Tag Archives: repentence

Warning – Genesis 14

By | |
Leave a comment

Poor Lot. He chooses what looks like the best land, with strong nations to protect him, and what happens? Four kings go to war again five other kings, including Sodom, and the four kings prevail, taking all the possessions of Sodom, including Lot and his family. 

I wonder if this was the first time Lot regretted his decision. I wonder what his thoughts were as he was being led away in chains, not sure where his wife or children were? Not sure of his fate?

But Abram “to the rescue” when he was told him of the defeat. He pulled together his little forces and friends, 318 trained men, against 4 kings! But he chased them and retrieved all the stolen property, including Lot and his family.

Can’t you just picture the scene? All the confusion Lot heard and witnessed as his capturers fled. Then he sees a familiar face! The reunion and finding his wife and daughters. A triumphant march towards home, next to his uncle, telling others, “This is my Uncle!” The king of Salem greeting them, blessing Abram and praising him. Then on to Sodom and a very different response, when the King of Sodom greets them with a demand for his people and possessions.  You would have thought this would have given Lot a pause about his choices.

But it apparently did not. Lot went back to Sodom, to the King of Sodom, to everything he knew there. I don’t know if he was stubborn, stubborn like me when I don’t want to admit things aren’t going as well as I would like them to. I don’t know if he was already intrigued with the relationships and lifestyle he had there. All I know is that he went to Sodom, even after this warning.

What more would it take?

Job – How the Story Ends

By | |
Leave a comment

Most of all know the end – God restores to Job what he has lost. We like the ending because it fits the “fairy tales” we dreamed of from our youth. But before we get to the end, let’s look at a few other things…

Job’s response begins with, “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.” They key word here is “purpose.” Job submits himself to God’s purpose, not matter how unfair it feels and how little he understands. It’s a submission of his will.

Then Job confesses, “I have uttered what I did not understand.” Job realizes his feeble attempts to comprehend God, his purposes, his justice were inadequate. It’s a submission of his intellect.   

Lastly, Job sees God, “now my eye sees you; therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Eye contact. In all of Job’s speeches, he declared his righteousness. But in “seeing” God, he saw himself. The contrast was so stark, he falls into the dust from which he was created. He needs no “sin” to make him guilty, unworthy of salvation. It’s in his “self,” who he is, that original sin lay. He repents for being human, expecting something from God for his feeble efforts, submitting himself spiritually.

We can’t run by this too quickly. Even unjust, unfair suffering has some purpose in God’s economy. So the questions are: whose purpose do we desire? Ours or Gods? Can we summit our will? 

And do we recognize who we are compared to God? Do we truly sense and believe how big he is and how small we are? Do we truly believe it in our minds, heart and spirit?

And what is our response to him? Are we willing to look at God, eye to eye? Will we fall to our knees in the dust? Will we humble ourselves? Will we repent, submitting our sin nature to God spiritually? 

At this point, Job did not know how the story would end. Right now, you and I don’t know how our story will end. As far as he knew, he would stay in the ashes, scrapping sores, the rest of his life, without answers.

And this could have been the end of the story…