by Pastor Tim Klein
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Read Genesis 29:1–20
In yesterday’s devotion, in Genesis 28:2,3, Jacob’s father Isaac sends him on his way with instructions and a blessing:
Arise, go to Paddan-aram to the house of Bethuel your mother’s father, and take as your wife from there one of the daughters of Laban your mother’s brother. God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.
So much for ‘the best-laid plans of mice and men’ (thank you, Robert Burns). Those plans soon went astray. With some significant manipulation (dare we say ‘skullduggery and trickery’) by Laban, not one, but two wives – both the daughters of Laban – were married to Jacob. But God’s plan was still at work. Fulfilment of the blessing took more than one wife; it took both wives and two maidservants, Bilhah and Zilpah (whom Jacob also married), to produce Jacob’s 12 sons, the founding fathers of the tribes of Israel.
It is amazing how God persists with his plan. It’s the big salvation plan. One of the sons is Judah – and his house is the house of Israel from which Jesus came.
If you are interested in the story, keep reading Genesis for the extraordinary roll-out of God’s saving plan all those generations ago.
Is there some encouragement in this for you and me? If you read on, you will discover the characters of the 12 leaders of the tribes of Israel. They were many and varied, and God had something to say and do through each of their lives.
You may find a direct comparison to your life among them. However, in general terms, you will see the miracle of how the Lord works through different people, in good and bad situations, always working for the good of his people and the sake of his kingdom.
By all means, we lay our plans. But most of all, we trust the Lord to guide us through them all.
Lord: you must laugh sometimes at the plans we make. Yet despite us, you remain working in and through us. Please continue to give us the confidence to boldly step ahead in faith, trusting in you, knowing that you are there with us, working your good for the sake of your kingdom. Amen.
Tim has served as a pastor for more than 30 years in Australia and New Zealand. He plans to retire on 12 January in 2025. Husband to his wife Joy, father of three and grandfather of more than 10, Tim says he is living in hope. He enjoys gardening (especially his orchard of more than 60 trees, succulents and flowering plants), making music (he loves to sing), beekeeping and taking photos.
Viewing Earth from eternity
by Stephen Abraham
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He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers (Isaiah 40:22a).
Read Isaiah 40:12–17,21–24
As a space enthusiast and a Christian, I’m fascinated by the experiences of astronauts who have gone to space, seen the entire small blue dot of the Earth laid out before them and had a profound religious experience. It is so common that philosopher Frank White coined the term the ‘Overview Effect’ in 1987. This phenomenon occurs when humans view Earth from this extreme distance and experience feelings of universal interconnectedness, overwhelming awe and an appreciation for a Creator. Several astronauts have become Christians or returned to their faith as a result of this experience.
From God’s perspective, the entire Earth – and all its overwhelming problems – is remarkably small. Isaiah uses breathtaking, poetic imagery to zoom out from our daily anxieties and ground our hearts in the absolute supremacy of the God who ‘measures the oceans in his hands’. When we feel overwhelmed by the shifting sands of our lives, Isaiah invites us to look at them from an eternal perspective.
Verses 13 and 14 remind us that God answers to no one. He requires no counsellor, no teacher and no advisor. In a world full of experts, breaking news and constant opinions, God stands alone in perfect wisdom. He does not need our help to figure out a solution to our struggles, nor is he surprised by global events. To him, the nations and their intimidating political powers are like a drop in a bucket.
When your world feels chaotic, remember that God is Almighty; he is vastly greater than anything you will face. You do not need to carry the weight of the world, because it is already held safely in his hands. Bring your smallness to his greatness today, and know that for Jesus’ sake, you can find rest in his care.
Heavenly Father, when the world feels overwhelming and my problems feel like mountains, help me to remember your immense greatness. Forgive me for the times I let fear and anxiety rule my heart. I lift up the burdens I am carrying and place them into your hands. Remind me that nothing is too big for you to handle. Give me peace as I step out in faith, trusting that you are holding my world together. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a retired Lutheran pastor and musician who served as a school pastor and church planter in Mawson Lakes, South Australia. Having to retire due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StephenAbrahamMusic
When the hunter is hunted
by Stephen Abraham
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And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever (Isaiah 25:7,8a).
Read Isaiah 25:7–9
Spoiler alert! In the final chapter of the classic nail-biting blockbuster film Jurassic Park, our heroes are being hunted by a pair of relentless, intelligent, nine-foot-tall killer dinosaurs: the velociraptors.
Despite all their efforts to escape, the survivors are finally cornered in the park’s main exhibit – and about to be eaten alive by these invincible killing machines. Just as one pounces, the mighty ‘king of lizards’ – the Tyrannosaurus rex (T. rex) – bursts into the room, snatching the leaping velociraptor out of mid-air with its jaws. The T. rex finishes off the second velociraptor, finally letting out a massive, triumphant roar inside the rotunda, letting all know: ‘I am the king of the dinosaurs.’ The End.
In the ancient cultures of Old Testament times, death was often thought of as a great mouth swallowing people whole. We hear it mentioned several times in Scripture, like in the rebellion of Korah in Numbers 16:32, which records that ‘the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up’. Here in Isaiah 25:8, at the end of time, reality is flipped – the King of Heaven swallows up the swallower! (Kind of like the T. rex in Jurassic Park taking out the velociraptors). Paul also mentions this in 1 Corinthians 15:54b when talking about the triumphant resurrection of the dead: ‘… then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”’
What a powerful image – the King of Heaven destroying death itself. It’s no wonder the response is worship in Isaiah 25:9: ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’
Almighty God, King of the Universe, we look forward with bated breath to this amazing time – the end of death, the end of suffering. As we wait, and as we suffer this side of eternity, Lord Jesus, cry with us and wipe away our tears in readiness for that great day of days: the day of our eternal salvation. Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a retired Lutheran pastor and musician who served as a school pastor and church planter in Mawson Lakes, South Australia. Having to retire due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/StephenAbrahamMusic
Leave the weeds to the master
by Stephen Abraham
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‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them’ (Matthew 13:29).
Read Matthew 13:24–30
In Year 8 Agriculture at my high school, we were each given a plot and some cabbage seeds and told to plant the cabbages and keep the plot weed-free. In my report at the end of the semester, my teacher Mr Boerth wrote, ‘Stephen struggled to keep the weeds at bay. He is no gardener!’ (A bad report for the son of a farmer!)
As much as I try, I admit I’m still no gardener. Nowadays, I get help with my garden from an expert. He knows far more than I do. Sometimes I have ideas for dealing with issues in my garden and don’t consult him. I inevitably do the wrong thing, which he then must correct. As much as I want to do things myself, I have to trust his expertise first.
In the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, Jesus addresses the human frustration of seeing weeds among the wheat. A farmer’s field is sabotaged by an enemy who sows weeds alongside the good wheat. In first-century Palestine, this weed was likely darnel, a poisonous plant closely resembling wheat in its early stages of growth. When the master’s workers eagerly offer to pull up the weeds, the master stops them with a surprising command: ‘Let both grow together until the harvest.’
We make judgement calls all day long: make this or that for breakfast, check our calendars or messages, sort out this problem or prioritise another. But when it comes to God’s kingdom – who is righteous, who is not, who is heaven-bound and who is not – that is not our call to make. Calling down God’s judgement on people isn’t our responsibility (as much as we might want to).
Do we need to confront poor behaviour respectfully? Yes. Do we need to keep people safe? Absolutely. Do we help those who need help? Of course! Do we point people to Jesus? One hundred per cent. But a person’s salvation or damnation isn’t our call to make – we leave that to the master.
Heavenly Master of the field, we lift our world to you. Focus us on your word and on the tasks set before us. Help us trust you with the final outcome of our world, knowing that we who are in Christ will one day shine like the sun in your kingdom. Amen.
Stephen Abraham is a retired Lutheran pastor and musician who served as a school pastor and church planter in Mawson Lakes, South Australia. Having to retire due to a spinal injury that leaves him largely housebound with chronic pain, Stephen still preaches, takes chapel and serves his local church and school. He also writes and records personal songs, worship songs and Christian meditations, which he shares on his YouTube channel