Today's Thought

Today’s thought from Genesis 25 & 26

 

I had never noticed before today that Abraham took another wife after Sarah, after Sarah’s death he married one of his concubines Keturah, and she bore him 6 more children, so we know of at least 8 children born to Abraham, Even though we will only follow the life of one of the me closely, you can see how God fulfilled his promise to Abraham of making him the father of a great Nation, in actuality great nations.  A couple things popped out in this section.  There seems to be a reoccurring theme of barren women.  In God’s time he opened their wombs to produce the next leader.  I don’t fully understand this but it was clear that God was developing the man and the relationship before he let the man continue his line in the way that God wanted the line continued.   A further example of God’s timing not ours.  The message is clear, in these stories that God is delivering on the desires of the heart for both Abraham and Isaac, but in His time.  The next thing that really stood out is that these are normal families blessed by God, not exempt from trial but blessed because of faithfulness.  Look at the strained relationship developing between Jacob and Esau, Isaac and Rebecca have clear favorites for children (obviously unhealthy for the siblings) Esau maried outside his people and it says that he and his wife are a source of Grief for Isaac and Rebecca.

 

Yet in that same time, Isaac amasses great wealth, power and influence in the land, enough so that he is a threat to entire kingdoms.  Treaties are forged with him because of his obvious blessings by God.  Normal people, leading extraordinary lives, not by their own doing but because they are willing to listen and wait on the Lord.  The Lords blessing is with them even in their trials.  Too often I think we miss the humanity of the characters and read through their lives as if they were a flash of time and couple pages deep, yet these people lived long lives, with great accomplishment and trial.  Dissecting their lives while looking at the length of their lives just shows how involved and committed God is to these people, His relationship with them.  It further demonstrates his Grace, Love and maybe most of all His patience with His people.

 

Be patient and wait upon the Lord.