May God bless us as we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest his Word today!
Read Psalm 26
In Psalm 25 we confessed our guilt to the Lord. Now in Psalm 26 we ask God to test us, search us, and see if there is any sin in us. We declare that we have integrity, that we do not waver in our faith, and that we are innocent. This would be an impossible prayer for us to pray if our Christ had not prayed it for us, and then redeemed us with his love.
This is a worship psalm. Notice the references to the altar and the Lord's house, the place of his glory. And what a joy it was for me yesterday to be in God's house, to hear my sin confronted (yes, even that is a joy for the redeemed though it is painful), to hear of God's love and my sins forgiven. Amen! What a joy for me to sing his praises and to direct my prayers to the God of power and love. What a privilege for me to kneel at the altar and receive the very body and blood of Christ to renew God's forgiveness, and to strengthen me as I try to do better this week.
I can really relate to verse 8 of the psalm. How I love the habitation of God's house! In the service of matins we chant this verse while the liturgist chants additional prayers. And what a fitting verse it is for us: " O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells."
Read Genesis 29
In the Psalm we had proclaimed our innocence (because of Christ), but in Genesis we now see that Jacob the deceiver is himself deceived. After he tricks Esau out of his birthright and his blessing, Jacob is tricked into working an extra 7 years for Laban. In the end it will hurt Laban, but for now it is a frustration for Jacob, and a seed of dysfunction in the family.
Poor Leah has 3 boys, and each time she hopes that it will make her husband love her more than her sister. He never will. But when she gives birth to her fourth son, perhaps there is a bit of an attitude change. The first 3 boys she names in the hopes that Jacob will love her. The fourth boy she names in thanksgiving to the Lord.
This fourth boy is Judah. He is the one who will carry the Messianic promise. After him, God's faithful people will sometimes be referred to as "Judah." God's promises are faithful and true. A Savior will be born.
We also see finally some fruitfulness in Abraham's line. Abraham had one son of the promise (barely), and Isaac had two sons, and now Jacob will have 12. The first four are born in our reading today. We will see the others born soon. These will be the 12 patriarchs of the 12 tribes. Indeed, God is keeping his promise (even in the midst of dysfunction) and making Abraham a great multitude.
Ask Yourself:
Am I joyful to go to church, knowing that there God speaks to me an delivers his grace to me?
Do I deceive others, even in little ways?
Do I feel confident declaring my innocence before God? Do I see myself as perfectly forgiven and righteous because of Christ?
Pray:
Lord Jesus, abide with us in these latter evil days. Grant to Your Church true shepherds and faithful pastors who preach your Word in its purity, and who lead us in the way of truth. Preserve our souls from being deluded by worldly wisdom and the teaching of men who walk after their own thoughts, and keep us steadfast in Your Word to our end. Amen.
Study with me tomorrow,
Pastor Jon
Soli Deo Gloria!
How did these traditions of courting begin? How did the father have so much power over his adult children in this process?
ReplyDeleteGood questions. I don't know.
ReplyDeleteInstead of asking "How did the father have so much power...?" maybe we should be asking, "Why do children today have so little respect for their parents?"
But notice also that the father did not pick the woman for his son (in the cases of Isaac and Jacob). But, rather, the father required the son not to take a wife from among the heathen and ungoldly, but from those who knew of the One True God.
We too would all do well to strongly encourage (even demand!) our children to take a Godly spouse.
Not that Rebekah and Rachel were necessarily completely Godly (there were idols present in Laban's house, as we'll see), but they had at least heard of the One True God and were open to worshiping Him, even if they did have more to learn.
I don't know. Those are my thoughts.