Scripture and Observations:
These passages are about Rebekah and Jacob deceiving Isaac into giving the firstborn’s blessing that belongs to Esau to Jacob. When their deception is discovered, Esau comforts himself with thoughts of killing Jacob after they are finished mourning Isaac’s impending death.
Rebekah wants Jacob to run away to her brother’s house for safety, so she tells her husband that since they don’t like Esau’s wives they should send Jacob to marry a family girl. Jacob agrees and blesses Jacob on her journey.
When Esau discovers this, he realizes how vexing his wives are to his parents, so he goes to marry a daughter of Ishmael.
On the way to his uncle’s Jacob sleeps, using a rock for a pillow and dreams about a ladder going from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending it. The Lord stood above the ladder and makes a promise as the God of his dad and granddad to bless Jacob with abiding provision. Jacob awakes and sets the rock upright as a pillar and promises that in God’s faithfulness he, too, will be faithful.
David asks God to answer his prayers and give him relief and mercy. Then God asks how long we will we will continue in sin and that he sets apart his faithful for himself. We are cautioned to not sin and put God first. Then David asks for the blessing of the light of God’s face, along with bountiful prosperity. He says he lies down in peace and safety.
Jesus is praying and his disciples ask Him to teach them to pray. The Lord’s Prayer is taught to them and Jesus drives home the idea that God really does give us good things. If a neighbor will give to you what you ask not for friendship but from a mixture of shame and awe at your audacity, good God will certainly give well to us what we ask. If a sinful man can give his son good things, so surely will our perfect Father God!
Jesus drove out a demon and witnesses in the crowd explained it away by accusing Jesus of calling on the name of the prince of demons to do it. Jesus addresses the failing logic of such an accusation. Why would a demon drive out a demon? Jesus goes further by drawing a line in the sand. “You are with us or against us.” There are only two sides and each of us must choose. A woman in the crowd calls out a blessing for his mother Mary. He returns that the blessed are those who hear and obey God.
Jesus says that those who are there to see Jesus and fail to believe are receiving a more compelling sign than the Ninevites did from Jonah or the Queen of the South did from Solomon.
Jesus continues his teaching using the metaphor of a lamp. Our eyes are a lamp to the body and we must live in the light.
Jesus has dinner with a Pharisee and knows his host is surprised that Jesus doesn’t wash before eating. Jesus then opens up a floodgate of conviction, bullet pointing the sins of the Pharisees.
Application
I can relate to Jacob, I am ashamed to say. There are things I would very much like to do or to have happen. But I know manipulating it is wrong. Now, if someone were to rig it for me, especially someone with authority over me… I am relieved of culpability and get my way!
This is such a compelling story with so many elements. This single act of deception mean Rebekah loses her favorite son, she betrays her own husband in such a severe manner, she betrays her other son, as well. Then of course, she is orchestrating the blessings right out of God’s sovereign promise. I can almost see her quietly, desperately attaching the goat hair to her son. I can almost hear her breathing hard, see her brow beading sweat as they work quickly in a dark tent. Such a faithless act. Heartbreaking.
I also have some sympathy for Esau’s lame attempt to please his parents. Although I think sending Jacob away to find a wife was merely a convenient excuse to get him out of Dodge, it seemed to have struck a nerve for Esau. He realized that his two idol-worshipping wives weren’t a blessing to the family. He tries to make it right by marrying a another woman. When we try to solve things on our own, we tend to muddy things all the more.
As for this Psalm, I can hear my boy’s voice in my ear as I read it. “Who is talking?” David? God? Random people? This is a short Psalm and the voice manages to change quickly enough to leave me a little dizzy. But I do see the pattern of David opening with an earnest cry and ending with a declaration of thankful peace.
Luke was a kicker today! Jesus gave solid reasons for us to ask in faith—no excuses any more!! If your cranky neighbor will give you bread to shut you up, how can you expect less of God? Is he God, or not? Which of course is the next point. If he is God, then you better make a choice! You can’t opt out or sit on the sidelines for this one. The prince of demons wouldn’t think of stopping a working demon because they are on the same side.
Jesus tells us that when a demon is removed, he will come back. If he finds the space empty and tidy, he will resume his residency along with some pals. that is why it is so hard to kick addiction. If we do not fill that void with good, we are still lost.
And how do you like the diatribe against the Pharisee? Whoowee! What have we got here?
- clean on the outside, greedy and wicked on the in
- foolish
- neglecting justice and love of God
- loving status
- unmarked graves
A lawyer steps in to defend the Pharisee, so Jesus generously includes him next.
- They load people down with burdens and no help
- They build tombs for prophets that their ancestors killed—an act of which they approved
- They will be held responsible for all the blood shed since the beginning of the world. WOW!
- The took away the key to knowledge
- They did not enter and stopped others from entering.
Well, now THAT’S a dinner party!
Prayer
Lord, save me from myself. Save me from religion. Let me let You be God, the giver of all good things, faithful to the end, Lover of my Soul!
NOTES: Second day. Still more writing that I am used to. Well, not really. But more writing than I think anyone will read. I guess that isn’t really the point, though. I am doing this to build up my own faithfulness. Even so, it is so nice to have a companion or two on a journey…
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Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!