Fear Motivates to Failure

“And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.” (Ge 34:30 AV)

Fear is a strong emotion.  Fear is a strong emotion that motivates us to action.  Sometimes, that action is good.  Sometimes it is not.  In this case, Jacob allowed his fear to hinder him from what his sons were willing to do.  A little background here might help.  Jacob had one daughter.  After the LORD answers Jacob’s concern with Esua, they moved to Shechem.  The king’s son had relations with Dinah and kept her in his tent without taking her to wife.  This demanded a response.  Jacob did nothing because of the concern mentioned above.  He was too afraid he would be an enemy of all those around him.  His fears are not without some merit.  Jacob was small when compared to the nations around him.  He had eleven sons and a handful of servants.  Comparing to Esau alone, who had four hundred servants, Jacob was as of yet, a great nation.  However, what Jacob had that no other nation had was the promise of God’s hand upon him.  His fear of those around him were unfounded when compared to the promise of God.

We can criticize Jacob, but we would probably do the same thing.  If faced with insurmountable odds, we might be tempted to compromise and let it go.  If faced with potential enemies that clearly have the advantage, we might be tempted to let things slide.  Fear, as strong as it is, is an emotion that often leads to compromise.  There is a movie produced by Bob Jones University that I vaguely remember.  There is one part that I remember clearly.  I believe the name of the movie is The Printing.  I cannot remember the whole story line, but I do remember a comparison between one church and pastor with another.  The first refused to baptize converts lest the government persecute them into non-existence.  The other had faith God would protect them and baptized new believers.  It was a little more involved than mere baptism, but the story emphasized those who lived in fear and compromised as a result, and those who did not.

We have many fears.  As I get older, the fear of being alone is a real one.  My three sons and their families all live hours away.  Who will take care of me if I am unable to do so myself?  Parents are afraid of losing their relationships with their kids.  Men are afraid of losing their abilities as they age.  We can be afraid of the weather.  We can be afraid of armed criminals entering our homes.  We can be afraid of a lot of things and taking steps to minimize those fears is wise.  What is not wise is compromising our faith and walk with God because of fears which we cannot control.  I would be wrong to give up my calling to be with my son so that he could eventually take care of me.  I would be wrong to compromise the word of God so that my child would love me.  I would be wrong to over medicate trying to be twenty again.  I would be wrong to allow the weather to be the defining factor in service to God.  I would be wrong to stay locked up inside and refuse to engage a public with the gospel of Christ simply because one of them might do me harm.  Jacob was afraid.  This fear led to the compromise of his daughter’s honor.  What is fear causing you to surrender?

Our God of the Two-way Street

“I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred.” (Ge 31:13 AV)

There was a mutual covenant made back there in Bethel.  As Jacob was fleeing to Laban his uncle, he promises the LORD if He will guide, protect, and provide for him, then Jacob will make the LORD his God.  The LORD fulfilled His end of the promise in the twenty years Jacob enjoyed with Laban.  Jacob got two wives and eleven sons out of the deal.  He walks away from Laban wealthier than his uncle.  The LORD saw to it Jacob ended up with a fair wage even though Laban’s intent was to use Jacob for his own personal gain.  God reminds Jacob of two things here.  He reminds Jacob of the anointing of the pillar.  That pillar would be the place upon which Jacob would worship God on a regular basis.  Second, Jacob vowed he would make God his God.  That was the deal.  Now, no matter what the future holds, Jacob has to trust the LORD to carry him through and enable Jacob to honor his vow.  This will be very important as he overcomes the adversaries of Laban and Esau.

What struck me about this passage was the manner in which the LORD addresses Himself to Jacob.  He doesn’t use the idea of Him being the God of all that He does or is.  Rather, He is the God to which Jacob made a promise.  This is a different side of the LORD which we seldom consider.  God is not just the God of all that He does for us.  The LORD is not just the LORD of all the blessings of which He bestows.  He is not the God of comfort only.  God is not the God of all grace only.  The LORD is not the only the LORD of all that exists.  He is the God of the vows and promises we make, too.  In addressing Himself this way, the LORD is gently reminding Jacob that Jacob has a promise to fulfill.  The LORD is reminding Jacob this relationship is a two-way street.  The LORD is rehearsing in the ears of Jacob all the He did for him while he was with Laban and how He held up His end of the covenant.  Now it was Jacob’s turn to make the LORD his God by trusting Him as he returned to the land promised to him by the very God whom he promised he would claim.

We can get into a rut in when we see our relationship in terms of what God can and will do for us without any consideration of what we owe Him.  This is where our generation is today.  We do not see we are obligated to obey and trust the LORD by conforming to the word of God.  All we see is our worship and experience as one big consumer product designed to make us happy.  The definition of a true disciple is never discussed.  Self-denial, acceptance of a purpose and burden of life, and obedience to Christ is the definition of being a Christian.  Being a believer is not defined by all the blessings and miracles which God graciously bestows.  It was not the two wives and eleven sons (he would have Benjamin later) that defined Jacob.  It was not all the material wealth he amassed while laboring or Laban that defined Jacob.  It was not all the cattle which the LORD blessed Jacob with that defined who he was and would be.  What changed Jacob’s name to Israel wasn’t all those things God did for him.  What changed Jacob’s name to Israel was his faith and obedience to the God who blessed him.  This is the God of his vow.  The God should be our God, too.  Regardless of what God does or does not do for us, we should follow, trust, and obey!

Permanent Work Zone

“And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of.” (Ge 28:15 AV)

This is part of the answer God gave Jacob after he saw what we refer to as Jacob’s ladder.  He was fleeing from Esau to the land of his Uncle, Laban.  God reassures Jacob He will honor all the promises he made to Abraham and Isaac through him.  Jacob was alone and on the run.  He has to be reminded that even though circumstances may appear to tell otherwise, the LORD has not forgotten him and He never will.  No matter what happens in life, The LORD made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob which can never be reversed.  These promises have to do with a purpose for their lives and the direction of their families. This promise it one which today’s saint can also claim.  Not the promise of a nation or land, but rather, a promise of purpose.  God will not abandon us no matter what.  He will finish what He started at Calvary’s cross.  You can bank on that.

There are several verses which testify to this truth. The Psalmist testifies to this truth when he pens, “The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.” (Ps 138:8 KJV)  Paul says it another way.  “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” (Php 1:6 KJV)  In the depths of despair, Job stated, “Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee: thou wilt have a desire to the work of thine hands.” (Job 14:15 KJV) These saints knew that once a commitment was made, the LORD would never rescind it.  They knew that once God began a work, He will finish to the end.  This gives the saint hope.

There are doubts and fears that flood our soul as we navigate this path of life.  Fears regarding the future.  Jacob certainly was feeling this.  He never met his uncle.  He didn’t know if Esau’s anger could reach all the way to his uncle’s country.  What would happen once Mom and Dad were gone?  If the LORD promised the land which he was now leaving, how was he going to get it back?  He is leaving with nothing.  How was he going to build a life with nothing upon which to build it?  Would Laban turn him down?  Would he have to wonder in the wilderness escaping the arm of Esau?  What we have to realize is God knows what He is doing and He is not going to birth us the second time only to turn around and ignore us.  A responsible God would not do this.  God has a purpose for our lives.  He will not stop until that purpose is fulfilled.

Surrender for Soup

“Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.” (Ge 25:34 AV)

A birthright here is everything.  The eldest is conferred the right of leadership of the household.  He gets a lion’s share of the inheritance.  It is through the one with the birthright which the future of the house of the family is determined.  To despise a birthright was a big deal.  Esau had returned from his hunting trip without any game to show for it.  He was starving.  He hadn’t eaten in a while.  He came upon his brother who was cooking bean soup.  The smell overwhelmed him and he couldn’t help himself.  The temptation coupled with a false sense of a need caused him to give up something very precious.  All he had to do was go a little further and his mother would have fed him.  Esau simply could not tell the flesh no for a bit longer.  He surrendered his future on the altar of the immediate.  We may judge Esau harshly, but we do the same all the time.  We forfeit what might be our future for gratification in the present.  We despise that which God has for us because we have an itch that needs immediate attention.  Or, so we think.

The word ‘…despised…’ is a strong word.  At first, I thought it might mean to lightly esteem.  But it is much stronger than that.  It means to find vile or worthless.  The word has a sense that Esau didn’t merely value the stew above his birthright.  Instead, it has the sense Esau would have surrendered his birthright for anything of value.  This is the idea which we want to consider this morning.  As a believer, we have a birthright.  We are joint heirs with Christ.  We have blessings stored away for the future that are based upon our new birth into the family of God.  However, these blessings are not guaranteed.  There are some contingencies in place.  For Esau to receive the blessings of the birthright, he had to protect it and possess it.  The same is true with our walk with God.  Our birthright, outside of eternal life, is based primarily on faith and obedience.  We cannot lose our salvation.  But we can lose the blessings and rewards that come with it.  We are alike Esau when we see the blessings of God as something vile or worthless.  When we keep the testimony of a believer, separated from the world, we despise it when we will not put up with the persecution that comes with it.  Never mind the blessings of holiness and purity.  They are deemed worthless.

Part of a birthright is the privilege to carry on the family name and all that name means.  Had Esau valued and retained his birthright, the house of Abraham would have gone through him.  This name is a name of great value.  An honor to be had and honed.  An honor to pass down to one’s own son.  Recently, Prince Henry and his American wife have decided to cede from the royal family and live independently of the crown of England.  I find this all fascinating.  A Monarchy that has little meaning to us Americans but is of great value to the British people.  What I find fascinating is how Henry and Magen are treating what they have.  One wonders how long it will last.  The despise their birthright and in doing so, leave all the blessings and honor that comes with it.  Henry will no longer be an important figure of philanthropy and humanitarianism.  He will have to get a real job.  Megan will be free from the constant patronization that came with being married to a prince.  But it this will be replaced by the disdain of a nation.  Once she married into the royal family, she married into something from which she cannot escape.  No matter how hard she tries.  She would be better off enjoying the privilege and responsibility that comes with it and learn to deal with the unpleasant aspects of the blessings.

We have been born into the family of God with all the privileges and benefits this bestows.  If we are willing to give it all up for a temporary pleasure, then our character was never truly deep to begin with.  The God of all grace didn’t have to send His Son to die in our place.  He didn’t have to increase that grace by granting us things above what we ask or think.  He doesn’t have to put up with our nonsense as we seek countless acts of forgiveness from a benevolent Father.  But He does.  He does so because He loves us with a love we cannot comprehend.  May we value the birthright and not surrender it for something as small as a bowl of soup!

Bride By Faith

“And the servant said unto him, Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land: must I needs bring thy son again unto the land from whence thou camest?” (Ge 24:5 AV)

This servant’s concern was a valid one.  What happens if Rebekah does not wish to return to a land she has never been to and marry someone she has never met?  Is the servant free to bring Isaac to Rebekah in the former land of his master?  This seems like a pretty logical solution to a hypothetical situation.  Abraham did not want his seed to return to the land from which they were taken lest the promise of God becomes of no effect.  If Isaac returns to Ur, he may remain there.  Specially if he takes a wife from there.  This would undo the very call of Abraham to separate and begin a nation.  Even more so, this is a wonderful picture of salvation by faith.  The bride, that is the church, must accept the proposal of a Savior whom they have only heard of and never met.  Rebekah didn’t even get the chance to correspond with her groom and get to know him prior to making the decision.  She had to make it solely on the word of the servant.  She accepted the offer purely by faith.  This is exactly what the sinner must do.  He or she must accept the offer of salvation by the word of another.  Without the luxury of meeting the Savior face to face, the sinner must accept the free gift of salvation or they will remain in the state of which they are and die lost in their sin.

One of my good friends from years ago has a very interesting story of how he and his wife ended up married.  Lawrence and Maxie barely knew one another.  He and his cousin decided they wanted to get married, so Lawrence and his cousin decided to ask these two girls if they wanted to get married.  They loaded up in a car and drove to Mississippi to wed.  They had to because they were too young to marry in their home state.  There was no courting period.  No lengthy time of getting to know one another.  It was three days and they were married, heading back home as husband and wife.  Both of these marriages passed the test of time.  Lawrence and Maxie were married for decades and were completely faithful to one another.  I often thought of how much courage and integrity it took for this arrangement to succeed.  Specially on the part of the wives.  They had agreed to marry a man whom they barely knew and made the decision in a matter of hours.  They made the relationship more than work.  It took a lot of faith to make that decision.  And a lot of courage.

Salvation is equally so.  It requires we believe the word of a written account of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  We must believe the word of another.  The written word of God testifies of a groom whom we have never met.  It tells the love story of how He gave His life for any and all who will trust Him.  We accept that word of another and place our trust in what He has done for us.  We leave the future to Him just as Rebekah did Isaac.  At the time, we didn’t have all the answers to our questions.  But we decided to trust Him anyway.  What a glorious decision.  There isn’t one account of Rebekah ever regretting her decision.  In fact, it is said of Isaac that he sported with his wife, Rebekah.  It sounded like they were in love from the time they met.  Rebekah showed great character by trusting the word of a servant as was handsomely rewarded as a result.  If you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, I would implore you to do so.  Take Him by faith.  In time, you will have all the answers you seek.

Mandate to Move

“And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:” (Ge 19:12 AV)

Let us recall exactly how bad these two cities were.  When two angels arrived, the men of the cities wanted Lot to send them from his house so they could sexually abuse them.  The homosexuals were intent on raping the men of God.  That is sick.  What is even worse is Lot’s solution.  He offered his two daughters to these lust-filled perverts in the stead of the men of God.  What kind of father does this?  Peter tells us it was so bad, Lot vexed his righteous soul with the environment in which he dwelt.  I am afraid we live in a generation that doesn’t realize how vexed we have become with the evil of the world.  Being these cities were a cesspool of filth, no wonder the angels gave the instruction to bring them out of that place.  This instruction was the right thing to do for Lot and his family.  It is the right thing to do for today’s parent as well.

Our world is a world of moral and spiritual filth.  Who in their right mind wouldn’t do anything and everything to keep those closest to us from being affected by it?  Today, separation is a bad word.  If you try, the world calls you a cultist and the evangelical world calls you legalist or radical.  So, we succumb to the persecution and allow our families to be exposed, or worse, influenced by ungodly things.  This happens slowly.  Over time, the influences do not seem all that harmful.  A little worldliness never hurt anyone, right?  We are not careful of where we go, what we do, or who we associate with.  We do not take extra precautions to ensure limited exposure to the viler of our world.  Several years ago, my wife and I took a vacation along the shores of Lake Michigan.  I wanted to go to the lake and soak my feet in the lake.  What I didn’t want was to be inundated with bikini clad women who have no sense of modesty at all.  I was looking for a place to stick my lawn chair in the water, take of my shoes and socks, and dip my feet in the coolness of the lake.  All the while listening to soothing piano music.  Ahhhhh.  So, we found a very secluded spot that was difficult to get to for the express purpose of avoiding the temptations of lust.  We were all alone.  Expect for one other family who were dressed very modestly.  However, after about an hour or so, two young ladies in their bikinis showed up.  Time to leave!

The tragedy of Lot is God had to take them from that place.  Lot didn’t have enough character to realize what that place was doing to his own family.  He didn’t even realize what it was doing to him!  If Lot was unwilling to protect his family from the world in little things, he will throw them to the wolves in greater things.  The LORD had to remove Lot because Lot allowed the world to come into his home.  Things were so bad that Lot’s own daughters had relations with their father so as to bear children to their father’s name.  These two sons (grandsons) became the heads of nations what would be Israel’s greatest enemies.  No doubt it all started very small.  A little bit of compromise here and there.  I am sure Lot never imagined he would end up offering his daughter as rape victims, without a wife, and two sons by an incestual relationship.  It all starts very small.  We have to get out of this place!  We have to remove ourselves from as much influence as we can.  Otherwise, vexation of soul is behind the next closed door.

God Sees Through the Trees

“And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?” (Ge 16:13 AV)

Hagar was in dire straits.  She was in the middle of the wilderness after fleeing from Sarah, her mistress.  Giving birth to a son in the stead of Sarah, this added conflict.  Hagar believed mothering a son for Abraham would change her status.  This was not so.  She was still the handmaid of Sarah.  This did not sit well between the two of them so Hagar fled the face of Sarah.  No, she is in the wilderness, all alone, and nowhere to turn.  She is as low as she could be.  It is there God sees her.  The question above is not exactly in the grammar we are used to.  Hagar is saying that God saw her even when she was not looking for Him.  This statement is formed in a question.  The point is, in our deepest times of distress, sometimes, we are so overwhelmed it doesn’t occur to us to seek God.  That doesn’t stop Him from seeking us.

We have a new member of our small little household.  Being empty nesters, we need someone, or something else, in which to invest some of our parental love.  The LORD graced us with a Christmas gift called Toby.  He is an adorable little puppy who loves laps.  The other day, he was getting off my lap and caught my moving foot.  He landed a bit hard on his front shoulder and incurred a deep bruise.  Needless to say, he was in a bit of pain for quit a while.  I laid him down and kept some ice on it to relieve the pain.  While waiting for our vet’s appointment, we nursed him as best we could.  Something odd happened.  After a bit, he got out of his bed and wanted to crawl under the Christmas tree.  He would rather crawl into a hiding place, removed from the help we could give him, to be alone and nurse his own injury.  He ran from the help we could give him and was more interested in laying on a hard floor, causing more pain, than accept the help and relief we could give him.  I am glad to report Toby is doing just fine.  He is almost back to normal.

What Toby did, we are frequently doing the same.  We run from the help that is staring us in the face.  Hagar ran from Sarah when the help she needed was right there.  Had she apologized for her presumption and continued to serve her mistress; she wouldn’t be in the wilderness.  However, praise the LORD even though she ran and didn’t seek God, God still found her.  This is for what Hagar is praising the LORD.  She now sees the LORD as a God who sees her.  No matter the circumstances of life, God sees you.  You can run and hide, but God sees.  You can wallow in the deep waters of life and even if you feel God doesn’t see you, He does.  We can be overwhelmed at the situations of life, and because of the emotional toll it takes, we forget that God sees.  But He does!  No matter what we are going through, even if we do not seek God, He sees us!  What a comforting thought.  He will never leave nor forsake.  He has promised.  Remember that God sees.  If we do, we will be inclined to pray and fellowship with God.  It starts with the faith that God is there.  He always was and always will be.