Devotional Thoughts from Genesis – scriptures from “The Message”

June 15, 2005

Gen. 3: “God called to the Man: “Where are you?”

We are created for fellowship with God. Somehow, in ways beyond our comprehension, we see that God desires relationship. He desired it so much that he created a being with free will because only a creature with free will can have a genuine relationship with another being. After the Creation, we see God fellowshipping with Adam and Eve in the Garden. After the Fall, we see man, having broken that fellowship, distances himself from God. Still, the Almighty seeks that relationship and we hear him calling “Where are you?” God knew where Adam was but he still honored his free will. He was not demanding it, but was seeking fellowship with even a fallen Creation, Man.

June 16, 2005

Gen. 4: “That’s when men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of God”

The human race was fallen. The Garden was gone. The first murder had taken place. It was all falling apart. Eve had another son and named him Seth. Seth had a son and named him Enosh.

And then a wonderful thing happened. People started praying and worshiping.

How did it happen? Was Seth so thankful for the gift of a son that he decided to start worshiping God? Was it Enosh who had a hunger for God who introduced praying and worshiping? I don’t know the answer, but I do see that something, maybe better: someone, responded to God’s goodness by praying and worshiping.

So what does it take in my life? Does it take tragedy? Or some great blessing? Or does it take someone else to find the way and show it to me? Whatever it takes, for all of us, let it come sooner and not later.

June 18, 2005

Gen. 6: “God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart.”

How can this be? Didn’t God already know, before he created man in the first place that everything would come apart? I don’t think so. I think God COULD have known, but that would have only happened had he programmed everything from the start. In the Flood story we get an insight into the character of God. He created a being with genuine free will, and thus gave up his ability to “know” what this creature would do. Clearly, God did not like what happened and was heart broken over how his “free will creation” turned out.

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But that isn’t the end of the story. Instead of starting over again, the Almighty found just one man who was different. If the free will experiment were to be saved, a radical restart of humanity would be necessary. In Noah, God saw the possibility of a second chance for free will.

July 6, 2005

Gen. 12: “God told Abram, “Leave your country, your family, and your father’s home for a land that I will show you.”

I like to be comfortably at home. I just returned from a 2900 mile road trip, and while it was fun to go, the best part was in the driveway – both leaving on the adventure, and returning home from it. My bed, my recliner chair, my patio – yep, it is good to be home. But, like being home, sometimes we are a bit too comfortable. God has things he wants to do in our lives, transitions he wants to take us through. He has something better for us, yet we hesitate. “Lord, it isn’t all that bad right here – if it is all the same to you, I think I will just settle down here in this place of comfort.” It makes perfect sense to us – but to fail here is to miss something much better that he has for us.

July 7, 2005

Gen. 18: “Sarah laughed within herself”

As the old woman heard the promise of having a son she laughed. It was probably a laugh of scorn. A hard, brittle laugh – laughing at the impossible. But a year later, we hear her laughing again – the laughter of one who has had a miracle of God happen in her life. This is such a happy occasion that the child born is named “To Laugh” or “Isaac.” In the book “The Story of God” Michael Lodahl says that laughter is the key to this whole story. Here we see that God loves surprise endings, jokes with good punch lines. And his laughter is not silliness or useless. He works faithfully to bring about happy endings. What laughter does he want to produce in my life today? As I trust him and cooperate with him, he will bring about good things and bring a smile to my face.

July 11, 2005

Gen. 22: “Now I know…”

Jehovah gave Abraham the most difficult task possible. The old man was to follow the example of the pagans of the area and offer his son as a sacrifice. As unbelievable as it is Abraham never doubts that this is God’s command. So he acts in painful obedience. God stops him at the crucial moment. At that point the Almighty says something that gives us an amazing insight into the attributes of God. Three words: “Now I know….” Those aren’t big words for me to say about myself – there are many “now I know” moments in my life. But for God to say it – wow! In those words I get a glimpse of what it meant for God to create human beings with genuinely free will. He truly made us “other” than himself. At some times and at some levels, even our Creator is unsure of what we will do. I wonder if God has ever put me through a “now I know” trial?

July 12, 2005

Gen. 28: “God was in this place – truly. And I didn’t even know it.”

Jacob – that “heel grasper” has lived down to his name. He, with this help of his mother, has fooled his old father, Isaac, and stolen the precious blessing that belonged to his brother. Now, he is paying for it by having to get out of the country before Esau could get his hands on him. Alone in the night he has an unexpected encounter with God. In spite of his failure and lack of character God graciously renews the promise he made to his grandfather, Abraham. The Almighty would stick with him, and the Lord would keep his promise. Jacob awakes from his sleep, his dream, his encounter with God and says, “God was here, in this place – far from home, when I have done nothing but wrong, and when I am not thinking of him at all – he was here all the time.” I am glad today for God’s grace – his unexpected, unearned, promising grace.

July 13, 2005

Gen. 31: “But the God of my father hasn’t changed, he’s still with me.”

Jacob – that “heel grasper” has had the tables turned on him. His uncle, Laban, it seems, has some of the “use others as a stepping stone” tendencies himself. First, after Jacob has served him for seven years, he marries the wrong daughter to Jacob! (He ends up with both of Laban’s daughters as wives – talk about a tension-filled household!) Then he makes a deal with Jacob to work in exchange for livestock. The deal turns into a sweet one for Jacob, so Laban just changes the contract – not once, but repeatedly. Meanwhile, God is at work. When Jacob is treated unfairly, God gives him a plan that will keep things fair. It is at this point that Jacob, thinking of Laban’s changing rules, says “God hasn’t changed – he said he would stand by me and he has.” Such an understanding works for me too. It isn’t that I will always be treated fairly, or that things will go as I thought they would. The steadying factor in my life is that God hasn’t changed. He has not forgotten me – in fact, he is at work in my life right now, even in the midst of the uncertainty that has come.

July 14, 2005

Gen. 34: “God has been good to me and I have more than enough.”

Jacob – that “heel grasper” now faces his original “victim.” He was born right after his twin Esau was born, and he came out of the womb holding the heel of his brother – apparently, trying to get a bit of a “free ride!” Esau grew up to be a down to earth, hard working guy and Jacob grew up to be a person who takes advantage of down to earth, hard working guys. But now it is time to face the music. Blessed beyond his wildest dreams he, who left home with nothing, returns home with wives, children, servants, and a wealth of livestock. First things first – he has to make things right with Esau. To do so, he showers Esau with gifts. But Esau hasn’t done so bad himself – after all, he is a down to earth, hard working guy and life has a way of rewarding such people. Jacob insists though, and his reason is the right one. “God has been good to me and I have more than enough.” It is time to make things right with his brother. He gives God the credit, he acknowledges his blessings, and he freely gives.

Having said all that, I can add my own testimony – God has been good to me too, and I too have more than enough. Jacob gave of God’s goodness to be a blessing to his brother. How can I use God’s abundant provision in my life to be a blessing to someone today?

July 16, 2005

Gen. 39: “As it turned out, God was with Joseph and things went very well with him.”

Things didn’t look like they were going to turn out “very well.” Hated by his brothers, Joseph has been sold into cruel slavery. Obviously, this is not setting up to be a “very well” kind of scenario. But God is at work here. Sometimes God’s work starts out looking pretty messy to us, more like a demolition project than a construction one. The key to this phrase is “God was with Joseph.” In fact, that is the key to the whole Joseph story. It is almost as though there is a sign: “Caution, God at work here.” For every setback there is a more than equal advance. When God is at work, the end of the story is always “things went very well.” It may not seem to be that way at any given point along the journey, but that’s how it is going to end.

July 18, 2005

Gen. 44: “God was behind it. God sent me here ahead of you to save lives.”

“God was behind it”?? Joseph, you’ve got to be kidding! This was a bad series of events. You have been sold into slavery, lied about, imprisoned, forgotten – and God was behind it? What school of theology did you attend anyway? You really believe God would send you into such difficult circumstances? God only sends nice things into our lives – you know, “God is love” and that sort of thing. Uh, what’s that I see? Kind of looks like the shadow of a cross. A cross…God was behind it...saving lives.

Never mind…I get it.

July 19, 2005

Gen. 50: “Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good….”

Same speaker: Joseph. Same subject: his brothers’ betrayal of him and God’s purpose in it. If the quote from Genesis 44 was “Introduction to Understanding How God Works” this is “Advanced Understanding of How God Works.” Joseph knows that it wasn’t God who planned evil things against him. Clearly, it was his brothers. But when they had done their worst, God moved in and redeemed their evil act, turning it into good for Joseph and even those evil-deed-doing bothers. So, Joseph’s first understanding isn’t wrong, it is just incomplete. When bad people act in their own free will, God has a knack of stepping in and transforming it into something good, accomplishing his purposes. That’s an awesome thing isn’t it!