some SEED 4 from previous Issues

 

7.    EXODUS 20……….the 10

 

 

God made it so simple for His people of old.

10 commandments.

10 rules for Godly living.

10 ways to get it right in society.

 

Sadly they didn’t take it completely seriously and time and time again they broke this one..then that one..then another…then that one again….and so on and on and on.

 

God didn’t take the 10 back you know.

He never ever says that He got it wrong and we know better.

 

We can’t choose for ourselves which God to love and serve.

 

Idols are still a big NO.

 

God’s Name is still very very special.

 

The Sabbath is still needed as a day of rest. 1 in 7 does us good.

 

Parents cannot be honoured just when we feel like it.

 

Murder is murder.

 

Adultery is still adultery.

 

Stealing is not borrowing or sharing around. It is stealing.

 

Lying is not white. It is all black.

 

Envy and covet and jealousy is not good at all for anyone….whatever our neighbours own and possess.

 

It seems to me that The 10 still stand as what God expects from His people above all and

what He considers to be good for society.

 

No more comment is needed.

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6.       Exodus 16

Quail anyone??

 

I have always found this story intriguing….and a bit amusing!

Have you read it? Can you picture it all?

 

God provided as/when needed for His people’s stomachs as they wandered around in the desert……but it was quail quail and quail…every day on the menu!!

They were given clear instructions too…how much to gather and for how long…..and those who disobeyed?    Maggots!!!!

 

We ask Father God to give us this day our daily bread….but what then?

We tend to over stock our cupboards and after a while the sell-by date has come and gone.

 

It is something that my wife, Barbara, and I are learning all over again….the joy and benefit of food-shopping-budgeting…..and the need to consider others who have nowhere as much as we do….and not just in the quail department.

 

I try to operate a one-in-one-out when I have shopped for clothes or books nowadays….and when I do I see if there is anything else that can be better used by a local charity.

 

It’s worth a try?

Surely better than maggots!!

 

Exodus chapter 16 was not amusing for the Israelites of old and it is a powerful reminder that our God is a God who provides but who also expects us to be responsible with what we are given.

 

Is it time to check out the food cupboard or the wardrobe?

 ==================

 

 

Matthew 1 v 18 – 2 v 23.......with a modern twist

 

If Joseph had a mobile phone and texted his best friend…Zach, his best man-to be…

 

She’s pregnant.

            Who? Your sister?

Mary.

            Mary??????

Yep.

            U been a naughty boy then? J

NOPE.

             OHHHH

YEP.

            So….whose is it? Know the guy?

Sort of.

           Eh??

Long story.

           Just tell me.

God’s.

          God’s what?

Child.

 

You still there?

 

Zach?

 

         Joke over, what’s really going on Joseph?  You two in trouble and need

         somewhere to go?

I wish.

          I wish you tell me what’s happened!!

I wish I knew. I really love Mary but……

          Is this a wind-up? You don’t want me as best man now or what??

Nope. It’s for real.

 

          God’s child? Your Mary? You sure you got this right?

Yep.

 

What on earth do I do now??

         Dunno.   Cancel the wedding anyway for sure.

 

Probably will.

          Ok. Let me know Jo.

 

Gotta go. Rabbi wants see me.

 

 

I guess it was a good thing that Joseph had those dreams!

 

This Christmas, spare a thought for those whose lives are turned upside down and inside out by news received……

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5.   Exodus chapters 3 and 4  :  Moses on Fire

 

 

 

Jacob wrestled with God.

Moses spoke with God.

Habakkuk complained to God.

 

In the Old Testament men of faith are found to be in a direct one-on-one with the Living God, the LORD Almighty, their Creator and Provider.

They not only believed in Him but walked the walk with Him.

Often very closely.

 

Amazing really that the first Christian disciples saw and heard the Son of God when He lived on earth!

 

 

So what can we learn from this particular episode in Exodus?

Let’s take a closer look.

 

Moses, a shepherd, just doing his daily work.

Burning bush on Mount Horeb.

(Big Problem – bush isnt’t burning up.)

Utterly Holy God speaks directly to Moses, a very human being.

Moses has been chosen to lead God’s people.

Moses makes excuses.

God overrules. (And gets angry with Moses.)

Moses stops being a sheep-shepherd and becomes a people-shepherd.

(With a little help from Aaron.)

 

 

It is a very one-on-one encounter that would change Moses and his life for ever.

 

But should not every encounter with the Living God change us??

God used the burning bush to get Moses’ attention and I used to wish that I had been there to see it all…or that God would show me my burning bush as I did my daily work. The events here have always captured my imagination!

 

However……I am not Moses.

God used that bush at a particular time in Moses’ life.

 

And yet God speaks with me every day…..through His creation, through His written Word, through circumstances and through others.

 

How many excuses have I made?

How patient – or otherwise – has God been with me??

What words of His have changed my life?

Who has God provided in my life to help me??

 

 

At the end of the day, Moses could not ignore the bush or more importantly what the LORD God was saying to him.

There are mighty lessons here for us all….

When we take time out from our daily routines to spend with God

Are we aware of who is speaking to us?

Do we dare try make excuses and avoid what He is directly saying to us?

Does God have to repeat Himself to us?

Who has He provided to help us?

What is God, our God, the LORD God, saying to us…now, today,

in our lives?

 

 

I’ll leave you to pause and ponder beside the burning bush……...

=================

 

 

 

 Genesis 39 : Temptation

 

 

I see this episode in three acts.

 

However, remember it is not just a story. It is not a game being acted out.

These are real people, living real lives, dealing with real temptation.

And there are real consequences.

 

First of all, meet Joseph, son of Israel who had previously been called Jacob.

He is definitely one of the good guys in the Old Testament.

However, the problem is – his brothers didn’t really like him at all (and that’s an understatement) so they sold him off as a slave, deceived their dad that he was dead – and now we meet him as a slave in Pharaoh’s Egyptian Empire to Mr Potiphar, Captain in charge of the Royal Guard no less.

 

Joseph was doing real good and was no ordinary slave.

Potiphar saw something different in young Joe and he gave him serious responsibility in his household.

Although Joseph’s family were some considerable miles away in Canaan,

God was not far away at all.

 

Secondly, we meet Mrs Potiphar…… and sexual temptation.

By the end of this scene things have changed radically for Joseph.

It wasn’t his fault. Potiphar believed Mrs Potiphar’s story. Joseph ends up in prison.

Read verses 7-20.

 

We are all tempted to sin. Fact.   Being tempted is not a sin. Fact.

Adultery sadly happens. It is sin in God’s eyes. Fact.

Sexual failures occur too easily in many cultures in too many ways in our day and age – among both men and women it must be said.

There are consequences.

However God is never far away at all, offering mercy, forgiveness and amazing grace  –  even if others distance themselves.

 

Thirdly, Joseph’s true colours shine through in the prison!

The bars and cells are not a barrier to God at work.

He is a model prisoner.

He is a responsible prisoner.

He is God’s prisoner in a real sense.

Look at verses 20-23!

 

I wonder what Potiphar and his wife thought now!

And for us, the readers?

 

Circumstances may and will not always be of our choosing.

Others’ words and actions may cost us dearly.

But we must believe that God is still not far away.

Trusting in God is far better than blaming others.

Psalms 40 and 121 and Philippians 1 are a timely read I would suggest.

 

Sexual sin is a messy business.

It can start as a small burning within us and end up as a big public blaze.

We need to cut off those habits, contacts or friendships that are fuel for this fire.

It is good to find a strong friend to share with, to pray for you and

if need be to take you on a long walk sometimes away from temptation.

I have recently found Psalm 118 (esp verses 10-12) to be a great weapon.

 

Please please do not judge others if they have fallen at this hurdle.

Get alongside them – love them – spend time with them.

They are as human as you are.   Often they are truly lonely and hurting.

Matthew 18 verses 15-35 needs to be practised more me thinks.

And may Psalm 19 verses 12-14 be the prayer of us all.

 

 

And if things have gone all pear-shape?

It isn’t the end of the world.

God used Joseph in that prison – for good – for His purposes.

Our homes, jobs, health or whatever may be like prison walls to us –

but to God they are an open door for His grace to flow into and through.

He can bring others into our home.
He can make us a model employee.

He can use our prayers for others.

Nothing is a closed door for Him.

 

(PS. John 20 and Romans 8 should remind us of this truth.)

 

 

*   *   *

 

(PPS. We aren’t told how Mrs Potiphar fared after this episode.

Joseph? Well he was now moving on with his life.

One day he would become Prime Minister of Egypt.

 

Not bad for a slave, miles away from home and falsely imprisoned.)

 

=============

 

 Genesis 32  :  A Wrestling Match

 

There are some sporting contests that are for fun.

There are some where the two contestants or teams are very finely matched.

There have been some contests that have been so obviously fixed before it all begins.

There are some events where it is clear who will win – David versus Goliath and all that!!

 

 

And then there is Jacob taking on God in a wrestling match.

I doubt I have to ask you for your prediction of the result.

 

The LORD God Almighty, Omnipotent, Omniscient

vs

Jacob, deceitful son of Isaac, mummy’s boy.

 

 

Jacob – this is your life – so far.

You cheated your older brother of his inherited birthright.

You listened too much to your mummy and pretended to be Esau, your brother, to your ailing and blind dad.

You ran away as a coward.

You had a dream of angels and a stairway to heaven.

You marry Leah and Rachel (whom you really loved).

You become a parent.

You run away again – this time from your father-in-law.

You decide to make up with your big brother.

BUT..........Cue wrestling match!

 

I have never been Jacob’s biggest fan – until recently.

 

Who would support such a deceiver and coward?

Amazingly he gets a positive mention by the writer of Hebrews in his great chapter eleven, the chapter listing heroes of faith from the Old Testament.

 

Something happened to Jacob. Something changed in him. Literally.

 

It all happened one night near the ford of the River Jabbok.

Jacob was alone because he had sent everyone and everything ahead of him to meet his brother Esau.  Reconciliation was the name of the game.

Wrestling was the sport that night for a lonely man.

His opponent?  A ‘man’.  A Man who did not give his name.

A Man whom Jacob was totally convinced was his God.

A Man who realised He could not overpower Jacob –

Jacob was winning against His God (what a bizarre concept) –

and so He reached out and permanently injured Jacob’s hip.

Still Jacob would not give up and wanted to wrestle on!

 

Eventually the contest came to an end and Jacob was forever changed.

Not only had he a limp (can you imagine all the questions when he met up with his family – and Esau) but he had a new name. No longer to be called Jacob he was now Israel – which means he struggles with God.  (More questions there from all the family for sure.)

 

However for Jacob/Israel these changes were for good.

They represented that his God had reached out and truly blessed him.

That mattered more than anything else to him – look at verses 26 and 29.

 

And so, in chapter 49 Jacob/Israel passes a blessing on to his sons.

 

 

God changes people.

He takes part in the drama of our lives.

There will be changes – often very literally.

 

God can change your life, your circumstances, your future.

He will do it in such a way that others will want to ask you a lot of questions. The changes will be clear to see for them.

In this way He will get all the praise and glory for another life changed

By His outrageous grace.

 

 

He reaches out to us as we are now.

He wants us to be changed, becoming more and more like Jesus.

And he wants us to be a blessing to others, passing onto them what God has given to us.

 

 

If you are having trouble sleeping at nights, I encourage you to pray

to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – that He would bless you and others in your family circle.

 

But please – don’t blame me if you wake with a sore hip the next morning....

------

 

Genesis 18 : The 3 Visitors

 

 

Abraham sitting at his tent door in the middle of the day.

Abraham looks up.  Three men are standing nearby.

Abraham is the perfect host and invites them in.

Things will never be the same again for him and his wife.

Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed.

That is the very short version of what happened in this chapter!

 

I wonder how I would react if three ‘heavenly visitors’ came into my home.

Would I move or hide anything?

Would I be as calm and polite as Abraham or straight to the point why they were there in my home,

in my country, on my planet??

 

After you have read these verses through, don’t you wonder about it all?

Were all three angels? What did they look like? Were they making for Sodom and Gomorrah and got side-tracked at Abe’s for a spot of lunch? Why did three of them spend time with Abraham and Sarah but only two arrived at Sodom in chapter 19? Were they not a bit harsh on Sarah, considering her age?

 

I have many thoughts about this event in the life of Mr and Mrs Abraham and I guess that we will never ever learn everything about it until standing in heaven itself and all the pieces fall into place.

 (Maybe the three visitors will identify themselves there somehow??)

 

However for now let us pause and consider a couple of matters.

 

The LORD God did make a very special visit to this couple via the three visitors/angels and their lives were dramatically changed for ever.

Understandably Sarah did laugh when she overheard that she would be a mother in her old age but God did not take back the promised gift of a son.

 

God has a distinct habit of ‘visiting’ peoples’ lives and

changing things for ever – whatever their age.

He acts. He speaks. He guides. He provides. He prevents. He changes.

He forgives. He cleanses. He restores. He renews.

In Christ Jesus God appeared in human history for good almost two thousand years ago now.

That is Grace at work.

We do not deserve His forgiveness and favour.

We do not merit the riches of His grace won for us on the cross by Jesus.

We may laugh. We may cry. We may be silenced.

But God will not take back the victory of the cross and the empty tomb.

Hallelujah must surely be our cry!

 

I do not enjoy reading Genesis chapter 19, but something happened before then as the visitors were preparing to leave Abraham’s tent of dwelling that still leaves me encouraged and challenged even after many years of first reading.

 

Abraham bargains with God.

God the Almighty, all-knowing and all-wise listens to this human being as he makes one request after another, seeking to determine how God will act towards the evil places of Sodom and Gomorrah.

Abraham intercedes for those cities of yesteryear.

 

I have always thought it a bit bold of Abraham to put it mildly.

How dare he! Did he really expect his God to listen to his pleas?

Would God act according to his requests or do His own Divine thing anyway?

 

I believe that God listened and God promised to do as He said.

Prayer is a mystery – but it works.

Sadly there were too few good, godly men in the cities to save them.

But God would not have broken His promise.

 

Dare I come to God in prayer like that?

But would my motive be selfish or for His glorious purpose?

 

 

I am challenged again by Abraham’s requests for those places.

There are many in our world today that need our prayers.

I am encouraged by Abraham’s pleading. God does listen to my prayers for others and does answer. Sometimes His yes or no agrees with mine but there are times when I have to accept He knows best and realise His differing response is because that way His Kingdom comes, His will is done.

 

 

I may laugh if three angels appeared at my front door but

with God anything is possible.

Anything should be the content of my prayers.

 

It was the missionary William Carey who said,

“Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God.”

 

 

Amen?

 

(Was that the doorbell ringing by the way?)

 

====================

 

   Genesis 9  :   Noah Gets Drunk

 

I am very sure that this is not where you expected me to start and certainly not the image of Noah that comes to our mind nor would this be the subject of our Sunday School lesson! The ark and rainbow are much nicer to read about.

Noah, the great family man, the man of faith, the man who took God at His Word and built a rather large vessel, saving his family and himself – and all those animals and birds – when the flood covered the earth.

Noah, the man who got drunk. Now we can all read about it in Genesis 9.

 

When I first read these verses at the end of this chapter I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be shocked.

However as I have pondered this scene I have learned a few more things from God’s Word.

 

The heroes of the Bible were human just like us.

His three sons didn’t all react in the same way.

Noah was a man of faith – before and after this event.

 

As you read through the stories and books of the Old Testament you become aware quite quickly that the men and women we look up to as heroes in our faith were merely that – men and women. They had weaknesses and failed God, others and themselves often more than once.

Jacob was one big deceiver.

David was an adulterer.

Elijah was a coward.

Jonah was a runaway.

 

And yet – God used them mightily for His purposes.

How encouraging is that for us who stumble and fall over our own failures and sinful natures! God does not condone our weaknesses and sins but He can still take us, make us more like Jesus and use us for His Kingdom glory.

 

Noah’s three sons are all involved in this episode of their family life.

Ham discovered his dad naked and drunk. He told his two brothers.

Shem and Japheth didn’t tell anyone else. They protected their dad.

 

How we react to someone else’s bad episode in their life will tell our family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, and fellow church members a great deal about our spiritual eyesight and health. Notice how Shem and Japheth treated their dad in verse 23. That is a lovely example of love in action. There is a lesson there for all of us.

Actions can speak louder than words.

 

And afterwards?

God was still as real to Noah as He had been before and he shared the blessings with his two caring sons.

Alas Ham’s family were cursed.

 

I actually love the aftermath as much as the episode itself.  Noah did not suddenly deny his God and throw away his faith after his sons had discovered him drunk and naked. He had tripped himself up but his walk with God kept on going.

 

Peter did deny Jesus – three times – but the Lord still had a great purpose for him to fulfil in the life and work of the Early Church. He was restored from brokenness to usefulness through outrageous grace.

 

 

Noah got drunk.

His sons all witnessed what happened.

God did not break off His covenant promise that He made with him in the earlier verses of chapter 9.

 

I have failed others and myself many times.

Others have sadly witnessed the fall-outs.

I am amazed and surprised because God is still in my life, working in me to still make me more like Jesus. Outrageous grace or what?!

 

 

Wherever you are at in your life – on mountain top, trekking through a dense forest or floundering in a dark pit – I urge you to keep looking to God above all others, to not give up and to believe that He does love you, care for you and is working out His plan and purposes – even in your life.

And if you know someone in a dark episode of their life please please do not just run around telling others – get down beside them, care for them in practical ways and pray God’s richest blessing for them right where they are. Getting drunk was not the end of things for Noah and however bad it is for someone we love or know it is not the end of the story with God.

 

 

Romans chapter 8 is a good read alongside Genesis chapter 9.

 

God bless you all real good!