Quick Note – Genesis 20:6-7 – God’s Warning

Genesis 20:6-7 – Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you have done this in the integrity of your heart, and it was I who kept you from sinning against me.  Therefore I did not let you touch her.  Now then, return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, so that he will pray for you, and you shall live.  But if you do not return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”

Sarah, Abraham’s wife, must have been very beautiful.  Even when she was 90 years old, King Abimelech still wanted her to become his wife, so when Abraham said that she was his sister, Abimelech assumed she was single and took her to be his wife.  However, being already married and someone else’s wife, this was wrong.  So to prevent Abimelech from sinning, God spoke to him in a dream.  He warned Abimelech that what he was about to do was wrong and that he would have to pay the consequence of death if he chose to approach her.  It was then that Abimelech told God, “Lord, will you kill an innocent people?  Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’?  And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’  In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this.”  Abimelech did not do anything wrong yet, but if he was not stopped he might have.  So God warned Abimelech to prevent him from sinning, even unintentionally.  It was then up to Abimelech whether he would continue to follow through with his plan and sin or if he would listen to God. 

Like Abimelech, sometimes we wander into sinful situations unknowingly.  It is in those moments that God intervenes to prevent us from sinning.  He will try to guard us; He will try to protect us; He will try to warn us about the consequences of falling into sin.  He will give us every opportunity to stop and to turn away.  It then becomes our decision whether we will listen.  God will not judge unfairly.  He is righteous and kind and for those who in their integrity do not want to sin but may fall into it, He will warn.  1 Corinthians 10:13 reminds us that God is faithful and will provide a way of escape when temptations arise.  It is up to us to listen. 

Abimelech in this story listened.  After hearing God’s warning, he gave Sarah back to Abraham untouched.  He heeded God’s warning and did not sin.  What will you do when God warns you? 

Quick Note – Matthew 16:21-23 – Set Your Mind and Eyes

Matthew 16:21-23 – 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

As the time drew close for Jesus to die, He began to prophesy that He would suffer, die, and rise again to His disciples.  Obviously hearing that the person that they had devoted their lives to for the last three years would suffer and die was not welcome news for the disciples.  It was especially unwelcome, since they had given up their livelihoods, forsaken their old lives, and followed Him, expecting that He was going to conquer and to rule as king.  However, that was not God’s plan. 

So it’s not surprising that after Jesus prophesied His death that Peter rebuked Him and said, “Far be it from you, Lord!  This shall never happen to you.”  But Jesus in turn rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan!  You are a hindrance to me.  For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”  Peter was looking at things from the world’s view, so Jesus here corrected Him.  Rather than focusing on how the Messiah would be a king, Peter needed to realize that the Christ first and foremost came to save.  He needed to set his mind on the things of God rather than on the things of man.  He needed to success from God’s view rather than the world’s. 

We as Christians can sometimes lose sight of the things of God.  Our eyes can quickly get distracted by the shiny and alluring things of this world.  We can fall into the trap of believing that success is defined by fame, fortune, and glory.  We then begin to chase after these things, to live in the way the world wants us to, and to drift away from God.  It is during these times that God rebukes us and calls us to set our minds back on things of God.  It is during these times that we must heed the words of Colossians 3:2, “Set your minds on things that are above, no on the things that are on earth.”  It is during these times that we must remember Christ’s words in Matthew 6:20, “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven…” 

What are you setting your mind on right now?  Are you chasing after the things of God or the things of man?  If you are setting your sights on the wrong thing, place your eyes back on Jesus today. 

Quick Note – Matthew 13:24-30 – Why Doesn’t God Judge the Wicked?

Matthew 13:24-30 – 24 He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, 25 but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. 27 And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

One of the most common arguments people give for why they don’t want to believe in God is because wicked people are not judged.  They claim that the wicked are constantly allowed to continue in their sin, and no consequence comes upon them.  So if God is just and righteous, why would He allow the wicked to prosper, while His children (followers of His) suffer? 

I never knew how to answer that question.  All I could say is that God is God, and the wicked would be judged eventually.  However, I think I found my answer in today’s passage – in the Parable of the Weeds.  In this parable, Jesus Christ describes how a man sowed good seeds into his field.  But overnight, an enemy came and sowed weeds.  Eventually, as the wheat grew from the good seed, the weeds also showed up.  When the servants of the man asked their master if they should pull out the weeds, the master replied by saying, “No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.”  I think that this reply is the reason why God does not judge the wicked immediately. 

If God were to judge and punish them now, His children might also have to experience that judgment.  Yes, God could specifically protect Christians, but remember what happened during the first plagues in Egypt.  The water turning into blood, the frogs, the lice – those plagues effected all of Egypt not just the Egyptians.  It was only after the first three plagues that God separated His people.  God withholds the judgment to protect the righteous.  But that doesn’t mean that it will not come.  Judgment will come one day when He returns, and that is when the wicked will get what they deserve. 

Additionally, remember 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.”  God wants to give the wicked every opportunity to repent. 

So when it seems like God is allowing the wicked to escape, when it seems like God is being unfair, trust in Him.  He does not want to pull out the wheat with the weeds.  He does not want to stop your growth as a Christian just to punish the wicked.  Instead, He will wait till the time of harvest, the day of judgment, and the wicked will receive their due reward. 

Quick Note – Job 35:9-11 – Looking for God

Job 35:9-11 – 9 “Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty. 10 But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, 11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’

I’m sure parents will understand the situation that I am talking about much more than those who are younger and have yet to have children.  When kids are younger, they are very attached to their parents.  They never want to leave their side and always want to be around them, but as children grow older (around the teenage years), they become more independent and suddenly, they stop looking for their parents and would rather spend time with their friends.  

The dynamic changes, and the only time the father or mother sees their child is when they are needed to solve a problem.  When things are going well, they want to spend time with friends.  When things are going bad, they come home.  When things are good, they don’t say thank you.  But when things are bad, they complain.  Does this behavior remind you of anyone? 

It should.  It should remind you of yourself.  Most of the time, we as human beings turn to God only when we need Him.  When things are going well, when blessings are raining down on our lives, when we are healthy, happy, and prosperous, God is forgotten.  He is ignored and forgotten.  But when troubles and difficulties come, when hardship arises, when our lives are full of pain and suffering, we turn to God and complain.  This is human nature.  This is the situation described by Elihu in Job 35 – people cry out in times of oppression, “Where is God?” but they don’t do that when there are songs in the night, when they are wiser than the birds of the heaven and treated better than the beasts of the earth. 

God is not a tool for us to use only when needed.  He is our Heavenly Father, our Powerful Creator, our Lord and King.  We shouldn’t be coming to Him only when we are in trouble, looking to complain about His presence not being there.  We should be coming to Him every day of our lives seeking to praise Him for all He has done for us.  He gives us safety as we drive to and from work each day.  He gives us health and breath.  He has treasured us more than all His creation.  We shouldn’t be looking for Him only to complain but to bring before Him our gratefulness and praise. 

Quick Note – Hosea 6:1-3 – As Sure as the Dawn

Hosea 6:1-3 – “Come, let us return to the Lord; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him. 3 Let us know; let us press on to know the Lord; his going out is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”

There is a trope that I often see in movies and TV shows that involves a kid with a deadbeat dad that always promises to show up at his or her games and never appears.  The kid waits in expectation, looking to the stands constantly throughout the game, but only ends up disappointed in the end.  I don’t know how true to life that situation is, but I definitely feel for those who have had to deal with it.  This experience can make it difficult to trust in God – to trust that the Heavenly Father will be there when He is needed and be faithful to His promises. 

However, we can trust that God will keep His promises.  He will show up.  In Hosea 6, God is calling out to His people to repent.  He is urging them to return to Him, so that He can heal and bless them.  He no longer wants them to suffer the punishment for their sins but His love and grace and mercy.  So He sent Hosea to call out to them.  But how could the Israelites know that God would be there?  The answer is given to us in vs. 3.  The Lord’s going is “sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth.”  When a person repents and turns to God, His presence in his or her life is as sure as the dawn.  As sure as the sun rises in the sky every morning, He will come into your heart, and He will save.  That is a guarantee.  That is a promise. 

So don’t be afraid that God won’t come if you choose to turn to Him.  He will always be there.  Whether you are a sinner who has stubbornly refused His calling for years or a backslidden disciple who has fallen to the temptations of the world, God is waiting for you to repent.  If you will but turn to Him, He will heal you and bind you up.  He will love and care for you.  Take a step towards Him, and you will find that He has leaped toward you.