January 30

GENESIS 31
Here is that phrase again, “I will be with you.” It is associated with one simple condition, “Return to the land of your fathers and to your family.” Jacob is certain that if he tries to depart openly then Laban will strip him of all that he has. So he takes an opportune time while Laban is away elsewhere shearing sheep, and he leaves with all of his possessions. Laban is infuriated when he finds out. He catches up with Jacob, but God is with Jacob and appears to Laban at night in a dream warning him not to do anything to Jacob. God is indeed with Jacob.
However, Laban is concerned about one thing that seems to him to have no bearing on God’s warning. He wants his household idols back. Apparently Rachel had stolen them without Jacob’s knowledge. Why would she do such a thing? They had plenty of wealth in terms of flocks and herds. She apparently is divided in her heart toward the true God, or perhaps she wishes to reveal to others, who worshipped the idols, the impotence of gods to protect themselves against those who would steal their own images away. Or perhaps she had some emotional attachment to them. Whatever the case, what mercy our Lord has upon Jacob and his family as he flees his father-in-law. God is indeed with him as He has been since he first left Isaac and met Him at Bethel. Jacob has continued to be conniving. His wives have likewise been wrestling for dominance. This is just one large dysfunctional family. Yet God is with Him. Wow! What mercy He shows us even today! Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

PSALM 30
“You hid Your face and I was troubled.” Everything else can be going fine, but if I can’t see His glory, what is the use? Every once-in-a-while I get in a funk. It seems that I just can’t see Him. It is indeed troubling. Why does that happen? Why does He hide His face? I suppose there are a variety of contributing factors. Sin of course is an obvious reason. If I regard iniquity in my heart, he does not hear me. I would suppose that he also hides His face at those times. Sometimes I think He does it to make me desire Him more. Sometimes I think He does it to test me and show me my heart. Sometimes I think He does it to strengthen my resolve. Sometimes I think He does it to teach me to seek His face and not His hands (blessings). Whatever the reason, it is always troubling.
His anger over my sin remains only as long as I hold on to the sin. So there is weeping until I finally let go. He once again reveals His face and there is joy again. His anger is but for a moment, but His favor is for a lifetime. Last night in Families in the Word we emphasized, “Truth lasts forever, but lies last only a moment.” That is an interesting comparison. His anger over my lies lasts only a moment (or until there has been true repentance). His glory is seen when I turn from my lies to His truth. When I walk in His truth, His glory is seen. The truth is this: He has not withheld His only Son, so that I might walk with Him. He smiles on that. I enjoy basking in the warmth of His smile. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

ESTHER 7
Don’t trouble my wife. If you want to get me angry really quick, harass my wife. I think that would be true of any decent husband. Remember that the marriage relationship is to reflect the relationship between Christ and His church. Does Jesus get mad when folks harass His bride the church? You had better believe it. In a limited sense Xerxes becomes a type of Christ in this chapter. Upon learning of Haman’s plot to kill the Jews, he is filled with wrath. He leaves the room in anger. Custom would have demanded that a man not be left alone with a woman of the royal harem. Haman should have left immediately. Knowing that his fate was sealed, he threw himself on her couch to beg for mercy from Esther. Unfortunately for Haman, that is when the king walked in. Haman had shown complete contempt for custom. The King becomes even more incensed at this flagrant outrage. Haman is toast.
Is it part of the glory of the Lord to be incensed at those who seek to destroy His bride, the church? Listen to 2 Thessalonians 1:4–10

4…we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, 5 which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; 6 since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, 7 and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

It was not Esther’s place to take vengeance upon Haman. It was the King’s decision. It was the King’s place to decide to hang Haman on the gallows upon which Haman had planned to hang Mordecai. It was his glory to do so. Even so our Lord is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. After countless opportunities for repentance, there is coming a time when it will be to His glory to take vengeance upon those who would not repent. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor john

MATTHEW 20:1-16
When I was 8 or 9 years old, there was a truck farmer that lived in town. For those of you who did not grow up in a rural community, a truck farmer is someone who lives in town and has various plots of land around the community that he rents from land owners. He would grow various crops on the different plots of land. This particular farmer specialized in tomatoes, cantaloupe, watermelon, honeydew, etc. He'd pick the crops and take them into the local grocery stores and sell them.
He would from time to time have more work than he personally could handle. So, he'd hire the local kids to work with him. (Now days I presume the small town operations are taken over by large farms who hire migrant workers many of whom are illegal aliens, without whom we could not have such cheap food.) This truck farmer paid wages according to what he thought you were worth. Once or twice he asked me to work for him. I got paid the whopping wage of $0.25/hr. I guess I wasn't worth much. He was right. But I was happy to have a little bit of money. After all in the early and mid sixties you could buy a candy bar for a nickel. My point is that he paid what he thought was fair. No one had to work for Him. If $0.25 was not enough, I didn't have to work for him. It was really by his grace that I got to work for him the few times I did. Yes, there were others that worked more often and were paid more per hour. But He didn't have to hire any of us.
Jesus is that way. Not only does He save us, forgive us, bestow upon us the title of son and brother, lavish His great love upon us, but he also calls us to work, so to speak, in His fields. He commands us to work but doesn't force us to work. He rewards us with more than we deserve when we do work. Some may appear to be awarded more than others, but in the end we will see that it is all His grace anyway. That is the glory of our Lord -- it is grace after grace lavished upon us. We don't deserve it, but He gives it anyway. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John