make is believing that everyone believes as we believe. Several years ago, I was taking several teens and young adults on a trip to a foreign country, and one of the biggest concerns I had with the group's older members was trying to convince them that not everywhere would they be considered adults. There were people, mostly guys between 18-20 years, who didn't understand that the idea that 18 was the age of majority was not a universal given. Where we were going, the age of majority was 21; by voluntarily leaving our country, we were saying that we would live by the laws of the country we were visiting.

We do the same thing every time we go to any foreign country. It doesn't matter what it is like at home, we have to abide by the laws in place of where we are going. In some places, that means your rights might be curtailed if you are a woman. Breaking traffic laws might end up in jail time instead of a fine. And if you are unwilling to abide by their rules, don't go. But don't expect foreign countries to abide by your expectations of what is right and wrong.

Jacob moved his family into an area where women were property, and men did what they wanted with them. Everything that happened to Dinah seemed to be according to local expectations. That may not be the way it was in Jacob's family or where Jacob and his family had lived before, but it was the way the people lived here. You took what you wanted and then took steps to make it legal, or more precisely, claim it as your property.

This situation has three problems beyond the situation of violence committed against Dinah in the city. First, Jacob does nothing. Jacob knows what has happened, but he doesn't tell his sons; he allows them to find out in their own way. He doesn't take action against the perpetrator; he isn't in discussion with the city; he doesn't have a plan. Jacob does nothing. Maybe he realizes that this is actually on him, that he should have at least had a serious conversation about the dangers of the city with his daughter, but even better, he should never have come here in the first place. But whatever the reason, Jacob remains inactive, and his inactivity gives his sons the impression that the response is up to them.

Second, the brothers are dishonest. They go into the city as if searching for a positive solution to the problem. But that is the farthest thing from their minds. They are looking for blood. We would agree. But that doesn't mean that our response is proper. We have a strange idea of justification. If I am righting a wrong, then whatever I do is acceptable, but that is not true in secular law, let alone sacred law. It is the response that has historically resulted in multiple wrongs and feuds. When we take a wrong and try to correct it by committing a second wrong, we start a chain reaction that will quickly get out of control. And yet that is precisely what the brothers have decided to do.

Lastly, the brothers become committed to a ruse. The suggestion is that if the men of the city will follow Jacob's rules and traditions, the family of Jacob will also follow the rules and traditions of the city. Commit to following our laws, and you will benefit, not just by being able to marry our sister but by becoming economically connected with us. It is a temptation that is much too great for the city not to take advantage. They agreed, making them vulnerable to the evil that Dinah's brothers were about to visit on the city.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 35

He put the female servants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. – Genesis 33:2

Today's Scripture Reading (October 14, 2024): Genesis 33

Do you have a favorite child? I know, what a question, but you don't have to tell anyone. I don't think I do, but I only have two children. I also have five grandchildren, but the reality is that each one of them is so different that I love something different about every one of them. At the same time, I think through conversations I have had with both my adult children and believe they would say that the other child was my favorite. Which, I hope, means that I got it somewhat right.

If you are wondering if you do have a favorite child, here are some questions to ask yourself. First question: is there one child you talk about more than others? Now, if there is, that does not necessarily mean that you have a favorite child but a child that needs you more than the others. But it might be a hint. Second question: Is there a child with whom you have significantly increased one-on-one interaction? Again, there can be some harmless reasons for this, such as if one child lives closer to you than the others, but it is another warning sign.

A third question might be, is there one child for whom some family rules don't apply? You can be a disciplinarian with some of your kids, but one is allowed to violate the rules without punishment. Fourth, does one child enjoy material advantages? Your wallet follows your heart; sometimes, this is a true sign that one child is your favorite. Fifth, when your kids fight, is there one child who usually receives your support?

Sixth, do your family activities usually revolve around making one child happy? And lastly, Is there one child to whom you make comparisons? How often do you say, why can't you be more like your brother or sister?

I know I said last, but maybe there is one more, although I hope you will never have to follow through on this question. Here it is. If you had to send your children into a dangerous situation, who would you send in first? I know that is unimaginable. But it is precisely what Jacob does. Jacob saw Esau, but he had no idea how his brother would react to his presence. And so, he sends his family to him in groups. The first group included his female servants and their children, who were also Jacob's children. Next, his first wife, Leah, and her children. In the last group was Rachel and Joseph, his favorite wife and favored son. There could be no doubt that Jacob had a favorite. And they were the last to be sent into a possibly dangerous situation.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 34

I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. – Genesis 32:10

Today's Scripture Reading (October 13, 2024): Genesis 32

St Augustine said, "The best disposition for praying is that of being desolate, forsaken, stripped of everything." That was precisely where Jacob found himself. He possessed nothing when he had left his home many years earlier. Now, Jacob had acquired wealth and family, all because the hand of God had blessed him. So, Jacob prayed while he approached home for the first time in over a decade. Once again, Jacob came to God feeling like he had nothing. Despite the realization that Jacob had sinned, everything he had acquired was at God's command. However, Jacob knew the things he had gained would never make up for what he had forfeited in the earlier years of his life.

When he was young, it hadn't been God's hand he had followed, but his own. Now, he had to pay the price. His prayer? "I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant … Please save me."

I find that in our contemporary society, it seems so hard for us to get to this point. Instead, we come to God with the argument that we have been good people, so God owes us. However, none of that is true in the eyes of God, and none of it displays the humility that God requires of his servants.

George Herbert (1593-1633), the English poet and priest in the Church of England, had inscribed on a ring that he wore every day this motto; "Less than the least of all God's Mercies." It was the testimony he bore on his body every time he picked up a pen. God, I am less than the least. I don't deserve the blessings you have given me, yet you still bless me.

It is not devaluing ourselves; we are his creation, and we should recognize the value that God places in us. But our natural reaction is usually to put others down and see the ways that we are better, and that is not God's way. So, in humility, we recognize the importance of the other person. Jacob would send his servants and gifts ahead of him. However, Jacob stayed humbly in the presence of God in the camp at Mahanaim.

Have you gone through a "dark night of the soul" recently? I know, I have. I love the words of contemporary poet Jeremy Deibler.

I can't find the words to pray

I'm a little down to day

Can You help me

Can You hold me

I feel a million miles away

And I don't know what to say

Can you hear me anyway.

What I need is for you to reach out your hand

You have taught me no matter what You'd understand

 

Lord, move in a way that I've never seen before

Cause there's a mountain in the way and a lock on the door

I'm drifting away; waves are crashing on the shore

So Lord Move, or Move me

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 33

Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night and said to him, "Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad." – Genesis 31:24

Today's Scripture Reading (October 12, 2024): Genesis 31

During the French Revolution, there came a time when Louis XVI and his wife, the infamous Marie Antoinette, decided that they had to leave Paris and France. The idea was that they would masquerade as commoners and escape with their family. The original plan was for the Royal Family to separate and escape using different routes. But that was not acceptable to the Royal Family. And as the plan for the grand escape went forward, it became clear that King Louis and Queen Marie had led such sheltered lives that they had no idea how a commoner lived. And the way they left the city, although disguised, left little doubt that the Royal Family had traveled here.

As a result, there was also a significant change in the escape route. The original route went through the countryside, contacting very few villages or settlements. But again, Louis was mistakenly convinced that the problem was the "woke" people living in the city, namely Paris. The smaller towns would rally to his side and support their King. So, Louis decided to take a route that went through several smaller towns. As a result, at almost every step of the way, not only did the people recognize them, but the ones who wanted to keep the Royal Family under guard in Paris knew precisely where Louis and Marie were. All of this worked together to make the attempted escape a grand failure and return the Royal Family to their captivity in Paris, where Louis and Marie would eventually be executed.

Jacob and his family decide to escape Laban. Jacob wasn't in danger like Louis and Marie, but he knew he had to get away from his scheming Father-in-law. Jacob takes his family, including Leah and Rachel, Laban's daughters, and heads away from Laban's influence.

Another difference between Jacob and Louis is that Jacob already seems to have lived a fair distance from Laban. It took Laban three days to figure out that Jacob was on the run, but Louis's enemies knew the King was gone almost immediately. However, with all of his family and flocks, Jacob couldn't move very fast. As a result, Laban was able to locate Jacob and catch him.

We don't know what could have happened when Laban finally caught up to his son-in-law. Laban was angry and would have liked to have caused Jacob harm, except that God came to him in a dream and told him no. God wouldn't force Laban to play nice with Jacob or say good things, but he would not allow him to cause Jacob harm. Laban had a front-row seat to watch God bless Jacob over the years. Laban had no reason to doubt that God would protect Jacob from any damage that Laban could do to him.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 32

Personal Note: Happy Birthday, Mom.

Jacob became angry with her and said, "Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?" – Genesis 30:2

Today's Scripture Reading (October 11, 2024): Genesis 30

A good friend and his wife wanted children. They had jumped through all the hoops, yet they were not graced with any kids. What I especially remember about this stage in their lives was the Mother's Day celebrations. I was just a friend, but my heart would break every Mother's Day as we would honor mothers, and I would watch my friend leave the sanctuary in tears because she wanted to be a mother, and yet she still wasn't. Those moments of despair had a lasting effect on me. In one of those moments, I decided that how we celebrated Mother's and Father's had to change. We had mothers who had children, but we also had women who played the role of mothers who were without children. I remembered my childhood and a married couple who had a significant effect on me and who never had any children of their own. Instead, they donated time and effort to build into the lives of many children like my sister and me. There was no doubt in my mind that this couple were parents but never got honored as such. And so, we started to honor ladies on Mother's Day. We wanted to honor anyone who played the role of a mother, whether they had children or not, and sometimes this meant honoring a few fathers.

For my friends, they eventually gave up on the idea of having a child. Maybe they would adopt a child someday down the road. But for now, well, they got a dog. That seems to be another common reaction. The childless couple I mentioned had greatly affected me and my sister had two dogs. If you can't have children, getting a dog seems to be the appropriate thing to do. My friends got a dog and gave up any hope of having a child. Then, something amazing happened. Debbie (not her real name) got pregnant. Again, it is a familiar story. Something that you want, you decide you can't have, and then you get it. It isn't a rare story; it happens more often than we might want to admit.

Rachel wants children, yet she remains without a child. She knows how much Jacob values her. After all, Jacob had worked fourteen years without pay to get her as his wife. He wouldn't have worked one day for Leah. The only reason why Leah was his wife was because their father had tricked him. There was no doubt that Jacob loved Rachel. But that wasn't enough. The lack of a child had driven Rachel to despair despite her beauty and the value Jacob had placed on her.

Yet, her most crucial desire Jacob was powerless to fulfill. She blamed Jacob, and Jacob was frustrated, and he became angry. He could work fourteen years for her. Jacob could shower her with everything that she wanted. But what he couldn't do was give her a child. That was up to God and dependent on God's timing. And nothing that Jacob did could change that.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 31

When all the flocks were gathered there, the shepherds would roll the stone away from the well's mouth and water the sheep. Then they would return the stone to its place over the mouth of the well. – Genesis 29:3

Today's Scripture Reading (October 10, 2024): Genesis 29

It takes a village. The full proverb argues, "It takes a village to raise a child." The phrase is African in origin but might be better remembered as the title of a book by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. In the book, Clinton unveils her vision for the children of the United States. She itemizes the forces outside of the family that positively and negatively impact a child's well-being. Clinton advocates for a society that would prioritize a child's needs.

A related phrase is "Teamwork makes the dream work." The origin of this phrase is unknown, but leadership author John Maxwell and former basketball all-star Michael Jordan have been suggested as possible initiators of the axiom. Both phrases argue that things are easier to do together and that we get better results if we are willing to accomplish our goals with each other.

Water would be necessary as the shepherds took their sheep out to pasture. And so, they would gather at a well that was covered with a large stone. The tradition was that the well would remain covered until all the shepherds had gathered with their flocks. Then, the stone would be removed, the sheep watered, and the well would be covered once again until the next day's gathering. The reality was that the task of handling the stone was more manageable with more hands set on the task. But the other reality was that some, specifically Rachel, likely couldn't uncover the well by themselves. And so, they did it together.

I live in a society that likes to think that we can do things without help from anyone. We love the idea that we are self-made and self-sufficient. But we are deceiving ourselves. Politically, we are still being told the lie. It has become a staple of our right-side politics. It doesn't matter whether you are British, American, Canadian, or "input your nationality here," someone has probably suggested recently that it is better for the nation to go it alone. The only exceptions might be Ukraine and the inhabitants of the Gaza Strip, places under such distress that they know they need all the help they can get, which tells us something else about ourselves. But if there is any hope for this world, it will be because we have realized that if we are going to move the stone from the top of the well, it is better if we do it together.

We all need each other, period. There are no exceptions where this is not true. Anyone who says differently and believes that the path to success is found in isolating ourselves from the rest of the world is either naïve or lying. It takes a village to make anything worthwhile work. Teamwork really does make the dream work, whether you are a shepherd four thousand years ago or a mechanic in our contemporary world.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 30

There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "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. – Genesis 28:13

Today's Scripture Reading (October 9, 2024): Genesis 28

God met Jacob where he was. The only thing that made that place special was that Jacob was there and that Jacob was broken. And when we are broken, we are probably in the place where we are most willing to hear the voice of God. I believe that part of the loss of power that the North American Church seems to experience regularly is because we are seldom broken. In fact, I think it is probably more likely that we will find broken people in a bar rather than in a church. I also believe God speaks more often to people in a bar than he does in a church. In a bar, people are frequently ready to listen to what God has to say.

I like how "The Message" translates the first two beatitudes. The Bible says that Jesus was drawing such large crowds that one day, he decided to climb a hill with those who were committed to him climbing with him. Then Jesus sat on the hillside and taught them, and he began with a group of sayings that we call the beatitudes. 

You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule. You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you (Matthew 5:3-4)

Often, we hear Jesus's words as he starts his "Sermon on the Mount," but we don't understand those words with our hearts. Jacob would have understood Jesus's sermon with his heart. He was living it. But to God, the situation of Jacob's life didn't matter. What mattered was Jacob. And God came to where Jacob was.

God's message hasn't changed. What matters to God is you. And God wants to meet you where you are, in no particular place. The problem is that we often don't want to allow God to meet us there. We don't want Him to see the mess we have made of our lives. The problem is that it's not optional. More church-going people are kept from living faithful Christian lives because they don't want to meet God in no particular place where their lives are not just right.

Our message is, "God, let me climb to you." But God's answer always stays the same. You cannot get to where I am. But I can come to you. So, God went down the stairway to meet Jacob at no particular place. And God stepped down out of heaven and greeted the human race at a no particular place called Bethlehem and Nazareth. And Jesus walked down out of heaven at no particular place to meet with two disciples after his death on the road to a place called Emmaus.

And God wants to meet you at no particular place. The place has never been essential; it has always been you.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 29

When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I'll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?" – Genesis 27:45

Today's Scripture Reading (October 8, 2024): Genesis 27

Tony Campolo tells a story about a man named Charlie Stoltzfus. I love Tony's stories, and this is one of my favorites. According to Tony, he was asked to speak at a small Pentecostal college near his home. He says he loves going to this little school because the people there seem to be so in touch with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Before the chapel service, several of the faculty members took him into a side room to pray with him. He got down on his knees, and the six of them put their hands on his head and prayed for him, asking the Holy Spirit to fill him up and use him effectively as he spoke to the students. Pentecostals seem to pray longer and with more dynamism than Baptists, my tribe, do. These men prayed long, and the longer they prayed, the more they leaned on his head. They prayed on and on and leaned harder and harder. One of them kept whispering, "Do you feel the Spirit? Do you feel the Spirit?" Tony says he felt something right at the base of his neck, but he wasn't sure it was the Spirit.

One of the faculty members prayed at length about a man named Charlie Stolzfus.  Tony says he was kind of ticked off with him. He thought to himself, "If you're going to lean on my head, the least you can do is pray for me." But this guy prayed on and on for this guy who was about to abandon his wife and three children. He was calling out, "Lord! Lord! Don't let this man leave his wife and children! Send an angel to bring that man back to his family. Don't let that family be destroyed! You know who I'm talking about, Lord. Charlie Stoltzfus. He lives down the road about a mile on the right-hand side in a silver trailer.

I've heard these prayers; I've prayed these prayers. But you know, in all honesty, I think God knows where the guy lives. What are we thinking? God is up in heaven with a pad and pencil saying, "Back up, could you give me that address again?"

Following the chapel talk, Tony got into his car and headed home. As he got out on the highway, he saw a young man hitchhiking, and Tony pulled over to give him a ride. As he pulled back out onto the road, he said, "Hi, my name is Tony Campolo; what's your name?"

He said, "My name is Charlie Stoltzfus!"

Tony says he didn't say a word. He just drove down the highway, got off at the next exit, turned around, and started back. When he did that, Charlie looked at him and said, "Hey, mister. Where are you taking me."

Tony replied, "I'm taking you Home."

Charlie asked, "Why?"

"Because you just left your wife and your three children, right?

Charlie was a little stunned. "Right! Right!" Charlie Stolzfus leaned against the passenger side door the rest of the way. Tony drove off the highway onto a side road, past the small Pentecostal college, right to a silver trailer, and turned into the driveway.

And Charlie looked at him with astonishment, "How'd you know I lived here?"

Tony looked at him and said, "God told me." I am convinced that sometimes God can have fun with these situations. Tony told Charlie, "You get into that trailer because I want to talk to you and your wife." Charlie ran into the trailer ahead of him. Tony says he doesn't know what Charlie told his wife, but when Tony walked through the door, her eyes were as big as saucers. He sat down and said, "I'm going to talk, and you'll listen." And did they listen. Both of them accepted Jesus that night. But here is the hard reality. Charlie's sin moved him out from where he was to a place where God could use him. Tony reports that today, Charlie is a Pastor.

Similarly, sin moved Jacob out of the place where he was and into a place where God could use him. I don't want you to think this was the last time Jacob sinned and that he lived happily ever after. Jacob's life doesn't have that kind of ending. But God moved him to a place where he was uncomfortable so that he could be who God had always intended Jacob to be.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 28

Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham's time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. – Genesis 26:1

Today's Scripture Reading (October 7, 2024): Genesis 26

Canadian poet Edmund Vance Cooke (1866-1932), in the early years of the twentieth century, wrote;

This life's a hollow bubble, Don't you know?
Just a painted piece of trouble, Don't you know?
We come to earth to cry,
We grow older and we sigh,
Older still, and then we die!
Don't you know?

The words were not encouraging, but this was also not an encouraging time. Our world was hovering on the edge of disagreement. The words were first published in 1922, but it seems likely that the thoughts were put down either during or even just before the War to End all Wars, World War I. Life seemed to be nothing more than a "hollow bubble," which was often fleeting and challenging. It seems likely that Cooke's poem was the basis for a more common contemporary saying. "Life is hard, and then you die."

But it is also a truth that we know from experience. Life is filled with difficulties. None of us are promised an easy life, regardless of how much we think we want or deserve it. To be brutally honest, I am not sure we really want a life without challenges. I know that I don't. Sometimes, it is the challenges that make life worth living. Life is hard, but where would we be if the thrill of victory was easy?

Genesis says that there was a famine in the land—another famine. While Israel lies in the Fertile Crescent, a boomerang-shaped area that extends from Upper Egypt up through the coastal region of the Eastern Mediterranean and then through to the Persian Gulf, it is also a land that has suffered its share of droughts with its accompanying times of famine.

Genesis reminds us that there was a famine in the days of Abraham. And now, there is another in the days of Isaac. Isaac begins to follow the same path his father Abraham followed during the days of the earlier famine, which included heading down through Gerar to meet with Abimelek, King of the Philistines.

The famine, as well as the challenge and the struggle that the famine represented, was not an indication that God's hand was not on Isaac. God had promised the land to Abraham and his descendants, but he did not promise that the lives of Abraham or Isaac would be absent of struggle. The famine in the life of Isaac and the battle that exists in our own lives are just part of what it means to be alive. In some ways, it should be received as a gift. Struggle can only overwhelm us if we forget that God is still on the throne and he is still in control. And his love for us means that Abraham, Isaac, and the contemporary inhabitants of this hollow bubble are secure. We hold fast to the belief that life is hard; it always has been. But then, we don't just die. We get promoted, don't you know? 

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 27

The LORD said to her, "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." - Genesis 25:23

Today's Scripture Reading (October 6, 2024): Genesis 25

The hymn "O Love that Will Not Let Me Go" was written by the great Scots preacher George Matheson, who was going through a difficult period in his life. George was going blind, and his fiancée had told him she would not marry him because of his handicap. George was devastated. But God chose to use the physical limitation and the hurt he was feeling, in combination with his faith, to use him in an extraordinary way to show God's love to those with whom he came in contact.

Consider the impact of the words of the hymn when we realize the depth of the pain in George's life that brought them into being.

O Love that will not let me go

I rest my weary soul in Thee

I give Thee back the life I owe

That in Thine ocean depths its flow

May richer, fuller be.

Lloyd Ogilvie tells a story about going to a service in Edinburgh, Scotland, and sitting in the balcony of the Holyrood Abbey Church where he had received two messages: one from the sermon being preached and another from a radiant young woman seated a few pews in front of him.

In the concluding moments of the service, they rose to sing the Matheson hymn. The woman rose and sang the hymn with great enthusiasm. It was then that Ogilvie noticed that she was singing from a large, oddly shaped hymnal. Instead of looking down at the page, she was tracing her fingers across the page. Ogilvie realized she was blind and was using a Braille hymnbook.

Ogilvie says he was moved to tears as he watched this blind woman who could only see Christ with the eyes of her heart as she sang a hymn written by a blind Scottish poet-preacher about a love that endures despite life's setbacks and difficulties. Ogilvie wondered whether he loved Christ that much.

When the service ended, he went over to the young woman and told her how her radiant worship had impacted him through the service. Her reply was, "Thank you, sir. I have prayed that his love would shine through me. Unlike you, I can't see my own face in the mirror, but I can see Jesus with different eyes. I asked Him for some sign that He was getting through me to others. What you said is His answer. Thank you again."

It shouldn't surprise us that God chose Jacob. It wasn't because of all the fantastic characteristics that he had or because of his compelling personality because Jacob had neither. Jacob was a finagler, a deceiver, who lived without much in the way of friends. If we could have stood these two brothers up beside each other, Esau is the one with whom we would have wanted to be around. He was the one who seemed to have the personality and the ease of life. Jacob was hard to get along with, someone you wouldn't want to trust with anything important.

And yet it is the younger brother, Jacob, who is chosen to be an essential link in God's plan to bring Salvation to the earth. While we might have been tempted to leave this deceiver out of our family tree, God proudly proclaims himself as the God of Jacob even before the boys were born.

One of the biggest complaints that I hear about the church is that we are full of hypocrites, but that is what happens when God takes those who are the weak among us and sets them on a path of redemption and leadership. God's plan has always been to take the world's leftovers and make them into the leaders of his church. I know because it is the story of my life. I am the one who rebelled, who took Jacob's path around what God wanted to do in my life. Whenever we talk about the God of Jacob, we remind ourselves of how God chooses fools, seconds, the less gifted, and leftovers like us to do what he needs to do so that God's work might be displayed in our lives.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 26

He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, "Put your hand under my thigh." – Genesis 24:2

Today's Scripture Reading (October 5, 2024): Genesis 24

Soon after Barack Obama was sworn in as President, a picture of the President began to circulate on social media with the accusation that the President had been sworn in by raising his left hand instead of the right. I have to admit that my first reaction was so what? But it drove me to research why right is correct and left is wrong. And I found that the roots of the idea that right is proper runs deep. And it isn't just in English that the word used for right also means correct. It is a punny joke that I have used for years, as in, "Of course, I will turn right; I wouldn't want to take a wrong turn," without realizing that I was reinforcing a cultural stereotype that said that right was proper and left was inappropriate. It is one of the reasons why children in the past were often forced to use their right hand even if they were left-handed.

During the time of Abraham, it wasn't the right hand that was raised but where a hand was placed. Abraham wants his servant to swear an oath, so he tells him to put his hand under his thigh. We aren't really sure what this means, primarily because it is a practice we no longer follow. (Imagine appearing in court and being asked to swear an oath to tell the truth, but to swear that oath, you had to go up to the judge and place your hand under his, or her, thigh. Yeah, that ain't happening.) Placing a hand under someone's thigh might mean exactly what it says, and the oath keeper would put his hand under the upper thigh as a sign of submission to the owner of the thigh. However, some believe that placing a hand under someone's thigh might be a euphemism for something even more personal. It might mean placing the hand on his genitals, the place where children originate, because the loins were seen as the seat of power. Either way, I have to admit that I am glad that culture only requires us to raise our right hands.

Getting back to Barak Obama, who apparently some believed was a Satan worshipper because he raised his left hand, the social media post pointed out that the photo hadn't been manipulated because the President's wedding ring was on the raised hand. I don't know about you, but I wear my wedding ring on my left hand, and I hope that is not a comment on marriage. The fact that the wedding ring was on the President's raised hand proved that he had taken the oath by raising his left hand instead of his right. What I found hilarious about the picture was that all the Generals in the background had gotten up that morning and put their medals on the wrong side of their uniforms. Whoever had altered the picture had painstakingly moved the President's wedding ring but had left the medals of the generals on the wrong side of their uniforms. There was no need to panic. President Obama had raised his right hand, and therefore, everything was still correct in the eyes of the world.     

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 25

“No, my lord,” he said. “Listen to me; I give you the field, and I give you the cave that is in it. I give it to you in the presence of my people. Bury your dead.” – Genesis 23:11

Today's Scripture Reading (October 4, 2024): Genesis 23

When I was a teenager, my family made a trip to California. While we were visiting with a family friend in San Diego, someone suggested that we make a quick trip to Mexico. So, the next day, we went with our guide to Tijuana. This trip was almost fifty years ago, so Tijuana was a much different city than it is today. And there was a bit of a culture shock in the visit. First, our guide warned us about driving our car into Mexico, and so we walked across the border and had a Taxi take us to the where we wanted to go. The taxi ride was wild, and quickly reinforced the idea that this was not a place we wanted to drive a car.

I have no idea where it was that we visited in the city, but it was a place where there seemed to be a lot of street vendors selling their wares. I was also pretty sure I witnessed an act of violence during our visit, but was convinced by the others with us to turn the other way and just keep walking. It was a world that was far from the suburbs where we made our home, and it was a world the likes of I had never before visited.

One of the warnings we received was that if we wanted to make a purchase, negotiating was expected. Basically, we would ask for a price on the item, the price we would be given would be high, and the expected reaction was that we would negotiate from there. According to our host, to not negotiate would be considered an insult.

As Abraham undertakes the task of burying Sarah, the first consideration was to buy a piece of land. And so, he finds the land and the owner of the land, and now all that remains is making the purchase. But there is an expected drama taking place here. Culture demanded that the first move would be by the one owning the item. According to the culture, his first action would be  to offer the item for free, with the understanding that this offer would be rejected by the purchaser. The next price, while the seller would argue that it would be a modest price, would be high. And from here, the negotiation between the parties would continue until a final price was reached.

Abraham and Ephron were engaged in a cultural dance that had been defined many years earlier. And at the end of the dance, the solemn task of burying Sarah would take place.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 24

Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" – Genesis 22:7

Today's Scripture Reading (October 3, 2024): Genesis 22

When I was first starting out, one of the goals I was chasing was ordination in the denomination. That meant I was required to go to the denominational headquarters once a year and sit in front of a board of leaders to be questioned. Nothing was off the table. These men and women would ask me whatever was on their minds. I remember facing questions ranging from deep theological concepts to who I thought would win a hockey game later in the week. I am sure that it was my prognostications of the winner of the next hockey game that kept me from being ordained sooner.

Many years ago, I stumbled onto a story about a pastor who was applying for a job at a Christian University. He remembers sitting at a table, surrounded by a group of professors. And these learned men were there to ask him about anything that they wanted to ask. The story reminded me of my days being interviewed for my ordination.

For the author of this article, everything was going well until one professor asked a question that he had never considered. Was God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son an example of divine child abuse? The author of the article didn't remember what his answer was, which was too bad because it was an answer that I would have loved to read, but the author did admit that he didn't get the job, so the response was likely not what the panel wanted to hear.

It is a strange question, but maybe not an unexpected one. In his 2007 book, "The God Delusion," Atheist evangelist Richard Dawkins asks the same question. Speaking about this story, Dawkins writes

… this disgraceful story is an example simultaneously of child abuse, bullying in two asymmetrical power relationships, and the first recorded use of the Nuremberg defence: ' I was only obeying orders ' Yet the legend is one of the great foundational myths of all three monotheistic religions" (Richard Dawkins, the God Delusion).

I think part of Dawkins's problem is that he refuses to engage with the text. He assumes that Abraham expected this sort of thing, and I am sure that is not true.

Abraham was a man who was known for his faith, even when faith didn't make sense. When God asked Abraham to move to a place that he would reveal later, Abraham accepted that on faith and moved. When the angels told Abraham that he and Sarah were going to have a son, even in their later years, and when Sarah was well past the age of having children, Abraham had faith that whatever God wanted to do, he would do.

And maybe I am reading too much into the text, but even here, I see Abraham's faith. Listen to his words,

On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you" (Genesis 22:4-5).

And it is that last sentence that draws my attention. "We will worship and then we will come back to you." Did Abraham mean it when he said "we?" Is this his faith speaking through the pain of that moment? I think so. Abraham testifies, "I know what God said, but God has done nothing to harm me, so I will trust that he has a plan even here and that his plan won't hurt me or the son he promised me.

God has not failed me before; I don't think he will forget me now. If I trust, if I do what I can do, then I believe that everything is going to be okay. Sometimes, I think that is the part that we forget. I have to do what is right, even if I don't want to. I am convinced we know what we should be doing because sometimes we work hard to explain why we are doing something different. But if we do what we know is right and trust God that he will do what he does, then we will be where we need to be in his will.

I am convinced that Abraham trusted that God had a plan, and when he got to the other side of this situation, Abraham would finally understand what it had all been about.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 23

Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. – Genesis 21:14

Today's Scripture Reading (October 2, 2024): Genesis 21

Every story has a beginning. For me, when I look at the back story of the Islamic faith, the beginning of the Islamic story can be found right here with a mother and her child who have been kicked out of the only home that they knew and left to fend for themselves in the desert. The mother was Hagar, and the son was Ishmael.

Abraham is not happy. He loved his son, and I think he loved Hagar. But God told him that this was okay; God said, "Do what Sarah wants you to do."

Abraham's reply to God is not recorded, but since I have a habit of putting words in Abraham's mouth, you have to wonder if the Patriarch's reply to God wasn't, "Do what Sarah told me to do? But that's how I got into this mess. She told me to sleep with Hagar, and I did; this was all her fault.

And so Hagar and Ishmael leave to go into the desert. As a result, the story of the Muslim faith starts right there in the desert. Part of what that reminds us of is that the struggle between the Jews, Islam, and Christians is a family fight. We all claim a connection with Abraham. Four significant events happened in this family during the two centuries before Christ and the first four centuries after his death and resurrection.

First, the Jews received their Book. Until then, it was a loose collection of books and writings that hadn't yet been collected together and authorized as the official writings of the faith. Finally, the Jews had a Book. They were still arguing about it, but they had a Book. Second, not long after the Jews received their Book, the Christians gathered their writings into a single volume. Christians became people of the Book, just like their older sibling, Judaism.

The third major event was that Christianity became a world religion during the reign of Constantine. The jury is still out as to whether that was a good thing, but it happened. The fourth major event was actually a non-event. The Arabs were utterly left out of this process. They continued to live in the desert, fighting with each other. They knew the terrain and how to live in the desert; the rest of the world just left them alone. Ishmael had left the home of Abraham for the desert with his mother, and his children had never left. They worshiped many gods there, but they possessed no government, unity, or economy. More than 2000 years after Hagar and Ishmael were cast out into the wilderness, there was still a reason for Hagar to cry. Her children were still in the desert, and the world had gone on, living out their lives and forgetting about their siblings wandering in the desert.

However, there was a persistent rumor. Ishael's descendants didn't know for sure; they couldn't prove it, and they didn't have a book that explained it to them, but they had a story that argued that there was one God of the universe and he was the God of Abraham. The story also revealed that Abraham had a son who had moved into the desert; he was their ancestor. His name was Ishmael.

They didn't know for sure, but maybe there was a history that went beyond their situation. The Jews had their prophet, Moses. The Christians had their Savior, Jesus. But the Arabs still lived in the desert like Hagar and Ishmael.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 22

Abraham replied, "I said to myself, 'There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.' – Genesis 20:11

Today's Scripture Reading (October 1, 2024): Genesis 20

Sometimes, all we want to do is fit in. And we will do whatever it takes to make that a reality. I was reading a political thriller recently, and the main character commented that he changed his diet whenever he knew he was going to certain nations. For instance, he would give up meat when he traveled to Asian nations because their complaint is often that North Americans smell "meaty." It was something I had never really thought of before, even though I had noticed different smells coming from various people. The novel argues that if we want to be accepted in a specific culture, part of that acceptance depends on things like the way we smell, and often, acceptance depends on things of which we are not even consciously aware.

Abraham makes a stop in Gerar. Gerar was a Philistine city in what is today south-central Israel. Again, we need to remember that Israel did not yet exist at this time, so all of Canaan was in the hands of pagan rulers. In this case, Gerar was in the hands of a King called Abimelek. Before getting too excited about knowing this Kings name, we must understand that all Philistines were called Abimelek. Abimelek was essentially a fusion of two words, "Father" and "King." But as Abraham stops in Gerar, he is afraid that these strange people might kill him to gain his wife. He reasons that this is a place that does not fear God.

However, Abraham was wrong. What Abraham wanted more than anything was to fit in. And that had very little to do with God. He was afraid that his wife would interfere with the process. The truth was that Abimelek believed in many gods rather than no God. It was Abraham who was struggling with his belief in God. Abraham was willing to accept God when he was being blessed, but when there was a cost, Abraham still had some spiritual growth to do.

Abraham was unwilling to place his life in the hands of his God. Instead, he would prefer to tell a half-truth and conspire to find his way through the circumstances put before him. He was willing to allow his wife to be defiled rather than protect her from the people and the King of Gerar.

Abraham was a lot like us. We often seem to take a path that makes sense for us, even if it includes lying and deceit, rather than trust that God has everything under control.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 21