Should I say or should I go?

 

Usually when we hear of crisis, bankruptcies, increasing unemployment figures or inflation, we start to panic. If in addition, the land regularly falls prey to natural disasters, we tremble more; losoe our sleep and only dream of leaving the country.

Yet, history is full of people who became rich and prosperous during economic crises or wars. These are people who are not discouraged and do not give up because of an unfavorable economic, financial or climatic environment. It is possible indeed to succeed even under extreme conditions. Chapter 26 of Genesis provides us with a good example of this through the life of Isaac.

In the middle of famine, Isaac sowed in a land and reaped a hundredfold because the Lord had blessed him. He became so wealthy and so powerful that people in the country, the Philistines, began to envy him and asked him to leave (vs. 12-16).

So he went to settle in the valley of Gerar, still in the land of the Philistines. In those days of famine, water was precious and hard to find; but Isaac found spring water in all the wells he dug, which further excited the envy and strife of the local shepherds (vs. 18-22). Eventually, their king came to acknowledge that God was with him and that he’d better have him as an ally (vs. 26-28).

And indeed, God was with him and had blessed him; but this was never automatic. He was with him because Isaac had followed His instructions and had trusted Him. Early in the famine, Isaac had been tempted to go down to Egypt with his family. But the Lord had appeared to him saying (vs. 2, 3): “Do not go down to Egypt… Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.”  Isaac had stayed in spite of the starvation and God kept His promise.

How do you react in times of lack? The most important thing is not just to go to where the pastures seem greener; ‘‘Oh, I'm sure that if I was in Europe, I would…’’; ‘‘If I could get the visa for the United States, all my problems would be over…’’ One just needs to listen to the news to know that Europe and the United States are far from being the Eldorados many dream about. We also just need to open our eyes and look around to see that even in times of crisis, there are people next to us who buy, sell, marry and travel ... as “usual”.

When the time of parting ways with his uncle came, Lot hastened to choose the plain of Jordan which was well watered and then looked like a garden of the Lord. Little did he know that the locals were great sinners against the Lord and that God was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah where he had gone to settle. Abraham was left with a country that did not seem attractive at all; yet, it would become the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey. All that glitters is not gold and we tend to rely too much on appearances.

Zambia’s brand new President, Michael SATA, was once a cleaner and a porter in one of the British Rail Stations. He could have chosen to stay in England instead of going back to his country. If he had chosen the European paradise instead of the African hell, he would have retired as a cleaner or something along the line and would have never become a president, with the unique opportunity to influence the course of a country and the lives of millions of people. This is why I say that the most important thing is not to run where there seems to be no famine; but the most crucial thing is rather to seek God's instructions in times of famine and stick to them.

He is able to give water in the wilderness and rivers in the desert so that His chosen people may drink (Is 43:20).

He is able to multiply the few loaves of bread that you have and give you enough provisions to feed more than 5000 people (Mat 14).

He is able to multiply the small amount of oil you have left to help you pay all your debts and start a business (2Ki 4).

He is able to calm the storms and hurricanes that threaten to sweep over your city (Mat 8).

He is even able to order the birds to bring you food on a daily basis (1Ki 17)!

When such a God tells you not to move and stay put, do not rely on your understanding or on what you see: just trust Him. Don’t move and He will be with you as He has been with Isaac and everything you touch will definitely prosper.

 

Have a wonderblessed week!

What do you have in your hand?

 

Man was created to rule over creation, subdue the earth and maintain the Garden of Eden (Gen 1:26-28, 2:8). Aware of his loneliness and of the size of his task, God decided to give him a helper.

Gen 2:18ff, “The LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."… 21 So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."”

This passage clearly shows that the very reason why the woman was created is to help the man manage and rule over the creation. That's her purpose, her divine calling. It’s only afterwards that man decided to make her a wife.

I believe that a marriage can only flourish if the husband is clear about his calling, –Adam knew his mission before the arrival of Eve- if the wife is fully fulfilling her role of a helper and if her husband allows her to do so.

I also believe that the world would be a much better place, if everywhere, men would realize that they can make it by themselves and that women were not only created for the kitchen and the children, but have been specially equipped by God to help them subdue the earth and have dominion over the creation.

Indeed, after giving the vision of the Tabernacle to Moses and asking him to build it, God told him: “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri… 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship, 4 to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze…6 And behold, I have appointed with him Oholiab… And I have given to all able men ability, that they may make all that I have commanded you.” (Gen 31.2-6) In other words, “You are the boss; you have the vision and give the direction; but you won’t be able to build the tabernacle, you won’t be able to fulfil your mission without these two men. They are the ones that I have anointed –especially equipped- to help you.” The woman is also especially empowered by God to carry her ‘helping’ mission out. But this is not today’s topic…

Gen 2.21ff, “So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."”

Today, I just want to encourage and exhort you with this simple fact, I just want to remind you that: what you need to fulfil your destiny, to go further or to be successful, is not far. Indeed, because the rib is part of the body, it can represent your internal resources. But if you think of the rib as something that is on the side, then it can allude to that which is beside or near you.

Adam didn’t know that the solution to his loneliness and the help that he needed to carry out his enterprise had always been in him and next to him. Likewise, when God called Moses, He didn’t give him any extraordinary tool; He simply asked him: "What is that in your hand?" And Moses answered, "A staff." (Ex 4:2) Yet, it is this very trivial staff, the staff with which he was tending his father-in-law’s flock, which became the instrument of deliverance for the Hebrews and the cause of incredible miracles.

Unfortunately, very often, too often, we are not aware of what we have or we just neglect what we have received from God. Sometimes, we spend so much time admiring and envying the gifts and talents of others that we end up despising what we have. Finally, just like the bad servants of the parables of minas and talents (Mat 25 & Luke 19) we refuse to use them.

God did nothing and does nothing by chance. The nose, voice, laughter, joy, height, family, friends, qualities, faults, city, country, church, job etc… that we have or are in, are not there by chance: they all work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. When He calls, He equips. We all have something that He has asked us to do; and since He’s not a cruel but a good and responsible Father, He has already put everything He knows we will need to succeed in us, next to us and around us. If the task has become very difficult or if you doubt whether you will ever make it, take a break and ask yourself what is it that you have in your hand? Then, cheer up: you have just found what God wants to use and will use to lift you up.

Inquisitive reading of Genesis 1.

 

I know that many of new-and even old-Bible readers believe the most difficult books of the Bible are those of Leviticus, Ezekiel and Revelation. However, after nearly 20 years of studying the Scriptures, I am beginning to wonder whether the first two chapters of Genesis –and especially the first- are not the most mysterious and difficult passages. Yet they are so important for a proper understanding of the Creation, the world, the existence of man, nature, work and above all, God.

Unlike my previous postings, I will engage myself in a different exercise this time: I call it the art of inquisitive reading. Through a series of ‘inquisitive’ questions, I will demonstrate why Genesis 1 is not as obvious as one might think at first reading,while showing how to find pearls and diamonds in the depths of the Word of God as well.

According to the Merriam-Webster and the Wiktionary,the word inquisitive means “given to examination or investigation, eager to acquire knowledge”.

Gen 1:1-11, 13-19, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day. 6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. 9 And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so… 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the third day. 14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so.16 And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.”

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth: In the beginning of what? He created the heavens; so there is a Heaven (vs 8) and then the Heavens?

Darkness was over the face of the deep: What deep? Where is it from? Was it there before heavens and earth were created, i.e. before the beginning? If so, it boils down to wondering what beginning is mentionned here? And where is the darkness coming from? Was it created ? If so, when and why?

The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters... Waters? What waters? Where are they from? Were they there before the famous beginning?

"Let there be light." What kind of light is it? For it is obvious that we are not talking about the sun or moon that would only be created on the 4th day (vs 16).

God separated the light from the darkness... Does this mean that after the appearance of light and before this separation, darkness and light were a single entity?

God called the light (which was before the sun was) Day, and the darkness (that was over the face of the deep before the moon was, and that had been separated from the light) He called Night. Is it possible then, that 'in the beginning', day and night had nothing to do with what we call day and night today? Do we see the possible repercussions on the real age of the Earth? What then represents or corresponds to this first day?

Let’s go a little further to verses 14 and following; not that the other verses speak for themselves and need no questions or comments, but in order to avoid being too long.

God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. …17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. To give light on the earth??? Does this mean that the initial light did not light? Why would the earth still need to be lightened when the first thing that was, was light? Moreover, I thought He had already separated the light from the darkness and the day from the night since the first day; so, what are we talking about here?

God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night… What then, was ruling the day before? What kind of light and day was it then? What then, had been ruling the night since the first day? What kind of night and darkness was it so far? Have there been two episodes of separation? A first one between the initial, primary or even 'primordial' light and the 'original' darkness that were over the face of the deep; and a second one between the secondary light (solar) and the secondary darkness (from the ‘absence’ of sun)?

Finally, it is written that: God set them in the expanse of the heavens (vs. 17). That is to say that He set the sun, the moon and the stars in the firmament created on the second day to separate the waters (above it) from the waters (under it); isn’t it? It is also stated that it was to give light to the earth and to be signs for times and seasons, still on earth. Can we therefore conclude that above the Heaven, the sky, –i.e. in the waters above- there is no light? And that the heavens need neither sun nor moon, nor stars, nor counter of periods and years?

I could have gone on and on, but it was not necessary: you can do it yourselves. I do hope however that in trying to answer these questions, you have realized that these few verses of the Book of Genesis are far more profound that they appear to be. The Bible is infinitely rich, it contains inexhaustible treasures that are within the grasp of who really wants to find them: It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. (Prov 25:2) Are you a king?

If you read the Scriptures in this way, paying attention to every sentence and every word (because none of them is there by chance), prayerfully asking the right questions and thirsting to understand the mysteries of the Law, you will soon realize that your inquisitive reading will quickly become interactive; meaning that you will no longer be only hearing the sound of your own questions in your mind, you will also be hearing the answers that the Spirit of God will communicate to your spirit. And, is that not the goal?

“Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.” Ps 119.18

Have a wonderblessed week,

Peace!

Scapegoats (II)

 

Last week we saw how the children of Israel continued an absolutely mind-blowing  murmuring against the Lord in spite of all His chastisements and we were left to ponder over the different lessons that we could draw from all those events.

 

1) Signs and wonders are not always enough to change hearts.

If it was possible for people to change their hearts forever, fear God and fear the authority just because of signs and wonders, then the children of Israel would have never needed anything more after the death of the Egyptian firstborns or their crossing of the Red Sea. But inasmuch as the ten plagues of Egypt could not compel Pharaoh and his people to fear God, so were the multiple wounds of the Israelites in the desert incapable of converting them. That’s why Jesus said to the crowd: “You are seeking me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.” (Jn 6:26) People only care about their stomach.

This should be a serious warning to us. Indeed, if the children of Israel could forget signs such as those they witnessed in Egypt and in the wilderness, then what about us and all the ''small'' miracles that God daily does in our lives? If we are not careful, they will just slide away like water on duck feathers and we will surprise ourselves murmuring at the first test, just like the children of Israel.

 

2) Pay heed to the authority and beware of rebellion

Men want to do as they please. We don’t like having ‘conscience rectifiers’ or ‘direction pointers’ around us. More than Moses and Aaron, it was God Himself that the people were rejecting here. Moses understood it very well when he asked Korah: “What is Aaron that you grumble against him?” (Nu 16:11) Things became obvious a few centuries later when the people demanded a king to Samuel’s great displeasure; but God told him: "they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them" (1Sam 8:7b) Indeed, there is NO authority except from God (Rom 13:1); NONE: i.e. both the good and the bad ones. And the Scriptures ask us to conduct ourselves vis-à-vis them, not according to the fact that they are good or bad (1Pe 2:18), but according to the fact that they represent GOD’s choice and that divine choices are not disputable. It may not be the Leader, the chief or the President that we would have chosen, but he is the one that God, the Master of times and circumstances has established in His wisdom. And if we don’t want to suffer in one way or the other, He tells us:

· Submit yourself (unless you are asked to do something that is clearly contrary to Scriptures). Eph 6:5-6, Col 3:22, Titus 3:1, 1Pe 2:18

· Pray for your authorities. 1Tim 2:1-3

· Do not speak evil of a ruler of your people (Ac 23:5); you will be actually ill-speaking of God whom, according to you, is particularly nut/insane to leave such a person at such a place.

 

3) There is a need for the sense of responsibility.

Whether out of pride, cowardice, fear, forgetfulness or something else, we don’t like to recognize our mistakes and take our responsibilities. We like to believe that we are perfect and project this image outside; thus, as soon as we are in trouble, instead of first looking at ourselves, we often tend to point the finger at others. We are always looking for scapegoats and Christians have an excellent one: "The devil made me do ..." It's never us; we cannot be that bad, can we? We cannot be so vicious, right? We can’t be this deceitful; can we? It is obviously X, Y or Satan who has made us behave that way; isn’t it? Someone said: never forget that when you point the second finger on others, three other fingers are turned against you and point in your direction.

I hope and pray that the misfortunes of the Hebrews in the desert really serve as lessons to us. I had already drawn our attention to these things with the posting: ‘‘Beware, danger.’’ But today, I would particularly like to encourage us to watch over our hearts more than anything else, because therefrom flow the springs of life (Prov 4:23). Let us ask the Lord to change everything that may still be stony in our hearts into flesh (Ez 11:19 & 36:26). Let’s ask Him to give us docile and humble hearts; hearts that love His Word and His commandments (Ez 11:20 & 36:27); hearts that trust Him and believe that His ways are safe, sound and right, hearts that know He only desires their utmost good and welfare.

 

Have a wonderblessed week!