A Word About What to Do When Brotherly Love Fails

 

As we continue in our series “Family Business,” today, we will ask the question, “What do we do, when brotherly love fails?”. Let’s read Genesis 37:18-36:

They saw him in the distance, and before he had reached them, they plotted to kill him. 19 They said to one another, “Here comes that dreamer! 20 Come on, let’s kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal ate him. Then we’ll see what becomes of his dreams!” 21 When Reuben heard this, he tried to save him from them. He said, “Let’s not take his life.” 22 Reuben also said to them, “Don’t shed blood. Throw him into this pit in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him”—intending to rescue him from their hands and return him to his father. 23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped off his robe, the robe of many colors that he had on. 24 Then they took him and threw him into the pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it. 25 Then they sat down to eat a meal. They looked up, and there was a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were carrying aromatic gum, balsam, and resin, going down to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What do we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? 27 Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay a hand on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh,” and they agreed. 28 When Midianite traders passed by, his brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him for 20 pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took Joseph to Egypt. 29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. 30 He went back to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?” 31 So they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a young goat, and dipped the robe in its blood. 32 They sent the robe of many colors to their father and said, “We found this. Examine it. Is it your son’s robe or not?” 33 His father recognized it. “It is my son’s robe,” he said. “A vicious animal has devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces!” 34 Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. “No,” he said. “I will go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” And his father wept for him. 36 Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard.

When brotherly love fails it is like a storm has hit the family. 

Sometimes that storm is like a hurricane. Hurricanes develop over long periods of time, days or even weeks. Sometimes, in a family when love fails, just like with a hurricane, you can see it coming and, although you can’t stop it and you are dreading it, at least you can be prepared for in some way. 

Other times when brotherly love fails, it’s like a tornado. Tornados seemingly pop up out of nowhere. They sneak up on an unsuspecting community, they bring their devastating damage, and then they disappear. You don’t have to dread the coming of the tornado because you don’t have an opportunity to do so. On the other hand, you also can make little or no preparation for that particular storm. 

Regardless of whether the storm is a hurricane or a tornado, it leaves destruction in its wake. Like Dorothy said in the “Wizard of Ozz”, you may find that “We aren’t in Kansas anymore!” Everything has changed, and not for the better.

At that point those affected must ask the question, “What do I do now?” This is the same question. Joseph found himself facing when brotherly love failed among the Children of Israel. Today we see what Joseph did, and how that turned out. This is what we can observe from Scripture:

Joseph’s Diligence:

Let’s begin with Genesis 39:1-6a,

Now Joseph had been taken to Egypt. An Egyptian named Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and the captain of the guard, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man, serving[a] in the household of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made everything he did successful, 4 Joseph found favor in his master’s sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar also put him in charge of his household and placed all that he owned under his authority.[b] 5 From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields. 6 He left all that he owned under Joseph’s authority;[c] he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.

Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son and Jacob had doted upon him. He had given Joseph preferential treatment, including dressing him in a unique, even gaudy, multi-colored coat. Joseph had been spoiled by his dad, but now his whole world had been turned up-side down! He went from being the favored son being sold into slavery.

The fact that Joseph experienced such a reversal of fortunes was not an uncommon life event. One wag put it this way, “Somedays you are the windshield; other days you are the bug.” We might leave a supportive home environment to go to work or to go to school. There we may find people who don't know us, nor even care about us. Sometimes the situation we find ourselves in isn't the situation that we expected to happen.

I once served in a Christian ministry that had a practice of never downsizing staff. Instead, when ministry requirements changed, and when ministry programs were ended, the previous staff were just reassigned to different job descriptions. I knew several members of that ministry who had been called to do a specific task but who were later reassigned to an entirely different ministry. A few of those folks adjusted well; most however struggled. For some it was as if the ground beneath their feet had shifted nothing was the same as before and they never felt comfortable in their new role.

When placed in a situation like the one Joseph found himself in, many people might crumble. Joseph didn't! Joseph continued to be diligent, so much so that he was placed as steward over his master's household.  I believe we can draw at least two lessons from Joseph's experience.

First, it's always right to do the right thing. Joseph knew it was right to be diligent, and he was. It certainly would have been easy for him to resent his master. But we must remember, that in whatever situation we are God knows what is happening to us. The scriptures remind us that we are a walking testimony to our God. We are often the only Bible anyone ever reads and that is why it was written in Colossians 3:23-24 that,

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ.

The second lesson, of course, is that God will reward us for being good stewards of His Holy Name. Hebrews 6:10 tells us,

For God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you showed for His name when you served the saints—and you continue to serve them

When you aren’t in Kansas anymore, remember that God has a plan for your life.  Work as if you are working for Him!

Joseph’s Purity:

Next, let’s read 39:6b-21,

Now Joseph was well-built and handsome. 7 After some time his master’s wife looked longingly at Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.” 8 But he refused. “Look,” he said to his master’s wife, “with me here my master does not concern himself with anything in his house, and he has put all that he owns under my authority.  9 No one in this house is greater than I am. He has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. So how could I do such a great evil and sin against God?”10 Although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her.  11 Now one day he went into the house to do his work, and none of the household servants were there.[h] 12 She grabbed him by his garment and said, “Sleep with me!” But leaving his garment in her hand, he escaped and ran outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment with her and had run outside, 14 she called the household servants. “Look,” she said to them, “my husband brought a Hebrew man to make fools of us. He came to me so he could sleep with me, and I screamed as loud as I could. 15 When he heard me screaming for help, he left his garment with me and ran outside.” 16 She put Joseph’s garment beside her until his master came home. 17 Then she told him the same story: “The Hebrew slave you brought to us came to make a fool of me, 18 but when I screamed for help, he left his garment with me and ran outside.” 19 When his master heard the story his wife told him—“These are the things your slave did to me”—he was furious 20 and had him thrown into prison, where the king’s prisoners were confined. So Joseph was there in prison.

We live in a fallen and sinful world and the hits just keep coming! The basic storyline here is that Potiphar's wife lusted after Joseph, yet he remained pure. As a healthy young man, Joseph was no doubt tempted, but he did not yield.

This kind of temptation is not unusual. In fact, a leading cause of ministerial termination is moral failure. In this case Joseph was alone and out on his own, and without a support system. That is a difficult situation. Often temptations come fast and furious and in all sorts of ways. It is easy to fall, and it is easy to rationalize that failure as well. Joseph could have said, “Maybe if I let her seduce me that will give me some power over her, and she can help me fulfill God's plan?” It is easy to talk ourselves into doing foolish things.

Even if you aren't tempted by such a situation, this kind of person can harm you. It is possible that Potiphar's wife misunderstood Joseph's motives. Maybe she thought he was trying to impress her or seduce her. People can misjudge your motives and treat you wrongly.

Even more troublesome is the fact that a person who has illegitimate motives and illegitimate desires may retaliate against you when you reject their improper advances. In such a case you will have done nothing wrong, but the offending person might manipulate facts and situations to imply that you were the offending party. In fact, you might yield simply to avoid such trouble.

Many people would fall into temptation under these conditions, but not Joseph. He was so desperate to stay pure that he ran out of his clothes. He knew God had a purpose for his life and he knew his God was righteous. He also knew that God never does his work with the devil's means. And he knew that he was working for that very same God.

When you aren't in Kansas anymore, remember that God is righteous. Live as if you are living for him!

Joseph’s Faithfulness:

Next, let’s read 39:6b-21,

But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him. He granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. 22 The warden put all the prisoners who were in the prison under Joseph’s authority, and he was responsible for everything that was done there. 23 The warden did not bother with anything under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him, and the Lord made everything that he did successful.

When you think you have hit rock bottom and you think that things can't get any worse, don't hold your breath, because, as Joseph’s story demonstrated, they can get worse. Potiphar's wife was a woman scorned, and she took her wrath out upon Joseph. He was falsely accused and wound up in prison and he should have been considering himself lucky that he wasn't killed.

Like Joseph we are also often treated wrongly. At times we are treated wrongly by the world, and other times we are treated wrongly by our families. The ones who love us can turn on us and cause us much pain.

People can wrongly accuse us, they can gossip about us and scorn our Christian faith and our Christian lifestyle. They may try to entice us into office politics and then turn on us when we participate. Even worse they can entice us into office politics and then when we participate, heap scorn upon us because we're hypocrites. Either way we are often punished for not conforming to the ways of this world.

When these things happen to us Joseph is a model for us to follow. Joseph did not give up hope. He knew his God, and he knew his God had a purpose for his life. He knew that his God was strong and that his God could and would fulfill that purpose. He also knew that ultimately that was who he was working for the God of his fathers. Despite all that happened to him Joseph remained faithful to that God.

If Joseph is a model for us to follow Joseph's God is even a greater source of encouragement to us. God used Joseph's faithfulness to advance his plan for his life. Also, we must realize that God put Joseph right to where he needed to be so that he could interpret the dreams of the Butler and the Baker. These events brought him to Pharaoh’s attention and these events occurred because Joseph and his God were both faithful. Paul had a similar experience as we see in Acts 16 beginning in verse 22:

Then the mob joined in the attack against them, and the chief magistrates stripped off their clothes and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had inflicted many blows on them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to keep them securely guarded. 24 Receiving such an order, he put them into the inner prison and secured their feet in the stocks. 25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. 26 Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the jail were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 When the jailer woke up and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew his sword and was going to kill himself, since he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul called out in a loud voice, “Don’t harm yourself, because all of us are here!” 29 Then the jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he escorted them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.” 32 Then they spoke the message of the Lord to him along with everyone in his house. 33 He took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds. Right away he and all his family were baptized. 34 He brought them into his house, set a meal before them, and rejoiced because he had believed God with his entire household.

Just like the children of Israel were saved from starvation by Joseph going to jail, so too there will be people in heaven that we can meet some day, because Paul went to jail.

When you aren’t in Kansas anymore, remember that God is in control.  Live as if is He is!

Joseph’s Elevation:

Finally, let’s read Genesis 41:37-49,

Then Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone like this, a man who has God’s spirit in him?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as intelligent and wise as you are. 40 You will be over my house, and all my people will obey your commands.[d] Only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh also said to Joseph, “See, I am placing you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh removed his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, clothed him with fine linen garments, and placed a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had Joseph ride in his second chariot, and servants called out before him, “Abrek!” So he placed him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, but no one will be able to raise his hand or foot in all the land of Egypt without your permission.”

God had great plans for Joseph. He had given Joseph a dream to become a great leader. Later, He had given Joseph the task of saving Egypt and Israel, and the known world from starvation. We often encourage children to “dream big”, and Joseph's big dreams were ultimately realized.

God, too, has a plan for each of our lives as well. He wants us all to be saved from our sins and He wants us all to be His disciples. He wants us to find abundant life in Christ and He wants us to help others find abundant life in Christ. As wonderful as the work that Joseph accomplished was, everyone whom he saved from starvation still died. Our work is greater than that. We can offer people living water, and the knowledge of how to acquire eternal life. Even Joseph's coat of many colors cannot outshine such things. God has great things in store for us.

As wonderful as God's plan for us is, we must also understand that His time frame and ours are not the same. God is running a marathon, not the 100 yead dash! We don't know how many years it was from Joseph's first dreams until the day he became Prime Minister of Egypt, but it wasn't just a day. The saying Rome was not built in a day is true, and it is also usually true for us as God builds in us the ability to serve him and fulfill his task for us. Even Paul, who had had a tremendous biblical education, spent three years in the desert with God teaching him the fuller truths of the Christian life. So, when God gives us a dream, don't be surprised that it may take time for us to realize that dream. AS Paul taught us in Galatians 6:9-10,

So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

When you aren’t in Kansas anymore, remember that God’s timing is perfect. Live according to his schedule, not our own!

Conclusion:

When the storm of conflict hits our family, and when brotherly love fails, what are we to do?

• Remember that God has a plan for your life and work as if you are working for Him!
• Remember that God is righteous and live as if you are living for him!
• Remember that God is in control and live as if is He is!
• Remember that God’s timing is perfect and live according to his schedule, not our own!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Jacob's Family Values

 

Today I want to share a word about Jacobs’ family values. Let’s begin with Genesis 29:9-20:

While he was still speaking with them, Rachel came with her father’s sheep, for she was a shepherdess. ¹⁰ As soon as Jacob saw his uncle Laban’s daughter Rachel with his sheep, he went up and rolled the stone from the opening and watered his uncle Laban’s sheep. ¹¹ Then Jacob kissed Rachel and wept loudly.  ¹² He told Rachel that he was her father’s relative, Rebekah’s son. She ran and told her father. ¹³ When Laban heard the news about his sister’s son Jacob, he ran to meet him, hugged him, and kissed him. Then he took him to his house, and Jacob told him all that had happened. ¹⁴ Laban said to him, “Yes, you are my own flesh and blood.” After Jacob had stayed with him a month, ¹⁵ Laban said to him, “Just because you’re my relative, should you work for me for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” ¹⁶ Now Laban had two daughters: the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. ¹⁷ Leah had ordinary eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. ¹⁸ Jacob loved Rachel, so he answered Laban, “I’ll work for you seven years for your younger daughter Rachel.” ¹⁹ Laban replied, “Better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay with me.” ²⁰ So Jacob worked seven years for Rachel, and they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.

Family relationships are often a topic for discussion, in all kinds of ways. For example, once, when I was reaching down behind a door to pick-up something that I had dropped there, the door bounced off the door stop just in time for me to slam my head against it as I bent down. This collision raised a large, egg-shaped swelling on my forehead. Needless to say, I was the butt of several jokes made by my fellow pastors.

 One said, “So, you thought Geri said stand-up when she really said shut up.”

 Another quipped, “It’s your head, your wife, and your business.”

 For the record, while I have irritated Geri many times, she has never hit me, nor I her. We have exchanged cross words from time to time, however!

 A few years ago, some politicians took pains to appeal to “family values voters.” This sounds good until you ask the follow-on question, “Whose family values?” In this message we will consider some lessons from Jacob’s family’s values, some of which are positive, but many of which we would do well to avoid!

 The Good:

 Jacob loved Rachel with all his heart, and he sacrificed for her.

 Many people will glibly make statements like, “I’d do anything to play the piano” or “I give anything to be able to lose weight.” The truth is, however, they are not willing to do what it takes to achieve such goals. Jacob, however, was different. He worked for Laban not just seven years, but he actually worked for him for fourteen years so that he could have the love of his life.

 Jacob’s passion and sacrifice for his wife Rachel is a model for husbands to follow. Let’s read Ephesians 5:25-33,

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. ²⁷ He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰ since we are members of His body. ³¹ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. ³² This mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

God’s unambiguous will is for husbands to love their wives the way that Christ loves the church, who is the bride of Christ. What kind of love is this? 

• It is a sacrificial love.  
• It is an uplifting love. 
• It is a saving love.
• It is a steadfast love.
• It is a cherishing love.

The kind of love which the Scriptures refer to as Christ’s love is an active love. Christ’s love is not only emotional, it is also operational. It requires us to do what is right, and good, and best for the one loved. So, husbands must love their wives even when they don’t feel like it!

Why are we to do this? Just like the Lord’s Supper and Baptism are audio-visual sermons about our Christian faith, so is marriage! Marriage is a sermon about Christ and the church. There is one Savior and one church. The Savior loves the church sacrificially and the church honors the love of the Savior.

 So far, so good. But now let's read Genesis 29:21-31,

 ‘Then Jacob said to Laban, “Give me my wife, for my time is completed. I want to sleep with her.” ²² So Laban invited all the men of the place to a feast. ²³ That evening, Laban took his daughter Leah and gave her to Jacob, and he slept with her. ²⁴ And Laban gave his slave Zilpah to his daughter Leah as her slave. ²⁵ When morning came, there was Leah! So he said to Laban, “What is this you have done to me? Wasn’t it for Rachel that I worked for you? Why have you deceived me?” ²⁶ Laban answered, “It is not the custom in this place to give the younger daughter in marriage before the firstborn. ²⁷ Complete this week of wedding celebration, and we will also give you this younger one in return for working yet another seven years for me.” ²⁸ And Jacob did just that. He finished the week of celebration, and Laban gave him his daughter Rachel as his wife. ²⁹ And Laban gave his slave Bilhah to his daughter Rachel as her slave. ³⁰ Jacob slept with Rachel also, and indeed, he loved Rachel more than Leah. And he worked for Laban another seven years. ³¹ When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was unable to conceive. ³² Leah conceived, gave birth to a son, and named him Reuben, or she said, “The Lord has seen my affliction; surely my husband will love me now.” 

The Bad:

 Jacob had two wives, and he could not love them both.

 As we see in this passage, the trickster got tricked. As the saying goes, “live by the sword, die by the sword.” Or, as Galatians 6:7-9 says,

Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap, ⁸ because the one who sows to his flesh will reap corruption from the flesh, but the one who sows to the Spirit will reap eternal life from the Spirit. ⁹ So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, we must work for the good of all, especially for those who belong to the household of faith.

Jacob loved Rachel, but he wound up with both Rachel and Leah. To give Jacob some credit, he did not intend to find himself in that situation, but due to the practices and customs of the day, he did. And try as he might, he was unable to love them both. 

To be truthful, it doesn’t seem as if Jacob tried to be fair to Leah. He was bound to her, but he never gave his heart to her. Some men develop a resentful attitude towards their spouses, even to the point of calling them “a ball and chain.” I could see Jacob having this attitude towards Leah, and he definitely preferred Rachel. This caused much conflict in their home, as we can see in Genesis 30:1-2:

When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, she envied her sister. “Give me sons, or I will die!” she said to Jacob. 2 Jacob became angry with Rachel and said, “Am I in God’s place, who has withheld children from you?”

We also see this conflict in Genesis 30:14-16,

Reuben went out during the wheat harvest and found some mandrakes in the field. When he brought them to his mother Leah, Rachel asked, “Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.” 15 But Leah replied to her, “Isn’t it enough that you have taken my husband? Now you also want to take my son’s mandrakes?” “Well,” Rachel said, “you can sleep with him tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.” 16 When Jacob came in from the field that evening, Leah went out to meet him and said, “You must come with me, for I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes.” So Jacob slept with her that night.

I think those verses speak for themselves.

In the home, there is no room for multiple lovers. When a man and a women join in matrimony, they become one, and there is no room for another. This is like what Jesus said in Matthew 6:24,

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Jacob was only human, and he played favorites, just like his father and mother did.  Not only did he play favorites with his wives, but we will also soon find out that he played favorites with his children. The results of both were devastating!

Next let's read Genesis 34:1-7,

Dinah, Leah’s daughter whom she bore to Jacob, went out to see some of the young women of the area. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, a prince of the region, saw her, he took her and raped her. 3 He became infatuated with Dinah, daughter of Jacob. He loved the young girl and spoke tenderly to her. 4 “Get me this girl as a wife,” he told his father Hamor. 5 Jacob heard that Shechem had defiled his daughter Dinah, but since his sons were with his livestock in the field, he remained silent until they returned. 6 Meanwhile, Shechem’s father Hamor came to speak with Jacob. 7 Jacob’s sons returned from the field when they heard about the incident and were deeply grieved and angry. For Shechem had committed an outrage against Israel by raping Jacob’s daughter, and such a thing should not be done.

The Ugly:

Jacob had a dozen children, but he failed to nurture them.

Jacob demonstrated that physically procreating was not the end of the task of being a parent. Parents have a sacred responsibility from God to raise up their children in the way that they should go. As Ephesians 6:4 instructs us,

Fathers, don’t stir up anger in your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

A large part of the task of parenting is the protection of the children. Jacob failed to protect Dinah from the evil culture in which they lived, which was devasting.

We, too, must protect our children, both from others and from themselves. A 2001 survey of students revealed that 50% had drunk alcohol and 1% consumed it daily. The results also showed that 23% had been inebriated at least once and 8% had been inebriated in the last 30 days before date the survey was taken. Those numbers are bad, but they are worse when we realize that the subjects of the survey were 8^th grade students!

Another survey of youths revealed that 7% carried weapons to school, and one-third drank alcohol regularly. About half had used marijuana, 15% had sniffed glue, and 10% had used cocaine.

Our children need our protection, and we need to model a Godly lifestyle for them to emulate!

The task of parenting also so involves discipling our children. Jacob failed to teach his sons to guard their passions. Let's read Genesis 33:24-31,

²⁴ All the able-bodied men listened to Hamor and his son Shechem, and all the able-bodied men were circumcised. ²⁵ On the third day, when they were still in pain, two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, took their swords, went into the unsuspecting city, and killed every male. ²⁶ They killed Hamor and his son Shechem with their swords, took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went away. ²⁷ Jacob’s other sons came to the slaughter and plundered the city because their sister had been defiled. ²⁸ They took their sheep, cattle, donkeys, and whatever was in the city and in the field. ²⁹ They captured all their possessions, children, and wives and plundered everything in the houses. ³⁰ Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, making me odious to the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites and the Perizzites. We are few in number; if they unite against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed.” ³¹ But they answered, “Should he have treated our sister like a prostitute?”

It is easy to understand how angry Dinah’s brothers got over how she was attacked and abused. Despite this, their father had a plan to resolve this situation. Was Jacob doing the right thing? We will never know, because his sons took the law into their own hands. And when they did, they took things too far.

Few of us would have objected to punishing or even killing Shechem, but Jacob’s sons committed mass murder. And, like Jacob and Leah and Rachel, they would go to any lengths to get what they wanted. Despite what the popular saying asserts, the ends do not justify the means. However, that seems to be the lesson these boys learned from their dad and their moms, and their grandparents as well. Jacob, himself, knew how bad things could have been for his family, and, no doubt, only God’s protection preserved them after that stunt!

It was ironic as well as creepy that Judah’s daughter-in-law Tamar pretended to be a prostitute with him so she could have a child. That’s a story for another day, but it demonstrates the level of morality that Jacob had fostered among his sons.

One other task of parenting that we find Jacob struggling with was loving all his children equally. Let’s read Genesis 37:2-4,

² These are the family records of Jacob. At 17 years of age, Joseph tended sheep with his brothers. The young man was working with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he brought a bad report about them to their father. ³ Now Israel loved Joseph more than his other sons because Joseph was a son born to him in his old age, and he made a robe of many colors for him. ⁴ When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not bring themselves to speak peaceably to him.

It seems to be a true statement that some families develop strong multi-generational patterns. Today we might say that those patterns are a part of their family “DNA”. Sometimes it is the result of unconfessed and unrepented sin. Numbers 14:18 tells us that,

The Lord is slow to anger and rich in faithful love, forgiving wrongdoing and rebellion. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children to the third and fourth generation. 

One consistent pattern of failure in Joseph’s family tree is the habit of playing favorites among the children. Abraham did. Isaac and Rebekah did. Jacob did. As each generation perpetuated the failures of their ancestors, the consequences continued to echo down the ages.

One thing that was surprising to me about Jacob doting on Joseph is that he was oblivious to the fact that his other sons were murderers with a tendency to be hot-headed and violent. In his old age, Jacob lost his ability to “read the room,” and this was to result in serious consequences within his family and much heartache for himself as well.

The saying that the ground is level at the foot of the cross is a true one. The ground should be level in the home as well!

Conclusion

In conclusion I believe that there are some very important takeaways from our study today.

First, we need to set our families up for success. We need to leave our fathers and mothers and cleave to our spouse and to them only. We need to love each other passionately, but also practically. Finally, we must nurture our children in the Lord, loving them equally, protecting them equally, and disciplining them equally.

Second, we need to realize that all of the Old Testament patriarchs were real, flawed human beings. Paul, in the New Testament called himself the “Chief of Sinners,” but I think Jacob could give him a run for his money. In fact, some have noted that after God renamed his Isreal, the Bible still refers to him as Jacob. This could be because his walk with God was so uneven. When he was speaking prophetically, he was called Israel, but when he was acting as the old trickster, he was called Jacob. We all struggle with a consistent walk with God, but Jacob’s story reminds us of the consequences of that unfortunate habit.

Finally, if God could love Jacob, despite all his foibles, there must be hope for us all! This is even more true when we realize that as children of the New Covenant, God comes to live within us as the Holy Spirit once we commit ourselves to Him!  What an encouraging promise to us all!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Serving God in the Land of our Fathers

Today I want to share a word about how to faithfully serve God in the Land of Our Fathers as I comment on 1 Peter 2:9-17.

In the video above I ask the question, "Can we love our country an serve our God at the same time?" I believe that we can if we follow the guidance give to us in the Scriptures in general, and in particular, the direction given to us in our focal passage for today, 1 Peter 2:9-17. Please prayerfully join me in this quest in the video devotional for today.

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about the Third Time is the Charm

Today I want to share a word about the third time is is the charm as I comment on three events in the life of Father Abraham. Let's begin by reading Genesis 12:10-20,

There was a famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine in the land was severe. 11 When he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “Look, I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ They will kill me but let you live. 13 Please say you’re my sister so it will go well for me because of you, and my life will be spared on your account.” 14 When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s household. 16 He treated Abram well because of her, and Abram acquired flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels. 17 But the Lord struck Pharaoh and his household with severe plagues because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh sent for Abram and said, “What have you done to me? Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She’s my sister,’ so that I took her as my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave his men orders about him, and they sent him away with his wife and all he had.

The saying “The Third Time’s The Charm” certainly held true for the doctors in a story told by legendary newscaster Paul Harvey:

A woman went to the emergency room in Syracuse, NY, with an insect in her ear.  The standard treatment for this was to squirt the medicine lidocaine in the ear, and the insect would exit the ear as it tried to escape the liquid.  The doc’s squirted the lidocaine in the ear, and . . . nothing happened.  So, they tried again.

On the second go around, they squirted a double dose of lidocaine, but there was no response from the bug.

On their third try, the doctors decided to use the suction device normally used to clear patients’ airways of mucus.  They inserted the tip into the lady’s ear and with a “schloop” they vacuumed the roach out of her ear.

The doctors could not take credit for coming up with the right solution, however, because they say the woman herself came up with the idea. After the second failure with the lidocaine the woman became frantic and began yelling at the top of her lungs, “Get that sucker out of there!”

People fail.  People make mistakes.  We sometimes get the opportunity to correct them, and when we do, we must seize the day and make amends for our failures.  This is the story we will see today as we continue in our series of sermons called Family Business and we consider Father Abraham.

We know Abraham as a man of faith.  He is seen as an icon, a paragon of virtue, yet we need to know the truth:  Abraham was a human, just as we are today, and he made mistakes.  In his case also, the third time was the charm as we’ll see from these events in the Book of Genesis.

Abraham Was Tested In Egypt:

Abraham had been called by God to leave his home in Ur of the Chaldees so that God could give him a country of his own and make a great nation of him. Abraham answered God’s call, but right out of the gate, he ran into trouble.

When Abraham and his family arrived in the Negev, there was a famine in the land. He and his household were traveling, and far away from family and friends and any other support group from his former homeland that could help him and his household. There was abundant food in Egypt, but the Egyptians were fierce, and Abraham had a pretty wife. He was between a rock and a hard place, or maybe between the Devil and the deep blue sea. What could he do? What would he do?

Abraham was young in the Lord. He was following God, but he had not yet had the opportunity to test his faith. He did not have the counsel of the hymn that says,

Trust Me, try Me, prove Me says the Lord of Hosts and see if a blessing, unmeasured blessing, I will not pour out on thee!

Because Abraham was young in the Lord and because he was not yet a seasoned follower of Him, Abraham gave way to his fear. In fact, he was weak and craven, and he was willing to sacrifice Sarah to save his own life.

In the end, Abraham’s sin was revealed. As Luke 8:17 says,

For nothing is concealed that won’t be revealed, and nothing hidden that won’t be made known and come to light.

A modern example of this was when some employees of an airline found a deceased dog in its container when it had arrived at the destination airport. They went out and found a similar looking replacement, but the owner knew immediately something had happened because she was shipping her dead pet back home for burial. 

God proved Himself to be as faithful as Abraham was craven and callow. God afflicted Pharaoh to protect Sarah and, in the end, Pharaoh showed himself the be more righteous than Abraham at this point. By His grace, God saved both Pharaoh and Sarah.

Next, let’s read Genesis 20:1-11,

From there Abraham traveled to the region of the Negev and settled between Kadesh and Shur. While he lived in Gerar, 2 Abraham said about his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” So Abimelech king of Gerar had Sarah brought to him. 3 But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “You are about to die because of the woman you have taken, for she is a married woman.” 4 Now Abimelech had not approached her, so he said, “Lord, would You destroy a nation even though it is innocent? 5 Didn’t he himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’? And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ I did this with a clear conscience and clean hands.” 6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know that you did this with a clear conscience. I have also kept you from sinning against Me. Therefore I have not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, know that you will certainly die, you and all who are yours.” 8 Early in the morning Abimelech got up, called all his servants together, and personally told them all these things, and the men were terrified. 9 Then Abimelech called Abraham in and said to him, “What have you done to us? How did I sin against you that you have brought such enormous guilt on me and on my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.” 10 Abimelech also said to Abraham, “What did you intend when you did this thing?” 11 Abraham replied, “I thought, ‘There is absolutely no fear of God in this place. They will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not the daughter of my mother, and she became my wife. 13 So when God had me wander from my father’s house, I said to her: Show your loyalty to me wherever we go and say about me: ‘He’s my brother.’”

Abraham Was Tested In The Negev:

Much time had passed since Abraham was in Egypt and God had shown Himself in many ways to him. Abraham had seen God’s protection, and had he heard His promises. He saw God keep His promises, and at Sodom and Gomorrah, he had also seen that doing things God’s way worked out better than when we do things our human way. Abraham now had journeyed into the land of Abimelech, and he seemingly lost the plot.

When confronted by Abimelech, Abraham fell back into his old ways. As the saying goes, when all you have is a hammer, the whole world is a nail. Even though he was now more seasoned, and even though now he had more experience walking with God, he was afraid, and in his weakness, he gave into that fear. He was weak and craven and willing to sacrifice Sarah. In reality, his actions were as bad as Lot’s were in Sodom!

If humans are not careful, if we do not intentionally walk with God every day, we tend to fall back into our old ways. Proverbs 26:11 puts this sad fact graphically, 

As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.

Abraham was not alone in the Bible in going back to his old ways. Jonah preached revival in Nineveh and then he sat on a hill waiting for God to destroy the city. When the people of the city repented and turned to God. Jonah rebuked God. Imagine that! A prophet of God rebuked Him for being true to His Word!

Elijah went toe-to-toe with the prophets of Baal, and God prevailed as Elijah knew that he would. Then, when Queen Jezebel threatened him, he ran off and hid. He even prayed that God would let him die.

Peter, after his boastful claims on the night Jesus was arrested, betrayed Him. After the resurrection, Peter was restored to a relationship with God through Jesus, yet he told the other disciples in John 21:3, “I’m going fishing.”

Abraham may have returned to his former self, but God did not change. Again, Abraham’s sin was revealed. God afflicted Abimelech to protect Sarah. Abimelech, like Pharoah, showed himself to be more righteous than Abraham at this point, and God saved both Abimelech and Sarah.

At least Abraham was consistent, but thankfully, so was God. Next, let’s read Genesis 22:1-14.

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. 2 “Take your son,” He said, “your only son Isaac, whom you love, go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” 3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac. In his hand he took the fire and the sacrificial knife, and the two of them walked on together. 7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac[c] and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.” 12 Then He said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

Abraham Was Tested On Mount Moriah:

By this time God had truly revealed Himself to Abraham: He had both given him a son and He had also given him an important place in God’s plan. He had proved Himself many times over and God was now very familiar to Abraham. He and God were like people so familiar with each other that they tell jokes by the number.

This time, however, God tested Abraham to the extreme. The threat to Abraham and his legacy was not just in Abraham’s mind at this point. It was a real thing because:

• Isaac represented God’s promises.
• Isaac represented God’s plan.
• Isaac represented hope.
• Isaac represented fulfillment. 
• Isaac represented redemption. 
• Isaac represented life itself

God asked Abraham to prefer Him to all these things! And he did! I think it would be good to note a couple of things about this incident.

First, Abraham was obedient and faithful from the beginning. Just like when he was called to leave Ur, he did what he was told without arguing. 

Also, Abraham had grown close to God, and he knew God would keep his promises to Abraham and to Isaac. Maybe that’s why he told the servants that we will come back, not, I will come back.

We should note as well that Isaac was no fool. He might have been born at night, but it wasn’t last night! He knew something was up, but he trusted his father in a way that Abraham had not really trusted God up till now.

In this one story, the character of all involved was revealed: 

• For Abraham, the third time was the charm! He finally trusted God fully. 
• Isaac trusted his father the first time around.
• God was shown to be trustworthy for all time!

How Are We Being Tested Today?

It is easy for us to sit today in judgment of Abraham. We have access to the whole counsel of the Word of God, and we know how all these events turned out. Hindsight is 20/20, but how do we do when we are going through trials and testing ourselves?

Are we being tested to put away the hurts of the past? How do you think Sarah felt as she was sent into the harem? Twice! No one ever did such to you, yet Sarah followed God! It is time to put away past hurts and serve God.10-20

Are we being tested to put away the grasping of the present? People can be so selfish! We want to protect our time. We want to increase our property and wealth. We want to guard our reputation and way of life. What God wants is our utmost devotion! Jesus taught in Mathew 6:31-33 that,

So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you.

Are we being tested to put away the fear of the future? We don’t know what tomorrow will hold, but we should know who holds tomorrow in His hand. Jesus went on to teach in Matthew 6:34,

Therefore, don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

We can’t live in the past, because there is no future in it. We can’t hold on to the present, because time waits for no person. We can’t live in the future, because tomorrow may never come. We must live and walk in God, who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. As we walk with God, He will light our way if we stay close to Him and stay in His Word.

Conclusion:

As we are tested, what is our score? Have we failed? Don’t give up! Abraham failed too!

Our God is the God of the second chance, and as we saw with Abraham, the third chance as well!

When we are tested, we must turn to God and let Him have His way. He is the Father who truly knows best!

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word About If I Didn't Laugh, I'd Cry

Laughter is said to be the best medicine, but sometimes, as we will see today in our series “Family Business” our laughter can be more like a snort of derision.  This is where Sarah was in Genesis 18:1-15:

Then the Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting in the entrance of his tent during the heat of the day. 2 He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground. 3 Then he said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, please do not go on past your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, that you may wash your feet and rest yourselves under the tree. 5 I will bring a bit of bread so that you may strengthen yourselves. This is why you have passed your servant’s way. Later, you can continue on.” “Yes,” they replied, “do as you have said." 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Knead three measures of fine flour and make bread.” 7 Meanwhile, Abraham ran to the herd and got a tender, choice calf. He gave it to a young man, who hurried to prepare it. 8 Then Abraham took curds and milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set them before the men. He served  them as they ate under the tree. 9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he answered. 10 The Lord said, “I will certainly come back to you in about a year’s time, and your wife Sarah will have a son!” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were old and getting on in years. Sarah had passed the age of childbearing. 12 So she laughed to herself: “After I have become shriveled up and my lord is old, will I have delight?” 13 But the Lord asked Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Can I really have a baby when I’m old?’ 14 Is anything impossible for the Lord? At the appointed time I will come back to you, and in about a year she will have a son.” 15 Sarah denied it. “I did not laugh,” she said, because she was afraid. But He replied, “No, you did laugh.”

Every pastor has stories they can tell about events when if they didn’t laugh, they’d cry. Many of these seem to stem from baptisms. For example, one pastor was baptizing a large man in a small baptistery. He banged the man’s head against the side of the baptistery, and the man came up out of the water cursing. Another pastor was baptizing a young girl who decided to do a “cannon ball” dive into the baptistery. The choir got baptized that day as well.

Finally, a pastor and a revival speaker did a joint baptism service together. After the baptism, the pastor rushed back to change clothes for the rest of the service. After he got back into the sanctuary, he noticed his feet were hurting. He didn’t realize why until the revival speaker almost fell on the way to the pulpit to preach. The pastor had put on the evangelist’s shoes, which were one-and-a-half size smaller than his own!

In every family, a time will come when tough situations face us. Actually, in every family, many tough times will come, so much that if we didn’t laugh, we’d cry. As we look at our Scripture for today, we find a find a time when Sarah, the wife of Abraham, also laughed. Let’s see what this event may mean to us today. 

Maybe Sarah Laughed out of Disbelief:

When we are intimately involved in a situation, we often grasp it well. The details to us are crystal clear and they are very important. The details to us loom as big as a mountain. One thing that pastors and chaplains have learned is that people involved in a tragedy must “tell their story” until they have finished telling it.

The reality here was that Sarah couldn’t have a child. She was too old, and Abraham was too old. It was humanly impossible. 

I remember as a pre-teen working on solving a math word problem in a group work setting that included some girls. My solution had the mother giving birth at age 70, which caused a great deal of derision on the part of the girls. Even in the 21st Century giving birth at that age is unheard of, and Sarah was two decades older than that!

The thing is, Sarah forgot something vital: Nothing is impossible with God! God made the rules by which the world works and, He can also suspend them! As Jeremiah 32:27 tells us,

Look, I am Yahweh, the God of all flesh. Is anything too difficult for Me?

Maybe Sarah Laughed out of Fear:

On the other hand, it is possible that Sarah believed God. Maybe she knew God could do impossible. Afterall, this was obviously a family of great faith. 

Maybe she knew exactly what God was going to do and it scared her to death! Giving birth is hard enough for a young woman, but for a woman over 90. . . ?! This is like watching a train wreck about to happen: you’re horrified; you can’t so anything about it, but your eyes are glued to the scene.

We are often that way, too when God asks us to serve Him or when God asks us to witness for Him. Maybe, when God asks us to live for Him, we are just too frightened.

Apparently, Sarah, like we do today, forgot who God is:

• God is the Great Physician.
• God is the Good Shepherd.
• God is the Ultimate Counselor.
• God is the Prince of Peace.

If God wanted Sarah to have a baby, she could have it safely, and without undue difficulty. As Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 12:9: 

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me.

Maybe Sarah Laughed out of Bitterness: 

There is no doubt that Sarah was bitter about her childlessness. She had no child of her own and her plan to get a child by Hagar backfired. She wanted a child so badly she could taste it so maybe she got angry with God!

Sarah as not the only person in the Bible to get angry with God. Jonah did. Job did. He did not curse God, but he was angry. The Children of Israel did on several occasions as Moses led them to Canaan. Even the great prophet Elijah did.

Many of us have also gotten angry with God. We can even see evidence of this in popular culture. For example, in the 1972 disaster movie, “The Poseidon Adventure,” Gene Hackman’s character was a minister who became angry with God because of the deaths of so many victims. 

Like we do from time to time, Sarah forgot some truths that would have helped her with her attitude. She needed to remember that God is good, loving and kind and that God is righteous and just. God never does evil and the evil that does exist is from Satan, and also from our own human sin.

Jesus Himself taught us in John 10:10-11 that:

A thief comes only to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance. 11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Maybe Sarah Laughed out of Resistance: 

Maybe Sarah’s laugh was more of a snort. Maybe she thought, “No way Jose!” Maybe she thought, “There’s no way you are going to get me to do that!” Maybe she was looking around to see who else God was talking to.

Again, Sarah is not alone in resisting God: Cain resisted God.  Jonah resisted God. The Rich Young Ruler resisted God.

We also resist God leadership. A pastor I once knew was leading his church to reach out to their community, and to help people find their faith in God through innovative outreach ideas. Things had gotten off to a strong start until the next deacons’ meeting, in which the young pastor was told, “Preacher, if you want to go where no man has gone before, you’re going alone!” By the way, that church is no longer open.

Sarah forgot that she was a part of God’s Plan of Redemption. She was a partner with God, and she was given an opportunity to be an agent of salvation. She was offered a chance to share with God the glory of His work. God, in His grace, has chosen to do His Holy work of salvation through people! The church is not just a civic club; what we do has eternal consequences. 1 Peter 2:5-10 remind us: 

. . . you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it is contained in Scripture: Look! I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame!  7 So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected— this One has become the cornerstone, 8 and a stone to stumble over,  and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined for this. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Maybe Sarah Laughed out of Joy: 

Maybe Sarah was filled with the joy of what God was about to do. Maybe she was like my wife’s elementary school student who once wrote on his paper, “100 A+, You Go, Billy!” Afterall, God’s glories are so big, our hearts can’t contain them, and we often burst out into joyous songs of praise and adoration. We recently saw how the Psalmist rejoiced because he could worship God in Psalm 42:1-4,

As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. 2 I thirst for God, the living God. When can I come and appear before God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while all day long people say to me, “Where is your God?” 4 I remember this as I pour out my heart: how I walked with many, leading the festive procession to the house of God, with joyful and thankful shouts.

Like Sarah, many others in the Bible had reason to celebrate. 

• David danced with joy at God’s victories
• Mary burst out into praise after the angel told her she’d become to mother of the Savior
• Simeon was so moved by seeing the baby Jesus that he cried out to God that he could now die happy  
• The crowds along the road to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday

In fact, we, too. need to get ready to laugh with joy. Revelation 5:13-14 tells us this about Heaven: 

I heard every creature in heaven, on earth, under the earth, on the sea, and everything in them say: Blessing and honor and glory and dominion to the One seated on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever! 14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

Conclusion:

Why are you laughing today? Out of disbelief, or fear, or resentment, or resistance, or joy?

As Our Lord Himself said, “Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear”

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt

A Word about Family Business: Casey at the Bat

 

Today in our series “Family Business” we will see that life situations outside of his family can cause stress and pressure on a father.  If these are not handled well, failure inside the family can result. Let’s begin by reading Genesis 6:1-7:

When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain with mankind forever, because they are corrupt. Their days will be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men. 5 When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, 6 the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 Then the Lord said, “I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.”

Every child in Sunday School learns the story of Noah and the Great Flood.  Geologists, archeologists, and other scholars have debated whether this flood happened or not, but none have been able to prove that it didn’t happen the way that the Bible says it did. In truth, every ancient civilization includes a flood in the story of their beginnings. 

Of course, since we accept the Bible to be God’s Inspired Word, we know that the Flood did happen, and we must come to grips with what it means in terms of Gods eternal plan.

When I think of the Flood, I think of Noah, and when I think of Noah, I think of Ernest Thayer’s poem, “Casey at The Bat”. So, why does this poem remind me of the flood? Well, because the hero of both stories had feet of clay.

First, we can See the Failure of Creation:

The poem begins with the Mudville nine in a dire situation,

The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day, The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.  And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, a pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game.  A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest clung to that hope which springs eternal in the human breast. They thought, "if only Casey could but get a whack at that. We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat."  But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake; and the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake. So upon that stricken multitude, grim melancholy sat; for there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat.

At this time, the condition of this world was also dire! God had made a perfect, beautiful world. Satan had struck back at Him through His creation and had spoiled it through sin. Now man had followed suit and was wallowing in his rebellion, like a child playing with a cake at a first birthday party. Go big or go home, right?

God had had it; He was fed-up with human sin! God is perfect and He cannot abide sin. God is also righteous, and He cannot allow sin.  Like Popeye, God had “stood all He could stands, and he couldn’t stands no more,” or as a friend might say, people had, “. . . gotten on God’s very last nerve.” Yet God was loving; He gave them 120 years of probation to change their way of life. Still, they refused to repent.

James Dobson has taught for many years that the key to child discipline is not to yell or scream, but to act, and God decided to act. He decided to blot out sinful humanity. Yet, like the poem “Casey at the Bat,” there was a possible hero, a man named Noah. Let’s read Genesis 6:8-22,

Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the Lord. 9 These are the family records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among his contemporaries; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 14 “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. 15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 You are to make a roof, finishing the sides of the ark to within 18 inches of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks. 17 “Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19 You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive. 21 Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; gather it as food for you and for them.” 22 And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.

Next, we can See the Faithfulness of Noah:

Like a diamond in Mudville, Noah’s character shined. He found favor in God’s sight, and he was just towards people. Noah also walked with God like Enoch had done. He was not perfect, but he was righteous in serving God, and so he was chosen to save the remnant of humanity.

One might say, that like Casey was for his baseball team, Noah was humanity’s only hope. This was not only a great honor, but a huge challenge!

I once counseled with a young pastor who had been told that he was the last hope of a struggling church. No pressure, right? Well, in truth that church had great expectations of him, in the same way that the crowd did when they saw that Casey was going to get to bat:

But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, and Blake, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; and when the dust had lifted, and the men saw what had occurred, there was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third. Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; it rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; it pounded through on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat; for Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat. There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place, there was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, no stranger in the crowd could doubt t'was Casey at the bat.  Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt.  Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt.

Like Casey, Noah seemed to be up to the challenge. And for the most part, he was. He was given an outrageous task, but he was both obedient and diligent to accomplish it. The Ark was probably a 450 foot-long, 75 foot-wide, 4,000-ton ship. Can you imagine what his neighbors said? His wife? And yet Noah did it all!  Not part, not most, but all of it! 

Not only that, but Noah did it without arguing or delaying in any way. He was like Abraham, who got up and went when called by God, or like the Disciples who became fishers of men when called by Jesus.

So, all was good right? Noah was like the U.S. Cavalry in an old west movie, charging in to save the day, right? Not so fast! In fact, he was more like Casey than he should have been. Our poem ends the same way that Noah’s service ended:

The sneer has fled from Casey's lip, the teeth are clenched in hate. He pounds, with cruel violence, his bat upon the plate. And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, and now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow.  Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright.  The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light. And, somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout,  but there is no joy in Mudville -- mighty Casey has struck out.

We also can See the Failure of Noah:

Noah was given a unique opportunity to do something that no other human since him has been given the chance to do as we can see in Genesis 9:1-7,

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority. 3 Every living creature will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything. 4 However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it. 5 I will require the life of every animal and every man for your life and your blood. I will require the life of each man’s brother for a man’s life. 6 Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in His image. 7 But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”

Noah could have worked with God in creating a new life for humanity. He could have become the father of a renewed race of faithful people of God and thus erase the stain of sin upon mankind. We can only imagine what our lives here on earth would be like if Noah had fulfilled his potential in God. But, like Casey, Noah struck out as we can see in Genesis 9:18-27,

Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated. 20 Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked. 24 When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said: Canaan will be cursed. He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers. 26 He also said: Praise the Lord, the God of Shem; Canaan will be his slave. 27 God will extend Japheth; he will dwell in the tents of Shem; Canaan will be his slave.

In the end, Noah could not stand the strain. Even Noah, as good as he was, could not do it. He was not perfect, and his flesh was weak. He crumbled under the pressure. He “choked”. 

Noah was like Casey who struck out, and he was also like Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner who missed an easy ground ball in the 6th game of the 1986 World Series. His error allowed the New York Mets to tie the series and then go on to win the championship in the 7th game. 

Noah’s error had much greater consequences, but not only did he perpetuate the sin that God had wanted to eliminate, but he also wasted all his own gargantuan efforts.

Noah’s real failure, his real sin, was that he failed to continue to walk with God. He lost sight of what God was to him and he lost sight of what God wanted to do through him. He got wrapped up in his own problems and he had a pity party. Like many people who experience stress today and who react poorly to it, Noah self-medicated.  With Noah’s collapse, all seemed to be lost, but . . . God . . . Genesis 9:9-17 tells us,

“Understand that I am confirming My covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11 I confirm My covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by the waters of a flood; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and every creature on earth.”

Finally, however, let’s See the Faithfulness of God: 

God has made a covenant with Noah and his descendants, including us! He will never destroy the Earth again by a flood, and the rainbow is the symbol of that promise. When we see the bow we will remember God’s promise, like putting our Bible by the bedside to remember to read it.

Noah may have wasted his promise, but God is perfect and faithful and has made many promises to us. Unlike Noah, God always realizes His promise. He loves us and wants the best for us. He wants to help us and bless us, and He does. 

God also knows that we are frail and weak, and that we can only withstand so much pressure before we, too, choke like Casey and like Noah. He knows we want to do right, but we can’t. God loves us so much that he gave His very best to help our weakness. That way, of course, is Jesus. 

Jesus can help us withstand the external pressures of life, and He can also help us withstand the internal pressures of life as well. Jesus can do this because He walked in our shoes, and He overcame the stresses that trip us up. He mastered them, and He offers us the power to master them as well!

Conclusion:

Have you ever felt that, like Casey, you let your team down? Have you ever been stressed out because you felt the weight of the world on your shoulders? Have you ever let the stress of life and work affect your relationships at home? Have you ever felt like you let God down?

If so, you probably have. If you haven’t, you probably will.

The good news for all of us the help of God to overcome our frailties and to help us bear up under the loads of life. Will you accept His help today?

Every blessing,

Dr. Otis Corbitt