The Wonder of Him who was fatherless

A few weeks back, Tabitha shared some insights she learned from a message during a Bible study session. The study text was our Lord's genealogy as listed in Matthew's Gospel.

An interesting detail she noted was that of all the people mentioned, Jesus Christ did not have a father. The phrase "the father of..." is repeated for every male in the lineage of our Lord but when we come to the climax, the author wrote (Matt 1:16):

"and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ."

See that?

Jacob is not listed as the father of Christ. Luke also records for us the same truth in his gospel (Luke 3:23). A little later on in Matthew's Gospel, the Scriptures makes it undoubtedly clear that our Lord was not conceived by man but by the Holy Spirit (Matt 1:20).

In similar fashion, the Apostles' Creed states:

"...Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary"

This is an precious Truth that is utterly mind-blowing. The way that God had it planned out - perfect from all angles. I mean, imagine that if Christ was born of an earthly father - How would the prophecies of old be fulfilled? What claim could be put forth for His sinlessness and ultimately, His Deity? What hope could we have in His sacrifice? Why would we believe that He has a Heavenly Father with mansions in store?

May we never ever lose our wonder of Him who was fatherless.

Dealing with Fools

Just a short one while I'm in the midst of standing-in for a colleague...

Proverbs 26:4-5 says

⁴ Answer not a fool according to his folly,
   lest you be like him yourself.
⁵ Answer a fool according to his folly,
   lest he be wise in his own eyes.

At a glance, these 2 verses seem to contradict each other but upon deeper thought, they complement each other. In life we meet people who are "fools" - mockers, scoffers, scorners, etc... - and it is wise to exercise the wisdom in both verses. We should avoid speaking with a fool as he would strive to make you foolish like him. However, there are times when it is needful to put a fool in his place; to treat him as such and tell him to go fly a kite.


I have a few thoughts about this but the one thought that sticks out is from verse 5 - it's a active act as opposed to the do-not-answer passiveness of verse 4. This active rebuttal of a fool reminds me of how the Lord dealt with the Pharisees (whitewashed tomestones? Brood of vipers? Laying unbearable burdens on the people? and it goes on!) and how the New Testament writers addressed sinfulness (2 Pet 2 is a good place to start). Foolishness encompasses a HUGE range of things yes?

Using rebuke as a means to combat foolishness... from the mockers to the slanderers, the mistaken to the false teachers, strangers to family.

Hmmmmmm?

Who are You In-Tune With?

I stumbled upon a quote by A.W. Tozer which is worth contemplation.

Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become "unity" conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship. Social religion is perfected when private religion is purified.

A.W. Tozer

I need a sign Lord... really?

So I was reading Pyromanics and I found this little comment made by another blogger. She said:

I think I'm having a serious "duh" moment here. 

But basically, if we affirm that scripture is TOTALLY sufficient for knowing the will of God - then praying for any knd of sign to know what God's will is in a certain situation is actually wrong, isn't it?

Now... isn't THAT something to think about?  SERIOUSLY?

More on this next time...

Whose Fault is It Anyway?

Here's an interesting account in the book of Numbers that set me thinking about what I think I believe in...

Numbers 22:21-22

²¹So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.  ²²But God’s anger was kindled because he went...

A bit of context here before I move on - so we read here in Numbers 22, Balak summoned Balaam to come and curse the children of Israel. Balaam decided to wait and see what God would have him to do and God told him not to go. Balak was denied but tried asking again and so Balaam went to check with God again. This time, God said go. 

Thus Balaam went...  and "God's anger was kindled".

How can that be?  Didn't God just tell Balaam to go? (Num 22: 20) 

Now, pause a moment here. This is where I immediately thought - "Did God go back on His Word?" 

What an absurd notion to even consider that! The Scriptures are clear that "God is not a man that He should lie" (Num 23:19) In fact, the very idea of holiness set forth in the Word demands a God of Truth! Why would I even think that God could have gone back on His word? Instead, the Scriptures are clear that God sees the heart (1 Sam 16:7 and more), not just the actions, therefore Balaam could have "obeyed" God for all the wrong motives. This is clear from 2 Pet 2:15.

So this is the thing I'm bothered about: If I understand the holiness of God from Scripture, why would my thoughts immediately spring to fault Him? I know that for my good friends, I would say things like "Oh, he would never do that... he's not like that!". Why not God? Hmmmm....

I need this.

Alright, we need this.