A name

Posted on December 24, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 10:21-32

21 To Shem also children were born. He was the ancestor of all the children of Eber, and an older brother of Japheth.

22 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.

23 The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber.

25 To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, because in his days the land was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan.

26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba,

29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan.

30 The region in which they lived extended from Mesha in the route of Sephar to the hill country of the east.

31 These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

32 These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad in the land after the flood. _________________________________________

A name

Shem was the ancestor of all of the Semitic peoples, and is noted here for being the root from which the descendents of Eber (the Hebrews) emerged. The word Shem is the Hebrew word for name itself. Moses includes this genealogical data to set the stage for what God is going to do through one of Shem’s descendants – Abraham.

LORD, give us a name that we can proudly pass on to the generations after us – a name that displays our relationship with you.

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Tasteless salt and hidden light

Posted on December 23, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the land, but if salt has lost its taste, with what will the land be salted?[1] It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in the sky. _________________________________________

Tasteless salt and hidden light

Disciples of Jesus are designed to influence the world in which they are placed. A disciple of Jesus who does not lead is an oddity. It is like tasteless salt, which turns the land into garbage. It is like a lamp hidden from view, so that only darkness shows. Jesus had first challenged his disciples to accept the fact that the world would reject them. Now he tells these same disciples that they must lead the world anyway! In humility, as rejected, persecuted saints, disciples are still to keep showing Christ to their neighbors. Why? Because there are no other lights. There is no other salt. We are it.

LORD, grant us the faithfulness to keep shining and flavoring the world you put us in.

[1]The phrase en tini alisthésetai is usually translated as referring to the salt. But it makes more sense as a reference to the land. Jesus’ point is that if his disciples do not salt the land, it will not be salted.

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A Problem for Shem & Japheth

Posted on December 22, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 10:10-20

10 The start of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.

11 From that land Ham went into Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and

12 Resen (the great city) between Nineveh and Calah.

13 Egypt fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,

14 Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom the Philistines descended), and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan fathered his firstborn Sidon and Heth,

16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

17 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

18 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites scattered.

19 But the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

20 These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.

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A Problem for Shem & Japheth

Ham and his descendents formed a kind of backdrop to the affairs of Japheth, and especially Shem and all the Hebrew peoples descended from him. So, although Noah’s prophecy pinpointed Canaan, Ham’s sin appears to have affected most of the nations that descended from him. Israelites hearing these words were reminded of who they were and who they were not. This identity issue was extremely important for them as they faced the challenge of obeying the LORD’s voice in Canaan’s land.

LORD, remind us who we are and who we are not. Keep us centered on our relationship with you.

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Blessed are the misunderstood

Posted on December 21, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 5:8-12

8 “Blessed are the clean in heart now, for they shall see God later.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers now, for they shall be called sons of God later.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the promised kingdom from the sky.

11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.

12 Rejoice and be glad, for your future reward is great stored up in the sky, because they persecuted the prophets who were before you in the same way.

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Blessed are the misunderstood

Living the life Jesus prescribes is not going to win accolades from the public. More than likely, we will be misunderstood and condemned in the very societies we are called to. Our hearts may be clean from where we stand, but others will call us conspirers and manipulators. We may seek to bring peace between God and humanity now, but they will probably brand us as enemies anyway. The world will attack us the way they attacked the prophets before us. The reason is the same. There is a fundamental disconnect between this sinful world and the future kingdom we represent. Our reward will be in that future kingdom. We should not expect it here and now.

LORD, help us to accurately represent your kingdom, in spite of the adversarial relationship this world has with it.

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A Blessing for Shem & Japheth

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 9:26 – 10:9

26 He also said, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and Canaan will be his servant.

27 May God expand Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, Canaan will be his servant.”

28 Noah lived 350 years past the flood.

29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

10:1 These are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

2 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

3 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

4 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

5 From these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.

6 The sons of Ham: Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

7 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.

8 Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first on the land to be a mighty man.

9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD. Therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.”

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A Blessing for Shem & Japheth

Noah’s words set the stage for generations to come. The sons of Shem and Japheth expected much of themselves, because they had to live up to the blessing Noah pronounced upon them. At the heart of the blessing was the assumption that these sons will be leaders.

LORD, may we prepare the generations who come after us by showing them how to lead your people.

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Blessed are the losers

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 5:3-7

3 “Blessed are the spiritually poor now, for theirs is the promised kingdom from the sky later.

4 “Blessed are those who are mourning now, for they shall be comforted later.

5 “Blessed are those who are meek now, for they shall inherit the land later.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness now, for they shall be satisfied later.

7 “Blessed are those being merciful now, for they shall receive mercy later.

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Blessed are the losers

The key to being an eternal winner is to allow yourself to be a temporary loser. The gospel is not a take-charge pep talk to get people to grasp victory today. It is a call to live a life of faith in which you will be forced to look embarrassingly like a loser. You will not look like a spiritually rich person who has his act together. You will look like a broken dependent. You will grieve over your own sin, and the depravity and death all around you. You will watch meekly as others take over the territory all around you. You will always want more of God and his righteousness, particularly in your own life. That will make you more considerate of the broken and fallen ones all around you.

LORD, give us the courage to be losers for you.

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A Curse on Canaan

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 9:14-25

14 When I place clouds over the land and the rainbow is seen in the clouds,

15 I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living soul of all flesh. And the water shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul of all flesh that is on the land.”

17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the land.”

18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.

19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole land were scattered.

20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.

21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside.

23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said, “Canaan is cursed; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.” _________________________________________

A Curse on Canaan

The latter verses of this chapter show that Noah is not just spouting off a curse on one of his grandsons because of embarrassment and anger. Noah actually sees into the future enough to know that this particular line – not all of Ham’s children, but only Canaan – would suffer and be servant of many. In Joshua’s time, the Canaanites who survived were slaves among the Israelites (Joshua 9:23,27). The same was true during the time of the Judges (Judges 1:28-30), and Solomon (1 Kings 9:20-21). The shameless act of Ham may have been the catalyst for Noah’s remarks, but the Israelites reading or hearing these words would know them as a promise that they would not be overcome by these adversaries.

LORD, thank you for the reminder that you are in control, even of our enemies.

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Crowds

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 4:23 – 5:2

23 And he went throughout the whole region of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of his kingdom and healing every disease and every illness the people had.

24 Gossip about him spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

25 And large crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and from Jerusalem and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.

5:1 After seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples approached him.

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them this: _________________________________________

Crowds

Jesus drew crowds wherever he went. You could say that it was because of his miracles. It was probably mostly that. But people in need seek out people who have it to give. Jesus knew what the crowds wanted, but that did not stop him from his primary task. He had called disciples to follow him, and so he set aside time for them. The crowds were there for the miracles. Jesus was there for his disciples.

LORD, give us the insight to make discipleship and discipling a priority.

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A New Covenant

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Genesis 9:1-13 And God blessed Noah and his family and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

2 The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the land and upon every bird of the sky, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. They are placed into your hand.

3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the vegetation, I give you everything.

4 But you shall not eat flesh with its soul, that is, its blood.

5 And for the blood of your souls I will require the same: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require the same for killing the soul of man.

6 “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

7 And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase on the land and multiply in it.”

8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,

9 “See, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you,

10 and with every living soul that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the land with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the land.

11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the land.”

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living soul that is with you, for all future generations:

13 I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the land.

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A New Covenant

Every covenant has promises of provision and protection by the greater party, and requirements of obedience and faithfulness by the lesser party. This covenant is between God and the land, and includes Noah and his descendants. The God who created the land can decide how it is to be used. He wanted the humans to increase and multiply, and fill the land. He gave them the animals to eat, as well as the vegetation. He warned them not to take the lives of their fellow humans, and not to eat animals while they were still alive (that is what it meant for them to still have their souls). God’s covenant was for the purpose of filling the land with his image. All of his covenants are.

LORD, show us how to fill this planet with your image.

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Fishers of people

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Jefferson Vann

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Matthew 4:18-22

18 While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, since they were fishermen.

19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you into fishers of people.”

20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him.

21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, repairing their nets, and he called them.

22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him too. _________________________________________

Fishers of people

Why did the Lord choose four fishermen from Galilee to be part of his world transforming team? It was certainly not a status choice. They brought no clout into his organization. In fact, they probably were liabilities from the outset. They were not known for their wisdom or experience. Perhaps it boils down to this, if anything: they knew how to follow orders in pursuit of their target. They had learned the trade from their parents, and willingness to pursue their target under the direction of their new mentor was going to be a plus.

What about me? Do I have what it takes to pursue people? When I think about it, none of the qualifications that I can admit for myself even seem to matter to this Rabbi from Nazareth.

LORD, use me to reach people. Mold me into the kind of disciple who lures others to your boat.

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