Jacob: A New Name (Shadows)

“The man asked him, ‘what is your name?’ ‘Jacob,’ he answered”.

-Genesis 32:27

     For the past couple weeks my church’s college group has been studying the Bible through a series called “Shadows”. The basic idea of the series to see how Old Testament characters point to who Jesus is. Last week we learned about Jacob, and how he is a shadow of Jesus. Today I will just talk about a few points, and end with questions as always.

     From birth, Jacob was known as a deceiver. Jacob was the second son of Isaac, and the twin brother of Esau. When Jacob was born, he was grasping the heel of his brother Esau. Thus, his parents named him “Jacob”, which means “he grasps the heel”. This certainly is a strange name to give your son, but it was a fitting name for Jacob. The phrase “he grasps the heel” means “he who deceives”. Isaac and Rebekah probably did not realize that Jacob would live up to his name throughout his life, up until he wrestles with God.

     I’ve written about Jacob’s story in other posts in the Genesis Bible Academy series, so I will only briefly summarize some important events in his life. One day Esau comes to Jacob famished, and asks Jacob for some stew. Instead of simply saying yes, Jacob realizes this is a chance to take advantage of his brother. Jacob tells Esau to give Jacob his birthright, and only then will Jacob give him some stew. Since Esau is very hungry, he quickly agrees to Jacob’s terms. Thus, Jacob’s life as a deceiver begins.

     When Isaac grows old, he instructs Esau to go out into the field and catch him something to eat. Rebekah uses this as an opportunity to let Jacob steal Esau’s blessing from their father Isaac. Jacob poses as his brother Esau, and tricks his father into giving him the blessing that was meant for the firstborn, Esau. Later in his life, Jacob goes to his uncle Laban’s house in order to find a wife. Laban and Jacob agree that if Jacob works for 7 years, Laban will give Rachel, his daughter, as Jacob’s wife. However, Laban tricks Jacob after the 7 years, and gives his daughter Leah instead of Rachel. Now Jacob is the one being deceived, rather than being the deceiver.

     After leaving Laban, Jacob prepares to meet his brother Esau. Jacob is terrified of Esau, because he realizes that Esau must be very angry at Jacob for deceiving him multiple times. Jacob divides his party into multiple groups, in an effort to save some of them if Esau becomes hostile. At a point, Jacob finds himself alone, having sent away everyone around him. It is here when God comes to Jacob in the form of a man, and they begin to wrestle. They wrestle for a long time, and God touches Jacob in the hip, causing his hip to become dislocated. Jacob still hangs on to God, begging Him for a blessing.

     The thing about being a deceiver is that you feel like you are the one in control. You manipulate people in order to get what you want. However, for the first time in his life, Jacob is not in control. God could have easily destroyed Jacob in their wrestling match, but He chooses to let Jacob hang on. Jacob had to hold onto God, desperate for a blessing. Finally, God asks him “what is your name?” Why did God ask him this? Why didn’t God just bless Jacob? God wanted Jacob to own up to who he was. Jacob was not just a deceiver by name, but also by deed. When Jacob replies that he is Jacob, the deceiver, God blesses him and changes his name to Israel- he who struggles with God.

     So how is Jacob a shadow of Jesus? Throughout his life, Jacob lived up to being a deceiver. He deceived his brother and father. In the same way, Jesus lived up to His name, the Messiah, or Christ. In Mark 8, Jesus asks His disciples, “who do you say that I am?” Peter replies, “You are the Messiah”. The Messiah was the promised savior for the Israelites. Jesus truly lived up to His identity, by even dying on the cross in order to become the true Messiah. When there was no on to mediate between man and God, Jesus came an became the Christ.

     You probably already know this, or have figured it out by now. The term “Israelite” comes from Jacob’s new name, Israel. God took Jacob and used him to become the father of His chosen people, the Israelites. Through Jesus, we have the chance to become the people of God. God used Jesus, the Christ, to allow those who believe to become “Christians”. Jesus is the greater patriarch, because Jacob could never bring his descendants salvation. Only Jesus could take a broken sinner, and bring them into the family of God.

     As usual, I will write a couple questions for us to reflect.

• What is my identity? Who or what defines my identity?
• Do I believe that through Christ I have a new identity? What is stopping me from finding my identity in Christ?
• Do I believe that Jesus is the Christ, or Messiah?
• How can I live everyday as one of God’s people? 

-Smart

Abraham: A Fulfilled Blessing (Shadows)

"...and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."
-Genesis 12:3b
     This fall semester we've been studying different Old Testament characters in light of Jesus. In other words, we are seeing how these characters in the Bible point to who Jesus is. We've called the series "Shadows", because although the characters point to Jesus, they were only a shadow of who He is. Last week we studied Abraham and how he shadows Jesus. I believe there are many things we could have discussed, but we focused on three things. Today I just want to focus on two of them; Abraham's covenant with God, and Abraham's obedience to God.
     Now, if you recall, I actually gave a message about Abraham a couple months ago. I'll try not to cover too much of what I already talked about before. In Genesis 12, God tells Abraham to leave his hometown and to go a land that God will show him. God also promises to bless him, and to make him a blessing to "all peoples on earth". Abraham listens to God, and leaves his hometown.
     Abraham's life was not perfect though. He was put through many trials, which caused him to fall back to his own will. He pretended that his wife was his sister to avoid being put to death, rather than trusting in God- twice. He slept with his wife's maidservant to produce a son, rather than waiting on God's time. Despite his failures, God never withdrew His promise to Abraham. Abraham learned to trust God, and put his faith in Him. God grants Abraham a son, named Isaac. Abraham was very old at this age, so it would be natural for him to hold onto Isaac, and take life easy. However, God tells Abraham to do something quite drastic.
      In Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Now, if I am Abraham, I would question God, and probably get angry at Him. Why would He grant Abraham a son, just to kill him? Despite the craziness of God's command, Abraham obeys. Abraham doesn't even delay, he gets up early the next morning to obey God. He takes Isaac up to a mountain, and is prepared to sacrifice Isaac. Right before he strikes, God stops Abraham, and yet again gives a promise to Abraham.
     Jesus was actually the fulfillment of the covenant God made with Abraham. Similarly to Abraham, Jesus leaves His home in heaven, and comes down to earth. Unlike Abraham, Jesus lives a perfect life, never giving in to temptations or trials. He lived in obedience to God's will, even to death on a cross. Through Jesus' death and resurrection, all peoples on earth can be called the children of Abraham if they believe in Jesus Christ. All people are blessed through through sacrifice of Jesus.
     When Isaac and Abraham are going up to the mountain where Isaac was going to be sacrificed, Isaac asks a very natural question. "The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering (Genesis 22:7)"? Abraham gives one of the most amazing answers I have heard, saying "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering (Genesis 22:8)". While you could argue that Abraham was dodging the issue a little bit (which I agree with), Abraham's answer to Isaac is quite prophetic. Not only did God provide Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac, He also provided the Lamb of God, Jesus.  
     As usual, I will pose a couple questions that will hopefully help us think more deeply about what I've discussed.

• What is hindering me from obeying God's will in my life? How can I be more obedient to God like Abraham and Jesus?
• Am I willing to put God above anything else in my life, even if it means the thing I hold most dear? Do I trust that God is faithful and good?
• Do I believe that Jesus is the fulfillment God's covenant with Abraham, and through Him I can receive eternal life? 

Abel: A Better Word (Shadows)

"...to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel."
-Hebrews 12:24
     Last Friday we studied Abel in our series called "Shadows". In this series we are taking a look at characters in the Old Testament of the Bible and seeing in what ways they point to Jesus, with the idea that we can learn more about who Jesus is.  Abel is the second son of Adam, who we studied two weeks ago. Abel's older brother is named Cain. Genesis 4 tells us that Abel was a shepherd who took of sheep, while Cain was more of a farmer.
     Cain brings an offering to God, but the Bible tells us that it was "some of the fruits of the soil (Genesis 4:3)". This sounds great, but then we see that Abel brought an offering, "fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock (Genesis 4:4)". God looked on Abel's offering with favor, but not Cain's. This makes Cain upset, so God approaches him and warns him not to fall into sin. Cain is so upset even after God's attempt to talk to him that he decides to take his brother Abel out into a field and kill him. God later asks Cain where his brother Abel is, claiming that Abel's "blood cries out to me from the ground (Genesis 4:10)".
     Jesus is also known as a shepherd. While we see that Abel was a good shepherd, Jesus was the perfect shepherd. Now, of course I don't mean Jesus takes care of sheep; He takes care of His people. Jesus also brings an offering to God, a perfectly obedient life, and ultimately His life on the cross. Jesus was killed by those who should have been close to Him. These people killed Him because they were angry at Him even though He did nothing wrong, just as Cain was angry at Abel even though Abel did nothing wrong.
     The story doesn't end there. After God confronts Cain about the murder of his brother, God casts Cain away to be a restless wanderer. This is actually a small picture of the grace of Jesus. Cain deserved to die. He killed his own innocent brother, so his punishment should have been an eye for and eye so to speak. However, God does not kill Cain. Keep in mind that Cain didn't life a free life; he was burdened by his sin and guilt, and was cast from God's presence.
     Jesus was crucified because of our sins. Now, we didn't physically kill Jesus, but we are all responsible for His death because our sins were placed on Him. Our punishment should be death, because we sinned against God, but because Jesus died, we have life. However, not only do we get to live, we are free from the burden of our sin, and we get to enjoy God's presence. This is why Jesus' blood speaks a better word than the blood of Abel (Hebrews 12:24, paraphrased). Abel's death could not set Cain free from his sin, because Abel was only a man. Jesus' death is able to bring us freedom from sin, because He is fully man and God. While both the blood of Abel and Jesus cried out to God, only Jesus' blood could bring us eternal life.
     As I did last week, I will end with some questions for us to consider. The first three questions are from the discussion on Friday, and the ones after that are my own.

• What is distracting me from God?
• What are the sinful desires that I have let in my door to get hold of me?
• How do I see and think about Jesus in light of sin?
• In what ways do I relate to Cain? Do I get upset when I am rebuked? Do I get jealous when others succeed and I do not? 
• Do I believe that Jesus' blood has the power to set me free from sin?
• What word is speaking over my life?

-Smart

Adam: A New Beginning (Shadows)

"For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!"
-Romans 5:17
     Recently my church's young adult group started a series titled "Shadows". In this series we are studying different characters in the Old Testament of the Bible, and seeing how they shadow Jesus. In other words, we are seeing how all these characters in the Bible point to the character of Jesus. Our hope for this series is that we would learn more about who Jesus is, and how everything in the Bible points to Him. We also want to bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments, to show that the Old Testament is not irrelevant. The first character we've studied is Adam.
     Adam was the first person created by God. The Bible tells us that he was formed out of the dust of the ground. God placed Adam in charge of all creation, to work and care for the Garden of Eden. God gave Adam one command; "you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die (Genesis 2:17)". God also created Eve, the first woman, who became Adam's wife and helper.
     A serpent, who we know to be Satan, approaches Eve and tempts her. The serpent is able to convince Eve to eat from the forbidden tree, and to share it with Adam. Both Adam and Eve now sinned against God, because they disobeyed His one command. They hide themselves from God (as if you can do that), because they realize that they are naked. God asks Adam if he ate from the forbidden tree, and Adam passes the blame to Eve. Eve then passes the blame to the serpent, claiming that the serpent deceived her. God then casts them both from the Garden.
     So how is Adam a shadow of Jesus? Adam was created in the image of God. Jesus was and is the image of God. While both bear the image of God, Jesus is the full representation of God, where Adam is only a shadow. Adam was created, Jesus is creator.  Adam was put in charge of the Garden of Eden, to work it and rule over it. Jesus is placed in charge of all things, including people.
     Adam was given a command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When he saw that the fruit from the tree was good and pleasing to the eye, he ate from it. Adam wanted to take the place of God, to know good and evil. His disobedience led to him being kicked out of the Garden of Eden, which I believe signifies God's presence. Adam's sin was passed down to all mankind, even up to us. The sin that Adam committed brought death into this world, and separation from God.
     Jesus was given a mission to come on the Earth and to die on the cross. His spent His earthly life living in perfect obedience to all of God's commands. Jesus took the place of man, living as a servant and eventually dying in the place of man. Jesus' perfect obedience led to Him dying on the cross, and being separated from God for three days. However, Jesus rose again and is seated at the right hand of God, and His righteousness is passed down to all who believe, even up to us. The life that Jesus lived and died brought life into the world, and union with God.
     Adam shadows Jesus in many ways, but he falls short of the person of Jesus. Adam could not live in perfect obedience as Jesus did. In fact, Adam's disobedience is the reason that Jesus came. Where Adam could not fulfill God's perfect standard, Jesus came and fulfilled it. Adam wanted to take the place of God, but Jesus took the place of man and restored man. Adam brought death and separation to the world, but Jesus brought life and union with God.
     We didn't discuss all of these questions at our meeting, but I think they are good things to think about regarding Adam.

• How am I like Adam? In what ways do I disobey God's commands?
• Am I living according to the mission that God gave me? Am I trying to take the place of God in my life?
• Do I believe that through Jesus' perfect obedience I can be reconciled to God?
• Am I in Adam or in Jesus?

  -Smart

Evidence of God

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."
-Genesis 1:1
     Recently I attend my University's "First Look Fair", which is a time where students can take a look at the many extracurricular groups on campus. I went to support my church's station, and I saw that next to us was a Christian apologetic group. If you don't know what apologetics is, it is using logic and reason to provide a justification for a belief, particular for religions. I thought that it was cool that our campus had this group, but then something interesting happened. A man, clearly atheist, came up to the group, and started pressing one of the people stationed at the booth. He asked him a lot different questions about the Bible and Jesus. I was only half listening, but one question that stuck out to me was, "if God wants us to believe in Him, why doesn't He provide us with definitive evidence that He exists?"
     It seemed to me that the student at the booth struggled to answer this question, but again, I was only half listening. Throughout the rest of that day and even until now, that question stuck in my mind. I wondered how I would have answered that question. It bugged me so much I even took some time from my next class to do some research on the answer to this question of God's existence. Today I just want to share some of my thoughts on this question. Before moving on, I want to reiterate that I do not have the perfect answer to this question; I can only say what God has shown me.
     The first thing that I think we need to consider is what kind of evidence would "definitively" prove God's existence. If this is a legitimate question that you have, I would ask what kind of evidence you want to see from God. Maybe you want to see God come as an angel, or someone raised from the dead. In any case, this question assumes that God has not shown any evidence that would convince you to believe in Him. If that is true, God would have to do something quite spectacular for you to put your faith in Him.
     The second thing to think about is that God has provided evidence of His existence, but we choose to ignore it. According to Genesis 1:1, God created the heavens and the earth. Now, you could argue that this is not true, but I would have to address that at another time for brevity's sake. Also, we are moral creatures, who abide by a moral law that we can't really explain without God. I've written a couple posts regarding that topic. Lastly, we all deeply long for something greater than ourselves. We try to fill this desire with so many different things, such as technology, money, relationships, or entertainment. There are more evidences for God's existence, but I will stop here.
     Perhaps nothing I have said so far would convince someone who would ask this question. Let me then close with this final point. As I stated earlier, someone who asks this question would probably require God to do something pretty dramatic. Let me ask you this, if it takes something crazy to believe in God, what kind of view would you have of God? You would probably only believe in Him because you no longer have a choice. Your belief in Him would be out of fear instead of what God wants- love. God wants us to believe in Him because He loves us, not because we are forced to submit to His power over us. We should believe in Him because we love Him, not because we fear Him (although there should be a healthy fear of God).
-Smart