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Getting your house (heart) in order

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On March 9, 2021

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Following the murdering of the Shechemite men by Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Jacob frets wondering if the inhabitants of the land, where he sojourned would come after him with vengeance and slay him and his family. He expresses to his sons, that their reputation of being a people of peace (Genesis 34:21) was now tarnished and that their cruel attitude and sellfill action (Genesis 49:5-7) would now deem him odious as a stench in the land (Genesis 34:30).

And God tells Jacob, implying that God intervenes and tells Jacob to leave that land and go up to Bethel, where Jacob had encountered God the first time as he was fleeing from his brother Esau (Genesis 28:18-22). Noteworthily, God even tells Jacob that when he gets there, he is to dwell there and make an altar unto God, making this historic as the building of an altar up until this time was a response of men when they had an encounter with God (Genesis 8:20, 12:7-8, 13:18, 22:9, 26:25, 33:20), and not a requirement of God.

Now when Jacob comes to his household, in addition to informing his house of God’s command and direction, he essentially tells his house to get in order. He asks them to do three things.

  1. Put away (Purge)
  2. Be clean (Purify yourself), and
  3. Change garments (Put on new garments).

He edicts them to put away any other gods (Exodus 20:3); which is rendered in the text as strange or foreign gods. Then they are to purify themselves by washing (Exodus 30:19-21, Leviticus 14:28) and put on new garments changing from their old attire (Leviticus 6:10-11).

These strange gods are possibly a reference to the idols that Rachel had stolen (taken and sat upon, hiding them) from her father’s household (Genesis 31:34) or any idols that the sons of Jacob may have plundered and assumed from the Shechemites (Genesis 34:29). Jacob (who will be rechristened for a second time as Israel by God) and his household are to have no other gods before them. His family obliges and gives him all the foreign gods and all the ornaments (earrings) that could be fashioned into dead gods (Psalm 115:3-8), which Jacob hides under an oak by Shechem and leaves the land.

Fearing God, the people of the land, refrain from pursuing the sons of Jacob. When Jacob comes to Bethel (formerly called Luz – Genesis 28:18-19) in the land of Canaan, he built an altar there as God had commanded him to and called the place Elbethel, meaning, God (El) the House (bayith/beth) of God (El) or God of The House. Earlier he had called the altar he had built in the land of Shechem – EleloheIsrael, recognizing that God was His God, the God of Israel. We could infer that his expression Elbethel from EleloheIsrael is a recognition of God being his God and the God of his house or that his house ought to be as the house of God.

Rebekah’s nurse, who accompanied Rebekah when she went to marry Isaac (Genesis 24:59), though unnamed there is identified here as Deborah, dies in Bethel and is buried under an oak in Bethel and that was called Allonbachuth (meaning the oak of weeping). How Deborah (meaning bee or wasp, having the Hebrew root dbr meaning to speak) is with Jacob is not explicitly mentioned, although some speculate that she must have fled with Jacob or sent later by Rebekah to tend to Jacob in her brother, Laban’s house. We do not know for sure, but she is recorded by name in the Scripture when she accompanied the bride-to-be, Rebekah, and when Rebekah’s son, Jacob, returns to the land.

Points to Ponder:
We are commanded to walk in faith and be on a journey toward God’s promised land. As we trek, we must be solely dedicated and devoted to God alone and put away or purge all idolatry from our lives. Literally, all idols (power, pleasure, position, popularity, etc) ought to be buried in the ground, under a strong tree (like an oak), never to be unearthed. We are to seek God’s forgiveness and repent of our sins and be made clean allowing God to purify us and wash us by his blood (Ephesians 5:25-26, 1 John 1:7, Acts 22:16), and we are to put on the new man, Jesus Christ, and put off the old self (Ephesians 4:23-25).

Is your house, or should I say, heart, in order? Is your heart one in which God is housed? In other words, is your heart cleansed from evil conscience (Hebrews 10:19-21) and in order meaning, have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ acknowledging his Lordship alone, and asking for his forgiveness so that you are washed clean, and changed to become more like Him? Do you believe in Jesus Christ?

Genesis 35:1-8 (KJV)
1 And God said unto Jacob, Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there: and make there an altar unto God, that appeared unto thee when thou fleddest from the face of Esau thy brother.
2 Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him, Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments:
3 And let us arise, and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and was with me in the way which I went.
4 And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hand, and all their earrings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was by Shechem.
5 And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob.
6 So Jacob came to Luz, which is in the land of Canaan, that is, Bethel, he and all the people that were with him.
7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
8 But Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried beneath Bethel under an oak: and the name of it was called Allonbachuth.

The danger of delayed obedience

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On March 8, 2021

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

31 verses recorded in Genesis 34 seems inapposite to the narrative of the Israelites as it involves rape, an offer of dowry, murder, and deceitfulness, but yet it is recorded by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16), to teach us some valuable lessons.

Jacob purchases a plot of land in the land of Shechem from Hamor (Genesis 33:19) and tarries in that land instead of going to the land that God had asked him to go (Genesis 31:13). Dinah, his daughter, chooses to go to mingle with the woman of the land, when Shechem, Hamor’s son lays eyes on her, seizes her and rapes (defiles) her. Unusually, after Dinah is defiled, Shechem falls in love with her and beseeches his father to ask for Dinah’s hand in marriage. The news of Dinah’s rape reaches Jacob when his sons are in the field tending to cattle. When Dinah’s brothers come and learn of Dinah’s defilement, they are wrought with anger. Hamor comes to Jacob and asks for Dinah to be given to his son Shechem as his wife and proposes that they intermarry the daughters of the Shechemites (pagans) and the Israelites, and share the land, and their possessions. Shechem, in exchange for Dinah, offers great dowry and gift, unto Jacob and his sons. The sons of Jacob, deceitfully respond to Shechem and Hamor, and suggest that if all the Shechemite males are circumcised, then they will allow Dinah to marry Shechem. They will also take Shechemite women as wives for the Israelites and the two shall become one people. They use circumcision as a sign of making the non-Israelites one of their own, instead of treating it to be the sign of the covenanted people of God, as was God’s edict to Abraham (Genesis 17:9-14). Fooled by the brother’s words, and with the avarice desire to assume the wealth and possessions of the Israelites for themselves, Shechem and Hamor reason with the Shechemite men in the city and convince them all to be circumcised. Three days after the Shechemite men are circumcised, when they are sore in pain, Simeon and Levi, two blood brothers of Dinah, take their swords and murder the men in Shechem, kill Hamor and his son Shechem, and take their sister back out of the house of Shechem. They then loot the city, plundering it, and taking the cattle (sheep, oxen, asses) that were in the city and the field, all the wealth and all the Shechemite children and wives as captives, acting much like the pagans instead of as God’s covenanted people. When Jacob hears of this, he expresses to Simeon and Levi that their action will not only jeopardize his life and the lives of his family but he will be deemed repulsive by the inhabitants of the land, to which his son’s reason and respond with a question “Should their sister have been treated like a prostitute?”

Some of the observations that we can glean from this pericope are:

  1. Jacob, who was rechristened as Israel (Genesis 32:28), is referred to as Jacob and not as Israel.
  2. While the word ‘defile’ appears four times in this chapter, not once is there a mention of God.

Some of the lessons that we can learn from this account are:

  1. Dinah’s going out to socialize among the women of the land, without the protection of her brothers or father, ends up costing her her honor and defilement.
  2. The anger of the sons of Jacob makes them vengeful, taking matters into their own hands, including using God’s covenant sign to deceive. While these series of unfortunate caused the defilement of Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, the eventual result of Jacob’s son’s action led to the distortion of God’s covenant sign.
  3. To offer to become one people and be unequally yoked with others (2 Corinthians 6:14) who are not in the faith is dangerous as it can lead us astray from God (Numbers 31:16).
  4. When we obey God and act according to his ways, our actions can make us a witness of the One True God, Yahweh, allowing for the access of the gospel of Jesus Christ to reach the people in the land or when we disobey and acts according to the patterns of the world, it can impede our witness and make us a repulsive odor in the noses of those who don’t know God.

The critical lesson we can learn is that all of these misfortunes for Jacob, his daughter, and his sons could have been avoided if only Jacob had not tarried in the land of Shechem. If Jacob had not delayed in obeying God and had traveled to Bethel where he was commanded to go by God, the defilement of Dinah, nor the murderous and plundering acts of his sons would not have happened.

Points to ponder:
The danger of delayed obedience is that it can put us and our families in harm’s way. When God asks us to do something, let us not wait, but let us immediately respond to doing what God wants us to, lest we jeopardize our lives and the lives of our loved ones (family) and become a repulsive (stink) amongst the inhabitants of this world that are still not God’s people. What is God asking you to do today? What are you waiting for?

Genesis 34:1-31 (KJV)
1And Dinah the daughter of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob, went out to see the daughters of the land.
2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.
3 And his soul clave unto Dinah the daughter of Jacob, and he loved the damsel, and spake kindly unto the damsel.
4 And Shechem spake unto his father Hamor, saying, Get me this damsel to wife.
5 And Jacob heard that he had defiled Dinah his daughter: now his sons were with his cattle in the field: and Jacob held his peace until they were come.
6 And Hamor the father of Shechem went out unto Jacob to commune with him.
7 And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter: which thing ought not to be done.
8 And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife.
9 And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you.
10 And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein.
11 And Shechem said unto her father and unto her brethren, Let me find grace in your eyes, and what ye shall say unto me I will give.
12 Ask me never so much dowry and gift, and I will give according as ye shall say unto me: but give me the damsel to wife.
13 And the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father deceitfully, and said, because he had defiled Dinah their sister:
14 And they said unto them, We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one that is uncircumcised; for that were a reproach unto us:
15 But in this will we consent unto you: If ye will be as we be, that every male of you be circumcised;
16 Then will we give our daughters unto you, and we will take your daughters to us, and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people.
17 But if ye will not hearken unto us, to be circumcised; then will we take our daughter, and we will be gone.
18 And their words pleased Hamor, and Shechem Hamor’s son.
19 And the young man deferred not to do the thing, because he had delight in Jacob’s daughter: and he was more honourable than all the house of his father.
20 And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying,
21 These men are peaceable with us; therefore let them dwell in the land, and trade therein; for the land, behold, it is large enough for them; let us take their daughters to us for wives, and let us give them our daughters.
22 Only herein will the men consent unto us for to dwell with us, to be one people, if every male among us be circumcised, as they are circumcised.
23 Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of their’s be our’s? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.
24 And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city.
25 And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males.
26 And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out.
27 The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister.
28 They took their sheep, and their oxen, and their asses, and that which was in the city, and that which was in the field,
29 And all their wealth, and all their little ones, and their wives took they captive, and spoiled even all that was in the house.
30 And Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, Ye have troubled me to make me to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house.
31 And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?

Is EleloheIsrael Eleohe(YourName)?

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On March 5, 2021

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

After Jacob found grace (unmerited favor) in the face of God (Exodus 32:28-30) and from his brother Esau (Genesis 33:10), at Padanaram, he pitches a tent, and erects an altar there and called it EleloheIsrael, which means God, The God of Israel. 

In other words, after his experience of grace, Jacob, now rechristened with a new name/identity as Israel (Genesis 32:28), upon coming to a place of temporary rest (since a tent is not permanent), on his journey toward the promised land, stops and worships God by erecting an altar. He also makes a personal declaration recognizing The One whom he is worshipping. He identifies God, who had identified himself to Abraham, Isaac, and to him as Elohim (from which we get the root El), meaning God Almighty (Exodus 6:3) as His personal God – The God of Israel (Hebrew: eloheIsrael). Israel in other words is saying that Elohim is His God. 

Points to ponder:
One experiences the grace of God when they acknowledge and admit their current sinful state (as did Jacob) and are graciously given a new identity in Christ, for whoever is in Christ (by belief in Him) is made a new creation/identity (2 Corinthians 5:17). Have you believed in Jesus Christ and been given a new name and identity in Christ? (Galatians 2:20). If you have experienced the grace of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6; John 14:9), the rightful response is to worship him.

Upon belief, as we move on the journey toward the promised land of God, we must recognize that this world is a temporary place (tent), and we must worship God and recognize him to be our personal God. Though He is God Almighty (Elohim), He can be addressed as the God of Israel (Jacob formerly), as your God, and as mine. Is the Almighty God, your personal God? In other words, is EleloheIsrael Elelohe(YourName)? 

Exodus 33:17-20 (KJV)
17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.
19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.
20 And he erected there an altar, and called it EleloheIsrael.

2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)
6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

John 14:8-10 (KJV)
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.



Shalem in Shechem

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On March 4, 2021

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

After Jacob (rechristened Israel),finds favor in the eyes of Esau, his brother goes to Seir while he continues to Succoth and arrives at Shalem, a city in Shechem in the land of Canaan, which was promised by God to be given to Abraham and his seed (Genesis 12, 15, 17). Before the city of Shechem, at Padanaram, he pitches his tent and also engages in trade to buy a parcel of land from Hamor, Shechem’s father for a price.

While these place names – Shalem, a city in Shechem, are given to inform us of place names in Israel’s journey en route to Canaan, it is interesting to note the meanings of the names of these places. Shalem is a variant of Shalom meaning peace in Hebrew. Shechem, possibly named so, after the name of Hamor’s son, means “ridge/neck” or “(ridge/neck between the) shoulders” in Hebrew (Genesis 21:14, 24:45).

Armed with these meanings, what starts to formulate is a picture of peace on the ridge of the shoulder. It brings to my mind the picture of the lost sheep now peacefully resting on the shoulders of the good shepherd (Luke 15:3-7). 

Points to ponder:
Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14). He seeks those who are lost (away from God in the clutches of death), finds them, and places them on the ridge of His shoulder (Luke 15:3-7). On His shoulders, one can find peace (Shalem) for He is the Prince of Peace, knowing that He is in control and the government (rule) is upon his shoulders (Shechem) (Isaiah 9:6).

Are you resting on the shoulders of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, meaning have you believed in Him or are you still lost – away from God? In Jesus’ Shechem (shoulder) can one truly find true Shalem (peace); no other place.

Exodus 33:17-20 (KJV)
17 And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
18 And Jacob came to Shalem, a city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Padanaram; and pitched his tent before the city.
19 And he bought a parcel of a field, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem’s father, for an hundred pieces of money.

John 10:11,14 (KJV)
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
…
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

Luke 15: 3-7 (KJV)
3 And he (Jesus) spake this parable unto them, saying,
4 What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?
5 And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing.
6 And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Isaiah 9:6 (KJV)
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

The face of Esau – the face of God

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On March 2, 2021

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

In the previous article, we learned about the fatherly love of Esau and his response of love, forgiveness and acceptance, as recorded in Genesis 33:1-7. Reading through Scripture, something equally or if not even more significant surfaces in the character profile of Esau.

The context is as follows. Jacob shrewdly and deceptively had deprived his twin brother, Esau of his birthright (Genesis 25:29-34) and blessings (Genesis 27:1-40). Fearing for his life (Genesis 27:41), he had fled to his uncle Laban’s place, where God had blessed him. Upon God’s direction (Genesis 31:13, 32:9), he is returning to the land that God had covenanted to give his fathers – Abraham and Isaac. Proactively he sends word with his servants, that he may find grace in the eyes of Esau (Genesis 32:5), hoping to have Esau’s wrath turned away from him. His servants return and tell him that Esau is coming to meet him with four hundred men (Genesis 32:6). Greatly distressed, fearing for the loss of his life and his family’s (Genesis 32:11), Jacob cries out to the Lord for his mercy and protection (Genesis 32:9-12) and then he acts again; this time, making ready an appeasement gift of significant proportions to give his brother Esau to avert his brother’s wrath. He sends his possessions as gifts, drove (flock) after drove. When Esau’s comes close to Jacob, he responds not with hatred, but with an accepting and restorative love, just as the father of a prodigal son did. Then when Esau questions, as to what all these droves meant, Jacob responds by saying that these gifts were to find grace in Esau’s eye. Esau informs his brother Jacob that he has enough and that he was not in need of his gifts. Jacob then makes an interesting statement, which is likely one of the greatest commendations that could be said of any man. Seeing the face of Esau, Jacob expresses that it felt as if he had seen the face of God for Esau had accepted him.

The Bible establishes that no man may see the face of God and live (Exodus 33:20). So how can Jacob make such a bold statement? How does Jacob know what God’s face looks like? Just a night ago, Jacob was in the presence of the angel of the Lord with whom he had wrestled. After he accepted his sinfulness and confessed that he was indeed a Jacob (deceiver), God (the angel of the Lord is likely the pre-incarnate Christ) responded with grace and acceptance and said that his past (as Jacob the deceiver) would no longer be necessary for his identification, for henceforth he shall be known by a new name Israel. He had seen God’s face (Exodus 32:30) reflect forgiveness, grace and acceptance. It was not any gift that appeased God, but his humble confession in repentance. Esau reflects that same character of God – of forgiveness, grace, and acceptance. Just as God had shown grace (unmerited favor), so did Esau.

Points to ponder:
The glory of God is revealed in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6) and we have this treasure hidden in us (2 Corinthians 4:7). When people look at us, do they feel the presence of the Lord? In other words, do they see us forgive, be gracious and accepting of those who have wronged us? Simply put, when people see our lives, can they express that they feel as if they have seen the face of God (in us) – the hidden treasure in our jars of clay? Do they God’s grace in us? Do they see God’s face in us?

Exodus 33:8-16 (KJV)
8 And he said, What meanest thou by all this drove which I met? And he said, These are to find grace in the sight of my lord.
9 And Esau said, I have enough, my brother; keep that thou hast unto thyself.
10 And Jacob said, Nay, I pray thee, if now I have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: for therefore I have seen thy face, as though I had seen the face of God, and thou wast pleased with me.
11 Take, I pray thee, my blessing that is brought to thee; because God hath dealt graciously with me, and because I have enough. And he urged him, and he took it.
12 And he said, Let us take our journey, and let us go, and I will go before thee.
13 And he said unto him, My lord knoweth that the children are tender, and the flocks and herds with young are with me: and if men should overdrive them one day, all the flock will die.
14 Let my lord, I pray thee, pass over before his servant: and I will lead on softly, according as the cattle that goeth before me and the children be able to endure, until I come unto my lord unto Seir.
15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
16 So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (ESV)
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 

The Fatherly Love of Esau

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On March 1, 2021

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

The title for this article is likely to pique the attention of those who diligently study The Word of God. Yes, it is not the Fatherly love of Abraham, of Isaac, or of Jacob – the Patriarchs, or the Fatherly love of Job (Job 1:5), or Jehonadab aka Jonadab the Rechabite (2 Kings 10:15, Jeremiah 35:1-10), that I am writing about but the fatherly love of Esau.

From Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament (OT), wherein we read of the birth of Esau, Isaac and Rebekah’s older son, Jacob’s twin brother (Genesis 25:24-26), to Malachi, the last book of the OT, the reference to Esau or his descendants, the Edomites, is made (Malachi 1:2-4). Often you hear about the failure of Esau in homilies. He is touted as an example of one who despised his birthright and as one who gratified the pangs of his flesh, choosing momentary satisfaction over divine blessings (Genesis 25:27-34). Seldom do you hear of Esau in a positive light, despite the fact that one of the greatest accounts of Esau emulating God’s character is recorded in Scripture.

When Jacob is on his journey to return to the land that God had covenanted to give him, and his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, he looks up and sees his brother, Esau, with four hundred men. Jacob had wronged his brother by shrewdly having him sell his birthright to him and had cheated their father to steal the blessings of the firstborn (Esau’s blessings), Not knowing as to whether his brother Esau, whom he had wronged, would retaliate, he distances himself allowing his family to go ahead and follows them. He demonstrates deference by bowing seven times to the ground as he nears his brother. What follows is nothing short of extraordinary. You find Esau, the wronged brother, responds in love instead of hurt and hatred. Esau runs to meet Jacob, embraces him, and falls on his neck, and kissed Jacob and they wept. Following their reconciliatory embrace, Jacob’s family is presented to Esau, who inquires of them and they show the same deference to Esau, as did Jacob.

Esau’s response of love is indicative of a forgiving heart – a heart as of God himself, who forgives and who does not hold on to the wrong of people against him. It is the heart of the father who rejoices when the prodigal returns. Did you realize that the father in the parable of the prodigal son responds in the same manner as did Esau? When the prodigal son is still far away, the compassionate father sees him, runs to him, falls on his neck, and kisses him (Luke 15:20).

Points to ponder:
Esau’s response of love, forgiveness, and acceptance is commendable. It is more than brotherly love. It is the love of a father who accepts, in spite of the wrongs against him. It emulates the love of God the Father, who accepts us when we repent and return to God, humbling ourselves completely (Seven times Jacob bowed to the ground on his way back to his brother and this could imply totality since Seven is symbolically used to refer to perfection). Fear would make us distance ourselves from God, but when we return to him, while we are still far away, God with compassion runs towards us, embraces us neck-to-neck, and kisses us, accepting us, in spite of the wrong we have done against him by our self-centered, self-gratifying, and sinful lives.

If you have drifted away from God, now is your team to remember, repent, return and redo your first works (Revelation 2:5). Furthermore, can we respond unto our fellow brethren and sisters, in fatherly love, as did Esau to his brother? Who do you and I have to forgive? How can we respond as Esau did with fatherly love?

Exodus 33:1-7 (KJV)
1 And Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and, behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men. And he divided the children unto Leah, and unto Rachel, and unto the two handmaids.
2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
3 And he passed over before them, and bowed himself to the ground seven times, until he came near to his brother.
4 And Esau ran to meet him, and embraced him, and fell on his neck, and kissed him: and they wept.
5 And he lifted up his eyes, and saw the women and the children; and said, Who are those with thee? And he said, The children which God hath graciously given thy servant.
6 Then the handmaidens came near, they and their children, and they bowed themselves.
7 And Leah also with her children came near, and bowed themselves: and after came Joseph near and Rachel, and they bowed themselves.

Luke 15:18-24 (KJV)
18 I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee,
19 And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.
20 And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
22 But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:
23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:
24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

Our gift – Precious

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On January 20, 2021

In Christian

Took a few minutes to pen a few words of love and well wishes for our beloved firstborn son, Reuben on his 15th birthday on January 20, 2021, in a Shakespearean sonnet form entitled – Our gift – Precious and while Sangeetha, I and his brother, Ittai express our heartfelt love and well wishes for him, we want you to realize and recognize that the Most Precious gift of all is the gift of God’s son – Jesus Christ – for each one of us.

Reuben – 15th Birthday

Enjoy the sonnet but don’t forget to reflect most important gift of all – our Lord, Savior and King – Jesus Christ.

Note: A Shakespearean sonnet is 14 lines in total with 10 syllables in each line having the rhyme scheme ABAB CDCD EFEF GG

Fifteen years have come and gone by so fast 
and we continue to think and reflect –
How God’s love toward us has been so vast 
gifting us you, our firstborn son – perfect!

Life because of you is full of wonder!
Seeing you grow in wisdom and stature,
in favor with God and man, we ponder
and pray ye rest always in God’s pasture.

A wonderful son and brother ye art
And our love for you grows stronger each day
Great love for you is anchored in our heart
Which nothing, no nothing can take away! 

God has been kind to us, and been gracious 
gifting us with you – Reuben – our precious!

Points to ponder:
Have you accepted the most precious gift of all. In other words, have you believed in the Lord Jesus Christ?

Romans 3:23 (KJV)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 6:23 (KJV)
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 3:16 (KJV)
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

What happened on Christmas? – Perspective Matters

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On December 25, 2020

In Christian

Going through some old pictures, I came across a picture that we as a family took in front of the art piece Lion au Serpent (1830s) when we visited the Musée du Louvre in Paris, in June 2015. While this may not seem to be directly connected with the motif of Christmas, closer scrutiny of this rendition surfaces the hidden treasure of what happened on Christmas?

Many a time we leave Christ as a babe in the manger instead of letting him be the reigning Savior and King of our lives. Pictures of the nativity, the star of Jacob, the magi and the manger, and more are shared through cards as greetings and while these things are apt to describe the unfathomable historic event of Christ Jesus’ birth on earth, they tend to limit our perspectives of what happened on Christmas.

Reflecting on this thought, there are a few perspectives of Christmas that I’d like to share that we ought not to miss.
On Christmas:
The Son of God (Col 1:15) became The Son of man (Luke 2:12)
The Prince of Peace from heaven (Isa 9:6-7) became a pauper on earth (Isa 53:9)
The King of Heaven became homeless on Earth (Matthew 8:20)
The Promised Son (Gen 3:15) was given for the prodigals 
God condescended so man could ascend (Heb 2:9-10)
The Potentate Lion of Judah came to earth as The Passover Lamb (Rev 5:5-6)

And you may ask – So What?
The son of God became the Son of man so sons and daughters of men can become sons and daughters of God);
The Prince of Peace became a pauper so that we who are paupers can become prince and princesses in heaven;
The King of heaven became homeless on earth so we who are homeless can have a home in heaven;
The Promised Son was given for the prodigals so that we who are prodigals can return home and be accepted just as we are;
God condescended so that we can ascend as sons and daughters of glory and be blessed in heavenly places.

What does Christmas mean to you? What is your Christmas perspective?
Is Christ Jesus, The Lion King of your life?

Merry Christmas. The Lord Jesus – The Lion of Judah has triumphed over the serpent.

The Trusting Entrusting Christ :: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit

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On April 20, 2019

In Christian, Good Friday, Seven Sayings

Each of the seven sayings from the Cross gives us a glimpse into the nature of Jesus Christ. In the seventh saying, Jesus addresses his Father God and commends his spirit into his hands. To commend is to commit or handover or entrust showing us that Jesus is the Trusting Entrusting Christ.

Centuries earlier, the Psalmist prophetically recorded this same phrase “Into thy hands, I commit my spirit” (Psalm 31:5) before expressing his trust in the LORD God of truth, who had redeemed him and Jesus’ final words from the Cross was a fulfillment of this prophecy.

Jesus had told his disciples, while they were in Galilee, that he would be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified and on the third day he would rise from the dead (Luke 24:6-7). He now diverts our attention to God the Father, into whose hands he commits his spirit, trusting that God would raise him from the dead (Acts 2:24). The hand of God is the most secure place one can be, for no one can pluck you out of the Jesus’ hand (John 10:28) or his Father’s hand (John 10:29).

Points to ponder:
Are you trusting in the LORD God of truth that he can resurrect the dead aspects of your life? Are you entrusting your life into the safe and secure hand of God?

Luke 23:45-47 (KJV)
45 And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
47 Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.

Psalm 31:1-5 (KJV)
1 In thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.
2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me.
3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me.
4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength.
5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.

John 10:27-30 (KJV)
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and my Father are one.

The Ransoming Christ :: It is Finished

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On April 20, 2019

In Christian, Good Friday, Seven Sayings

Each of the seven sayings from the Cross gives us a glimpse into the nature of Jesus Christ. In the sixth saying, Jesus shows us that he is the Ransoming Christ. The sixth saying from the cross was “It is finished” which comes from the Greek word τετέλεσται (Tetelastai) meaning “Paid in full”.

All the prophecies of the Old Testament – The Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15), The Passover Lamb of God (Exodus 12:3-14), The suffering Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 53), the Shepherd who would be stricken (Zechariah 3:17), and The Pierced Firstborn Son (Zechariah 12:10), the Messenger of the Covenant (Malachi 3:1) and many more were all fulfilled and finished in the Person of Jesus Christ.

The will of God the Father is to redeem mankind which Jesus came into their world to do (John 6:38) and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). This ransoming work was finished on the Cross (John 19:30). The world owed a debt to God because God’s just law required that the soul that sins should die (Ezekiel 18:20) and all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23) and death is the power of the devil (Hebrews 2:14) which means the world just-fully deserved the death penalty. But Jesus, being sinless (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 1:18-19), did not deserve to die, and so when he was crucified, the power of death that the devil had over sinful man was disempowered (Hebrews 2:14) and the debt of death that mankind owed was paid in full by the sinless ransoming Son of God. The power of the devil is finished because Jesus is the Ransoming Christ.

Points to ponder:
Imagine for a moment that someone whom you dearly love is kidnapped by a bad person and that evil doer sends you a ransom note, threatening to kill your loved one if you do not pay the ransom. We would do everything we can to pay the ransom in full so that we can rescue our loved one from that evil person. We would do that only for the person we love. If the person who is kidnapped is not someone we know or love, then we would not pay the ransom. In other words, we ransom only whom we love. What this means is that the ransoming act of Jesus Christ on the Cross is indicative of God’s everlasting great love toward mankind (Jeremiah 31:3). Had Jesus not cared for loved us, then the ransoming Christ would not have had to finish his work and declare his payment in full, on the Cross.

Jesus is the ransoming Christ. He ransomed our souls from death by his death, because he loved us. He died to pay our ransom so that we can be free (John 8:32, 36) and live with liberty (Galatians 5:1,13). As a free man or woman, are you willing to finish the work of reconciling others (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) to the great and loving God by telling them of the ransoming Christ?

John 19:30 (KJV)
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Matthew 20:28 (KJV)
28 Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

Hebrews 2:14-15 (NLT)
14 Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death.
15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

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