Genesis Chapter 1

 

 

 

We decided to start the New Year at the start of everything. with Genesis Chapter 1.

 

There is no historical context for this story as it is the first story in the history of God’s relationship with mankind. There has been some debate over the years among bible scholars as to when the story was written and by whom; some proposing dates as late as the Babylonian exile, others favouring the time of the Temple under Solomon, and various dates in between. All this seems very late in the history of the Hebrews for the Law to have been in written form, it makes sense from a historical point of view to believe that the five books of Moses were indeed written by Moses during the time when the Hebrews were in the wilderness. Moses was an educated man, he was given an Egyptians prince’s education at the court of Pharaoh, the Ark of the Covenant and the Tent of Meeting were constructed during this time so the Hebrews had sacred objects and a place to keep written documents as they traveled. Having come out of Egypt and been freed from slavery, the story of who they were and why God had saved them was an important part of their identity and it makes sense that the oral traditions of the early patriarchs and the story of their deliverance from slavery would be drawn together and recorded at this time in their history. The rhythm of the first chapters of Genesis and the repeated refrain are indicative that these stories were passed down orally from one generation to the next before being written down; oral story telling and record keeping having been a part of early human civilisation for millennia, pre literate people were very good at remembering stories, they would sit around the fire at night and pass on their wisdom and history through the generations. Judaism today uses story telling in the Seder meal and Jesus understood the power of a well told story to help people to remember his teaching. We imagined that God himself told this first story to Adam as they walked in the garden together in the cool of the evening and that Adam passed it on to his own children.

The creation itself is told in six sections, each bracketed by the refrain  “And there was evening, and there was morning” followed by the number of the day.

Light is created on day 1, the Spirit of God hovers over the formless Earth and speaks a word of power and creates Light, although the sun, moon and stars do not appear until day four, so the source of light in the universe is not the sun or stars but God himself. Cross reference to John chapter 1 to see that the word and the light are Jesus, present and active in the Trinity from the beginning.

On day 2 the water is separated into two areas, above and below the sky.

On day three water and land are separated and the land is covered with plants, we imagined an explosion of colour and scent as the bare ground burst forth with all the growing things, trees and flowers, mosses and fungi, grasses and bushes.

On day four the lights are arranged in the sky, sun and moon and stars to act as signs so that time and seasons can be measured.

On day five the waters are filled with fish and all other swimming creatures and the sky is populated with birds. again we imagined a great explosion of life and movement and noise as the sea boiled and swirled with living things and clouds of birds appeared in the sky, all singing and flying around, trying out their wings.

Day 6 sees the land filled with living things, wild animals and livestock, and then God decides to create mankind in his own image. Out of all the amazing things God has called into being he singles out human beings as a special creation, to be made in his image. We are like God in our very being, we are creative and we love to create, because God is infinite we are all different, an infinite variety of expressions of the image of God, an infinite variety of skills and talents and personalities and gifts. God then gives all the rest of creation into our stewardship, he ordains a special place for us among the other living things he has created.

We reflected that God remarks after each creation that “it is good”, and when the whole is finished he sees that it is “very good”. God is pleased with what he has made, he calls it good, we need to remind ourselves when we are self critical or judging others that God made us and we are “good”, God was pleased when he made us and we are the work of his hands.

We ended our study by reflecting on the goodness of God and the aptness of responding to this passage in a creative way.

Christmas Light

 

The people walking in darkness   have seen a 

great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
    a light has dawned.
Isaiah 9 v 2

 

 

This prophecy was given to the people of Judah at a time when they faced an uncertain future; their King, Ahaz, had rejected an alliance with Israel and Damascus and had instead asked for support from the Assyrian empire – the very force which was threatening his neighbours. The whole region was being gradually overshadowed by this mighty empire, the unwise actions of its leader were putting the people of Judah in danger of being occupied by a foreign power. Isaiah speaks of a people walking in darkness; the fears and anxieties of the nation swirl around them like dark shadows, they cannot see a future for themselves or their children, all seems lost to the darkness of despair.

This prophecy also forms part of the group of prophecies Isaiah gives concerning the Messiah, it speaks to the people of Israel 700 years into the future, again a people in darkness and hopelessness; a people who have endured 400 years of silence from the God who chose them, an occupied and beaten nation whose holy places have been defiled by foreign invaders, whose monarchy has been usurped by puppets of the Roman Empire. The Hebrew nation of the first century was scattered across the known world, living in exile or under occupation, subject to taxation by tyrants and exploited by their own corrupt priesthood.

And what of today? This prophecy also speaks to us, here and now, in a world of shifting shadows where we don’t even know who might be preparing to attack us; where the murky world of internet crime seems to threaten our very identities, where foreign agents may or may not be influencing political events for their own nefarious reasons. We have seen how devastating attacks can be launched on innocent people using ordinary vehicles, how people who have been part of our society all their lives can suddenly turn on their neighbours for reasons we find hard to fathom. The people of Grenfell Tower found that their homes were not safe sanctuaries, but death traps, leaving many thousands of families living in high rise buildings elsewhere fearing for their own safety. Political debate has become impossibly polarised, voicing an opinion can lead to the most horrendous death threats and violent language. It can feel that we are living in truly dark times.

The good news, however, is that there is a light in this darkness. We don’t have to stumble about in the dark, on us a light has dawned.

Isaiah’s people were liberated by King Hezekiah, who brought them back to the service of God through the Law. They resisted the besieging army of the Assyrians with divine help and enjoyed a period of peace and stability.

For those who had ears to hear and eyes to see the light of salvation dawned in Bethlehem 700 years later when a baby was born to a young woman in fulfillment of this prophecy. The gospel writer tells us that:

 ⁴ In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome^[a] it.

John 1 v4-5

In his lifetime on earth Jesus brought the light of hope and love to a people who were weary and heavy laden with troubles, he healed their sicknesses and even called some back from the dark of the grave, he showed them the truth of their heavenly father’s love and concern for them and freed them from the oppression of false religion and legalism, he revealed to them the true meaning of the scriptures they had revered and showed how those scriptures were fulfilled in him. He brought the light of salvation to his people by allowing himself to be bound and killed by the darkness, he demonstrated once and for all that darkness cannot overcome light when he broke the power of sin and death in his own body as he was raised from the tomb in victory. After the resurrection, the light of the Holy Spirit has been released into the world, into the hearts of believers, to show us the way for us to share in the saving work of Christ.

Despite the darkness of the world, a light shines and the darkness cannot overcome it. Just as love will always defeat hatred, light will always dispel darkness. In fact even a small light will simply become brighter the deeper the darkness is, the darkness becomes the backdrop against which we can better see the beauty of the light. We sing carols by candlelight to remind ourselves of the power of even the smallest flame against the darkness, we increase the light by passing the flame one to another until the whole building is lit. It is no coincidence that our Christmas decorations feature lights, coloured or white, flashing or static, we hang lights on trees and houses to remind ourselves that the darkness cannot win, that a great light has dawned and can never be overcome.

But Jesus is more than that, he brings light into the world, yes, and with that light comes clarity and vision to allow us the see the way ahead. Light is hope, the promise of a way out, the potential of a new day. Light also gives us warmth and safety, no enemies can creep up on us if we can see clearly who and where they are. Light is knowledge and learning, enlightenment means discovering the truth. Jesus brings us all this and more in the light of his presence.

And then he goes further; Jesus tells us that WE are the light,

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5 v14-16

Just as we pass the light of the candle flame from one to another, so we are also commanded to pass the light of hope and salvation from Jesus to our neighbours. Every time we bless someone, help someone, pray for someone we are passing on that light, every time we lift up the name of Jesus in praise and worship, more light shines all around us. We are not passive spectators watching as Jesus swoops in and saves everyone, we are not mere consumers of the gospel nor are we weak recipients of salvation – we are participants in the work of Jesus Christ, he makes us his partners and allows us to be active in our own stories. We can share the light with others, we can tell people the good news, we can show them what a life lived in the light of eternity looks like and then we can pass on to them the flame of redemption.

It may sound scary or daunting but actually it is not. We have been out and about in our neighbourhood, knocking on doors and inviting people to services and they are mostly pleased to see us, they like to think that we care about them. It might be as simple as smiling at someone as you pass them in the street, wishing the cashier in the supermarket a good day or thanking someone for their service.

At this time of year, surrounded by lights, let us remember that we are bearers of the light of Christ and so give light to everyone around us.

Isaiah chapter 9:1-7q

This month we studied the prophecy in Isaiah which foretells the good news of Christmas, it was wonderful to start the Advent season with a reminder of the One we are waiting for.

Isaiah was a prophet who lived in Jerusalem between 790BC and 686BC, he served under four kings, under Uzziah and Jotham the kingdom of Judah enjoyed a time of peace and prosperity, under Ahaz the Assyrian empire grew more powerful and overtook Israel, Judah became a client kingdom when Ahaz decided to deal with the Assyrians rather than ally with Israel and Damascus against them. King Hezekiah later led a revolt against the Assyrians and, with God’s miraculous intervention, he defeated the besieging army of Sennecherib in 701BC.

Isaiah was the son of Amoz, he was married to a prophetess and was a contemporary of Micah. His forerunners as prophets include Amos and Hosea. This prophecy was received in the reign of Ahaz and is a promise that, although times of defeat are coming, God will eventually deliver a greater victory to his people. Isaiah is a prophet of holiness, he speaks out in the previous chapter against occult practices and advises the people not to consult mediums but to turn to God for news of their future.

Verse 1 refers to previous invasions, the areas of Zebulun and Naphtali would be the first parts of the country to be invaded, however a better time is coming and Galilee will be honoured. Galilee of the nations, or in other translations, Galilee of the gentiles reminds us that Jesus came not only for the lost sheep of Israel but for all the nations.

Verse 2 refers to people walking in darkness: so many circumstances can darken our lives; war and occupation as in Judah at the time, ignorance and paganism, sin and captivity. Into the darkness of this fallen world the light of love, forgiveness, freedom, reason and knowledge has dawned as Jesus is born and the Kingdom of Heaven establishes itself on earth.

Verse 3 contains two images of peace and victory; harvest time was always a time of peace and plenty, the war season was over and fighting would be suspended while the harvests were gathered in; after the victory the soldiers share out the plunder and reap the rewards once the battle is done.

Verse 4 refers to Gideon’s defeat of Midian with the aid of the Commander of God’s armies, Jesus himself pre incarnation, and the removal of the yoke of slavery. Jesus comes to free us from the oppression of the prince of this world, we are no longer slaves to sin and death but are set free by him.

Verse 5 gives an image of the equipment of war and reminders of bloodshed being burnt and destroyed, under the Prince of Peace they will no longer be needed.

Verse 6 refers to Jesus’ humanity, he is born; and to his deity, he is given by God and he will take on the yoke of government, we are unburdened and he takes responsibility for our well being. The names of Jesus show how well qualified he is to take on this kingship, he is wise and gentle, strong to save and one with the Father, he is protective and paternal, eternal and caring, he is our Peace.

Verse 7 refers to the throne of David, the great king of Israel’s golden age, a man after God’s own heart and the model of kingship, Jesus is his descendant and he will rule a kingdom which surpasses that of David in every way, he will bring justice and security to the people as his kingdom is eternal and will not pass away, the passion and desire of the Lord will accomplish this, God’s great plan and passion is to see us living in His kingdom, under the rule of King Jesus, now and forever.

We live in uncertain times, as did the people of Judah in the reign of King Ahaz, we cannot always rely on those who lead us to make good choices and we also face personal challenges as we battle the darkness of this world. This prophecy gave hope to the people of Judah that their time of oppression would come to an end and it does the same for us today. When we welcome Jesus into our lives and allow him to take off the yoke of oppression we become free subjects in the Kingdom of Heaven, King Jesus takes the government of our lives on his shoulders and peace reigns in our hearts, now and forever. It is good to meditate on these words, especially the powerful names of Jesus, and remember that the Christmas season is a time for gratitude and celebration, a time to renew our zeal for the kingdom to come and a time to worship and praise the great king who humbled himself to a manger and ultimately to a cross for love of us.

Joseph the Dreamer, Genesis 37

Joseph the dreamer, one of the best known stories of the Old Testament, thanks to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, is also a story with which it is easy for us to identify.

Jacob has a large family, two official wives and two concubines, the servants of his wives, who have also borne him children. He has twelve sons in total and possibly a number of daughters – only one is mentioned by name but daughters were not generally counted in a man’s descendants so there may have been more. Jacob is also known by the name Israel and his sons will become the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel in due course.

Joseph is a younger son, born to Rachel after many years of barrenness while her sister and the two serving girls gave birth to their children. Rachel was the wife Jacob worked for 14 years to marry, he fell in love with her as a young man and so her son becomes his favourite child. Given his family history of rivalry with his brother, Esau, you would think Jacob may have had more sense! Joseph does not help the situation either, he brings his father bad reports about his brothers, definitely not a good way to promote sibling harmony!

Joseph has been singled out, not only by Jacob, but also by God; he has dreams and visions which seem to foretell an important role for him in the future, he sees visions which suggest that he will be set up as ruler over his brothers and is foolish (or vain) enough to tell his brothers and his parents about them. Even Jacob rebukes his son for sharing the dreams, although he does not see the danger Joseph is in from the jealousy of his brothers. We noted here the pattern of God choosing the younger members of a family, the small and overlooked, features in this story reminding us that we often judge importance and seniority by quite different criteria than God does. Jacob wonders what the dreams might mean, echoed later when Mary stores up all the things she has seen and heard about Jesus in her heart.

One thing which really stood out from this story was the destructive nature of jealousy.

Jealousy is an ugly emotion. We all feel it from time to time; maybe we hear someone talking about a great holiday they went on while we are struggling to pay the bills, or a friend has a bigger, more expensive car, a nicer house, a more helpful husband and we feel hard done by. We can be jealous of another’s looks, intellect, health, age etc., there are so many ways in which we can hold up our lives in comparison and feel that we have been short-changed or somehow cheated out of something to which we were entitled. As a parent of a disabled child I can be guilty of looking enviously at friends whose nests are emptying and being jealous of their freedom, knowing that will never happen for me. We all know someone who just seems to have it better than us, and that can make us angry and bitter. The terrible thing about jealousy is that it steals joy, it taints everything we have and makes us feel discontented as well as poisoning our relationships with those of whom we are jealous.

Shakespeare called jealousy the “green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on”, when we look through the lens of jealousy all we see is coloured with our resentment and anger; when we live with jealousy nothing we have is good enough, we cannot enjoy anything because we want more or better. The world loves to foster jealousy, advertising is all about making what we have seem inadequate so that we have to buy more stuff, or persuading us that this or that product will give us the figure or face or hair we want and make us the envy of others.

Joseph’s brothers are jealous of the relationship Joseph enjoys with their father and the suggestion that Joseph may be destined for greatness irks them even more. The relationship between Joseph and his brothers is damaged by their envy, they begin to hate him and plot to get rid of him, their bitterness has reached such depths that they are prepared to commit murder. Here is a stark warning for us – if we allow jealousy to take root in our lives we will soon lose our friends, we will be unable to rejoice with them in their victories and our sympathy for them in sorrow will be false because we will be inwardly happy to see them brought low. No relationship can live and grow under those conditions, true friends want only good things for one another, if we love one another we are happy for the success of others and sorry for their troubles, we do not need to measure them against our own victories and failures, for each of us has our own road to travel. Jealousy leads to hatred and Jesus warns us that to hold hatred in our hearts against another is the same as to murder them.

Their jealousy also poisons the relationship the brothers have with their father, Jacob may be a fool to favour Joseph so openly but there is no suggestion that he treats his other children badly. Simeon and Levi almost started a war when they killed the Shechemites and Reuben slept with one of Jacob’s concubines but there is no mention of any punishment from Jacob towards his sons. If the brothers had been able to focus on their own positions with their father, they had no reason to be discontent, they were well provided for and all had their own households within the tribe. The antidote to jealousy is to look at what we HAVE, to count our blessings and to be content with what God has given us. If all our needs are met by our Heavenly Father why do we need to concern ourselves with what other people have? The Holy Spirit can give us strength to take captive intrusive thoughts and deepens our relationship with a God through prayer and praise, when we cultivate an atmosphere of praise and thankfulness there is no room for bitterness to get a foothold.

After Joseph is sold off into slavery, his brothers then have to live with the knowledge that they have caused their father great sorrow, they have to carry the lies they have told with them and it is their lives which are blighted by their actions. When they come to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph they interpret his harsh behaviour towards them as a judgement for their treatment of him, clearly their consciences have not been quiet even though many years have passed.

As I read this story I am reminded again to beware of comparing myself to others, to be happy with what I have and to thank God for all he gives me.  The antidote to jealousy is worship. More than this I want to be the kind of friend who will happily rejoice with others without reservation and who can come alongside others in their times of trouble and comfort them in humility and grace, because the greatest gifts God has given me are the friends who walk with me through the ups and downs of life, sharing my joys and sadness as I share theirs without measuring ourselves against one another but with open hearts and hands.

 

Song of Mary: Luke ch1v46-56

Mary’s song praises the Lord, she bursts into spontaneous worship when she meets Elizabeth and the two women realise that they are both carrying miraculous babies. Mary has been holding onto her secrets since she encountered the Angel and now she knows that Elizabeth will understand because she is experiencing something similar.

Mary calls herself “humble”, meaning unassuming and not pushing oneself forward, the humble person allows God room to work in their life, Mary humbles herself before the angel when she says she is willing to allow God to have his way in her life. To be humble is to be available to God’s grace and to be willing to put our own plans aside in order that God’s plan can be realised.

1 Peter 5:5 “God opposes the proud but shows Grace to the humble”

Psalm 147  “The Lord sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground.”

Psalm 149  “For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with victory.”

Mary lifts up the name of the Lord in praise, she recalls the great things he has done for Israel and extols his generosity to his people. Her words echo several of the Psalms, hymns of praise Mary would have been familiar with as they were sung in the Temple and in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

Psalm 136 “with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm”

Psalm 107 “for he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things”

Psalm 146 “He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.”

Pslam 119 “remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope.”

Psalm 115 “for he remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham”

Mary is chosen to bear the child who will save the world, she is aware of the enormity of the favour shown to her and is filled with the Holy Spirit, praise bubbles up out of her! Her focus in this song, however is not herself or the importance of her task, she sings of the greatness and mercy of God, of his power and might and his faithfulness to his people. The Latin title of the song “Magnificat” means “magnify”, also translated as glorify, to worship in spirit and in truth is to glorify and magnify the name of the Lord.

Do we ever feel the love and favour of our Lord so vividly that we break into worship? Do we spend much time thinking about what God has done rather than what we want him to do?

We can all be guilty of looking inwards to our problems rather than outwards to God’s greatness.

Maybe we should try it? Spend some time alone with God this week and allow him to reveal his loving kindness to you as you worship him, starting with Mary’s song and continuing in your own words.

Micah and the Magi: Matthew 2 and Micah 5

This month in our bible journaling group, we studied the prophecy which told the Magi where to find the baby Jesus after they went to Herod by mistake. Matthew 2 tells the story of the Magi, or wise men, who see a new star in the sky and follow it to find and worship the king whose birth it announces. They travel from the East and arrive in Jerusalem, where they visit the palace of Herod the Great. When they tell him they have come to worship the new born King of the Jews Herod is troubled and “all Jerusalem with him”. Summoning his priests and scholars, Herod asks where the Messiah will be born and the priests quote this prophecy from Micah “you Bethlehem Ephrathah, although you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come a ruler to rule my people Israel.” Herod pretends to be very interested and asks the Magi to report back to him once they find the prince so that he, too can worship him. The wise men are warned by an angel not to return to Herod and they go home another way while Joseph takes Mary and Jesus into Egypt and Herod, in frustration, kills all the young boys in Bethlehem.

Herod is the pantomime baddie in nativity plays, he has the babies of Bethlehem slaughtered in order to protect his throne and may have been planning to kill the Magi as well. History shows that he was indeed an unstable and brutal man, he had wives and children murdered when he felt that they were a threat to him so it is entirely in character for him to kill 50 to 100 children in a small hill town if he felt that would benefit him. Herod styled himself “King of the Jews” and had spent a fortune rebuilding the temple and marrying into the Jewish royal family in order to legitimise his rule, in reality he was little more than a Roman puppet but he had a lot of autonomy as long as his kingdom remained peaceful and a good source of revenue for the Roman Empire.Having married a Hasmonean princess he murdered her and most of her family when they outlived their usefulness, as well several of his own sons. The Jews did not love him despite his sponsorship of the temple, he was seen as a foreigner and a usurper. The arrival of a deputation from the East looking for a new king of the Jews would have been a direct challenge to his claim and came at a politically sensitive time when the tax burden for the Roman Empire was increasing under Augustus and the people of Judea were restlessly looking for deliverance from occupation. God had been silent for 400 years, no prophets had spoken in Israel and the priests eagerly looked for the arrival of the promised Messiah, the anointed leader who would free them from bondage to foreign masters and establish a kingdom of Israel like the golden age of King David. When the strangers came looking the scholars knew straight away where to find the prophecy for they would have studied it carefully many times before. Jesus fulfils the prophecy, being born in Bethlehem, and undermines the authority of false kings such as Herod, he also attracts worship from non Jews in the form of the Magi, showing right from the start of his life on earth that he is for everyone.

We wondered about the star leading the Magi, as Christians we are to have nothing to do with astrology or using the stars for divination, why is a star used to bring the wise men? Many ancient civilisations studied the stars, Stonehenge and other Neolithic sites and archeological findings in temples show that the ancients were very interested in the sky and used the stars and planets to construct calendars and make quite complicated calculations. In the East Zoroastrianism was one religion which focussed heavily on knowledge of the stars, there were men who devoted themselves to the study of the heavens so it is possible that God used the language they already knew in order to communicate with them and bring them to witness the birth of the Saviour.

In the prophecy itself, Micah foretells that a foreign nation will subdue Israel, he predicts the fall of Israel and Judah because of the corruption of Canaanite practices, King Ahaz gives his own sons to the fire, he also predicts the silencing of prophecy for a time before the restoration begins. 

” but you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are of old, from ancient times.

Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labour gives birth and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.

He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God, and they will live securely for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.” Micah 5, 2-5.

We noted several common threads in this prophecy, God uses the small to achieve greatness, Judah is the brother who offered his life for Benjamin in Genesis, shepherding as a model for the care and concern God shows to his people. Jesus is the ruler whose origins are of old, he predates David and Moses and Abraham, he is the ancient of days who was with God in the beginning. The reference to Israel’s brothers returning reminds us that Jesus was for Jews and non Jews alike.

We noted that the first half of the prophecy has been fulfilled and that the second part is being fulfilled as we live securely under Christ’s ruling, and also as his glory and greatness are preached unto the ends of the earth there is still some way to go. We marvelled that this message feels so personal to each of us, as his flock, and yet was written 3,000 years ago by a rural prophet in a tiny kingdom. As Micah heard the words from God and proclaimed them, God already knew the day and the hour when we would read those same words because all the days are in his book. We felt inspired that God is so great and wise and that he speaks to us so clearly and personally through his living word. We were reminded of Peter telling his readers to study the prophets in 1 Peter 1 and Jesus praying for us even in Gethsemane in John’s gospel and we stand again in awe of the great and loving Father whose name we lift up in praise.

Joshua and Rahab

 

Joshua ch 2-6

The story of Rahab is not often preached on, she is mentioned as an ancestress of Jesus and one of the cloud of witnesses of Hebrews but her main appearance in the bible is skated over somewhat because she raises some issues which we maybe don’t like to talk about as nice Christians.

Rahab lived in the city of Jericho, already an ancient city in the 13^th century BC, a part of the mighty Assyrian empire which held sway over the  Middle and Near East for hundreds of years. City states existed in modern day Iran, Iraq, China and Palestine as well as Egypt and their kings and rulers were engaged in constant wars against their neighbours as they needed slaves, tribute and looted riches to keep their city dwellers loyal and comfortable. Rahab was a prostitute, she had her own house and was possibly a madam of a brothel as well as servicing clients herself. Prostitution was common at the time, in a society where slavery was the norm, paying someone for the use of their body did not seem at all strange. Most men would have used their female household slaves if they did not have wives or concubines, young men especially probably had their early sexual encounters with family owned slaves (even as recently as the 19^th century “practicing” on the housemaids was considered normal behaviour among the British upper classes). There were also courtesans, men and women who were skilled at music and dancing and who would be employed to entertain guests as well as to be available to them. Canaanite religious practices included the use of sacred prostitutes, both male and female, as part of temple ceremonies and no army has ever marched without its complement of camp followers. As an independent  businesswoman, Rahab probably falls into the courtesan category, she has a house of her own, she does not belong to anyone and she is not involved in the temple. Her house is conveniently sited in the wall of the city, allowing her guests to leave discretely even after the city gates are closed for the night and she has handy hiding places on the roof for those guests who would like to remain anonymous. She is believed by the guards who come to search her house suggesting that she has some social standing, again compatible with her being the more expensive sort of prostitute.

Joshua’s spies enter the city of Jericho to see where there might be any weak spots in the defences and report back to the waiting tribes on the other side of the Jordan. They go to Rahab’s house, probably a good place to find information, and she hides them from the suspicious city guards. She tells the spies that the whole city is terrified of the Israelites; their progress through the wilderness must have attracted some attention over the last forty years – there are now several thousand people surviving in the wilderness, seemingly on nothing. As they have started to move towards the Promised Land they have had some military victories and now the people of Canaan are afraid. Rahab sees that the God these travellers serve is real, he has sustained them in the desert and he is giving them victory over the cities they have conquered so far. She wants to be on the winning side when they come to Jericho, she sees the way the wind is blowing and she wants to put herself and her family under the protection of the powerful God whose works she has seen and heard about. The spies are grateful for her protection and so vow to protect her and her family in return when they take the city. Having agreed the sign of the red cord, Rahab lets the men out the handy back way and they escape the guards.

When the Israelites came to Jericho having marched dry shod across the Jordan, Rahab gathered her family and put the red cord in her window. She must have wondered what on earth was happening as Israel marched around the city walls for six days but she waited and her faith in the spies and in their God was justified, she and her family were rescued when the city fell, her house was preserved even when the rest of the wall fell and she came out of Jericho to live among the Israelites.

Her story raises some questions for us today;

Do we look like winners? Do people want to be on our side? Do we seem to be getting the upper hand over life’s trials? What about our lives might make an observer conclude that the God we serve is real and powerful? We have Good News to share, not terrible warnings.

Do we have faith that we DO serve a real and powerful God? Are we putting that faith into practice in our lives or do we hedge our bets? God wants us all in, totally trusting him.

If someone wants to join us, are we welcoming to them? Are we willing to save others? Joshua’s men did not ask Rahab to give up her profession, nor did they refuse to trust her because of what she did, they promised to save her and they did. Are we putting up barriers to other people coming to Jesus because we don’t think they are good enough? Jesus never did.

 

Matthew 4,18-22

Jesus calls his disciples

Matthew tells the story of Jesus calling Simon Peter, Andrew, James and John in quite bald fashion. There is no conversation recorded; Jesus just rocks up on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and says to them “come with me” and they come. Men whose families depend on them for food and money, sons who are working in their father’s business, ordinary, everyday men just drop everything ad go to follow Jesus, an unknown teacher whose only associate so far has been the man who lives in the desert and baptises people in the river Jordan.

What did Jesus do or say to make the men follow him? There must have been more to the encounter then Matthew records; the only inducement Jesus offers is that they will become fishers of men if they come with him. Jesus himself has just come from his time in the wilderness, he has been baptised by John the Baptist and tested by the devil, he is filled with the Holy Spirit and ready to begin his ministry, the end game of his time on earth has begun and he needs to choose companions who will bear witness to all he says and does for the next three years. He needs someone to whom he can explain his mission, someone who will pass the story on, someone who will explain how the Old Testament prophecies are being fulfilled in him, so he is looking for the right person .

The men are busy, they are fishing and working to feed their families and yet, when he calls they answer. If it is not what he says that convinces them, is it the way he says it? There is undeniably something about Jesus that draws people, he is followed by great crowds of people during his ministry and he inspires acts of adoration from his followers, such as the woman with the perfume and the boy with the loaves and fishes. The word “charismatic” in its purest sense – full of the Spirit – applies to Jesus as to no other man, he is full of truth and Grace, he brings the light of salvation in his train and he manifests the love of God in his every word and action. The mystery then is perhaps why didn’t all the fishermen by Galilee that day follow him? Because he only called the four that day, he chose them specifically for qualities which would become clearer as time went on.

Simon Peter, the brave and impulsive, acting from the heart, rushing in and blurting out whatever he was thinking; Andrew the calmer brother who maybe acts as a brake on Simon’s energy, the man who will have stood back and taken in the situation, a reliable witness; James and John, the sons of thunder, big and strong enough to deal with life on the road, bold and brash enough to preach without fear when the time comes.

All these men had a purpose in God’s big plan, and so do we. We all have qualities which god put into us and which he is calling out of us for use in his service. We are all part of the big plan and we can all be fishers of men, we need to make sure we are listening for the call and be ready to drop whatever seems most important in our lives in order to answer it.

Jonah

Into the Word

I am starting this blog to try to be more disciplined with my personal Bible study by giving myself “homework”! I love a deadline so if I set myself the goal of posting a study once a week it will make me more intentional about my studying. If anyone actually reads this blog there is also the exciting possibility of feedback and discussion which will again help me to get deeper into the Word and help to inform the direction of study.

My process includes journaling – drawing and painting in my Bible in response to what I read so I will also include pictures of my journaling Bible as part of each study. I don’t pretend to be an artist but I do see pictures when I read so my journaling is my attempt to reproduce what I see in my mind on paper.