Today’s scripture: Matthew 1:1-2 and Genesis 12:1-9 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message)
As you read, consider: What might God be saying to me? Summarize your thoughts in a sentence or two.
My thoughts (Keith Phillips):
“. . . and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (verse 3b). Here is the promise of the Messiah to Jesus’ ancestor, Abraham.
It’s queer how promises are fulfilled. Abram was a nobody, as far as we know, in a strange land. (Where is Haran?) And out of nowhere God speaks to this guy, making all sorts of conditional promises. God promised that Abram would be the father of a great nation, that the land he was journeying to would belong to his descendants, and that whoever blessed him and his family would be blessed. Plus, of course, “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.“ The condition was that Abram and wife must leave their home and go “to the land that I will show you” (verse1b).
I can’t guess what Abram imagined these promises would look like when fulfilled. I’m sure it didn’t include seeing Jews and Muslims (his descendants) at each others’ throats for centuries. Nor could it have included a clear picture of the Son of God become a human being in order to bring love and salvation to all humanity.
Oftentimes, especially when dealing with God, the fulfillment of a promise is far from our expectation of the promise fulfilled. When we allow God the freedom to deliver on the promise, God blesses us with much more than we imagined.
I have two Palestinian oil lamps that remind me of that. The older, simpler lamp is about 3600 years old, roughly from the time of Abram. The other one is Herodian, from just before the time of Jesus. If the simpler lamp were the promise of light for the future, who would have anticipated its fulfillment would look like the fancier, more complex lamp?
I tend to think that’s the way it is with God and God’s promises. We think we know what it will look like when it is fulfilled, but the truth is that often it’s so much better, so much more. And I am so grateful for that.
Thought for the day: Lord, you have blessed me and the world I touch in amazing ways, ways I could not have imagined. Thank you. And, keep up the good work!
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.