Genesis 4:17-6:22…
So what’s this all about then? If I wanted to get into family histories I’d tune in to BBC 1’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ – you know, the show where celebrities get to travel the world in search of their long lost ancestors? I mean, did you see the one with Brooke Shields? In turns out she’s related – directly – to Louis XIV of France… no joke!
Anyway, I guess genealogies in the Bible don’t make for the best reading (and you’re going to stumble across a few, I’m afraid). But they do serve to show us how time is moving on and how God is working through history. And in every genealogy there’s a few really interesting bits. This one’s no exception. I love the fact that Jubal (Cain’s great, great, great-grandson) was the father of all who play the harp and flute. That’s cool.
But, even with the harps and flutes, after yesterday’s reading when we saw that humans seem to be awfully good at messing up and everything started to go horribly wrong, you get the feeling that nothing has changed. That for generation after generation since Adam and Eve people were just doing whatever they wanted.
Then you get this verse, almost as if out of the blue, some people remembered what life was all about: ‘At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.’ Due to humanity’s sinfulness the world had obviously got into such a state that suddenly it seemed as if it might be a good idea to ask God to help.
And then we’ve got this list of men who all seem to live till they’re about 1000. What’s that all about? Genesis 6:3 seems to suggest that, up until a certain point, that’s how long life was meant to be. Who knows? Certainly not me!
But of all the characters listed here let’s focus on Enoch (Genesis 5:21-24) for a second. Of all the guys here it’s stated that Enoch ‘walked with God.’ I think it would be awesome if somebody looked back over my family tree in 200 years time and said, ‘Jonnie… yeah, he walked with God.’ I’m nowhere near that just now but that’s what I’m working towards. Enoch’s listed in Hebrews 11 as one of the first heroes of faith, culminating in the fact that he never died. God simply, ‘took him away’ – weird.
And then, of course, there’s Noah – everyone’s favourite boat builder.
Whatever all the stuff about sons of God and daughters of men and Nephilim (giants) means, it’s clear that things hadn’t got any better since God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden. If anything, things had gotten worse. But Noah’s the exception.
The one thing Noah always reminds me is to do whatever it is God asks you to do however crazy it seems. I mean, God asks Noah, in a nutshell, to build a massive boat even though there’s no sign of water to sail it on! Imagine how stupid Noah must have looked. I reckon I’d have laughed. But Noah was the last man of faith left alive on the earth – and what faith it was… because 'Noah did everything just as God commanded him.' A thank goodness he did, especially given what happens tomorrow.
Matthew 2:19-3:17...
Joseph must have slept a lot. He’s been spoken to in dreams 4 times within 2 chapters. Here, it’s to tell him that it’s safe to return from Egypt to Israel and then, again, to tell him whereabouts: Nazareth, in Galilee. Now Nazareth was the sort of place nobody thought much of – a bit like Livingston ;). It was poor, it was dirty and it was out of the way. But it’s here that Matthew tells us Jesus – the King – will spend his childhood. Again, we can’t help but wonder, what kind of King is this.
… Now, John the Baptist. Here’s a crazy guy. I’m not sure I’d have liked to bump into him. First, he must have stunk. He wore camel’s hair clothes and ate insects dipped in honey. Second, because his message is pretty tough. Just like in the time of Noah, there weren’t many good guys around who trusted God. So John’s message was: ‘Repent.’ In other words, turn your life around; stop doing your own thing, make a U-turn and do the things of God. And he accompanied that message with some pretty fiery stuff. ‘The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’ He talks about Jesus burning up the chaff (the waste product of the harvest – i.e. those who waste their life doing their own thing) ‘with unquenchable fire.’
But for all John seems a bit scary, I like him because he reminds us that God is not soft and cuddly but that’s he’s powerful and dangerous. We need to remember that! And John’s main job in all of this was to point people towards Jesus, who was just about to arrive. And therefore, actually, we’ve got to try and be like John. We can give the camel hair and insects a miss but in our words and actions, in school, in the workplace, at home and with friends… are we pointing towards Jesus?
And here, about 30 years old (Matthew doesn’t tell us anything about Jesus’ childhood) Jesus turns up. He asks John to baptise him. And though John knows he’s not worthy to – this is the King after all – he does it. And the Spirit of God comes like a dove and God’s voice says, ‘this is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ Wow! We need to hear that, in case we forget who Jesus is. And just maybe Jesus needed to hear that right at the start of his ministry too, especially given what happens tomorrow.
Psalm 3:1-8...
Being a Christian’s not easy. Having faith like Noah and being like John the Baptist and pointing our friends towards Jesus is not easy. And this Psalm reminds us of that. But it also reminds us that God is looking out for us. He’s a shield around us. He answers our prayers. He sustains us when we wake up in the morning. He delivers us and blesses his people.
So, let’s have the courage to go into the world and be like Noah – having faith even when it seems a little whacky – and like John the Baptist – preparing the way and pointing towards Jesus. And let’s not be afraid, because God is with us and he’s watching over us.
So what’s this all about then? If I wanted to get into family histories I’d tune in to BBC 1’s ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ – you know, the show where celebrities get to travel the world in search of their long lost ancestors? I mean, did you see the one with Brooke Shields? In turns out she’s related – directly – to Louis XIV of France… no joke!
Anyway, I guess genealogies in the Bible don’t make for the best reading (and you’re going to stumble across a few, I’m afraid). But they do serve to show us how time is moving on and how God is working through history. And in every genealogy there’s a few really interesting bits. This one’s no exception. I love the fact that Jubal (Cain’s great, great, great-grandson) was the father of all who play the harp and flute. That’s cool.
But, even with the harps and flutes, after yesterday’s reading when we saw that humans seem to be awfully good at messing up and everything started to go horribly wrong, you get the feeling that nothing has changed. That for generation after generation since Adam and Eve people were just doing whatever they wanted.
Then you get this verse, almost as if out of the blue, some people remembered what life was all about: ‘At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.’ Due to humanity’s sinfulness the world had obviously got into such a state that suddenly it seemed as if it might be a good idea to ask God to help.
And then we’ve got this list of men who all seem to live till they’re about 1000. What’s that all about? Genesis 6:3 seems to suggest that, up until a certain point, that’s how long life was meant to be. Who knows? Certainly not me!
But of all the characters listed here let’s focus on Enoch (Genesis 5:21-24) for a second. Of all the guys here it’s stated that Enoch ‘walked with God.’ I think it would be awesome if somebody looked back over my family tree in 200 years time and said, ‘Jonnie… yeah, he walked with God.’ I’m nowhere near that just now but that’s what I’m working towards. Enoch’s listed in Hebrews 11 as one of the first heroes of faith, culminating in the fact that he never died. God simply, ‘took him away’ – weird.
And then, of course, there’s Noah – everyone’s favourite boat builder.
Whatever all the stuff about sons of God and daughters of men and Nephilim (giants) means, it’s clear that things hadn’t got any better since God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden. If anything, things had gotten worse. But Noah’s the exception.
The one thing Noah always reminds me is to do whatever it is God asks you to do however crazy it seems. I mean, God asks Noah, in a nutshell, to build a massive boat even though there’s no sign of water to sail it on! Imagine how stupid Noah must have looked. I reckon I’d have laughed. But Noah was the last man of faith left alive on the earth – and what faith it was… because 'Noah did everything just as God commanded him.' A thank goodness he did, especially given what happens tomorrow.
Matthew 2:19-3:17...
Joseph must have slept a lot. He’s been spoken to in dreams 4 times within 2 chapters. Here, it’s to tell him that it’s safe to return from Egypt to Israel and then, again, to tell him whereabouts: Nazareth, in Galilee. Now Nazareth was the sort of place nobody thought much of – a bit like Livingston ;). It was poor, it was dirty and it was out of the way. But it’s here that Matthew tells us Jesus – the King – will spend his childhood. Again, we can’t help but wonder, what kind of King is this.
… Now, John the Baptist. Here’s a crazy guy. I’m not sure I’d have liked to bump into him. First, he must have stunk. He wore camel’s hair clothes and ate insects dipped in honey. Second, because his message is pretty tough. Just like in the time of Noah, there weren’t many good guys around who trusted God. So John’s message was: ‘Repent.’ In other words, turn your life around; stop doing your own thing, make a U-turn and do the things of God. And he accompanied that message with some pretty fiery stuff. ‘The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.’ He talks about Jesus burning up the chaff (the waste product of the harvest – i.e. those who waste their life doing their own thing) ‘with unquenchable fire.’
But for all John seems a bit scary, I like him because he reminds us that God is not soft and cuddly but that’s he’s powerful and dangerous. We need to remember that! And John’s main job in all of this was to point people towards Jesus, who was just about to arrive. And therefore, actually, we’ve got to try and be like John. We can give the camel hair and insects a miss but in our words and actions, in school, in the workplace, at home and with friends… are we pointing towards Jesus?
And here, about 30 years old (Matthew doesn’t tell us anything about Jesus’ childhood) Jesus turns up. He asks John to baptise him. And though John knows he’s not worthy to – this is the King after all – he does it. And the Spirit of God comes like a dove and God’s voice says, ‘this is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ Wow! We need to hear that, in case we forget who Jesus is. And just maybe Jesus needed to hear that right at the start of his ministry too, especially given what happens tomorrow.
Psalm 3:1-8...
Being a Christian’s not easy. Having faith like Noah and being like John the Baptist and pointing our friends towards Jesus is not easy. And this Psalm reminds us of that. But it also reminds us that God is looking out for us. He’s a shield around us. He answers our prayers. He sustains us when we wake up in the morning. He delivers us and blesses his people.
So, let’s have the courage to go into the world and be like Noah – having faith even when it seems a little whacky – and like John the Baptist – preparing the way and pointing towards Jesus. And let’s not be afraid, because God is with us and he’s watching over us.
No comments:
Post a Comment