[NOTE: For those who are continuing the 1-year Bible reading plan we started on April 1, 2018, just go to the end of this entry and you will find the Day 282-Haggai 1-2; John 7 summary!]
Today’s readings offer much about which we could comment. In each chapter we find a major event that overshadows the rest. This is commonly the case as we read the Bible. (Before I comment on the “big story” in each chapter, let me say something about the chapter and verse divisions found in the Bible. You might know chapter and verse markings weren’t part of the original biblical manuscripts. They were added hundreds and in some cases thousands of years after the particular passages were written. The reason for the addition was to make locating specific passages much easier. Imagine if your Bible contained only the specific book headings: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus… but no chapters and verses. How would you locate a particular account from Genesis? To find a particular reading from Isaiah’s prophecy, you would have to go through the entire book [or scroll, as Jesus did in Luke 4!]. Thankfully, that work has been done for us, so we can locate passages much more quickly.)
In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his most trusted servant back to Abraham’s homeland to find a wife for Isaac. The account is amazing in that the servant prayed for God to show him the right woman for Isaac, and set extremely narrow parameters, yet God provided Rebekah nearly instantaneously. God doesn’t always answer our prayers that quickly. (In my experience, He doesn’t often answer our prayers that quickly.) Yet, this account shows us God is engaged in our lives and responds to our prayers.
In Genesis 25, Jacob and Esau are born and grow up. (This shows us how some chapters cover minute details of particular events, while others span years and even decades.) The event that stands out, though, is when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup. In their culture, the first-born son received a double portion of his father’s property as an inheritance when the father died. That means Esau’s birthright was one third of Isaac’s wealth! While, Esau told Jacob he was starving, we know that was an exaggeration. Imagine, giving up fifty percent of your future inheritance for a bowl of soup. The lesson here is clear: Fifteen-minute decisions can haunt us for the rest of our lives. Esau giving up his birthright was definitely a Fifteen-minute decision!
Genesis 26 seems like Deja Vu, doesn’t it? Just as Abraham had deceived the King of Egypt and Abimelech regarding his relationship with Sarah, Isaac does the same thing regarding his relationship with Rebekah. Deception is never a good thing, but we see this family tendency being lived out in a second generation, and as we will see, Jacob will carry out the biggest deception of all concerning his father’s blessing. We learn from our parents, and the challenge is we learn both the good and the bad lessons our parents teach us. While Isaac and Jacob both exhibited the faith of their father and grandfather, Abraham, they also exhibited his tendency to use deception. For those of us who are parents, this is a vital lesson: We are always teaching our children! They won’t always believe what we say, but they will always believe what we do. Let’s rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us, so the lessons we teach will bring God glory.
Finally, in Mark 7, the passage that stands out is Jesus’ healing of a foreign woman’s son. What stands out is it seemed at first that Jesus would not respond to the woman’s request. Only after she responded to Jesus’ comment about not feeding the children’s bread to the dogs, does He do so. Why? Why would the Savior of the world, not be concerned about saving all people? Why did He tell the woman, He was only sent to the children of Israel? It was a matter of focus. Jesus limited His ministry primarily to Israel. He equipped His disciples for a world-wide mission. Had He let Himself be distracted from that mission, you and I might not know about Jesus today. Think about that. Because Jesus stayed on task, the disciples were equipped to extend Jesus’ influence “to the ends of the earth,” but had Jesus not equipped them, when He returned to heaven, the mission might have ended with Him. That’s a lesson I need so much. My tendency is to “jump on my horse and ride off in all directions,” rather than staying focused on the one thing that will make the most impact for the Kingdom of God in that moment. My prayer for each of us is we will keep our focus on the one thing Jesus is calling us to do today, that He will be glorified!
Day 282-Haggai 1-2; John 7
Haggai served as a prophet during the time when the exiles were returning from Babylon to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. The people quickly got distracted from the task, and the prophets Haggai and Zechariah called them to return to it.
In Haggai 1, the LORD declared through Haggai that the people must rebuild the Temple. Illustrations of cause and effect were offered, because the people lived in “paneled houses” while the LORD’s house remained in ruins. The illustrations were that in every area of life the people’s return on their work or investment was little. That was because the LORD was not blessing their work. He would bless them, when they remember Him and His house. With this reminder, the people returned to the work of rebuilding the Temple.
In Haggai 2, the LORD promises His glory will return to the Temple. Although the rebuilt structure was smaller than the original, and any who could remember the original would weep, the LORD promised in the latter days the Temple would be greater than the first. The people had continued not to see the return on their efforts they expected, but the LORD promised when the Temple was completed they would, that He would bless them even though they were an “unclean” people. The book ends with the LORD promising Zerubbabel, the governor, that his prominence would surpass that of kings.
As we return to John 7, the fighting over Jesus continues. This time it takes place in Jerusalem. Jesus went to the city for the Festival of Booths, and while He was there the people were divided over whether He was the Messiah or not. Jesus continued to confront the religious leaders, even as they said they were committed to eliminating Him. These confrontations, which have already seemed heated will continue to the point that Jesus ends up condemned and crucified. While such a reality devastates us all, that we would crucify the God of the universe, that was His plan of redemption for us. It is the truest example that in allthings God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.