2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
I am directed to write about the reasons God has given us lists of genealogy and paths of authority passed down in the Scriptures. One first inspection, a new reader of the word might ask why these long list of hard to pronounce names are included. Repeatedly I have asserted my belief that nothing, not one name, punctuation mark, number, or symbol is in the word that is there without God’s reason for it. To the mind of a person who questions the authority of Christ to be our Messiah or even his relationship to God as the second person of the Trinity, God has directed His witness of Christ’s true identity in the Scriptures. He does this by giving Christ’s earthly genealogy all the way from Adam and by showing the passing of authority to Christ by His lineage through Abraham and his son, Isaac, “the child of the promise,” and on to his son, Jacob, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Often God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for this reason. Another way that this lineage of the royal house of David is delineated is by God’s teaching on covenants and their importance to all who believe, whether Jew or Gentile.
A significant example where we see these issues come to a head is in the story of the twins born to Isaac and Rebecca, Esau and Jacob in GN 25. The two main points of this story are the passing down of the birthright, which normally went to the oldest son, and the blessing, a spiritual mark of authority. We all know that Esau was the oldest son, but sadly, he was spiritually lacking in God’s opinion. That meant that God would intervene to turn the tables, so to speak, and allow Jacob to find a way to wrest the birthright from his older twin and eventually (with Rebecca’s help) also receive Isaac’s blessing as well. GN 25: 29-34, “One day while Jacob was cooking some red lentil soup, Esau came in from hunting. He was hungry and said to Jacob, ‘I am starving; give me some of that red stuff.’ (That is why Esau’s descendants were named Edom, which means “red.”) Jacob answered, ‘I will give it to you if you give me your rights as the first-born son.’ Esau said, ‘All right! I am about to die; what good will my rights do me?’ Jacob answered, ‘First make a vow that you will give me your rights.’ Esau made the vow and gave his rights to Jacob. Then Jacob gave him some bread and some of the red lentil soup. He ate and drank and then got up and left. That was all Esau cared about his birthright.” We all know about the plan that Jacob and Rebecca carried out to tie animal skins to Jacob’s arms to approximate his hirsute brother and how the nearly blind Isaac was fooled into giving Jacob his blessing [GN 27: 27-29]. Had these actions not been in line with God’s agenda, we can be sure that He would not have allowed them.
The promise of the Abrahamic covenant had been passed down from Abraham to Isaac. When it came time to pass it down to Jacob, we find this young adult at Bethel encamped there having come from Beersheba in the south on his way to Haran up north. He lay down to sleep, resting his head on a stone [GN 28: 11]. This is the time he had his ladder dream where he saw a stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending on it. GN 28: 13-15, “And there was the Lord standing beside him, ‘I am the Lord, the God of Abraham and Isaac,’ He said. ‘I will give to you and to your descendants this land on which you are lying. They will be as numerous as the specks of dust on the earth. They will extend their territory in all directions, and through you and your descendants I will bless all the nations. Remember, I will be with you and protect you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done all that I have promised you.’” If we look at the three promises here, we can see the elements of the Abrahamic covenant: “descendants as numerous as specks of dust”-a nation; 2) “they will extend their territory in all directions”-land; and 3) “through you and your descendants, I will bless the nations,” -a King. Now, the last one hasn’t yet been fulfilled, but through Christ’s Atonement and the spread of the Gospel beginning in Paul’s time to the Gentiles, it is well on it’s way. The blessing to the nations is the opportunity for salvation that Christ’s Atonement and the spread of the Gospel makes possible. Remember JN 3: 16 and RO 1: 16-17. They clarify the fulfillment of promise 3.
If we look at the symbols that are in this story of Jacob’s dream, we can find the presence of each personality of the Trinity in it. The stone (rock) upon which Jacob slept could certainly be the presence of our Rock, Jesus Christ. Afterward, when Jacob awoke, he placed olive oil on the stone making it a memorial of this spiritually significant occurrence (GN 28: 18-19). Olive oil symbolizes the Holy Spirit. God appeared in his dream, so He was there too. The whole thing is brought together for us as Jacob names this place, “Bethel,” which in Hebrew means “God’s house.” Just as God remained with David later, he remained with Jacob for the rest of his life too. That meant he had given Jacob the authority to be a part of Christ’s lineage and to carry on with God’s support. Jacob pledged to tithe in response to all of this (22), and still had no idea of the major agenda God had for him. What this means to us in forwarding God’s agenda for our salvation, faith, and eventual eternal life with Him should not be lost on us. We, too, are His covenant people.
PRAYER: O Lord, as we review Christ’s ancestry, we can do so with the added depth of seeing it from the point of view of the covenant relationship we have with You. Each time we revisit these familiar stories from the Scriptures, You give us new insight into their meaning for us today. When we have faith in Christ and live the life He commands us to have, we can enjoy the same protection, direction, guidance, encouragement, and comfort from You that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the Son Himself have had. What a great blessing that is, as we face difficult times and the evil of terrorism. Our knowledge of Your constant presence in our lives not only protects us, but is a reminder that You keep Your covenant promises to us, and we should keep ours to You. If we ever have any question about how to keep those covenant promises, You show us by the examples of the faithful people in the Scriptures, in prayer, in our congregations, and by our circumstances how this should be done. You also provide us with an understanding that while Your Son physically died on the cross to bring us eternal forgiveness for our sins and salvation, He is very much alive in our lives today through the Holy Spirit. He is the resurrected Christ! Since You are in Him, and He is in You, then You too are with us every hour of every day. We come before Your altar in humility to offer You in our inadequate but heartfelt way the adoration, worship, loyalty, diligence, honor, glory, trust, obedience, praise, and thanks that You so richly deserve. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, I am directed to continue with the story of Christ’s lineage, so as to highlight the importance of how the covenant relationship passes down God’s presence and authority to carry out His will. Since His will is ever righteous and always in our best interests, we can take great comfort in the profound love He offers us through these things every day of our lives. These are not just old, familiar stories from the Bible. They are stories containing information about God, His presence, how He acts, and His teachings that are vital to us in our everyday lives today and in the future. They are direction for how to cope with the evil we face in today’s world. They are a demonstration of the love that God wants from us for Himself and for us to show to others around us. That, Dear Ones, is my idea of a love fest! Peter and send you our love too.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn