Thank you so much for your prayers. The Bible study went well and people were blessed by it. I think that many came away seeing the love of God in the midst of their tests. 

I still am amazed at how much God has done in my life. Five years ago if you would have seen me, you would not have recognized me. I most certainly would not have thought that God would have helped me to reach people and yet he does use me. I know that if He can use me with my past, anyone can be used by Him to reach others.

Pastor Don talked about his trip today. He went to two conventions, one in Louisiana, and one in Ohio.  When he was in New Orleans, he met with people who survived hurricane Katrina. He stated that there was a vast difference between the testimonies of the ones who had God in their lives, and the ones who did not have God. The believers were praising what God had done in their lives, the others were complaining and griping. Often the same situation would be looked at so differently by believers and non-believers. Many had lost all, and yet they were thankful that God had prospered them. Without God the people had no frame of reference to pick up and go again. Those with faith knew that, even though circumstances were tough, God is still God.

Pastor Don told us to watch our mouths, our attitude, and our performance under stress. Be like Job and say, “I know my redeemer lives.”

The workers down there told Pastor Don that 40% of the people who lost their lives lost them because of their pets. And he told us that we need to keep praying and helping those who are there to recover. It was sad to see the houses so marked to indicate water damage, loss of life, etc.

Pastor Don said that you can’t complain your way to success.

Then Pastor Don talked about the two different conferences he attended. One was a traditional church convention and the other was a fundamentalist, spirit-filled believer convention. And what Pastor Don noticed is that the traditionalists would snicker and laugh and make judgements about the fundamentalists. Then when he got to the fundamentalist church convention, they did the same thing about the traditionalist.

Pastor Don said that this had to stop. We can’t draw a line in the sand and put an end to communication between different churches. We can’t say we won’t fellowship with them because they do not believe what I believe,the way I believe it. We can’t write off other churches and denominations. God’s kingdom is going to have believers from all denominations, and it is God who is going to decide. We cannot say all Catholics, all Jehovah Witnesses, all of any faith is not going to make it. God knows our hearts, and God knows who is a believer or not.

The question is, where does Jesus draw the line. Pastor Don then talked about how his wife and he attend conferences. She goes to some meetings and takes notes, he goes to others so that many of the meetings in a conference are attended. His wife came to him troubled because of what a traditionalist said, a person who is well known, a teacher in a university, with many degrees stated that we can’t be sure that all the words written in red in the Bible are really Jesus’s words. And his example was John 17 where Jesus was alone in the garden, and so how did those words get written, how could John know Jesus said them?

Pastor Don said that it was a good question. And he disagreed with the speaker who said that for he knows the red words are Jesus’ words. He then stated that he believes they are true because of it being a similar situation as him and his wife. Our puzzled expressions had him explain that his wife tells the truth, and she wrote down notes and showed him her notes, and later the speaker was a keynote speaker and he said the same things his wife had put in her notes, and by putting all that together Pastor Don knew that his wife gave a true report of what was said, even though he wasn’t at the meeting.

Then Pastor Don had us look at John 17 to see what criterion Jesus had for believers.

This prayer was said in the Garden of Gethsemane before his crucifixion.

John 17:1-3 “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

The first criterion is that we may know God and Jesus whom God has sent. We need to realize that the God of the New Testament is the same God as the God of the Old Testament. We can’t come into relationship without knowing that the Jewish Testament was fulfilled with the Greek. But to know one without the other is loss and confusion.

John 17:4-6 I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.

The next criterion is keeping God’s Word. God, the Father, gave His son the Word to share with us. He obeyed God’s Word, and we are to obey God’s Word.

John 17:7-8 Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from you, for I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.

The next criterion is that we believe God sent Jesus. And that we are to pray for those whom God has given Jesus, and the basis of praying for them is that the Father determines who comes to the Son. Pastor Don then said, “And Glory!!!!! He prayed for me!!!!!” and he prayed for you. Pastor Don pointed out that when Jesus came for him, he wasn’t looking for Jesus, Jesus pursued Him. And it is the same with us all.

(Heather’s note)  I know for sure that He came for me when I wasn’t looking for Him. Didn’t want any part of Him, but He kept lovingly pursuing me.

John 17:10-11 And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.

Jesus prayed that we would be one like He and the Father are one. All are called by the Father to be one, to the same glory, communion, relationship, faith that the Father has with the son. The unity of the Body of Christ was important to Jesus, and we do not have that unity as a church today. This unity is a picture of a marriage – just like in Genesis, where two become one.

We don’t even have unity in our own personal bodies. Our bodies fight with ourselves, and often we want to do one thing, and our body another. I want to go here, and our body says we are too tired to go. Sickness is a war between healthy and unhealthy. Husbands and wives don’t always get along, they don’t always agree. There is honor for those who do not separate and divorce.

Being in unity does not mean that there is a lack of disagreement. Peace is not defined by what is going on, but by the resolution of what is going on.

If you look at a pond, the surface may be mirror smooth, but underneath minnows are running away from bass, and that is not a peaceful situation.

We can believe that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are in agreement, but the Body of the Church seems to keep not agreeing.

John 17: 12-14 While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

Again notice the emphasis on KEPT YOUR WORD. We are to be keepers of God’s Word. That often means that we are not of this world. As Christians we are not to fit in, often if we try to blend with the world, we are out of agreement with God. We do not agree with all that is in the World, but we have to agree with Jesus. There was a commercial about Hebrew National Hot Dogs, where it said that “We have to answer to a Higher Authority.” Well, we too have to answer to a Higher Authority.

We are not to be “mixed meat, with stuffing and other fillings, and bread in our personal hot dog lives.”

We are not to be too Republican, too Democratic, too denominational, we are to be TOO JESUS.

John 17:15-17 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your Word is truth.

We had to repeat several times YOUR WORD IS TRUTH. In an effort to find truth, the Word of God sanctifies you, cleanses you.

Even though some of God’s words are being altered today about things that God has said are not good. God’s no means NO. God will never change His word to let us do something that is not good for us. God’s truth comes from a place that is outside of time, outside of our limited understanding. If God says, “Don’t do it.” he means, “Don’t do it.” If we do what we are not to do, we will have a bad effect. He loves us so much that he tries to protect us through His Word. And we know HIS WORD IS TRUTH.

The next part of Pastor Don’s sermon was SO PHENOMENAL that I want to save it for tomorrow. It stands on it’s own and is mind boggling. It will answer the question of whether or not we can trust that the red letters are Jesus’ words. Talk about a faith-filled, faith-building sermon. My husband told my brother-in-law that he had tears in his eyes hearing the sermon, and he seldom cries. It was that good.

Have a blessed night.
Heather

I get to do a Bible study for the church today. Please keep me in your prayers, that God will use this to help people. I know that I am often too hard on myself, forgetting that the tests that God gives us in this life are for our own growth and spiritual walk.

 

Have a blessed Sunday!

Heather

 

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Bible Study for August 6, 2006

 

GOD’S TESTS

 

I have never loved tests. Just the thought of tests can send me into fits of panic. Doesn’t matter if I have studied well or been surprised, I tend to break out in a cold sweat at the mention of tests. Yet, God uses tests in our lives.

 

I used to think it was bizarre that God would have to test us. Doesn’t He already know if we will pass or fail the test? Of course He does. His tests are not for his information, but for our information. The tests clearly show us where we are in the walk of faith. The best part of God’s testing of us is that he wants us to ace the test, and He will keep giving us the same test over and over again until we finally get it right.

 

Beth Moore said this bout God’s tests in our lives in her study The Patriarchs:

1. Our tests have our names on them.  We will not have to take someone else’s test. The Hebrew word for test means to try, to prove and carries the meaning of testing the quality of a person through stressful circumstances.
   
2. Our hardest tests often involve our dearest loves. Those closest to us can test our walk of faith far more than a stranger can.
   
3. We are not powerless in our tests. How we take them is up to us.
   
4. Obedience is not the hardest part of our most trying tests, keeping the faith is.
   
5. The harder the test, the more far reaching its ramifications.

 

The best thing about God’s tests is that they are open book.

 

I thought we would look at the tests that Abram had in his walk with God. And then show you God’s report card about Abram’s tests. Perhaps we can learn a bit about ourselves and some of our tests. I really am beginning to realize that it is better to learn some of my lessons from the Word of God rather than learning them in the School of Hard Knocks.

 

ABRAM’S TESTS:

 

1. Abram’s fervor – would he leave his homeland and move to an unknown place, believing God. Genesis 12:1 The Lord tells Abram to get out of his country, leave family and father’s house. How did Abram score –maybe 50%.  He did leave his country, but brought his father and Lot with Him. Genesis 11:31It might be interesting to note that His father’s name is Terah which means delay. Abram will first travel about ½ the way to Canaan and reside in Haran which means parched and desolate. He will stay there with Sarai and Lot until his father dies. So often, we settle where we are until something dies, and that then causes us to move forward. Abram moves forward and ends up residing between Ai (which means heap of ruins) and Bethel (which means house of God), in the land of Canaan. But it took the death of his father to get him to this land promised by God.
   
2. Reliance on God –Genesis 12:10 famine, stress of circumstances. He failed this test. There was a famine in the land. Although God had promised Abram that He would provide for him and his family, the famine drove Abram down to the land of Egypt (which is another type of the flesh). In Egypt Abram will end up lying, pretending that his wife is his sister, and after the famine come back with more property and a maid – Hagar. We are still dealing with what Abram brought back from Egypt in this day and age, for Hagar will give birth to Ishmael, from which the Arabs are descended.
   
3. Humility – Abram and Lot, Abram passed with flying colors. Genesis 13:8-9 He allowed Lot to pick out the territory he wanted to live in. Lot chose to live near Sodom and Gomorrah, and God gave Abram all the land for him and his descendants forever. Genesis 13:14-18. Lot picked the land that looked the best, but Abram trusted God and received the best land. Note the promise AFTER Lot separated.
   
4. Courage – boldness with the kings of the north and south to rescue Lot. It took courage to go against the armies that took his brother.
   
5. Greed – Abram refused the reward of the king of Sodom, choosing instead to tithe to Melchizadek. Genesis 14:18-24
   
6. Trusting God to do what he said. Abram believed that God would provide him with offspring. But instead of waiting for God’s timing, Abram and Sarai decided to help God out, by allowing Hagar to birth a son from Abram. Although Abram loved Ishmael, his son, it was not the son God had in mind. God waited almost 25 years but provided Sarai and Abram with the son, Isaac. Genesis 18 Abraham was 100, This son was born when both Abram and Sarai were far too old to produce offspring, but God was able to do this miracle. All these tests helped Abram to grow in faith until
   
7. The ultimate test – God told Abram that he was to sacrifice his son, his only son, Isaac. Abram walked toward Mt. Moriah, believing that God would provide. Abram bound his son, placed him on the altar, and raised his knife, but his hand was stayed, as an angel showed Abraham a ram caught in the thicket. Abraham was allowed to enact the most important substitutionary sacrifice of all, the death of Jesus for our sins.

 

What kind of grade did God give Abraham? Lets look at Hebrews 11:8-12 – Notice, no mention of the detour, no mention of bringing his father with him. No mention of the trip to Egypt or Ishmael, and Hebrews 11:17-19 . God recorded the acts of faith that Abraham did, not the mistakes. In fact, if you study the people’s lives mentioned in Hebrews 11, comparing them with their stories in the Old Testament, you will see that in God’s grade book only the successes are recorded. God takes these records out and points out where people acted in faith, where they believed Him. He probably would put the acts of faith prominently displayed on his refrigerator for all to see.

 

Now turn with me to Hebrews 11:41 that verse hasn’t been written yet. Beth Moore, in her study, Believing God had us write our own verse for that. By faith (fill in your name) did….. What will God write about you in Hebrews 11? I know he is faithfully recording every step you walk in faith.

 

Our tests can become part of our testimony as we learn to walk in faith.

This morning there was an article in the morning news about girls and their moms. It asked the question about whether moms should be their daughter’s friends, like in the show the Gilmore Girls. The consensus was that when a teen is growing up, they need a mom, rules, and guidelines, not a friend. Of course they do need mom’s love. As the teens mature and become adults, then comes the time for friendship. I think that if we look at the story of King Hamor and Shechem we see a father trying to be a friend to his son, and the disastrous results of that.

When a parent seeks to be a friend with their kids they may not lay down the necessary guidelines to protect their child, because they do not want the child to be mad a them. King Hamor allowed his son’s sexual desires to dictate the country’s policy and ended up having all the males killed, and their wives, children, animals and possessions taken.

I love my kids passionately, but will not compromise on what I demand of them. I demand that they love God, treat people with respect and courtesy, that they obey their father, that they live moral lives. My husband and I have had serious discussions with them about today’s issues and our expectations of them regarding marriage, drugs, etc. They know they are loved, but will be held accountable for their actions. And we pray hard for our kids.

Genesis 35 seems to be a hodge-podge of tying up loose ends. But happily, the sad experiences at Shechem have Jacob where he needs to be – at Bethel – the house of God.

Genesis 35:1 Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from the face of Esau your brother.”

Jacob’s family was falling apart, the actions that they did in Shechem were ungodly, unnecessarily cruel and evil. Paul said, where sin abounds, grace abounds more. God gives Jacob much grace, and tells him to get up and move on. God gives Jacob another chance to get it right, and brings him back to a place of fellowship – Bethel.

There is a wonderful song with the lyrics, “We fall down and get up, we fall down and get up. For a saint is just a sinner who fell down and got up.” I know that in my four short years of walking with God, I too have made mistakes, fallen down and gotten back up. Sometimes my faith walk is strong, other times shaky. But one thing is certain, my commitment to a relationship with God is there. And as I grow more in my faith walk, my mistakes change. But I suspect that all along there are those moments when our guard can slip. The Bible talks about the fiery darts of the enemy, they are darts because darts can slip between the chinks of our spiritual armor. No one can assume that they can relax their guard, satan even left Jesus until a more opportune time.

Genesis 35:2-3 And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone.”

I had somehow thought that Jacob and his family were not idol worshippers, but this shows clearly the danger of living close to the borderland instead of full commitment to God. Jacob knew that there were those in his circle who had foreign gods, idols. And to Jacob’s credit, he does break free by telling people to put away their foreign gods, purify themselves and change their garments. In other words make a new start, and return to God. It reminds me of when Abram made that sojourn down to Egypt, and after awhile, he returned back to Bethel. When we stray from God’s path, the best thing we can do is go back to where we last had our encounter with God. Retrace our footprints and get back to God. Then we can continue on in God’s will.

Genesis 35:4 So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods which were in their hands, and the earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the terebinth (oak) tree which was by Shechem.

Oh praise God for this. This is a perfect picture of salvation. They did not clean up their act for God to call them, God made the call first, and then they cleaned up their act. They put away the things that were not of God by burying them under a tree. Just as we put away things that are not of God by taking them to the foot of the cross. They responded to God’s goodness Romans 6:6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

Genesis 35:5 And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

God is so good, even when we sin, God can cause a crop failure in the seeds of sin that we sow. Sometimes we will face the repercussions of our sins, but sometimes God will give grace and protect us from ourselves and the repercussions. In this case, God caused the surrounding cities to not take revenge for all the deaths.

Jacob finally gets to Luz (the old name of Bethel) and builds an altar there, calling the place El Bethel (God of the house of God), because it was there that God appeared to him when he fled from Esau.

There is going to be a series of deaths in this chapter. First Deborah who was Rebekah’s  (Jacob’s mom) nurse died and was buried below Bethel under a terebinth tree. They called the place Allon bachuth (Oak of weeping).

Genesis 35: 9 Then God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Padan Aram, and blessed him. And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.” So He called his name Israel (Governed by God).

See, Jacob, who allowed his family to worship idols was called Jacob. When Jacob listened to God, buried the idols and earrings, and returned to Bethel and built the altar, then God called him Israel – governed by God.

Now God gives Jacob his promise:

Genesis 35:11-12 And God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. The land which I gave Abraham and Isaac I give to you; and to your descendants after you I give this land.” This land being referred to encompasses the nation of Israel today. God gave the land to the Nation Israel, no nation in existence today has the right to insist that Israel give up what was God given them.

Genesis 35:13-15 Then God went up from him in the place where He talked with him. So Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He talked with him, a pillar of stone and he poured a drink offering on it, and he poured oil on it. And Jacob called the name of the place where God spoke with him, Bethel.

When I see stone I think of Jesus, and I think it is important to note that here a drink offering and anointing with oil is mentioned – long before the Laws given to Moses.

They journey away from Bethel and end up in Ephrath (which we now know as Bethelehem) Rachel dies and is buried. A pillar is set up to mark her grave site. I believe her tomb is still there. Rachel was pregnant and her labor was hard. The midwife says to her in verse 17 “Do not fear: you will have this son also.” Rachel in chapter 30 told Jacob to give her a son or else she would die. Jacob got angry at Rachel for this outburst, and unfortunately the son Rachel finally got led to her death. I think it is telling that Leah will one day know that she has the favor of Jacob, for when Jacob dies, he is buried with Leah, not Rachel. Perhaps Jacob grew wiser to realize that outward appearance is not the most important thing, but that is my guess.

Rachel did have her son, and as her soul departed (for she died), she called her son’s name Ben-Oni, which means Son of Sorrow. But Jacob will change his name to Benjamin which means son of my right hand.

Here is a perfect example of the Jacob – fleshly/Israel godly actions.

Verses 20-21 And JACOB set a pillar on her grave; which is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day. Then ISRAEL journeyed and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder. Eder is a shepherd’s tower near Bethlehem.

What is surprising is that Jacob moved Rachel when she was so far along in her pregnancy, God never told Jacob to move to Ephrath, God had told Jacob to stay at Bethel. Could that move have caused the problems that Rachel had and her ultimate death.

The sin-sickness in this family is immense. Jacob’s son Reuben (his oldest son) went in and slept with Bilhah the maidservant, who was his father’s concubine. Israel finds out about it and will remember this transgression when he goes to bless his children. Oh the things Jacob’s kids must have learned watching the heathen, and the lack of respect for their father mirrors some of what Jacob did when he lied to his father about his identity. Here is another death in the family – the death of Jacob/Israel’s trust in his first born son.

Then comes the death of Isaac. Jacob comes to his father at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba (Hebron), and Isaac died at 180 years old. He breathed his last and was gathered to his people being old and full of days. How awesome to die being full of days, not having one’s life cut short. And his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Only one line about the burial – I wonder what transpired between Esau and Jacob at this time, were relations strained after Jacob’s lie about joining Esau later in the land. Will Esau remember his promise to kill Jacob after his father dies? Will Jacob and Esau get along? Have things been fully mended? Stay tuned.

Beth Moore, in her study The Patriarchs has a few more words to say about El Bethel  on page 158 “Sometimes we just need to move. Our surroundings can be etched with such painful memories that a change of scenery becomes imperative for our emotional and spiritual health. The dirt under our injured feet can finally become quicksand to us, swallowing us in madness. We still have to deal with our memories and the repercussions of cataclysmic events, but we can do so on our way to a new start. Your life story is not written in scars.”

I starred the following line because it spoke so deeply to me when I did this study last fall. “While scars mark us, they don’t have to make us.”

Beth mentions something I did not notice about the death of Rebekah, Jacob’s mother. No mention was made of her death, so why the mention of her nurse’s death? page 159-160 “Deborah, the last remnant of the world of Paddan-aram, the old nurse of his mother who had been sent to watch over her as she left to join the people of God’s covenant, now at last departs; with her burial “beneath the oak” are symbolically laid to rest all traces of Mesopotamian influence. It is only at this point that “God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram”, and blessed him–for the first and only time—with a most abundant patriarchal blessing: a blessing for seed, national profusion, kindly descendants, and the Promised Land.”

On page 160 Beth talks about the radical change Jacob made in his family, wanting the old idols buried, and even a change of clothes. “He meant for moral transformation to be reflected—down to a change of clothes. Wisdom hasn’t exactly been Jacob’s calling card, but at this very moment we see a wise man indeed. Our lesson today began with these words, “Sometimes we just need to move.” Broaden the concept now to encompass the move to a new place with God rather than a new physical surrounding. If we are desperate for a move, we too could use a thorough housecleaning—spiritually and perhaps literally.”

Beth talks about a volcanic eruption that can occur when things that are ungodly are uprooted, and on p. 160 I starred these lines, “All led to housecleaning and an urgent pursuit of purity. They also led to Bethels in our lives: places we encountered our God afresh. Listen, Dear One, Pretty things don’t always come pretty ways.”

This particular chapter in this study hit home in many areas. I am going to share three more starred paragraphs on page 161.

“If I find myself confessing the same attitude or action over and over, I begin to realize that while I may be telling on myself, I’m not changing. I want to change! Don’t you? We need concentrated times of deep introspection when we allow God to shed light on our hearts, minds, attitudes, and motivations. That’s the way to tend to the root of our sin problems and not only the symptoms.”

“Renaming Bethel dramatically spotlights Jacob’s spiritual metamorphosis. Over a two-decade span of time, the abiding presence of God “Who has been with me wherever I have gone” (35:3), gradually shifted Jacob’s focus from the things of God–blessings, protection, land–to God Himself. This shift is the single most profound turning point toward spiritual maturity for Jacob or for us.”

“Many of us were taught to call our churches “God’s house” as children. Using this terminology, think how easily our focus on all the involvements and activities of church can exceed our focus on God Himself. If we’re not careful, we can come to love great worship music, small group Bible study, and the whole community of church more than we love God. One of the most obscure traps the devil sets for the deeply spiritual is to tempt us to love loving God more than we actually love God.”

I think I will leave the rest of Beth Moore’s comments on this chapter for tomorrow as this post is rather long. The above comments really hit home for me.

I am hoping your day is blessed.

Heather

Here is the link for my testimony. Many are amazed at how good God is and how He healed me from the hurt of my past. It truly is a miracle. No matter how hurt you have been, God is there and He will heal. I used to think it impossible, but in the four years I have had God in my life, God has done more healing than in all the years of therapy I had. It helps to have a good mentor too, someone you can talk with and share with, so that you do not have to face the problems alone. I am blessed to have Pastor Don as a counselor and mentor.

I feel for Dinah, as we saw yesterday, she had no one to comfort her, at least none that were written about in the Bible. With the violation of the rape, she suffered alone – her father did not comfort her or deal adequately with what went on. Her brothers will only make matters tougher. I keep praying that she found someone to be on her side. Although I suspect that her fate may have been one of disgrace and isolation like what is described in the book I mentioned yesterday. Yet, I also know that God is a great comforter and I am hoping that He reached down and consoled her.

Genesis 34: 13 to end of chapter.

After the king asked for permission for Dinah to marry his son, Dinah’s brothers will use God’s rules and guidelines in a way that God never intended. In fact their actions will definitely not glorify God, nor will they really help Dinah.

Genesis 34:13-14 But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.

I once mentioned to Pastor Don that so much of the Old Testament consists of times when people did not act correctly, did not represent God, and turned to idols. I wondered out loud why people never learned, even when they had seen miracles or been blessed. Pastor Don told me that the Bible covers about 4,000 years of history, and in a few pages, my Bible has about 1900 pages, and God had to be careful to include the important parts that we need to learn from. There were also long periods of time when people did right that God doesn’t include.

Let’s look at this, first it is the sons of JACOB – not the sons of ISRAEL, that is already a clue for us that what is going to ensue is not in God’s best interest. Also notice that they spoke deceitfully. Not to be petty, but there is that old saying, “Like father, like son.” Remember Jacob was a heel snatcher, a conniver, one who could make a bargain in his favor. I suspect his sons also observed this behavior in him, and copied it. There are times when I have done things that I wish my kids did not observe. For so often our actions speak louder than our words and rules. Since I have been saved, my behavior has been changed, but my kids at times remember times when I swore using God’s name, etc. And recall that to my attention when I correct their languages. I point out to them that I have repented of my past actions, asked God for forgiveness, and have with His help begun to change many of the things I don’t like. But just like I will have to stand before God and answer for my actions, so will they, and I will correct them to help prevent them from having to report sad things to God.

Here is Jacob’s sons answer to the king, verse 14-17 “And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. but on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.”

Oh, how this does not honor God!!!! First of all, there is no mention of Dinah’s wishes regarding Shechem, no mention of comforting her or provision for her. But here are the things that are wrong with the above. Although God gave Abram the covenant, with the sign of circumcision, the circumcision was not what made someone part of the covenant, it was a relationship with God that made the covenant, the circumcision was an outward sign of an inward relationship. The reproach would not have been to the brothers, but to God. Even if these heathen circumcised themselves, they would not be like Jacob’s sons – because it would have been a fleshly circumcision without the relationship with God. God had already indicated that intermarriage with heathen was not acceptable to him. He is their God and there is NO other, and intermarrying with idol worshippers would not have blessed God. And to make matters worse, the plans that would soon follow would have made a poor testimony of God’s love to the heathen, and we will see that those who did the horrific act that followed would not be blessed.

You know, when I was being raped for those many years, I used to pray that God would kill my father. I am so glad, in retrospect, that He did not answer that prayer. I would have felt guilt forever if my father had died and I had linked it to my prayer. I also prayed that God would kill me, and again I am glad that He didn’t. I remember being very disappointed in the Juvenile Court proceedings when the judge told me that he was not going to punish my father (in those days not much was done to the abuser), that having me taken away from them would have been punishment enough. To my eyes that was not so, because my parents did not even come to the court proceedings to try and get me back. I also found out that later they lied about why I was no longer living at home to cover up the real reason. I wanted them to suffer, but that kind of hatred and anger to them ended up making me suffer more. The unforgiveness that I carried around with me was worse than a ball and chain. I was still carrying around hatred long after both my parents were dead, and the hatred was hurting me – they were long past caring. Revenge doesn’t solve anything. I now know that my parents will have to answer to God for what they did – they did not get away with anything. Ultimate justice belongs to God. It was very humbling when I realized that I, too, had hurt others, and if God had punished instantly when my father abused me, He could have punished me instantly when I did things that I wish now I hadn’t done. God was more concerned about my soul, and my parent’s souls. Just because God does not act instantly in a bad situation does not mean that God is not angry at the action – just that He has a whole picture that we don’t have with our limited understanding. I can honestly say, now, that I hope my parents asked God for forgiveness, eternity is a long time to suffer in hell for unbelief.

Well, Hamor and Shechem were thrilled with the answer of Jacob’s sons. Shechem was more honorable than all of the household of his father, so he did not delay in doing the circumcision. And Hamor and Shechem went to the gate of the city and convinced the men to do the same. Verse 21 “These men are at peace with us. Therefore let them dwell in the land and trade in it. For indeed the land is large enough for them. Let us take their daughters to us as wives, and let us give them our daughters.”

They saw it as a good business to do this, hoping that they too would be blessed by the blessing God gave Jacob. Again, I am so troubled that it would be this mercenary.

The men are told it would be a bit painful but look what we will get. verse 23 “Will not their livestock, their property, and every animal of theirs be ours? Only let us consent to them, and they will dwell with us.”

So the men of Shechem did get circumcised, and during that time, when they were in great pain, verse 25-27 “Now it came to pass on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came boldly upon the city and killed all the males. And they killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and plundered the city, because their sister had been defiled.”

Sir Walter Scott said, “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Simeon and Levi deceived these townsmen with a lie that they would intermarry. Really what they did is set them up for massacre, and then justified the taking of property that is not theirs because of their sister’s defilement. Two wrongs do not make a right. And it was their greed that caused them to act in this manner. This is a far cry from Abram’s tithing to Melchizedek and refusing to take goods from the King of Sodom. God blesses his children, they do not need to steal from the heathen to gain possessions. I am certain that their actions only added to Dinah’s pain and suffering. And I am also certain that she did not gain from what they did.

The brothers took all the wealth, their sheep, oxen, donkeys, little ones and wives captive, and plundered the houses. The word “overkill” comes to mind. And all of the possessions and wealth, even if it was given to Dinah (and I am certain it wasn’t) still would not help her to overcome the grief of her violation.

Now, here is another distressing comment, coming from Jacob.

Verse 30-31 “Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have troubled me by making me obnoxious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites, and since I am few in number, they will gather themselves together against me and kill me, I shall be destroyed, my household and I. But they said, “Should he treat our sister like a harlot?”

There is so much in this passage. Let’s first deal with, as the Beatle’s song goes, “I, me, me, mine.” Just look at these two verses, Jacob says, you have troubled ME, making ME, I am, gather against ME, kill ME, I shall be destroyed, MY household and I. 

Jacob, where is God in this? Jacob’s daughter has been defiled, and Jacob is concerned about what these people will think and do to HIM? Granted, he is right, retaliation is likely after a massacre. Even though Jacob is few in number, if God was behind Him, he would prevail – remember that Abram went against four armies with just 300 or so servants. But when we act out of God’s will, it does not mean that God has to back up our mistakes. It is quite possible that God would not have blessed this mass murder.

Don’t forget, the brothers did not pray to God and ask God’s direction about how to handle the situation. There would have been a more peaceful alternative – the marriage of Dinah. Shechem was honorable, God tells us, and if God could raise Abram and his generations to a relationship with Him, could he not also raise Shechem to a relationship? From what I can gather, an honest request to marry is a far cry from treating a sister as a harlot.

But, God will use even this terrible situation for good. We will see in the next chapter that this will be the final straw that brings Jacob to Bethel, where he should have been in the first place. Had Jacob gone straight there, Dinah’s fate might have been far different.

As usual, Beth Moore in her study the Patriarchs on page 158, offers more understanding of this passage. First a quote from The Beginning of Wisdom, “A man who offers a woman reassuring words, his lust now being sated after he has raped her, is no less a rapist. Her abasement means nothing; new love will conquer all.” The same commentary also targets the foolishness of Shechem’s father, Hamor. He is counted among “fathers serving rather than ruling the passions of their sons; a ruler leading his city into ruin for the sake of satisfying his son’s erotic wishes.”

Beth continues, “Lastly, consider Dinah’s brothers and the outcome of the story. We are told “they were filled with grief and fury”— hopefully on Dinah’s behalf and not the perceived disgrace upon the family. Grief and anger are understandable reactions to the crime against their sister; however, they did not demand justice. Simon and Levi concocted a scheme, “attacked the unsuspecting city,” and killed every male. Talk about overkill. No wonder God insists that we leave vengeance to Him. Both the victim of a crime and the loved one of a victim will be bound to the same principal outcome; until God is allowed to treat grief and anger, innocent people will pay. “

She continues, “Dear One, God can rebuild shattered lives. Satan will do everything he can to tempt you not to trust God because he knows your willingness to place yourself in God’s holy hands will lead to full redemption. What is full redemption? Redemption is when the pain is treated and turned around so thoroughly that it not only loses its power to do you harm but also gains the power to do some good.”

Oh, how I pray that that continues in my life, I am so glad that God can turn the hurt to something that helps others.

Have a blessed day.

Heather

I got tagged by: http://www.xanga.com/theFatherslove and thought I would answer these for a bit of fun. I will not tag five people, but if you want to answer the questions, let me know.

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, line 4?

Book: Why I Am a Christian by Norman Geisler and Paul Hoffman. “the young. Just as a concern for people’s lungs and physical health has resulted” …in criticism of and reprisals against tobacco companies, concern for people’s souls and spiritual health sometimes results in criticisms of and reprisals against different media.

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?

The window.

3. What’s the last thing you watched on TV?

The news.

4. Without looking, what time is it? 7:00 p.m.

5. What time is it actually?  7:04 p.m.

6. Except for the computer what can you hear? My husband’s TV show and the hall fan.

7. When did you last step outside and what were you doing? this afternoon, unloading the car from my daughter’s stuff from camp.

8. Before you started this survey, what were you doing? Laying on my bed in my bedroom (where air conditioner is) to cool off from cooking dinner and dishes, and then reading the above mentioned book. 

 

9 What are you wearing? Blue jean skirt and white T-Shirt.

 

10. Did you dream last night? No.

 

11. When did you last laugh? This afternoon when we were recounting a story my son’s scoutmaster told us about his first driving test. His tester was not writing down anything, and told him that he never passed anyone on the first test. Our son’s scoutmaster told him to get out of the car, and drove back to his father, leaving driving tester alongside the road. Then he rescheduled a test in a different local city, and guess who was the tester? Yep, the guy that was left alongside the road. It took our sons’ scoutmaster many years to get his license.

 

12. What’s on the walls in the room your in? My quilts, a Bible verse – Hebrews 11:1, and a picture of my sons, and tons of books.

 

 13. Seen anything wierd? On our last trip to pick up our daughter we passed the most unusual sign for a motel – made us wonder what the motel was used for. It was a plastic cube, with a female mannequin lying on a bed.

 

14. What do you think of this quiz? It is ok, but a lot of questions. More than I usually like to answer.

 

15. Last film or video seen? The New Superman.

 

16 If you became a multi-millionaire overnight what’s the first thing you would do? Tithe 10%

 

17. Tell me something I don’t know about yourself? I used to live on a houseboat in the Hudson River in New York City.

 

18. If you could change one thing about the world regardless of politics what would it be? That everyone would be saved, because it is only through Jesus that anything good can really come of this world.

 

19. Do you like to dance? Not really, never did much as a child and I still have a lot of fear of looking foolish.

 

20. What comment would you like to make to George Bush? Thank you. I am praying for you because I know that standing by what you believe is right is very difficult in this day and age.

 

21. Your first child is a girl, what do you name her?

My first child was a boy – Christopher, we named our daughter Katherine.

 

 22. Your first child is a boy, what do you name him?

We named him Christopher James

 

23. Would you ever consider living abroad. After the kids grow up, if God suggests that we move, we would. But I happen to like living in the USA.

 

24. What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates? Well done, good and faithful servant.

 

25. Five people you want to do this quiz?

Leaving it up to you. It is long.

 

Don’t forget I am always willing to answer questions if you want to leave some, and I will also ask you  questions if you want me to. Three is a good number.

 

Heather

I mention part of my testimony on this entry – if you want to read the entire testimony, it is long, here is the link

I have to warn you that Genesis 34 contains material that is distressing.

Remember that Jacob went into the promised land, but right on the border between Canaan and Shechem (which is too near the gentiles). When you live so close to idol worshippers and people of the World, you can often get pulled into their ways of thinking and acting. That was why God wanted people to be in the world, but not OF the World.

Genesis 34:1 Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had born to Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land. (the other girls in Shechem). If you recall, when all the sons were born Leah and Rachel spoke a word over them. When Dinah was born nothing was said over her birth. Women were not considered as important as sons, and there was a standard that women had to meet that made them little more than possessions. I read the above mentioned book, and the lifestyle of women in Arab countries is so oppressed. I suspect that Dinah lived under many of the same limitations. One thing that distressed me in the above book was the fact that, if a woman was not virgin through no fault of her own (i.e. she was raped), she was killed so that the family name was not disgraced. Men were not bound to treat women well, and could order them around, beat them, or abuse them and nothing was said or done. The book is a real eye-opener. One thing about when Christianity comes into a country is that the status of women improves. Yet, people say that women are repressed in Christianity – not so, not true.

There was a son of the king who carried the same name as the town, Shechem (which means back or shoulder), was the son of Hamor the Hivite and a prince of the country, sees Dinah, and takes her and lays with her (rapes her), violating her.

Isaiah 34:3 His soul was strongly attracted to Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the young woman and spoke kindly to the young woman. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, “Get me this young woman as a wife.”

I guess it is good that he wanted to marry Dinah, and loved her – but he did not love her enough to respect her and wait until after marriage. He was attracted in the flesh, but it would have been a fleshly union – an unequally yoked union. And I suspect Shechem was one who was moved by passion – who knows what he would have done once he tired of Dinah.

There  is no mention in the entire chapter about Dinah’s response to the trauma she lived through.

Jacob hears about her defilement and waits until his sons return from the field, where they were tending sheep. Hamor came to talk with Jacob about the possibility of marriage. We will later see that Jacob’s response has nothing to do with Dinah’s feelings or the situation, but the disruption of his area of comfort.

Verse 7 And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it; and the men were grieved and very angry, because he had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing which ought not be done.

Hamor again pleas for marriage, and suggests in verse 9 “And make marriage with us, give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. So you shall dwell with us and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.

This makes marriage a business prospect. Remember Jacob was blessed by God and prospered, I suspect Hamor was hoping that intermarriage would spread some of that wealth to his country. It was not concern for Dinah, but a financial proposition that was mentioned. Shechem speaks to Dinah’s brothers and father, stating that he will give whatever dowry or gift that they want.

Hamor will plead for a marriage between Shechem and Dinah. I will leave what the answer is to this marriage plea until tomorrow. Tonight I want to deal more personally with the above situation of the rape of Dinah.

What is missing in the above picture? Dinah receives not one iota of comfort after the rape. The people are posturing about what they wish and the outrage of the situation. I can just imagine Dinah’s reaction.

Most of you know my past. I remember being mortified by what was done to me by my father. The reactions I received from people only served to hurt even more. My mother took notes, and told me I should push his hand away. She never protected me and treated me more like a confidant for the horrid things my father did to her. Her friends, who were told in detail about what my father did, also advised me about how I should prevent him from touching me – the problem was, I knew that if I did anything I would be killed.

When the courts sent me to live with my sister, she believed me about what he did (due to the notebooks), fought to get me away from them and into her house. Day one, she calls me into the bedroom and tells me that a lot of what happened was my fault. I suspect that she needed to put the blame on me so that her abuse at my father’s hands could be kept at bay. She also physically beat me and got angry because the hurt and pain of the past was so intense that I needed therapy.

I had people tell me it is in the past, move on with your life and forget about the past. No one knows the kinds of feelings that occur, unless they have experienced them. The feelings do not just get pushed down and forgotten, they are there and must be dealt with. But they do not have to be painful forever, God can and will make beauty from ashes and turn what satan meant for harm to good.

When I think of the first time my father came into my room, I remember having my hand covered with semen and lying awake for hours, fearful of getting up, and couldn’t wash myself until after he went to work. And fearful that my mom, an alcoholic who could not control her mouth, would find out. Only to discover that she knew he was in my room and wanted the gory details.

Let me tell you that what you feel after violation is filthy, dirty, and that something inside is totally wrecked.You never feel “normal”. I used to look at the kids around me and assume that they had happy families (I now know that the stats indicate that 1 in 4 will be abused), and I felt like somehow I was different. I had to blend in, because I was ruined. And I did blame myself. I felt if I acted better, got better grades, said the right think, ignored the right thing, that maybe I would have not been violated. I tried to find something to pin on myself as the cause of the abuse because the alternative – that he didn’t love me or care was far too painful.

When I got saved, the concept of Father God was like chalk squeaking on a blackboard. People used to pray “Father God” what seemed like five hundred times in a ten minute prayer and I would cringe. I did not want a father God. Some would suggest crawling into Jesus’ lap, sigh. Others would tell me to go forward, not look back.

This is true advice, but not something that can be embraced all at once. God is a healer, and my relationship with Him as Father God has vastly improved.

Please be careful what you say to someone who has been abused. While we who were abused do not need to be wallowing around in self-pity, we still have to deal with the emotions, the feelings, and have help rebuilding our lives from such wreckage. It is a process, and takes time. We sometimes need to come to a point where we can seek the healing, and go to God, who is our ultimate healer. All the years of therapy kept me alive and not killing myself, but it was God who started deep healing.

Beth Moore has a few comments on this. If you do not know her history, just like Joyce Meyer, Beth has been sexually abused by people, and hers was abuse at the hands of an unnamed person in the church. She held onto her faith, but did as many of us did, turn to a life that was self-destructive. Yet God healed her, and she shared her healing in a study called “Breaking Free” which teaches people how to have liberty in Christ.

Beth says on page 155 in her study the Patriarchs, “Can you imagine anyone saying “this person stole your car or broke into your house, so I think you should marry him?” Yet altogether too often people today, as in ancient times, minimize the crime of rape and even suggest Hamor’s solution. Treating rape lightly adds to the horrifying fact that many victims of rape never report the crime. Several factors add to the under reporting of rape, including embarrassment and fear of retaliation or further injury. Many victims fear the courts, police, and court procedures that too often scrutinize and judge the victim’s behavior, history, and credibility.

Beth then says that she hopes that Dinah got some comfort from Leah, her Aunt Rachel, or the two maidservants. She also mentions that Dinah was a young teen and that in that day and age it was not wise to walk around without a guard, even though Dinah probably just thought that she would visit with the girls. And Beth says on page 156 ” ..to suggest that a victim asked to be raped by being in a certain place is not only devastatingly ignorant but also shifts the criminal’s blame to the victim.”

Beth talks about 1 Cor. 6:17 which states that he who is joined to the LORD is one spirit with Him. and she says , on page 157 “My body may have been violated and my soul –the seat of emotions–may have been injured, but my spirit–the innermost part of my being, where the Spirit of Christ dwells cannot be violated. Therefore what defines me most has never been touched. In my own healing process, God taught me that the more I allowed the Spirit of truth dwelling in me to take authority over my body and soul, the more the wholeness of Christ would overtake every part of me. In other words, God taught me to live from the inside out.”

She also reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, and broken temples can be rebuilt. God, dwelling within us has overtaken our whole being and our bodies no longer have to feel violated.

I am walking this out slowly. I have better days and worse days, but God is healing the hurts, and I am learning more what it is like to live in Him. But there are still pockets of hurt and pain that need healing. A passage of the Bible like this is hard to deal with, but you know, it is God’s loving way of helping us to realize that there are still areas that need working on.

Hoping you have a blessed day, I get to retrieve my daughter from field hockey camp. I am so excited, she has called a few times and has been so bubbly that I know she has had a blast.

Heather.

LATE BREAKING NEWS: Christopher passed his driving test, we now have another driver in our family. He is proud as anything.

Genesis 33

I am so like Jacob. God can give me good guidance, He can change my name, attitude, position, way of thinking, and yet, parts of the old cling. He loves us anyway, but I bet at times, just like we do with our kids, he wonders why we don’t get it. I am so glad that He is patient and He knows our frame, knows that we were made of dust and loves us through our tough times. Remember that from now on we will see two names being used:

Jacob – when Jacob is acting in the flesh, not according to God’s best.
Israel – when Jacob is doing godly things.

Jacob lifts his eyes and sees Esau and 400 men coming. So here is his plan. He divides his children among Leah, Rachel and the two maid servants and gives the following the marching orders:

Maidservants and their children in front – That means Bilhah with Dan and Naphtali. Zilpah with Gad and Asher.

Then Jacob sends out Leah with Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.

Then Jacob sends out Rachel with Joseph.

I want to go mmmm, mmmm, mmmm. Can you even imagine what must go through the minds of these moms and their kids. Who does Jacob care the most about? The others have to be feeling pretty much like chopped liver, and I wonder what the repercussions of this will be in later life. You will see that the brothers do not have a fondness for Joseph. But my heart goes out to poor Leah, at least she wasn’t in the front lines but she obviously wasn’t the favorite.

THEN Jacob goes out. One would think that if you had wrestled with God, seen his face and not died, that a bit more courage would have been in order. But I am not in Jacob’s sandals, and I don’t know his thinking.

Jacob had twice done Esau wrong (that does not condone Esau’s cheapening of the blessing by accepting a pot of lentils for it). I have noted that when my conscience is pricked, I tend to over react and read things into situations that aren’t there. God, in a remarkably few amount of words, has shown so much human dynamism and motivation that it just blows me away. I keep praying that I will learn from the Bible, not the school of hard knocks.

So the advance troops of wives and kids were not massacred, so Jacob finally walks in more courage in verse 3 “Then he crossed over before them and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.”

Don’t forget, Jacob had obtained the blessing and Isaac was still alive, theoretically the bowing should have been the other way around. Jacob is not acting too patriarchal here, but at the same time there is a humility in his actions, and I think that he really has repented of what he did to Esau.

I love Esau’s reaction, verse 4 “But Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him and fell on his neck and kissed him, and they wept.”

Esau is still the flamboyant one, but I am glad that the reunion was so positive.

Esau notices the wives and children. Even though they went before Jacob, Esau had eyes only for Jacob. Jacob replies, verse 5 “The children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

Then there is a massive bowing festival, that kind of reminds me of the King and I when all the children are presented to Anna.

Esau then asks about all the gifts sent before, and Jacob says that they were sent to find favor in Esau’s eyes.

Note Esau’s response: Verse 9 “But I have enough, my brother, keep what you have for yourself.”

Notice the difference between the two men:

Jacob: The children whom GOD has graciously given your servant.
Esau: I have enough.

Jacob acknowledges God’s gifts, Esau does not mention God, just himself.

Jacob responds to Esau, verses 10 “Now please, if I have found favor in your sight, then receive my present from my hand, inasmuch as I have seen your  face as though I have seen the face of God, and you were pleased with me. Of course, Esau does accept the gifts in the end.

Jacob, Jacob, Jacob you did see the face of God, Esau does not fit that criterion. I know the heart of what he is saying, and I say this with the sure knowledge that I have also at times been strengthened by God and then turned around and acted the old way. I don’t know if this is just politeness on Jacob’s part, but God’s favor is the greater thing.

Then Jacob says something that surprised me, verse 11 “Please take my blessing that is brought to you, because God has dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough.” So he urged him, and he took it.”

This is the blessing that Jacob cheated and stole for now he is giving it back. I am pretty sure it is the blessing of the numbers of herds, but the blessing is not Jacob’s to give, but God’s. Yet Jacob did the right thing, he shared his blessing with Esau – Jacob gave because he was so blessed by God.

Now Jacob still has a bit of the conniver in him. Esau wanted Jacob to travel with him, but Jacob tells Esau that the children are weak and the flocks have nursing animals, He tells Esau to go ahead, and that Jacob will follow at a slower pace, until Jacob comes to Seir (near the Dead Sea) where Esau resides.

Esau offers to leave some people with Jacob. Again, Jacob refuses that saying that he had no need of them. Esau leaves Jacob and returns to Seir.

Where does Jacob go? verse 17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, built himself a house, and made booths for his livestock. Therefore the name of the place is called Succoth. Succoth means tent town. This is on the heathen side of the Jordan River, and Jacob is the first patriarch to be linked with a house. Sometimes when we set down roots in an area it can lead to backsliding – which is probably why God wants us to keep stepping out in faith, forging new territory. Jacob never planned to join his brother in Seir.

Finally Jacob crossed over the Jordan and went to Shechem, in the land of Canaan. He is finally where he should be, but just barely. This camp is still too near the gentiles and Jacob will face repercussions for not going whole heartedly into Canaan. Jacob pitches a tent and buys a parcel of land from the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father for 100 pieces of money. Jacob builds an altar and calls it El Elohe Israel – God, the God of Israel.

Although Jacob was in Canaan, Shechem was a terrible place, a carnal, evil place. Like when Lot pitched his tent near Sodom, Jacob’s tent is too near carnality. It will take a tragedy to bring Jacob where he should be. Stay tuned, next chapter, another day…

I keep praying that God helps me to learn and change so that I do not have to have tragedies to cause me to go where God wants me to go.

A few thoughts from Beth Moore’s The Patriarchs She points out that Esau ran and Jacob limped, and on page 153 “Beloved, sometimes God will wound His won child to make him walk differently while the profane and ungodly seem to run with endless confidence and vitality. We are to walk as people who have encountered God, and some of the most transforming encounters are wrestling matches. Dear One, the lost do not wrestle with God nearly as much as we who belong to Him. The profane and ungodly don’t care enough to wrestle. We who are His often wrestle with Him the most, and at times we also seem to hurt the most.”

Oh can I relate to this. I wrestle with God a lot, although now it is a lot less than before. But it is because I care that I reach out to Him with doubts and fears.

Beth goes on p. 153 “Both wrestling and embracing are ordinarily face-to-face actions that involve holding onto one another–albeit with different motivations. In our Jacob-like relationship with God, wrestling and embracing are often separated by the thinnest thread. I’ve wrestled with God many times until the last thread of my resistance breaks. Then I fall sobbing into His arms in desperate embrace, submitting to His will.”

Have  you ever wrestled that passionately, I know I sure have?

Here is another great quote, p. 153 “Like Jacob, our promised lands are practically under our noses when we’re closest to the ground. Bowed down.”

Beth quotes from a book called The Beginning of Wisdom p154 “But confronting Esau is more than a practical inevitability; it is also a moral imperative. Failure to settle accounts with Esau and to make amends for his conniving past would leave a permanent blot on Jacob’s supremacy. It would also cast grave doubts on his fitness as the next patriarch under covenant. For under God’s new way–in contrast to the uninstructed human way–a man cannot properly take his father’s place by denying or destroying his father’s other sons, that is, his brothers…Thus, when a man fights with his brother, he is indirectly fighting with his father.”

In the New Testament God also talks about making amends – in 1 John 4:20-21 “If someone says, “I love God” and hates his brother, he is a liar, for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: That he who loves God must love his brother also.

And Matthew 5:23-24 that we must be reconciled to our brother before we offer gifts to God.

And Beth Moore points out that we Christians are blood brothers and sisters in a most significant way.

I am hoping you have a blessed day. Christopher takes his driving test at 11 tomorrow morning, I pray that he passes, but also that he drives safely.

Have a blessed day.
Heather

 

Heather steps up on soapbox:

Some of you may wonder about how often I mention Pastor Don in my posts. It is not putting him on a pedestal. It is true that I do mention his name a lot, but thought I would give you my philosophy of posting. I believe in giving credit where credit is due. If I read something in a book, I quote the book and author. If I hear a great Bible study, I make sure that people know that it is not my work that I am sharing, but the notes from my Bible study. If I get something from a daily devotional or another blog I will quote the source. The studies I am doing in Genesis are a lot of my own study and research, but when I get information from other sources, I quote it. I think that is the honest thing to do. My feeling is that the Bible studies of our church are high quality and so I share them frequently.

As is often the case among Christians, there are differences in doctrine. I share what I have learned that is Biblical to me. You may not realize this, but there are Bible studies that I have notes for that I do not share here on Xanga. If I can’t find the agreement in the Bible for the material, or something does not seem right to me, I do not write the notes. So far Pastor Don has consistently taught the Word in an incredible way.

You should know a bit about him. Many times when he is mentoring me, I thank him for how much he has done for me. I tell him that without his love and kindness I would not be saved. I believe this, but every time I tell him that, he points out that it is God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit that did the work, he was just an instrument. This man is very humble and sweet. He also, as my husband says, is like a professor of the Bible. I am still amazed that with any question posed to him he can go to the Bible and find chapter and verse to back his comments. No amount of note taking on my part can cover all that he shares in Bible study. You are just getting the highlights.

One thing that often surprises me is when someone starts tearing apart a person’s testimony, looking for mistakes in theology or mis-understandings about God in their testimony! I don’t get it, instead of rejoicing and building a person up because of the wonderful work God has done in their lives, they take the fire that God built in the person and douse it with the water of their opinions. Most of you who have read my testimony rejoice at how much God has done in my life and how much God has impacted my life. When I wrote my testimony I was still young in faith, and I guess if I re-wrote it I would change some things because of learning more about God, but I also think there is value in keeping a testimony as it is, raw and unedited. When someone has made a big change – say from the occult to God, rejoice, do not nit-pick their theology. There is time enough to help them grow in God later. And I think that a person needs to realize that as one grows in faith, walks with God on a daily basis, their opinions about God will change. God ceases to be a distant figure and a relationship is formed. God will make sure that the person’s view of him changes to match the truth about God. In fact I would worry if God did not change a person over time. If they were set in stone, not progressing that would make me wonder.

And different doctrines and the posturing that goes along with it is like chalk squeaking on a blackboard to me. There is NO DENOMINATION or church that has everything 100% right, and that includes ours. Pastor Don has changed some of his thinking on teachings based on what the Holy Spirit shows him. An example is in his book mentioned above, just go and open up the pages on Amazon and you will read how the change came about. We are all rough stones in the temple of God, and we are being shaped by each other, by the Word, by the Holy Spirit, by Jesus, by our choices, and by God to be smoother. None of us are perfect, if we were perfect we would not be here on earth.

Sometimes when I respond to a person, I do not always quote scripture. It is not always necessary. I am not on a debate team, we are not butting heads together. If you read my Bible studies and my notes, I think it is apparent that there is scripture in it – every time you see italic it is a Bible verse, and to make life easier for you, I tend to quote the relevant verses so that you do not have to dig out your Bibles and look them up. I hope it is helpful, but I feel that teachings must mirror what the Bible says. And in that, it cannot be an isolated quote, you need the whole counsel of scripture. Sometimes in our studies we stick with certain passages, favorite teachings, but that is not all that God is showing. In my own reading of the Bible I start in Genesis and read to Revelation – I do not put a time frame on my reading – 3 chapters a day, etc. Sometimes it is a few verses, sometimes it is a few chapters. It just depends. But I do not skip around in my personal study. God somehow seems to show me something relevant where ever I am reading. And I think that it is like a prescription, the Bible is put together in an order that is the right order to read. I do not skip passages, even the begats as you saw in a previous post contain the Gospel.

I know that when we are taught to think a certain way, to view the scriptures through a certain denominational lens, when someone says something that varies from that it seems so wrong. I am certain that there are wrong doctrines out there, and yet, I have found the Bible to be so deep a book that the same passage can be seen many ways. Best example is the parables – the common people heard the story, the disciples got some of the meaning behind the parables, and then later on realized more of what Jesus was saying. We can be like the scribes and Pharisees and debate and nit-pick each doctrinal point, or we can choose to look beyond the differences and see the heart of a post. That is our choice. That being said, there are some things that cannot be overlooked. If someone is stating that Jesus is not Lord, that He did not die for our sins and raise up from the dead, or any of the important main doctrinal points of Christianity, that is something different and is to be contested. Jesus was not an angel, etc.

Yes, we can tear each other apart, and try to figure out who has the best doctrine. I suspect satan loves that, for when we infight among ourselves we are less effective in God’s kingdom. If we are focused on where each other has got it wrong, we are not doing any good in advancing God’s Kingdom, and those who are not saved are seeing us infight.

I trust that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will correct errors in thinking. When we were babies and we talked, if we made errors in grammar our parents did not correct us, they were happy we were trying to get the words out. As we grow older, and read the Word more, and hear the Word of God taught, we will self-correct errors. Sometimes to prove one is right and tear down a person is far worse than walking alongside and showing them by example the right way.

I hope you are hearing my heart in this. I see this kind of behavior not only on my site but on other sites on Xanga too. We need to walk in love, and the rest will sort itself out. We have a big God, He is big enough to correct us when we make a mistake. Also, when I make a mistake and find out about it, I am eager to correct my mistake.

I think too we have to go where we find we glean the most fruit in our walk with God. While one person may find their pastor the best one for them, another may not. We cannot go from pastor to pastor, church hop from church to church. Sometimes we have to stay where we are, learn until the Holy Spirit directs us that we need to move on. Some of our best lessons are learned in tough situations at church. Pastor Don has been such a good role model, pastor, shepherd, servant, and friend that I choose to stay at this church. His teachings are sound and bear much fruit in my life and the lives of many others. And I also take Bible studies by Kay Arthur and Beth Moore. These studies also bear out what Pastor Don has taught. With so much confirmation, I feel secure in sharing Pastor Don’s teachings.

Heather steps off of soap box.

Hope you stay cool. I have to go and practice for my talk on Sunday, pray for me please that God helps me to teach about testing. He gave me a new sentence today that cracked me up about His tests – they are open book(The Bible).

Have a blessed night.

Heather