Oswald Chambers Quotes

We presume that whatever is unpleasant is our duty! Is that anything like the spirit of our Lord— “I delight to do Your will, O my God . . .” (Psalm 40:8). -Oswald Chambers

Job

William Blake's "Book of Job"

On a good day, enjoy yourself; On a bad day, examine your conscience. God arranges for both kinds of days So that we won't take anything for granted.
-Ecclesiastes 7:14

BKC:

"When Job’s wife urged him to forget his integrity (related to the word “blameless” in Job_1:1), curse God and (as a result) die, he called her a foolish (nāḇāl, “spiritually ignorant or nondiscerning”) woman. Unknown to her, this advice that he curse God was exactly what Satan had twice predicted Job would do (Job_1:11; Job_2:5). When Job needed comfort from her, he received another terrible blow — evidence of her bitterness toward God. In calm confidence in God’s ways Job pointed out that trouble (rā‛, “evil, calamity”) as well as good comes from God (cf. Ecc_7:14; Lam_3:38). This contrasts starkly with most peoples’ view that trouble means God’s very existence is questionable! Later Job affirmed to his friends that he would retain his integrity till death (Job_27:5)." -BKC

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"At the beginning of Job’s trials, when he heard of the loss of one blessing, he feared the loss of another. And hearing of the second one, he feared yet another, and so on."

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"Fearlessly Job was ready to speak out to God and to take the consequences (let come… what may) even though it meant risking his life. The NIV marginal reading, “He will surely slay me,” is preferable to the better-known rendering, Though He slay me."

CBB:

I like this summation from the Chronological Bible Blog:

"Finally, the Lord himself speaks to Job, and Job recognizes that we do not so much need “answers” to life’s problems, as we need God himself."

BKC:

"This view of a few of the world’s fauna demonstrates that Job, unable to contend with creation, hardly qualified to condemn the Creator. At the same time these words point up God’s delight in His creation. His stars and angels sang and shouted when He made the earth (Job_38:7), and He apparently enjoys His animal world. Also, God uses creation to limit the wicked (Job_38:15), to aid man (Job_38:23), to water the earth (Job_38:26, Job_38:37-38); He controls and limits creation (Job_38:8-9, Job_38:11); He regulates creation (Job_38:12, Job_38:25, Job_38:31-33). And in the animal world God provides for animals (Job_38:39-41; Job_39:29-30), helps them (Job_39:1-4, Job_39:26-28), frees them (Job_39:5-12), and strengthens them (Job_39:13-25). In contrast Job could do none of these. Obviously God’s orderly creation is provided for and well cared for; yet Job thought God’s cosmic plan was arbitrary and that He lacked control, provision, and care." -BKC

Interesting that now days, the scientific community is so hostile to the idea of God and view Him as apart from the amazing creation He made.   Instead, they focus on the marvels of the creation, apart from any creator.  They focus on controlling and regulating and mimicking God's hand in things (cloning, controlling reproduction through abortion, genetic engineering of crops).  Surely history is a mix of man trying to control/harness nature for his purposes and the Lord gave man dominion over the earth.  But we are not to view creation as apart from Him.  It is an expression of His, a grand expression, that can give us much insight into His character if we allow it to.

Christians nowdays feel (at least I do) that we have to approach "science" with great caution and constant commentary about how it "might not have happened the way" they describe or by poking holes in the scientific communities theories.  I wish that the relationship was symbiotic and not hostile.  Sad.

Jacob

A hodgepodge of reflections on Jacob, Joseph, and the providential sweep of Genesis---some a record of emails, some from BKC, some loose thoughts knocking around my head:

BKCisms:

"With the coming of Messiah there will be paradise-like splendor. Kidner says that every line of Gen_49:11-12 “speaks of exuberant, intoxicating abundance: it is the golden age of the Coming One, whose universal rule was glimpsed inGen_49:10” (Genesis, p. 219). For Judah, grapevines will be so abundant that they will be used for hitching posts; wine will be as abundant as wash water. In Judah, people’s eyes will be red or bright from wine and their teeth will be white from drinking much milk. These are picturesque ways of describing the suitability of Judah’s territory for vineyards. Such opulence will be evident in the Millennium"(Isa_61:6-7; Isa_65:21-25; Zec_3:10).

This was Jacob’s decision in spite of Joseph’s direction. Joseph, like so many others, expected God to work in a certain way, but found that He is often pleased to work differently and sometimes even unconventionally. But faith recognizes that God’s ways are not man’s ways. It took Jacob a lifetime of discipline to learn that fact. But he learned it, and now he blessed the younger over the elder. For four consecutive generations this reversed pattern was followed: Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, and Ephraim over Manasseh.

Joseph lived to see his great-great-grandchildren by Ephraim and his great-grandchildren by Manasseh.

Verses I find interesting:

Gen 50:20  Don't you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now--life for many people. 

God's plan was much bigger than the perimeters of Jacob's life---so is His plan for all of us.

Gen 50:21  "Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I'll take care of you and your children." He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart."  -The Message, Joseph to his brothers, reassuring them after their father'sh death.

 I find the details of the care he extended to his family notable---certainly this care grew out of his personal experience of being NOT cared for, as well as his wise stewardship experience of tending Pharoah's land and people for so many years.

Joseph, Genesis 37

"God’s sovereign choice of a leader often brings out the jealousy of those who must submit." -BKC

Astute point, and this goes back to Cain & Abel---the Lord preferred Abel's sacrifice and instead of looking at his own sin, Cain chose to take out Abel. Jacob fled from his brother's anger after being chosen for the blessing, and then Joseph was sold as a slave as a result of his brother's jealousy of his dreams and righteous behavior.



The Lord's choice of another should prompt us to humble reflection, but our sin nature longs to tear the "chosen" down instead...misdirected energy for sure.

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Gen 37:11 But while his brothers were jealous of Joseph, his father wondered what the dreams meant.

Jacob's reflection here reminds me of a similar reflection of Mary about Jesus:

"But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart." -Luke 2:19

Pondering parents are wise parents. Jacob lived a life of prolonged conflict and alienation from his family, so such a dream would certainly cause him to wonder and project what the Lord may have in store for his favorite son. Mary pondered the words of the shepherds after her son's birth.

I often wonder what plans the Lord has for my own children--where will He direct them? What work does he have before them? How has He inclined them, "bent" their twigs?

Genesis 36-37

Ratner Museum

Commentary

From the BKC:

"So the book discusses the successions from his sons, following the custom of wrapping up the history of the unchosen line (Gen_36:1-43) before going to the chosen."

"Second, Esau was Edom. In fact all through the chapter the reader is reminded of this. Certainly Israel would understand the import of this because she often struggled with the Edomites (cf. Obad.), Esau’s descendants." (Gen_36:43).

"The narrative stresses two elements. First, Esau’s sons were born in the land (Canaan, Gen_36:5) before he moved to Seir (Gen_36:8). This contrasts sharply with Jacob, whose children were born out of the land, and who then moved into the land. Second, Esau was Edom."

"In dramatic contrast with the expanding, powerful Esau, Jacob was dwelling in the land of the sojournings of his father… the land of Canaan. Unlike Esau, Jacob had no “chiefs” or kings (Gen_35:11) yet, no lands to govern, and no full tribes. He was a sojourner. Delitzsch pertinently remarked that secular, worldly greatness comes swifter than spiritual greatness (A New Commentary on Genesis, 2:238). A promised spiritual blessing demands patience and faith. Waiting while others prosper is a test of one’s faithfulness and perseverance."  (Me--Worthwhile to think about.)

My Thoughts

I've had many thoughts about Jacob and Esau this time around, whereas in the past, I've gotten caught up in the bizarre superstitions that Jacob imposed upon the flock and the unfairness of Laban's dealings.  

The narrative between the brothers is not as straightforward as I'd like....certainly full of the twists and turns of real life.  The conflict starts in the womb, then is complicated by Rebekah's favoritism and Esau's disregard for his birthright.  It leads Jacob to a life largely alienated from his homeland (ironically, as Rebekah loved that he hung around the tent and was a homebody in contrast to Esau) and alienated from the land promised to his grandfather.

When Jacob finally gets back to the land, the commentary above suggests Esau had prospered materialistically and like Lot, he was happy to choose/move to better land apart from his homeland.  Esau didn't value his homeland nor did his ancestors.

Jacob was driven away from his home because of conflict.  Years later, conflict and God's direction brought him back home again:

Jacob learned that Laban's sons were talking behind his back: "Jacob has used our father's wealth to make himself rich at our father's expense." At the same time, Jacob noticed that Laban had changed toward him. He wasn't treating him the same. That's when GOD said to Jacob, "Go back home where you were born. I'll go with you."  -Genesis 31:1-3

Esau, who never left the homeland of his fathers, left it for greener pastures, and didn't look back.  Jacob, left it for conflict, and came back to more conflict (i.e. Dinah and the repercussions of her rape).

Esau's future progeny (Edom) became a thorn in Israel's side.  The Canaanites will become a constant source of temptation and conflict for the twelve tribes going forward.

What to make of it all?  Lots!   Mostly, I think it speaks of the complex interaction of the Lord's hand on our lives and the repercussions of our choices.  All is not lost when we make mistakes, but the road will not be easy.

Abram & Isaac

Rembrandt's "Sacrifice of Isaac," 1635

Commentary:
Bible.org (Bob Deffinbaugh)

The point of my illustration is that while this difference of interpretation was allowed to persist, there was a time when it would become an important issue. I find that God often does this same thing. He may allow a particular problem to continue for some time, but sooner or later the problem will become an issue of import and one that must be resolved.

Such was the case with Abraham. At the very outset of his relationship with God he was given a clear command concerning his family:

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you” (Genesis 12:1; emphasis added).

We know, however, that it took years for Abram to be separated from his father; and when it did occur, it was the result of death rather than of deliberate obedience. Next it was Lot from whom Abram was reluctant to separate. In chapter 21 there was the painful act of sending away Ishmael, a son deeply loved by Abraham. In chapter 22 Abraham has come to his ultimate test. Abraham was an elderly man, and Sarah was soon to die. Abraham’s love was now focused upon Isaac, who after chapter 21 is his only son (22:2). God has brought Abraham to the point where he must give priority to either his faith or his family. The greatest test of his faith now confronts Abraham in Genesis 22.

Contrary to the connotation of the term “tempted” employed by the King James translators in verse 2, God tested Abraham to demonstrate his faith in tangible terms. We know from Scripture that while God tests men to prove their godly character as saints, He never solicits them to sin (cf. James 1:12-18). Thus, in James 2 the apostle can point to this event in Abraham’s life as an evidence of a living faith:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (James 2:21)197

Interesting point here too:

I believe that Moses, under the superintending guidance of the Holy Spirit, omitted Abraham’s initial reaction to God’s command in order to highlight his ultimate response—obedience. Personally (although there is no Scripture to support my conjecture), I believe that Abraham argued and pled with God for the life of his son, but God chose not to record this point in Abraham’s life because it would have had little to inspire us. I know that many of us would not want God to report our first reactions to unpleasant situations either; it is our final response that matters (cf. Matthew 21:28-31).

And this:

(1) It dealt with a problem that had plagued him all of his life—unhealthy attachment to family. It was here that Abraham had to choose between Isaac and God for his first loyalty. His obedience finally put this problem to rest.

http://bible.org/seriespage/final-exams-genesis-221-24

Abram & Sara

BKC:

Genesis 18-21

Angels fellowship with Abraham & announce that Sarah will have a child.  Sodom is increasingly wicked and Abraham dialogues with God about it.

Justice is the theme.

God wanted to demonstrate justice to Sodom.  I am curious about this concept of the sins of people being "complete" as I have seen it at other points in the scriptures.  It speaks of His long suffering and also again seems to imply that God gives people a chance, that freewill is somehow involved. It speaks against fatalism to an extent.

"Thus the theme of justice predominates: those who will enjoy God’s blessing (a) will teach justice (Gen_18:19); (b) may intercede for just judgment to preserve the righteous; and (c) know that God may preserve the wicked for the sake of the righteous." -BKC

Abram & Faith

Commentary:
Bob Deffinbaugh

God seldom allows our faith to remain general, however, and so we face crises points which bring our faith from the abstract to the concrete, and from the general to the specific. Such is the case with Abram in this chapter.

But why did Moses wait until this point to tell us that Abram believed, and that he was justified by faith? Luther’s answer, I believe is most satisfactory. Abram’s faith is not mentioned until now in order to emphasize the fact that a saving faith is one that focuses upon the person and work of Jesus Christ.

When Moses says that Abram’s faith was reckoned for righteousness it does not mean that Abram’s faith was, in some fashion, exchanged for righteousness. Abram’s faith, like ours today, was not something which he conjured up by mental or spiritual effort. Faith itself is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Me: This distinction for me is one of the trickiest. Faith is a gift, salvation is a gift, so where does Free Will and Pre-determinism live in all of this? Are we predetermined to believe or not believe? How does our will interact with this?

January 3

BKC:

The theme of “rest” seems to be quite strong throughout the story. The ark rested (Gen_8:4); at first the dove could find no place to set its feet (Gen_8:9; lit., “could not find a resting place for its feet”). When the ark came to rest on Ararat, this was more than a physical landing on dry ground. It was a new beginning; the world was clean and at rest.

Matthew Henry

"God calls us to "come."

God does not bid him go into the ark, but come into it, implying that God would go with him, would lead him into it, accompany him in it, and in due time bring him safely out of it. Note, Wherever we are, it is very desirable to have the presence of God with us, for this is all in all to the comfort of every condition. It was this that made Noah's ark, which was a prison, to be to him not only a refuge, but a palace. 

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"There is always bad in good, even in the ark."

 That there is a mixture of bad with good in the best societies in earth, and we are not to think it strange. In Noah's family there was a Ham, and in Christ's family there was a Judas. There is no perfect purity on this side heaven. 

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"God notices & is pleased with those who persevere with good a wicked society

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 God is, in a special manner, pleased with those that are good in bad times and places. Noah was therefore illustriously righteous, because he was so in that wicked and adulterous generation. (5.) Those that keep themselves pure in times of common iniquity God will keep safe in times of common calamity; those that partake not with others in their sins shall not partake with them in their plagues; those that are better than others are, even in this life, safer than others, and it is better with them.

Cain

Musée de Louvre, Paris, France~carved for the Cathedral of St. Matthew (Duomo di San Matteo)

Key Concept:

Violence

Gen 6:13  And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 

From this, I am impressed that God hates violence.  God is all about peace and I sometimes forget this culturally as the "peace" that is popular in our culture is a peace without judgement or accountability.  This is different from God's peace.  Yet, I should not let the culture rob me of the truth that God hates violence and values peace, to the extent that he was grieved and willing to wipe out the world to achieve it:

Gen 6:6  And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 

Commentary Excerpts

BKC:

The “way of Cain” (Jud_1:11), then, is a lack of faith which shows itself in envy of God’s dealings with the righteous, in murderous acts, in denial of responsibility, and in refusal to accept God’s punishment.

Both the biblical record and the Sumerian King List from Mesopotamia attest to the longevity of the ancient people. Apparently the environment before the Flood enabled people to live longer. Certainly this could have been part of God’s plan to fill up the earth (cf. Gen_1:28).

Cain’s lack of faith shows up in his response to God’s rejection of his offering of fruit (Gen_4:5). Rather than being concerned about remedying the situation and pleasing God, he was very angry.

My Questions

Whom did Cain marry?
What is the significance of the union of the "sons of god" and the "daughters of men"?  Sounds Greek!
What is meant by the term, "sons of God?"  This is a key term in looking for the messiah but used in multiple applications throughout the Bible.

I found solid answers (or links) to all of these questions at the Chronological Bible Blog here:

http://www.chronologicalbibleblog.com/2013/01/january-2nd-chronological-bible-readings.html#comments