Keeping Faith When It Hurts ~ Bible Study blog for April 24
Tonight we read of Esau and Jacob, the twins born to Isaac
and Rebekah.
Esau was his father’s favorite; Jacob was his mother’s favorite. But Jacob proved to be a master manipulator…
Early in their youth, Jacob is making stew, and Esau comes home from the field being hungry. Wanting some of the stew, Jacob agrees to give Esau some in exchange for Esau’s birthright—his inheritance rights as the elder son. Esau agrees, thus dishonoring his parents (and himself) by despising the inheritance rights and privileges of being the eldest son. Later on, when Isaac was old and blind, Rebekah schemes with Jacob to fool Isaac into giving Jacob his older brother’s blessing (and God’s favor). Jacob dresses in a hairy garment, to resemble Esau’s hairy skin. The scheme works, and Esau is furious to the point that he is planning to kill his brother.
It’s clear that Esau has been cheated twice—and it hardly seems fair that Jacob would receive God’s favor in the wake of his scheming. But Esau is not without sin. First of all, he traded his birthright for a meager meal. This is a classic case of giving into the temptation of instant gratification. But his brother’s second scheme brings out murderous anger.
So how are we to react when people scheme against us, when they mistreat and abuse us? How are we to react when we suffer pains and trials that are clearly unfair and unjust?
It is so easy to act out our anger, our hurt, and our fear in ways that hurt others. Hurt has a powerful way of bringing out the worst in any of us. Anger is not a sin—especially when people sin against us and we suffer unjustly. But in our anger we can sin, as we lash out, abuse others, and condemn them with our words and actions. Sometimes, our fiercest anger is brought out when our children and loved ones are hurt by someone else.
But how does God react to the people who abuse and crucify his son? Christ asks his Father to forgive—and God does. God remains merciful and compassionate, even in the face of evil. It is terribly difficult for us to do the same, and put on a Christ-like patience, forbearance, and forgiveness in the face of evil. It is equally as difficult to keep trusting God when we pray for God to end suffering and pain, and God doesn’t seem to be doing anything to help.
But God is always with us, no matter what. By faith, we persist in prayer, in worshipping God, and encountering God in Word and at the Table. Because God is with us, there are always opportunities to do good, even when our pain is tremendous. We can forgive sins as Christ forgave those who denied, betrayed, and crucified him. We can even reach out in love towards those who do us wrong. There will be ways to serve and support others, to help bear their burdens and ease their pain. There will always be ways to act out the love and mercy of Christ.
Faith means trusting in God to care for us as we hurt—as well as trusting God to make us whole in the wake of terrible pains and losses.
Esau was his father’s favorite; Jacob was his mother’s favorite. But Jacob proved to be a master manipulator…
Early in their youth, Jacob is making stew, and Esau comes home from the field being hungry. Wanting some of the stew, Jacob agrees to give Esau some in exchange for Esau’s birthright—his inheritance rights as the elder son. Esau agrees, thus dishonoring his parents (and himself) by despising the inheritance rights and privileges of being the eldest son. Later on, when Isaac was old and blind, Rebekah schemes with Jacob to fool Isaac into giving Jacob his older brother’s blessing (and God’s favor). Jacob dresses in a hairy garment, to resemble Esau’s hairy skin. The scheme works, and Esau is furious to the point that he is planning to kill his brother.
It’s clear that Esau has been cheated twice—and it hardly seems fair that Jacob would receive God’s favor in the wake of his scheming. But Esau is not without sin. First of all, he traded his birthright for a meager meal. This is a classic case of giving into the temptation of instant gratification. But his brother’s second scheme brings out murderous anger.
So how are we to react when people scheme against us, when they mistreat and abuse us? How are we to react when we suffer pains and trials that are clearly unfair and unjust?
It is so easy to act out our anger, our hurt, and our fear in ways that hurt others. Hurt has a powerful way of bringing out the worst in any of us. Anger is not a sin—especially when people sin against us and we suffer unjustly. But in our anger we can sin, as we lash out, abuse others, and condemn them with our words and actions. Sometimes, our fiercest anger is brought out when our children and loved ones are hurt by someone else.
But how does God react to the people who abuse and crucify his son? Christ asks his Father to forgive—and God does. God remains merciful and compassionate, even in the face of evil. It is terribly difficult for us to do the same, and put on a Christ-like patience, forbearance, and forgiveness in the face of evil. It is equally as difficult to keep trusting God when we pray for God to end suffering and pain, and God doesn’t seem to be doing anything to help.
But God is always with us, no matter what. By faith, we persist in prayer, in worshipping God, and encountering God in Word and at the Table. Because God is with us, there are always opportunities to do good, even when our pain is tremendous. We can forgive sins as Christ forgave those who denied, betrayed, and crucified him. We can even reach out in love towards those who do us wrong. There will be ways to serve and support others, to help bear their burdens and ease their pain. There will always be ways to act out the love and mercy of Christ.
Faith means trusting in God to care for us as we hurt—as well as trusting God to make us whole in the wake of terrible pains and losses.
Our next Bible study will be Thursday, May 8 at 7:00 p.m.
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