01.19.2010

Today in Genesis, we read the end of Abraham's days, and the rise of Isaac. The burial of Abraham brings Isaac and Ishmael together again, and there are no mentioned problems. Isaac has the same issues as his father. When confronted with leaders of nations he claims his wife is his sister. More lying. Then Isaac's wife and his son Jacob continue the lying, while stealing the spot as heir of Isaac. Genesis is full of drama. Jacob is blessed with being the master of the family, and Esau has vowed to kill him. more fighting between brothers.

The 13th Psalm seems to be written from the perspective of a faithful doubter. That sounds like an oxymoron, however it isn't. The writer has complete faith in the Lord, just not faith that the Lord has a plan to save him from his current adversaries. Even though he feels the Lord is not shielding him from trouble, he still praises the Lord and trusts in his salvation. In the following Psalm, the children of men are found corrupt. None of them do any good, and it is up to the Lord to raise up from Zion to bring salvation.

Today's Proverbs tell that worldly wealth is not necessary, nor the goal of life. It worldly wealth is the goal of your life or is hoarded through ill-gotten means, it leads to loss. To win at the game of life, is to be wise. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and so following the Lord is the way to win. To be righteous is to be truly satisfied. Most notable to me is Proverb 14:12 'There is a way that seems right to a man. But its end is the way of death.' I have regularly hear the first part of this, it is a popular philosophy today. It's often paraphrased in other words, like, 'Whatever floats your boat,' or some other way of saying whatever you feel like doing, however you feel like living is fine. Each man should be the master of his destiny. But we see here that such vain thoughts are the way to death. We are not here on this earth for our greed, lust, or pursuit of perpetual happiness. We are here to glorify God Almighty.

In the New Testament, in the Gospel of Matthew, we read about the transfiguration, and the Lord Jesus explains in great detail how he will be killed and will raise again in three days. His disciples do not understand Him. They're still confused that He is the Son of God. Jesus also teaches how the Lord rejoices when a soul is saved and the importance of forgiveness. If the Lord can forgive us of sin, we should be able to forgive each other of our grievances.