In the Midst of our Flaws, God Provides!

December 22
Exodus 16:1-19:25
Survival in the Wilderness
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Moses, Part 2…and the final word

Summary

Throughout this series, we’ve been exploring in Genesis & Exodus a literary concept that makes an appearance in the best-selling young adult novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green: Hamartia, or the "tragic flaw" in one's character.  Dictionary.com defines hamartia as “the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy.”  It comes from the Greek word meaning “to miss the mark,” the same word the New Testament uses for sin.  While a character flaw is not technically sin, it often is related to it.  Simply put, our flaws are often where sin takes root in our lives.

A few weeks ago we discussed Moses and his tragic flaw of fearfulness.  In this week’s reading of Exodus 15-19, we encounter Moses as the wise & mostly confident leader of God’s people.  What happened?  In a word, the LORD happened.  The LORD never gives up on Moses, but more than that amazing fact, the LORD actually encourages, supports, and builds Moses into the person he was meant to be.  In the midst of our flaws, God provides!

There are two examples of divine provision in the text:

1. Food & Water in the Desert (16:1-17:7). The LORD provides strength for the journey based on grace, not merit.  Manna, quail, & water are provided not as reward for faithfulness but as basic equipment for daily life.  These blessings are given to all of the people regardless and in spite of their flaws.  They are given daily, not to be hoarded, so reliance on God becomes a lifestyle.  As then with them, so now with us!
2. People to Share the Load (17:8-18:27).  The LORD provides Moses with a person in his life who speaks wisdom – Jethro, his father-in-law.  Moses is burning himself out doing everything on his own, administering justice among the people.  Jethro notices and suggests to Moses that he invite people to help him with the task, people who would share the load of managing disputes.  Okay, it’s more than just a suggestion…he confronts Moses with the words “You can’t do it all by yourself!” (Exodus 18:18).  That’s an exhortation we need to hear, especially in light of our tragic flaws.  Never are we more vulnerable to our flaws than when we’re operating in isolation, not open to the wisdom words of others.

And speaking of words of wisdom, our text ends just before the LORD gives the Decalogue – the Ten Commandments – to the people.  As in the Sinai theophany of Exodus 19, the LORD appears in our lives to offer words of profound & foundational wisdom (profoundational!).  That’s what we've encountered on this journey of reading, learning, and growing in God’s word, the Bible.

The good news is that God walks with and works through sinners like us.  Like Martin Luther, we can rejoice in the status described by the Latin phrase "Simul Justus et Peccator" – simultaneously guilty of sin and justified by Christ.

Personal Identification Questions

• How has God provided for you in relation to your tragic flaws?

• How might God be wanting to provide for you in relation to your tragic flaws?

• Who has God put in your life to help you along the journey?  Who might God be wanting to bring into your life right now in light of what you’re facing?

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why is it so easy for me to try to do everything on my own without relying on your gracious provision?
I’m sorry…
For trying to do everything on my own
For not receiving the assistance of the people you send me to help with my journey
For not allowing your words of wisdom to shape and strengthen me in relation to my tragic flaws
Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.
Amen.

Encouragement

Philippians 4:19-20 (ESV)
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Romans 5:1-5 (ESV)

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
_____________________

Now in Theaters...the movie Exodus: Gods & Kings.  Click here to see the trailer on YouTube.

Our Tragic Flaws ... God's Grumbling People

December 15
Exodus 11:1-15:27
From the Frying Pan Into the Fire
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

God’s People…a.k.a. the “Grumblers”

Summary

Powerful!  That’s what these five chapters of Exodus are, testifying to God’s magnificent act of liberating His people from slavery in Egypt.  The final chapters in the Egyptian slavery story are also the first chapters of the distinctive communal worship life of God’s liberated people, with the institution of Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.  The Red Sea crossing is a majestic act of the LORD, and Moses & Miriam write an epic praise song/poem in response.  God’s people are free at last!  And yet a tragic flaw arises in the collective consciousness of God’s people.

Tragic Flaw

Hamartia – “the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy” from the Greek “to miss the mark” (Dictionary.com)

Grumbling

The word “grumble” could be classified as a case of onomatopoeia, a word that phonetically imitates or suggests the source of the sound it describes.  It means “to mutter in discontent, or complain quietly about something.”  Grumbling isn’t the same as groaning.  In Exodus 2:24 and 6:5, we read that God heard the groaning of the Israelites who were enslaved by the Egyptians, and responded with powerful concern.  God welcomes our pain-filled cries for help, sorrowful prayers of lament, even God-directed expressions of anger and disappointment.  Grumbling is another matter entirely: pure passive-aggressive complaining, arising from our ungrateful discontent with our circumstances.

The grumbling of God’s people is particularly poignant when you consider what God had just done for them – liberating them from slavery in Egypt!  And this is where their tragic flaw made its appearance: in a moment that called for GRATITUDE, God’s people GRUMBLED.

In Exodus 15:22-27, the freshly-liberated Israelites travel from the Red Sea into the desert, where they go three days without finding water.  Now, to be fair, this is dangerous territory – three days is about as long as you can go without water before you die of dehydration.  When they found water, it was bitter (marah in Hebrew, the name by which that place is known).  Finding undrinkable water?  Well, that was like adding insult to injury.  The people grumbled against Moses.  In response, Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord equipped Moses to make the water fit to drink.

In addition to this episode, in the Pentateuch we encounter many situations in which the people are grumbling about Moses and Aaron, or even grumbling against God:

• Exodus 16:2, 17:3
• Numbers 14:2, 14:29, 16:41
• Deuteronomy 1:27
• (Jesus’ disciples did the same thing in John 6!)

And yet, we must not miss a most important point: God doesn't tire of these beloved grumblers!  God continues to love them, and lead them, to be the people they were created to be.  On their way to the promised land, God guides them as people of promise.

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

 

• What’s your experience with grumbling?  What conditions tempt you into this type of complaining?  When people are grumbling and invite you into the grumble-fest, how might you offer a healthy response?

• Have people ever grumbled against you?  If so, describe the situation and the issues that gave rise to grumbling.  How might you encourage people to channel their discontent in a more productive and healthy direction?

 
Prayer of Confession
LORD, why is it so easy for me to be tempted into grumbling, against other people and even you?
I’m sorry…
For choosing grumbling over gratitude

For joining the chorus of grumblers who find contentment only in complaining

For avoiding healthy ways of communicating discontent & disappointment
Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.
Amen.

Encouragement

Philippians 2:14-15 (NIV)
Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky…

1 Peter 4:8-10 (NIV)

Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

Our Tragic Flaws...Exodus: Gods & Kings

December 8
Exodus 5:1-10:29
God Versus Egypt
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Just in time for the December 12th premier of the movie Exodus: Gods & Kings.  Click here to see the trailer on YouTube.

Pharaoh

Summary

Pharaoh isn’t always considered a true biblical character, at least in the sense of being one of God’s covenant people.  And yet the fact remains that Pharaoh, while being an antagonizing enemy of the Hebrews, shares with them the status of being God-created.  Even though Pharaoh doesn’t know God (“Who is this Lord…I do not know the Lord" 5:1-2), they're engaged with each other in an epic battle of wills.

Pharaoh’s Tragic Flaw

Hamartia – “the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy” from the Greek “to miss the mark” (Dictionary.com)

Stubbornness, in not responding to God’s directives

No one says “no” to God quite like Pharaoh! What's at the root of Pharaoh’s stubborn streak with God?

Exodus 5 – Valuing work productivity over the word of the LORD

• After Moses and Aaron give the “thus says the Lord” request for him to let God’s people go, Pharaoh responds: “Who is the Lord, that I should heed him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” (v.1-2)  In this case Pharaoh's stubbornness was anchored to his concern for work productivity – “you are taking people away from their work…get to your labors!” (v. 4).  Then, vindictively, he makes the Hebrew slaves meet their brick production quotas without the key ingredient of straw.

Exodus 7 – A Hardened heart that doesn’t listen to God’s human ambassadors

• The text tells us that the LORD says “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” (7:3).  Later in the story we learn that Pharaoh “sinned once more and hardened his heart, he and his officials” (9:34).  There has always been lively conversation on this point of the story – is Pharaoh just a victim of God’s omniscient actions, or is he fully responsible for his resolute refusals?  Regardless of how we resolve this question, it’s clear that Pharaoh demonstrated a heart hardened toward God by not listening to God’s appointed human messengers: note the recurrence of phrases such as  “When Pharaoh does not listen to you…” (7:4) and “Pharaoh would not listen to them” (7:13).

Exodus 7-10 - Not taking to heart the signs of the LORD’s authority

• The story of the ten plagues boils down to Pharaoh consistently refusing to acknowledge the LORD’s authority over him and his nation.  Each plague is convincing, but in his stubbornness Pharaoh brings on another plague because he refuses to “take it to heart” (7:23).  Even though the plagues were terrible for the people of Egypt, Pharaoh remained stubborn.  Even when the infestations came into his own house and family, Pharaoh, after giving a glimpse of a possible change of heart  (“I will let you go…pray for me” in 8:28, “Do forgive my sin and pray to the Lord to remove this thing” in 10:17), becomes even more stubbornly entrenched in his refusal of God’s authority.

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• How do you experience stubbornness in relation to God?  What concerns keep you from taking God’s word to heart and responding to God’s call & direction for living?

• How do you deal with the fact that God has authority over you?  Do you embrace it with willing appreciation or do you chafe under the idea that you aren’t the ultimate authority of your existence?  If you struggle with stubbornness, what “fall-out” have you and others experienced because of it?

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why is it so easy for me to be stubborn in relation to your word, authority, and call?
I’m sorry…
For hardening my heart to your commands
For not listening to Your word that comes to me through your messengers
For insisting on my own way regardless of the collateral damage to others
Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.
Amen.

Encouragement

Mark 9:24 (NRSV)
I believe; help my unbelief (the Father of a Boy with afflicted with a spirit, to Jesus)

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NRSV)

Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more that all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Our Tragic Flaws...Put Up with by God!

December 1
Exodus 1:1 – 4:31
Unlikely Heroes
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Moses, Part 1

Just in time for the December 12th premier of the movie Exodus: Gods & Kings.  Click here to see the trailer on YouTube.

Summary

Moses is perhaps the best biblical example of someone who both walked faithfully with God and stumbled in his faithfulness.  For all the veneration of Moses as a bible character, in the text he’s actually revealed to be the most normal of human beings, full of faults and flaws…yes, some of them tragic.  Moses knows this, admitting to God and people alike that he doesn’t have it all together – if anything, he’s one of the more self-aware characters in God’s story.  God surprises us throughout the Moses story in how God responds to Moses’ flaws.  In a phrase - God never gives up on Moses.

 

Moses’ Tragic Flaw

Hamartia – “the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy” from the Greek “to miss the mark” (Dictionary.com)

Fearfulness

Seems kind of strange to say this of the leader of the great Exodus from Egypt.  But Moses repeatedly expresses the insecurity of fear…sometimes to the point of making God angry!  Follow the sequence of the encounter between God and Moses in the first four chapters of Exodus, noting Moses’ shortcomings and God’s response.

Exodus 2:11-15, 3:1-6

• Moses: Kills an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, and hides his body in the sand.  Not long after “Moses was afraid and thought, ‘what I did must have become known’” and then he fled the scene.
• God's Response: The Lord appears to Moses, calling him by name from within a burning bush.

Exodus 3:7-12

• Moses: After God reveals that God is sending Moses to bring the people out of Egypt, Moses questions God in fear… “Who am I to do this?”
• God's Response: To Moses in reply: “I will be with you.”

Exodus 3:13-15

• Moses: Questions God in fear…“What if I go to the Israelites and they ask me what your name is?”
• God's Response: Answers… “I am who I am.  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 4:1-9

• Moses: Questions God in fear… “What if they don’t believe me or listen to me?”
• God's Response: Answers by giving him miraculous signs as demonstrative proof that God is with him.

Exodus 4:10-12

• Moses: Defies God out of fear… “Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent”
• God's Response: “Now go: I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.”

Exodus 4:13-17

• Moses: Defies God out of fear… “Pardon your servant, Lord. Please send someone else”
• God's Response: Burning with anger against Moses, yet offers to line up his brother Aaron as a partner.

Moses repeatedly stumbles and bumbles in his conversation with God.  And yet God continues to call Moses and reveal himself to him intimately.  God is gracious to Moses even when his tragic flaw “pushes God’s buttons” of anger.

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

 

 

• How do you experience fearfulness in your human relationships?  How do you experience fear in your relationship with God?  How might you drag your feet in responding when God calls you?

• What causes you to “give up on yourself” when facing a challenge?  How might you struggle with feelings that God has given up on you?  How meaningful is it to you that God being “fed up” with us doesn’t mean that he’s going to give up on us?

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why is it so easy for me to fall into fear?
I’m sorry…
For being content with fearfulness in responding to your call;
For how my fears lead me to negatively influence others;
For assuming that your frustration with me means that you will give up on me;
Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.
Amen.

Encouragement

Psalm 103:8 (NIV)
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

Our Tragic Flaws - Redeemed!

Walking & Stumbling with God

November 24
Genesis 38:1-50:26
Lurking Providence
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Joseph

Summary

There is nothing quite like reading the Joseph saga - full of plot twists and intrigue, it is anything but a boring bible story.  Enjoy it!  If you’re reading along with SPU’s reading schedule, we’re reading these 13 chapters over the Thanksgiving holiday.  In your thoughts and prayers of giving thanks, consider the way God provided for His covenant people through the ups and downs of the Joseph story:

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping.  But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.  So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. (Genesis 45:4-8)

Bonus Thanksgiving reflection questions –

• How does Joseph’s journey demonstrate both God’s provision and Joseph’s thankfulness? 
• Inspired by Joseph’s story of God’s provision through negative circumstances, what might you be thankful for in the negative circumstances you’ve experienced?

Joseph’s Tragic Flaw
Okay, but what about Joseph’s experience of walking and stumbling with God?  Well, we’re going to keep our eyes focused on the same scene we looked at last week, only from Joseph’s perspective.  When we do this, Joseph's tragic flaw might be revealed as:

 

Dreams of Dominance

Hamartia – “the flaw in character which leads to the downfall of the protagonist in a tragedy” from the Greek “to miss the mark” (Dictionary.com)

Joseph was a dreamer.  It was his gift, the unique thing that he brought to the world.  But like most of our gifts, they can be both our tragic flaw AND our great blessing.  It all depends on how our gift is used, and whether or not we allow God to use it for God’s purposes.  Think of personal gifts (speaking your mind, industriousness, creativity, etc.) and consider how they might be both a benefit and a downfall.

 

When Joseph was a teenager, he dreamed about dominating his older brothers (Genesis 37:5-11).  They, and their father, were threatened: Are you indeed to reign over us and have dominion over us?  Shall we indeed come and bow to the ground before you?

The point is, even if this was God’s work of foreshadowing Joseph’s powerful deliverance later in the story, it was presented with little sense of the common good and the benefit to the entire family...it was all about Joseph's higher position.

From Stumbling to Walking with God

Joseph’s tragic flaw was turned around as he began to dream of the Common Good.  He began to use his gift for the benefit of others, and as he did this he no longer was the centerpiece of his dreams.  In place of a self-absorbed Joseph, now his dreams concerned the plight of two fellow prisoners (Gen 40), and the Pharaoh leading a population vulnerable to famine (Gen 41).

Consider these famous concluding words to the Joseph story: 

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. (Genesis 50:20)

The same could be said of our gifts, our capacities, our defining characteristics: God intends them not for our self-interested desire for dominance, but for good, for the saving of many lives.

 

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

 

• What are your dreams of dominance?  How do they relate to your experience of being dominated (being “low on the totem pole”)?  What do you think God has to say about both your experience of being “low” and your dreams of being “great?”

• What are your gifts, the unique capabilities that you offer to the world, to human community?  How might your gift be both a curse and a blessing?  What can you do to tilt your gift to being more of a blessing than a curse?

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why is it so easy for my dreams and gifts to be turned inward by self-seeking?  I’m sorry…

• For using the gifts you’ve given me only for my benefit and not to benefit others.
• For not allowing you to direct my dreams beyond meeting my personal desires.
• For the ways I respond to my experience of being powerless by thinking of how I will dominate others when I get power.

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.
Amen.

Encouragement

1 Peter 5:6-7

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Our Tragic Flaws ... Reuben

Walking & Stumbling with God

November 17

Genesis 37:1—38:30

Conflict in God’s Family

Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Reuben

Summary

This week’s reading is a mere two chapters.  The first contains the well-known story introducing Jacob’s son Joseph, and his brothers, who become jealous of him and sell him into slavery.  The second chapter contains the story of one of those brothers, Judah, the one who came up with the idea to sell his brother as an alternative to killing him.  While I’m choosing to focus on chapter 37 and the character of Joseph’s brother Reuben, be sure to read Judah’s story in chapter 38.  The plot fits neatly into today’s “Fifty Shades of Gray” world…definitely R-rated for explicit sexual content.  Dr. Frank Spina sheds light on the cultural background of this surprising story of justice for the vulnerable - be sure to read his commentary.

Walking with God

Reuben’s walk with God?  Well, at this point in the story we don’t know a whole lot.  We know his dad, Jacob, walked closely with the Lord.  It’s likely that Reuben grew up in a God-fearing household.

Stumbling – the Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

Jealousy, hardened into hatred

Joseph’s brothers became jealous of him because their dad favored Joseph above them.  In 37:3 we learn that Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, and he demonstrated this in making a unique ornate robe for him (the “coat of many colors,” or you might call it “Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”).  His brothers saw that their father loved Joseph more than any of them, and they hated him; they couldn’t even speak one kind word to him (v. 4).  Joseph added fuel to the fire.  He had two dreams and made sure to share them with his brothers – symbolically, both dreams portray Joseph’s brothers bowing down to Joseph.  His brothers were jealous of him, and that jealousy hardened into hatred (v. 8, 11).  When the brothers were grazing their flocks and saw Joseph coming from a distance, they plotted to kill him.  Reuben was one of the conspirators, with hatred for Joseph fueled by jealousy of a father’s affection.

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• Have you ever been jealous of someone else?  What was the cause?  How did it get - or has it ever gotten - resolved?

• How might being jealous of someone else become an issue in your relationship with God?  Has someone else's "blessedness" caused you to doubt God's care for you?  How might this issue be resolved?

Restored…God continues to walk with us

Something happened to Reuben when he heard his brothers describing their murderous plans. He was in a group up to no good, but he gained a foothold of conscience and began to think about turning the tide.

“When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. ‘Let’s not take his life,’ he said.  ‘Don’t shed any blood.  Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.’  Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.”  (Genesis 37:21-22)

The fact that his plan didn’t work – Reuben’s brothers seized upon the opportunity to sell Joseph as a slave to travelling merchants before he could return to rescue Joseph – doesn’t discount his righteous intention.  When he found that Joseph was no longer in the cistern, he tore his clothes in grief.

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why do I get jealous of other people, and why do allow that jealousy to harden into hatred?  I’m sorry…

• For being jealous of the attention and favor given to others
• For allowing my sense of unjust treatment of me to morph into my unjust treatment of others
• For making peace with the thoughts and emotions associated with hatred of another person

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.

Amen.

Encouragement

Romans 12:9-10 

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Ephesians 4:1-3 

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

James 3:13-18 

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.  But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.  Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.  For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.  But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Our Tragic Flaws ... Jacob

Walking...& Stumbling...with God

November 10

Genesis 25:1—36:42

Seeing the Face of God

Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio
(scripture quotes in this post are from The Message)

Jacob

Summary

The twelve chapters this week focus on the story of Jacob and the relationships by which his story is told: father Isaac, mother Rebekah, brother Esau, his sons, etc.  Like last week, there’s a lot of reading to do.  Be sure to pace yourself – set aside daily reading time to make regular progress through the text. 

Walking with God

Jacob enjoyed a close walk with God.  In Genesis 28:12-22, God reveals himself to Jacob while he dreams about a ladder extending up into heaven.  The words God speaks to Jacob at this moment reflect an amazing intimacy: “Yes. I’ll stay with you, I’ll protect you wherever you go, and I’ll bring you back to this very ground. I’ll stick with you until I’ve done everything I promised you.”  Jacob responds with a deep sense of God’s abiding presence: “’God is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!’ He was terrified. He whispered in awe, ‘Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven.’”  

Again, in Genesis 32:24-32, God comes into close contact with Jacob, with the result that Jacob calls the place of encounter “God’s face” because it was there that “he saw God face-to-face and lived to tell about it.”  Throughout the narrative, Jacob prays to God, reflecting a conversational intimacy.

Stumbling – the Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

Deceitfulness - willing to cheat others to gain an advantage

The interesting thing about Jacob’s closeness with God is that it seems to be based on false pretenses.  He gets God’s blessing through trickery – forcing himself into the favored position initially held by his older brother Esau.  For all of Jacob’s praying and amazing personal encounters with God, he sounds a bit self-serving in the relationship (“If God does this for me, then I’ll do this for Him”).  One thing that helps Jacob to be a sympathetic character is that he is not only the perpetrator of trickery, but is victimized by it as well, illustrated by the story of how he ended up with his two wives Leah & Rachel.  Genesis 29:25 tells it vividly.  “Morning came: There was Leah in the marriage bed!  Jacob confronted Laban, ‘What have you done to me? Didn’t I work all this time for the hand of Rachel? Why did you cheat me?’”

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• Have you ever intentionally deceived someone else while looking out for your best interests?  Why do you think you did this?  What kept you from being honest or revealing all the facts?  What ended up happening?

• How honest are you with God?  Do you ever find yourself bargaining with God?  In what ways do you wrestle with God?  In what circumstances might it be said that God wrestles with you?

Restored…God continues to walk with us

When Jacob was running for his life from Esau (because of the consequences flowing from his tragic flaw), God revealed himself to Jacob and reaffirmed his covenantal presence (Gen. 35:1).  Jacob wrestles with God and is given a new name – Israel, which means “God-wrestler.”  Perhaps more significantly, God continues to wrestle with the wrestler.

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why do I sometimes deceive or trick others in order to get something that I want?  I’m sorry…

• For taking advantage of others
• For seeking my interests over those of others
• For not considering information that reflects poorly upon me

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.

Amen.

Encouragement

Romans 12:3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

Ephesians 4:25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

Our Tragic Flaws ... Abraham & Sarah

November 3

Genesis 12:1–24:67

Exclusive Election and Inclusive Purpose
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Summary

Thirteen chapters on one of the most high-profile characters in the entire Bible…that’s a lot to take in within the span of seven days!  Be sure to pace yourself – set aside daily reading time to make regular progress through the text.

Walking with God

One of the greatest scenes of walking with God is the call of Abram in Genesis 12.  The Lord speaks to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.”  The Lord promises to bless Abram and make his ancestors into a great nation, so that all peoples on earth will be blessed through him.   Abram responds in faith, and starts walking with God in the direction God points out.  One two occasions, at Shechem and Bethel, Abram built an altar to the Lord and called on his name – Abram continued conversing with the God who spoke to him.

In Chapter 15 God establishes his special covenant with Abram.  In chapter 17 the covenant deepens, and Abram and Sarai become Abraham and Sarah.  And for the most part, Abraham continues to walk with God, passing some very significant tests of faith along the way.

Stumbling – the Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

A Self-preservation instinct that puts loved ones at risk

On two different occasions Abraham faces a powerful adversary and acts as if Sarah is not his wife but his sister in order to save his own skin.  In each situation, God takes care of things, but not before Sarah is made vulnerable and Abraham looks like a coward.

Genesis 12:10-20. Heading to Egypt because of a famine, Abram is worried that the Pharaoh would be attracted to his wife Sarai and kill him in order to have her.  Abram’s bright idea is for Sarai to pass herself off as Abram’s sister.  God takes the initiative and lets Pharaoh know that something isn’t right.

Genesis 20:1-13. When Abraham and Sarah were in Gerar he did the same thing, saying of his wife “She is my sister.”  Abimelek, king of Gerar, “sent for Sarah and took her.”  God speaks to Abimelek in a dream and says, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”  Abimelek resolves the situation and asks Abraham why he did this.  Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’  Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife.  And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• Have you ever allowed someone else to take the heat while protecting yourself?  Why do you think you did this?  What were you afraid of?  What ended up happening?

• Have you ever risked your own safety or reputation to protect another person?  What was the situation, and what was the result of your action?  What do you think contributed to your courageousness?

Restored…God continues to walk with us

Abraham’s stumbling doesn’t keep God from moving the two of them forward along the path of his plan.  In both instances, God is the one who cleans up the mess Abraham makes.  God remains in covenant relationship with Abraham even when he doesn’t deserve it…one of the great narratives of grace in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why do I sometimes think primarily about preserving myself while allowing others to take the heat?  I’m sorry…

• For staying quiet when I should speak up in defense of someone or to challenge injustice
• For seeking to ensure my comfort at the expense of others
• For taking for granted my relationships with family & friends who depend on me

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil. Amen.

Encouragement

Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

John 15:12-14 (Jesus speaking) My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.

Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Our Tragic Flaws ... Noah

Walking...& Stumbling...with God

Genesis 7:1-11:32

October 27 (Week 5 of 13)
The Flood and Its Aftermath
Read Dr. Spina’s commentary at www.spu.edu/lectio

Summary

There’s no doubt that Noah is a major figure in the history of God’s salvation.  In the context of the floodwaters of judgment on a world full of evil, Noah stood alone in nonconformity and righteousness.  God’s plan of salvation rested on Noah’s faithfulness.  And faithful he was…or was he?

 

Walking with God
Noah and the LORD enjoyed a close relationship, a pleasing relationship.

• 6:8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD
• 6:9 Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God
• 6:22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him
• 7:5 And Noah did all that the LORD commanded him
• 8:3 But God remembered Noah
• 8:20-21 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD…and the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma
• 9:1 Then God blessed Noah
• 9:8-9 Then God said to Noah…”I now establish my covenant with you”

Stumbling – the Tragic Flaw (Hamartia)

Self-indulgence: A love for wine, a tendency toward getting drunk

He should have known better...after all, if age equals wisdom, he had 600 years to learn his lesson.  But perhaps Noah's tragic flaw is one that doesn't automatically resolve with age (might the struggle intensify?).  At the end of the Noah story in Genesis 9, there’s an episode usually dropped from the child storybooks.  That’s because it’s R-rated due to alcohol, drunkenness, and nudity.  From the text we learn that Noah was a man of the soil who planted a vineyard (was Noah’s the first winery?).  Noah drank some of the wine, became drunk, and lay “uncovered” inside his tent.  His son Ham evidently entered the tent and saw Noah’s nakedness.  When he told his two brothers, they evidently responded correctly, walking into the tent and covering up their father without viewing his naked body.  Noah then curses Ham’s son Canaan into slavery to Ham’s two brothers.

This is a tough story to interpret.  Ham seems to get a raw deal: could he really have avoided this predicament? What responsibility does Noah have for his drunken exposure?  At the very least, the full biblical teaching on alcohol tends to look down on drunkenness.  In Hebrew wisdom, the love for alcohol is a character flaw…not necessarily a sin in and of itself, but certainly a risky behavior that may lead to ruin.

 

Personal Identification Questions

• Where might this tragic flaw show up in your story?

• How has your desire to indulge in alcohol or other pleasures made you vulnerable to sinful behavior or negative consequences?  Have you see this in family members, friends, or notable public figures?

• What practices help hold you accountable in the realm of seeking pleasure?  If you like drinking wine, what measures do you take to ensure that you don’t become drunk…and inflict embarrassment or danger upon others?

Restored Reputation
The main focus of this story is how Ham’s behavior leads to judgment on his son Canaan, who represents the people living in the Promised Land who are not God’s chosen.  In the text, Noah is not held accountable.  But that doesn’t mean that every reader of this passage through history hasn't winced when reading it – it’s safe to say this is not a flattering portrayal!  But Noah continues in the biblical record as the face of God’s generous covenant with humanity.  He’s at the top of a long list of people who walked with God – imperfectly – and yet are included securely in God’s gracious covenant love.  Long down the list you’ll find your name, as I also find mine.

Prayer of Confession

LORD, why does self-indulgence figure so prominently in my story, or the story of those in my generation upon the earth?  I’m sorry…

• For seeking pleasure more than I seek after you and your kingdom
• For the pain I have caused others while in a state of drunkenness or self-absorption
• For taking for granted the gifts of your Spirit meant to relieve stress and promote well-being

Lead me not into temptation, and deliver me from evil.  Amen.

Encouragement

Matthew 11:19
(Jesus said) “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.”

Ephesians 5:15-18

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit...

Proverbs 23:19-21

Listen, my son, and be wise,
    and set your heart on the right path:
Do not join those who drink too much wine
    or gorge themselves on meat,
for drunkards and gluttons become poor,
    and drowsiness clothes them in rags.