Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
As iron sharpeneth iron, so one man sharpeneth the countenance of another - Prov. 27:17 KJV
We began a weekly lunchtime Bible discussion amongst the office staff and a few others at lunch today. Everyone (well, most everyone...I was on vacation and missed the submission) turned in verses to discuss; we'll be doing journaling on those verses on our own and then discussing them in the group on a weekly basis.
But, today being the first day, we didn't have verses ready to discuss, so our designated organizer, Miss Betty, put the above verse on the marker board of our conference/lunch room for us to discuss.
We had some really good discussion, and I had a bit of an epiphany about being sharpened that I shared. Of course, I knew it was blog material too... ;-)
I found myself pondering the concept of sharpening and thinking of implements such as spades and shovels and such that my dad used for various tasks on the farm. And I realized that there are two reasons why those tools would need to be sharpened.
The first reason was that it had been used and used and had become blunted with use. Then it was in need of re-edging, refinishing, renewing.
The other reason was that it had been unused for so long that the edge had gotten rusty, dull and oxidized. It had to be re-edged and restored before it would be usable.
I remember my dad cleaning his spade and shovel after use, brushing the edges down and then...he would stick them in a 5 gallon bucket of used motor oil to prevent rust from forming. I even remembered the thick smell of the old oil.
It didn't matter how long the tools were unused if they were left in the oil...they wouldn't rust. They would remain ready for use.
And this was my epiphany...so long as we're submerged in the oil of the Spirit, we'll stay sharp and ready for use. Then the only sharpening we'll need is that which comes after hard use...cleaning, brushing and re-edging.
Made me wonder how well I'm staying submerged in the oil myself...
Monday, August 24, 2015
Friday, August 21, 2015
Press Pause
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
I know, today is supposed to be 'Bible Studyish' day...and by rights I should be composing the next little look at someone going through a transition.
But, ya know, sometimes ya need a break.
I think that really is beginning to get through my thick skull.
We took a zippy 6 day trip up to Indiana to spend a day or two with our parents, and celebrate our 35th anniversary in the process.
My hubby surprised me by making reservations in the Inn at Turkey Run State Park. The 'Anniversary Package' included a night in the inn, dinner and breakfast, and a late checkout. Oh, and a bottle of champagne (which we switched for sparkling grape juice. Honest.) and commemorative stemmed glasses with chocolate.
It was quite a treat...and we hiked like crazy Monday morning to squeeze in our favorite bits of the park...the big trees on trail 9 and Rocky Hollow on trail 3. Climbed boulders, ladders, many stairs...yeah, we were feeling it the next day.
We tend to forget how much we enjoy each other's company...when we're so busy that we're basically just saying 'good morning' and 'good night' to each other.
We've taken the kids to Turkey Run a few times...this was the first time we got to go by ourselves. And the first time we were there for sunset and sunrise. We actually hiked the half mile down to the suspension bridge before breakfast to take sunrise photos.
Now, of course, I'm playing catch up and I have some pretty major stuff to cover this weekend at work.
Coming back, I told My Sweet Baboo that we need to begin now to schedule our next 'just us' getaway.
And it needs to happen before Christmas... ;-)
Look for the post on Israel: The 'Face the Music' Road next week...
I know, today is supposed to be 'Bible Studyish' day...and by rights I should be composing the next little look at someone going through a transition.
But, ya know, sometimes ya need a break.
I think that really is beginning to get through my thick skull.
We took a zippy 6 day trip up to Indiana to spend a day or two with our parents, and celebrate our 35th anniversary in the process.
My hubby surprised me by making reservations in the Inn at Turkey Run State Park. The 'Anniversary Package' included a night in the inn, dinner and breakfast, and a late checkout. Oh, and a bottle of champagne (which we switched for sparkling grape juice. Honest.) and commemorative stemmed glasses with chocolate.
It was quite a treat...and we hiked like crazy Monday morning to squeeze in our favorite bits of the park...the big trees on trail 9 and Rocky Hollow on trail 3. Climbed boulders, ladders, many stairs...yeah, we were feeling it the next day.We tend to forget how much we enjoy each other's company...when we're so busy that we're basically just saying 'good morning' and 'good night' to each other.
We've taken the kids to Turkey Run a few times...this was the first time we got to go by ourselves. And the first time we were there for sunset and sunrise. We actually hiked the half mile down to the suspension bridge before breakfast to take sunrise photos.
Now, of course, I'm playing catch up and I have some pretty major stuff to cover this weekend at work.
Coming back, I told My Sweet Baboo that we need to begin now to schedule our next 'just us' getaway.
And it needs to happen before Christmas... ;-)
Look for the post on Israel: The 'Face the Music' Road next week...
Friday, August 14, 2015
All Things New: Jacob, the 'Run for Your Life Road', part 2
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Years passed. Jacob worked off his second seven-year obligation as bride-price for Rachel, then brokered a deal with Laban to work in exchange for flocks and herds.
Two schemers were pitted against each other. Jacob attempted to use selective breeding to increase his herds, while Laban kept changing the specifics of precisely which animals and their offspring would belong to Jacob. Jacob's methods don't seem to be terribly scientific; it appears he was operating under the assumption that whatever the animals were looking at as they mated influenced the appearance of the offspring. Or maybe he thought the smell of the peeled branches would encourage the animals to mate. Who knows what his plan was. The plain truth was that God had promised to bless him and God did bless him, regardless of the shenanigans he attempted or the 'renegotiating' that Laban seemed to favor. Whatever animals were designated as Jacob's...those were the ones that flourished.
Needless to say, this led to some stress in the extended family network.
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth." And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. -- Gen 31: 1 -2.
So long as Jacob had served Laban alone, Laban had prospered. But when Jacob began to accumulate his own flocks, his wealth grew at such a rate that the inlaws began to feel he had stolen from them.
Of course, he had not stolen from Laban any more than he had stolen the birthright from Esau all those years earlier, but the warm fuzzy family feeling was gone and replaced by something rather sinister and threatening.
It was threatening enough that Jacob was beginning to feel apprehensive. So when he heard a word...and how he heard it is not explained...instructing him to return to his father's land, he didn't question or hesitate.
He did, however, scheme.
He called his wives and concubines and children all out to the pasture where he was with the flock and rehearsed the whole situation with them...reminding them of how they'd all been cheated. Rachel and Leah actually agreed on this...no doubt they felt they had each been cheated by their father also.
Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do." Gen 31:14 - 16.
So Jacob sent them right away...loaded wives, servants, children and all up on camels and sent them off towards Canaan. He followed with his herdsmen, driving his flocks along as well.
However, it so happened that Rachel had somehow slipped into her father's house and stolen some small idols. I've heard various explanations of this, but the most interesting is that apparently they were something of a signet...that is, the person who possessed them was reckoned as head of the household; the possessor of the inheritance.
They were nearly Jacob's undoing, however, even though he knew nothing of them.
Three days after they left, Laban got the word they had gone. I don't know when he realized the idols were missing, or whether the missing idols really had anything to do with why he called all his kinsmen together and took off after Jacob.
Ten days after Jacob headed south with his flocks and his family, Laban and his posse caught up to them. The jig was up.
And who knows what Jacob's fate would have been had not Laban had a dream that he was convinced was God speaking to him, warning him not to do anything to Jacob. Laban's story became
What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' And now you have gone away because you longed for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?
In my mind I hear a really deep breath following all of that...
Jacob, however, was not impressed by the story; I don't think he bought it. But the last bit made him angry.
Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
That pretty much shows what he thought of the likelihood of being 'sent away with mirth and songs'.
And being called a thief was insult to injury. He thew open his whole entourage to be searched in full view of everyone.
Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours and take it.
So, with Jacob's permission, Laban began to dig through the tents. He looked through Jacob's tent...nothing. Bilhah's tent and Zilphah's tent...nothing. Leah's tent...nothing. They came to Rachel's tent, where she was sitting demurely on her camel's saddle. I'm paraphrasing here, basically she said, 'Oh, please don't be offended that I can't get up to greet you...it's 'that time' of the month' and I can't stand up.'
There was no 'feminine products' aisle at the local Wal-mart in those days. They folded thick pads and sat on them. And they spent the time in the women's tent, away from the men. But, traveling, there was no 'women's tent', so Rachel would have to manage as best she could. It was a huge taboo for men to have any contact with a woman on her period. So they would not have searched anything that could possibly have been contaminated by her flow. So consequently they did not check the saddle of her camel...where she had hidden the idols.
When the search of the camp turned up nothing, Jacob was justified in his indignation.
What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two.
These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.
Laban had been called out and had nothing to show for his defense. I kinda think his bravado withered away and he sullenly replied
The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks all all that you see is mine.
But he also realized that he could not do anything to keep Jacob from taking what he had rightfully earned. So he offered a compromise: they gathered a heap of stones and called on God to witness their covenant not harm each other, and Jacob promised not to oppress Laban's daughters or marry other wives. They called the pile 'Mizpah'.
Jacob made a sacrifice; they all ate together and in the morning Laban rose and actually kissed his daughters and grandchildren and blessed them, as he had lamented that he had not been able to do originally.
Jacob had to heave a huge sigh of relief to see Laban's back. He wasn't out of the woods yet, though...he still had to face Esau.
What am I afraid of that God has already gone before me to protect me? Why do I not believe He will protect what He has given into my responsibility? How can I deliberately make the choice to release those fears to Him?
Years passed. Jacob worked off his second seven-year obligation as bride-price for Rachel, then brokered a deal with Laban to work in exchange for flocks and herds.
Two schemers were pitted against each other. Jacob attempted to use selective breeding to increase his herds, while Laban kept changing the specifics of precisely which animals and their offspring would belong to Jacob. Jacob's methods don't seem to be terribly scientific; it appears he was operating under the assumption that whatever the animals were looking at as they mated influenced the appearance of the offspring. Or maybe he thought the smell of the peeled branches would encourage the animals to mate. Who knows what his plan was. The plain truth was that God had promised to bless him and God did bless him, regardless of the shenanigans he attempted or the 'renegotiating' that Laban seemed to favor. Whatever animals were designated as Jacob's...those were the ones that flourished.
Needless to say, this led to some stress in the extended family network.
Now Jacob heard that the sons of Laban were saying, "Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he has gained all this wealth." And Jacob saw that Laban did not regard him with favor as before. -- Gen 31: 1 -2.
So long as Jacob had served Laban alone, Laban had prospered. But when Jacob began to accumulate his own flocks, his wealth grew at such a rate that the inlaws began to feel he had stolen from them.
Of course, he had not stolen from Laban any more than he had stolen the birthright from Esau all those years earlier, but the warm fuzzy family feeling was gone and replaced by something rather sinister and threatening.
It was threatening enough that Jacob was beginning to feel apprehensive. So when he heard a word...and how he heard it is not explained...instructing him to return to his father's land, he didn't question or hesitate.
He did, however, scheme.
He called his wives and concubines and children all out to the pasture where he was with the flock and rehearsed the whole situation with them...reminding them of how they'd all been cheated. Rachel and Leah actually agreed on this...no doubt they felt they had each been cheated by their father also.
Then Rachel and Leah answered and said to him, "Is there any portion or inheritance left to us in our father's house? Are we not regarded by him as foreigners? For he has sold us, and he has indeed devoured our money. All the wealth that God has taken away from our father belongs to us and our children. Now then, whatever God has said to you, do." Gen 31:14 - 16.
So Jacob sent them right away...loaded wives, servants, children and all up on camels and sent them off towards Canaan. He followed with his herdsmen, driving his flocks along as well.
However, it so happened that Rachel had somehow slipped into her father's house and stolen some small idols. I've heard various explanations of this, but the most interesting is that apparently they were something of a signet...that is, the person who possessed them was reckoned as head of the household; the possessor of the inheritance.
They were nearly Jacob's undoing, however, even though he knew nothing of them.
Three days after they left, Laban got the word they had gone. I don't know when he realized the idols were missing, or whether the missing idols really had anything to do with why he called all his kinsmen together and took off after Jacob.
Ten days after Jacob headed south with his flocks and his family, Laban and his posse caught up to them. The jig was up.
And who knows what Jacob's fate would have been had not Laban had a dream that he was convinced was God speaking to him, warning him not to do anything to Jacob. Laban's story became
What have you done, that you have tricked me and driven away my daughters like captives of the sword? Why did you flee secretly and trick me, and did not tell me, so that I might have sent you away with mirth and songs, with tambourine and lyre? And why did you not permit me to kiss my sons and my daughters farewell? Now you have done foolishly. It is in my power to do you harm. But the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' And now you have gone away because you longed for your father's house, but why did you steal my gods?
In my mind I hear a really deep breath following all of that...
Jacob, however, was not impressed by the story; I don't think he bought it. But the last bit made him angry.
Because I was afraid, for I thought that you would take your daughters from me by force.
That pretty much shows what he thought of the likelihood of being 'sent away with mirth and songs'.
And being called a thief was insult to injury. He thew open his whole entourage to be searched in full view of everyone.
Anyone with whom you find your gods shall not live. In the presence of our kinsmen point out what I have that is yours and take it.
So, with Jacob's permission, Laban began to dig through the tents. He looked through Jacob's tent...nothing. Bilhah's tent and Zilphah's tent...nothing. Leah's tent...nothing. They came to Rachel's tent, where she was sitting demurely on her camel's saddle. I'm paraphrasing here, basically she said, 'Oh, please don't be offended that I can't get up to greet you...it's 'that time' of the month' and I can't stand up.'
There was no 'feminine products' aisle at the local Wal-mart in those days. They folded thick pads and sat on them. And they spent the time in the women's tent, away from the men. But, traveling, there was no 'women's tent', so Rachel would have to manage as best she could. It was a huge taboo for men to have any contact with a woman on her period. So they would not have searched anything that could possibly have been contaminated by her flow. So consequently they did not check the saddle of her camel...where she had hidden the idols.
When the search of the camp turned up nothing, Jacob was justified in his indignation.
What is my offense? What is my sin, that you have hotly pursued me? For you have felt through all my goods; what have you found of all your household goods? Set it here before my kinsmen and your kinsmen, that they may decide between us two.
These twenty years I have been with you. Your ewes and your female goats have not miscarried, and I have not eaten the rams of your flocks. What was torn by wild beasts I did not bring to you; I bore the loss of it myself. From my hand you required it, whether stolen by day or stolen by night.
There I was: by day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.
These twenty years I have been in your house. I served you fourteen years for your daughters and six years for your flock, and you have changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been on my side, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God saw my affliction and the labor of my hands and rebuked you last night.
Laban had been called out and had nothing to show for his defense. I kinda think his bravado withered away and he sullenly replied
The daughters are my daughters, the children are my children, the flocks are my flocks all all that you see is mine.
But he also realized that he could not do anything to keep Jacob from taking what he had rightfully earned. So he offered a compromise: they gathered a heap of stones and called on God to witness their covenant not harm each other, and Jacob promised not to oppress Laban's daughters or marry other wives. They called the pile 'Mizpah'.
Jacob made a sacrifice; they all ate together and in the morning Laban rose and actually kissed his daughters and grandchildren and blessed them, as he had lamented that he had not been able to do originally.
Jacob had to heave a huge sigh of relief to see Laban's back. He wasn't out of the woods yet, though...he still had to face Esau.
What am I afraid of that God has already gone before me to protect me? Why do I not believe He will protect what He has given into my responsibility? How can I deliberately make the choice to release those fears to Him?
Friday, August 7, 2015
All Things New: Leah, the Overshadowed Road
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. -- Gen. 29:16-17 NIV84
Beauty seemed to run in the family...Sarah, her niece Rebekah, her niece Rachel...but Leah missed the beauty gene. Or maybe she barely missed it; the term translated 'weak eyes' in the NIV can have several connotations. Strong's 739, rak, is defined as tender (lit. or fig.); by impl. weak: - faint [-hearted], soft, tender ([-hearted] one), weak. Leah had something unattractive about her eyes; she may have been nearsighted, so that she squinted continually; or it could even have been a reference to the color of her eyes...her eyes may have been startlingly pale ('faint'), compared to the deep brown common in that ethnic group. We know from what happened on Jacob's first wedding night that she could not have been much different than her sister in her basic physical form.
But, whatever the actual issue was, she was flawed. Her younger sister was most definitely not. When their cousin arrived looking for a bride...Leah was overlooked. Not even considered. Jacob had only been with them one month, enough to demonstrate that he had the ability to manage and organize and bring increase, when Laban decided Jacob should stick around and work for him...and asked him what he would feel would be fair wages.
Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, 'I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.' (Gen 29:18)
Now that was a deal. No dowry needed...and Laban had seven years of willing work. Leah had seven years to watch Jacob, who loved her sister and probably barely noticed her.
Did Leah fall in love with Jacob? Was her heart pained every time he brushed her aside? It's possible.
We do not know whose idea it was to swap brides on the wedding night. But Leah had to be a willing conspirator. Most assuredly, Jacob had been drinking, but I have a hard time believing he would allow himself to get stupid drunk, with Rachel waiting for him. But it was dark in the tent...and the ladies were somewhat similar in build...and Leah said very little. It wasn't until it was full daylight that Jacob saw what had happened. Now, had Leah not been willing to go along with the plan, she could easily have given Jacob a reason to recognize that it was not Rachel in his arms. But she held her peace and maintained the illusion.
And thus, by subterfuge, she won herself a husband...who had nothing but disdain and contempt for her. Oh, she may have put the blame on Laban, who willingly accepted it, but the plain truth was she had deceived Jacob and he was now bound to a woman for whom he felt no affection and had no use. And he had to spend a week with her in the bridal chamber before he could claim the woman he loved.
Those seven days may have seemed longer than the previous seven years to all of them. At the end of it, Jacob married Rachel and did not return to Leah's tent.
But Leah was pregnant. She blossomed with life, while Rachel, who had her husband's, um, full attention, remained thin and barren. Leah had Jacob's approval when she presented him with his firstborn son, Reuben. When it was appropriate...he went to her tent to show his appreciation. And she became pregnant again.
Perhaps Jacob had a use for her, after all. Four sons she gave him in succession, while Rachel seethed with jealousy, blaming Jacob for her barrenness. But Leah was going through a transition. She was learning to find her significance and her worth not in her relationships but in her God. She named her fourth son Judah, saying, 'This time I will praise the LORD.'
My plan...my idea...I'll fix this...this will work...all our human ideas and schemes lead to problems. Leah's acceptance of a plan to make Jacob marry her gave her a lifetime of heartache and rejection. But in the midst of it she recognized, for at least a season, that God was the one who held her, it was God who gave her sons, it was God who would take her mess and make it into something that would ultimately bring Him glory. She had no way of knowing that her praise would begin the lineage of The King.
What am I trying to manipulate into something that achieves my desires? How can I release that to God? What actions of His can I praise Him for today?
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was lovely in form, and beautiful. -- Gen. 29:16-17 NIV84
Beauty seemed to run in the family...Sarah, her niece Rebekah, her niece Rachel...but Leah missed the beauty gene. Or maybe she barely missed it; the term translated 'weak eyes' in the NIV can have several connotations. Strong's 739, rak, is defined as tender (lit. or fig.); by impl. weak: - faint [-hearted], soft, tender ([-hearted] one), weak. Leah had something unattractive about her eyes; she may have been nearsighted, so that she squinted continually; or it could even have been a reference to the color of her eyes...her eyes may have been startlingly pale ('faint'), compared to the deep brown common in that ethnic group. We know from what happened on Jacob's first wedding night that she could not have been much different than her sister in her basic physical form.
But, whatever the actual issue was, she was flawed. Her younger sister was most definitely not. When their cousin arrived looking for a bride...Leah was overlooked. Not even considered. Jacob had only been with them one month, enough to demonstrate that he had the ability to manage and organize and bring increase, when Laban decided Jacob should stick around and work for him...and asked him what he would feel would be fair wages.
Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, 'I'll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel.' (Gen 29:18)
Now that was a deal. No dowry needed...and Laban had seven years of willing work. Leah had seven years to watch Jacob, who loved her sister and probably barely noticed her.
Did Leah fall in love with Jacob? Was her heart pained every time he brushed her aside? It's possible.
We do not know whose idea it was to swap brides on the wedding night. But Leah had to be a willing conspirator. Most assuredly, Jacob had been drinking, but I have a hard time believing he would allow himself to get stupid drunk, with Rachel waiting for him. But it was dark in the tent...and the ladies were somewhat similar in build...and Leah said very little. It wasn't until it was full daylight that Jacob saw what had happened. Now, had Leah not been willing to go along with the plan, she could easily have given Jacob a reason to recognize that it was not Rachel in his arms. But she held her peace and maintained the illusion.
And thus, by subterfuge, she won herself a husband...who had nothing but disdain and contempt for her. Oh, she may have put the blame on Laban, who willingly accepted it, but the plain truth was she had deceived Jacob and he was now bound to a woman for whom he felt no affection and had no use. And he had to spend a week with her in the bridal chamber before he could claim the woman he loved.
Those seven days may have seemed longer than the previous seven years to all of them. At the end of it, Jacob married Rachel and did not return to Leah's tent.
But Leah was pregnant. She blossomed with life, while Rachel, who had her husband's, um, full attention, remained thin and barren. Leah had Jacob's approval when she presented him with his firstborn son, Reuben. When it was appropriate...he went to her tent to show his appreciation. And she became pregnant again.
Perhaps Jacob had a use for her, after all. Four sons she gave him in succession, while Rachel seethed with jealousy, blaming Jacob for her barrenness. But Leah was going through a transition. She was learning to find her significance and her worth not in her relationships but in her God. She named her fourth son Judah, saying, 'This time I will praise the LORD.'
My plan...my idea...I'll fix this...this will work...all our human ideas and schemes lead to problems. Leah's acceptance of a plan to make Jacob marry her gave her a lifetime of heartache and rejection. But in the midst of it she recognized, for at least a season, that God was the one who held her, it was God who gave her sons, it was God who would take her mess and make it into something that would ultimately bring Him glory. She had no way of knowing that her praise would begin the lineage of The King.
What am I trying to manipulate into something that achieves my desires? How can I release that to God? What actions of His can I praise Him for today?
Saturday, August 1, 2015
SSMT 2015 Verse 15 - Joel 3:14
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
And the calendar maintains its steady pace; time for the next Siesta Scripture Memory Team Text.
For several weeks now, this verse has been hammering around the corners of my consciousness...
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. -- Joel 3:14 NIV 84
Is it just me...or does anyone else have a sense of stakes rising, time passing, choices looming? I hear so much rhetoric that hurts my heart, because so many seem to have made decisions based on popular thought instead of truth...and so much spin is put on what is going on that no one can really say what truth is. Which is amazing...in this day and age of nearly instant information, there is so much flying around that it's almost impossible to tell what is true, what is exaggerated, what is covered up and downplayed and what is an outright fabrication.
Kind of like the old adage...a man who has one clock always knows what time it is. A man with two clocks is never sure.
Time to dig into what is True...and hold on for dear life. Because dear life may just be at stake.
And the calendar maintains its steady pace; time for the next Siesta Scripture Memory Team Text.
For several weeks now, this verse has been hammering around the corners of my consciousness...
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. -- Joel 3:14 NIV 84
Is it just me...or does anyone else have a sense of stakes rising, time passing, choices looming? I hear so much rhetoric that hurts my heart, because so many seem to have made decisions based on popular thought instead of truth...and so much spin is put on what is going on that no one can really say what truth is. Which is amazing...in this day and age of nearly instant information, there is so much flying around that it's almost impossible to tell what is true, what is exaggerated, what is covered up and downplayed and what is an outright fabrication.
Kind of like the old adage...a man who has one clock always knows what time it is. A man with two clocks is never sure.
Time to dig into what is True...and hold on for dear life. Because dear life may just be at stake.
Friday, July 31, 2015
All Things New: Jacob, the 'Run-for-your-life' Road, Part 1
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
Jacob has been painted all kinds of ugly by various folks down through the years...a schemer, a deceiver, a liar...and, while he may have been all those things at some point, I think he was also someone who placed great value on the inheritance God decreed for the family of Abraham. He understood it in a different way than his brother.
As the Bible clearly tells us he was his mother's favored son, I don't think there's any chance that Jacob would have grown to adulthood without hearing the story of her prophecy...that he would be the one who would inherit. He'd grown up with an eye to the day that he would be in the place of heir, and he had taken pains to learn to manage his inheritance. But he had no idea how El Shaddai would bring that reversal to pass.
Rebekah may have also shared that prophecy with Isaac...but I don't think Esau knew. He was entirely too willing to give his birthright over to have been worried that Jacob was manipulating him to fulfill a prophecy. But once his appetite was satisfied, he regretted what he'd done. He even went so far as to alter his memory of the event from his willingness to part with it in exchange for a meal to 'He took away my birthright!' Whatever relationship the brothers had before that fateful bowl of lentils was consumed, it had to have been strained and suspicious thereafter.
What Esau gave away that day was his place as firstborn...and all the rights pertaining to that. It included the lion's share of the inheritance, sure, but part of the right of the firstborn was the patriarchal blessing. Esau separated the two, but the truth is that, being granted the first, Jacob had the right to the second.
And maybe Esau knew that, deep down. The passing of the blessing was a ceremony of sorts, a big deal. This 'big deal,' however, was the object of a scheme to pass it along on the down low, in private, apart from the knowledge of the rest of the household. It was pure chance...or was it?...that Rebekah overheard Isaac's instructions to Esau and hurried to Jacob, forming her own scheme to counteract her husband's.
Jacob rather reluctantly followed his mother's instruction, even to the point of putting on his brother's smelly clothes. Isaac knew his voice, but, convinced by the costume and the smell, he gave the blessing to Jacob. Who therefore, by subterfuge, obtained that which he had been promised.
Now the relationship with his brother had passed beyond strained; Esau told himself he would kill Jacob after his father had gone to his reward. Of course, he couldn't know at that point that Isaac still had years and years of life left...and Rebekah could not know that Isaac would outlive her. But someone reported Esau's words to her and, once again, she came up with a plan to thwart her elder son. Genesis 26:35 states that Esau's Hittite wives 'made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah', so her request that Isaac send Jacob back to get a bride from her brother's household was reasonable. Rebekah simply told Jacob to stay with his uncle until it was safe to return; she would send for him once Esau had gotten over his anger.
She'd hardly finished speaking when Isaac called for Jacob and instructed him to go to Paddan-aram and marry one of Laban's daughters.
Now, Jacob had the blessing and directive of his father to go on the journey, but he apparently took no time to make any preparations. With all of the family's resources at his disposal, he left with little more than the clothes he wore. Which can only be on account of his concern that Esau would hear he was leaving and kill him before he could get down the road. He literally ran for his life, trying to put as much space between him and his brother as he could as fast as he could do it.
The Biblical narrative does not give much time frame for this; it could have all happened in the same day, or it could've been spread out over a few days. Either way, though, Jacob's life had changed in short order...from being the son of the patriarch and living with the relative comfort of his family's prosperity to being a man on the run with a death threat hanging over his head. There's no mention of a camel or other beast...he could easily have been on foot. He traveled until it was dark and he could no longer put one foot in front of the other...and he put his head on a rock and went to sleep.
The dream he had was more vivid than any he had ever had. Angels going up and down a ladder that reached over his head...and at the top stood One he could never describe. The words burned into his consciousness so that he remembered them in detail even after he was awake and alert...I am the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Gen. 28:13a-15, ESV)
Jacob knew his family history; he knew that was the promise that had been given to his grandfather Abraham and to his father Isaac...and now, the birthright was manifesting: God's presence was promised to him.
This was no longer his mother's story...now it was his. God Himself had spoken to Jacob. He had a revelation that would carry him through all the days of his life...surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.
In the morning, he took the stone on which he'd put his head and placed it just so on a distinct spot he could specifically remember as a memorial, and he poured some of the little bit of oil he had on it and made a promise of his own.
If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you. (Genesis 28:20-22)
Jacob had, overnight, gone from a man running from his brother's murderous threats to a man moving into a promise. His life had changed forever; he would never see his mother again. But he left that place knowing that God was with him and would bring him back.
In what circumstances of my life have I recognized the presence of God only AFTER the fact? How has God demonstrated that He is with me, and that He is the One who is working 'all things together for good'?
Jacob has been painted all kinds of ugly by various folks down through the years...a schemer, a deceiver, a liar...and, while he may have been all those things at some point, I think he was also someone who placed great value on the inheritance God decreed for the family of Abraham. He understood it in a different way than his brother.
As the Bible clearly tells us he was his mother's favored son, I don't think there's any chance that Jacob would have grown to adulthood without hearing the story of her prophecy...that he would be the one who would inherit. He'd grown up with an eye to the day that he would be in the place of heir, and he had taken pains to learn to manage his inheritance. But he had no idea how El Shaddai would bring that reversal to pass.
Rebekah may have also shared that prophecy with Isaac...but I don't think Esau knew. He was entirely too willing to give his birthright over to have been worried that Jacob was manipulating him to fulfill a prophecy. But once his appetite was satisfied, he regretted what he'd done. He even went so far as to alter his memory of the event from his willingness to part with it in exchange for a meal to 'He took away my birthright!' Whatever relationship the brothers had before that fateful bowl of lentils was consumed, it had to have been strained and suspicious thereafter.
What Esau gave away that day was his place as firstborn...and all the rights pertaining to that. It included the lion's share of the inheritance, sure, but part of the right of the firstborn was the patriarchal blessing. Esau separated the two, but the truth is that, being granted the first, Jacob had the right to the second.
And maybe Esau knew that, deep down. The passing of the blessing was a ceremony of sorts, a big deal. This 'big deal,' however, was the object of a scheme to pass it along on the down low, in private, apart from the knowledge of the rest of the household. It was pure chance...or was it?...that Rebekah overheard Isaac's instructions to Esau and hurried to Jacob, forming her own scheme to counteract her husband's.
Jacob rather reluctantly followed his mother's instruction, even to the point of putting on his brother's smelly clothes. Isaac knew his voice, but, convinced by the costume and the smell, he gave the blessing to Jacob. Who therefore, by subterfuge, obtained that which he had been promised.
Now the relationship with his brother had passed beyond strained; Esau told himself he would kill Jacob after his father had gone to his reward. Of course, he couldn't know at that point that Isaac still had years and years of life left...and Rebekah could not know that Isaac would outlive her. But someone reported Esau's words to her and, once again, she came up with a plan to thwart her elder son. Genesis 26:35 states that Esau's Hittite wives 'made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah', so her request that Isaac send Jacob back to get a bride from her brother's household was reasonable. Rebekah simply told Jacob to stay with his uncle until it was safe to return; she would send for him once Esau had gotten over his anger.
She'd hardly finished speaking when Isaac called for Jacob and instructed him to go to Paddan-aram and marry one of Laban's daughters.
Now, Jacob had the blessing and directive of his father to go on the journey, but he apparently took no time to make any preparations. With all of the family's resources at his disposal, he left with little more than the clothes he wore. Which can only be on account of his concern that Esau would hear he was leaving and kill him before he could get down the road. He literally ran for his life, trying to put as much space between him and his brother as he could as fast as he could do it.
The Biblical narrative does not give much time frame for this; it could have all happened in the same day, or it could've been spread out over a few days. Either way, though, Jacob's life had changed in short order...from being the son of the patriarch and living with the relative comfort of his family's prosperity to being a man on the run with a death threat hanging over his head. There's no mention of a camel or other beast...he could easily have been on foot. He traveled until it was dark and he could no longer put one foot in front of the other...and he put his head on a rock and went to sleep.
The dream he had was more vivid than any he had ever had. Angels going up and down a ladder that reached over his head...and at the top stood One he could never describe. The words burned into his consciousness so that he remembered them in detail even after he was awake and alert...I am the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Gen. 28:13a-15, ESV)
Jacob knew his family history; he knew that was the promise that had been given to his grandfather Abraham and to his father Isaac...and now, the birthright was manifesting: God's presence was promised to him.
This was no longer his mother's story...now it was his. God Himself had spoken to Jacob. He had a revelation that would carry him through all the days of his life...surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it.
In the morning, he took the stone on which he'd put his head and placed it just so on a distinct spot he could specifically remember as a memorial, and he poured some of the little bit of oil he had on it and made a promise of his own.
If God will be with me and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear so that I come again to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God, and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God's house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you. (Genesis 28:20-22)
Jacob had, overnight, gone from a man running from his brother's murderous threats to a man moving into a promise. His life had changed forever; he would never see his mother again. But he left that place knowing that God was with him and would bring him back.
In what circumstances of my life have I recognized the presence of God only AFTER the fact? How has God demonstrated that He is with me, and that He is the One who is working 'all things together for good'?
Friday, July 24, 2015
All Things New: Esau, the Road out of Regret
Posted by Lisa Laree to Beer Lahai Roi
(All scripture today from the NASB)
Rebekah had had the prophecy that her twins were both fathers of nations, but that the younger would surpass the elder.
We don't know much about the boys as they grew, other than Esau loved being outside and Jacob was content to hang around the tents.
Genesis 25:28 states that Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I wonder, myself, if Jacob was sickly as a child, while Esau grew fast and strong. That would have resulted in Jacob being kept around his mother while Esau hung with Isaac. Not to mention that Esau's skill in hunting kept Isaac's tummy happy. Rebekah, for all that she had left the household of intrigue when she was young, still had old habits and old expectations and old patterns in her life. And she had Jacob's ear...he learned much from his mother. Not the least, apparently, was the prophecy that he would rule over his elder brother.
Esau had no such instruction. He was the firstborn; he had no need of intrigue or even of much thinking. All he saw was his by right and nature, why should he worry about it? He was favored by his father.
So, when he returned from a long and fruitless hunting trek, he let his appetite override his judgement and he swore an unfortunate oath to give Jacob his rights. I have a hard time believing that he actually thought he was on the verge of dying and could not make it the last few paces to the tents where there was food; maybe he thought Jacob was kidding, maybe he thought his words would not cancel what was his by virtue of who he was.
But the oath was sworn, and Jacob and God both heard it. And, although he likely tried earnestly to convince himself that it didn't matter, it didn't change anything, deep in his heart Esau had to know that something had shifted and a line had been crossed. He knew Jacob had to have told their mother.
As the years passed and nothing seemed to change, Esau gradually began to hope that it really didn't matter what he said that day. He married two local women, asserting his choices over his mother's disapproval. Jacob had no bride...and the inheritance would never pass to one who had no offspring.
He may actually have thought he'd gotten out from under the oath the day that Isaac, old and blind with cataracts, called him privately to his side and asked him to go out hunting. Isaac wanted to eat Esau's special wild game dish one last time, 'So I can bless you before I die,' Isaac instructed. Esau grabbed his gear quickly and left without speaking to anyone; his father's blessing would go far to help him lay claim to the inheritance portion due the eldest. He didn't stop to think that that blessing was also included in the rights of the firstborn he had traded away so long ago.
Unlike that fateful day, he had a successful hunt. He took his prize back to the settlement, but he did not go to the cooking tents as he still wanted his actions to go unnoticed by the rest of the household. He stopped just outside the tents and built a fire and prepared his catch as his mother had taught him...exactly how Isaac liked it best.
To all appearances, he had succeeded in his plan to fulfill Isaac's wish and receive the blessing before the rest of the household knew what was going on. He put the game on a platter and went to Isaac's tent. 'Let my father arise and eat of the food your son has prepared! I'm here to receive your blessing!'
But Isaac did not smile and welcome him as he expected. Instead, Isaac turned his sightless eyes toward him. 'Who are you?' he asked.
Esau faltered a bit. 'I am your son...your firstborn...Esau.'
The old man began to tremble. 'Who was it then, who hunted game and brought it to me so that I ate all of it? Before you came? I blessed him...he's the one who will be blessed!'
I'm not sure what Esau did with the platter of food. He may have dropped it in sudden shock, or he may have turned and set it down as the finality of that statement registered with him. Genesis 27:34 states that when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry... all his stealth and care had not changed anything. The blessing due the heir had gone to Jacob.
I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. (Gen 27:40)
Bitter news indeed for Esau. What he had given away in a careless moment had just been confirmed to his brother. The best Isaac could prophesy for him was when you become restless...you will break his yoke from your neck.
Esau took that to heart, and determined that he'd set the terms of that himself by killing Jacob once Isaac had passed away. But, to his consternation, Isaac called Jacob to him, and blessed him and sent him back to Rebekah's family to find a wife.
Jacob was out of reach.
At first, Esau expected his brother to return home soon, with a favored wife from the family, to supplant him. He attempted to head that off by marrying a third wife, one of Ishmael's daughters, to try and please his parents as well.
But first one year passed, and then two, and then several. Esau had sons, acquired livestock. Although he kept an eye on the road to Padan-aram, Jacob did not appear. Rebekah died and was buried, Isaac grew old and feeble. But Isaac's servants cared for him and his property; Esau realized that, as he no longer had the rights of the firstborn, he also did not have the responsibilities. He had wealth, he had sons, he had everything he needed. At some point, Esau decided to move his family to Seir.
No longer was he waiting for his brother to return home so they could have the show-down. He did not need to reclaim the birthright...he had built his own.
He had broken Jacob's yoke from his neck.
The dates in the Biblical narrative are rather imprecise, but we can pretty well approximate that it was at least 20 years before Esau and Jacob saw each other again. Esau heard Jacob was returning home, with what sounded like an army from the rumors he'd heard, so he saddled up and took his servants with him to meet Jacob and find out if he intended to try and take from him what was his.
Instead, he was met with wave after wave of generous gifts. He was not surprised that Jacob declined his offer to escort the nomads to Seir...they had no part in it and no real reason to go. But he had made the offer and met the standards of etiquette. He turned his back to Jacob, and did not fear his retribution. They were reconciled enough to give Isaac proper burial when he died, and they recognized that they could not live close together because God had blessed them both to the point that the land could not sustain both of them. Esau took his leave and settled permanently in the land that later took on his nickname...Edom.
A bad choice can lead to difficult, disappointing and irreversible consequences. But at the point at which we stop blaming others for the consequences of our own actions, God can bless us and begin the process of restoration.
In what area of my life am I refusing to acknowledge my own responsibility for the consequences I am experiencing? How can I confess and repent of my own bad choices/wrong actions so that God can take what I have and turn it around for His glory? What is the first step I need to take to move past blame into reconciliation?
(All scripture today from the NASB)
Rebekah had had the prophecy that her twins were both fathers of nations, but that the younger would surpass the elder.
We don't know much about the boys as they grew, other than Esau loved being outside and Jacob was content to hang around the tents.
Genesis 25:28 states that Isaac loved Esau, because he had a taste for game, but Rebekah loved Jacob.
I wonder, myself, if Jacob was sickly as a child, while Esau grew fast and strong. That would have resulted in Jacob being kept around his mother while Esau hung with Isaac. Not to mention that Esau's skill in hunting kept Isaac's tummy happy. Rebekah, for all that she had left the household of intrigue when she was young, still had old habits and old expectations and old patterns in her life. And she had Jacob's ear...he learned much from his mother. Not the least, apparently, was the prophecy that he would rule over his elder brother.
Esau had no such instruction. He was the firstborn; he had no need of intrigue or even of much thinking. All he saw was his by right and nature, why should he worry about it? He was favored by his father.
So, when he returned from a long and fruitless hunting trek, he let his appetite override his judgement and he swore an unfortunate oath to give Jacob his rights. I have a hard time believing that he actually thought he was on the verge of dying and could not make it the last few paces to the tents where there was food; maybe he thought Jacob was kidding, maybe he thought his words would not cancel what was his by virtue of who he was.
But the oath was sworn, and Jacob and God both heard it. And, although he likely tried earnestly to convince himself that it didn't matter, it didn't change anything, deep in his heart Esau had to know that something had shifted and a line had been crossed. He knew Jacob had to have told their mother.
As the years passed and nothing seemed to change, Esau gradually began to hope that it really didn't matter what he said that day. He married two local women, asserting his choices over his mother's disapproval. Jacob had no bride...and the inheritance would never pass to one who had no offspring.
He may actually have thought he'd gotten out from under the oath the day that Isaac, old and blind with cataracts, called him privately to his side and asked him to go out hunting. Isaac wanted to eat Esau's special wild game dish one last time, 'So I can bless you before I die,' Isaac instructed. Esau grabbed his gear quickly and left without speaking to anyone; his father's blessing would go far to help him lay claim to the inheritance portion due the eldest. He didn't stop to think that that blessing was also included in the rights of the firstborn he had traded away so long ago.
Unlike that fateful day, he had a successful hunt. He took his prize back to the settlement, but he did not go to the cooking tents as he still wanted his actions to go unnoticed by the rest of the household. He stopped just outside the tents and built a fire and prepared his catch as his mother had taught him...exactly how Isaac liked it best.
To all appearances, he had succeeded in his plan to fulfill Isaac's wish and receive the blessing before the rest of the household knew what was going on. He put the game on a platter and went to Isaac's tent. 'Let my father arise and eat of the food your son has prepared! I'm here to receive your blessing!'
But Isaac did not smile and welcome him as he expected. Instead, Isaac turned his sightless eyes toward him. 'Who are you?' he asked.
Esau faltered a bit. 'I am your son...your firstborn...Esau.'
The old man began to tremble. 'Who was it then, who hunted game and brought it to me so that I ate all of it? Before you came? I blessed him...he's the one who will be blessed!'
I'm not sure what Esau did with the platter of food. He may have dropped it in sudden shock, or he may have turned and set it down as the finality of that statement registered with him. Genesis 27:34 states that when Esau heard the words of his father, he cried out with an exceedingly great and bitter cry... all his stealth and care had not changed anything. The blessing due the heir had gone to Jacob.
I have made him your master, and all his relatives I have given to him as servants; and with grain and new wine I have sustained him. (Gen 27:40)
Bitter news indeed for Esau. What he had given away in a careless moment had just been confirmed to his brother. The best Isaac could prophesy for him was when you become restless...you will break his yoke from your neck.
Esau took that to heart, and determined that he'd set the terms of that himself by killing Jacob once Isaac had passed away. But, to his consternation, Isaac called Jacob to him, and blessed him and sent him back to Rebekah's family to find a wife.
Jacob was out of reach.
At first, Esau expected his brother to return home soon, with a favored wife from the family, to supplant him. He attempted to head that off by marrying a third wife, one of Ishmael's daughters, to try and please his parents as well.
But first one year passed, and then two, and then several. Esau had sons, acquired livestock. Although he kept an eye on the road to Padan-aram, Jacob did not appear. Rebekah died and was buried, Isaac grew old and feeble. But Isaac's servants cared for him and his property; Esau realized that, as he no longer had the rights of the firstborn, he also did not have the responsibilities. He had wealth, he had sons, he had everything he needed. At some point, Esau decided to move his family to Seir.
No longer was he waiting for his brother to return home so they could have the show-down. He did not need to reclaim the birthright...he had built his own.
He had broken Jacob's yoke from his neck.
The dates in the Biblical narrative are rather imprecise, but we can pretty well approximate that it was at least 20 years before Esau and Jacob saw each other again. Esau heard Jacob was returning home, with what sounded like an army from the rumors he'd heard, so he saddled up and took his servants with him to meet Jacob and find out if he intended to try and take from him what was his.
Instead, he was met with wave after wave of generous gifts. He was not surprised that Jacob declined his offer to escort the nomads to Seir...they had no part in it and no real reason to go. But he had made the offer and met the standards of etiquette. He turned his back to Jacob, and did not fear his retribution. They were reconciled enough to give Isaac proper burial when he died, and they recognized that they could not live close together because God had blessed them both to the point that the land could not sustain both of them. Esau took his leave and settled permanently in the land that later took on his nickname...Edom.
A bad choice can lead to difficult, disappointing and irreversible consequences. But at the point at which we stop blaming others for the consequences of our own actions, God can bless us and begin the process of restoration.
In what area of my life am I refusing to acknowledge my own responsibility for the consequences I am experiencing? How can I confess and repent of my own bad choices/wrong actions so that God can take what I have and turn it around for His glory? What is the first step I need to take to move past blame into reconciliation?
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