Saving Ishmael

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 21:14-21

14 So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she left and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.

15 After the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the shrubs.

16 Then she went and sat down across from him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not watch the child die.” And as she sat opposite him, she raised her voice and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, because God has heard the voice of the boy where he is.

18 Get up! Lift up the boy, and hold him firmly with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert archer.

21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

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Saving Ishmael

How did this story get back to Abraham? We do not know that it did, but somehow it made its way into the Hebrew tradition, and was recorded by Moses. It speaks of a God who listens to the prayers of those in distress, no matter who they are.

Does God hear the prayers of those outside his covenant community? He saved Ishmael, in spite of his knowledge that Ishmael’s people would become enemies of Isaac’s people. God loves the world. He is under no obligation to save anyone of any nation. But he cares. He wants us to care for people too, not just those who are on our side – but even those who violently oppose us.

LORD, give us your compassion for those who are in trouble.

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The Sky Kingdom and following Jesus

Posted on February 1, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 7:28 – 8:1

28 And after Jesus had completed these words, the crowds were overwhelmed at his teaching,

29 because he was teaching them as someone who had the right to do so, and not like their scribes had taught.

8:1 After he came down from the mountain, many crowds followed him. _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom and following Jesus

The sermon on the mount was a masterpiece, but as the crowds recognized, there was something about Jesus himself that compelled people to follow him.

They attributed his attraction to the fact that he was not just spouting off a bunch of quotes that someone else in authority had said. Jesus’ words themselves were important because of who he was. He had the right to command them.

He has the right to command us. He is God’s Son and God’s anointed. He has the right to demand our obedience. Yet he comes to us as a preacher, and reasons with us. He explains to us why we should do what he says. He does not have to do that. He does it because he loves us, and wants us to share in his coming kingdom.

LORD, we confess that we too often overlook your commands as if we have the right to choose which to obey, and which to neglect. Thank you for reminding us that you are the king. Thank you for lovingly drawing us to yourself.

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Disinheriting Ishmael

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 21:1-13

The LORD visited Sarah like he had said he would, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.

2 And Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.

3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah gave birth to for him, Isaac.

4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.

5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 And Sarah said, “God has made me a cause for laughter; everyone who hears will laugh about me.”

7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to him a son in his old age.”

8 And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.

10 So she said to Abraham, “Expel this slave woman with her son, because the son of this slave woman will not be heir along with my son Isaac.”

11 And the thing seemed very evil to Abraham because he was thinking of his son.

12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not consider this an evil thing because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.

13 And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.”

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Disinheriting Ishmael

Isaac had been born, and laughter filled Abraham’s house. But some of the laughter appears to have been mocking from Ishmael, who is about 16 years old by now. Sarah is indignant, and orders that he and his mother be sent away. She has no intention of having both sons raised in the same household. This breaks Abraham’s heart, because he loves Ishmael. Nevertheless, Abraham prays, and God tells him to listen to his wife.

Sometimes the things God calls us to do appear harsh and unloving. We have to trust God, and obey him. No sacrifice is too great to stay in the center of his will.

LORD, keep us faithful to you, even in times when our faithfulness is displeasing to us.

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The Sky Kingdom and listening to Jesus

Posted on January 30, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 7:24-27

24 “Since this is true, everyone who both hears these words from me and does them will be like a prudent man who built his house on the rock.

25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, but it did not fall, because it had been established on that rock.

26 And everyone who hears these words of mine but does not do them will be like a thoughtless man who built his house on the sand.

27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and its fall was devastating.” _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom and listening to Jesus

Jesus concludes his sermon with a warning to his listeners. Essentially, he is saying that now that they have listened to him, the choice is theirs whether they would respond in the right way.

They had already passively enlisted in his kingdom by seeking him in the first place. But neither of them had begun to think about following up. In Jesus’ words, they had not yet begun to build their houses. When you are in the enlistment phase, no one knows what you are really thinking. You appear to be religious and wise, but it is not yet clear whether that appearance is true to what is going on inside of you. There are quite a few today who have had some exposure to the gospel, and appear to have enlisted in Christ’s coming kingdom, but they remain passive. Jesus does not even mention this as an option.

The two real options to listening to Jesus’ message have to do with what happens after we leave the base of the mountain. Some will choose to build their lives on their own understanding, their own wisdom. They will live thoughtlessly. They will not allow the way that Christ prescribes to establish them in what they had professed. The result will be disaster. The rain, floods and winds are a given. Trouble will find us.

Jesus’ sermon is a “how to” message designed to help us to survive the trouble. Those who take Jesus’ words seriously will survive, and that survival will draw others to him. Their obedience to what Jesus said is the rock foundation, not simply their enlistment. When Jesus gave his great commission to the church, he told us to make disciples by teaching them to obey everything that he commanded. Their obedience, not simply their names on a register – will show that they are truly his disciples.

Where does grace fit this picture? Some say it does not. Some think that Jesus was teaching people still under the Old Testament “dispensation” so his message is practically irrelevant to those of us this side of the cross.

No, not at all. Jesus’ great commission was after the cross, and in it he still commands obedience of his disciples. Grace is what makes that obedience possible. Grace leads people to the rock. Grace permeates the building process. Faith in God’s grace gives us courage to build. Grace calls on the builders to pay attention to his blueprint.

LORD, we confess that we have stayed too long at the base of the mountain, lingering as your words resonate in our minds. But you have called us to go and build on your foundation. You have challenged us to face the storms ahead with confidence that your commands alone will establish us and protect us. Make us wise builders, following your blueprint.

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Door to disaster

Posted on January 29, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 20:1-18

Abraham travelled from that place to the territory of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur; and he lived temporarily in Gerar.

2 And Abraham told people regarding Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah.

3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream at night and said to him, “See, you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken, for she is another man’s wife.”

4 But Abimelech had not had relations with her. So he said, “Lord, will you kill an blameless people?

5 Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I have done this with integrity in my heart and with innocent hands.”

6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, in fact, it was I who kept you from sinning against me. For this reason, I did not let you touch her.

7 So, return the man’s wife now, because he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you will stay alive. But if you do not return her, know that you shall definitely die, you, and everyone associated with you.”

8 So Abimelech got up early in the morning and called all his servants and told them all these things. And the men were very frightened.

9 Then Abimelech called Abraham and said to him, “What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have caused me and my kingdom to commit a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done.”

10 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What were you thinking, that possessed you to do this thing?”

11 Abraham said, “I did it because I thought, There is no fear of God at all in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife’s beauty.

12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she later became my wife.

13 And when God caused me to roam from my father’s house, I told her, ‘This is the consideration you must show me: at every place where we go, say of me, He is my brother.'”

14 Then Abimelech took sheep and oxen, and male servants and female servants, and gave them to Abraham, and returned Sarah his wife to him.

15 And Abimelech said, “Behold, my land is before you; live wherever you want to.”

16 To Sarah he said, “Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver. It is a sign of your innocence in the eyes of all who are with you, and before everyone you are vindicated.”

17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, and also healed his wife and female slaves so that they could again give birth to children.

18 For the LORD had closed all the uteruses of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife.

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Door to disaster

Lot had decided to protect himself and his family by getting away from it all. His attempt at self-preservation ended in sin and shame. Now, it was Abraham’s turn. Would this man of faith trust God for his protection? Things were not looking good. He had lied to protect himself from those who might want Sarah, and that lie was found out.

Before we criticize Abraham for doing this, we need to keep in mind that we all fail the LORD in some decisions that we make – even the spiritual giants like Abraham do.

But an interesting thing happens in Gerar. The LORD speaks to king Abimelech in a dream, and spills the beans. He warns Abimelech that Sarah is Abraham’s wife, and explains how much danger Abimelech is in. If the LORD had not intervened by speaking to Abimelech in a dream, Sarah would have become another of his wives. Neither Abraham nor Sarah realized what was at stake here. When we give in to fear, we open the door to disaster. Only God in his grace can rescue us from our short-sightedness.

LORD, may we keep the faith, and trust you to rescue us. May we be faithful to you, and live in such a way that we proclaim you as faithful to us.

Posted in Abraham, fear, grace, trust | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom and what the Father wants

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who is now saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom from the sky, but only the one who is now doing what my Father who is in the sky wants.

22 On that day (when the kingdom comes down) many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who have worked against the Law.’

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The Sky Kingdom and what the Father wants

Jesus predicted that there would be a disconnect between the Christianity that some profess and that which they possess. He warned us in the preceding verses that there would be false prophets, and that it would be hard to tell because they would look like sheep. You would have to look at the kind of fruit they were producing to tell if they were genuine.

Now, he goes further. He teaches that those false prophets are self-deceived. They think they have a relationship with Jesus because of what they profess (Lord, Lord) and what they do (prophecies, exorcisms, miracles). But Jesus teaches that such actually do not have a relationship with him.

He says they worked against the Law. Jesus had taught that this same Law would not be annulled by his ministry. He would further explain and clarify it, but not abolish it. By following the commands of Christ, we can obey the Law as God intended it to be obeyed.

Remember that the sermon on the mount was delivered by Jesus to his disciples. He is not teaching salvation by works. He is teaching demonstration by works. The works, also, are a particular kind of work. Preaching, casting out demons, and performing miracles do not qualify as works which demonstrate a relationship with Jesus. We need to look deeper for proof of a real relationship with the Lord. This entire sermon on the mount gives us solid criteria for determining genuine obedience to Christ.

LORD, purge us of our self-deception. Draw us to yourself, and give us the courage to focus on doing what your Father wants. May we strive to know you, and demonstrate our relationship by obeying your commands.

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Cave people

Posted on January 27, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 19:27-38

27 Then Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.

28 And he looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and toward all the land of the valley, and he looked and, see, the smoke of the land went up like the smoke of a furnace.

29 So it was that, when God destroyed the cities of the valley, God remembered Abraham’s prayer and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow when he overthrew the cities in which Lot had lived.

30 Now Lot had moved from of Zoar and was living in the hills with his two daughters, because he was afraid to live in Zoar. So he lived in a cave with his two daughters.

31 And the firstborn said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is not a man in the land to come in to us after the manner of all the land.

32 Come, let us make our father drink wine, and we will have sex with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”

33 So they made their father drink wine that night. And the firstborn went in and lay with her father. He was not aware when she lay down or when she arose.

34 The next day, the firstborn said to the younger, “Behold, I had sex last night with my father. Let us make him drink wine tonight also. Then you go in and have sex with him, that we may preserve offspring from our father.”

35 So they made their father drink wine that night also. And the younger arose and had sex with him, and was not aware when she lay down or when she arose.

36 This is how both the daughters of Lot became pregnant by their father.

37 The firstborn bore a son and called his name Moab. He is the ancestor of the Moabites people today.

38 The younger also bore a son and called his name Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonite people today.

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Cave people

Lot had not been characterized by caution before, but seeing one’s city destroyed by fire from God can change a person’s perspective. Lot looked around at the new city he was living in, and perhaps began to realize that things were not all that different from old Sodom. So, he took his daughters and left for a cave in the wilderness. His plan for protecting his family was to escape again, isolating them from the threat posed by all of the rest of the families.

He could not protect them from their own desire to live on, and have Lot live on, through children. They conspired to get him drunk because they wanted to removed their shame and his. It was the height of dishonor in the ancient near east to go childless. Sarah had used a handmaid to get what she wanted, but Lot’s daughters chose incest. They even told themselves that they were doing it for him, to preserve his name.

Obviously, the Bible does not record this event with approval, or as a prescription for anyone who might find herself in this predicament. The Israelites of Moses’ day would understand that he is drawing attention to the origin of their relatives and enemies: the Moabites and Ammonites.

Perhaps we can learn a lesson here about witness as well. Our fear of the people around us can sometimes make us live like cave people – isolating ourselves from our community. We were not designed for that. We should be salt and light in our community, regardless of the character of the other people in it. Running away is not the answer. We cannot make disciples in a vacuum.

LORD, give us the courage not to run from the people you want us to reach.

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The Sky Kingdom and fruit inspection

Posted on January 26, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 7:15-20

15 “Be ready for false prophets, people who will come to you dressed like sheep but inwardly are destructively vicious wolves.

16 You will identify them by the fruits they produce. Are grapes harvested from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?

17 So, every healthy tree produces healthy fruit, but the diseased tree produces blighted fruit.

18 A healthy tree cannot produce blighted fruit, nor can a diseased tree produce healthy fruit.

19 Every tree that does not produce healthy fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

20 Thus you will recognize them by the fruit they produce. _________________________________________

The Sky Kingdom and fruit inspection

Jesus had already taught that we should not be in the business of criticism. Now, he warns that we should be checking to see if our teaches and leaders are genuine. This is what we call fruit inspection. Remember, the false prophets that Jesus warns about are going to appear genuine on the surface. They will be dressed like sheep. If they came with all the trappings of wolves, no one would be fooled by them. No, these enemies of the sky kingdom are going to look like us.

That’s why Jesus has to change the metaphor he uses to describe them. He says that they are going to be trees that produce blighted fruit. The orchard owner is seriously upset when he starts seeing this ugly substance on his trees. He has to immediately remove the fruit, and if the problem remains, he may have to cut down the tree.

Jesus warns us to be ready for this to happen in our kingdom communities. We will not always be able to spot the false teaching. We should, however, be able to recognize the divisiveness, arrogance, and polarization that comes along with it. It will produce “us –versus- them,” “we have the right way, and you are wrong.” Any person or movement that produces that kind of conflict is showing blight on the fruit.

LORD, give us eyes to see what false prophets are producing among us. Give us the courage to reject them, no matter how popular they are, no matter how doctrinally right they appear to be.

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Taking judgment seriously

Posted on January 25, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 19:14-26

14 So Lot went out and warned his bridegrooms, who were going to marry his daughters, “Up! Get out of this place, because the LORD is about to destroy the city.” But he seemed to his bridegrooms to be joking.

15 As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, so you are not swept away as the city is punished for its sin.”

16 But he dawdled. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.

17 And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your soul. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, so you will not be swept away.”

18 But Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my lords.

19 See, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my soul. But I cannot escape to the hills, or the disaster will overtake me and I will die.

20 See, this city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there- is it not a little one?- and my soul will be saved!”

21 He said to him, “See, I grant you this favor also, that I will not overthrow the city to which you have referred.

22 Escape there quickly, for I can do nothing till you arrive there.” Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar.[1]

23 The sun had risen on the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

24 Then the LORD rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the LORD out of the sky.

25 And he overthrew[2] those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what had grown on the ground there.

26 But Lot’s wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a standing pile of salt.

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Taking judgment seriously

Lot and his wife and daughters were recipients of grace, but they had grown so used to godlessness that they failed to take the angels’ warning seriously. The LORD had determined to rescue Lot, so the angels put up with his procrastination and bargaining. Lot’s wife was a casualty of her own refusal to take judgment seriously. His daughters’ fiancés were so used to Lot’s indifference to his God, that they could not believe him when he warned them. That is a sad commentary on Lot’s witness.

This generation is where Lot was in Sodom. We know of God’s impending judgment upon our cities, but we are puttering around in our living room, gathering belongings and watching videos. We may have warned our loved ones about something called hell, but they did not take us seriously, because we hardly took ourselves seriously.

LORD, heal our dawdling when it comes to rescuing those around us doomed for destruction. Impress on those we share the gospel with through the urgency of our appeals. May they not be tempted to think that we see you and your judgment as anything else but a serious, urgent matter.

[1] The Hebrew word Tsoar means insignificance.

[2] The Hebrew word Hafal implies destruction, a transformation of the city into a heap of rubble, and its inhabitants and vegetation into a pile of ashes.

Posted in commitment, destruction in hell, judgment, witness | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Sky Kingdom is the hard way

Posted on January 24, 2014 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 7:12-14

12 “So ask yourself whatever you would rather that others would do for you, and determine to do that for them, because this is what the Law and the Prophets teach.

13 “Enter by the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it.

14 But the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and few are those who find it.

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The Sky Kingdom is the hard way

Much of evangelism in the past generations has seemed like an attempt to make joining God’s kingdom as easy as possible. Perhaps the hope was that if we can get people to commit to following Jesus, then all that is associated with that commitment will follow. It has not worked. The Christianity it has produced is shallow and weak, and it looks very much like the easy way that Jesus spoke of. The trouble is, the easy way still leads to destruction. It destroys life today, and it leads to ultimate destruction in Gehenna.

The sky kingdom way is hard, messy and complicated. It demands community, and an investment in that community. We call it church. Church is hard. If it is easy, we are not doing it right. Kingdom living is a narrow gate which requires an uncomfortable squeeze. It forces us to think about what others want, and focus on loving them. That’s what the Law and Prophets (Old Testament) demanded. Those demands are still part of the New Covenant. They have not passed away.

Of course, Jesus said that few would enter this narrow way. But he did not say that to give us an out. It is still the only way that leads to life. It is the only real solution to today’s problems and the only hope for a destiny tomorrow. Perhaps we need to show the watching world how hard it is to follow Jesus. Maybe then they will get it.

LORD, forgive us for sugar-coating your eternal gospel. The way to life is costly. It led you to the cross, and it will require much of us. Show us how to take this hard way, and how to lead others to it as well.

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