The Author of Life is imaginative and ingenious and
innovative and inventive. Call it intelligent design, if you wish. We could discuss
how He created the universe. We could debate whether the process took seven
24-hour days or seven eras.
Maybe that’s sort of a moot point in the 21st
Century. Perhaps the main issue is that God did it – intentionally and not by
accident. Everything didn’t simply arise by some random interruption that
tossed chaos into creation.
Just look around and the works of His hands. From the
cellular level to the immeasurable stretches of space, nothing man could ever
devise or develop could compare to the intelligence or design of the Almighty.
“For
in Him all things were created: things in Heaven and on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have
been created through Him and for Him.” (Colossians
1:16, NIV)
Inspiring indeed! Who but God could think all that up?
Yesterday, our Bible reading concluded the listing of the law of the Lord from the Torah. Today, we read of how God’s people were called to a covenant of obedience. Their response would lead either to blessing or cursing.
Although God called the Israelites to be His holy people, and He promised never to leave them, His favor would depend upon their choices. The people could choose to obey the Lord and keep His covenant, or they could opt to reject Him and lose His hand of blessing upon their lives and the land He would give to them.
This conditional covenant represented a new chapter in the history of God’s people.
The Abrahamic Covenant was unconditional.
God’s promise to Abraham (known as the Abrahamic Covenant) had been unconditional. God assumed full responsibility for the promise and the outcome (see Genesis 12-17).
Throughout the delineation of God’s covenant with Moses and the people (see Exodus 19-24), the word “if” appears repeatedly. God promises fruitfulness, prosperity, health and expansion, if the people will seek to obey His laws. On the other hand, He warns of disease, disaster, oppression and ruin, if they will not.
Sin separates man from the Lord, and deliberate disobedience blocks His hand of blessing. Bible scholars and historians have traced the patterns of sin and obedience and found the consequences to bear out the Lord’s principles.
Does all suffering come from sin?
It can be easy for healthy and wealthy individuals to claim the Lord’s favor and to blame those who struggle and suffer for their own troubles. However, any honest evaluator will quickly discover that bad things happen to righteous people, and good things may also happen to the wicked.
Certainly, mankind’s troubles began when sin entered the world through prideful disobedience. We have all experienced the perils of our fallen condition.
However, even in times of suffering, we may walk with the blessing of the Lord.
Will we choose to be blessed or stressed?
Living in a dangerous and often dark world, who would not rather face the future with the Lord’s favor than without it? Would we not choose to obey Him and live under His protection and providence, rather than striking out in deliberate rebellion?
How can we, as individuals or even as nations, expect the Lord to rain blessings upon us, if we refuse to invite His leadership and laws into our lives?
Today’s reading announces the parting of the ways of Israel (formerly Jacob) and Esau. From this time on, the two brothers and their offspring were at odds.
The rest of the chapter delineates the prolific family line of Esau, which became the Edomites. These people settled primarily in the area south of Israel (see historic tribal map – above).
Family Friction
Jacob and his family looked askance at Esau and his clan, primarily because Esau’s group intermarried with their pagan neighbors. The family line became diluted, as each household grew distracted by devotion to idols and false gods.
Throughout Hebrew history, the Edomites were perceived as an enemy and a threat to Israel.
Have you ever known a family with a seemingly unmendable rift? Family friction may be the most painful conflict of all.
Relatives often know one another more intricately and intimately than other people. We know how to help each other, but we also may carry a deeper understanding of how to cause harm.
As a parent, I often find myself struggling to redirect youngsters, as they engage in their own sibling rivalry.
“You are the best friends either of you is ever going to have,” I say.
“Yeah, right,” I often hear.
It’s true. Friends may disappear in time. Acquaintances may transfer and relocate. But families do not lose their connection. At least, we ought not to.
Although family members may grate on one another’s nerves occasionally, they may also prove to be the most valuable earthly allies, when truly needed.
Just watch brothers or sisters in action. They may nitpick and natter at one another. If an outsider threatens one of them, however, they will spring to attention to defend him or her. It’s in their blood, literally. (Yesterday’s reading demonstrated this instinct quite overtly.)
Seeking Sweet Solution
How might we find ways to mend broken relationships with relatives? Do we have any unfinished business, as modern psychologists tag unresolved conflicts, with members of our own clans?
Will we pass these differences on to our children, or will we seek reconciliation in our own lifetimes?
