Genesis 24:1-9, Where we Talk About Abraham's Privates, (seriously) Pt. 1

Pants...because pants are a safe picture.

Yes, you read the subject line correctly. We are going to talk about Abraham's private parts today, (sort of). Did I say that for shock value and to get your attention? Yes. Is it actually a part of the Bible? Yes. So there.

Today we're going to begin looking at the longest chapter in the book of Genesis. It involves God acting in kindness and faithfulness to Abraham and Isaac. It shows God faithfully fulfilling his unilateral and unconditional promises to Abraham. It also involves a beautiful romance and the faithfulness of a servant to his master. It would really make a great movie. (If anyone does make a movie based on this blog then I automatically get 10%. This statement may or may not be legally binding). And yes, we are actually going to talk about Abraham's private parts. And yes, it is Biblical.

Note: It would be difficult, nigh impossible, to find appropriate "privates" related pictures. So I'm going to just going to choose something a little more...suitable, (i.e. pants). I trust you'll understand.

A little background first. God had made promises to Abraham in Genesis 12, 15, 17, and 22. He promised Abraham that he would make from him a great nation, bless Abraham, make his name great, and through him all the nations of the earth would be blessed. God further promised Abraham would bear a son through his wife Sarah through whom the promises would continue, (Isaac). In Genesis 22 Abraham trusted God, even with his beloved son's life, and God reiterated his promise to bless Abraham and fulfill his covenant promises. God's promises to Abraham were unilateral and unconditional, meaning they were not based on the faithfulness of Abraham or his descendants, but rather on the unfailing faithfulness of God.

In Genesis 23, Sarah, Abraham's wife, died. She was 127 years old when she died. Considering that they were probably married at an early age, it's not inconceivable that they had been married for 100 years or more. Needless to say I'm sure Abraham and Isaac were devastated. It's a sad and important story, but a story for another time. Today for our purposes we are skipping ahead to Genesis 24.

More...um..."pants"

So what's going on here? (Genesis 24:1-9) Abraham is old, (most people over 140 years or so are considered "old"). He wants to provide a wife for his son but there's a problem. Abraham doesn't want his son to marry one of the women in his area who did not know or believe in God Almighty. He knew that the women in his area would corrupt his son and turn him away from God.

Quick question: Have you ever seen a woman have a powerful or negative influence on a man? (Think Biblically or even non Biblically). Let me count the ways: Solomon, Ahab, Samson, Adam, the nation of Israel in general, Bill Clinton, JFK, your buddy from college who married that awful harpy who ruined his life, etc. I'm not saying men don't have a responsibility to make wise choices, etc. I'm not saying men can't have a negative effect on women. I'm just saying there's a clear example in history, the Bible, and in your life and mine that women can have a powerful effect on a man, (and vice versa). Therefore men: be careful about the women you associate with. Women: use your powers wisely.

Question: What do you think the application here is about marrying people who don't share your faith in God? What do you think the conclusion should be about joining your life to someone who isn't morally, philosophically, or theologically in agreement with you? Abraham knew there was a danger there to his son, which is why he commanded his servant so seriously, (as we'll see in a moment). God knows it, which is why he repeatedly told the Jews in the Bible not to marry women from other countries or religions. So Abraham is going to make his servant swear a very serious vow that he will go to the land of Abraham's family and find a wife for Isaac and NOT take a wife for Isaac from the ungodly land of Canaan. Abraham knew that within his relatives there was belief in the one God and he was trusting the Lord to provide a wife for his son from that land.

Pants humor.

Now, on to Abraham's privates. Verse 2, "And Abraham said to his servant, 'Put your hand under my thigh, that I may make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell, but will go to my country and to my kindred, and take a wife for my son Isaac." Now I'm no Old Testament scholar, but the idea here, from what I understand, is that either the servant was literally putting his hand under Abraham's thigh next to Abraham's "parts", or that he was literally, according to the custom, supposed to grab hold of Abraham's...um...you know. Let's just pause a moment for the gross factor to pass us by...

You ready now? Me neither.

...

Ready now? Okay? Let's continue. Regardless of what actually happened in this agreement between Abraham and his servant, the point you should walk away from is the seriousness of Abraham's request. If you've ever bought a house you know that you have to sign about 9,999 pieces of paper to show your intent and agreement to buy that house. There's no way you walk out of the office after signing those papers without a serious hand cramp as well as an understanding of the gravity of what you've just done. It's the same way with Abraham and his servant. Abraham wanted this servant to know, in no uncertain terms, of the severity of what he was asking him to do. There was no way Isaac was to be partnered with a non believing Canaanite woman. In our day we put our hand on the Bible in court to signify the seriousness of our oath. In Abraham's day you put your hand on a person's...pants. All joking aside, this agreement between Abraham and his servant is very significant.

Kind of makes you wonder how seriously God takes believers partnering with unbelievers, doesn't it? Remember, this is the longest chapter in Genesis, which speaks to its importance. Again, serious business.

It's NOT okay to go pantless on a plane.

One final point on these first 9 verses in 5-8. "The servant said to him, 'Perhaps the woman may not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I then take your son back to the land from which you came?' Abraham said to him, 'See to it that you do not take my son back there. The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from the land of my kindred, and who spoke to me and swore to me, 'To your offspring I will give this land,' he will send his angel before you, and you shall take a wife for my son from there."

Implied in the agreement the servant was making with Abraham is the warning of judgment on the servant should he not fulfill his task. So if you were the servant and you were in this situation you'd probably want assurances from Abraham should things not work out. Not to worry, says Abraham. God is going to send his angel ahead of you to make sure his covenant and blessing to me and my family are fulfilled. Abraham, at the end of his life, is a man of incredible faith in God. God has brought him to a point in his life where he completely and utterly trusts the character and promises of God. Was that easy? No, (see also Genesis 22). But God was faithful to bring Abraham along to a point of utter trust and rest in God. This is good news for us all, "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus," (Phil. 1:6). For those of us who believe and are walking with God we can be confident that he is always at work to grow us in faith and in our relationship with Him.

So far we've looked at Abraham's agreement with his servant, (as well as some interesting pictures of pants). Next time we're going to look at the faithfulness of this servant, as well as God's faithfulness to provide a bride for Isaac. I know you're all anxious for the next blog, but just keep your pants on...(ha!)

P.S. This may be a touchy subject for some folks. Maybe you married an unbeliever and it all worked out, they got saved, etc. Maybe you married an unbeliever and things got bad and this blog is hitting a nerve for you. My point here is to illustrate what is being said in the text and what that means for our lives. My point is to show the wisdom of God in his words to us, the seriousness about this issue, (i.e. the involvement of private parts), and the faith of Abraham. It is up to you to examine the text of the Bible yourself and see whether or not I have been faithful to God's Word. It is always my prayer and effort to do in my posts.

Job 6-7, Dedicated to Rainbow Spike, the Fish.

Goodbye Lamont. Goodbye Rainbow Spike.

Today's blog is dedicated to Rainbow Spike, my daughter's pet beta fish. My wife put Rainbow in a cup today while she cleaned his bowl. Rainbow, forgetting he can't breathe outside of water, decided to jump out of the cup. Maybe he was a very depressed fish. Maybe we didn't see the signs. All it took was a cry for help, a note, a phone call. Alas, it was not to be. Rainbow Spike passed away today. My daughter was quite distraught.


All this sadness reminds me of Job. Let's catch up with what's going on with his story in Job 6-7.

So how did we get here? Here's the Heath"Cliff

" notes version: Job was a very wealthy and blessed man who lived about the time of Abraham. He had a large family and a lot of possessions. Not only that, but he was a righteous man. He "feared God and turned away from evil." God boasts to Satan about Job. Satan tells God that Job only fears God because he has blessed him. God allows Satan to torment Job. Job subsequently loses his children, his possessions, and his health. However, in spite of all of his Job "did not curse God or charge him with wrongdoing," even when his harpy wife tells him to curse God and die. Understandably Job cries out about his pain and suffering. Eliphaz, one of Job's friends who has come to "comfort him", (irony abounds), tells him that he's suffering because he's sinned and he just needs to confess his sin before God and all will be well. Now we get to Job's response.

*Remember, it's as if we're watching a movie or a play. There's not going to be a tidy little ending until the end of the story. What we're trying to do right now is watch the story unfold so we understand what's going on.

In Job 6:1-7, Job laments the level of his pain. "Oh that my vexation were weighed, and all my calamity laid in the balances! For then it would be heavier than the sand of the sea;" (1-2). He says it is as if God has aimed his arrows at me, (4). He says he has every reason to complain and cry aloud, (5-6).

Next in Job 6:8-13, he wishes God would just take his life. He feels there is no hope for him and he just wishes his life would end. Remember, not long ago, in the span of a few minutes Job lost his children, his wealth, and his servants. Soon after that he lost his health. Some people surely have experienced similar loss and sorrow. It is doubtful, however, that few people have experienced it as quickly as Job.
"Oh, that I might have my request, and that God would fulfill my hope, that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!" (8-9). Job further says that he has no hope in his strength and no hope that his life will be restored, (11-13). His only comfort is that he knows he has not denied God. He knows he is a man of integrity, (10). "This would be my comfort; I would even exult in pain unsparing, for I have not denied the words of the Holy One." 

Observation:  This story does not hide the fact that life has pain, injustice, despair, and sorrow. The Bible is real. The characters are real. The issues and people we see in the Bible are just as real as the issues we encounter in every day life. I love the Bible because it does not sugarcoat anything. God deals with realities, not fantasies. We have here a person in Job, who is experiencing the same feelings of the most devastated person we could ever encounter. It is so bad that he wishes he would die. He is without hope. He is in pain. The Bible encounters man at his lowest and most despairing moment. Strangely, this is encouraging. God is not a stranger to man's pain, sorrow, and despair. He understands the deepest cries and hurts a person can feel.

Not only is Job suffering, but his friends are about as helpful as lemon juice on an open wound, 6:14-23. He compares them to ice hidden with snow that melts away when the summer comes. They are unreliable and untrustworthy. "My brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed, as torrential streams that pass away," (15). Job is in pain and sorrow and instead of comfort from his friends he's only received harsh and stupid counsel. He then challenges them to prove how he has sinned against God, 6:24-30. "Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray," (24). "But now, be pleased to look at me, for I will not lie to your face," (28). "Is there any injustice on my tongue?" (30). I don't know about you, but I've had my share of crappy advice and "help" from people when I've been in pain. If you've experienced it yourself then you know how hurtful and maddening it is for someone to say something stupid when you're broken inside. Job knows that better than most.

Having excoriated his "friends" Job returns to the expression of his own anguish, 7:1-6. Just as the slave looks forward to the end of his labor, so Job is looking forward to the end of his life. "Like a slave who longs for the shadow, and like a hired hand who looks for his wages, so I am allotted months of emptiness," (2-3). His only expectation is to fade away into nothingness and never be remembered. "The eye of him who sees me will behold me no more; while your eyes are on me, I shall be gone," (8).

Therefore, since he soon will pass away into nothingness, Job turns his attention to God, 7:11-21. In Job's mind he is going to die soon anyway, so he figures he might as well bring his complaint before the Lord. "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit;" (11). To Job it seems as if God has set a watch over him to make sure he suffers, "Am I the sea, or a sea monster, that you set a guard over me?" (12) Even when he sleeps Job can find no comfort. Even when he lies down he is terrified by nightmares, (13-14). Let's look at his final words before he finishes his monologue. You can feel the depth of this poor man's soul, sense his anguish, and hear his heart breaking as he cries out to his maker in sorrow and utter despair.

"How long will you not look away from me, nor leave me alone till I swallow my spit? If I sin, what do I do to you, you watcher of mankind? Why have you made me your mark? Why have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity? For now I shall lie in the earth; you will seek me, but I shall not be."(19-21).

If reading those verses doesn't break your heart, then you probably also liked the ending of Old Yeller. Job feels like he has become a target of God. He feels like God has set his sights on him and will not turn him loose in his anger. Granted, that's not the reality of what's happened, but it's important for us to see the depth of Job's broken spirit.

*Important point here: Job talks about sin a little bit here. I don't think he's making an admission of sin. Rather, I think he's saying, "Look, even if I did do something, wouldn't I have suffered enough here?" Throughout the book Job will hold fast to his integrity and righteousness, so I don't think he's making some admission of guilt.

Observations: Like I said previously, we're in the middle of Job's story here, so there's not going to be a pretty bow to wrap around each chapter or section. The ending comes at the end, (you only get to say brilliant things like that if you were a Journalism major), so we just have to hold on and watch things unfold. On a side note, I think it's important for us to learn to read and observe the Bible, instead of looking for some personal application or meaning in every verse or chapter. Some parts of the Bible are like that. We just have to read and observe the story.
Meanwhile, I do think it's important for us to see and feel Job's excruciating pain and emotions in these chapters. It's also helpful to see how the Bible deals with man's deepest questions about pain, sorrow, unfairness, life with God, and the deep questions we all ask when we are suffering. 

Oh, if only Job were a Saturday morning cartoon where everything was wrapped up in 30 minutes. Unfortunately Job isn't like that. Then again, neither is life. "Life is pain. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something." Name that movie. No cheating/Googling. If you guess right I'll send you a Dorito.

See you next time. God bless.

Genesis 22, (part 2). What it means for you and me.

Yesterday we looked at the testing of Abraham in Genesis 22. Wow, what a story! You can read more about it here. Basically God called Abraham to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on Mount Moriah. Abraham trusted and obeyed God and was willing to sacrifice Isaac, but was stopped by God at the last possible second. God commended Abraham for his faith and fear of God and therefore promised to bless him tremendously and unilaterally. I said this all much more eloquently and more in depth yesterday, but that's the general idea. Today's blog is more about looking to what happened and thinking about what it means for you and I today.

First a few points:
- God calling on Abraham to sacrifice his son was not totally unheard of in that time. Many of the pagan religions of Abraham's day sacrificed their children to their "gods". What was unusual was God asking Abraham to do the same since it was not something God had ever commanded and never commanded since.
- Genesis 22 talks about how Isaac was Abraham's only son. I hear you asking, "What about Ishmael?" Yes, Ishmael was his son, too. However, Isaac was the only son of Abraham and Sarah and Isaac was the only son of promise. I think that's the general idea of the language.

So What did we learn from Genesis 22?
- Sometimes God will test our faith through difficulty. Genesis 22 opens up with "Some time after these things God tested Abraham." The whole purpose of this chapter was God testing Abraham's faith. This is the first time Abraham is specifically mentioned as being "tested" by God, but I would submit that the whole of Abraham's life contains tests and challenges of faith. Abraham had plenty of challenges to his faith throughout his life. Sometimes he passed and sometimes he failed. But God used those events in his life to grow him into a man of faith and dependence on Him. Finally at the end of his life Abraham passed the ultimate test of God, being willing to sacrifice his one and only son. The bottom line is that God uses difficulty and challenges in our lives to test and grow our faith and relationship with Him.

Life is hard. Water is wet. Brussel Sprouts are gross, etc.

In the book of James in the New Testament God says, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing," (James 1:2-4). Difficulty can be the ground through which we grow, see also David, Moses, Nehemiah, Jacob, Joseph, Peter, Paul, etc. Does that mean every red light and bad day is God deliberately testing us? I don't know. I think the point is every difficulty is an opportunity to trust or not trust, obey or disobey and if we're faithful the Lord can do some amazing things in our hearts and lives. Is that easy? No. Difficulty by definition is difficult. (Feel free to write that down and amaze your friends with that quote). Life is hard, (another brilliant quote, I know), and God works amongst hard things to test us and grow us up.

I do not support your penguin cupcake business.

- Abraham showed incredible faith in God. God told Abraham that he would have a son through whom he would make a great nation and inherit the promises God had given. Now God tells Abraham to kill the same son. Does that make any sense to you? I don't think it did to Abraham either. But Abraham knew God was faithful to his promises no matter what, (see Genesis 15). He obeyed God, even when he didn't understand how it was going to work out. "By faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son...He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back," (Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham told his servants who were with him, "You guys stay here. Me and Isaac are going to worship and WE'LL come back." He also told Isaac that God would provide the lamb needed for the sacrifice. He didn't know how it was going to work out, but he exhibited faith in the promises of God.

IMPORTANT NOTE: This doesn't mean that you can mortgage your house and open your dream penguin cupcake business because you "have faith". Nor does this mean you can get healed from cancer because you "have faith". God had given Abraham specific promises and Abraham's actions were based on those specific promises. Please don't do anything crazy and send me a nasty email later telling me it's all my fault because I told you to "have faith". I say Nay-Nay!

- Isaac as a foreshadow to the cross.
Abraham, the father, leads his son up a hill to die. God the Father led Jesus up Golgotha to hang on a cross and die for the sins of men. Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice. Jesus carried the cross on his beaten and bloody back. Isaac was Abraham's one and only son whom he loved. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son" (John 3:16). God provided a spotless lamb for the sacrifice in Abraham's day and a spotless lamb in Christ. Abraham found a ram caught by its horns to sacrifice instead of Isaac. As I mentioned previously, God had showed he only accepted blood sacrifices from unblemished animals. Jesus was a man without sin, without unrighteousness, without evil. He was an unblemished and innocent sacrifice to God for the sins of men. In contrast to Abraham and Isaac, there was no other sacrifice that would be sufficient to pay for the sins of men. Sin and rebellion against God requires death. There was no ram caught by the horns who could take the place of Jesus. Only Jesus could pay for the sins of mankind and Jesus willingly went to the cross to suffer and die for you and for me.

Abraham, by faith, believed God would preserve Isaac's life, even bringing him back from the dead, if necessary. We, by faith, can have life and forgiveness of our sins in Christ. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

"What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus;
What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
Oh precious is the flow that makes me white as snow;
No other found I know, nothing but the blood of Jesus." - Robert Lowry

The 100th Blog...Yay!...and Genesis 22...and the Swedish Chef...and Abraham...and...and...

Don't get frustrated, Swedish chef. We'll come back to Job.

If you follow ye old blog with any frequency you know that I switch from subject to subject as suits my fancy. I'm known as quite the rebel, (not really), so my moods are hard to predict, (no comments from my wife please). I am however, dedicated to the subjects I have already brought up. So fret not, we will finish the blog on Job. I wanted to switch back, (for now), to Genesis and Abraham because Abraham called and said he was feeling neglected. Out of a desire not to offend the leading Jewish patriarch I have returned to tell his story. We join him now in Genesis 22:1-19. What I would suggest is that you open the page for the link on a separate page so you can view the verses. Either that or just open the Bible. Whichever option you think the Swedish chef would like best. One other thing: Genesis 22 is one of the most deep and incredible chapters of the Bible, so I'm going to spend two blogs on it. The first is going to be mainly observing the text and the second will look more in depth at its meaning and significance. Here we go:

How did we get here? If you're interested in the long answer to that question you can go back and read my blogs on Genesis and particularly Abraham, (or you could just read Genesis 12-21, it's your choice). The short answer is that Abraham was called by God out of his homeland. God told him he would make him a great nation, make his name great, and in him all of the nations of the earth would be blessed. God also promised Abraham that he would have a son through his wife Sarah, (even though Sarah and Abraham were in their 70's), who would inherit the promises God gave to Abraham.

Abraham has been walking with God now for about 40 years or so. He has grown much in his faith and relationship with God, despite many stumbles and failings. God finally provided a son to Abraham through his wife Sarah, which was quite a miracle because both parents were about 100 when they conceived, (way to go Abraham!). All joking aside, God worked a miracle to provide a son for them, Isaac, who would be the heir to the promises given by God. So there. Now you completely understand Genesis 12-21...or at least the general idea.

Now Abraham has his son, the promised child from God. Genesis 22 seems to be, according to commentators, about 20 years down the road. Abraham and Sarah have been able to live with, raise, and enjoy their son for some time now. What a blessing. Now that we know the background, let's dig in to the chapter.

"After these things God tested Abraham..." (v1). A big part about reading and understanding the Bible is to pay attention to the context/background, (see prior paragraphs), and language. At the start of this chapter the Bible clearly states what is about to happen. God is going to test Abraham. The testing is the entire premise for what is going to happen in Genesis 22.

(v2). Whoa. Stop a minute. Let's think about this. Abraham had waited 25 years for the son God promised to him. He had endured years of waiting and trusting God. He had finally received the son God was going to use to create a great nation and through whom the world would be blessed according to God's promises. Abraham and Sarah had spent the last 15-20 years or so raising and loving this child. Now God calls him to take his son to the land of Moriah and sacrifice him to God. The language used in this sentence makes it painfully clear that God knows what he is asking Abraham to do. Each word of God's command cuts even deeper, "Take your son/your only son Isaac/whom you love"...Not only is it Abraham's son, but it is his only son that he loves deeply. To describe this as a difficult situation would be a gross understatement.

Ask yourself how you would feel in this situation? What would you do? What would your thoughts be about God? About his plan? About his heart? Why would God do this to him? How could this possibly line up with God's previous promises to Abraham about Isaac?

So what does Abraham do? "So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him , and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God told him. On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar," (v3-4). Faced with the most difficult command God has ever given, Abraham gets up in the morning, prepares the materials to sacrifice his son, and heads towards the mountain. The journey takes three days. I wonder if Abraham wasn't hoping God would speak to him in that time and order him to go back home with Isaac. Either way, Abraham obeyed God. 

Verses 5-8. Abraham and Isaac take the long walk alone up the mountain. Abraham tells his servants who traveled with him to stay and wait while he and Isaac go and worship. He makes an incredible statement to them, "I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you." Abraham is acting in faith in God and in his promises. God had told Abraham that in Isaac would the covenant promises be fulfilled. He told him that from Isaac a great nation would come. Abraham did not understand what God was going to do, but he trusted that God would be faithful to his promises and that somehow the Lord was going to bring Isaac back with him. Abraham didn't know how it was going to work out, but he trusted God and his promises. Abraham takes the wood for the burnt offering, the wood by which he will apparently burn up the dead body of his son, and lays it on Isaac's shoulders. Abraham takes the knife and the torch and they both head up the mountain. Man! What a picture! The father leading his own son up a mountain where he will kill him.

Isaac realizes there is wood, a knife, and a torch, but no lamb for a burnt offering. (Remember, God had made it clear that the only acceptable offerings were blood sacrifices. See also Cain/Abel, Noah and previous times in Abraham's life). Isaac asks his father where the lamb is for the offering. Abraham answers, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son."  Abraham believed God would provide the sacrifice for the offering needed. Abraham trusted God.

(9-10) Now they get to the place where Abraham was to build the altar and sacrifice his son. Tom Nelson, commenting on these verses, points out that here the text slows down so you can feel the drama and emotion in each word. It's like when you're watching a murder mystery movie. It's the final scene, the killer slowly enters the room, every move is magnified and in slow motion before the climactic scene. It's the same way in these verses. You can almost hear dramatic music in the background. "Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son."

I'm told women like Sawyer. 

So what happens? It's if all of a sudden time stops and then you go to a commercial break. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? WHO KILLED JR? WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THE TV SHOW LOST REALLY ABOUT? IS DARTH VADER REALLY LUKE SKYWALKER'S FATHER? WHY AM I TYPING IN ALL CAPS!?

"But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me," (11-12). Whoa. That was close.

God allows Abraham to get the very end of the sacrifice and then stops him. He calls out twice, like you do when you're trying to stop your kids from touching the stove. ABRAHAM! ABRAHAM! Abraham stopped from killing Isaac, (as Rembrandt's painting to the right shows so well), and his son was spared. Instead of Isaac, a ram is found caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham is able to take the ram and sacrifice it instead of Isaac. There is a very important point here about the sacrifices God requires. Not only was the blood of an animal provided for the sacrifice, but it was an animal without any blemish. The ram was caught by his horns. The body was not marred or damaged. The ram was without fault. God requires the blood of a undamaged and unblemished sacrifice. If the ram had been scarred or damaged in any way it would not have been a fit sacrifice for God. The Lord provided just the right sacrifice, (see Abraham's comments earlier), instead of Isaac.

(14-19) Abraham in grateful praise, sacrifices the animal and names that place "The Lord will provide". God declares to Abraham that he will bless him greatly because of his faithful obedience. Pay attention to the unilateral and unconditional language God uses. "By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice," (16-18).

Has anyone ever made a movie about Genesis 22? What an incredible drama! What incredible faith! What emotion! What obedience! Maybe they should do a whole TV series on the Bible. They could call it, "The Bible". I really should check on that. Seems like a good idea.

Anyway, I told you before this was going to be mainly an observational blog. Next time we'll dive into what this all means and the incredible implications from this chapter. But it's important we take time to just read the story and breathe in all of what happened and the drama therein. That way we'll be ready once it comes to understanding and applying the lessons and truths from the story. Stay tuned for the next blog. I think it'll be a good one. Beaker agrees.

Even the fool looks wise until he opens his mouth. Job 4-5.

I know it's belated, but Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all! Now that turkey has been eaten, gifts have been unwrapped, (Blu-Ray player!), and miles have been traveled, I'm back to blogging about Job. I know you missed me.

My subject line is actually a proverb in the Bible, Proverbs 17:28. It speaks to the situation Job finds himself in. He's a man in intense grief who questions the plan and purpose of the Almighty, (see previous blog post and/or chapter 3 of Job). He is wondering why God has done all of this to him. He wondered why God even allowed him to live if he was just going to experience such sorrow. In short he asks a lot of the same questions you and I have asked of God when we experience pain, death, sorrow, or injustice in a fallen world.

Job's friends come along and actually seem like pretty smart guys for a while because they just sit there and grieve with him. Then they decide to open their mouths and it all goes downhill. First up to bat is Eliphaz. He swings and misses. Let's look at what he has to say.

Treebeard: "It takes a long time to say anything in old Entish."

Like I mentioned before, the speaking for the most part of the book of Job are like Shakespearean
monologues. The speeches are long and take a long time to say anything, (which is eerily similar to an Ent). Eliphaz is this way. He takes two whole chapters to say just a few things. (Why does he do this? I don't know, maybe he likes hearing himself talk). Eliphaz's comments are broken down into four sections, 4:1-11, 4:12-21, 5:1-7, and 5:8-27.

First in 4:1-11, Eliphaz encourages Job to remember the counsel he has given to others. He thinks it is odd that Job, who has counselled so many people who have been in hard times, now has a hard time understanding what is happening (1-6). Job, according to Eliphaz, should remember that those who are righteous never perish, God only destroys the wicked (7-11). In other words, Job was getting what he deserved because of his sin. If Job was righteous then these awful things would never have happened to him. (Counsel like this is why Eliphaz was never successful in his career as a grief counselor and subsequently opened a McDonald's instead). "Call to mind now: Who, being innocent, ever perished? And where were upright people ever destroyed? Even as I have seen, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same," (7-8).

In 4:12-21 Eliphaz enlightens us with the wisdom he received from a creepy spirit. He said he was sleeping one night and a "breath of air passed by my face" and freaked him out. There is no indication this ghost was from God. For one thing, no where else in the Bible do angels scare people and speak to them like something out of a horror film. Usually angels showed up in some sort of form people could recognize. They also said things like, "Hey, I'm an angel. Listen to me," instead of the whispering creepiness described by Eliphaz. The "vision" Eliphaz received can't be verified against any other revelation from God. It's a very relativistic experience. Eliphaz himself also doesn't claim it was God or from God. He just had a creepy message from a ghost vision and thought whatever that ghost had to share would be important to this conversation. (Am I being overly sarcastic and possibly rude? Yes). So what did the "vision" share? Basically that man is a mortal creation that can never be in the right before an immortal and almighty God. How comforting. Please stop talking Eliphaz...No? You have more to say? Oh goody.

Even this Panda is less of a jerk than Eliphaz. 

5:1-7, Eliphaz: "No one is going to answer you, sinner. Stop bothering God". Seriously, that's what he has to say. What a good friend, huh? "Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?" (1). A quote here from the NetBible commentary sums it up better than I can: "If he (Job) makes his appeal against God, who is there who will listen? The rhetorical questions are intended to indicate that no one will respond, not even the angels. Job would do better to realize that he is guilty and his only hope is in God." In 2-7 Eliphaz shares that the sinners get what is coming to them. Trouble finds those who deserve it. Evil people's children, "are far from safety, and they are crushed at the place where judgment is rendered," (4). What a nice thing to say to a guy whose kids were killed when the roof fell on them. Eliphaz = jerk. The bottom line for Eliphaz is "affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground," (6). In other words, trouble comes to a person for a reason. Men get what they deserve.

Job 5:8-27. So then, what should Job do, according to Eliphaz, the ghost whisperer? Job should repent because God is disciplining him as a sinner. If Job repents before God, then God will bless him. In other words, good people get blessed by God and evil people get punished. If Job repents and does good, then God will bless him. "Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal," (17-18). Here's the problem with what Eliphaz is saying: Job was not experiencing pain and sorrow because of his sin. By God's own admission he was a righteous man who feared God and turned away from evil. Job was experiencing this trouble because of the sovereign will of God and the evil works of Satan, (don't ask me to explain how that all works together).

Yoda Mr. T has pity for the foolishness of Eliphaz.

Lessons to learn from the foolishness of Eliphaz:
- Whenever you give advice to hurting people, make sure your "advice" is not from a voice, a vision, or a creepy ghost. I know that seems like common sense, but apparently it needs to be said. Eliphaz's advice was not based on the revelation of God, but rather his own relativistic experience. It sounded good and spiritual at the time, but was not based in truth, as we shall see at the end of the book. (No peeking ahead now). Make sure what you think about God, life, evil, suffering, etc is based on truth, i.e. the Bible.
- Remember that in this world sometimes bad guys get the girl, win the trophy, and have a big house. Sometimes good guys suffer, lose the Super Bowl, and get cancer. Therefore don't view a person's circumstances as a reflection on their righteousness or evil before God. Some of the best and godliest people I've known have suffered with debilitating diseases. Is that fair? No. Does that mean God doesn't love them? No. Some wicked jerks have their own TV shows, waste money, promote abortion, and defile God in public. God doesn't step on those folks and then scrape them off his shoe, (yet). That's the world we live in. We cannot view our circumstances as a reflection of God's favor on our lives. This is one of the key messages from the book of Job.
- God is not the uncaring sovereign portrayed by Eliphaz. Eliphaz describes God as not hearing, not caring, and highly judgmental. "Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn?" (5:1). "Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error;" (4:18). God is not this way. He is the God who descended onto earth, experienced the sorrow and suffering of man, and bore their sins and brokenness on his body in Jesus Christ.
"Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5).
The God of creation is not uncaring. He loves man who he has created. He is not without understanding. He has experienced injustice, sin, sorrow, loss, and pain. He is not someone we cannot approach. We are welcomed to come to him in our pain, confusion, and suffering. He is there and he cares. We may not always  (or ever) understand his purposes, but we cannot doubt his character or his heart.

So Eliphaz strikes out with his counsel. Big surprise. Next time we'll look at Job's response to this "wisdom". So say goodbye to Eliphaz and his ghosts and we'll see you next time. Happy New Year again. Peace out.

Hello, meet Old Testament Poetry and a Very Upset Job

Job 2:11-3:26 

Congratulations, we've made it through the most depressing parts of Job, chapters 1 and 2. The stage has been set, the characters introduced, the conflict laid out. Now we're leaving the narrative part of the story and getting into the poetic part, which mostly consists of Job's dialogue with his "friends" and in some ways his monologue against God. Job's going to lament about his struggles and question why God allowed all of these things to happen to him. His friends are going to tell him that he's gotten what he deserved because good people don't suffer, just evil sinners. Therefore, (they think), Job is a sinner who needs to repent so God can bless him again. Have you ever heard such thinking before, i.e. Bad things happen to bad people, what goes around comes around, etc? Well you're about to hear it here.

Random question: In what movie was Job 3:14 verse quoted? I'll give you the answer later in the blog. If you win you get a fortune cookie.

The good news is that we're going to jump through large portions of the text now that the scene has been set and the language has switched to a more poetic form. But before we begin, here are some pointers about reading through Biblical poetry:
1. You'll notice it doesn't necessarily rhyme. That's okay, Hebrew poetry is different than English poetry.
2. In Old Testament poetry, (see also the Psalms), the writer will say one line and the next line will either support, confirm, or contrast the previous thought. For example:

Dr. Seuss = genius.

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path," (Psalm 119:105). The first line is supported or further explained by the second. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me," (Psalm 23:4). Same thing, the first line/idea is supported or expounded by the second.

The poetic lines don't always support one another. Sometimes the second line is a contrast with the first or vice versa. This is an oversimplification of Hebrew poetry, but I just wanted you to get a general idea of how it's different than English or American poetry. Unfortunately, Hebrew poetry does not compare with the greatest of all poets, Dr. Seuss. Then again, it's hard to compete with such literary classics as Green Eggs and Ham.

So what happens in the text? In verses 2:11-13 Job's friends show up. They sit there with Job in silence, which was the smartest thing they did throughout the whole book. Then they open their mouths and it all goes wrong. We'll get to that later. In chapter 3:1, Job begins his opening monologue, which is how the rest of the book is going to go from here. Job will monologue, then one of his friends will monologue. Everybody waits their turn to speak and no one interrupts. It's much nicer than say, watching Face the Nation. I would encourage you as we go through this to actually read the chapters as I talk about it. That way you can actually see for yourself what I'm describing. That being said, I can't make you. Or can I?

This represents the Three Stooges AND political talk shows, ho!

Let's look at what Job says, (although verse 1 pretty much sums it up). "After this Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth."

Verses 2-10 - Job wishes he had never been born. He wished he had been a stillborn child. It's hard to blame the guy for feeling this way. He lost his children, his possessions, and his health all in rather violent means. He is left with nothing; not even his wife is supportive of him. He has retained his faith and reverence of God, but that's all he has left. At this point he would rather he had not been born at all. He is basically cursing himself in rather dramatic fashion.

Verses 11-19 - Job prefers death because in death there is rest. Why does Job wish he had died at birth? Because he would be at rest. In the grave the young and old, rich and poor, the righteous and unrighteous all find rest from the weariness of life. They escape the trouble and sorrow that comes with living in this world. Job would prefer to escape the pain and suffering he has experienced. He would rather die and find rest than continue on through his pain and loss.

Verses 20-26 - Job questions God's plan. Here begins Job's questions towards and about the workings of the Almighty. "Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul, who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than for hidden treasures, who rejoice exceedingly and are glad when they find the grave? Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden, whom God has hedged in?" Why does God allow men to suffer? Why does God allow men to live in such a miserable condition? Why do men live in such a brutal world where men get sick and suffer with cancer? Why are men's lives prolonged who have to endure wicked and corrupt rulers? Why do children have to suffer and live with abusive parents who make their lives miserable? Why doesn't God just let them die and escape such horrible circumstances? What is God doing? Why does he act this way?
Verse 23 reflects Job's feelings towards the Almighty. He is not cursing God, as Satan desired, but he does feel that God has hidden his way from him and hedged him in. He feels God has blocked him off, that God has concealed the way and himself from Job. Ouch.

"For my sighing comes instead of my bread, and my groanings are poured out like water. For the thing that I fear comes upon me and what I dread befalls me. I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; I have no rest, but trouble comes," (24-26).
Instead of food and water Job is fed and nourished with pain and loss. What a dramatic statement! He has no rest, no relief from his torment. Thus in dramatic fashion, we end Job's first soliloquy. Much of what was said was repeated or described in excruciating terms. Through this third chapter we see the pain, agony, and loss Job feels. We also see the initial bit of Job's questions towards God.

By the way Job 3:14 is used the movie Mission Impossible, (the first one). I highly recommend it.

So what does this all mean for you and me?
- Hold your horses/Relate to Job. Remember, Job is like a long story. The resolution comes at the end. There are going to be some sad times in the rest of the book. Hang in there. Although it's sad and depressing we get to see a man verbalize the struggles of living with God. Job is going to ask the questions we've all asked God at one time or another. He is going to express what we've all expressed. We can all related to Job, (maybe not with the part about oozing sores), in his struggle with pain, inequity, and God.

- God included this book in the Bible for a reason. Is it because God's a jerk? Does God just want to show he's some sort of Godfather like figure who holds us like puppets on a string? No and no. But life is difficult. Life with God is sometimes hard. Sometimes things happen we don't understand. Sometimes righteous people suffer and evil people win the lottery, get the girl, and don't get busted for using 11 items in the 10 items or less line, (don't get me started). People are going to have to live in a world where good guys don't always win and sometimes good guys get screwed, sick, or mistreated. Job was included to show man how to deal with the deep questions of life. God is acting in kindness and compassion to include this difficult subject and story in the Bible.
- Men are not alone in the struggle and pain. Other righteous men and women have suffered while living in a broken world. We are not alone.

I feel like I should apologize for such a downer of a chapter, but it's the Bible and it is what it is. Again, hold on. It'll get better, eventually.

Alright, good stuff. Next time we get to hear the Stooges, (Job's friends), speak. Wisdom will abound to all...or not.

Courtesy Job's friends.

Job 2: Things Get Worse, but Job Endures

The sons of God coming to present themselves...(BrickTestament.com)

If you're just joining us here we are going through a study of the book of Job. For a detailed and mind blowing introduction click here. Job, a book in the Old Testament, (the left side of the Bible), focuses on the life of a man named Job who although an extremely righteous man, suffers greatly. His life and story effect to verbalize some of the questions man has asked since time began i.e. 'Where's God when evil happens?' 'Why does God allow the righteous to suffer?' 'Why did God allow this to happen?' etc.

Last time we looked at the first part of Job's sufferings where Job lost all of his possessions, his servants, and his children in the span of about 10 seconds. Satan thought Job would curse God if God allowed him to take away his things and his family. Job to his credit still honored God. Now the story continues...

"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where have you come?' Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason," (Job 2:1-3). 

Glowing and smiling women holding a bird = angels.

This scene played out in the first chapter almost exactly the same. The angels of God come to present themselves before the Lord. (Do I know what this means? No. Do I know if this is a regular occurrence where the angels report to God? No. Am I going to make any interpretations off this passage how God and the angels interact? No). I don't mean to skip over this or be flippant with the text. However, the point of the book of Job is Job, not so much angels. Therefore I'm going to focus on Job. If you're interested in angels I'm sure there are some weird TV shows you can watch. 

Satan comes back to God after taking away everything Job had in the previous chapter. God reminds Satan that Job has remained faithful and has not cursed God, despite all that Satan incited God to do to him. God praises Job as a man who "fears God and turns away from evil".*

"Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face.' And the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life. So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. And he took a piece of broken pottery with which to scrape himself while he sat in the ashes." (Job 2:4-8)

Observations/Thoughts: Observing, by the way, is a good place to start when you're studying or reading the Bible. All it takes is a pen, paper, and an inquisitive mind. (See also Sherlock Holmes).
- Satan cannot accomplish anything without the authority of God. He has to come to God for permission to mess with Job. God's absolute authority is on display.
- God allows Satan to mess with Job. This is troubling. More on this later.
- The character of Satan is on display. He, as Jesus says later, "comes to steal, kill, and destroy", (John 10:10). He is indeed the "accuser of the brethren", (Revelation 12:10), and his name means "adversary". You see the same attitude of argument and negativity that he exhibited in his interaction with Eve in the Garden of Eden. He seeks to destroy the people of God.
- God is proud of Job. Satan initially proposed that man, (in this case, Job), would forsake God if that man lost his possessions. Job continued to honor God. Now Satan states the only reason Job is still honoring God is because he is still healthy. Satan proposes that if Job lost his health then he would surely curse God. God then allows Satan to afflict Job, but not to kill him.
- Job is having a horrible time. He has lost his possessions and his children. Now he been afflicted physically with sores all over his body. He sits apart from the rest of society in the ash heap while he scrapes himself with pottery to find some relief from his pain.

You would think things couldn't get any worse for poor ole' Job. But..."Then his wife said to him, 'Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.' But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?' In all this Job did not sin with his lips." (9-10).

"Woman you're not helping."

Job's wife, at least in this instance, has become the tongue of Satan.
- (This is in no way a critique of wives or women. Nor is this an effort to keep women from rebuking their husbands when they do something stupid. More often than I can count my wife has corrected me for doing something stupid or selfish and she has been right to do so). However, in this instance, Job's wife speaks in the bitterness and anger of her spirit to her husband. She does not speak to him to help, to soothe, to encourage, or to care for him. She speaks to him with a poisonous tongue, encouraging him to deny his faith in God, curse the Lord, and die. In this she is echoing the desires and designs of Satan.
- This sort of thing is seen again in the Bible. Peter said to Jesus, "Get behind me Satan", (Matthew 16:23), when Peter attempted to discourage Jesus from going to his death on the cross. At that time Peter was speaking contrary to the will of God and Jesus rebuked him for it. In this instance, Job's wife is speaking not according to truth, but according to the "foolish women", (v10). She was speaking as Satan would speak. She was verbalizing what Satan desired of Job, that he would curse God and forsake his faith in him. "But stretch out your hand and touch his bone...and he will curse you to your face." (Job 2:5). God had praised Job to Satan because Job "still holds fast his integrity", while Job's wife despises him for it. "Do you still hold fast your integrity?" Poor Job is all alone. Not even his wife is by his side.
- Job, unlike Adam in the Garden of Eden, did not submit to his wife's encouragement to sin, but held fast to what was right before God.

Key questions in the book of Job: 
1. Does God act in men's lives according to their goodness or evil? In other words, if you are good, are you blessed by God? If you are evil, do you suffer?
- God does not act according to what man deserves. The Sabeans and Chaldeans were not wiped out the instant they killed job's livestock. Job's wife was not blown to bits the moment she told Job to curse God and die. Satan still exists as a fallen angel despite the fact he lives only to destroy men made in the image of God. Does this make sense to any of us? No. God's sovereign plan, in a fallen world, allows for good and evil, light and dark, chaos and peace. We do not understand the purpose, the meaning, or how all of this functions together to make any sense. Yet, "all things work according to the counsel of his will," (Ephesians 1:11). We do not and will not understand the actions or mind of God this side of heaven. God has, for his own purposes, permitted/allowed/decreed this calamity in Job's life. It is not according to what Job deserves, it is according to the purpose of God. Is that easy to digest? No. Is it Biblical? Yes.

Job, as portrayed by the BrickTestament.com

- Man, who lives on earth, is not punished accordingly for every evil he commits, (otherwise there would be a lot fewer of us in rush hour traffic). Man is given the opportunity to put his faith in Jesus Christ and escape the righteous judgment for his evil deeds, thoughts, and affections. God allows man to be forgiven of his sin through the righteous life of his son, Jesus. That's not fair. That is grace. Life is not fair. Thank God.
- Jesus experienced worse than Job. The most righteous and loving man ever to walk the face of the earth was convicted of a crime he did not commit. He was tortured and beaten even though his accuser could find no guilt in him. He was then hung on a cross to die an excruciating physical, emotional, and spiritual death. Jesus Christ did not receive what he deserved. He experienced what you and I deserve because of our rebellion against our Creator. Sinners, by the way, are allowed to turn from their sin and trust in what Jesus has done for them so they might be forgiven and declared righteous in Jesus. Again this is not fair, it is grace.

2. Will men follow and trust God in the midst of suffering OR is man's relationship with God dependent on his circumstances? 
Job could have thrown an enormous temper tantrum and cussed God out because of his circumstances. This is what Job's wife wanted him to do. Amazingly Job, to his credit, submitted to and trusted God. He did not allow what he could not understand to cause him to lose faith in who God was, or to curse the Lord. He trusted and honored God even in the most grievous pain and loss. Would I do that if I experienced what Job did? Frankly I'm afraid of the answer.

3. Is God sovereign over all things, even evil? 
Job understood that from God we receive both good and evil. He understood that all things work according to the counsel of his will. I do not believe the Bible teaches God is responsible for evil. Yet at the same time, he is somehow sovereign over all that happens and nothing happens outside of his control. Does this make sense to me? No. Is it Biblical? Yes. Will we understand it this side of heaven? No. The foolish thing to do would be to think up, or rationalize the problem of God and the existence of evil so that it makes sense to us. Some have said, "God cannot be both all powerful and all loving. If he was both he would not allow evil to exist." (If that's the case then God should not allow you or I to exist). This is the way a foolish person would speak. Just because we don't understand something it is not an excuse to rationalize it to a system that makes sense to our tiny brains. You and I weren't potty trained until we were three or four years old. Some of us can't even program our phones. We're not going to understand the mind of an all powerful and eternal God.

So Job endures continued pain and hardship due to the persecution of Satan. He experiences the unhelpful commentary and tongue lashing of his wife. He is all alone in his pain, sickness, and loss. Yet he endures as a man who trusts and honors God.

Sorry this is such a downer of a blog. I rather wish I wasn't doing such a difficult and sad book. Cheer up! Next time we get to meet Job's friends!

*Footnote: There is a notable contrast on the matter of integrity between God and our present day. In the Bible, integrity is defined by God, not man. In God's eyes integrity is "to fear God and turn away from evil". In our day and time "integrity" is defined by each individual as they see fit. Integrity in our day certainly doesn't involve fearing God. Furthermore, "evil" is a relative term for each individual. There is no moral standard outside of a person to define right and wrong. There is certainly very little discussion about "turning from evil" in our day.