READING FOR MAY 10, 2024: GENESIS 28, 2 CORINTHIANS 10, PSALM 40:1-8 GENESIS 28 By now Isaac is completely onboard with Rebekah’s idea to send Jacob back to her ancestral home to marry one of his cousins, a daughter of her brother Laban. More importantly, Isaac is back on track with God’s covenant originally forged with Abraham. He understands that it is Jacob’s line that God will bless and greatly multiply. Esau, who married a wife from a family his parents did not like, hoped to regain favor with his parents by marrying a cousin from Hagar’s side of the family. There is no indication this was well received and of course Hagar was outside of God’s covenant—not that Isaac was interested in that fact.
Jacob’s dream reminds us that there is a much larger reality than we usually perceive. Jacob caught a glimpse of God above all things and angels ascending and descending on a ladder stretching to heaven. God reconfirmed and elaborated upon His covenant to make a great nation from Jacob through which the entire world would be blessed. In addition, God promised never to leave him, a promise we as believers in Jesus can also claim (Heb. 13:5).
How might we understand this dream better than even Jacob, who experienced it? Consider Jesus’s words to Nathaniel: “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man” (John 1:51). According to Jesus, He is the ladder via which we may enter the Kingdom of God. He is the only ladder to heaven available to us: “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6). Let’s alert others before it’s too late.
2 CORINTHIANS 10 Reading Paul’s letters is a lot like listening to one side of a phone conversation. The reader must glean what the other side communicates from limited information. It appears there were people in Corinth who were not fans of Paul, questioning his authority and his approach to ministry. Paul believed that his reputation with some had been as stern in his writing but unimpressive in person. His preference was to interact with the Corinthians in gentleness, but he was willing to be firmer should that be needed.
Paul’s call to spiritual warfare focused on the battle for the mind. He urged the Corinthians to take every thought captive in obedience to the Lord. One teacher visualizes capturing each dishonoring thought with a butterfly net. That’s a good way to be intentional. Paul also asserted his apostolic authority, not to build himself up, but to work for their good. To support this view, he reminded them that they heard the Gospel first from Him. In fact, Paul, as he did in his letter to the Romans, hoped they would help him continue his calling: preaching the Gospel to those who have never heard. Do we know what our calling is? Try to articulate it. Finally, he recommended that everyone praise God, not build up themselves to others.
READING FOR MAY 10 CONTINUED: PSALM 40:1-8 PSALM 40:1-8 When we read the words, “I waited patiently for the Lord” don’t we just sense the next words will be good news? So it is in this case. About what are we waiting patiently for the Lord today? Just as the Psalmist experienced deliverance, God can deliver us, as He defines deliverance. Consider this passage from Hebrews: “Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection” (Heb. 11:35). Obviously whenever moms receive their kids back from death, we celebrate God’s deliverance. Being tortured to death for our faith is another matter, but the Bible calls it even a better resurrection. Can we view deliverance, life, and death from God’s perspective? It starts by waiting on God.
For those of us who are born again, the Lord has already heard our cry and reached down to rescue us. We were hopelessly stuck in a pit of muck and mire, but Jesus paid the price with His blood to save us from sinking away forever. He placed us on the solid rock. He put a new song in our hearts. It is not a lament but joyous praise to God. Remember our new solid position the next time we worship together in song. Singing is not just tradition. It is not just filling time before the main event, the sermon. It is the expression of praise from the depth of our soul to our God for saving us from eternal disaster and giving us eternal blessing. In fact, verse 3 suggests that those who witness such singing will be moved to put their trust in God. What a fantastic witness. Sing as if the eternal life of others sitting in our pew depends on it.
Verses 5-6 state an undervalued truth: Those who trust in the Lord are the most blessed. Being a believer will entail offering ourselves as a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12.1), but the return on investment (ROI) far exceeds anything possible from Wall Street. We get the presence of the Holy Spirit to encourage, comfort, guide, and empower us; we are guaranteed eternal life; we get the fellowship of other believers around the world and throughout the centuries; and we get the constant personal attention of the wisest, most powerful, and most loving being in the universe. It is anything but gloomy. Don’t let Satan tell you otherwise.
Verses 7-8 say that God does not require burnt and sin offerings. Consider these words about burnt offerings: “Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ‘Command Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘this is the law of the burnt offering: The burnt offering shall be on the hearth upon the altar all night until morning, and the fire of the altar shall be kept burning on it”’ (Lev.6:8-9). Read this about sin offerings: “Also the Lord spoke to Moses saying, ‘Speak to Aaron and to his sons, saying, ‘This is the law of the sin offering: In the place where the burnt offering is killed, the sin offering shall be killed before the Lord. It is most holy”’ (Lev. 6:24-25). Is this contradictory? No. Note verse 8 David says God’s law is written on his heart. As with God’s message in Isaiah 1:11-17, God abhors offerings brought by those with evil intent and deeds. Offerings must be accompanied by pureness of heart and with actions that are just.
