JANUARY 16
Genesis 32:13-34:31
Genesis 32:13-32
Vs. 13-21 Jacob sends Esau that day's equivalent to the
"12 Days of Christmas." It's interesting to see how Jacob, a veteran
herdsman, grouped these droves, even in terms of female to male ratios. I
wonder why there were no male camels mentioned.
V. 20 There is certainly a cultural dance taking place here,
but more importantly, Jacob is trying to appease Esau. I'm more impressed by
what is missing. Any wife will tell you that "nothing says you're sorry,
like saying you're sorry." The gifts were an interesting token, but the
words never came. People secure in Christ should have boldness using that word.
Vs. 22-32 For us as disciples, the only lesson I can see
here is that the Lord tests our tenacity. Faith is more often seen in
persistence and endurance, than in genius and success. Apparently there was a
folk legend of something like this. If you held the "spirit" until
the light of dawn, it would grant your wish. I guess the Irish weren't too far
off. Anyway, if so, God was using it and making a point with Jacob. This man would be the pre-incarnate Son of
God. For Jesus I'm sure this was more like playing, trying to wrestle a sock away
from a Jack Russell Terrier; but He wanted to see how persistent Jacob would be
in pursuing God's blessing.
V. 28 This is the birth of the name Israel. What a name and how true it has been. And Israel has been
striving with men and God ever since. Jacob's striving with God was in
"taking" the blessing rather than waiting on God and receiving it in
obedience. (Think about this when you read about the kingdom suffering violence
below.) The prevailing is seen in his perseverance. He outlasted man, and even
in his disobedience there was a faith in the promise that stayed alive. Isn't
it interesting that the name came out of strife and contention, and it will be
this way until Christ returns? Israel has been and will be a focus of fighting
in the world, and it has been and will be the focus of spiritual aggression
against God. But as the name suggests, with God's help, they will prevail.
God gave Jacob a constant reminder of this day and the
blessing pronounced on him. What an interesting "reminder" to give to
a scoundrel. This limp would be a permanent, lifelong disability. With every
limp, Jacob would be reminded of his wrestling and contending with God and man
and the words of blessing from the angel. This promise of blessing on Jacob
would not end his woes. Oddly, the hip disorder was going to slow him down to
make him less "tricky," and it would be a reminder to depend on God.
Whether Jacob actually becomes more "spiritual" is doubtful.
You've got to laugh at God's timing. On the day when Esau is
coming with 400 men, running the hundred in 13 seconds would be a handy skill;
but Jacob is now disabled, though blessed, by God.
Genesis 33
Vs. 1-17 I'm sad every year when I read this. Here comes Esau,
like a big, friendly, drooling St. Bernard, running up to Jacob, hugging him,
and crying on him. Then there is Jacob, blessed, yet with ulcers and a bad
conscience. And Jacob has a totally unfriendly, suspicious and
"stiff-arming" manner.
It was actually the Lord who soothed Esau. His blessing Esau
had allowed Esau to forgive. Also, it doesn't seem that Esau had a complicated
and conniving nature, so he might not have been disposed to holding on to
grudges.
Jacob never says he's sorry or that what he did was wrong.
(Keep this in mind when you read the next few dysfunctional family adventures.
The kids were like Dad, except for one notable exception.) Jacob's entire
demeanor and desire is to be "accepted" and then left alone. This was
all about him. The gifts were only manipulative. Since Jacob thought he had to
forcefully get God’s blessing, he turned into this kind of a man. Esau looks
good and honest. No ulcer there. But Jacob has masterminded his own little
tragic life - rich, blessed, and miserable. And it will get worse.
Forcing the gifts on Esau was important to show socially
that there was some sort of "good" relationship between the two
parties. This is why Abraham refused the stuff from the king of Sodom. He
didn't want to be shown as "bonded" to, or in agreement with, him.
This is why both Pharaoh and Abimelech gave lavish gifts to Abe after Abe
tricked them, to show that things had been smoothed. By taking these gifts,
Esau was being forced by Jacob to show that all was well between them. Esau's
greeting and actions show that all was already forgiven long before he saw the
gifts. This looks like manipulation to me, and if so, Esau must have just
smiled and thought, "Same old Jacob, poor guy."
Vs. 18-20 Now it is true that Jacob, like Abraham and Isaac
before him, needed a large area where he could graze his herds. I'm surprised
that Jacob settled near Shechem because his father Isaac was still alive,
probably 75 miles south in Beersheba. Who knows what was going through his mind
and why he didn't see his father. Did he still have a guilty conscience? I
think Jacob was blessed by God, but cursed by his own deceitful nature. Jacob
buying the land near Shechem meant that he needed it for grazing and that he
would stay there. It would also allow him to trade with the people in Shechem.
This is probably the acreage referred to in John 4.
Genesis 34
There must be a passage of time here. Just guessing, when
Jacob returned, his oldest son Reuben would only have been about 13. If you
look at the numbers mentioned previously, you can figure this out. Dinah might
have been about 8 and Joseph would have been 6 when they entered the land.
There must be about 10 years that have gone by, especially considering what
Simeon and Levi were capable of.
Vs. 1-7 I've heard preachers "wax elephants"
regarding Dinah meeting with the women of the land as being something wrong. I
can't see it. Prince Shechem was
obviously wrong, and he seems somewhat repentant and wants to do the right
thing. We don't know enough to understand what Jacob keeping his peace meant. Jacob would have been
there with all of his wives, so I'm sure Dinah was comforted and they talked
about the situation.
V. 7 The sons were not just very angry. They felt that war had been declared.
Vs. 8-12 Two wrongs don't make a right, but it does seem
like Hamor and Shechem were sincere.
Vs. 13-17 If not for the word deceitfully in v. 13, we wouldn't know that anything was wrong
here. I think they knew that father, son, and the entire city would agree with
their proposal. I don't agree with some who say the sons were surprised that
Shechem agreed to this. I think this was premeditation and careful planning.
These were the sons of Jacob, the trickster. They had grown up with the
conflict and trickery between their mothers and the conflict and trickery
between Jacob and Laban. They knew how to use conflict and trickery. As often
happens, the sins of the fathers are magnified in the children.
Vs. 18-24 These people had no idea what was going to happen.
Vs. 25-31 Jacob took no real leadership to bring the
situation to a conclusion. In that leadership vacuum, Simeon and Levi,
"chips off the old block," took over; but as it often is when sin is
out of control, they went way beyond Dad. After Simeon and Levi killed all the
men (Jacob mentions later that in their murderous rage they also crippled the
animals), the other brothers were lined up and ready with their shopping carts
at the city gate. They entered the city and did "supermarket sweep,"
looting the dead bodies, houses and markets. The neighbors would learn that
this was "No Ordinary Family."
V. 30 Notice in Jacob's words, there is no regard for God.
Jacob is worried about himself. Notice how often he says me, my, and I.
V. 31 Their words to Jacob, after he rebukes them, lacks an
"I'm sorry." This was just like Jacob, who was no better with
apologies. Jacob's woes aren't through. Now this dysfunctional family has two
unrepentant murderers.
Matthew 11:7-30
Jesus is very pointed in this section. John the Baptist ended
an era, so to speak. In v. 13 Jesus says, all
the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. As disciples, we are living
"at the end of the age" and have a very important role and place in
God's continuing work.
Vs. 7-11 Although the people went to see John for various
reasons, John the Baptist was the final prophet of the Old Testament period. He
fulfilled both Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Then Jesus goes on to say that John
the Baptist was the greatest of all men ever born before the new covenant. If
you think that over, that is a pretty huge declaration. There were great men
who lived before John, but John had the greatest task and honor of all men
before him. He was the messenger sent to introduce to Israel, the Messiah -the
seed of Abraham and the promised son of the woman. In the Apostle John's
description of Jesus and John the Baptist's ministry in John 1, you can see
that John the Baptist wasn't just introducing the Jewish Messiah. He was introducing
the Savior of mankind.
And then in a very brief way, Jesus says that all who are
born of the Spirit by faith in Jesus are greater than John. Spiritual birth
trumps physical birth. It is an amazing privilege to be born of the Son to
follow Him in the harvest.
Vs. 12-15 I think this expresses the conflict between
worshiping God by the law and rituals, and worshiping God in Spirit and in
truth. Jesus introduced the latter. John concluded the former. Elijah was the
prophet used by God to try to turn the northern kingdom of Israel back to God
before their punishment. John the Baptist was used to attempt the same in his
generation. Jesus said that the blood of all the prophets shed from the
foundation of the earth would be required of that particular generation of Jews
that would kill both John and Him. That punishment was finalized in 70 A.D.
when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.
Vs. 16-17 That generation was treating the messages of both
men in a trivial, childish way, insisting that both John and Jesus should
conform to what the people expected and wanted. It was really a matter of life
and death. The people should have been alert and ready to respond.
Vs. 18-19 John was criticized because he was very strict.
Jesus was criticized because he ate rich food, drank wine and associated with
tax collectors and sinners. Apparently these were "reasons" John and
Jesus were not taken seriously. John didn't join in the excesses of the culture
and Jesus didn't join in shunning people. He mixed freely with them. (Note on
v. 18 - Luke 7:33 adds to John the Baptist’s description and says, eating no bread and drinking no wine.
Jesus was the opposite of John.)
Yet as much as people could reject John and Jesus for not
dancing to their tune, they knew inwardly that both of these men were acting
from God. In particular, the works Jesus was doing from the Father couldn't be
denied.
Vs. 20-24 This is pretty straightforward. We've just read
about Sodom. Can you imagine that?
Vs. 25-26 God intentionally blinds those who are wise and understanding in their own
eyes. This happens even among His own children.
V. 27 On the one hand, this will make you a good Calvinist;
but on the other, if you read John 6, Jesus says the same things but seems to
imply that there is a response of faith. If a person welcomes the Word of the
Son, the Father reveals the Son and the Son in turn reveals the Father. If that
acceptance and welcoming faith is not present, no amount of hovering around
Jesus brings a person closer. The Father doesn't grant access to the Son.
Vs. 28-30 The rest is the promise of rest in the battle.
Notice the order: Come to me, then take my yoke, then learn from me and then I will
give you rest. I heard this preached by Tony Evans once and it was amazing.
If you don't have the devotion and relationship, learning is just effort and
feeds only the mind. You have to come to
Him and want Him and be
submitted to Him in devotion, taking
His yoke. If this isn't first,
learning just makes you hard and proud. And then, you have to learn from Him. You have to submit to His Word and His way. As Evans said,
you don't go asking Him to do things your way or bless your way. He'll tell you
that your way doesn't work and it hasn't been working. No, you've got to do
things His way. You learn from Him. Then, and only then, do you get the rest.
And this rest comes in a chaotic world. The world doesn't change, we do.
As we've seen in Genesis and in The Psalms, the real rest of
God works even when there is no safety or security. That rest is in Jesus
Himself because we belong to Him, following Him in the harvest, looking forward
to His return.
Psalm 14
Vs. 1-4 Paul uses the words of this psalm in Romans 3 to
show that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin. Only God
can break that power, but for all men, including disciples, that power is still
there. The answer is that now in Christ, for us, there is forgiveness; and the
power of sin is broken by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The true cure comes when
our bodies are "redeemed," in being resurrected.
Vs. 5-7 But in spite of all the hardship, David was
confident that God would deliver and the people would once again rejoice.
Proverbs 3:19-20
Isn't it interesting to have this proverb, following the
psalm that says, the fool says in his
heart, 'there is no God.’? If I found a pencil lying on a desk and tried to
convince people the pencil "just got there, that it just
"happened" after 80 zillion years of evolution and earthly
events," they would say I was a fool. Rational people would
tell me the pencil needed an engineer to design it because it's really two
halves glued together around that fabricated graphite core. Then it gets 12
coats of paint, etc. And then, someone had to put it on the desk.
No, the pencil is evidence of a designer, an engineer and a
manufacturer. But those same people would say the world just happened. It is
our sin that makes us fools. It is that desire to rebel against God regardless
of the cost that is sin. Sin is the most powerful and deadly force on this
planet. Why don't we have a world "Sin" day and put little black
ribbons on all our products to remind us that we're fighting against sin? It is
hard to fight against something you don't believe in.
If you’re reading along
and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link http://oneyearbibleonline.com/weekly-one-year-readings/?version=47&startmmdd=0101. This
version is set to the ESV but you can reset this to a different version or
different language.
I'm writing these
comments to and for those who are following a One Year Bible and interested in
growing deeper as a disciple, following Jesus in the harvest. My hope is to see
the growth of a discipleship culture in the church. Groups of 3-4 disciples,
meeting weekly, encouraging each other to follow Christ and work to reach out
and make disciples who make disciples. The Bible itself is the most universal
manual we have and key to our growth and service in Christ. Nothing keeps us
more focused on why we are here or what we are to be doing. My comments are
only meant to provide some explanation of the events or to show the flow of
God's plan of redemption. My comments are in no way exhaustive, but are
designed to keep us focused on Christ and our role in His harvest. My hope is
that the people in these groups will grow in Christ and be willing, after a
year, to find 3 others to meet with and encourage in their growth as disciples,
disciples making disciples in the harvest.
If you would like a
complete description of this model of being and making disciples you can find
it in my book: Simply Disciples*Making Disciples.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011WJIDQA?*Version*=1&*entries*=0
If you would like a more
descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the
Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is the
commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never
hurts.
I am not endorsing any
particular One Year Bible; in fact, I read something you don't, die revidierte
Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with
us is welcome to do so and is encouraged to take their own notes and make their
own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular
tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to
criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has
written to us, as I understand it. Send comments or feedback to dgkachikis@gmail.com.
If you would like
documents containing an entire month of the Reading Notes, go to https://sites.google.com/site/dlkachikis/reading-notes. You can download these to use on your computer or to
print.
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