I intentionally try to stay away from mentioning politics or controversial issues on this blog because it is not my intention to focus on things like that. I want to to write down rather my thoughts about the Bible. Yet, at times the Bible seems to intersect with the news and events that are happening today. In particular, I've been saddened by the hatred and violence coming out of the middle east, Syria and Gaza and Israel. I thought about how long all of this hatred has been going on and its roots, which goes back to the book of Genesis.
In Genesis 15, God takes Abraham outside and tells him to count the stars if he can. He tells him his descendants will be as numerous as those stars. Now, at the time, Abrahma was called Abram and was already an old man and Sarai was also old. So, Sarai realizes that she cannot bear children and decided to take things into her own hands and gives Abram her maid, who was Egyptian named Hagar. It says that in Genesis 16:4 that Hagar became pregnant and then began to despise Sarai, which caused no small amount of trouble in the home.
This child is named by the angel as Ishmael, and it says of him, "And he will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him. And he will live to the east of his brothers." Genesis 16:12. This Ishmael is the father of the Arabs, who today are shooting rockets into Israel. You notice that Hagar also had her roots in Egypt.
This is how long that this conflict has been going on. And it started with Sarai thinking that she would help things along and taking matters into her own hands. Abram should have corrected her and stopped this plan of hers, but he didn't, so he is equally guilty. But, the interesting thing is that before you go on getting all upset with Sarai or Abraham, we have a tendency, too not wait on God and to try to do things our own way. One of the hardest, dirtiest, worst four letter words in the universe is "wait".
The good news of this though is that God uses people like Abraham, who more than once told people that Sarai was his sister instead of his wife. He uses people like Sarai, who are imperfect and impatient and have a hard time waiting. He even uses people like you and me to do his will and to accomplish all sorts of things. The fact that Sarai and Abraham had problems and made mistakes somehow makes me like them more. They seem more real to me instead of some towering figure I can't relate to. The miracle of it all is that God's grace is so much greater than our sins and imperfections that he uses us despite ourselves sometimes instead of because of us.
Waiting reminds me of Psalms 62:5-7 "My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from HIm. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. Oh God, my salvationa nd my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God."
In Genesis 15, God takes Abraham outside and tells him to count the stars if he can. He tells him his descendants will be as numerous as those stars. Now, at the time, Abrahma was called Abram and was already an old man and Sarai was also old. So, Sarai realizes that she cannot bear children and decided to take things into her own hands and gives Abram her maid, who was Egyptian named Hagar. It says that in Genesis 16:4 that Hagar became pregnant and then began to despise Sarai, which caused no small amount of trouble in the home.
This child is named by the angel as Ishmael, and it says of him, "And he will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him. And he will live to the east of his brothers." Genesis 16:12. This Ishmael is the father of the Arabs, who today are shooting rockets into Israel. You notice that Hagar also had her roots in Egypt.
This is how long that this conflict has been going on. And it started with Sarai thinking that she would help things along and taking matters into her own hands. Abram should have corrected her and stopped this plan of hers, but he didn't, so he is equally guilty. But, the interesting thing is that before you go on getting all upset with Sarai or Abraham, we have a tendency, too not wait on God and to try to do things our own way. One of the hardest, dirtiest, worst four letter words in the universe is "wait".
The good news of this though is that God uses people like Abraham, who more than once told people that Sarai was his sister instead of his wife. He uses people like Sarai, who are imperfect and impatient and have a hard time waiting. He even uses people like you and me to do his will and to accomplish all sorts of things. The fact that Sarai and Abraham had problems and made mistakes somehow makes me like them more. They seem more real to me instead of some towering figure I can't relate to. The miracle of it all is that God's grace is so much greater than our sins and imperfections that he uses us despite ourselves sometimes instead of because of us.
Waiting reminds me of Psalms 62:5-7 "My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from HIm. He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. Oh God, my salvationa nd my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God."
