connecting the dots (pt. 2)

(by Pastor Joe)

The Word for Today: Genesis 23

(Today concludes a 2 part article centered on the classic story of Abraham & Isaac, found in Genesis 22:1-14. If you were hoping for an in-depth examination of haggling over burial places, I am sorry to disappoint you.)

The entire Bible is designed to point us towards Jesus Christ. Every story whispers His name in one way or another. Yesterday we observed the amazing parallels in the story of Abraham and the offering of his son Isaac, and our Father in Heaven and the offering of His Son Jesus by focusing on the verbs in the passage. Today, we will find further insight by examining some key nouns. These objects, in a story occurring about 4,000 years ago, are able to better communicate the message of the cross than any other story I can come up with. So let's fill in the lines and see what kind of picture these "dots" give us.

Object 1: Only Son

Why the only son? Didn't Abraham have Ishmael and other sons after Isaac?

Indeed he did. But none of them were like Isaac. All of God's promises and plans were to come via him. Earlier on in chapter 21, God confirmed this to Abraham stating, "through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned." Isaac was the plan- there was no plan B. God made that abundantly clear in this book.

In the same way, God also sent His Only Son, and has made it clear that He is the the plan. There's only one way. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (1)." Furthermore, Christ is also the fulfillment of every covenant "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ (2)."

Object 2: Mountain

Why a mountain? Why this particular mountain? Why the entire journey to begin with?

There is nothing quick or easy about this entire story. Everything took time and planning: preparing for the trip, gathering of materials, traveling three days, climbing up the mountain, building the altar. Abraham had much time to dwell on his objective and multiple opportunities to back out. There's something deliberate going on here. Secondly, this mountain is not just another big hill. It's Moriah, the same place where Solomon (3) would build his Temple a millennium later. Coincidence? I think not.

Jesus Christ also took the long, hard road. He did not simply beam down, die for our sins, and then beam back to Heaven. He entered this planet through the lowliest door. He lived 90% of His years here in humble and dutiful obscurity. He had many opportunities to back out. Instead, he stuck to the Father's careful plan. That plan brought about great suffering, but the Word of God teaches us that "He learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him ." He also "suffered outside the city gate (4)" in the exact same area where this all started back with Abraham and Isaac.

We don't have the space to continue, but I want you to see that the parallels don't end here; everything in this story points us to Christ. Dot after dot after dot. The wood placed upon His back. The altar, that would one day receive the perfect sacrifice. The thicket that points us to His crown of thorns. And of course- the ram, the final dot that says the same thing that John the Baptist said so many years later: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world (5)."

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(1) Acts 4:12

(2) 2 Corinthians 1:20

(3) Genesis 22:2; 2 Chronicles 3:1

(4) Hebrews 5:8 & 13:12

(5) John 1:29

connecting the dots (pt. 1)

(by Pastor Joe)

The Word for Today: Genesis 21:22-22:24

(Today begins a 2 part article centered on the classic story of Abraham & Isaac.)

Connect the dots only works if you want to connect them. We know that the human mind does very well at filling in the blanks. You had no trouble reading the picture above, even though, technically speaking, it consists of dozens of dots and no actual letters. But one could also connect the above dots in a totally different manner that has no resemblance to any words at all. It would be foolish and against the obvious intent of the original author, but it always remains an option.

In this hugely important story of Abraham and Isaac, God has not only given us the details of these patriarchs from 4000 years ago, He has also carefully shown us the details of His plan of redemption. He has given us the "dots" here that we can make the connection to His Son. That is, unless you choose not to see it that way. That is, unless you don't really want to believe in His Son.

The entire purpose of the Bible is stated concisely in the first verse of the last book: "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." In Him, every story, every law, every psalm, every prophecy, every gospel and every epistle holds together. He is the centerpiece and the cornerstone and the capstone. You could have the teachings of Confucianism, or Buddhism or Islam without having an actual Confucius or Buddha or Muhammad. But if you remove Jesus from the Bible, the entire thing collapses. (Maybe that's why so many are so keen on debunking Him.) There is a reason why every heresy has been an assault on the character or person or nature of Jesus.

But in today's passage, God provides a vivid picture to point us to Christ. To help us out, we will examine some of the verbs found here today, and look at the nouns tomorrow.

Abraham was tested. So was Jesus Christ. In fact, He was tested in every way, just as we are-- yet was without sin (1).

Abraham was told to offer up or sacrifice his only son. God presented His Only Son as a sacrifice of atonement for our sins (2).

Abraham set out on a journey that he knew would not end well. In the same way, when His support was waning and his disciples were running around like a bunch of scared Cub Scouts, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem, knowing full well what lay before Him (3).

Abraham placed the wood on Isaac, who dutifully carried it up the mountain. Jesus likewise was forced to carry His own cross to the top of a mountain (4).

Isaac spoke out to his father and question him about this event. Jesus also spoke and questioned His heavenly Father, calling out "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (5)

Abraham trusted that God would provide a substitute, and He did. Two thousand years later, God again provided purification for sins through a substitute- Jesus Christ (6).

Abraham bound Isaac- who, as a young man, was a willing participant. Likewise, Jesus was also bound, and willingly lay down His life (7).

But here is where the parallels diverge. At the very moment that Abraham strikes down to slay his son, the Angel of the Lord yells "Stop!" Isaac is spared, a substitute is found. Our Lord chooses a different path. At the moment of decision, when one word would have summoned 36,000+ angels in His defense (8), there is no intervention, the Son is not spared, rather He becomes our substitute.

Ultimately, this passage not only gives us numerous dots to connect to point us to Jesus Christ, it also further confirms God's good character. Why? There is no double standard. He asks Abraham to do nothing that He Himself was unwilling to do. His only Son was likewise offered up, but unlike this story, there is no mercy, no angel interference. God follows through on His commitment to love us, even though it costs Him everything. I hope that picture is clearer and clearer to all of us.

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(1) Hebrews 4:15
(2) Romans 3:25
(3) Luke 9:51
(4) John 19:17
(5) Matthew 27:46
(6) Hebrews 1:3
(7) John 10:8
(8) Matthew 26:53

every story whispers his name -- part 3

Names of God in the Old Testament ·  Elohim (God) · Jehovah/Yahweh (the self-existent one:  I AM) ·  Jehovah-jireh (the Lord will provide) ·  Jehovah-rapha (the Lord who heals) ·  Jehovah-nissi (the Lord our banner) ·  Jehovah-Shalom (the Lord our peace) ·  Jehovah-ra-ah (the Lord my shepherd) ·  Jehovah-tsidkenu (the Lord our righteousness) ·  Jehovah-shammad (the Lord is present) ·  Jehovah-Elohim (the Lord God) ·  Jehovah Sabaoth (the Lord of hosts) ·  El Elyon (the most high God) ·  Adonai (our master)  ·  El Shaddai (Almighty God, the strength giver) ·  El Olam (everlasting God)

Jesus said,  "I AM... ·  the resurrection ·  the way ·  the truth ·  the life ·  the light of the world ·  the bread of life ·  the good shepherd ·  the door of the sheep ·  the true vine." "Before Abraham was, I AM." Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Word for today:
Genesis 20:1-21:21

mark this: Genesis 16:13
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing (El Roi)," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me."

and this: Philippians 2:9
Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name.

Today we conclude a series of three articles on the names of God. The various names of God constitute a vast subject that, if comprehensively taught, would consume a year of blog articles. Stand in the Rain hopes to give you an awareness and appreciation of this subject, and point you in the direction of further self-study.

***

It may startle you to know that we have already, in Genesis, been introduced to God as…

Elohim:
In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

Jehovah Elohim:
This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God (Jehovah Elohim) made the earth and the heavens. (Genesis 2:4)

El Elyon:
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of God Most High (El Elyon). (Genesis 14:18)

Adonai Jehovah:
And Abram said, Lord GOD (Adonai Jehovah), what will you give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is Eliezer of Damascus? (Genesis 15:2)

El Shaddai:
And when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said to him, "I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before me, and be blameless. (Genesis 17:1)

El Olam:
And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God (El Olam.) (Genesis 21:33)

El Roi:
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing (El Roi)," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me." (Genesis 16:13)

Jehovah Jireh:
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide (Jehovah Jireh)"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided." (Genesis 22:13-14)

***

As you can see, some of the names are powerful, while some of the names are sweet and kind.

My favorite name (other than the all-encompassing "YHWH" and God's incarnate name, "Jesus,") is "El Roi," the name given to God by Hagar, the Egyptian wife of Abraham. She had been forced to flee from Sarah, but God found her in the desert and encouraged her:
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing (El Roi)," for she said, "truly here I have seen him who looks after me." (Genesis 16:13/ESV)

As far as I can tell, Hagar is the only person in scripture who gives God a name; in every other instance, God names himself. People have called God a lot of things, but God liked "he who looks after me" so much that he put it in his book!

Be on the lookout for the names of God, remembering as you do that the culminating name--the name above all names (1), the final word on what God AM (2) --is Jesus:

Names of God in the Old Testament ·  Elohim (God)  ·  Jehovah/Yahweh (the self-existent one: I AM)  ·  Jehovah-jireh (the Lord will provide)  ·  Jehovah-rapha (the Lord who heals)  ·  Jehovah-nissi (the Lord our banner)  ·  Jehovah-Shalom (the Lord our peace)  ·  Jehovah-ra-ah (the Lord my shepherd)  ·  Jehovah-tsidkenu (the Lord our righteousness)  ·  Jehovah-shammad (the Lord is present)  ·  Jehovah-Elohim (the Lord God)  ·  Jehovah Sabaoth (the Lord of hosts)  ·  El Elyon (the most high God)  ·  Adonai (our master)  ·  El Shaddai (Almighty God, the strength giver)  ·  El Olam (everlasting God)

Jesus said, "I AM... ·  the resurrection  ·  the way  ·  the truth  ·  the life  ·  the light of the world  ·  the bread of life  ·  the good shepherd  ·  the door of the sheep  ·  the true vine." "Before Abraham was, I AM."  Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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(1) Philippians 2:9; (2) see Exodus 3:14, John 8:58, and Hebrews 1:1-3

every story whispers his name -- part 2

The Word for today:
Genesis 19

mark this: Exodus 3:14 --
And God said to Moses, "I AM THAT I AM." And he said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you."

and this: John 8:56-58 --
"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM."

and this: Acts 4:12
Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

The Bible is, above all else, a story. (Yesterday's part 1 was devoted to that crucial concept.) It is the progressive revelation of Jesus Christ. It must be read that way, from start to finish, to or it will never be understood. In fact, it will seem altogether senseless.

The elements of a story are character and plot. Character is the "who" of the story. Plot is the "do" of the story.

One of the first things we learn in most stories is the name of the "who." In the Bible's first pages, many of God's most prevalent names have already appeared. So we thought we'd better get formally introduced before we proceed any further.

The various names of God constitute a vast subject. If comprehensively taught, it would consume at least a year of blog articles. Stand in the Rain hopes to give you an awareness and appreciation of this subject, and point you in the direction of further self-study.

***

We first meet God as Elohim, the cosmic creator:
"In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth" is the best way to read Genesis 1:1.

Later we will meet God as Yahweh, the Redeemer-God, who promises and performs the covenants between God and man. Yahweh is the God with whom we have a relationship. (Mind you that Elohim and Yahweh are one and the same! We use names in the same way: a doctor's patients might know him as "Doc," but his kids call him "Dad.")

You will also hear Yahweh called 'Jehovah,' because no one knows how to pronounce this name. All we know are the consonants of his name--YHWH. We can only guess at what vowels belong between the consonants, so we guess at the pronunciation. To further confuse the issue, most of our Bibles don't include the name Yahweh or Jehovah at all. Instead, they just render YHWH as "LORD"--all in capital letters.)

***

It may sound confusing (because at first it is!) until you remember that all the names point to Jesus. Each one of them reveals some wonderful new facet of his personality or his character. Every name whispers "Jesus," in one way or another. Here's how scripture makes that clear:

YHWH (see above) is the comprehensive, all-inclusive name that is revealed in the Old Testament. It is associated with the Hebrew verb hayah, which means "to be." It means "I AM THAT I AM," thus encompassing all the other revealed names of God. (This name was revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3.)

I've got to be careful here because the name of God is never to be misused, but -- just between you and me -- "I AM" doesn't really tell me much. It begs the question: You are what?

God knows it begs the question, so he shows us:
"Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad."
So the Jews said to him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?"
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (John 8:56-58)

Jesus is YHWH! Return tomorrow and we'll find out just "what" Jesus AM!

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every story whispers his name — part 1

The Word for today:
Genesis 18

mark this: Genesis 16:13 --
So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me."

and this: Isaiah 9:6 --
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

and this: Matthew 1:21 --
You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

Stand in the Rain is going to depart from the script for the next couple of days. We can't cover everything in this brief space, so as you sort out the sordid story of Sodom and Gomorrah in chapters 18 and 19, we're going to backtrack through these opening chapters of scripture in search of the Names of God.

***

Don't ever forget that the Bible is, first and foremost, a story. It uses the essential elements of all stories--character and plot--to progressively reveal Jesus Christ.

This isn't a book of philosophy. This isn't a book of theology, though there's a smattering of that. This is a story, the greatest ever told. Life and death hang in the balance. The eternal Kingdom of light is set in full array against the principalities of this present darkness. Unbridled power and unparalleled poetry charge through these pages.

And a river of blood flows through it. It flows from Eden through Egypt, through the tabernacle to the cross. It flows from the first-born of Pharaoh all the way to the only Son of God. This scarlet thread sews it all together, until every page coheres.

Yes, the Bible is a Story. And it must be told that way, or it will never be understood:

Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn’t do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn’t mainly about you and what you should be doing. It’s about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you’ll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren’t heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.

No, the Bible isn’t a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It’s an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It’s a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne - everything - to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!

…There are lots of stories in the Bible but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.

It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together; and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture. (1)

"Every story whispers his name." Tomorrow, we'll hear the whispers...

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(1) Excerpted from "The Jesus Storybook Bible" by Sally Lloyd-Jones.
Note well!--I hope you'll run out and purchase a copy of this book! Then I hope you'll read it. Then I hope you'll read it to a kid. I think that for everyone, whether child or adult, this little book serves as the best introduction to the study of scripture that I have ever found.

enter the story...

The Word for today:
Genesis 16, 17

From the very earliest pages of scripture we note that the images of salvation are solitary.

In the third chapter of the Bible, we are told that a single seed of the woman will defeat evil:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15)

In the 15th chapter, God makes an appearance as a flaming torch, gliding through the dark between the glistening pieces of a butchered animal:
God said to Abraham, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
And he brought him all these, cut them in half, and laid each half over against the other.
When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. (Genesis 15: 9-10, 17)

It was customary that the parties to an agreement walked together “between the pieces.” This symbolized that if either party were to break his word, he would be sundered like that animal had been. So when God passed between the pieces alone--while Abraham slept--he unilaterally guaranteed both sides of the agreement.

In Leviticus, when the High Priest offers the blood of the sacrifice on the Day of Atonement, he enters the Holiest Place alone. This is another prophetic picture of the sole Savior.

***

Achieved alone, salvation is received in the same way.  The tale is abroad, as if told by the wind: a lone soldier dies sundered in the battle for the soul.

But hearts that can hear won’t let it end that way. They change the story by the only means they have--they enter into it:

“He didn’t just die,” they’ll tell you.  “He died for me.”

You can enter in too.  Just make that your prayer.

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