27 September 2009

Lessons From Genealogy

(Kent Heaton)

The “begots” and “begats” of the Bible can be laborious at times and difficult to pronounce. Often throughout the scriptures time is devoted to account for the family lines of thousands of people. The chronology of these individuals are important for two reasons: [1] The nation of Israel was confirmed through the lineage of Abraham (Genesis 12:2); [2] God put them there to prove the lineage of His son as being the “son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1) and the “son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38). It is easy to come to such readings and skip over them due to the difficulty of reading. However, embedded in these readings are fascinating stories that are important to the scheme of God’s revelation.

The family of Cain (Genesis 4) tells about him building a city and naming it after his son Enoch. Contrary to popular belief that early man lived in caves and grunted like dumb apes, the son of Adam and Eve understood science, math and engineering to build a city. Jabal “was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron” (Genesis 4:20-22). The family of Adam listed in Genesis 5 shows how long man lived in the early days. While Methuselah gets the vote for the oldest man (969 years) Adam was not far behind living 930 years. Enoch (father of Methuselah) is found in Genesis 5:24 and he “walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” which is confirmed by the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 11:5.

After the flood the sons of Noah represent the three basic cultural dispersions of the world. Japheth’s descendants are described as the “coastland peoples of the Gentiles were separated into their lands, everyone according to his language, according to their families, into their nations” (Genesis 10:5). From the family of Ham came “Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:8-9). It also says of Nimrod that he went “to Assyria and built Nineveh” (Genesis 10:11). The city of Nineveh is a vital part of Old Testament history. Noah’s third son Shem made up the eastern expansion and included the reference of “Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided” (Genesis 10:25).

Ezra’s chronicles are filled with genealogies. 1 Chronicles mentions the son of Judah, Er, who was “wicked in the sight of the LORD; so He killed him” (1 Chronicles 2:3; see also Genesis 38). Achan of Joshua 7 is referred to as Acar in 1 Chronicles 2:7. Abraham had eight children (1 Chronicles 1:28-32); David had nineteen children listed “besides the sons of the concubines, and Tamar their sister” (1 Chronicles 3:1-9). The great prayer of Jabez is found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. “Seraiah begot Joab the father of Ge Harashim, for they were craftsmen” (1 Chronicles 4:14).

1 Chronicles 11-12 lists the great army of David which included Benaiah who “killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, five cubits tall. In the Egyptian's hand there was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with his own spear” (1 Chronicles 11:22-23). Great reading and great stories intended for our learning (Romans 15:4). See how many more stories you can find.

Does God Subvert Justice?

(Al Sandlin)

In all the pain, loss, and travail which Job endured, never did he turn his back on God. Though death would have been a welcome relief from the bitterness which he suffered, God did not grant such a request to Job. Job’s friend, Bildad, just refused to believe that the great catastrophe which had befallen Job was not of his own making. It was a commonly held belief that bad things happened to people because of their sinfulness. So Bildad asked in Job 8:3, “Doth God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice?” Bildad was challenging Job’s assertion that his predicament was not due to unrighteousness. In other words, Bildad was saying to Job, “Surely, Job, you don’t expect me to believe a man falls victim to circumstances like yours unless God’s judgment for unrighteousness be the reason! If you’re the good guy you say you are, then the only way these things could be coming upon you is for God to warp His judgment and justice toward you.”

Of course, you and I are privy to the reason for Job’s circumstances by virtue of chapters 1 and 2 of Job. It was the work of Satan. We can rest assured that God does not pervert His judgment nor His justice. Job said as much in 9:19-22. “If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court? Though I were righteous, my own mouth would condemn me; Though I were blameless, it would prove me perverse. I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. It is all one thing; Therefore I say, 'He destroys the blameless and the wicked.'” God allowed Job to be tested to demonstrate the genuineness of Job’s faith and loyalty to Him. Job 1:22 says, “In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.” As suggested by brother Homer Hailey in A Commentary On Job (p.40), “When we know not the background and underlying causes of our problems in life, let us be cautious that we do not draw unfounded conclusions and unjustly blame God for the trials and evils that we must face and meet in life.”

My brother and sister in Christ, be aware that even as Christians, and especially as Christians, temptations will come our way. We must choose the proper attitude toward trials if we will be victorious in them. But know this one thing: “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (I Corinthians 10:13). Temptations may be looked upon as being two-fold in nature.

First, temptations are fire tests for our faith. In James 1:2-4 we find this: “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” Because Job’s faith did not collapse, he is remembered as a man of endurance in James 5:10-11. “As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome of the Lord's dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”

So, when it seems that we are experiencing undue trials and tribulations, think not that God has perverted His judgment and justice — that is simply not the case! Rather, seek the way of escape; pray for faith and strength to endure; know and believe that God is faithful and will not abandon you whatever the temptation. II Peter 2:9 says, “Then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” Psalm 34:17 says, “The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.”

Secondly, temptations can be means of conscripting servants into the camp of Satan. When we are tempted and we fail to endure temptation, Satan has gained one more victory; he has diminished God’s army by one and increased his own band by one. Such a feat brings pleasure to that old serpent.

No matter how strongly your friends may try to tell you, “You must be a mean person for such a calamity to befall you,” be assured that God is not picking on you. He is not putting a stumbling block in your path. He is fortifying your faith! With a fortified, fire-tested faith, one can be of greater use to God in accomplishing His purposes upon the earth. Job observed in 9:22, “He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.” In saying such, Job pointed out that judgments come upon both the righteous and the wicked. It is the righteous who endure because they turn to God for deliverance, whereas, the wicked simply cave in to temptation. Elihu, another of Job’s friends, observed in Job 34:12, “Surely God will never do wickedly, nor will the Almighty pervert judgment.” Christian, we can take comfort in the fact that God will always be just.

In Genesis 18:23-25, Abraham was negotiating with Jehovah concerning the plight of that wicked city of Sodom. Notice the conversation: “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?"

God’s own Son had to endure what appeared to be abandonment by His Father. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? Which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, He gave up the ghost” (Luke 23:46). Yes, the Judge of the all the earth will always deal justly! Saints can take comfort in that very fact.

Trudgin Up Those Hills

(Gary Ogden)

Calvin and Hobbes, I love 'em. Some of you won't know whom I'm talking about, but comics aficionados will recognize them as a boy and his tiger companion. Calvin's a pistol and Hobbes can be quite philosophical at times. Comic strips can and often are a reflection of our lives and times. In a recent strip, the duo is out sledding in the snow. Calvin complains, "I hate trudging up these hills. I didn't come out here to work! I came out here to ride and have fun!" Hobbes replies, "Well, you can't ride the sled if you don't climb the hills." Calvin counters, "I could if you pulled me up." The next strip shows Calvin alone with a grumpy look on his face. His friend has "abandoned" him and he says, "He's so lazy and selfish."

Calvin has his counterparts in our real world. They came here for a fast ride and to have fun and they intend to have fun come what may. If sin should happen to be in the formula that's no obstacle. Fun is fun no matter its source. These fun-lovers love pleasure more than anything else in the world, or for that matter, in heaven. The Bible calls them "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God" (2 Timothy 2:4). They search for fun in every aspect of their lives, and while fun and pleasure are not wrong, in and of themselves, they can consume us. These folks hate, like Calvin, "trudging up these hills." If they aren't having fun, they're impossible to live with. They get thoroughly disgusted at the drudgery and trudgery of life; and reality dictates that life will have its times of difficulty. It can't always be a downhill slide, no matter what our preferences.

It would be nice for our work to be something we enjoy and I think that for the most part, such is possible. But work cannot be all fun and games. It would be called something besides work. I'm thankful for those who take their work seriously and who find a way to work through the boredom and drudgery to do a good job anyway. Our spiritual labors for Christ can be depicted as an uphill climb, perpetually. Anybody who has in mind that Christianity is a piece of cake needs to look for dessert elsewhere. Try climbing the hill of persecution and ridicule and see how much fun is in it. It's a tough go. Sometimes, some get weary of the uphill climb to heaven. The Letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament is an effort to recover those who become "weary in well-doing." It was written to saints in the first century, when the pressure to remain faithful to Christ was very great. It is a good book to read again and again when we find ourselves beginning to hate trudging up these hills.

Hobbes jerks Calvin back to reality when he reminds him, "You can't ride the sled if you don't climb the hills." Quite an astute statement for a stuffed tiger! Have you ever sledded down a snow-covered hill? It is one of the true joys of life. The steeper the hill, the greater the thrill! The exhilaration during the run and at the bottom of the hill is indescribable. When you've completed the run, you're ready to go at it again and again. The tiger's telling us that reward comes from diligent effort. Some people want a paycheck without having to work for it. They'd like a year-end bonus but don't want to go above and beyond in order to receive it. They'd like the commission without having to sell.

How many want to go to heaven but aren't interested in doing what it takes to go there? While you can't "earn" your way to heaven, don't think that you can get there by being spiritually lazy. Peter reminds us of the diligent effort that will be rewarded with an "abundant entrance into the eternal kingdom" (2 Peter 1:5-11). He's telling us, "If you want to go to heaven, you have to be willing to climb the hills." The Lord promises "rest from their labors" for those who die while faithfully serving Him (Revelation 14:13).

Calvin wanted to be pulled up the hill so that he could enjoy the ride up as well as down. He wanted his cake and eat it, too. Some in the work place want the profit-sharing but they aren't happy sharing the responsibilities to make a profit. In the spiritual realm, some are hoping to go to heaven on the coattails of a family member, or the whole congregation. Their philosophy is, "I could have a wonderful life here and in eternity if you would just pull me along."

While we do need to be an encouragement to one another, no one can pull my load. The Bible says, "For each man shall bear his own burden" (Galatians 6:5). If you depend totally on other people to fulfill your responsibility or make you happy, you are following a damaging "Calvinistic" philosophy. When Calvin is left alone with the sled, he points the finger of blame the other way. He thinks Hobbes is lazy and selfish because he refuses to pull him up the hill.

One of our great faults in today's world is the refusal to accept personal responsibility for our own actions and attitudes. So many want to point the finger of blame at society by saying, "You people haven't done enough for me, so I will turn to a life of crime." Folks at work can't figure out that productivity is down because they are being unproductive. Some Christians love to point the finger of blame at other Christians for their own personal failure to be faithful. Too often, we are too lazy and too selfish to carry on in a mature and responsible way. "Go to the ant, lazy one," and learn, "You can't ride the sled if you don't climb the hills."