Week 2 in Review

We have covered a lot of ground this week, and it's got me thinking that a week is too long hold off posting, so I'll try to do so more often. Please feel free to add your comments, too. You might like to download the journal pages for the month which you get to from the links on the right.

Old Testament
Our OT readings this week have pointed to God's ultimate role in establishing His people. This first time I read through these verses I was stunned, "What a pack of liars! Couldn't God find anyone better than these people?" Well, no, but then that's not the point. Neither Abraham, Isaac, nor Jacob is able to fulfill God's will on their own; only through the action of God Himself will Abraham's descendents come to possess the land of the Canaanites. So, Sarah has a son when she is well past the age of childbearing; she is in fact post-menopausal, so God provides the child. Abraham purchases the burial plot for Sarah, the land is not given to him. Both Isaac and Jacob marry their cousins, rather than take Canaanite wives (unlike Esau), so they will not receive land through marriage either.

On a side note, the dynamics of Isaac's family is pretty interesting. Keep an eye on Jacob and Esau; we'll be seeing more of them later.

New Testament
We concluded the Sermon on the Mount this week. Jesus points out in several of the readings that it is our inner motives, our heart, more so than any outward expressions or observances that matter to God. Just as we pay extra attention where we step when we hike along a narrow path, so we are to pay extra attention to our motives on our spiritual walk. For instance, are we just doing church, or are we being the Church? Are we willing to go be among the untouchables and "sinners" so that God can use us to bring healing?

Psalms
Throughout this week the Psalms address God's justice in the face of all the seeming injustice in the world. God is particularly interested in the defenseless, and the impovershed. Although it seems that people who take advantage of others get the upper hand, in the end there will be an accounting; God judges the hearts and minds of the wicked and righteous alike.

Proverbs
Seeking wisdom, God's wisdom, leads us along the narrow path. "Honor the LORD with your first fruits" so that He is truly the Lord of our lives. And be patient as God continues His good work in you.

Blessings to you and yours during the week ahead,
John