CortneyKay

For the past few days, I’ve been reading the chapters below from Genesis and Proverbs. Sometimes I think I know these passages from heart. Growing up in the church, I always read the Old Testament, especially Genesis, when I couldn’t stay awake for the minister’s sermons. As a result, I probably have them a bit too well memorized and had a lot of questions for my mother about what “concubines” were and the like.

Passages from Days 17 & 18 are combined below.

Genesis 27-31; Genesis 32-36

When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. (28:12)

 Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz. (28:18-19)

Perhaps this is irrelevant, but I’ve always wondered – just how big was the stone he slept on? I’m assuming it was big enough to act as a solid pillow, but part of me can’t help but imagine Jacob as a young man standing up a dinky stone a little larger than his head, anointing it with oil, and declaring it to be a holy place, “the House of God.” Really, the visual is irreverently funny.

I always find it incredible that God decided to use Jacob as the father of Israel. From what the author tells us, he wasn’t a great role model in his youth. He definitely deserves a trophy for outstandingly bad choices – taking his brother’s birthright and his father’s blessing, lying to his father, marrying two sisters (setting himself up for disaster), becoming a wife collector, trying to manipulate the flock’s breeding season, running away from his father-in-law, favoritism among his sons… and so forth.

The more critically I view Jacob, the more human I realize he was and can also see how much he was willing to grow. He really did want to know God and follow Him. When he made mistakes, he did it in a big way. God still chose him.

Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father, Issac, O Lord, who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother, Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me and also the mothers with their children. But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” (32:9-12)

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. (33:4)

Not too shabby for a reunion, huh? Of course, after giving Esau a large gift of livestock, Jacob deceived him and went in the opposite direction that he said he would. He was consistent, if frustrating.

Let’s stop here and return to more of Genesis tomorrow. A lot happens in these chapters and much of it ought to be noted.

Proverbs 2; Proverbs 3

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name  in the sight of God and man. Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. (3:3-8)

Word of wisdom from a man who asked God for it. I love the passage above, even though it isn’t easy and I often fail at it. It’s something to strive for. Sometimes, it’s true, you must literally remind yourself to hold tightly to love and faithfulness and to trust in the Lord completely. Again – not easy.

Reminder for today:

Do not withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. (3:27)

Genesis 23-26

Then he prayed, “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. May it be that when I say to a girl, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’ – let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Issac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” (24:12-14)

Abraham helped instill faith within his household, not only in his children, but also in his servants. This unnamed servant demonstrated a remarkable loyalty to Abraham and his Lord. Also, praying for a girl to offer to water the camels, too, wasn’t a small statement. Watering camels takes a lot of work. (Thus the phrase, “You drink like a camel!”) He wanted a woman with a servant heart for his master’s son. She arrived before he’d even finished praying (v. 15).

Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful. (24:21)

He soon finds out that Rebekah is one of Abraham’s great-nieces and perfectly suitable for Issac. (Culture and the Lord’s commands play a big role here, since now we’d consider that abominable.) After adorning her with trinkets, meeting her family, and retelling his story, Rebekah decides to leave with him and Issac discovers love.

Unfortunately, their sweet romance doesn’t end entirely happily. Their troublesome twins, Esau and Jacob, soon divided the family with their fights over privilege and power.

Proverbs 1

For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
       and the complacency of fools will destroy them;

but whoever listens to me will live in safety
       and be at ease, without fear of harm.” (1:32-33)

It is not that we won’t have troubles or pain, but rather, that we’ll have peace and contentment that all is well. Our future is secure. Our hearts are steadfast in Him and no other. Why trust in yourself when you know you can fail? Wisdom through God doesn’t.

Genesis 22

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” (22:13-14)

Can you imagine what it might have been like to hear God tell you to sacrifice your son, the son who He said He’d build your legacy on? I think I’d be inclined to think of God as a hypocrite. Yet, at the same time, if you remember all the ways He has carried you through and followed through on his promises, it’d be difficult to not trust him. Perhaps it’d be a moment of throwing your hands up in the air and crying out to God, “It’s all Yours, Lord. Take it. Take my life, my everything, and do something with it. I have no idea what you’re doing, but I’ll listen and follow.”

What a powerful and passionate prayer Abraham must have offered to God! I can’t imagine the emotions ripping through him as he led his son up the mountain as a sacrifice. He prayed. And God answered.

Psalm 22

Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness for a people yet unborn – for he has done it. (22:30-31)

God did preserve Abraham’s line, so much that several generations later, David came from his line, and much later, Jesus. How incredible – God had it all planned out from the beginning. Hundreds of years later. He chose Abraham to serve as the beginning of an incredible story, one that never ends. More than that, God didn’t just bless Abraham, He blessed all people through him. Wow.

John 16-19

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them. (17:24-26)

How would you pray if it was your last night as a free man? If you knew you were going to face excruciating pain, be ridiculed by your own people, and die an agonizing death? Probably not like Jesus did. I don’t think I would. I’m much too human. Yet again another reason to give God the glory and wonder at the character of Jesus. Another Wow.

Tonight has been the perfect way to wrap up a busy day – meeting surprise visitors in my house, catching up with family, hallway chats and Yoga with the roomies, showering, and time with God. What a rockin’ night.

Life is too good sometimes.

I started my morning with John and decided to wrap it up with Psalms. (By the way, I haven’t totally skipped days 6-12. I’ve been reading, but not writing. An updated compilation is coming soon.)

John 12-15

Jesus knew that God the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (13:3-5)

A lot happens in these 4 chapters – Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with precious oil, Jesus triumphantly enters Jerusalem, Jesus predicts several things soon to happen (his death, Judas’s betrayal, Peter’s denial, etc.), He washes his disciples’ feet, He explains his relationship with God, prepares them to receive the Holy Spirit, and continues to teach his disciples.

Since my internship with my college ministry, I’ve fallen in love with the passage about Jesus washing his disciples feet. The fact that he knew what was going to happen (the agony, shame, persecution, trials, betrayal, etc.) and he still sought to teach his disciples true servanthood is stunning. Even when you’re in the depths of your sorrow or agony, you must still remember to serve, to give wholeheartedly, to others, including your enemies.

That’s a big deal. Unfortunately it’s not as easy as it looks onscreen. Oh boy, that’s a lesson to work on for life.

Psalm 135

The idols of the nations are silver and gold, made by the hands of men. They have mouths, but cannot speak, eyes, but they cannot see; they have ears but cannot hear, nor is there breath in their mouths. Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them. 135:15-18

After a day of mentally rushing around, it’s humbling to remind myself of how meaningless my many worries are. If I don’t watch it, they’ll become my idols, like those described in the passage above. My worldly concerns will have a nameless spoken power over my life even though they have no real souls themselves. I’ve often caught myself worrying over so many things only to realize that they’ll work out somehow. By the next day, week, month or year they won’t matter. I must stop pinning my faith and hope on them and lean instead upon the Lord, whose name endures forever, “your renown, O Lord, through all generations” (135:13).

It helps sometimes to remember how small you are in the scheme of things. Somehow it’s almost soothing – there’s more to the world than you and your concerns. Life is a huge puzzle and you’re responsible for plugging in your piece. Thank goodness you’re not in charge of it all!

I’ve been reading the passages, then promptly collapsing into bed. Hopefully this will be a better Bible week. It’s not for lack of interest!

Genesis 7-8

And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood. Pairs of clean and unclean animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground,  male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came on the earth. (7:7-10)

I’m always left with questions from Noah’s story – primarily relational, not “necessary” details.

• What did Noah and his family feel as they were building the ark and when they climbed into the ark for a 7-day wait? Others undoubtedly mocked them – how foolish it must have seemed to be building an ark. It was unlikely that it would rain enough to float a huge boat like the ark. For seven days they waited for the rains to begin and the taunting to end.
• Noah and his family must have been outsiders pre-flood, especially if Noah was the only righteous man on earth. (I assume that his family was included in his righteous state.) They didn’t fit in and they didn’t make sense according to the others. Did they have close friendships? If so, how did they feel knowing that everyone else on earth was going to drown? It’s not as easy and relaxed as our Sunday school flannel charts would depict. Drowning is dying slowly. What would it have been like to know others are dying around you? It really just makes me sick.

John 4-5

I forget how action-packed John is. Wow.

And this is where I collapsed into sleep again.

Genesis 3-4

Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (4:9)

God and man had a happy relationship for a full two chapters until we had the great Fall of Man, which has changed that relationship forevermore. It’s striking to realize what a close relationship God had with mankind – he walked with him and (quite literally) talked with him. That soon changed. We walked away from God and stopped speaking with him. We stopped valuing each other as God’s treasured creations. We became more worldly and selfish. We found sin.

Psalm 139

 O LORD, you have searched me
       and you know me. (139:1)

You can’t hide from God! He knows everything about you – your soul, your thoughts, your past actions, and your future actions. Think about the greatness of that knowledge, what a powerful being He must be to know all of that about each individual. Wow.

Colossians 3-4

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (3:1-2)

This is a direct contrast to the behavior demonstrated by Adam, Eve, Cain & Lamech. Paul focuses on

• Honesty
• Kindness
• Compassion
• Humility
• Gentleness
• Patience
• Forgiveness
• Peace
• Obedience
• Prayer
• Alertness
• Wisdom
• Thankfulness…

All are contrast sharply with man’s behavior after the Fall.

How embarrassing. It’s been several days since I’ve jumped back into the Bible-blogging routine to which I’d passionately declared my commitment. I blame exhaustion, endless e-mails and a weekend trip. There’s always so much to do at the beginning of a new semester!

I’ve frequently read today’s passages during the past few days, especially recalling Psalm 148 each day. Here’s what I’ve got:

Genesis 2

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the  man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” … So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. … Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. (2:18, 20, 22)

During my freshman year, I joined a Bible study that utilized the book, Captivating, by John and Stasi Eldredge. In the book, the Eldredges emphasize that the world was not complete without woman. Something was missing. Of course, God already knew that, but he needed man to realize that by experiencing life without her. We needed to see that. Woman was the final touch to creation. How exciting!

It also reminds us that we need both male and female for a balanced world. We can’t survive with only males or only females (biologically – definitely not). We need both for a fuller picture of the world.

John 2

Now while he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many people saw the miraculous signs he was doing and believed in his name. But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man. (2:23-25)

During this chapter, Jesus turns water into wine at a wedding. Mary, his mother, tells him to do something about the decreasing amount of wine, to which Jesus responds that it his “time has not yet come” (2:4). I wonder what it’d be like to be Mary, the mother of Jesus – of whom an angel spoke to her about, the one and only virgin mother, and the perfect son.

He also kicks out vendors in God’s temple with self-righteous anger. Others are shocked at his behavior and ask where his authority to do that came from. In his characteristic way, Jesus confuses them by stating that the temple will be destroyed and He’ll raise it again in three days. Shocking and confusing for post-resurrection onlookers, but sufficient for the man who knew what was in men’s hearts (verses cited above).

Colossians 2

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. (2:6)

Paul reminds the Colossians that Christ is now the center of their lives. He is their source of life and they must depend upon Him wholly. Don’t act worldly nor hold to old religious regulations that no longer apply now that Christ has come into the world. Focus on growing up in and through Christ.

Psalm 148

He has raised up for his people a horn, the praise of all his saints, of Israel, the people close to his heart. Praise the Lord. (148:14)

The world comes to life with praises for their Creator in this passage. It’s a beautiful illustration of how all creation praises him, especially in 14, where the writer highlights how deeply God loves his people.