Tested by Name

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” (Genesis 22:1 ESV)

Tested by Name

It almost seems like a contradiction. 

We see that God is testing Abraham.  Making sure that Abraham is full of faith, and believes God’s incredible promises to Abraham. 

But as scripture tells us of the test, the Word FIRST reminds us of Abraham’s name.  It means, “Father of Multitudes.” 

As the test begins, and Abraham and Isaac prepare to go face the threat of promise-ruining death… God reminds us that the promise was secure.

And it is found in Abraham’s very name.

And He does the same thing with us.  While we might sometimes think our name is Tom, or Frank, or Charlene, or Cindy… our name, changed by God just like God changed Abram’s, is now “Christian.”

We are Christ’s adopted siblings.  We are literally, “Little Christs.”

It might be that the Lord tests us (for our benefit, not His), but the end of the test is clearly declared in our name.  We are Christ’s!!!

And the reason He tests, is because He loves us.  He knows that we will endure in Christ.  He knows that we will be encouraged in Christ.  He knows that Christ will pass the test on our behalf, when it seems we fail.

And His love is shown in the fact that God does not test us saying, “Hey, you!  Get ready for a test!”  But rather, God says, “My child, whose name I know… whose name I gave… little Christians… here comes some love.  Look to see it and understand it.

Kept

The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. (Genesis 21:1 ESV)

Kept

One afternoon I received a book in the mail.  I did not understand why I received that book (it was second-hand, and unfamiliar to me). So I studied the return address, and recognized the name as an old friend.

I called him.  And he laughed.  He reminded me that he had promised that book to me years and years and years ago.  He suddenly remembered, and mailed it!

He kept his promise.  Even though I had forgotten.  Even though time had passed.  Even though it was an insignificant promise.

But he was imitating God, in His love.  God promised a son to Sarah and Abraham.  And though that promise, when made, was already an unlikely event, God meant it.  That promise, though years had passed,  was meant by God.   As important as that promise was to Sarah and Abraham, it was more important to God.

Because God made the promise in love.

Because that promise was a key moment in God’s plan of salvation.

Because God is forever, and His timing is perfect.

And so God promised… and it happened.

He keeps His promises to You, too.  Because He loves His people.  In fact, really the promise to Sarah was also a promise to Christians, today.

And He loves us… so He kept it.

Laughing

But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Genesis 18:15 ESV)

Laughing

We usually frown at Sarah for laughing.  And certainly, the part of her laughter that was colored by doubt should be frowned upon. 

But Sarah’s laughter was also simple laughter.  Perhaps a bit of hopeful laughter.  Perhaps a bit of pleased laughter.  Perhaps a bit of amazed laughter.  Perhaps a bit of thankful laughter.

Laughter is often those things, too.

Our laughter comes ultimately from God’s love.  We sometimes taint it with doubt.  We sometimes misuse it with cruelty.  We sometimes use it to hurt or demean.

But that is us.  That is not the nature of God’s gift of laughter.

When we laugh, it can be a joyful reaction to God’s love.  When we laugh, it can be the result of His love.  When we laugh, it can be an expression of love.

God loves… and so we laugh.

Belief

And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness. (Genesis 15:6 ESV)

Belief

Abraham was not a righteous man.  Scripture contains stories of Abraham’s lies, Abraham’s faithlessness, Abraham’s cowardice, Abraham’s slowness, and Abraham’s sins.

But God enabled Abraham to do one thing amazingly well.  Abraham believed.  Abraham made a choice to follow God.  Abraham made a decision to trust His Lord.  Abraham made a profession of faith.  Abraham, like Thomas in the New Testament, said, “I believe.”

God enabled Abraham to believe because God loved Abraham.

Abraham’s belief, that which led Him to a covenant relationship with the One True Living God, occurred because God first loved Abraham.

And God loves the rest of His children like that, too.  He loves, so we believe!

Shield

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield. (Genesis 15:1 ESV)

Shield

While Captain America does occasionally throw his shield as a projectile weapon, shields are primarily defensive.

Shields stop harmful things from harming us.  Shields keep us out of danger from dangerous things.  Shields protect us when we need protection.

Because God loved Abram, He promised to be Abram’s shield.

Through all of Abram’s life, the Lord kept that promise, because God loved Abram.  Abram was kept safe from Egyptians, from Canaanites, from Lot, from Sodom, from drought, from poverty, from Abram’s own fears, and even from the terrible effects of Abram’s sinfulness.

He shields us the same way, for the same reason.  He loves us, so He protects us from sin.  He loves us, so He protects us from His enemies, even when it is not obvious.  He loves us, so He protects us from our own mistakes, bad decisions, and the results of our unrighteousness.

In fact, God’s love itself IS a shield.  Because if He is for us (and is not that what love is?) who can be against us?

Blessed

Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most high, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” (Genesis 14:19,20 ESV)

Blessed

My dog is good for me, and I am good for my dog.  My wife is good for me, and I am good for my wife.  My children are good for me, and I am good for my children.  My church is good for me, and I am good for my church.

And those things mimic God’s relationship with Abram, and with His people.

We know He blesses us.  If you doubt it, I urge you to slow down and consider your life.  Sometimes our eyes are trained to see curses, not blessings.  Be assured He blesses you!

But somehow we are also a blessing to God!  He is pleased when we choose to love Him.  He inclines His ear when we pray.  He is glorified when we worship. 

God’s love causes both sides of blessing.

His love blesses us, and His love blesses Him.

Increase

I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. (Genesis 13:16 ESV)

Increase

I am not a good gardener.  Perhaps, though, it is not due to the lack of a mythical green thumb.  Perhaps, though, it is not due to a lack of garden-knowledge.  Perhaps, though, it is not due to a harsh Kansas climate, garden-wise.

It is probably because I do not particularly have any affection for vegetables, plants, or gardens.  I do not like vegetables, plants, or gardens.  I do not particularly care for vegetables, plants, or gardens.

But God does particularly care for His people.  In fact, more than that, He loves us!  Not  because we are so lovable, but because His Son, Jesus IS lovely!

He loves US because He loves HIM.

And so He increases us.  God’s kingdom increases.  God’s blessings increase.  God’s people increase.

Because that is how much God loves us.

Loyalty

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3 ESV)

Loyalty

Our culture looks down upon showing favor to our loved ones.  We are not ‘supposed’ to hire them, give them raises, reward them, or even notice them.

One of the most difficult parts of coaching occurs when family members are on the team.  We often end up too harsh, or too generous, as coaches of our children.

But God favors His beloved children.  In this verse, God promises to not only treat Abraham and His descendants well, but to reward OTHERS for treating us well!

He is surprisingly loyal to us.

God’s people, whether old-time Israel, or the more modern church, do not have a good reputation regarding our righteousness, holiness, or faithfulness.  But God loves us, and is loyal to us.

God’s people, whether old-time Israel, or the more modern church, do not have a good reputation regarding how we treat other groups, nations, or ideas.  But God loves us, and is loyal to us.

Not because we have earned that loyalty, or deserve it.

But because God loves His people!

Punishment

And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (Genesis 11:9 ESV)

Punishment?

I bought my first vehicle from an uncle.  If I remember correctly, the price was $100.  I did not have $100.  So, Uncle John allowed me to make monthly payments. 

Some of my friends rolled their eyes in disgust.  Why didn’t my uncle just GIVE me the truck? 

But when I gave him the last $10, he smiled, took an envelope from a drawer, and returned all my payments.

I learned the discipline of paying off debt, and I received a gracious gift at the same time.

When God responded to Babel by somehow changing human languages, and spreading folk all over the planet, it might seem that God was being harsh. 

But the result shows God’s love.  It was actually a blessing to spread us around.  It was actually a blessing to force us to communicate more slowly and carefully.  It was actually a blessing to expand human dominion over ALL the earth.

God loves His people, and blesses us even when He disciplines!

More

And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it. (Genesis 9:7 ESV)

More

I have finally noticed that my daughter enjoys collecting Bible translations.  She has done this for a few years, but it only sunk in recently.  So now I am surveying my own collection of Bible translations, with the intention of giving her a few.

Because I know that one cannot have too many translations.

And because I love her, I want to ensure that she has more, and more, and more.

(We will see if I actually DO this… giving away books is hard for me!)

God, after the Ark incident, understood how good the new life of Noah’s family was going to be.  And because God loves His people, God desired to give them more blessings.  He wanted His people to increase, to grow, to multiply.

Yes, He told THEM to multiply.  But it was God’s power, God’s provision, God’s plans that would cause more, and more, and more to be manifest.

And now look at how big His kingdom is!  Yes, every saint in heaven… yes, every saint on earth… yes, every saint to come…

God loves His people, and so we multiply.

Order

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22 ESV)

Order

I Have lived in many geographical locations, and I have noticed that while the seasons are sometimes not as pronounced in a particular place, seasons exist.  I have noticed that while seasons vary in intensity from year to year, seasons exist.  I have noticed that while some seasons are more pleasant, and some more profitable, and some more short, and some more long, seasons exist.

Because God desires His people to notice the orderliness that He produces in life.  Even when we see chaos, there is orderliness behind it.  Even when we see disruption, there is orderliness behind it.  Even when we might not comprehend God’s plan, there is orderliness behind it.

Because God loves His people.

Chaos breeds fear, order brings hope.  Chaos breeds worry, order brings peace.  Chaos breeds pain, order brings healing.

Christ came to earth to strengthen order… God’s people are scattered throughout the world to strengthen order… from the aftermath of the flood until tomorrow, God brings order.

Because He loves His people.

Memory

But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 8:1 ESV)

Memory

God remembered Noah?   The family of Noah were the last humans on earth.  It does not surprise us that God remembered them, it would be more surprising if God had forgotten them! 

It might be that God remembered those on the ark because God created them.  Many years ago, my best friend and I renovated an old truck.  Later, we saw it totaled by the side of the highway.  I remembered it because in effect, I had created it.

It might be that God remembered those on the ark because God had saved them from the flood.  I once saw across a large lake a man with a beached sailboat, in the face of a summer storm.  A couple of us boated across the lake to help him.  I’ve occasionally wondered what happened to that man.  I have not forgotten him.

But those are not the full reason God remembered Noah.  God remembered Noah because God loved Noah.  In fact, God still does…

God remembers His people because He loves us.  He does not remember us because we are incredible, gifted, attractive, necessary, or memorable.  The love of God, unconditional, sacrificial, gracious, and merciful results in His memory. 

This is exactly why the Lord promises, with various phrases, that He will never forget us. (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13; Joshua 1:5; Philippians 4:6,7; Genesis 28:15; John 14:18; Isaiah 41:13; I Chronicles 28:20; Micah 7:7; Psalm 139:8; Romans 8:39; Psalm 27:1; et.al.)

God loves His people.  So remembers us.

He remembered Noah on the ark.  He remembered us before the foundation of the world.  He remembered us while Christ was on the cross.  He remembered us when Christ arose.  He remembered you yesterday, remembers you today, and will remember you tomorrow.

He loves, so He remembers.

The Weight of God's Love

And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:6-8 ESV)

The Weight of God’s Love

My new eyeglasses automatically turn into sunglasses.  When the sun is a little bright, the lenses protect my eyes a little bit.  When the sun is brighter, the lenses are able to increase the protection.  According to the (humorously exaggerated) description by my optometrist, if I drove into the sun, those lenses would still darken enough!

I will not be testing that.

But God’s love does work that way.  His benevolent, sacrificial, and unconditional love protects His people from sin’s depravity.  Whether it is a little bit of sin, or sin like during the time of Noah. 

More specifically, Christ Jesus protects us from sin, through His life, His death, and His Life.

God’s love covers a multitude of sins.  And sin does not cover God’s love.

The amount of sin described in these verses is immense.  It was so bad that God regretted creating humans.  But then, we read that Noah found favor in God’s eyes.  That’s another way of saying that God loved Noah.  And that love of God saved the world, even though it was terrible.

Man sins… God loves.   And His love is more than enough.

Long Life

Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. (Genesis 5:27 ESV)

Long Life

969 years is a long time.  If Methusaleh had lived in modern times, and died this year, he would have been born in the year 1054.  That was the year in which the events of Macbeth took place.  That was the year of the Great Schism, in which the Great Schism between Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism began.  That was a long time ago.

Why did Methusaleh live so long?  Beyond good vitamins, plenty of exercise, and a healthier environment, Methusaleh was simply blessed by God.  A long life is often understood as a blessing, from the promise attached to the fifth commandment, to Mr. Spock’s official greeting.  But note well, that Methusaleh did not reach 969 as a reward of better behavior than his grandfather, who only lived 962 years… but the reason for long life is found on the other side of the equation.  They lived that long because God loved them.

Do not get lost in wondering whether a few years’ difference equates with a measurable amount of love. 

Just relax and rejoice in noting that God’s love results in long life.

And because of Christ, that long life is not measured in years traveling around Sol.  Our long life will endure through eternity.  More than Carl Sagan’s billions and billions of years.  We, God’s people, are going to live longer than Methusaleh!

Because God loves His people, He bought us long life… eternal life… with the coin of His Son’s blood.

Weakness

To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:26 ESV)

Weakness

When I am feeling strong, intelligent, clever, wise, powerful, and able, I do not easily ask for help.  The more able I am, in my perception, the more self-confident I become. 

That is why Seth’s son, Enosh, has an interesting name.  Enosh means weak, drained, empty, or unable.  And during the time of Enosh, God’s people began to call upon the Lord’s Name.

In the name of Enosh, perhaps we can see why they turned to God.  Perhaps it was due to the growth of the unrighteous civilization descended from Cain, so that the descendants of Seth were feeling intimidated, threatened, and unable to stand.  Perhaps it was because they saw that life outside of the Garden was difficult, bloody, sweaty, and tearful.  Perhaps it was because they were listening to the words of Adam’s salvific son, Seth.

But from their various inabilities, they found the ability to call on the name of the Lord.

And a life calling upon the name of the Lord is infinitely and eternally better than any sort of life without Him.

In fact, it makes me wonder if the reason that God guides us to our inabilities is so that we find ability in His name.

Paul wrote that in His weakness, he found Christ’s strength.

So did the Sethites.

So will we.

Because that is the avenue of God’s love.  Our weakness lets us accept His love.

Sword

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24 ESV)

The Sword

That sword sounds scary.  Cherubim themselves are described in scripture as terrifying, and this one has a flaming sword, has alret eyes, and guards the way back to Eden.

It sure sounds like God really, really, really does not want people back in Eden.

But swords in scripture are often symbolic of something precious: God’s Word.  Ephesians 6:17 clearly connects swords, particularly the sword of the Spirit with God’s Word.  And this flaming sword is as spiritual a sword as has ever been seen.

Because God did not place that sword, wielded by a messenger of God, to stop people from coming back to Him.  Rather, because He loves His people, He gives us a way back to Eden.

That way is found only in Scripture. 

We can’t guess who Jesus was.  Creation does not teach of us God’s Grace manifested astonishingly through Christ’s atoning work.  Our brains can not imagine God’s plan of salvation.

Only God’s Word does those things.

The guarding angel is actually showing us the way to God… that sword symbolizes (as it does elsewhere in Scripture) God’s Word.

God loves His people, so He shows us the way back to Him, in His Word.

Work

…therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. (Genesis 3:23 ESV)

Work

Just a few verses before, God intimated that a savior would be punished for Adam and Eve’s sinful rebellion, instead of them.  And now, God kicks them out of the garden.

While the hardness of leaving Eden’s perfections might make this expulsion seem like punishment, it most certainly is not.  God is just.  He does not punish sinners twice.

Instead, God was showing His love of His rebellious children by trusting them with an important task, a necessary role in God’s plan, an actual job to do.

Loved employees are given more responsibility.  Loved children are given more responsibility.  Loved friends are given more responsibility.  And God loves us.

So He has given us something to do!

For Adam and Eve it was farming, but this is not the only dominion that God assigns.

Your career, your job, your responsibility are all intended for you to do the same thing Adam and Eve did… to restore the broken creation to Godly order.

And God loves you so much that He wants you to do His work.

Not Merely Clothes

And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 ESV)

Not Merely Clothes

Adam and Eve, freshly aware of their nakedness, were given clothes by God.   Perhaps because nakedness was symbolic of their new broken openness before God and each other.  Perhaps because the Fall ruined every part of creation, and now the weather was no longer as ideal.  Perhaps because God was hinting at the eventual need for blood-sacrifice to cover human sinfulness.

It could be all of those.

But mostly, this gift of God was a foreshadowing of the Christ.  Scripture continues this theme and picture, using robes, garments, and clothing culminating in the metaphor of Christ’s Righteousness covering us.

God loves His people so much, that already, with the first rebellion still fresh and smelly,  smoldering and smoking, obvious and painful… He gives not merely clothes. 

But He shows what Jesus would eventually, surely, completely do.

God loves, so He makes His people presentable to Himself.

Admission

Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:11-13 ESV)

Admission

There is an old dad joke… Question: After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Serpent… but the Serpent did not blame anyone.  Why not?  Answer: He did not have a leg to stand on.

But the surprising thing about this story is not the Serpent’s silence, but it is the fact that God asks the question in the first place.

God already knew the answer.

But because of God’s love for Adam and Eve, He gives them the chance to admit what they have done, and therefore to trust in God’s grace and mercy.  

They, however, did not admit their sin.

Perhaps one of the most significant changes that God gives us in sanctification is that we are able to trust Him enough to admit our rebellion, voice our sorrowful understanding, and confess our sinfulness.

We are able to do that because God loves us.  And we show our acceptance of His love by making use of that gift.

Stop blaming others, stop making excuses, stop hiding your head in the sand.

God loves you enough to enable you to confess… and to rejoice when you do.