Scenes of Grace 23

Chapter 39 of Genesis again picks up Joseph’s story with a child of God’s promise laboring as a slave in a foreign land.  It is another beautiful picture of our Savior.  While serving well and faithfully he is adored by a fickle audience and then falsely accused by the same.  This time he lands in another pit – Pharaoh’s dungeon.  What an opportunity for despair! 

One of our great English hymn writers, William Cowper, knew a great deal about despair and depression.  He even attempted suicide.  Considering that background we find a particularly hopeful title to one of his hymns, “The Saints Should Never Be Dismayed”.  The first line of this hymn reads, “The saints should never be dismayed, nor sink in hopeless fear; for when they least expect His aid, the Savior will appear.”

Joseph had been rejected by his brothers, sold as a slave (in lieu of being killed), falsely accused of a terrible sin and thrown into a dungeon where condemned prisoners were kept.  All he was doing when he set out on his fateful journey was to go on an errand to do his father’s will.  Are you going about your Father’s will and things don’t seem to be going too well.  Are the hopes and aspirations you anticipated producing dark skies and disappointments instead?  Does that add weight to an already physical predisposition to depression?  Meet Joseph and William Cowper.

Cowper was “rescued” from the depth of his depression by John Newton (of Amazing Grace fame) and worked closely with him for a number of years.  What they did together was write and sing hymns.  Though never cured of his depression, which was for him and still is for many today a serious physical condition, he moved past the pit of despair to recognize the grace of God for His children.  He enriched and encouraged the church with wonderful hymns that could uplift them in their own times of despair.  In this hymn he used biblical illustrations that must have brought despair and situational depression to those who encountered very trying times.  But he gave a final note of God’s rich grace and care with the final two lines of his hymn.

“Blest proofs of power and grace divine that meet us in His Word; may every deep felt care of mine be trusted with the Lord.”

“Wait for His seasonable aid, and though it tarry, wait: the promise may be long delayed,
but cannot come too late.”

 

Scenes of Grace 22

A Scripture song taken from II Corinthians 3:18 goes, “From glory to glory He’s changing me, changing me, changing me; His likeness and image to perfect in me, the love of God shown to the world.”  A great joy of being in Christ is seeing our life change from the glory of self to the glory of the image of God.  This is grace at work.  In Genesis 38 we take an interlude from the account of Joseph to deal with his brother Judah.  Judah played a big role in selling Joseph as a slave.  He has a big role yet to come later in Genesis.  The transformation that takes place in Judah has its roots in Genesis 38.

In Genesis 38 we find Judah and his wife having three sons.  He then took a wife for his oldest son, but his oldest son died.  The wife passed to the second son, but he also died.  Judah promised her to his third son, but had no intention of keeping that promise.  Then Judah’s wife died and Judah went and took the services of a harlot.  Seeing that Judah had lied to her about giving her his third son, Judah’s daughter-in-law played the harlot with Judah (though she was in disguise) so that she might get a child.  Judah found out about her harlotry, but not that he was the participant, and ordered her to be killed.  As she was being tied to the stake for burning she produced for Judah the token he had given to the harlot as pre-payment.  Judah was suddenly convicted of his own sinfulness and repented.  He turned his life, step by step, over to God.

Later in Genesis 44 Judah proves up the character of his new life when he offers himself as a slave to stay in Egypt so that his younger brother Benjamin does not have to take on that position.  Joseph sees the wonderful change in his brother’s life and then welcomes his whole family to the physical salvation of Egypt.  From the glory of self to the glory of Christ likeness, Judah had been changed.

It is the grace of God that we don’t always have to be what we ever were.  The beginning of our story does not have to be the end.  The failures and disappointments do not have to be our constant defining condition.  “From glory to glory He’s changing me.”  The grace of God will be at work in His children to change them into the image of His glory.  Praise God for grace that works out our salvation in Christ each day.  Seek to sing with Charles Gabriel, “More like the Master, I would ever be, more of His meekness, more humility; more zeal to labor, more courage to be true, more consecration for work He bids me do.” 

 

You may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,

available here: 

                        http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTSN1DU

 

Scenes of Grace 21

Innocent, sold as a slave he was, cast from his home of love because, of vile jealousy.

Innocent, hung on the deadly tree, cursed by God for sin was He, for my iniquity. 

Genesis 37 begins the full account of the life and ministry of Joseph.  When I taught at Bible college my favorite class to teach was Christ in the Old Testament.  We looked at prophecies, pictures and profiles of Christ.  The person whose profile most often matched that of Jesus Christ was Joseph.  There are over 100 comparisons of their life and ministry.  In the stories of Joseph we will find a panoramic vista of grace.

Chapter 37 of Genesis relates the story of Joseph being so hated by his brothers that they cast him into a pit and then sold him as a slave into Egypt.  We might pause to think how we would react toward our brothers if they treated us so wickedly.  Would we ponder revenge on them as we find done in The Count of Monte Cristo?  Would our life be spent in getting even?  That is certainly a human reaction.  It is a reaction that erupts from our sin nature.

Skipping ahead in Genesis to chapter 45 we find Joseph’s brothers standing helpless before him in Egypt where he has risen to be next only to Pharaoh.  They are hungry and fearful.  This is that great opportunity for revenge.  But Joseph didn’t take that path.  He offered them a home and safety.  He offered them a life of plenty instead of a life of want.  Joseph was gracious. 

Skipping further ahead to the Gospels of Jesus Christ we find our Savior hanging on the cruel cross of shame.  Around him are the tormenters and accusers.  They are in need of a new heart and hope in God.  Jesus looks on the crowd and says, “Father, forgive them.  They know not what they do.”  He was gracious.  He was dying for the sins they were committing against Him and He was gracious. 

Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 to “be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake, has forgiven you.”  Joseph was just a man like we are, yet he possessed the Spirit of Christ as all believers do.  By that Spirit he could be gracious.  So can we. 

Innocent, made by His decree, son of God with Him I be, to show His victory.

 

 

You may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,

available here: 

                        http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTSN1DU

Scenes of Grace 20

Fanny Crosby wrote thousands of hymn texts.  Thirty or so of those are still commonly sung and familiar.  Many have faded into obscurity.  While they had a good life, now they are “dead”.  One of those is “Eternity” and is aptly named because while it has faded from the common scene of life its eternal value remains.  As it is with songs, so it is with people.  “Eternity” is a good hymn for the scenes of grace found in Genesis 36.  It may seem to be a chapter with little value; it is after all simply a genealogy of Esau, but it has been mightily used by the grace of God.

 What happens in a genealogy is that people are born and they die.  Genealogies cut out all the drama of life and reduce it to the basic facts of human existence; we are born and we die.  I have a friend who is a nationally known Bible teacher.  He was saved after reading Genesis 36.  The stark reality of birth and death, names briefly mentioned and forgotten, struck him to his very heart.  We are mortal in the flesh but eternal in our spirit.  Where will that eternal spirit dwell after the flesh has gone? 

Fanny Crosby captured this stark truth in “Eternity”.  The first verse reads, “Deep and grand in tones sublime, hear the passing bells of time, ring the dirge of moments dead,
golden hours whose joys are fled - still those bells of time we hear, tolling, tolling: Hark! the word: Eternity!”  All those descendants of Esau had some golden hours, they were kings of Edom, but in Scripture they only get a verse to cover their entire existence – then, eternity.  Fanny continues to capture the passing of time in her second verse, “In the rosy morning fair,
In the sultry noonday glare, in the dewy evening bright, in the silent hush of night —
still those bells of time we hear, tolling, tolling, loud and clear: Eternity!”

But eternity where?  Therein is the grace of God.  We can know where our eternity will be if we have trusted that grace of God offered to us in His only begotten Son our Lord, Jesus Christ.  John wrote in his first epistle, “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life.”  Eternity with God in heaven is based on what we have done with His Son Jesus Christ.  Life is short, a mere verse, and then eternity.  God’s grace in Jesus Christ offers us eternity with Him.  Crosby concludes her hymn, “Precious word! if safe we stand on the Christian’s borderland trusting Him, whose loving smile lights and cheers us all the while — bells of time with joy we hear, tolling, tolling, sweet and clear: Eternity!”  Rejoice in God’s grace of eternal life and hope today. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

 

      You may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,

available here: 

                        http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTSN1DU

 

Scenes of Grace 19

Benjamin Schmolk wrote a hymn with a great message “My Jesus, as Thou Wilt!”  The hymn is a rare gem and found in few hymnals.  It was written in German around the year 1700.  If you can’t find it in a hymnal on your shelf at home, look it up on The Cyber Hymnal.  It is a beautiful expression of the phrase in our Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done.”  When I think of the events surrounding Jacob’s life while dwelling in Padan Aram, the words to this hymn come to mind.

Schmolk wrote, “Into Thy hand of love I would my all resign.  Thro’ sorrow, or thro’ joy, conduct me as Thine own.”  I don’t think these words were sung so much by Jacob as by his wife Leah.  We all start life with hopes and dreams.  For Leah I am sure that they included a happy home with a caring husband.  Instead her own father used her as a means of deceit to get more work out of Jacob.  She was manipulated by her father and unloved by her husband.  Her chief rival was her own sister who was a pagan idolater.  However, in the midst of all this disappointment, we never find the character or faith of Leah to waver.  She steadfastly took care of her home, her family and her responsibilities with confident hope in God.  Genesis 29 through 35 should be labeled as Leah’s story.  In the end she prevails.  Her rival dies; her husband loves her and her son, not Rachel’s, becomes the announced heir and line of Christ.  It took years for this to play out.  Years fly by, but days and hours don’t.  During all those days and hours we can hear Leah singing the words of Schmolk’s great hymn.  Let us gracefully sing with her. 

My Jesus, as Thou wilt! Oh, may Thy will be mine! Into Thy hand of love I would my all resign; through sorrow, or through joy, conduct me as Thine own, and help me still to say, my Lord, Thy will be done!

My Jesus, as Thou wilt! If needy here and poor, give me Thy people’s bread, their portion rich and sure. The manna of Thy Word let my soul feed upon; and if all else should fail, my Lord, Thy will be done.

My Jesus, as Thou wilt! Though seen through many a tear, let not my star of hope grow dim or disappear; since Thou on earth hast wept, and sorrowed oft alone, if I must weep with Thee, my Lord, Thy will be done!

My Jesus, as Thou wilt! All shall be well for me; each changing future scene I gladly trust with Thee: straight to my home above I travel calmly on, and sing, in life or death, my Lord, Thy will be done!

 

         You may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,

available here: 

                        http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTSN1DU

 

Scenes of Grace 18

Whether it is in the famous Negro Spiritual, “We Are Climbing Jacob’s Ladder”, a traditional English carol, “As Jacob with Travel Was Weary”, or in the famous English hymn, “Nearer, My God to Thee”, the scene of grace found in Genesis 28 has been made quite popular in Christian music.  There is something about the loneliness, the weariness, the pain that Jacob was in on that night long ago that resonates with everyone’s life.  We all find ourselves in one of those positions often in our lives.

Jacob’s trouble on this famous night was largely of his own making.  Sometimes our troubles come for the same reason.  Our loneliness and weariness with life may be the result of our sin nature by birth that has not yet been resolved at the cross of Christ.  Jesus said to the weary, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”  That is the call of salvation.  We are to abandon our self striving for salvation and accept His perfect gift of salvation.  That is grace and can be seen in this scene of grace with Jacob.  In the traditional English carol the chorus resounds with this gift of grace, “Alleluia to Jesus, who died on the tree, and has raised up a ladder of mercy for me, and has raised up a ladder of mercy for me.” 

Sometimes our loneliness and weariness come as a process of life.  The pressures push in on every side.  There seems to be no solace, no light at the end of the tunnel in our time of need.  But there is!  There is a ladder of light with angels ascending and descending.  God has not forgotten or forsaken His children.  There is rest in the comfort of access to heaven.  As Sarah Adams wrote in “Nearer, My God to Thee”, what God sends has been “in mercy given”.  In that dark hour the angels beckon us to look up.  God is there.  Hope, comfort and strength are not so far off as we think. 

Sarah concludes each verse of her hymn with these words, “Nearer, my God to Thee, nearer, my God to Thee, nearer to Thee.”  Jesus said, “Come unto me.”  We need to draw nearer to God.  We need to see that in His nearness are our joy, hope, strength and peace.  In His nearness we find and “feel” the reality of His grace.  “Alleluia . . . {He} has raised up a ladder of mercy for me.” 

 

 

You may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,

available here: 

                        http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTSN1DU

Scenes of Grace 17

Julia Johnston wrote the beautiful hymn “Grace Greater Than Our Sin”.  Those five words echo across the pages of Scripture in response to the sinful deeds of men of faith.  In Hebrews 11 God calls Jacob a man of faith.  In Genesis 27 we see him more as a man of spiritual failure.  How are these opposites resolved?  It is done by our hymn title today.

Before his birth in Genesis 25, God had chosen Jacob over his older brother Esau.  That was an eternal and divine choice.  Jacob only needed to wait upon God to fulfill it.  To him were the promises and the covenant by the will of God.  By faith Rebekah could have waited for God to fulfill that promise.  By faith Jacob could have waited for God to fulfill that promise.  The word of God is sure and will stand.  By faith we are to believe it and trust Him to complete it.

But all too often that is not the way we live.  Jacob and Rebekah lost sight of their faith in God’s promises and sought to accomplish God’s goals by sinful human means.  First Jacob had Esau trade a bowl of soup for his birthright.  There was no love or care for his brother in that selfish act.  Then Rebekah and Jacob conspired to deceive Isaac to give Jacob the blessing.  There is a clear violation of the 9^th commandment.  The sinful nature won out over faith.  Could such a thing succeed?

The wages of this sin caused Jacob to be an exile from his family for 20 years.  It cost Rebekah the joy of the fellowship of her favorite son for 20 years.  It cost a breach between the brothers, Jacob and Esau, which lasted for a thousand years. The stain of this compulsive sin was reenacted in the lives of Jacob’s own sons.  There were wages of this sin.  But God’s grace was not subdued.  God appeared to Jacob, guided Jacob, blessed Jacob and quickened Jacob into being a new man with a new name, Israel.  God’s grace was greater than Jacob’s sin.

The same is true throughout time.  The same is true for us today.  As Julia Johnston wrote it is “grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt”.  As she wrote in the second verse, “Sin and despair like the sea waves cold, threaten the soul with infinite loss”.  That was surely true of Jacob and all sinners for all time.  But there is more.  That despair should show us a “grace that is greater, yes grace untold” that “points to the refuge the mighty cross.”  If you have run ahead of God, or away from God, run back to His grace.  Run with simple confession to His marvelous Cross of grace.  Be restored in His grace today.  

 

You may also enjoy this inspirational devotional book, The Gospel According to Molly,

available here: 

                        http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BTSN1DU