Bibledoorajar Examines Proper Foundations

     Jacob and his large family left Laban's home. The story gives us one more possibility as to why God wanted them to leave. Laban kept idols. These household items as they were called were used by Laban and his family to discern things. Maybe Rachel took the idol because she did not want her Dad to be able to discern information about their whereabouts. Or, sadly, Rachel may have been an idolator. The story is not clear as to why she took it, but it is clear that she wanted to keep it, for she hid it under the saddle of her camel. God sees to it that Laban searches and finds the idol. So the party got underway with Laban having the ability to seek help from his idol.  Rachel was pregnant with her second child. Pregnancy and riding a camel, Ouch! I rode one of those animals while in Israel and it is not the most comfortable ride around even when you are not pregnant. 
     Once, when frustrated, Rachel had told Jacob to give her children lest she die. Now, she rode a camel carrying her second child. Along the way she gave birth to her second son and when weak and dying she named him Benjamin and commented: he is the son of my sorrow. But her husband took his twelfth son and held him toward God and proclaimed: this is the son of my right hand. With the birth of the 12th, the foundation of the nation Israel was accomplished. God Himself was involved with this earthly endeavor to ensure that there would be twelve tribes of Israel. Twelve was the proper number from God's point of view for this plan to move forward.
    Many years later, the Messiah that Leah, Rachel, Zilpah and Bilhah all wondered about would come to earth as the Son of God's Hand. Before He returned to Glory, he would establish His church with pillars of twelve apostles. How wonderful is God's intent that spiritual foundations be established properly. We can believe the lessons we learn as we follow the twelve tribes each having their distinct role in the Israeli experience. Likewise, we can believe the lessons and instructions left for us by the twelve apostles as we live out the vision God has for the Church of Christ. The apostle Peter declared that we are living stones being added all the time to the structure. Israel was a masterful and colorful nation as they marched out by their tribes each with their distinct images. So, as God looks down surely He has an image of a church built on a proper foundation seeking to do His will. Each stone shines with a gift or gifts to help move the kingdom of God forward, achieving great things for Him. Today, remember your gifting(s). Walk in them. Please God because you are built on the proper foundation and give Him praise that He has graced your life with gifts to help others see and find the life giving words of Christ and His twelve apostles.

Bibledoorajar Thinks about conversation

     I was thinking about the conversation that the servant would have had with Rebecca.  Surely he  rehearsed all he knew about his master and the chosen son picking and choosing what he would say as he went on his way to the land of Abraham's kin. What he would say to the girl would be very important. How he listened would be even more important. He needed to elicit a positive response from a girl toward people whom she had never seen before. He needed to persuade her to leave her world for another. I think the servant would have told her that Abraham, the father, lived in a Land of Promise (Canaan) as a peculiar and different person. He had come to enjoy great wealth and blessings from God and did not live as the heathens around him. Perhaps he would even have shared the wonderful promise that God had made to Abraham. He would have explained for this great nation to come into fruition meant that Abraham's son of promise would need a bride. He could have told her about the supernatural aspects of Isaac's birth and that his name meant "laughter" because his parents were so pleased at the circumstances of his unexpected birth. He would have spoken about how Isaac had always lived in the land of promise and had always shared in his father's wealth. He would inherit or receive ALL HIS FATHER HAD. And if the young woman asked what Isaac was like, he would tell her that he always made sure his father's wells stayed open so that living water was always available. And, if enemies closed the wells up, he would have them dug again. Though a young man, he meditated in the fields and prayed often to God. Surely this conversation would help him persuade a bride to come to the son. But the servant also had another "ace in the hole". He would take gifts and with all his being he would call out to the girl to join with the son.
      Surely this conversation would have peaked interest. Why the servant was talking about being a part of a great dynasty through the chosen son! But even with this information, the girl had NO IDEA about how far reaching this idea would be! Years and years later, in the fullness of time, God sent His Son to earth. Here the Son proclaimed that He would build His church. It would be composed of those He would call out of the world to Himself. The apostles waited in Jerusalem as Jesus told them to do. They were waiting for another Servant to come, the Holy Spirit. This Servant would be very capable and would 1) teach them all things and bring to their remembrance all that Jesus had said to them (John 14:26), and, 2) He would guide them into all truth revealing a message sent from the Father and Son in heaven revealing what was to come (John 16:13). The apostles would be gifted to accomplish what Heaven intended. And so it has been.

Bibledoorajar joins with the Queen in admiring the seating of Solomon's officials

     When the queen went in to be seated at Solomon's table she noticed all of his officials; they were seated together at the king's table. The Bible account says that King Solomon had desires to build certain cities and buildings and make other improvements for his constituents. It was necessary for him to have officials to supervise the completion of these works. The queen sat at table with two hundred and fifty officials who were dedicated to the efforts of the king. While she did not know what each one was responsible for,  she was impressed with their devotion to the king and his works.

     I sometimes think about the men that Christ selected to help Him start building the church kingdom. They often ate together; the most famous meal being the Last Supper. Here they are depicted in a painting by Jacobo Bassano which was done in 1542. They did not come to him with long resumes of how they had previously carried out official duties, but somehow, they sensed their new leader was going to be able to transform them into officials. They were intrigued with the kingdom which He proclaimed. The queen drew near to Solomon's kingdom, but Jesus told these men that His kingdom had drawn near (Mark 1:15). The challenge for these men was much greater than that of the queen. She could open her eyes and see the splendor and could see the officials who managed it all. But the men Jesus called were grappling with how they could help build a kingdom that Jesus said was "within" (Luke 17:20-21). and unseen. And, when Jesus told them that their most prestigious and official religious building would be destroyed they were really confounded. But still the responsibilities were given--"the Father has sent me, so I am sending you". However, Jesus had a master plan and a means to its' end. He would turn them into officials through the power of the Holy Spirit. And that is exactly what He did. Later, when the apostle Paul visited Jerusalem, he met with some of these officials of the church and they sat at table together. They soon would capture a worldwide vision with constituents everywhere. The same Spirit that empowered them would empower others to continue building the kingdom. Their message was "The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many". And so, these officials welcomed Paul and his band that would build in faraway places and welcome the gentiles into the kingdom. Uncharted territory was the goal. These officials gave their all to carry out the desires of the King and died (many by torturous means) in His service. They will have special seating at the Great Feast of Heaven which we will all share together. I, for one, will be greatly impressed with their seating. And there will be so many others whose seating will be impressive. How many times will I say thank you? Thank you for your class, thank you for your sermon, thank you for taking care of the orphans, thank you for all your supervision and leadership. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!