No Compromise - January 31, 2009

Title: No Compromise Topic: Parenting

Scripture: (Exo 34:12-16 NKJV) "Take heed to yourself, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land where you are going, lest it be a snare in your midst. {13} "But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images {14} '(for you shall worship no other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), {15} "lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they play the harlot with their gods and make sacrifice to their gods, and one of them invites you and you eat of his sacrifice, {16} "and you take of his daughters for your sons, and his daughters play the harlot with their gods and make your sons play the harlot with their gods.

Observation: While it may seem strange to us that God would tell His people to go into the land He was giving them and completely wipe out all the people already living there, we must understand the reasons. The basis for this command is found in the text for today. The BKC explains: “Making a treaty with idolaters would lead to involvement in their sacrificial communal meals (34:15), to intermarrying their daughters (many of whom were spiritual and/or physical prostitutes to their gods; cf. Hosea 4:13-14), and even to making molten images (Ex. 34:17; cf. 20:4) as they had already done with the gold calf (32:4). Tragically Israel did not heed these warnings and they did in fact become involved in worshiping the Canaanites’ and others’ false gods. Ultimately this led to Israel being exiled.”
It wasn’t only the danger of rejecting God and accepting idols, it was rather what the worship of those idols would, and indeed did, lead them to do. Many of the pagan practices included not just the worship of idols but temple prostitution and ultimately the sacrifice of children in the fire to those idols. God knew how low such compromises would lead them and was trying to protect them from such horror. Sadly, in their blindness and stubbornness, the Israelites disobeyed God, didn’t destroy all the people, entered into relationships with them, accepted their gods, and did sacrifice their children and their altars, both spiritually and physically.

Application: The application for us as parents today should be as clear: don’t compromise principle, choose carefully what you expose your children to. I am amazed at how lightly parents today take the issue of Adventist education as opposed to any other. It’s as if we have been so blinded that we don’t see what harm our children could experience if they went to a public school or a Christian school of a different faith, or what problems may arise if they become close friends with non-Adventists, or what problems may exists if they marry them. And yet, all of us know from personal experience so many people who have indeed taken these steps and now they or their children are no longer Adventists or even believe in God.
So, watch carefully what you expose your children to – what they read, what they watch, who they associate with, where they go to school, etc. Those decisions could have eternal consequences.

Prayer: Father, today as during the Exodus we as parents need all the wisdom You can possibly give us to make the right decisions. I may not be anymore challenging to be a parent today than in other times, but this is our time, these are our challenges, and those are the decisions we have to make. So, please endow us with the courage, the strength, and the wisdom to do what is right, even if it’s no popular with our children or others.

Passed Down - January 30, 2009

Title: Passed Down Topic: Parenting

Scripture: (Exo 31:1-11 NKJV) Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: {2} "See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. {3} "And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, {4} "to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, {5} "in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. {6} "And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all who are gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: {7} "the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle; {8} "the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, {9} "the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base; {10} "the garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, {11} "and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do."

Observation: Bezalel was Hur’s grandson. Tradition teaches that Hur was Miriam’s husband – Miriam who was Moses’ sister. While God endowed these men with special skills to be able to make all the ornaments of the sanctuary and the clothing to be worn by the priests, my guess is that they were already gifted and experienced in those arts, something they might have learned from their respective fathers as it has been for millennia.

Application: One of those gifts we can give our children is to pass down to them skills, knowledge, good memories, family history, all of which strengthen their roots in their past and enable them to do better in their future. One of the greatest gifts we can pass down to our children is our faith in God and our hope in the soon return of Jesus. While somebody said that God does not have grandchildren, by which they mean that we all have the same opportunity to be children of God, in order for our children to know about God we, as their parents, must pass our personal faith is God as our Father.

Prayer: Father, may we pass down to our children not only useful knowledge and skills but most importantly our faith You that they, too, may come to know You and love You and accept Your gift of salvation.

Holy to the Lord - January 29, 2009

Title: Holy to the Lord Topic: Marriage

Scripture: (Exo 28:36 NKJV) "You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD.

Observation: As part of the priestly garments, the high priest was to wear a breastplate with a stone for each of the twelve tribes of Israel, and a turban with a gold plate engrave with the words “Holy or Holiness to the Lord.” The breastplate was significant in that “"Whenever Aaron enters the Holy Place, he will bear the names of the sons of Israel over his heart on the breastpiece of decision as a continuing memorial before the LORD” (vs.29). As tu the gold plate on the turban, “It will be on Aaron's forehead, and he will bear the guilt involved in the sacred gifts the Israelites consecrate, whatever their gifts may be. It will be on Aaron's forehead continually so that they will be acceptable to the LORD” (vs.38). God’s people were to be on the mind and over the heart of the high priest whenever he performed his ministry in the sanctuary.

Application: The role of the husband as the high priest of the family is also very significant. His wife, his family, his children must be on his mind and in his heart every time he prays and every time he performs any act before God. His words and actions toward his family must be guided not only rationally (the mind), but emotionally (the heart).
But there’s something else in the symbolism here which we must not overlook. The words engraved on the gold plate attached to the turban – Holy to the Lord – is a call and a challenge to purity, to be separated from any influence that would distract or detract from service to Him, to refrain from any thought, word, or cation that according to His will or contrary to it. Those words demonstrate a total, undivided commitment to God which, as a result, makes our commitment to our spouse stronger and more durable. It was such commitment which kept Joseph from agreeing to Potiphar’s wife enticement to sin. It was that commitment which kept Daniel praying, as he did before, in spite of the order to the contrary. It was such commitment that kept Jesus faithful to His ministry all the way to the cross in spite of the actions of His people at the time and in the future. It is such commitment we as husbands and wives are called to today, to be Holy to the Lord, and wholly our spouse’s.

Prayer: Loving Father, today we dedicate and consecrate to You anew. We want to be Holy to You and we want to be Wholly our spouse’s. Strengthen us daily that this commitment we make today remain firm forever.

Always Burning - January 28, 2009

Title: Always Burning Topic: Marriage, Family

Scripture: (Exo 27:20-21 NKJV) "And you shall command the children of Israel that they bring you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to cause the lamp to burn continually. {21} "In the tabernacle of meeting, outside the veil which is before the Testimony, Aaron and his sons shall tend it from evening until morning before the LORD. It shall be a statute forever to their generations on behalf of the children of Israel.

Observation: The Levites had the responsibility for the care and maintenance of the sanctuary, including the seven-branch lampstand which light was to be kept always burning. To that effect, the priest would go in and replenish the oil and the wicks and ensure that its fire would never go out. After the destruction of the temple, the Jewish people found some oil for the lamps and immediately got the light going again while at the same time preparing the special oil to continue the shining of its light and hoping the oil they had found would last until a new batch would be ready. According to their story, the fire lasted long enough, nine days; the celebration was great and indeed gave way to the beginning of the annual commemoration of that event through the festival of Hanukkah.

Application: It is important that in marriage and in the home the light always be burning. This light can take on different forms:
1. The light of God must be burning at home by having daily devotional time, Bible study and prayer.
2. The light of love must be burning daily by practicing its manifestations as explained by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13.
3. The light of kindness and patience must burn daily as we experience at times what others do to us, whether willingly or carelessly.
4. The light of romance must be burning daily as we look for ways to show our spouse through words and actions how much we love them and how much we care for them.
5. The light of forgiveness must burn daily to get rid of the darkness of resentment and hatred.
Let’s keep our light burning at home and in our relationship so others may see it and find hope for their own families.

Prayer: Father, help us to keep the light bright and burning that we, our families, our spouse, our children, may have a brighter life and that others may also be helped remove the darkness in their lives and the darkness in this world.

Family Religion - January 27, 2009

Title: Family Religion Topic: Parenting, Children, Family

Scripture: (Exo 23:17 NKJV) "Three times in the year all your males shall appear before the Lord GOD.

Observation: Moses continues to write the instructions God has given him for the Israelites. In this section we find the regulations concerning the holy days that were to be observed annually. While the Sabbath was to be observed weekly and there were seven holy days, God established that at a minimum all males were to appear before the Lord three times each year. While the entire family participated in the celebrations and in observing those days, the males, as representatives of the home, were to come to the assembly to perform their duties as required by the law.

Application: The husband is still the priest of the household and it is his responsibility to see that the religious observances by the family be conducted on a daily, constant basis. The husband represent Christ to his family and us such he is to be loving and self-sacrificing. In those homes where there is no husband, the mother should assume the responsibility of living and sharing the faith with her children. At the same time, religious observance cannot simply be a personal matter but it must be part of family life and it must also be a public demonstration by attending the public services of the church. While we as Christians do not observe the Jewish holy days, the weekly Sabbath must still be part of our life and practice as a family and men should lead by example in the keeping of that day.

Prayer: Father, help us, men, to be the examples to our families that we need to be so that we all together may Know You, Love You, Serve You, and Share You.

Respect the Unmarried - January 26, 2009

Title: Respect the Unmarried Topic: Single, Marriage

Scripture: (Exo 22:16-17 NKJV) "If a man entices a virgin who is not betrothed, and lies with her, he shall surely pay the bride-price for her to be his wife. {17} "If her father utterly refuses to give her to him, he shall pay money according to the bride-price of virgins.

Observation: This section begins a series of civil regulations for the newly freed Israelites as they begin to form their nation, under God. This section talks about the abuse of a virgin girl or simply taking advantage of the youth and naivete of a young girl to take sexual advantage of her. Perhaps Matthew Henry, in his commentary, explains it better, “Here is, I. A law that he who debauched a young woman should be obliged to marry her, v. 16, 17. If she was betrothed to another, it was death to debauch her (Deu. 22:23, 24); but the law here mentioned respects her as single. But, if the father refused her to him, he was to give satisfaction in money for the injury and disgrace he had done her. This law puts an honour upon marriage and shows likewise how improper a thing it is that children should marry without their parents’ consent: even here, where the divine law appointed the marriage, both as a punishment to him that had done wrong and a recompense to her that had suffered wrong, yet there was an express reservation for the father’s power; if he denied his consent, it must be no marriage.”

Application: While women didn’t seem to enjoy the equality with men that God designed, God did not want men to simply take advantage of the young and vulnerable. That’s the reason why there are so many regulations regarding the orphan and the widow, and in our text for today, a virgin girl. While girls could marry at an early age, they were to follow the regular customs regarding courtship, betrothal, engagement, and marriage, and men were not to simply take advantage of a young girl without having taken all the steps necessary to protect her and ensure her physical and financial protection. While today there is a minimum age at which a person, particularly a girl, can be married, we must also ensure that the young and vulnerable are not taken advantage of, particularly sexually. We should also be careful not to encourage early dating as the level of maturity of one or both can become a great disadvantage to a healthy relationship. This also teaches that young people must listen to their parents in these matters instead of going against their wishes and advice.

Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for Your care and concern for the young and vulnerable, and for reminding us that marriage and sex are to be cared for in a sacred manner.

Wise Advice - January 25, 2009

Title: Wise Advice Topic: Father-in-law

Scripture: (Exodus 18:24 NKJV) So Moses heeded the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said.

Observation: Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of the miraculous exit of Israel from Egypt, and came to meet them and to bring Moses his wife and children. While visiting Moses, Jethro noticed that his son-in-law would sit from sunrise to sunset listening to the people’s problems, providing guidance, and teaching them what God wanted them to know and do. Realizing that this approach would eventually wear out both Moses and the people, Jethro suggested a pan by which Moses would choose a number of people and delegate some of his responsibilities to them. This wise advice not only helped Moses and the Israelites, but has served as a pattern in many organizations, including the church so that all the burden and responsibility do not fall on the leaders shoulders alone but that it be shared with other capable leaders.

Application: This story is very meaningful to me. I was blessed to have a most wonderful, generous, kind man for my father-in-law, a true gentleman, a very loving father, husband, and grandfather, a very patient, honest, and fair individual. From the very beginning, he opened not only his home but his heart to me and welcomed me into the family as if I had always been part of it. I remember that shortly after he was diagnosed with brain cancer he had an attorney draw up his will. We were visiting that weekend and he and I were at home alone when he showed me the will and asked for my opinion. Here was a man, many years my senior, asking me if I thought the way he had distributed his estate and how he made provision for his wife to be taken care of was fair and just (which I indeed thought it was). He didn’t need my opinion, but that act showed me how wise, respectful, polite, and kind he was to include me in one of the most important decisions of his life. For that cat, and many others, I will remember him with great admiration and respect.
For some reason, mothers-in-law have always gotten a bad reputation and have been the recipients of many jokes and sarcastic remarks. I would imagine that just as there are some problematic mothers-in-law, there are many who are very good. My mother always spoke of her mother-in-law, my grandmother Cecilia, with the most positive, loving words of admiration and appreciation. Both my wife and I remember and speak of each other’s mom’s in the warmest of ways. While there are in-laws that may be more problematic than not, I wonder if more often than not the problem is with the son or daughter in law, maybe because of their immaturity, or maybe in their attempt to assert their independence and leadership in the home, that they feel threatened by the spouse’s parents and their attempts to be loving and helpful. It would be best if we can enjoy the love and wisdom of our parents and parents-in-law, and that we may maintain a warm relationship which will bless and benefit everyone involved.

Prayer: Father, thank you for our spouse’s family and for their contributions to our life, future, and well-being. May we all learn to maintain a positive attitude toward one another knowing that in Your family we all can benefit from each other’s knowledge, wisdom, and love.

Just What We Need - January 24, 2008

Title: Just What We Need Topic: Sabbath, Family

Scripture: (Exodus 16:17-18 NKJV) Then the children of Israel did so and gathered, some more, some less. {18} So when they measured it by omers, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack. Every man had gathered according to each one's need.

Observation: After 430 years in Egyptian captivity, it seems like the Israelites had forgotten many things about God – many might have even been worshipping Egyptian gods. One of the reasons for this wilderness journey to the Promised Land was a process of retraining the Israelites, to bring them back to the worship of the only and true God. It’s interesting that one of the first things God taught them, or reminded them of, was the Sabbath. In Exodus 16 we find the way that God showed them about the weekly cycle, which culminates with the seventh-day Sabbath. But it was not simply to teach them about the weekly cycle but also that God takes care of our needs.

Application: From the very beginning, the week of creation, God was trying to teach that fact to Adam and Eve when He created them on the sixth day of that first week, and their first full day of life was the Sabbath. They hadn’t yet done any work, and yet God had provided for all their needs and simply invited them to rest.
This morning, as I write these words, it is Sabbath. Outside, it is -15◦F here in Maple Grove, near the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, with a wind chill of somewhere between -25 to -30. And yet, inside our home is warm, we have plenty of food for several days, we have our cars in the garage, ready to take us wherever we may need to go, we have books to read, clothes to wear, and much, much more. On this Sabbath, like on every other Sabbath, God is taking care of our needs and we’re enjoying the physical, emotional, and spiritual rest we so much need and desire.
It is also interesting that on the Sabbath the people were not to go out and gather Manna, which would not be there anyway, but were to stay together, as families, and simply enjoy the day and God’s blessings. The Sabbath is not just a day to do nothing, but a day to enjoy God’s blessings with our families – whether at home or with our church family, a day to remember that He takes care of all our needs, and a day to be refreshed, rejuvenated, recreated both individually and as a family. May this be a blessed Sabbath day for you.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the blessings of the Sabbath. May today, the Sabbath, be a glorious one for each of us, and may our families receive the greatest blessings on this day as we come to You and as You bring us closer to one another.

What God Did for Me - January 23, 2009

Title: What God Did for Me Topic: Salvation, Parenting, Children

Scripture: (Exodus 13:8 NKJV) "And you shall tell your son in that day, saying, 'This is done because of what the LORD did for me when I came up from Egypt.'

Observation: God had delivered the Israelites from their life of slavery in Egypt after a long struggle with Pharaoh. The annual Passover service was established not just as a celebration of their deliverance but as a teaching tool for future generations, particularly for children. Every year, as the family gathers around the Passover table and the children as, “What is this?”, the parents respond in two ways: 1. The Lord delivered me from slavery (13:8). 2. The Lord deliver us from slavery (13:14-16).

Application: The point of the annual Passover celebration/commemoration is to teach the children about God’s marvelous deliverance power and to remind them that they were slaves, but God gave them freedom. Children are taught through songs, through the food items, through the games played, and through the questions asked that God displayed His power on their behalf. The questions reflect something that is very special not just for Israelites delivered from slavery but to all of us who have suffered under the slavery of sin from our birth. To the first question the answer is – The Lord delivered me. This reflects the fact that salvation is first of all a personal matter – God delivered me from sin. The second answer reflects what God has done for us as a people – God delivered us all.
While most of us do not have Jewish heritage and therefore don’t celebrate Passover, the communion service gives us the same opportunity to explain to our children what Jesus has done for us. As we consider the foot washing part of the service, we can explain to our children that Jesus gave us an example of humility and service. We can explain to them what the bread and the grape juice represent, and most importantly, what the sacrifice of Jesus accomplished for each of us as individuals and what it assured for us as a people – eternal life on the earth made new.

Prayer: Father, thank You for delivering me from the bondage of sin, and thank You for guaranteeing for us, through the death of Your Lamb, eternal life with You.

Total Family Dedication - January 22, 2009

Title: Total Family Dedication Topic: Family

Scripture: Exodus 10:9 - 11 (NKJV) And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.” 10Then he said to them, “The Lord had better be with you when I let you and your little ones go! Beware, for evil is ahead of you. 11Not so! Go now, you who are men, and serve the Lord, for that is what you desired.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

Observation: Time and time again, Pharaoh refuses to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt;; it’s obvious he suspected they were going to leave for good and he would not risk losing his work force. At first he told them they could hold their worship service in the land. Then he told them they could go in the wilderness, but not very far. Finally he agreed to let the men go, but not the women or the children. It is clear that Pharaoh never really intended to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt and stubbornly tested God. After each plague, the conviction of God’s mighty power should have been made clear and thus he should have been willing to submit to His command; instead, he hardened his heart and refused to allow them to leave.

Application: When it comes to the worship of God, it is not enough for the men to do so without the participation of their wives and children. The worship of God should be part of family life. My wife found statistics that point out that children drop out of the church a lot faster and in greater numbers when they attend church by themselves, or when they attend church with only their mom or dad. But when children attend church with both their parents, they tend to remain members of the church longer, many for a lifetime. Men are the priests of their household and as such they should lead in the worship of the Lord both at home and at church. This worship experience cannot and should not be a personal, private experience only, but a family experience as well.

Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for the opportunity You give us to be Your children and that together as a family we can worship You. Help us to set aside daily times for private and family worship and dedicate ourselves and our families to Your service for others.

I Have Heard Your Groaning - January 21, 2009

Title: I Have Heard Your Groaning Topic: Prayer, Parenting, Children

Scripture: Exodus 6:2 - 8 (NKJV) And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. 3I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them. 4I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’”

Observation: God commissions Moses to be the leader of His people and to deliver them from slavery. God, the compassionate God and Father that he is, sends Moses to remind His people that He has not forgotten them, that while they have been bearing heavy burdens He has been by their side, that He did not create slavery, that He abhors it, and that He will not let them suffer forever. He wants them to remember that He remembers the covenant He established with their ancestors Abraham, Issac, and Jacob and that He will act on their behalf.

Application: What attracts me the most about these passages is that God does not forget His promises toward us and that he hears our prayers.
1. He remembers. There are many promises from God to us as parents concerning our children and He makes it clear that He does and will remember them. I am mostly concerned with His promises of salvation for us and our children. We can claim those promises, because he made them, and he will keep them.
2. He Hears. Even at those times when we think or feel that our prayers are not going anywhere and the answer seems delay, we can be assured that God hears us. My concern is that it is not just the hurried prayers but rather the groaning that He seems to pay special attention to. It is not the quick, simple prayer we need to utter, but too spend careful, calculated time with God, pleading for our children, as if their very lives depended on it, because it does. Parents with seriously ill children do that, why not do it for our children who are seriously suffering from the deadly disease of sin?

Prayer: Hear our prayer, Oh Lord, for our children this day, because they are also your children. Save them, Father, even when they don’t realize the need for salvation. Forgive them, Father, even when they don’t realize when they have offended You. Heal them, Father, even though they don’t recognize their disease. Bless the, O God, for the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ.

Love Protects Children - January 20, 2009

Title: Love Protects Children Topic: Children, Parenting

Scripture: A man from the tribe of Levi married a woman who was a descendant of Levi. 2And the woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a healthy child, she hid him for three months. 3But when she was no longer able to hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him and sealed it with bitumin and pitch. Then she put the child in it and set it among the reeds along the edge of the Nile. 4And his sister stationed herself at a distance, to find out what would happen to him. (Exodus 2:1-4 NET)

Observation: Since God thwarted the Egyptians’ plans to destroy the Israelite male children and thus Moses was born, he was cared for by his own mother. The task was challenging from day one, but more so as the baby grew and made the normal noises children that age make. Fearing that he would be discovered and harmed, she hid him in a basket, away from populated areas, and under the watch care of his older sister.

Application: While some are aborting their children because they would inconvenience their lives or others abandon them, neglect them, abuse them, or murder them, Moses’ mother risked her own safety to ensure that of her son. How can we ensure the safety and protection of our children today? Some thoughts:
1. Spending as much time with them throughout their growing years.
2. Providing a safe environment in which to grow up.
3. Guarding the influences around them – friends, media, school, etc.
4. Giving such an example that they can safely follow.
5. Providing for their needs – physically, emotionally, and most of all, spiritually.

Prayer: Father, as much as we wish to protect our children, we pray that You surrounded with Your protection, with Your holy angels, with the guidance of Your Holy Spirit. May no harm or danger come their way, and through their life experience may they see Your hand in their lives.

Death at Birth - January 19, 2009

Title: Death at Birth Topic: Children, Abortion

Scripture: When you assist the Hebrew women in childbirth, observe at the delivery: if it is a boy, kill him, but if it is a girl, then she may live.” 17But the midwives feared God, and they did not do what the king of Egypt had told them; they let the boys live. (Exodus 1:16-17 NET)

Observation: The Egyptians were worried that the Israelites would grow in umber so that they would become an overpowering majority, so they ordered the Egyptian midwives to kill the male babies born to Israelite women. The midwives, however, were God fearing women and did not obey those orders. As an aside, God rewarded the midwives for their actions.

Application: So many look for reasons to excuse the objectionable, unethical, and immoral abuse and destruction of children under the guise of doing what’s best for others. The traffic of children continues around the world – children sold to a life of forced labor or to lives of physical and/or sexual abuse. Others excuse abortion on demand for the sake of the women who do not wish to have babies, for victims of incest or rape, or for unwanted pregnancies for teen mothers. In some countries the birth of a baby girl is frowned upon and in some places parents are penalized for having more than one child and particularly if they are girls using the excuse of wanted to control the population growth of their country and thus protecting the population in general. Majorities worry about the growth of minority groups who may one day overtake them to become the ruling group and thus they would excuse genocide in order to protect their culture, ideas, or way of life.
We are called upon to protect and help our children, not to harm them, before or after birth. If children are a blessing from the Lord, how can we justify abortion on demand? And with so many childless couples, if someone has experienced an unexpected pregnancy, why not consider giving that child up for abortion instead of ending prematurely an innocent life. As much as God blessed the midwives for respecting the sanctity of life, so He blesses the people who respect the sanctity of life today by refusing to abort their child, even if unplanned.

Prayer: Loving Father, thank You for the gift of children. May we always be loving of them and may we respect the sanctity of life so that the consideration of abortion or abuse of children never be permitted, condoned, of encouraged in any way, through word or action.

Bless Your Children - January 18, 2009

Title: Bless Your Children Topic: Children, Parenting

Scripture: So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you will Israel bless, saying, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. (Genesis 48:22 NET)

Observation: As Abraham and Isaac had done before, so now Jacob pronounces a blessing, this time on Joseph and his children, whom Jacob claims as his own and after whom two of the twelve tribes are named thereafter. A blessing on children was a custom in Bible times as fathers pronounced a blessing on their children, older people on younger people, and those recognized as being in authority over others under them. It was this custom what led mothers to bring their children to be blessed by Jesus. By their act, they recognized Him as someone worthy of respect, as someone with authority, and as someone whose blessing on their children would be a spacial mark and privilege.

Application: It seems like we have abandoned the practice of blessing our children for fear that we may be taking on God’s role or that we may be imitating other faith communities that do practice it. Since it is a biblical practice, there’s nothing wrong in implementing it. The question might not be if we should do it, but rather when and how. As to the when, if a parent begins early enough, their children will grow up hearing it and therefore will not be uncomfortable with it. As I was growing up, it was custom in our family that whenever we left home or ended a phone conversation with our mother, we would ask for her blessing, and her common response was to say “God bless you, my child.” To this day, as an adult and after more than seven years since her death, I miss hearing her say those words. So, a blessing may be pronounced when you part company, when your children leave for school or work, when you end a phone conversation, e-mail, or text message, or before they go to sleep. As to the how, the context may be a situation they may be dealing with, a blessing for protection, or on their studies, or for them and their children, etc. Maybe this would be a good time to revive this beautiful biblical practice.

Prayer: Father, bless our children today, wherever they may be and whatever they may be doing. Protect them, and may they sense Your presence in their lives and turn to You, at this moment, as we think about them. Grant them Your forgiveness and Your grace, and may they too enjoy the gift of eternal life in Jesus.

Love Lifts up the Load - January 17, 2009

Title: Love Lifts Up the Load Topic: Love, Forgiveness, Confession

Scripture: So they went up from Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26They told him, “Joseph is still alive and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt!” Jacob almost fainted, for he did not believe them. 27But when they related to him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to transport him, their father Jacob’s spirit revived. 28Then Israel said, “Enough! My son Joseph is still alive! I will go and see him before I die.” (Genesis 45:25-28 NET)

Observation: After testing the motives of their hearts and being satisfied, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and tells them to bring his father and to all come together to live in the land of Goshen because the famine would last five more years. He then sends them back loaded with food and goods and carts to bring all their possessions and Jacob as soon as possible. When the brothers arrive in Canaan, immediately they tell Jacob about Joseph. There are several things about this story that are interesting:
1. In 44:28, Joseph finds out for the first time what story their brothers had told Jacob about his fate – that he had been torn to pieces.
2. Since Benjamin was also present, it might have been the first time he himself had heard the truth about what they had done to his brother Joseph.
3. In our passage for today, although it is not directly mentioned but rather implied, they had to confess to Jacob about what happened or what they did to Joseph and revealed that their story and Joseph’s robe torn and dipped in blood was made up by them to hide the fact they had sold him as a slave.
Jacob’s reaction was twofold:
1. Jacob almost fainted. This expression in the original Hebrew means “his heart was numb,” meaning that he was stunned by the unbelievable news and was unable to respond, as if he were dead.
2. When Jacob heard it all and saw the physical evidence – the carts, etc., his heart was revived. It was “emotional CPR.”
3. Jacob heard enough of their story and put a stop to it so they would not delay their trip and he could see Joseph before he’d die.

Application: We know that Reuben’s reaction when he did not find Joseph in the well was sorrow. We don’t know at which point the ten began to feel that what they had done was wrong, but I imagine that seeing Jacob suffer for the loss of his son might have touched their hearts deeply. From then on, and for the intervening years until they met Joseph face to face, they carried this burden of unconfessed sin. Now, having confessed their sin, though unknowingly, to Joseph, and before Benjamin, once Joseph revealed to them who he was the first reaction might have been fear, but the next reaction might have been relief, not only that Joseph was not angry with them, but that they didn’t have to carry that burden of secrecy within and among them any longer.
The next challenge was to confess to their father what they had done and said. At first they were probably scared that they might have scared their father to death, but once his spirit revived, that burden of guilt was once again removed, this time for good.
Confession is always good. Willard Harley speaks of total honesty in a relationship, which includes emotional and historical honesty. That means that there may be times when we have said or done something with our spouse or our family being unaware of it, and we carry that burden of secrecy with us. What happens, however, is that the secret builds up a barrier in our communication, in our emotional bond, in our intimacy, which may widen with time and therefore we cannot enjoy the true closeness we long for and need in order to have a fulfilling relationship and in order to be protected from falling again into the same mistake or others worse. Why not confess and be completely honest and transparent. Dishonesty, according to Harley, is one of the five “Love Busters” that destroy relationships. Honesty, on the other hand, is one of the ten emotional needs that we as men and women have and without which our relationship suffers. And pray that your spouse will be as gracious and forgiving as Joseph and Jacob were with the ten formerly jealous siblings.

Prayer: Loving Father, give us the strength to confess our faults to one another and to be completely honest with each other, that we may enjoy the same transparency Adam and Eve had, the same openness that You desire for us as a couple. And if our spouse confesses their faults, may we be gracious and forgiving, and also thankful that they were willing to be open rather than live in a world of secrecy.

Forgive Your Family - January 16, 2009

Title: Forgive Your Family
Topic: Family, Siblings, Forgiveness

Scripture: And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 51Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” 52And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” Genesis 41:50-52

Observation: After Joseph gave Paraoh what God meant for him to know about the future of Egypt, Paraoh elevated Joseph to second in the kingdom. It was at this time, and as a result of that famine, that Jacob sent ten of his sons, except for Benjamin, to find food to ensure the survival of his family. Joseph recognized them immediately, and tested them to see if they maintained or abandoned their feelings of rivalry and jealousy amongst themselves. It is in the midst of this story that we learn the Paraoh gave a wife to Joseph and that Joseph had two sons through her, sons whose names reflect Joseph’s emotional journey from member of the family, to slave, to second in the kingdom, and now seeing his family again. This is not just a physical journey but also a very heavy emotional and spiritual one which led him to experience not only the love of his father and the hatred of his brothers, but lust from Potiphar’s wife, which caused his second imprisonment, to being loved as a child by Pharaoh. In more ways than one, this was also a journey Joseph needed to take, a journey of forgiveness.

Application: Louis Smedes speaks of forgiveness as a journey which involves several steps including hurt, hatred, and finally healing. Joseph was obviously hurt by the feelings and actions of his brothers, and later Potiphar’s wife and the Paraoh’s butler in forgetting him in prison. While we’re not told, Joseph’s hurt feelings might have caused some anger at some point in time, whether he voiced it or not. But he didn’t allow those feelings to linger long and by the time he has children he has completed this journey and the names of his children reflect the healing that has taken place.
In marriage, in families, forgiveness must be an integral part because conflict is inevitable and will cause hurt at some point or another. The difference between a relationship that survives and one that breaks apart is the ability to go through this journey of forgiveness so that healing may take place and thus the healthy intimacy may be restored and the relationship may flourish and thrive into the next generations.

Prayer: Father, help us to take this journey of forgiveness as soon after any hurt takes place so that our relationships may not suffer but that healing and growth may happen quickly and we may return to the intimacy You designed for us to have at home.

Misleading Eyes - January 15, 2009

Title: Misleading Eyes Topic: Marriage, Adultery

Scripture: (Gen 39:6-10 NKJV) Thus he left all that he had in Joseph's hand, and he did not know what he had except for the bread which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. {7} And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." {8} But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. {9} "There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" {10} So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or to be with her.

Observation: Joseph had been sold into captivity by his brothers, but God blessed him and in captivity he proved faithful to his master, Potiphar. The captain’s wife, however, was attracted to Joseph and enticed him to be intimate with her, something Joseph immediately and repeatedly refused on the grounds that he would be offending God and betraying his master’s trust. She became angry, falsely accused him before her husband, and Joseph ended up back in jail as a result.

Application: When a person is bent on sin, nothing seems to deter them. Such was the case with Potiphar’s wife. One commentary explains that, “Egyptian women were not kept in the same secluded manner as females are in most Oriental countries now. They were treated in a manner more worthy of a civilized people—in fact, enjoyed much freedom both at home and abroad. Hence Potiphar’s wife had constant opportunity of meeting Joseph. But the ancient women of Egypt were very loose in their morals. Intrigues and intemperance were vices very prevalent among the them, as the monuments too plainly attest [Wilkinson]. Potiphar’s wife was probably not worse than many of the same rank, and her infamous advances made to Joseph arose from her superiority of station.”
Matthew Henry comments: 1. Her sin began in the eye: She cast her eyes upon Joseph (v. 7), who was a goodly person, and well-favoured, v. 6. Note, (1.) Remarkable beauty, either of men or women, often proves a dangerous snare both to themselves and others, which forbids pride in it and commands constant watchfulness against the temptation that attends it; favour is deceitful—deceiving. (2.) We have great need to make a covenant with our eyes (Job 31:1), lest the eye infect the heart. Joseph’s mistress had a husband that ought to have been to her for a covering of the eyes from all others, ch. 20:16.
2. She was daring and shameless in the sin. With an impudent face, and a harlot’s forehead, she said, Lie with me, having already, by her wanton looks and unchaste desires, committed adultery with him in her heart. Note, Where the unclean spirit gets possession and dominion in a soul, it is as with the possessed of the devils (Lu. 8:27, 29), the clothes of modesty are thrown off and the bands and fetters of shame are broken in pieces. When lust has got head, it will stick at nothing, blush at nothing; decency, and reputation, and conscience, are all sacrificed to that Baal-peor. 3. She was urgent and violent in the temptation. Often she had been denied with the strongest reasons, and yet as often renewed her vile solicitations. She spoke to him day by day, v. 10. Now this was, (1.) Great wickedness in her, and showed her heart fully set to do evil. (2.) A great temptation to Joseph. The hand of Satan, no doubt, was in it, who, when he found he could not overcome him with troubles and the frowns of the world (for in them he still held fast his integrity), assaulted him with soft and charming pleasures, which have ruined more than the former, and have slain their ten-thousands.
Joseph knew the principles which were later written by Solomon: (Prov 6:23-29 NKJV) For the commandment is a lamp, And the law a light; Reproofs of instruction are the way of life, {24} To keep you from the evil woman, From the flattering tongue of a seductress. {25} Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, Nor let her allure you with her eyelids. {26} For by means of a harlot A man is reduced to a crust of bread; And an adulteress will prey upon his precious life. {27} Can a man take fire to his bosom, And his clothes not be burned? {28} Can one walk on hot coals, And his feet not be seared? {29} So is he who goes in to his neighbor's wife; Whoever touches her shall not be innocent.
Had Joseph fallen to the enticement of this woman, the results would have been disastrous to him, to his family suffering under the famine, to the faith of many, for the survival of the people of God’s promise, and God only knows to how many millions of billions. Just a few moments of sin can bring results that last much longer.

Prayer: Father, give us the strength to not yield to temptation in any form. Shield our eyes from wondering into any and all dangerous territory. And may we always be faithful to You and to our spouse for the sake and benefit of our families and to maintain Your honor and glory before the universe.

The Preferred Son - January 14, 2009

Title: The Preferred Son Topic: Family, Parenting

Scripture: (Gen 37:3-4 NKJV) Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors. {4} But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.

Observation: It is obvious that Jacob loved all his children. In vs. 14 we read that Jacob sent Joseph to look for his brothers and see if they were well. It is also clear that the brothers, although they “hated him,” did not want to murder him, and when Reuben found out Joseph was gone he tore his clothes as in mourning. Nevertheless, Jacob treated Joseph in a more favorable way than any of his other children; he showed a favoritism that increased their jealousy. Jacob already showed partiality toward Rachel, now he showed the same favoritism for her first child and later for Benjamin. No wonder there was sibling rivalry which continued even after the settling in the Promised Land and the division of the Israel in two.

Application: It is not only not wise but not healthy to favor one child over another – it creates jealousy, competition, rivalry, and in some extreme cases it may even lead to death. Jacob should have known the consequences of favoritism as his own father, Isaac, favored his brother Esau and wanted to give him the blessing for the first born even thought the promise/prophecy had been made to show the blessing belonged to Jacob. The result of his own deceitfulness were his fleeing from home, living in exile for twenty years, and to never be able to see his mother alive again. We must do all in our power, as parents, to treat all our children as individuals of value, without favoring one over the other or others, and showing favoritism for everyone equally.

Prayer: Father, You give us all the same opportunities for salvation and You pour Your blessings richly to all – the sunshine, rain, air to breathe, water, food, etc. And even when we misuse the resources You so plentifully give us, You continue to pour out Your richest blessings on us. Thank You, Father. May we be loving, patient, and kind to all our children, showing no favoritism to any one over the others but giving them all equally our love for them as You do for us.

The Pain of Death - January 13, 2009

Title: The Pain of Death Topic: Family, Death

Scripture: (Gen 35:16-20 NKJV) Then they journeyed from Bethel. And when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel labored in childbirth, and she had hard labor. {17} Now it came to pass, when she was in hard labor, that the midwife said to her, "Do not fear; you will have this son also." {18} And so it was, as her soul was departing (for she died), that she called his name Ben-Oni; but his father called him Benjamin. {19} So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). {20} And Jacob set a pillar on her grave, which is the pillar of Rachel's grave to this day.

Observation: Chapter 35 of Genesis relates in rapid succession three deaths that impacted the life of Jacob and that of his family:
1. Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse (v.8). The Bible Knowledge Commentary remarks: “This death seemed to indicate that another stage in the patriarchal narratives was ending. The naming Allon Bacuth (“oak of weeping”) commemorated the weeping over this old nurse, buried under an oak tree.”
Another commentary adds: “Deborah (Hebrew, a “bee”), supposing her to have been fifty years on coming to Canaan, had attained the great age of a hundred eighty. When she was removed from Isaac’s household to Jacob’s, is unknown. But it probably was on his return from Mesopotamia; and she would have been of invaluable service to his young family. Old nurses, like her, were not only honored, but loved as mothers; and, accordingly, her death was the occasion of great lamentation.”
2. Rachel dies during childbirth (v.16-20). “The dying mother gave this name to her child, significant of her circumstances; but Jacob changed his name into Benjamin. This is thought by some to have been originally Benjamin, “a son of days,” that is, of old age. But with its present ending it means “son of the right hand,” that is, particularly dear and precious.” The SDABC adds: Benjamin. Literally, “son of the right hand.” Yamin, “right,” connotes happiness and prosperity, and in Arabic, good fortune as well. A true optimist, Jacob felt that his youngest son should have a name expressing courage and hope, a name that would ever remind him of the joy that came to his heart at the birth of his 12th son rather than his sorrow at the loss of Rachel. The one compensated, in part, for the loss of the other.”
3. Issac (v.28-29). “In the events of chapter 35, Jacob learned that while his return to Canaan was a completion of promises, he could not be complacent for it was also a new beginning. Deborah, Rachel, and Isaac all died, marking the end of an era. Reuben relinquished his right to inherit a blessing (cf. 49:3-4); sin was dealt with. Idols had to be buried and everyone had to be consecrated in order for Jacob’s vow at Bethel to be completed. The nation had to be complete with 12 sons (tribes) in the land. During this great transition faith in God had to be revitalized so that His covenant could be carried forward. For this reason this chapter emphasized Jacob’s vows and God’s promise.”

Application: These three death were the transitional events in the life of Jacob and his children. While the return to Canaan was a joyful event, these three deaths were a somber reminder of the ups and downs of life. Death is as much a natural part of life, since the fall of Adam and Eve, as are birth and growing up; nevertheless, it is one of the natural stages of life that has the greatest impact on our lives, particularly if it comes suddenly and unexpectedly. At the same time, the death of a person presents us with the opportunity to draw closer together for mutual help, support, and encouragement, and families may use such opportunities to heal rifts that might have taken place and to form strong bonds again. At the same time, I hope we don’t wait until a tragic event for us to come closer together but that we will use every opportunity to heal wounds from the past so there is closeness in the future.

Prayer: Father, while death is normal in our lives, it is nonetheless painful. When the time comes for us to die, may we be ready, and may we rest with the knowledge that You will take care of our loves ones and bring them the comfort they need during those difficult days of adjustment . May You shelter our children that they may not suffer harm or danger and that we may never experience their death while we, their parents, are still alive. And as You promise, may we hear the voice of Jesus, at His return, calling us to eternal life.

God is Our Witness - January 12, 2009

Title: God is Our Witness Topic: Marriage, Covenant

Scripture: (Gen 31:50 NKJV) "If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us; see, God is witness between you and me!"

Observation: After working for Laban for twenty years, Jacob leaves with his wives and children to go back home. Laban catches up with him and chastises Jacob for leaving without announcing his departure or giving him a chance to say his farewells to his daughters and grandchildren. His biggest issue, though, seems to be the fact that his household idols disappeared – Rachel had taken them. After looking for them and not finding his idols, Laban and Jacob establish a series of covenants and build a stone pillar, or memorial, to remind them, and anyone who would ask, about their covenant. We know the words of the Mizpah established here: “"May the LORD watch between you and me when we are absent one from another” (vs.49). It is the second part of their covenant that we don’t seem to pay much attention to as Laban told Jacob two things: 1. Not to mistreat or abuse his daughters, and 2. Not to take any other wives. And this covenant was to be made not just between them, but it was a covenant before God.

Application: It would be well for spouses to remember and abide by the words of this covenant:
1. There should never be abuse in the marital relationship, in the home, or in the family. There is no excuse or reason for abuse of any type, and therefore it should never happen in a Christian home.
2. Neglect in any area of our lives – whether it be physical by withholding food, clothing, shelter, affection, intimacy, etc., is seen as a violation of the marital covenant to care for one another.
3. Once the marriage takes place, there should not be any other person – man or woman – to enter into that relationship as it will disrupt it, damage it, and destroy it.
4. Our covenants – particularly marriage – is not just with one another but between us and God. Therefore adultery and divorce are taken very seriously by God because they are a violation of a covenant we made with Him. Many take divorce very lightly and excuse themselves behind things like irreconcilable difference; We can rationalize as much as we want to, but God does not accept or condone divorce for no reason. Through the prophet Malachi God declared, “I hate divorce,” says the LORD God of Israel. . . “So guard yourself in your spirit, and do not break faith” (Mal 2:16 NIV).
It is interesting that Laban put these two conditions in his covenant with Jacob as some argue that Abuse, Neglect, and Adultery are the only three reasons given in the Bible for divorce that is acceptable to God. (See Divorce and Remarriage in the Bible by David Instone-Brewer).

Prayer: Father, thank you for the covenant we established with our spouse and with You because it keeps us close together in the bond of matrimony You established. Together, we are a strand of three which can never be broken as long as You are at the center of our lives. Keep that bond and that covenant strong and alive in our daily living, in our home, in our family, and in our marriage, and may You watch between our spouse and us when we are together and specially when we’re absent from one another.

The Unloved Spouse - January 11, 2009

Title: The Unloved Spouse Topic: Marriage, Love

Scripture: (Gen 29:17 NKJV) Leah's eyes were delicate, but Rachel was beautiful of form and appearance.

Observation: The words that describe Leah have been debated for many years by many commentators. Some believe that Leah had soft blue eyes, which were considered a blemish. In The New Manners and Customs of the Bible it says that, “The tender eyes of Leah, as so translated in the KJV, were actually eyes that were visually weak or lacked luster—dull and unimpressive eyes. This was considered to be a great defect among those who admired sparkling eyes that were lively and flashing. That Leah’s eyes were compared to Rachel’s beauty obviously meant there was no beauty in them and that Leah herself was probably plain in face and form compared to her sister.” The SDA Bible Commentary explains that, “The Hebrew word rak, here translated “tender” by the KJV, has usually been understood to mean “weak” or “dull.” Ever since the LXX employed this translation most commentators and translators have followed it. The word rak also means “delicate,” “gentle,” “soft,” and “flattering,” and may perhaps mean that her eyes looked the precise opposite of what most commentators have thought. However, the fact that Jacob was not attracted to Leah would indicate more of a contrast between the two sisters than this latter suggestion implies. Perhaps Leah’s eyes, and her personality as well, lacked the brilliance and lustrous warmth the Oriental admires. The RSV renders the word as “weak.”
The verse gives us a contrast between the two sisters which may explain why Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah. He had met and fallen in love with Rachel first, he had been tricked by Laban to take Leah - which might have caused Jacob to despised her even more. We know there were constant disputes over their marital rights between Leah and Rachel, and later, with the addition of their two maidservants, and the birth of all thirteen children, tensions rose even higher.
In The Story of Redemption, Ellen White makes some interesting comments about this situation: “Jacob was not happy in his marriage relation, although his wives were sisters. He formed the marriage contract with Laban for his daughter Rachel, whom he loved. After he had served seven years for Rachel, Laban deceived him and gave him Leah. When Jacob realized the deception that had been practiced upon him, and that Leah had acted her part in deceiving him, he could not love Leah. Laban wished to retain the faithful services of Jacob a greater length of time, therefore deceived him by giving him Leah, instead of Rachel. Jacob reproved Laban for thus trifling with his affections, in giving him Leah, whom he had not loved. Laban entreated Jacob not to put away Leah, for this was considered a great disgrace, not only to the wife, but to the whole family. Jacob was placed in a most trying position, but he decided to still retain Leah, and also marry her sister. Leah was loved in a much less degree than Rachel. {SR 89-90}

Application: Leah desired the love of her husband. This is obvious as she names her sons:(Gen 29:32-35 NKJV)
Reuben: "The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me."
Simeon: "Because the LORD has heard that I am unloved, He has therefore given me this son also."
Levi: "Now this time my husband will become attached to me, because I have borne him three sons."
Judah: "Now I will praise the LORD."


While we read that Jacob loved Rachel, we never read that She loved him. That is not to say that she didn’t, but her bitterness spilled over into her marriage as she demands of Jacob, (Gen 30:1-25 NKJV) "Give me children, or else I die!" Finally she decides to give Jacob her maid, and again, the names of Bilhah’s children reflect Rachel’s bitterness, particularly toward her sister:

Dan: "God has judged my case; and He has also heard my voice and given me a son."
Naphtali: "With great wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and indeed I have prevailed."

Zilpah, Leah’s maid, now enters in this marital battle, and bears Jacob two more sons, but then Leah also bears Jacob a couple more sons:

Issachar: "God has given me my wages, because I have given my maid to my husband."
Zebulun: "God has endowed me with a good endowment; now my husband will dwell with me, because I have borne him six sons."

It must be a very heavy burden to be unloved by their spouse. And yet Leah did not leave or divorce Jacob. Their children enjoyed the stable home, living with their father and mother. It was a large, blended family, but they were able to live with their biological parents. Children of divorce suffer in many different aspects of their lives – financially, emotionally, educationally, etc. Once we have brought children into this world, we must do everything we can to provide them with a loving home, with their biological parents to protect them, to provide for them, to help them and encourage them. Pray that you may be loved by your spouse, but most importantly, display love for your spouse; we are responsible for our feelings and actions, not for those of the other person.

Prayer: Father of love, help us to show our spouse how much we love them, and when negative thoughts and feeling creep up upon us, help us to defeat them and grow in us Your love for our spouse. Bless us, our marriage and our home, that we may provide our children a good, warm, stable home, one where them may feel safe knowing their parents won’t abandon them. Help us to show them through our example that in spite of conflict, we can remain together and keep our commitment to one another and to You to live together until death do us part. And may this example break the cycle of divorce that permeates so many families today.

Honor, and Obey? - January 10, 2009

Title: Honor, and Obey? Topic: Parenting, Children

Scripture: Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. . . 13But his mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, get them for me.” (Genesis 27:8, 13 NKJV)

Observation: Issac asked Esau to bring him his favorite meal and then he would give his son the blessing for the first-born. Rebekah wanted her favorite, Jacob, to receive the blessing, so she plotted to get it for him through deceit; she told Jacob what to do to secure it and was willing to take Jacob’s, and God’s, wrath as a result of his actions if only to ensure Jacob would get that blessing. The sad thing is that she ended up paying for her actions by never seeing Jacob alive again.

Application: While God commands us to Honor our father and our mother, how far can we take it? First of all, to honor our parents does not mean to obey blindly. Here are some ways this commandment must be understood:
Honor your Father and your Mother:
1. As long as you don’t violate God’s commands or will.
2. As long as you don’t do anything that’s illegal, unethical, or immoral.
3. As long as you don’t cause harm or injury to anyone else.
4. As long as you don’t cause harm or injury to yourself.
5. As long as your actions don’t have the potential to cause harm or injury to them, to others, or to you.
Because God is One, one command cannot be obey in violation of another. We must honor and respect our parents, but not obey them blindly, and not if doing so would mean disobeying our Heavenly Father.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for the family into which we were born, and the parents with whom You blessed us. May we honor them and show them respect, not just because of Your promises, because by doing so we also honor You.

Children Struggle - January 9, 2009

Title: Children Struggle Topic: Children, Parenting, Family

Scripture: (Gen 25:22-23 NKJV) But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD. {23} And the LORD said to her: "Two nations are in your womb, Two peoples shall be separated from your body; One people shall be stronger than the other, And the older shall serve the younger."

Observation: Issac was forty years old when he married Rebekah and sixty years old when Esau and Jacob were born. By today’s standards , he was advanced in years for both his marriage and parenthood. We are not told how much younger Rebekah was; nevertheless, it took them twenty years as husband and wife before they had children. And yet, as much as they were happy to have children, even before the twins were born they already brought challenges and heartache to their parents. Gen.25:22 – Rebekah asks herself “why is this happening to me?” (paraphrased). As they grew up they were very different and eventually Jacob tricked Esau and Issac and as a result had to leave home to never see his parents alive again. And Gen. 26:35 tells us that the wives Esau took were a grief to Issac and Rebekah.

Application: For the biblical patriarchs, parenting was no easier than it is today, even though they were much closer to Eden’s day than we are. While this is no consolation, it helps to put it into perspective to know that we, today’s parents, are not unique and we are not the only ones who struggle trying to raise our children. As we get closer to the second coming of Jesus, the challenges of parenting become more difficult as temptations, the amount of information and available means to fall increase exponentially. Our hope rests in the same God who helped Abraham and Sarah, Issac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Rachel; the same God and Father who helped Mary and Joseph; the same God who helped James and Ellen White; the same God who helped our parents. As difficult and challenging as the task of parenting is, and as painful as it is at times, we have not been abandoned by our Heavenly Father; He knows, He understands, He helps, and He blesses us and our children.

Prayer: Loving Father, how much pain and heartache we ourselves have cause You even though You are the perfect parent. Forgive us for hurting You and help us to be better children. And now that the tables have turned and we are the parents, help us to love and care for our children as You would, as You do, so they may grow to love You and accept You as their Father and their God.

A Compatible Spouse - January 8, 2009

Title: A Compatible Spouse Topic: Marriage

Scripture: (Gen 24:2-4 NKJV) So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, "Please, put your hand under my thigh, {3} "and I will make you swear by the LORD, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell; {4} "but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac."

Observation: Abraham is getting old and wants to make sure the promise that God made him of a long posterity would indeed be properly fulfilled through his son Isaac. In order to ensure that Issac and his descendants would be followers of the same God and not be sidetracked by the practices and the people of the land, Abraham asked his servant to go back home and find a wife for Issac from his own people. It’s obvious that Abraham’s servant had learned from his master about God and was also a true believer in the God of the universe; this is evident by his life of worship and prayer as he took on this journey and responsibility. We know from the story how he met Rebekah, her family’s reaction and agreement with the news and request, and her own eager response to marry Issac and make the trip to become his wife.

Application: Even in an age of arranged marriages, Abraham understood the importance of compatibility, particularly in several areas. The more things a couple has in common, the more compatible they will be in important areas of their life such as faith, family, parenting, communication, conflict resolution, financial management, etc. This does not mean that they have to think alike in every way, but it sure is nice when you and your spouse can have more in common than when you have very little in common to help you build a stronger relationship. Through the prophet Amos God said, (Amos 3:3 NKJV) “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” While some people firmly believe that opposites attract, a book I read many years ago also remind us that often “opposites attack,” which is the cause for so much of the headache, conflict, abuse, and divorce nowadays.
At the end of this part of the story we read, (Gen 24:67 NKJV) “Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother's death.” The results of Abraham’s plan for Issac and of Issac and Rebekah accepting it were very positive for both:
1. Issac loved Rebekah - what every woman wishes from her husband, to be loved, cared for, nurtured, and protected by him.
2. Issac was comforted after his mother’s death – Rebekah was also a true comfort and encourager for her husband, her cheerleader, her strength during his most vulnerable moments.
3. The lineage of faith continued through Issac to his children. This is what Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians 6:14 (NKJV) “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”
Look for compatibility in the most critical areas of life and your changes for a successful, fulfilling, loving relationship will increase.

Prayer: Father, guide us to the person You would have for us, and help us to be the person who would be best for them.

The Challenges of Blended Families - January 7, 2009

Title: The Challenges of Blended Families
Topic: Family, Parenting, Siblings

Scripture: (Gen 21:9-11 NKJV) And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. {10} Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." {11} And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.

Observation: In Genesis 16 we read about the problems between Sarai and her servant Hagar after the latter became pregnant by Abram and eventually gave birth to their son Ishmael. Hagar fled, but God told her to go back. Year later, after the birth of Isaac, the problems evidently continued and when both Ishmael and Issac were older they had problems, maybe childhood sibling rivalry, which made Sarah upset enough to insist that Ishmael and Hagar should be thrown out of the house. While God had promise Abraham and Sarah they would have their own son, Issac, even while Sarah skirted God’s promised and pushed Abraham to have a son with Hagar, God still blessed Ishmael as a son of Abraham’s. But the problems resulting from this decisions were felt not only during the childhood years of Ishmael and Issac, but for many years to come between their descendants for generations to come and even to this day.

Application: In the story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, and their sons Ishmael and Issac, we can see illustrated several dynamics that can be problematic to healthy family relationships and which come when we don’t follow God’s established plan for us.
1. Sibling Rivalry. While every family where there is more than one child will experience a certain amount of sibling rivalry, this problem can be much more pronounced in blended families and in families where adultery and divorce occurs. Stories abound after the death of a father and his two or three families fight among themselves for the possessions, money, and whatever belonged to the father and which everyone claims should now belong to them.
2. Blended Families. While some blended families enjoy a certain degree of normality, many experience great turmoil, internally and outside. The picture of the “Brady Bunch”, where peace, joy, love, and harmony reign most of the time, is mostly an illusion created for entertainment purposes rather than the tense reality many blended families experience on a daily basis.
3. Birth Order. Everyone is affected in a positive or negative way by their families and by the chronological order in which they were born. Once that order is established and then disrupted by the blending of families, it creates a chaotic situation in the families and in the lives of each child as they may be “unseated” from their birth order and must adapt to their new birth position or challenge the one who usurped it.
Whenever we violate God’s plan for our life and our marriage, we bring on ourselves painful and lasting consequences for us, our spouse, our children, our families, and beyond.

Prayer: Our Loving Father, thank you for our families. Please help us to protect the unity and integrity of our marriage and family so that none of may ever experience downfalls and their painful consequences. Keep us together and in love for a lifetime.

Nothing Is Impossible - January 6, 2009

Title: Nothing is Impossible Topic: God

Scripture: (Gen 18:14 NKJV) "Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

Observation: God first appears to Abram and gives him the promise that he would be a father of many nations and particularly the father of the faith. God also assures him that his lineage would be directly through a son He would give Abram and his wife Sarai. Abram’s first reaction was to fall “on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’” (17:17) Later God reaffirmed the promise to Abraham and it was then Sarah’s turn to laugh “within herself, saying, ‘After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’” (18:12). It is at this time that God speaks the words of our text for today.

Application: I guess probably most of us would at least find it hard to believe that what are impossibilities God can turn into possibilities. There have been many times when couples come to me for help, at the end of their rope, when they feel there’s nothing else that can be done to save their marriage. Those that are willing to give God another chance have experienced great changes and a rebirth in their relationships. But sadly, there have also been those who believe that not even God can save their marriage. In a way, they have laughed at God and His promises. If nothing is impossible for God, then He can, and if we submit to Him He will heal our diseases, our troubled marriages, our deep wounds, and He will rebuild, heal, and reinvigorate what we thought would be impossible. So, don’t give up on God and don’t give up on your marriage; God can make it what He intended and what you’d like it to be.

Prayer: God of the impossible, today I thank you for my marriage, for my spouse, and for my family. I thank you for taking two imperfect people and giving us a warm, loving relationship, one where we can help and encourage each other, one where we can love and strengthen each other, and one where we can honor and glorify you. God of the impossible, turn what we think is not possible into the miraculous reality of answered prayer.

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Selfless Love - January 5, 2009

Title: Selfless Love Topic: Marriage, Love

Scripture: (Gen 12:10-13 NKJV) Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. {11} And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, "Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. {12} "Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. {13} "Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you."

Observation: Abram had already shown his faith in leaving Ur with his family to land God would show him, but of which he knew nothing. Later he would demonstrate his faith in the most real way by sacrificing his son of the promise, Issac. And yet here, his faith that God could protect him is weak, but worse yet, his love for his wife is weaker still, and was more concerned for his own safety than that of his wife Sarai. He was selfish, loveless, and faithless.

Application: Several hundred years after this event, one of Abraham’s descendants wrote some of the best words to husbands and wives: (Phil 2:3-4 NKJV) Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others [your spouse] better than himself. {4} Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others [your spouse]. And in his classic definition of love, Paul also added: (1 Corinthians 13:5 NKJV) Love “does not behave rudely, does not seek its own.” True love is protective of the other person. That’s why abuse is a contradiction of and the opposite of love. Abusers will always blame the other person for the abuse, accuse tem of being at fault, and rationalize that it was the other person who “made” them to do what they do or who “cause” the abuse to happen as a result of something they did or said. Not supporting the family also demonstrates selfishness and lovelessness – which is the reason that in the Bible one cause for divorce is abandonment and not taking care of the needs of the spouse. Love is not selfish, does not look at what the other person can do for them but rather at what they can do for the other person. Love does not withhold emotionally or physically from the spouse but rather gives generously. Love aims to meet the emotional and physical needs of the spouse. Love moves one spouse to protect and help the other.

Prayer: Father, help us to be less selfish and more loving. Help us to love, help, and protect each other, as spouses, so that You may be honored in our relationship and that we may enjoy the type of relationship You willed and planned for us.

Honor, not Ridicule, Your Parents - January 4, 2009

Title: Honor, not Ridicule, Your Parents
Topic: Parenting, Family

Scripture: (Gen 9:22-23 NKJV) And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. {23} But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.

Observation: I think there’s always the question as to what exactly Ham did that caused such reaction from Noah when he awoke. Was it just the simple act of seeing his father naked? Maybe some commentaries may give us some insights. From the Bible Knowledge Commentary we can read: The basic question concerns what Ham, Noah’s youngest son, did (9:22, 24) and why Noah cursed Ham’s “son” Canaan (vv. 25-27). Many fanciful ideas have been proposed . The rabbis said Ham castrated Noah, thus explaining why Noah had no other sons. Others claim that Ham slept with his mother, thus uncovering his father’s nakedness, and that Canaan was the offspring of that union. Others have said that Ham was involved in a homosexual attack on his father. But the Hebrew expression here means what it says: Ham . . . saw his father’s nakedness (v. 22). He was not involved with Noah sexually, for in that case the Hebrew would be translated “he uncovered his father’s nakedness.” Instead Noah had already uncovered himself, and Ham saw him that way.
To the ancients, however, even seeing one’s father naked was a breach of family ethic. The sanctity of the family was destroyed and the strength of the father was made a mockery. Ham apparently stumbled on this accidentally, but went out and exultingly told his two brothers, as if he had triumphed over his father. So what seems to be a trivial incident turned out to be a major event. Noah’s oracle (vv. 25-27) showed that the natures of his three sons would be perpetuated in their descendants.
The Bible Readers Companion adds that “Here the text suggests that Ham’s sin was one of ridiculing the father he should have honored (cf. Ex. 20:12).
And the SDA Bible Commentary adds: The sin of Ham was not an unintentional transgression. He may have seen his father’s shameful condition accidentally, but instead of being filled with sorrow over his father’s folly, he rejoiced in what he saw and found delight in publishing it.
Ellen White gives us additional insights when she writes, The unnatural crime of Ham declared that filial reverence had long before been cast from his soul, and it revealed the impiety and vileness of his character. These evil characteristics were perpetuated in Canaan and his posterity, whose continued guilt called upon them the judgments of God. {PP 117}
So I think we can safely conclude that Ham:
1. Failed to protect his father’s vulnerable condition in his drunken stupor.
2. Went out to tell his brothers – you could even say he publicized it loudly.
3. He ridiculed his father

Application: The Lord is very clear and specific in the Ten Commandments when He wrote with His own finger, “Honor your father and your mother” (Ex. 20:12). Shem and Japeth took this command very seriously and respectfully when they covered their father’s nakedness in a very careful and almost ceremonious way. Any of us who have been parents know we are not perfect and there are times when we have seen our parents’ real self, before us they have been, so-to-speak, naked before us. It is our choice to follow Ham’s example and publicize our parents’ mistakes and shortcomings, to maybe even ridicule them for those moments of weakness, or we can protect them from others and thus show them we honor, respect, and love them.

Prayer: Dear Lord, our Father and our God, thank you for our parents. Help us, Father, to be patient, kind, and understanding with them, knowing that like any other human being, they may have weak moments when they make mistakes. May we honor them, respect them, and love them during the good times as well as the bad times, and may we protect them from the outside by maintaining their frailties private and praying for them daily.

A Stoppable Flood - January 3, 2009

Title: A Stoppable Flood Topic: Marriage, Conflict

Scripture: (Gen 9:15-17 NKJV) "And I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. {16} "The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth." {17} And God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth."

Observation: Noah and his family actually represent a number of family units and dynamics. Among them we find Noah and his wife’s marriage, their relationship to their sons as parents, their relationship to their sons’ wives as in-laws, the wives’ relationship to the other brothers and vice-versa, and the relationships of the wives among themselves. I often wonder what it might have been like spending over one hundred days together, confined in that apartment complex which doubled as a zoo. I wonder if maybe they had their separate quarters on different levels (the ark had three levels), and on opposite ends of the ark. I imagine they all shared in the feeding and cleaning after the animals, beside the cooking and cleaning for the family. I wonder if any of them was slower than the rest and others had to bear their share of the responsibilities. I wonder if there was ever any kind of conflict between spouses, between parents and children, between in-laws. Or I wonder if the ark was a haven of safety not only from the waters which destroyed all life outside but also from the internal conflict inside. We don’t read of animals becoming angry, or killing each other because they were hungry, or stampeding in or out of the ark. Nor do we read of the people inside the ark arguing or fighting amongst themselves. So I assume that God’s protection was not only from outside forces threatening to destroy them, but from internal conflict which could harm them as well.

Application: John Gottman, psychologist and marriage researcher, describes what happens during conflict as “flooding.” Flooding is a physiological phenomenon triggered by emotional conflict and leaves people’s heart rates too high for them to clearly concentrate on the conversation at hand. He has also found that men tend to “flood” faster than women do. His research shows that taking the time to calm down before finishing an argument is more likely to help couples stay close and connected. It may be to the couple’s benefit to continue the discussion with cooler heads in the morning, even if that means the issue was not resolve the night before.
As sad as it is to think that all life, except for those in the ark, was destroyed in the flood, it may be a lesson for us to learn that in marriage and family life, “flooding” can also destroy – it destroys good communication, it destroys healthy relationships, and in extreme cases such as abusive relationships, it can even destroy life. So, take time to calm down (at least 20-30 minutes according to research) before continuing a discussion or trying to resolve your conflict, and remember God’s rainbow as a sign that God has made a covenant and wants to save our marriage and our family from destructive floods.

Prayer: Father, keep us from flooding during conflict, and protect our homes from any and every destructive influence.

A Distortion of God's Plan - January 2, 2009

Title: A Distortion of God’s Plan Topic: Polygamy, Violence

Scripture: (Gen 4:19-24 NKJV) Then Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah. 23Then Lamech said to his wives: "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech! For I have killed a man for wounding me, Even a young man for hurting me. 24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold."

Observation: As far as I can tell, Lamech was the first polygamist in mentioned in the Bible. God’s plan had been for one man and one woman to be married, but Lamech took two wives. I don’t know if this is related to his choice or not, but he is also the first man mentioned who killed another man not a close relative (although the world was young enough that in reality they were relatively close blood relatives. I also wonder if this man’s murder had anything to do with his marital choices as the two are mentioned in these few verses.
- A second observation is that we can see another example of birth order and how children can be so different in their choice of career or job based on the order in which they were born. We see this difference also in Cain, Abel, and Seth.

Application: It seems to me that God’s plan for marriage leads to many tragic consequences, among them violence and death. We can see them in Lamech’s choice and what they led to as he boastfully tells his wives of his actions in killing someone else and also assuring himself that if Cain’s curse was bad, anyone who kills him would suffer an even worse curse. In a sense, he is setting himself up higher than God. Polygamists, and adulterer’s, rationalize their actions and in a sense, place themselves higher than God. So, a few lessons from this story:
1. Polygamy goes against God’s plan.
2. Polygamists and adulterers rationalize to excuse their actions.
3. By rationalizing, polygamists and adulterers set themselves above God and His will
4. Polygamy and adultery may lead to violence and even murder – emotionally and/or physically

Prayer: Father, may we follow Your will for our lives and never allow ourselves to sin or rationalize that what we’re doing is good when it is in reality contrary to Your will. In so doing, help us and protect us as we maintain our covenant of marriage intact with each other and with You.

Order Out of Chaos - January 1, 2009

Title: Order out of Chaos Topic: Order, Harmony

Scripture: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Genesis 1:1-2)

Observation: These two verses open the book of Genesis, the Bible, and the history of humanity on this earth. It speaks of the chaos that reigned on the earth before God began His work of creation and before He brought everything into a perfect order and harmony. There, when the earth was without form and void, the Spirit of God hovered over the abyss as He began to bring order out of disorder.

Application: As we begin a new year, this is an opportunity to look over our marriage and our family and ask God to bring order out of chaos. It may seem as if our marriage or our family is falling apart – it could be an illness, or death; it could be infidelity or lack of commitment; it could be falling into the doldrums, the routine, the unhealthy comfort of life; it could be an abandonment of our spiritual connection with God and thus with one another. Whatever it is that’s brought disorder and chaos in our life, in our marriage, in our family, we can ask God to send His Holy Spirit to restore order, to bring back harmony, to make something very good out of the chaos we have created.

Prayer: Father, as we begin this new year, please send your Spirit to bring harmony and order out of what we have so badly mismanaged. Recreate in us Your image and thus make of our marriage and family a true reflection of You.