Genesis 24:52-26:16; Matthew 8: 18-34; Psalm 10:1-15; Proverbs 3:7-8
“’Look, I’m dying of starvation!’ said Esau. ‘What good is my birthright to me now?’ So…. Esau ate and drank and went on about his business, indifferent to the fact that he had given up his birthright.”
“Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went to Him and woke Him up, shouting, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’ And Jesus answered, ‘Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!’”
“O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most?”
During my first week of college, I remember proudly wielding my brand new MasterCard to buy a HUGE quadraphonic AM/FM/8-track stereo system with its requisite, massive four supersonic blasters – I mean, speakers. And I remember being haunted by the debt until after graduation! I’m not alone. Esau gave up his entire future inheritance for a bowl of stew today. There’s a man who did not let ultimate cost get in the way of instant gratification! The disciples could not wait to be rescued in God’s time. They had to see immediate, tangible security, whatever the plans of the Savior (and regardless of the lessons in store, had they just ridden the storm out with Jesus). The Psalmist mourns God’s distance, because He is waiting to act. The Bible is full of impatient people wanting more “stuff,” certainty or safety, but it notes only a relative few who understand the check (and any related lessons) should come first, and that sometimes, the currency is patience.
At age thirty-two, with a great job supposedly fixed for life (it sounds so naïve now), I bit the bullet on a jumbo mortgage and built a “dream house.” Then, I lost my job, and the house became a nightmare. Make no mistake: the “buy now, pay later” syndrome represents a deep, and potentially deadly, spiritual blindness. It erodes personal security and relationships with God. One need only look at Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae to know it is so pervasive it now threatens the security of every country on earth.
A country song claims, “When it comes to love, you don’t count the cost.” I think God would beg to differ. Love always knows and respects the cost. But Love pays up front, then no longer worries about the price. Don’t get the wrong idea. I have a mortgage and have financed cars… but not anymore, and credit cards are paid off every month. Because it’s not fair to God or my family to set myself up for failure. Let’s not make the tough times longer. Love pays up front.
Isn’t that what Jesus taught us from the Cross? He paid the price for our sins before we knew Him, before we even existed, so that we would be free from guilt and free to be with Him when the time came. It seems, then, that Love also knows cost is calculated in present value, but the investment potential – while it takes time to mature – far exceeds the price. I pray that God will help me to become a more disciplined, and patient, steward of His blessings.
2 comments:
This may not be pertinent, but why did Abraham and Isaac both believe it was better to tell people their wives were their sisters. I understand they thought they would be killed so someone could have their wives, but was it the custom to kill people so they could have their wives? And if they were their sisters, then how is letting their wives be another man any better since this was against God's law?
Suzy, ANY question is pertinent when it involves faith! Sorry it has taken so long for me to get back to you. Thanks for your patience. You ask some tough questions; keep up the good work!
Short answer is the guys were human (no hidden message there), but this is more about them trying to save their own skins than about the impact on their wives. Apparently, even among pagans, there was reluctance to take another man's wife - at least, as long as the husband was alive! No such taboo, however, applied to sisters. So, if the girls were identified as the guys' sisters, the guys were safe, whatever the fate of the ladies. We are left with just the reassurance that God really does use flawed individuals.
The longer story is that, at this point, remember the Ten Commandments had not yet been delivered, and Abraham and Isaac were still "strangers in a strange land," not yet having actual possession of the Promised Land. So, their faith was tested by their circumstances. And when it was, they responded like humans often do:
Isaac's lie was evidence of his unbelief; for if he had claimed the covenant promise when he prayed for children (25:21), why couldn't he claim that same covenant promise to protect himself and his wife? When he found himself in difficulty, Isaac was tempted to run and to lie; and we face this same temptation today. Isaac succumbed to the temptation and was found out. It's a sad day when unconverted people like Abimelech publicly expose God's servants for telling lies. What an embarrassment to the cause of truth!
(from The Bible Exposition Commentary: Old Testament © 2001-2004 by Warren W. Wiersbe. All rights reserved.)
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