Friday, Jan 28 ~ tammi

Today's reading from the Chronological OT/NT Reading Plan is Genesis 27-28, Matthew 18:21-35.

Today's Old Testament reading carries on yesterday's theme of sibling rivalry and we see Jacob usurping the blessing that would rightfully have belonged to Esau and then running for his life.  I constantly wonder why Rebekah suggested what she did and why she helped Jacob trick Isaac.  Why would she have chosen to be so deceitful to her own husband when God Himself had told her that her favourite son would rule over his older brother?  (25:23)  Seriously, what was she thinking??!

Why, oh WHY, are we not content to rely on God's promises?  I tend to hold some of these Old Testament people to a slightly higher standard because God's promises to them were often much more direct and specific, but in those rare moments when I'm really honest with myself, I have to admit I am so much MORE culpable because I have so much more knowledge of God at my disposal than they did ~ I have His entire WORD from start to finish!!  Yet I struggle with trust and allowing God to work things out in HIS time, for HIS glory.  We're so quick to lend Him a "helping" hand, aren't we?

You wonder how, exactly, things would have played out if Rebekah had had more faith and just kept minding her own business.  Would Jacob and Esau, as nations, have remained allies instead of becoming bitter enemies and staying that way, even to this day?  And I can't help but feel horrible for Isaac, finding out that his wife had deceived him; had been behind the whole plot from the beginning.  To die feeling like your spouse had betrayed you and your entire line of descendants would be horrible, especially given the importance of the family blessing in that culture.

Later on, we see something of a reconciliation between the brothers, and it's possible that during their physical lives, they remained on good terms after that, but the same cannot be said of their descendants.

And then once again, we see that little link between this Old Testament passage and the one from the New Testament, where Jesus tackles the issue of forgiveness by offering His disciples the Parable of the Unforgiving Debtor.

Jesus has just been talking about how to address sin and wrong-doing amonst believers and Peter pipes up, asking how often they're required to forgive.  Jewish religious law at that time taught a "three strikes and you're out" policy on forgiveness, so it's safe to say that Peter thought he'd get a pat on the back for suggesting one should forgive more than TWICE as often as the Pharisees said you should.  Maybe a bonus pat for recommending a number that was considered perfect.

I try to imagine the scene: keep in mind, Jesus is possibly still holding the young child on His lap from v. 2 and He's been teaching them about how to live like believers.  I imagine it's a warm, sunny day and they're resting in the shade of a large tree.  Some women are nearby, keeping their hands busy with mending or washing; their children play nearby, occasionally running through the circle of men.  Suddenly, Jesus reaches out and grabs one as he dashes by and the men enjoy a good chuckle at the boy's suprised expression.  Jesus tickles him until he almost can't breathe, and then tucks him close under his arm as he continues to teach His disciples.  The little boy listens, too.

Then Peter makes his very magnanimous suggestion about forgiveness and Jesus absolutely blows them away by answering that seven times isn't nearly enough!  I imagine those disciples and on-lookers who were maybe dozing off in the warm afternoon were suddenly very awake!  I wonder if their expressions weren't similar to the little boy's when Jesus snatched him off his feet.

Jesus then goes on to tell the story of God and His great capacity for forgiveness, continuously forgiving debts we simply cannot repay, and how as a result, we're expected to extend that constant forgiveness to others.  Interestingly, the word we see translated as "ten thousand" is apparently the highest number in the Greek language that there is actually a word for, so it may not be referring to a specific number at all, but an unimaginable amount.  It would be like if Jesus was telling the story now and saying the first servant owed the king a zillion dollars.  It's just an unfathomable number, something no one would ever be capable of paying back.

It's safe to say God takes a very dim view of unforgiveness.  Verse 34, in some translations, says the master gave the wicked servant to the tormentors or torturers till he could pay all that was due.  I believe He may be talking about hell here, and how our eternal destination hangs in the balance when it comes to forgiveness.  This is serious stuff.

Forgiveness is hard, no doubt about it!  We so much rather hold a grudge, harbour resentment, or tuck the memory of the wrong-doing away to dig up later and rehash at just the right moment.  And yet we see the damaging effects a lack of forgiveness has on any relationship and how the resulting bitterness destroys people from the inside out.  You'd think, knowing how detrimental it is, it would be easier to desire to forgive, and yet it just doesn't work that way.

We continuously need to be reminded of our own sin, our own HUGE debt of gratitude to a God who paid for our sins even before we committed them, and to avail ourselves of the power and grace of the Holy Spirit to help us extend that grace and mercy to others.







Tomorrow's passages: Genesis 29-30, Matthew 19