Continuing our wrapping up of Genesis, I’ve already pointed out that the people through whom God chooses to advance his mission are flawed. Adam, Noah, Abraham, all had serious shortcomings.

I noticed further that people have ups and downs (in either order), and God still uses them. For example, we have this lovely sentence about Jacob’s firstborn, Reuben:

While Israel lived in that land, Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine. And Israel heard of it. (Genesis 35.22, ESV)

It costs Reuben his rights as firstborn (see Genesis 49.3, 4). But even so, it’s Reuben who prevents Joseph from being killed by the other brothers:

They saw him from afar, and before he came near to them they conspired against him to kill him. They said to one another, “Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. Then we will say that a fierce animal has devoured him, and we will see what will become of his dreams.” But when Reuben heard it, he rescued him out of their hands, saying, “Let us not take his life.” And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but do not lay a hand on him”—that he might rescue him out of their hand to restore him to his father. (Genesis 37.18 – 22, ESV)

And Judah? Judah who takes Reuben’s place as the leader of the family (See Genesis 49.8 – 12)? It’s Judah who sells Joseph into slavery (Genesis 37.25 – 28) and fathers twin sons through a daughter-in-law whom he thinks is a prostitute! (You can’t make this stuff up – see Genesis 38.) The daughter-in-law, Tamar, actually makes Jesus’ genealogy.

BUT, Judah demonstrated a huge change of heart and growth in character when Joseph tested his brothers. Judah is the one who stepped up to take responsibility:

Then Judah went up to [Joseph] and said, “…please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers. For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would find my father.” (Genesis 44.18, 33, 34, ESV)

As my friend Fisher DeBerry, former head coach of the Air Force Academy Falcons football team, used to say:

You’re only as good as your last play! – sign in Fisher DeBerry’s office

That sign can be read negatively or positively as, “Don’t tell me how good you used to be…” OR “No matter what you did yesterday, let’s step up today.” The Bible is the story of real people with noble behavior and unimaginably evil behavior (sometimes the same people!).

¹⁰  He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.
¹¹  For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
¹²  as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
¹³  As a father shows compassion to his children, so the LORD shows compassion to those who fear him.
¹⁴  For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103.10 – 14, ESV)

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3.13, 14, ESV)

I finished reading Genesis this week, and it ended like it always does with the deaths of Jacob (Genesis 49) and Joseph (Genesis 50). It’s been said that Genesis begins “In the beginning God…” and ends “…in a coffin in Egypt.” Depressing.

Since Genesis 3, death has had the last word. As my son Matt pointed out while Clemson was losing its semi-final championship football game to Ohio State on January 1:

Most teams lose their last game.

I had never thought of that, but it’s true. While it’s true that for those college football teams that play in (meaningless) bowl games, only half lose their last game, seasons that end in tournaments end with a lot of losses! In basketball, 68 teams get very excited about being invited to the NCAA (“March Madness”) Tournament, and 67 of them will lose their last game. The table is set for this year’s Super Bowl: 14 NFL teams made the playoffs, and in three weeks, 12 have lost their last game.

As I was contemplating the “lose your last game” phenomenon and comparing it with death, I was excited to realize that we only appear to “lose our last game to death.” Actually, death loses its last game, and that’s good news!

And regarding the question, friends, that has come up about what happens to those already dead and buried, we don’t want you in the dark any longer. First off, you must not carry on over them like people who have nothing to look forward to, as if the grave were the last word. Since Jesus died and broke loose from the grave, God will most certainly bring back to life those who died in Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 4.13, 14, MSG)

For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power…The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15.21 – 26, ESV)

Hank Aaron, the great slugger for the Atlanta Braves who broke Babe Ruth’s record for most lifetime home runs, passed away last week. He still held the record for most runs batted in, most total bases, and most extra-base hits. 

Tony Evans, famous preacher in Dallas, Texas, likes to tell a story about Hank Aaron and Yogi Berra, the great catcher for the New York Yankees. I heard it on an audio CD about 20 years ago. The story goes like this:

As Hank Aaron came to bat in the All-Star Game one time, Yogi Berra was doing all he could to distract the great slugger. Berra was a chatterbox behind the plate who was always trying to distract the hitters, so he said to Aaron, “Hey Hank, you’re holding your bat the wrong way. You should have the label turned up so you can read it.” But Aaron ignored Berra and said nothing.

Yogi wouldn’t give up, however. “Hank, I’m telling you, you’re holding the bat the wrong way. The label should be turned where you can read it.” But still Aaron said nothing.

After this had gone on for several pitches, Aaron hit the next pitch out of the park for a home run. As he crossed home plate, he said to Berra, “I didn’t come here to read.”

Tony Evans concludes the story with : 

You and I need to know why we are here.

We all need to work at not being distracted from God wants us to do.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2.10, NIV)

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. (Romans 12.6 – 8, NIV)

I wrote yesterday about the importance of fruit and how that both in the physical and the spiritual realm, producing fruit is sometimes seen as a messy add-on, best avoided.

As the Apostle Paul would say, “God forbid!” (See Romans 6.1, 2). Or as one preacher put it years ago, “No, no, no. Don’t be stupid!”

Fruit is what it’s about. Unlike yesterday’s picture of the beautiful but fruitless pear tree, my pastor friend Chip Martin in Alabama is motivated by this picture from Colossians 1.6:

In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. (Colossians 1.6, NIV)

A few days ago, I was privileged to spend an evening via Zoom(R) with Chip and 9 of his men, laying the groundwork for what we hope is a thriving 2:7 disciple-making ministry in his church. Like physical fruit, it will be messy! But the process will be worth it. It’s what we’re all called to do and be.

You didn’t choose me, but I’ve chosen and commissioned you to go into the world to bear fruit. (John 15.16, TPT)

Yesterday I wrote about the importance of a Kingdom focus and quoted Pastor Brad Edwards of Lafayette, Colorado:

If secularism is the pursuit of the Kingdom without the King, Evangelicalism has come to worship the King without the Kingdom. –Brad Edwards, September 8, 2020

Later on in the article, he paints a provocative picture of a fruitless pear tree:

In an interview on the podcast I co-host, Everything Just Changed, Brandon Washington, the founding pastor of The Embassy Church in Denver, CO, tells of how his HOA recently hired a tree trimming service for their neighborhood, but they refused to prune one particular tree in his front yard because it was a pear tree and fruit trees weren’t included in their fees. Confused, Brandon explained to the arborist that this tree hasn’t borne any fruit in the 7 years he’d lived there, at all. Not a single pear...

Some fruit trees (e.g. pear) are both pleasing to the eye and easy to maintain, and would be ideal decorative species if not for the messy and inconvenient fruit that regularly falls to the ground, clutters neat suburban lawns and, if neglected, will rot where they lay. Thus, “domesticated” fruit trees had the fruit-bearing genes bred out of their DNA so they could be visually pleasing and conveniently maintained with little effort. Domesticated suburbanites wanted a fruit tree (King) without the fruit (Kingdom), and literally remade it in their own image. –Brad Edwards, September 8, 2020

I never heard of such a thing so I looked it up. Sure enough, although the terms are different, the concept is the same: there are ornamental pear trees that don’t bear fruit.

If you aren’t a fan of fruit or dislike the mess it can create, there are many showy non-fruiting tree specimens to choose from for your landscape. Amongst these, there are several cultivars of ornamental pear trees. – Amy Grant, Gardening Know-How: Learn about Ornamental Vs. Fruiting Pear Trees.

Nice to look at, but no fruit. Jesus was not a fan of fruit trees without fruit:

On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” (Mark 11.12 – 14, ESV)

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. (John 15.16, ESV)

We’ve been talking about the importance of a Kingdom focus, and I think it’s safe to say that a Kingdom focus and a God-focus ought to be the same thing although according to Pastor Brad Edwards of Lafayette, Colorado, it’s not always:

If secularism is the pursuit of the Kingdom without the King, Evangelicalism has come to worship the King without the Kingdom. –Brad Edwards, September 8, 2020

That’s an intriguing quote, but it’s certainly true from my experience growing up in a tradition that worshipped Jesus, to be sure, but relegated his teachings to “another age” – maybe a future millennium. I’m learning that it’s not a “future Kingdom” but a present one. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4.17)

And if we are subjects of a King, then best we be about doing what he wants us to do and becoming what he wants us to become. The late Dr. Howard Hendrix said:

The Bible was written not to satisfy your curiosity but to help you conform to Christ’s image. Not to make you a smarter sinner but to make you like the Savior. Not to fill your head with a collection of biblical facts but to transform your life. – Howard G. Hendricks

So as we read the Bible this year, let’s be open to how God wants to change us and let’s be available for advancing his Kingdom where we are. May we be peacemakers in these volatile times.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5.9, ESV)

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life… (Philippians 2.14 – 16, ESV)

I’ve been reading about Joseph (Genesis 37, 39 – 50), and one thing that jumps out is his God-focus. When ordered by his master’s wife to take her to bed, he responds:

And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Behold, because of me my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my charge. He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except you, because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” (Genesis 39.7 – 9, ESV, emphasis mine)

When two of his fellow-prisoners had dreams needing interpreting, he told them:

Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me. (Genesis 40.8, ESV)

When Pharaoh wanted a dream interpreted, Joseph told him the same thing:

It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer. (Genesis 41.16, ESV)

Joseph’s God-focus drove his behavior, just as Job’s did. For example,

¹  “I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin?
²  What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high?
³  Is not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for the workers of iniquity?
⁴  Does not he see my ways and number all my steps? (Job 31.1 – 4, ESV)

What’s interesting is that neither Joseph nor Job had the written word at that time. They would have had to rely on an oral tradition that may have included not much more than:

• God created the heavens and the earth (we can look it up in Genesis 1 and 2)
• Adam and Eve succumbed to the temptation of the serpent and sinned with consequences (Genesis 3)
• God destroyed the world because of sin, saving only Noah (Genesis 6 – 8)
• God scattered the people because of their pride (Genesis 11)
• God chose Abraham and his family to make a difference (Genesis 12 and following)

Even as I listed these stories, one unmistakable theme is that sin has consequences. Joseph knew this, and it drove his behavior. I may write more tomorrow about how for some of us that’s not true. We know a lot, but it sometimes doesn’t alter our behavior.

For now, let’s remember that for Joseph it did make a difference. A God-focus (we could say Kingdom focus) did guide his behavior.

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. (Psalm 19.12, 13, NKJV)

These words I speak to you are not incidental additions to your life, homeowner improvements to your standard of living. They are foundational words, words to build a life on. If you work these words into your life, you are like a smart carpenter who built his house on solid rock. Rain poured down, the river flooded, a tornado hit—but nothing moved that house. It was fixed to the rock. But if you just use my words in Bible studies and don’t work them into your life, you are like a stupid carpenter who built his house on the sandy beach. When a storm rolled in and the waves came up, it collapsed like a house of cards. (Matthew 7.24 – 27, MSG)

As this comes out, the Presidential Inauguration was yesterday. Depending on your point of view, it’s a time of hope for a new and positive beginning or despair. OR, it’s time to renew our focus as believers. Jesus’ message was a simple one:

From that time on Jesus began to proclaim his message with these words: “Keep turning away from your sins and come back to God, for heaven’s kingdom realm is now accessible.” (Matthew 4.17, TPT)

Jesus lived during a time of great oppression. There were no elections. There was no recourse for a Jew to oppose Rome. The answer? Turn from your sins and focus on God’s’ Kingdom.

This might be a word for today. Two weeks ago there was an assault on the capitol by Trump supporters. What kingdom are you supporting? If you’re a believer, are you really putting your hope in all the conspiracy stories going around? Or are you putting your hope in the new administration?

Again, our hope should be in neither. I wrote last week about Mike Metzger’s call for a Third Way – a conservative/liberal approach. I also shared Tony Dungy’s call for five practices that should characterize us in 2021, beginning with reading the Bible through.

Our pastor shared Sunday that in the middle of a very oppressive regime, Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians was that they experience the love of God. (See Ephesians 3.14 – 21. Better yet, pray it!) Our pastor included this challenge:

If we are not living out of our experience of God’s love, if we are not leading the way in bringing peace, if we are not safe to be around because we’re going to be haranguing from one political position or the other, the New Testament would describe us as immature. – Dr. David Jordan-Irwin, Monument Community Presbyterian Church, January 17, 2021.

My prayer for us all in 2021 is that we experience God’s love, share it with others, and focus on the Kingdom of God.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matthew 6.33, ESV)

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (2 Chronicles 7.14, ESV)

On Monday, Martin Luther King Day, I reminded us of Dr. King’s perspective on work with a quote from his famous “Streetsweeper” sermon. It’s worth a read and a listen if you missed it.

Today I want to share a couple of quotes I found in the process of getting my office put back together with the new furniture. Both have to do with work; both have to do with baseball. The first sounds like it came from George Will’s book, Men at Work: The Craft of Baseball, which I’ve read, and if you like baseball, it’s a good read. Here’s the quote I just found:

I loved the game. I loved the competition. But I never had any fun. I never enjoyed it. All hard work. All the time. – Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox outfielder (born, 1939)

Here’s the other quote. It’s hard to believe they’re talking about the same profession:

I ain’t never had a job. I just always played baseball. – Leroy “Satchel” Paige, pitcher, Negro leagues, and the Major Leagues (1906 – 1982). The bio says he played his last professional game (in the minor leagues) in 1966 – do the math, he would have been 60 years old!

It sounds like Satchel Paige found the enjoyment in work that “The Preacher” talked about:

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. (Ecclesiastes 5.18, 19, ESV)

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3.17, ESV)

As I’m reading through the Bible this year (join me!), I’m in that familiar part of Genesis – you know when we start reading the Bible, we at least get through Genesis before we quit! So I’ve read all of Genesis many times. I asked the Lord in advance to show me something I hadn’t seen before. Something I need to act on. (A good prayer for any day.) And here’s what I saw, relating to some current events I’ve been writing about:

And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, “We came to your brother Esau, and he is coming to meet you, and there are four hundred men with him.” Then Jacob was greatly afraid and distressed. He divided the people who were with him, and the flocks and herds and camels, into two camps, thinking, “If Esau comes to the one camp and attacks it, then the camp that is left will escape.” (Genesis 32.6 – 8, ESV)

The messengers brought back a simple observation: Esau is coming to meet you with 400 men. Jacob ASSUMED that these were men of war and that Esau was attacking him. His response was to be “greatly afraid and distressed,” and he implements a complex plan to protect his family, his assets and appease Esau.

But Esau apparently has no ill will toward Jacob. The fear was for nothing. (You can read the whole account in Genesis 32 and 33.)

What are we afraid of? Were the events of January 6 and any (hopefully, unsuccessful) plans for this week motivated by fear? I pray that we have nothing to be afraid of. And if we are afraid, maybe we should commit our fears to God as Jacob did:

Please deliver me from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau, for I fear him… (Genesis 32.11, ESV)

Don’t be like this people,
always afraid somebody is plotting against them. 
Don’t fear what they fear. 
Don’t take on their worries.
If you’re going to worry, 
worry about The Holy. Fear GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies. (Isaiah 8.12, 13, MSG)