Tag: Genesis

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Rocks mark the spot.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then God said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Be fruitful and multiply. You will become a great nation, even many nations. Kings will be among your descendants! And I will give you the land I once gave to Abraham and Isaac. Yes, I will give it to you and your descendants after you.” Then God went up from the place where he had spoken to Jacob. Jacob set up a stone pillar to mark the place where God had spoken to him. Then he poured wine over it as an offering to God and anointed the pillar with olive oil. And Jacob named the place Bethel (which means “house of God”), because God had spoken to him there.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭35‬:‭11‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God, El-Shadddai (Shadday: Almighty), meets with and speaks to Jacob (sounds like aqeb – heel grabber or deceiver) and there changes his name to Israel (Yisrael -yisra + El – God strives or God fights).

God lays out the promises to Jacob even using the name He had used to introduced himself to Abram. Notice this is somewhat of a title of what God does. Later God tells Moses His actual name name – not Elohim, but hayah – I am (Yahweh YHWH).

After God meets and speaks with Jacob, Jacob sets up a stone pillar, a memory stone or altar. He even poured wine and oil on the stones, signifying both an offering and anointing. Have you had significant moments and specific places where God met with you?

I have! Before I even knew about this custom or these types of memory-stone moments as a new believer, I built a small pile of stones just like Jacob. I marked the place where it happened, I seared the spot in my heart and mind. Of course I only did this when theses places were outdoors 😂. I’ve never built a memory-stone inside a building. Here’s what’s so powerful about those moments. I still remember EXACTLY where those spots are! A couple of them are in the mountains up in Big Bear or Crestline, California. The other was in Vista, Ca in the hill above Green Oak Ranch. God spoke to me in these places and I listened. That place became a holy place for me and I wanted to signify it’s importance by building something with my own hands. I didn’t have wine or oil, and honestly, didn’t even know about that yet.

Isn’t this interesting for us as humans? That we would want to mark places of significance to remember them? For Jacob/Israel these places were talked about with their children. At one point, in the book of Joshua, Joshua explains this after he had 12 tribal leaders stack stones on the riverbank, ‘In the future your children will ask, “What do these stones mean?” Then you can tell them, “This is where the Israelites crossed the Jordan on dry ground.”

Whether your outside, meeting and hearing from God in the spectacular beauty of creation or your sitting in your favorite couch or café, it’s important to make or mark a memory. Maybe someday you can tell the story to your own children or grandchildren saying, “you see that rock, that spot? – that’s where God spoke to me!”

Prayer

Dad,
I remember you meeting with me in the great outdoors. The first one was the most significant because it was just a few hundred yards from where I gave you control of my life, committing to follow Jesus. One of them was a place of decision and the last place was a time and place of sadness. I was so thankful to return to those spots and remember what had happened. These places and memories of experiences are so powerful and wonderful to me. I can see why so many stories of significance are permanently recorded in the Bible. Also, I am thrilled to know that you still meet with people, even people like me. Thank you.

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The bedouin called from obscurity.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Abram’s dad and grandad had done really well traveling the plains of eastern Turkey. There’s a comment in Genesis that sounds like Abram’s father was planning to make the journey to Canaan, but stopped and made a life in Haran.

Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. “One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.” Genesis‬ ‭11‬:‭31‬-‭32‬.

It was in Haran that God came to Abram and told him to leave. This was THE journey of faith that started the biggest conversation about faith and obedience ever. Abram saying YES to God wasn’t the first, because Noah had a very similar situation. But, this “yes,” this move, would later be referred to as Abraham being “credited,” credited to him as righteousness! Abraham’s faith and covenant (contract) in and with God was pre Law, pre ten commandments! This credit of righteousness would be a difficult, contrarian conversation with God’s own people, Israel, for many generations to come. And us Gentiles don’t find out the significance of this moment between God and Abram until the New Testament and the Messiah (Christ) comes to perfect and surpass that faith making faith the hinge-moment of salvation even above the law itself.

This one decision, buried in history, obscured by the past and eclipsed by Moses and the law is essential for us to understand the phrase the “righteous will live by faith!” All of our human attempts at perfecting ourselves or working off our debt to God miss the point. Just like Abram, BELIEVING and OBEYING God is what is required. The Apostle Paul said it perfectly, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” We are all kind of wandering bedouins, and believing God to leave that life means we can all find a permanent home with him.

Prayer

Dad,
I didn’t have to leave my country, but in many ways, I had to believe and leave a chaotic, spotted past to find my forever home with you. As someone who was adopted out of a difficult family situation to something far worse, I get the promise of permanency. I get the idea of stopping, putting down roots, developing deep and rich relationships that last a lifetime here and with anticipation of continuing those relationships into eternity. I know some move around, from state to state, city to city, and find it exciting, even adventurous. For me, I like the sense of stability. And, I am thankful that you have blessed Robin and myself to generally live that kind of life. Thank you for home, faith and permanence in You.

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Bending towards evil.

Reading Time: 2 minutes 
“And the Lord was pleased with the aroma of the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things. As long as the earth remains, there will be planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.” Genesis‬ ‭8‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Starting over, but still with broken, evil people who will always bend towards evil. God Completely annihilated the human population at the time of Noah, and yet still sin and evil was not permanently drowned with the massive, twelve month flood over the earth.

There is a lot questions and mystery concerning the flood that God doesn’t seem to be worried about nor interested in addressing. When Noah offers a sacrifice to God (which I believe God showed Adam, Eve, Cain and Abel how to do) from selected animals on the boat, God is pleased. Why? Because Noah understands the association of substitutionary death of an innocent animal to temporarily cover his and his family’s sin. This is an act of humility, obedience and best of all faith. God makes a unique promise, “I will never…” He says. The earth’s ground, in totality, will never be cursed because of US. Then God adds the perpetually sad commentary, “even though everything they THINK or IMAGINE is bent!” And it’s bent from childhood on.

In Chapter nine, God gives Noah and all humans thereafter a permanent sign of this promise (contract) – the rainbow. “Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth.” Genesis‬ ‭9‬:‭12‬-‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬. I love that God makes a permanent, declarative and obvious sign in the skies that show up when it rains or the rays of the sun catch the mists of water just right. These moments make for a beautiful array of splendor and delight wherever and whoever you are. Sadly, the rainbow, which is intended to be a contractual observance of promise, has been abused by so many to represent anything but a promise and nothing to do with God.

Prayer

Dad,
This whole post apocalyptic, global flood story is fascinating. Noah and family, with their miracle boat ride for an entire year. Then the days leading up to the landing an evacuation of water. So amazing. This picture/object lesson of Noah making a sacrifice is epic because it completely takes place well before the law, and well before the Abrahamic Covenant. This super old story is still all about faith and obedience – not perfection. Noah and his family were certainly not perfect and did not have perfect children. Yet, they knew the situation concerning their sin and gratitude for saving them. Bravo 🙌🏼.