Author: mmccullum

Tying a Bow on Genesis

The book of Hebrews tells us that God’s Word is alive and active. Having just finished studying Genesis for the third time, I can attest to the truth of this statement. I’ve delved into the stories of Abraham & Sarah, Isaac & Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Joseph, Judah, and Tamar at different seasons in my life; although the tales remain the same, the truth I glean from them continues to expand.

Here are a few of the things that stood out to me in my most recent journey through Genesis:

  1. God is sovereign.  He possesses supreme and ultimate power. He gives us free will and doesn’t force us to follow His ways, but He is still the One who is ultimately in control. Because of this, I’m better off trusting Him than trying to do things my own way.
  2. God keeps His promises. It may take a long time, but He does come through in the end. (Think of Sarah, who waited 25 years to get pregnant with the child promised by God.) This means He’s trustworthy and I can rest in that knowledge even when I don’t see how He’s working in the moment.
  3. God is faithful. He remains true to us even when we doubt Him, make poor choices, or disobey. Seeing the Lord’s faithfulness to Abraham and his descendants despite their many blunders encourages me. Even when we fail, God’s plans prevail. We are fickle, but He is faithful.
  4. God is worthy. He deserves our honor, praise, and obedience. Seeing how He accomplishes His plans despite the ways people try thwart them (intentionally or unintentionally) inspires me to yield to Him as Lord of my life.

Knowing these truths, I’d be wiser to exert my energy trusting God than trying to control things using my own strength and wisdom. I’m striving to be less anxious when I don’t see or understand what the Lord is doing. My goal is to trust Him as I wait for answers, clarity, or direction. Rather than concerning myself with how events unfold, I want to focus more on what God is teaching me and how He wants to use me with the people and circumstances I encounter. I want to be less focused on why He’s allowed certain things in my life and more attuned to how He can use them to deepen my faith and impact others.

Reading the stories of Sarah and Rebekah has convicted me of my tendency to take matters into my own hands instead of trusting God. I overthink many things and try to play out scenarios multiple steps ahead of where I am. Rather than trusting God with how a situation will unfold, I try to anticipate each option and make contingency plans for it. My knack for being capable and productive doesn’t always leave room for God to work in His way and His timing. Realizing this is humbling and convicting.

The story of Joseph provides powerful examples for training me in righteousness. Seeing his faithfulness to God in difficult times while surrounded by unbelievers inspires me to be true to God and His ways. Like Joseph, I want to be honest and authentic about the Lord’s presence in my life instead of downplaying it in certain company. I’m also inspired to follow Joseph’s example by using my gifts to bless others in every setting, not just ones where people already love and honor God. I don’t want to be timid about pointing others to the solid foundation He provides.

Studying Genesis also bolsters my faith in the consistency of God’s Word from Old Testament to New. It always delights me to recognize the many elements that point us toward Christ. The lives of Joseph and Judah include many examples that I’ve discussed in other posts. During this season of studying Genesis, I was also struck by Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28:

“He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’” (Genesis 28:12-15, NIV)

Until Jen Wilkin’s teaching in God of Covenant, I’d never understood that the stairway between heaven and earth is Christ Himself. When we reach toward Jesus to intercede for us, we stand at the gate of heaven. He is the mediator between God and humans—the One who makes it possible for us to access the Almighty.

The ten weeks of studying the book of beginnings have come to an end. The “seed plot of the Bible” has provided rich soil for digging into relevant topics for our lives today. The stories and people in Genesis are messy and complicated, but God used them for His redemptive purposes, just as He does with us. Some situations make us scratch our heads in confusion or blush at sordid details; we wonder how a sacred book could be filled with such broken and sinful people. And yet, it’s these unsanitized stories and flawed characters that show Scripture’s authenticity. They give us hope that no one is disqualified from being accepted by God or used to advance His kingdom.

Understanding these truths prompts me to pause for a moment of worship. “King of Kings” by Hillsong Worship beautifully shares the story of the gospel. Listen now and be in awe of our sovereign, faithful God who keeps His promises and is worthy of our praise.

Jen Wilkin, God of Covenant: A Study of Genesis 12-50, Lifeway Press 2018.

The phrase “seed plot of the Bible” was originally coined by Arthur W. Pink in Gleanings in Genesis.

The Lion of Judah

Reading the Chronicles of Narnia as a child, I became captivated by Lucy, Edmund, Susan, Peter and their many adventures in the magical land of Narnia. As an adult, I re-read the books to my kids and reveled in them again. C.S. Lewis portrays the central character, Aslan, as a Christ figure. His choice to use a lion for this role is no coincidence; he knew the deep biblical symbolism associated with this majestic animal.

Near the end of Jacob’s life, he pronounced a blessing on each of his sons. His words for Judah relate directly to the symbolism C.S. Lewis borrowed to create the character of Aslan:

“Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons will bow down to you. You are a lion’s cub, Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.” (Genesis 49:8-10, NIV)

Despite being Jacob’s fourth son, Judah received the distinct honor of being the one through whom God’s blessing would continue. Jacob prophesied that the mantle of lordship and power, symbolized by the scepter, would remain in Judah’s family line until “he to whom it belongs” came (the Messiah). And ultimately, He would command the obedience of the nations.

The promise of the Messiah began in Genesis, first with Adam and Eve when God said that Eve’s offspring would one day crush the head of the serpent, Satan (see Genesis 3:14). The promise continued with Abraham, whose offspring would bless all people on earth (see Genesis 12:3). With Abraham’s great-grandson, Judah, we see the Messiah symbolized as a strong lion that would one day command the obedience of the nations. (We are still waiting for this part of the promise to be fulfilled).

The next time we see this term used is in Revelation, the last book of the Bible. In this yet-to-be fulfilled prophesy, the writer, John, describes the Messiah as both a lion and a lamb. The scene he describes is a vision of the heavenly throne room. In it, John sees that there is a scroll in the “right hand of him who was seated on the throne.” He begins to despair because there is no one found worthy to approach the hand of God to take and open the scroll. But John’s fears are unfounded:

“Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals… He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” (Revelation 5:5, 7-9, NIV)

This connection between the first and last book of the Bible amazes me. John describes how Jesus, the Messiah, fulfills the prophetic statements made thousands of years earlier. As the sacrificial lamb, He washes away the stain of sin through His death on the cross, making it possible for all who follow Him to share in His ultimate victory over death. As the lion, He represents the conquering King who will return to slay the enemies of God.

Remember the last sentence of Jacob’s blessing to Judah? He talked about Judah’s family line ruling until One came who would command the obedience of the nations. Now, read this verse from Revelation:

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’” (Revelation 5:13, NIV)

John’s prophesy mirrors Jacob’s—both show that one day the whole earth will have no choice but to bow down and worship at the feet of the Lion of Judah who the New Testament reveals as Jesus.

The seamlessness of the Bible leaves me in awe. Jesus is woven throughout the pages, from Genesis to Revelation. Taking a step back to view the bigger picture every now and then gives us an even deeper understanding of God’s greatness and the way His perfect plan unfolds in His impeccable timing.

So what’s the appropriate response to this amazing news? Scripture urges us to join with the many witnesses of God’s faithfulness who have gone before us—people we’ve been studying in Genesis like Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph also mentioned in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11. As we remember their stories displaying God’s faithfulness we, “strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up” and “run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.” (Hebrews 12:1-2, NLT)

As Christ’s followers, we can marvel at the finished work of the cross and celebrate the riches we have in Him. Every day is a new opportunity to run with our gaze fixed on Jesus and to honor Him through the way we live.

Revel in the consistency of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation by enjoying “The Lion and the Lamb” by Big Daddy Weave.

*Some material for this blog came from an article on gotquestions.org. To read it, click here.

The Blessing of the Broken Road

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I tossed the essay on my son’s bed and congratulated him. Across the top of the page, his teacher had written “This is AMAZING!” in bold blue print. He’d been assigned to write about an event that sparked a period of personal growth for him. His descriptive language impressed me, but it was the recognition of how a difficult season in his life had changed him for the better that made me weepy. What a joy it was to see him choosing to learn and grow through hardships instead of letting them make him bitter and cynical.

It’s hard work to re-frame the way we view difficult times. We’re quick to label them as bad and to rail against the unfairness of having to endure them. Most of us view setbacks as interruptions from the way life is “supposed” to unfold, betraying a sense of entitlement we may not realize we have. But when we pause to examine hard circumstances further, there is much we can learn. The opportunities for personal and spiritual growth are only limited by our willingness to shift our perspectives. When we begin to view hard circumstances through a biblical lens, we start seeing that what looks bad on the surface is brimming with good.

Perhaps one of the best examples of this comes from the life of Joseph recorded in Genesis. After being sold by his jealous brothers to slave traders, he finds himself in a series of unfortunate circumstances. Despite being a person of honor and integrity, he’s falsely accused of rape, thrown in prison, and left there for two years. Eventually his character and faithfulness to God lead to a stunning reversal. After interpreting a prophetic dream for Pharaoh, he’s made second in command of Egypt. In this position, he’s tasked with ensuring the crops produced during seven years of plenty are stored to prepare for seven subsequent years of famine, in keeping with Pharaoh’s dream.

Meanwhile, Joseph’s family in Canaan experiences the ravages of the famine and heads to Egypt to buy food. His ten older brothers appear before him to buy grain and, “Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him.” (Genesis 42:8, NIV)

After several interactions with them over time, Joseph can’t restrain himself any longer and proclaims, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.’” (Genesis 45:4b-7, NIV)

Rather than spewing anger at them for selling him into slavery and inflicting years of misery upon him, he reassures them. Joseph sees the big picture and realizes that God, in His sovereignty, used him to save his family and many others from starving to death during the famine. Later, he reiterates this to his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20, NIV)

Reading that leads me to think of someone else who endured hardship for the good of many: Jesus. Just as Joseph tumbled downward from his privileged position as Jacob’s favorite son to a lowly slave, Jesus left the glory of heaven to become a lowly man: “[Jesus] made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” (Philippians 2:7, NIV)

Joseph endured the humiliation of being falsely accused and punished for a crime he didn’t commit.  In the same way, Jesus was falsely accused and received punishment for the sins of all humankind: “he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Philippians 2:8, NIV)

Scripture explains the purpose behind this: “For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:3-4, NIV)

Joseph traveled a broken road, but he saw how his painful circumstances led to ultimate good—the saving of many lives. Like him, Jesus’ suffering led to an even greater good–the saving of humankind. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17, NIV)

God allowed His son to walk a painful path for the sake of ultimate good, triumphing over evil, death, and sin. Could it be possible that the lesser hardships we endure can also be used for His glory and our good? 

Beloved author and theologian C.S. Lewis describes pain as “God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Are you willing to listen? How about refocusing your perspective on hardships using the lens of God’s goodness? This can move you past the pain and discomfort to discover the greater significance, as Joseph did.

Keep his story in mind and consider how your hurts and hardships might be pointing you toward the Lord as you listen to “Bless the Broken Road” by Selah.

To learn about other parallels between Joseph and Jesus, click here.

Joseph After the Dream Coat

Whether you read the Bible or not you probably know Joseph’s story from the book of Genesis. Thanks to Andrew Lloyd Weber, Tim Rice, and an episode of Seinfeld, you’ve likely heard of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat. The show is fun and dramatic, but light on spiritual significance. The biblical version spotlights the Lord’s faithfulness and Joseph’s character. Let’s look at a few of the many themes in this inspiring story and see how we can apply them to our lives.

The Lord was with Joseph

As a proud father, Jacob wasn’t shy about showing preferential treatment to the firstborn son of his favorite wife. In fact, he gave Joseph the coat of many colors as an outward symbol of his fondness. Naturally, this caused intense jealousy among his ten older brothers. Joseph only compounded their resentment by recounting dreams of his brothers and parents bowing down to him. (We’ll cut him some slack here for his stunning lack of self-awareness since he was only 17). You probably remember that his charmed life made an abrupt shift when his brothers sold him to slave traders who carried him off to Egypt. 

Despite his dire circumstances, Scripture reminds us four times in one chapter that “The Lord was with Joseph.” (39:2, 3, 21 & 23) Because of this, God’s favor rested upon him and those he served, “the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field.” (Genesis 39:5, ESV)

Note that the blessing upon Joseph and the anguish of being enslaved were happening simultaneously. It’s not unusual for good and hard situations to coexist in our lives. In fact, Jesus promises us, “In this world you will have trouble.” (John 16:33b, NIV) Thankfully, He finishes that statement with a word of encouragement, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33c, NIV) Like Joseph, we can rest in the knowledge that God is with us: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’).” (Matthew 1:23, NIV) What a comfort this should be to us!

Unfortunately, we often struggle living in the tension of knowing that life is hard, but God is with us. Is it difficult for you to trust the Lord and serve Him faithfully in challenging times? Are you tempted to get bitter or to wallow in self-pity when everything isn’t going your way? Perhaps it’s time to re-focus your attention on the truth that God is with you all the time. Can you believe Jesus and take heart knowing He has overcome the world, even when you can’t see how He’s working things out? These are convicting questions, but they might help to re-align your perspective if you’re in a difficult season.

Joseph’s Character Shines Through

No matter where Joseph found himself, his character remained consistent. His leadership skills and integrity always seemed to rise to the top like cream in a pail of milk. Consider these instances:

-Serving as a slave: “The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” (Genesis 39:5-6, NIV)

-Behind bars: “So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.” (Genesis 39:22-23, NIV)

-In Pharaoh’s court: “So Pharaoh asked [his officials], ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’…Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’” (Genesis 41:38, 40-41, NIV)

Despite receiving unfair treatment, being punished for false accusations, and living as a slave for 13 years, Joseph’s consistency of character continued to be recognized and respected. He used his gifts to bless others and in every situation, he proved his trustworthiness.

I’m inspired when I consider this. So often it’s natural to compartmentalize our lives and to show certain parts of our characters to select people.  We might be kind and friendly at church, but pull into our garages without acknowledging our neighbors. Or maybe we gladly sign up for service projects, but feel annoyed when someone who needs help interrupts our schedules. Perhaps we’re good at being like Jesus when people behave the way we want and don’t  inconvenience us too much. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from Joseph and let the gifts God’s given us bless others wherever we find ourselves, whether it’s a place we’ve chosen or a place we’re forced to be.

Joseph Honors God Boldly

One of the most striking aspects of Joseph’s story is the reverence he showed to the Lord. He honored God with his behavior and pointed others back to Him. Joseph chose not to fall to the temptation of Potiphar’s wife saying, “How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:9, NIV). Each time he interpreted a dream, he gave God the credit “‘I cannot [interpret your dream],’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’” (Genesis 41:15-16, NIV) Later, when the Lord blessed him with children, Joseph chose names that honored Him and pointed to His faithfulness. His older son’s name meant, “God has made me forget all my trouble” and his younger son’s meant “God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.” (Genesis 41:51-52, NIV)

Joseph was the only follower of the one true God while he was in Egypt, yet he spoke about the Lord and gave Him the credit for everything. His boldness and humility are convicting, but also inspiring. How apt am I to speak of God’s goodness to unbelievers? How often do I admit that it’s Him working through me when I have a positive impact on others?  It seems that Joseph’s quickness to acknowledge the Lord drew respect from everyone. Perhaps it’s time to pray for more confidence in this area. Do you need to do the same?

Feeling like you can’t measure up to Joseph’s example? Don’t forget, God is with you, just as He was with Joseph. Let Matthew West’s song “The God Who Stays” encourage you today. 

*Image of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat logo from dellspalace.com

Bad Story, Good Lessons

She was a young teenager, the only daughter among a crowd of sons. Living in a new place, she was curious about clothes, customs, and social events that were different from her family’s. Most likely she was also a little naïve, not considering the harm that could come to her by sneaking away to mix with new friends at a local festival.

He was accustomed to getting his way. As a young man of privilege, he probably carried a sense of entitlement. When he saw something he wanted, he took it and dealt with the consequences later. Maybe he knew his powerful father would follow behind him to clean up the mess. So when he saw the new girl in town, he didn’t think twice about pursuing her. Maybe it started out as a friendly flirtation, but it quickly escalated into something entirely different. No one had any idea how the collision of these two lives would forever change the city and the family who had come to live on its outskirts.

Sounds like the makings of a modern movie, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s the story of Jacob’s daughter, Dinah, and the prince of Shechem, as told in the book of Genesis (with a bit of creative license based on commentaries). It’s a sordid tale that makes us uncomfortable, but there are things we can learn if we’re willing to move past our squeamishness. Finding personal application in it reminds us that times have changed, but human nature has remained the same.

Dinah’s Downfall: “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see the women of the land. And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he seized her and lay with her and humiliated her. And his soul was drawn to Dinah the daughter of Jacob. He loved the young woman and spoke tenderly to her. So Shechem spoke to his father Hamor, saying, ‘Get me this girl for my wife.’” (Genesis 34:1-3, NIV)

Scholars believe Dinah was a young adolescent, somewhere between the ages of 12 and 16. Naturally, she was curious and interested in developing her social life, as most teens would be. But her parents hadn’t equipped her with the wisdom to recognize the dangers of the outside world. No one explained how vulnerable she would be out on her own, even in a place that looked so inviting. In fact, no one seemed to be paying much attention to her until it was too late. 

It’s tempting to point the finger of blame at the family members who didn’t seem to value Dinah enough to watch out for her. But how often can we be guilty of the same today? Teenagers may look like adults who eagerly exert their independence, but we’re fooling ourselves if we think they know how to navigate the world entirely on their own (both online and in real life). Sheltering adolescents seems like a quick fix, but isn’t realistic or beneficial to them. Leaving them to their own devices isn’t the answer either. We need to find middle ground where we’re engaged in their lives and connecting with them consistently so we can earn their trust. Only then will they be open to receiving the truth and wisdom they need from adults to make wise choices. If you’re not parenting a teen, you still have opportunities to connect and pour into them in many ways—whether it’s as a grandparent, an aunt or uncle, a neighbor, a youth leader, a co-worker, a work supervisor, a teacher, a mentor, a coach, a tutor, or any other role that puts you in contact with this precious and vulnerable age group. (See below for helpful resources on understanding teens and their world).

Dinah’s Brothers Misuse God’s Covenant: “The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully, because he had defiled their sister Dinah. They said to them, ‘We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us. Only on this condition will we agree with you—that you will become as we are by every male among you being circumcised.  Then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to ourselves, and we will dwell with you and become one people. But if you will not listen to us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter, and we will be gone.’” (Genesis 34:13-17, NIV)

Jacob’s sons used the sacred sign of God’s covenant as a tool of manipulation. Insisting that all the men of the town be circumcised was a ruse for making them vulnerable to attack. Using anything God has given us to inflict harm on others has no place in the life of a believer. It’s dishonoring to Him and defiles the sacred things He’s given us. The Church has had many shameful seasons in history when hateful acts were committed in the name of the Lord. We shouldn’t use pressure or manipulation to force people into God’s ways. Our role is to plant seeds of faith, it’s the Holy Spirit who makes them grow and brings true life transformation.

Dinah’s Brothers Take Revenge: “And all who went out of the gate of his city listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male was circumcised, all who went out of the gate of his city. On the third day, when they were sore, two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords and came against the city while it felt secure and killed all the males. They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the sword and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house and went away. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain and plundered the city, because they had defiled their sister.” (Genesis 34:24-27, NIV)

Simeon and Levi decided to stand up for their sister and take their revenge to a gruesome extreme. In the process, they ruined the lives of everyone in Shechem and made their family a stench in the land. What they did was so detestable that their father cursed them on his deathbed:

“Simeon and Levi are brothers—  their swords   are weapons of violence. Let me not enter their council, let me not join their assembly, for they have killed men in their anger and hamstrung oxen as they pleased. Cursed be their anger, so fierce, and their fury, so cruel! I will scatter them in Jacob and disperse them in Israel.” (Genesis 49:5-7, NIV)

Dinah’s brothers probably imagined how satisfying it would be to get revenge, but it backfired on them in the end.  When we’ve been wronged, Scripture instructs us not to give in to our thirst for revenge: “Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord. On the contrary: ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21, NIV) Rather than bringing peace and contentment, revenge only escalates painful situations and perpetuates hate and violence. Trust God to handle vengeance and do your best to live at peace with everyone.

How I wish Dinah could have heard the words of “Rescue” by Lauren Daigle. Let the song comfort you and remind you of God’s attentiveness in whatever difficulties you’re facing. (Once you click below, a new window will open, then click “Watch on YouTube”).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgkNB4939YM

Want more info on how to understand teens and their culture? Check out these resources:

Axis.org

Teenesteem.org

Chapclark.com

The Challenge of Comparing and Competing

I remember hearing people talk about Facebook when it opened to the public in 2006, but I had no real interest in joining it. Although my curiosity was sometimes piqued, I was hesitant about wading into the waters of social media. Truth be told, the main reason was an acute understanding of my weaknesses. I’ve always been prone to compare myself to others and have a competitive streak that isn’t always positive. I knew scrolling through pictures and commentary on Facebook might stir up envy, jealousy, insecurity, and hurt. 

I avoided joining for 7 years. But once I started posting blogs, a few savvy friends convinced me that if I wasn’t on Facebook, my writing would be hard to find. So, with reluctance, I joined. Scrolling through posts, I saw the allure and the pitfalls of social networking. Just as I’d suspected, I had to limit my exposure and log out as soon as negative feelings surfaced—whether it was a sense of feeling left out, not good enough, or annoyed by someone’s braggy post. Much later I learned that “Facebook Depression” is a real thing.

Social networking has heightened an issue that’s existed since long before the advent of computers. The tendency to compete and compare is part of the human condition. It has quite a history in Scripture, starting with Cain, who let it consume him to the point of murdering his brother, Abel. Another set of siblings that show us the ugliness of comparing and competing is Leah and Rachel. Thanks to their devious father, both sisters ended up sharing the same husband, Jacob. The trio was troubled from the start since Jacob clearly preferred Rachel to Leah. 

God saw that Leah was unloved by her husband, so He opened her womb and allowed her to conceive four sons with Jacob in quick succession. With each birth, Leah hoped that her husband would become more attached to her, but nothing seemed to change. Meanwhile, her beautiful younger sister had a different problem:

“When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, ‘Give me children, or I’ll die!’ Jacob became angry with her and said, ‘Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?’ Then she said, ‘Here is Bilhah, my servant. Sleep with her so that she can bear children for me and I too can build a family through her.’” (Genesis 30:1-3, NIV)

Rachel’s feelings of discontentment and inadequacy probably became unbearable when she compared herself to her sister. In hopes of evening the score, she decided to produce children through her maidservant (that might sound familiar if you’ve studied Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar in Genesis 16.)

Not wanting to be outdone by Rachel, Leah joined in the competition: “When Leah saw that she had stopped having children, she took her servant Zilpah and gave her to Jacob as a wife.  Leah’s servant Zilpah bore Jacob a son. Then Leah said, ‘What good fortune!’ So she named him Gad.” (Genesis 30:9-11, NIV) The competing and comparing continued until Jacob had twelve sons and at least one daughter from four different women. 

Jacob’s family provides numerous examples about the dangers of letting comparison goad us into a frenzied state of unhealthy competition.  So, what’s our response if we want to handle this issue with the right perspective? Let’s look at some New Testament examples and see what we can learn.

Jesus, Peter, and John: After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples several times. In one instance, He told Peter about some difficult circumstances that would unfold in his future. At that point, “Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them…When Peter saw him, he asked, ‘Lord, what about him?’ Jesus answered, ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’” (John 21:20-22, NIV)

Jesus confronts Peter’s quickness to compare by redirecting his attention back to Him. His swiftness with refocusing Peter reminds me that when we’re tempted to compare what’s happening in our lives with someone else’s, we’re heading into unhealthy territory- especially in matters of faith. The best response when we’re starting to compare is to turn our attention back to Jesus.

Paul and Apollos: Apollos was a gifted teacher who captivated the early Christians with his eloquence. Unfortunately, some believers began dividing into factions, with one group rallying behind Paul and another behind Apollos. Paul addressed this unhealthy competition saying, “When one says, ‘I follow Paul,’ and another, ‘I follow Apollos,’ are you not mere human beings? What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.” (1 Corinthians 3:4-6, NIV)

Comparison caused these believers to confuse their priorities. They were making the giftedness and speaking style of their preferred teachers into a competition for popularity, completely overlooking the consistent message of the gospel both were preaching. When we become more personally focused on winning or being the best, we quickly lose sight of what’s truly important. 

One of my favorite quotes is: “Comparison is the thief of joy” (attributed to Theodore Roosevelt). It jolts me when I’m veering off course and becoming consumed by an unhealthy mindset. If it resonates with you, remember it next time you’re tempted to make an unwise or unkind comparison.

Rachel and Leah compared their fertility, competed for their husband’s attention, and used their children as pawns to win his favor. Amazingly, God still worked through their dysfunctional family for His good purposes. We see this through Jesus, the Messiah, who came out of the family line of Leah’s fourth son, Judah. Listen to “The Lion and the Lamb” to celebrate God’s triumph despite this difficult family.

Image by TeroVaesalainen from Pixabay.com

Fighting Against Favoritism

Teacher’s Pet. Brownnoser. Kiss-up. Yes-man. Lap Dog. Boot-licking Toady. While you may not know each of these slang terms, you probably get the general idea that they’re all derogatory labels for someone who’s being shown favoritism or trying to earn it. What’s funny about the name calling is that we focus our disdain on the one who’s favored rather than the one bestowing the favor. We all want to be noticed and valued, so when someone else appears to be getting the attention we want, it doesn’t feel good.

Playing favorites is just part of the human condition. There are legitimate reasons for being drawn to different people and it’s natural and normal to want to give them preferential treatment. But the results can be devastating—especially for followers of Jesus.

Scripture addresses this using stories that illustrate the consequences of favoritism and teachings that warn against it. The tale of twins, Jacob and Esau, and their parents, Rebekah and Isaac, stands as one of the best warnings for the dangers of favoritism:

“When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb…The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.” (Genesis 25:24, 27-28, NIV)

That last line catches my attention every time—the blatant favoritism the parents display is just a simple fact in the story, but it changes the trajectory of their lives. You may remember that as the twins grew up, an intense rivalry developed between them. Ultimately, Jacob fled from home to avoid Esau’s wrath after he was tricked out of his birthright and blessing. One of the roots of their animosity was the favoritism each received from a parent, ultimately causing the family to fracture. 

Unlike Jacob and Esau, followers of Jesus live under the new covenant. We don’t have to jockey for position to get the first and best of what our Father has to offer because there is enough for all of us. All we need to do is accept the inheritance made available through faith in His son: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Hebrews 9:15, NIV)

With our position in the family of God secure, we’re called to recognize and root out favoritism wherever we see it: “If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself,’ you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:8-10, NIV)

Favoritism focuses on exterior elements of people—primarily the way they look, behave, and perform. Although this is a natural inclination, we need to recognize the hurt it causes and ask God to help us fight against it. Becoming like Christ means we strive to see others as He sees them—and God doesn’t have favorites. 

If you’ve read or watched The Shack, you probably remember Papa, the character that personifies God the Father. For every human she meets or recollects, Papa repeats the same exclamation: “I am especially fond of him [or her].” 

I think we could use more of Papa’s mindset in our interactions with others. Having this view starts with living like we believe we’re one of God’s favorites. Rather than making us feel superior, this knowledge should free us to love people well. When we root our identity in being one of God’s favorites (as we all are), we can focus our attention on helping others to learn this same truth. We do this by showing them God’s love, serving them, and sharing the good news of Jesus. This leads individuals to discover that the Lord is “especially fond” of them as well.

How inclined are you to play favorites with those you enjoy or connect with easily? How do you treat them compared with those you don’t prefer? Consider the people you interact with regularly in these contexts:

Family: Do your family members ever tease you about having favorites? Are you aware that this might be a way they veil their hurt? Think about your kids, grandkids, in-laws, siblings, cousins, nieces, nephews, aunts, or uncles. Do you give the ones you like best more time and attention? Do you show them preferential treatment? Do you need to pray about how you interact with some of those “hard to love” family members you’d prefer to avoid? 

Work/ Regular Commitments: Think about the places you’re involved regularly outside your home. It could be work, an organization you volunteer with, a club you belong to, or a place you serve regularly. Are there certain people there you especially enjoy? How do you treat them compared to the others? If you’re showing love and kindness to some and indifference to others, you may be missing the mark on keeping the “royal law” described by James.

Church/ Bible Study: Do you zero in on the people you like and ignore the rest? Do you take opportunities to connect with different individuals each time you attend or do you stick with those in your comfort zone? Do you keep an eye out for people who look like they’re on the periphery? Do you have room in your circle to add more friends or do you view church as a place to link arms  and turn inward once you’ve found “your people”? 

We rarely see the negative impact of showing favoritism. It can take years for family members to admit hurt over knowing they weren’t favored. The results are devastating personally and fracturing to the whole family. Sadder still, those who have witnessed preferential treatment at church and have felt like they didn’t “make the cut” often walk away altogether. They assume the favoritism they’ve witnessed is evidence of God’s rejection of them as well.

Let’s strive to eradicate favoritism from our mindset and to treat all people like we’re “especially fond” of them.

“Stars” by Skillet will remind you of God’s infinite power and intimate love. This music video includes a few clips from The Shack movie. You’ll see this story personifies the Trinity as a black woman (Papa- the Father), an Asian woman (Sarayu- the Spirit) and a Middle Eastern man (Jesus), which is why Papa is referred to as “she” above. Don’t let this throw you off! Let the truth of the words sink in as you listen.

William Paul Young, The Shack, Windblown Media, 2007.

Assuming God is Good

Giggling from the backseat, my son read the completed Mad Lib aloud to his brother and friends. At the time, the boys were in elementary school—a prime age for reveling in the silliness of this classic fill-in-the-blanks activity. You probably remember doing Mad Libs of your own in younger days: one person acts as the scribe and asks the group for nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech to write into blanks in a pre-written story the participants haven’t read. The results are usually funny—especially with boys who strive to choose the most ridiculous words they can.

As we get older, we continue filling in the blanks mentally, but the results are usually less fun. We get in the habit of making assumptions about gaps of information with our best guesses. For many of us, these are more negative than positive. We do it all the time with other people. We also do it with God.

That’s why I find the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son, Isaac, so astounding. As a test, God asked him to do the unthinkable and place his cherished child as a burnt offering on the altar. Abraham had waited 25 years for the Lord to give him an heir with Sarah. So why did He make such a brutal request after fulfilling His promise? Perhaps Abraham had gotten his priorities out of order and had been prizing his son above all else. Maybe he needed to be reminded God still deserved first place in his heart. Whatever it was, Abraham didn’t ask for the reason, he just obeyed.

Scripture gives us a few clues about how he saw the situation. The first is when he prepared to take Isaac up the mountain as a sacrifice: “He said to his servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.’” (Genesis 22:5, NIV)

Despite the plan to use his son as an offering, he told the servants both he and Isaac would return. Why would he say that? I used to think he was just trying to cover up what he was about to do so his servants wouldn’t try to stop him. But, maybe it was an example of his faith in God. As we read on, it seems possible he really did believe both of them would come back.

After leaving the servants behind, Isaac asked his father where they would find an animal to sacrifice and Abraham replied: “`God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.” (Genesis 22:8, NIV)

Again, I previously assumed Abraham was stalling and giving an excuse to Isaac, but now I see that he really believed what he said. At the moment Abraham raised his hand to kill his son, an angel called out to him, showing that God was, indeed, trustworthy: “`Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.’ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’” (Genesis 22:12-14, NIV)

In the New Testament’s “Hall of Faith,” we discover more insight about the sacrifice of Isaac: “Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.” (Hebrews 11:17-19, NIV)

This story is hard to grasp on many levels, but what strikes me most is Abraham’s unwavering trust in God. Not once did he accuse the Lord of being cruel or unfair. He believed God was good and trusted Him to provide. God tested Abraham and he passed with flying colors.

So, what’s the personal application for us in this? I’m learning that when we lay down what we cherish before God, it enables us to reprioritize and give Him the place of honor in our lives He deserves. Only after realigning our will with His can we receive back what we freely offered Him. Or, as A.W. Tozer says, “As God is exalted to the right place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once.”

I’m humbled by Abraham’s faith as I recall the many times I’ve filled in the blanks with negative assumptions about God. How often have I fretted over a difficult or uncertain situation instead of simply laying it before Him? When have I demanded to know why the Lord allowed pain in my life instead of trusting that He would use it for my good and His glory? What about times I’ve struggled to believe promises in Scripture, like this one:

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 NIV)

Instead of trusting God is at work in ways He hasn’t yet revealed, I tend to worry and make contingency plans. Many of us in the midst of the unknown assume God is either not paying attention or not going to act in time. We want the Lord to work for our good according to our purposes instead of His. So, we seek comfort, security, and control in other things instead of trusting Him and waiting patiently. We act using our own wisdom when God doesn’t do what we want, when we want, how we want. All the while, we’re forgetting what Abraham remembered, even in his darkest hour. God is good. God is for us. God loves us. He has plans for us and provides for us. He knows us and what we need. He keeps His promises. His timing is perfect. He’s worthy of trust even when we don’t have all the answers and the path ahead is unclear.

For me, the best way to remember this is to fill my mind with truth about the Lord. Listening to music with sound theology is a great method for doing this. The lyrics redirect me and stop me from filling in the blanks with negative thoughts. And I’m always drawn back to the One who never fails me. If you need a dose of truth about God, listen to “King of my Heart” by Kutless.

The Dignity and Worth of Women

A female servant conceives a child with her master at the urging of his barren wife. A father offers up his virgin daughters to be used and abused by a lustful crowd of men. Later, the same daughters commit incest with their father in an act of desperation, hoping to secure their value by producing offspring. To preserve his life, a husband remains passive as a foreign king absorbs his wife into the royal harem. These stories of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Lot and his daughters in Genesis 16-20 sound like the makings for a sordid soap opera. They are ugly, disturbing, and just plain icky. Taken out of context, they could easily lead us to believe Scripture debases and devalues women. But upon closer examination, we find they show cultural attitudes towards the roles, value, and identity of women in that era of history. They aren’t examples of how God views women, but about how the culture at the time did. 

To understand the Lord’s heart toward women more clearly, let’s turn to the New Testament. In the pages of the four gospels we find Jesus giving women dignity and worth that exceeded the cultural norms of His time. Here are a few of my favorites that show this clearly.

The Samaritan Woman at the Well: “Now [Jesus] had to go through Samaria.  So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) (John 4:5-9, NIV)

This exchange may not seem significant to us, but for a Jewish man like Jesus, speaking to a Samaritan woman would have gone against several societal norms. First, Jewish men did not speak to or associate with Gentile women. Second, Jews considered Samaritans to be detestable and unworthy. Many Jews wouldn’t even set foot in Samaria, opting to take a much longer route to get to Jerusalem to avoid traveling through this region filled with “unclean” people. The woman at the well knew this, which is why she was shocked by Jesus’ request.

As the conversation progresses, they discuss her checkered personal life. The woman realizes Jesus is not just an ordinary man and she says, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Jesus replies: “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” (John 4:25 & 26, NIV).

This is one of the first instances in Scripture when Jesus acknowledges that He is the long- awaited Messiah. And He chooses to share this important information with a woman of questionable morals from the wrong side of the tracks. Not the typical way women would have been treated at the time.

The “Unclean” Woman: “A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, ‘If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.’  Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering. At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’…Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.’ (Mark 5:24-34, NIV)

Jesus responded with compassion to this woman that was considered ceremonially unclean by the Jews because of her bleeding. She would have been banned from most social contact and anyone she touched would’ve been “unclean” as well. While others probably recoiled from her, Jesus sought her out and affirmed her faith in Him with love and gentleness.

The Woman Who Anointed Jesus: “While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. ‘Why this waste?’ they asked. ‘This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.’ Aware of this, Jesus said to them, ‘Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.’” Matthew 26:6-13, NIV)

Here we see Jesus defend and affirm a woman’s act of worship. He silences her male critics as they attempt to demonstrate moral superiority. Affirming her generous actions, He says she will be remembered any time the gospel is preached.

The Woman Caught in Adultery: “At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’  They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’

‘No one, sir,’ she said.

‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’” (John 8:2-11, NIV)

Jesus defends the woman brilliantly and causes her accusers to recognize their hypocrisy. At the same time, He achieves the delicate balance of holding her accountable for her sin while offering her mercy, grace, and forgiveness. 

These are just a few of the many times Jesus shows that He values and esteems women. His actions defied the cultural norms of the time and were a precursor for Paul’s words in Galatians: “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:26-29, NIV)

God’s love and promises aren’t limited by the divisions we create between groups because of our sinful nature. In His eyes, all people have worth and dignity, regardless of cultural or societal norms.

Lauren Daigle’s song “How Can It Be” was inspired by Jesus’ interaction with the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Let the wonder of His grace fill you with hope and joy today.

Header image courtesy of rawpixel at www.pixabay.com.

Covenant 101

Standing in a nondescript side room off the church sanctuary, my husband and I were joined by our pastor, best man, and matron of honor. Just moments before, we’d exchanged vows and rings, shared a kiss, and been introduced as “Mr. and Mrs.” for the first time. It seemed anticlimactic to make our triumphant recessional down the aisle directly to a dimly lit room to handle paperwork. With a congratulatory smile, our pastor handed us pens and showed us where we needed to sign our marriage certificate. Accompanied by the license we’d gotten a few weeks earlier, our marriage would now be legally binding. This is probably the closest thing we have in modern times for a comparison to the biblical notion of covenant.

The concept of a covenant appears throughout the Bible starting with Adam and Eve and continuing until all of God’s promises are fulfilled by Jesus. Covenant is defined simply as “a binding relationship based on a promise.”  In his book The Marriage Ref, pastor and author Tyler Scott explains: “The old covenant first began to take shape in Genesis 2.  There, God makes a covenant with Adam in language that is strong, clear and definitive: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’” (Genesis 2:15-16, NIV)

The next time we see a covenant is in the story of Noah. After the flood waters receded and the ark came to rest on dry ground, Noah built an altar and made an offering to the Lord to atone for his personal sins. Then the Lord said to Noah: “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” (Genesis 9:13-16, NIV, bold print added)

God continued to make covenants with people in stories recorded throughout Scripture, despite their sinfulness and inability to stay true to Him.  In the time period of the Old Testament, the two parties of a covenant would cut animals in half and walk between the divided carcasses. This was the symbol of stepping into a covenant relationship with one another. “When the parties of a covenant walked between the pieces of bloodied animal flesh, they were saying, in effect, ‘I will fulfill this covenant—and if I break it, may I be cut into bloody pieces like these dismembered animals.’” God made a covenant like this with Abraham in Genesis 15 when He promised to give him land and numerous descendants through whom He would bless the whole world. He did this “knowing full well that Abraham and all human beings were incapable of keeping the covenant.” (Tyler Scott, The Marriage Ref p. 34-35)

Later in the Old Testament, Abraham’s ancestors were instructed by God through Moses to make animal sacrifices to atone for their sins. The shedding of blood continued to be a central element of reaffirming covenant until the time of Jesus. These sacrifices were offered through the high priest in the tabernacle and later in the temple after it was built in Jerusalem. Author Florence Littauer explains, “There was no access to God without first making a sacrifice. Sin could only be forgiven by the substitution of an animal for the sinner himself—an innocent animal had to die in the place of the guilty man.” (Journey to Jesus, p. 210) Paul touched on this in the New Testament when he explained, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23a, NIV)

When Jesus came as the Messiah, He served not only as the ultimate high priest, but also as the perfect lamb to be sacrificed. Through His death, He made atonement for the sins of humans for all time. The book of Hebrews explains:

“Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son [Jesus] 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. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying…he came to help the descendants of Abraham. Therefore, it was necessary for him to be made in every respect like us, his brothers and sisters, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God. Then he could offer a sacrifice that would take away the sins of the people.” (Hebrews 2:14-17, NLT)

The writer of Hebrews goes on to say: “[Jesus] is the kind of high priest we need because he is holy and blameless, unstained by sin. He has been set apart from sinners and has been given the highest place of honor in heaven. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins.” (Hebrews 7:26-27 ,NLT)

The final blood sacrifice for the atonement of sins was made in the New Testament with Jesus’ death on the cross. Just as Abraham cut animals in two “God, through His Son, allowed himself to be torn to pieces—not because He broke the covenant, but because we did. He knew we couldn’t keep our end of the bargain, so he said, ‘I’ll do it for you.  I’ll pay the debt you can never repay.’ God fulfilled both the old covenant and the new covenant.”  (Tyler Scott, The Marriage Ref p. 34-35)

As graphic and awful as the description of blood covenants and sacrifices sounds, our sin is even more horrific to God. Yet, in His mercy, Jesus made it possible for us to be washed clean and made new. We have no need for dismembered animals and bloodshed for covenant agreements anymore. And in our spiritual lives, the requirement for blood to flow has been eliminated because of the sacrifice Jesus made. We’re included in God’s covenant simply by believing in Christ and accepting the part He played for us. And this is good news, indeed. 

What’s most striking about the Lord is that He’s always been faithful to keep His covenants, regardless of our fickle nature as humans. If you feel gratitude for this, “Yes I Will” is a fantastic song by Vertical Worship that provides words to reaffirm your commitment to Him.

Florence Litauer, Journey to Jesus, Hensley Publishing, 2004.

Tyler Scott, The Marriage Ref, Condeo Press, 2011.