Genesis 29:1-30:43
It’s about at this point in the narrative that you start to realise that Jacob is a little bit... well,... randy. I mean, at his first meeting with Rachel he runs to her kisses her then breaks into a weeping fit before finally explaining who he is and what his intentions are. Later, he pretty much says to Laban “give me your daughter so I can bonk her” (heaven knows what reaction I would have got if I’d tried that line with my father in law!), he seems so keen to get on with his honeymoon activities that he doesn’t realise he’s got the wrong girl and, most troubling of all, he seems to sleep with any girl who is offered to him - “you must sleep with me, I have hired you with my son’s mandrakes” must be one of the most amazing chat up lines ever uttered by anyone anywhere! So what is this telling us about the Lord?? Well, I understand that bigamy was the cultural norm and that girls had to marry as they couldn’t work and there was no such thing as benefits but I still think the Jacob was sinning and that the Lord was not happy with his “bed-time” activities. So for me, the lesson here is about how the Lord deals with our sins. If our hearts are for Him, he is not looking for an excuse to accuse us (there is another one who does that). In fact, quite the reverse. Jacob had a completely messed up family and was impulsive and impetuous but he did know how to seek the Lord (see Jan 16th reading) and, I think because of this, the Lord would not break off his commitment to him. Indeed, the Lord poured out abundant blessings on Jacob just liked he promised he would - nothing could prevent the Lord from keeping his covenant with his people.
Matthew 11:16-30
What I love so much about the picture of Jesus that develops through Matthew is that he is so difficult to pin down. One minute you get an image of him as a gregarious socialite (people calling him a glutton and a drunkard), and the next he is calling people to repent in sack-cloth and ashes. He embraces both wild celebration of light and bitter mourning of darkness. I believe a truly surrendered Christian life should be similarly marked with the extreme highs of parties and the extreme lows of repentance.
Psalm 9:7-12
We tend to emphasise gray areas, acknowledge that we are on journeys and be open about our struggles. This is a thing I enjoy about living in 21st century London. But, I’m challenged by the lack of gray in statements like “you, Lord have never forsaken those who seek you” and “he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted”. They are massive claims that I impulsively want to soften but I think that I shouldn’t. I think these things are actually true and should be celebrated, not toned down; God is absolutely trustworthy, no matter how that fact jarrs with our culture.
