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The  Lord  is my  rock and my  fortress and my deliverer ... Psalm 18.2 How about, Rock, Fortress, Deliverer? These descriptives are used by musician David in Psalm 18 to depict Jehovah. We have read them any number of times in our annual Bible readings. However, stopping just now to ponder them I wonder about their significance. Rock - Think, Gibraltar, Stone Mountain or Sugar Loaf. Think, Ayers Rock, El Capitan or Everest. Rocks don't move. They are ever stable, steady and strong. They are always there. Stuff comes, happens and goes but rocks don't. Jehovah is Rocklike. He is more rocklike than Everest because He has always been and will always be. Jehovah is my Rock! Fortress - A fortress can be a constructed or natural hiding place. It can be in a city, desert, mountain or cave. A fortress is a place of safety. It defends. It stymies the enemy. One can run to it and rest in hiding. God as Fortress is impervious. Jehovah is my Fortress. Deliverer - Unlike a rock or fortres

And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land. And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died.... Exodus 9. 5,6 God’s timetable is often a mystery. Then sometimes it isn't. For instance, you know that tomorrow, early, the sun is going to rise. You also know that in regular succession the moon will show its full face, that spring is going to happen and winter will also reappear. These events demonstrate God’s precision. They are so precise that we use them to tell time. Yet in other ways God's timing seems a mystery. When will I die? How long before I find my mate? When should I retire? These questions all have a timely answer but they are not as easily determined as tomorrow’s sunrise. I may want to desperately know each answer; in fact they might consume me. But they are withheld from me. In the above passage from Exodus chapter nine, Moses goes with God's answer to Pharaoh. It was set. It would h

The battle for the planet took place over 3000 years ago in Egypt. What is going on there these days is nothing in comparison. Just a skirmish. That battle was between god's. It was epic. Rarely to be repeated. The battle of the gods was over a bunch of slaves. This slaves were in a very bad situation. They had been in slavery for four hundred years. They had been slaves 171 years longer than the United States has existed! What was the big deal? Why were these slaves so important? These weren’t just any old slaves. These were the descendants of Abraham. So what! Again I ask why did the gods have to war over a bunch of seemingly worthless slaves? They warred because one of the gods had made a promise. Abraham’s God had promised him a land, seed and an eternal blessing that would affect humanity. That promise had not been fulfilled. Thus, the war. These slaves were destined to form a nation. Actually it wasn't much of a war on one side of the proverbial coin. It was Pharaoh again

“Stop your quarreling RIGHT NOW!” When is the last time you heard your mother say that? If you are a teen it might have been just a few minutes ago. If you are my age it has been awhile. As adults, we use the phrase but we are rarely on the receiving end of it. It is not that adults don't quarrel it is just that we are seldom rebuked for it. It is called arguing, fighting or maybe even bickering, but almost never quarreling. The scene in Genesis 45 is a conversation among a group of middle aged men. These guys are between forty and fifty years old. They have families. They have been working for years. They ARE family. As mentioned in another article, theirs has been a rather dysfunctional family but they have managed to stick together. In a bizarre way. But they are together. Their younger brother, Joseph, whom they had sold into slavery some ten years earlier is now ruler of Egypt and these brothers have fulfilled their worst nightmare by throwing themselves down

Pastor, this kid's mom is a lesbian whose “husband” is doing crack and whose dad is the drug lord! What kind of life is the kid going to have?! Good question.  [Just after prayer meeting ] Dawn! I just saw a dead woman in the vacant lot across the street! She is totally white and green! I can't believe it! It was SO scary!! I’m still shaking! Wanna go and see her? NO. My friend was suffering a panic attack. So, I laid her head on my chest and began to stroke her hair. After a few minutes of doing that I reached for her hand and got shocked! It was as if I had touched a 110 hot wire! Pastor, how would you explain this? Don't know... static electricity? Demon? Billy's (of course not his real name, to protect the "innocent") brother went fishing and fell into the river during the hard rain. He hasn't been seen in hours. He couldn't swim and Billy thinks that he has drowned. [Two days later] They found Billy’s brother in the river along with 15 ot

If you are reading your Bible through again this year you might be where I am, in Genesis 38. Every time I come to this chapter I scratch my head and say...”strange!” Judah means “Praise” but I don't find a lot of praising going on here. Read it and you will understand what I mean. In chapter 37 Moses starts the story of Joseph. He continues it in chapter 39. His story is in all of the Flannel-Graph Bible story kits. I don't think that one of those kits has the stories related in Genesis 38. The narrative includes, intermarriage with strange women, seed spilling, betrayal and prostitution. All in good, clean, healthy fun of course. The tale is about Judah. You know, Judah, Jacob’s son. The same Judah who would hear the following blessing from his dying dad in just a few years. I’ve included some highlights of that blessing recorded in chapter 49: 8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; ... your father’s sons shall bow down before you ... 10 The scepter shall not depar

That was not a misspelling, even though my spellchecker asked if I meant, “Harry”. Esau, may mean hairy according to my Bible notes, and he became a prince of sorts later in his life. So, what is it with this guy that makes him the Darth Vader, the evil one, the black hat? We first hear of Esau as an answer to his dad’s prayer. Rebekah was sterile so Isaac prayed for God's intervention and God responded. Rebekah became pregnant with twins. But it seemed that there was foreboding trouble from the start. It was indicated by a belly ache. There is a tussle in the womb. Rebekah was so distressed that she asked God what was going on. As far as I can remember this the first time a woman asks God about a coming birth. The news she heard came in mystic, poetic language: "Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger." It seems that Esau came disadvantaged e

Have you ever noticed how that Bible people’s names always match their personalities? How did that happen? Just wondering. Here is the list of names given to Jacob’s twelve sons. Each name is followed by its meaning. I have also included each son’s mother to help you put this puzzle together. The names are also given by birth order. If you trace this list through the Old Testament you will notice that it is given in many different orders. Not sure why but it would be an interesting study. So, here they are: Ruben - He has seen my misery Leah Simeon - One who hears Leah Levi - Attached Leah Judah - Praise Leah Dan - Vindicated Bilhah, Rachel’s slave Naphtali - My struggle Bilhah, Rachel’s slave Gad - good fortune Zilpah, Leah’s slave Asher - Happy Zilpah, Leah’s slave Issachar - Reward Leah Zebulun - Honor Leah Joseph - May he add Rachel Benjamin - Son of my right hand Rachel Well okay, their names didn’t always represent their character but it seemed to

This is not about: Chip, Robbie or Mike. It isn't that nice of a dysfunctional family. But how about these names: “See, a son”, “One who hears”, “Attached” and “Praise”. Oh wait, that is four names. Again I return to the strange family chosen to birth the nation of Israel. Theirs is a sad story. Jacob is fooled into “marrying” Leah, the older, uglier daughter of uncle Laban. He was such a nice uncle. He always looked out for... number one. You know the story, right? Jacob fell in love at first sight with Rachel. He decided to accept Laban’s offer of working for seven little years to earn her as his wife. Those years passed SO fast that he almost didn't notice them. Then came the big wedding night. Finally it was payday. But early the next morning, there was Leah! Can you imagine his surprise as he sees his beauty for the first time with her veil removed. Her crossed eyes looking in two different directions. It was jaw dropping fun. I am sure that there was shock, sadness and th

I see Jacob as a very peculiar individual. From birth to death weird stuff happened to and because of him. Is it my lack of spirituality that causes my doubts? Or was he really weird? Some descriptives used to portray him shed light on what I mean. Words like: deceiver, thief, liar, mama’s boy, doubter, selfish, all come to mind. This phrase, quoted by who knows who, “How odd of God to choose the Jews” could also be used with regard to Jacob. He was not the first Jew; that title goes to his grandfather Abraham. However, Jacob generated twelve sons who populated the twelve tribes of Israel. And Israel, by the way, was Jacob. But back to his weirdness. Even before his birth he was fighting. In Genesis 25 Rebekah felt her babies “jostling” in her womb. Which one instigated the rough housing? My bet is Jacob. I know that it takes two to tango, or tangle if you please but it seems that jostling was to be Jacob’s lot in life. He was a “little snip”, as my mom used to say. He hid behind mommy

I just heard two secrets that were whispered four thousand years ago? Is that weird or what. I mean it was a conversation between a mother and her son muttered in a tent over 5000 miles from where I am living. So, how did I find out about it? Well, it was rather easy really. I just read my Bible. This morning I was reading in Genesis 27. The conversation was a juicy one too. It was about lying, stealing and favoritism. It was about a slimy, little, wimpy, weasel man who had clean fingernails and smooth skin wanting all that his older tougher redheaded twin brother possessed. I mean this scalawag wasn’t satisfied with his brother’s birthright he went for the inheritance juggler! Oh... wait... this whole scheme was his mother’s idea. Remember sweet little Rebekah? She was quick with the water pot. She watered no less than ten camels to win a husband. She was God’s chosen for Abraham’s blessed son Isaac. What on earth happened to her over these forty years? Isaac and Rebekah's story i

The tattered widow made her way to the Temple in the center of the city. As she brushed through the throng she was doing something she rarely had time to do or even wanted to do, rubbing shoulders with society. Most were poor like her. Some were of a much higher class and their fine clothes and sweet smells shouted their status. She had reached a decision. She had come to a fork in the path of her simple life. One way lead to satisfying a vow she had made to God the other way lead to a quick fix, trying to satisfy her empty stomach. She decided to fight the uproar within and pay her vow. Her petite frame squeezed through the crush at the huge Temple door and toward the offering box. There was a line. There were many Oohhs and aahh's as various large amounts were deposited by elegant looking men. She was now embarrassed. She scraped through her dusty threadbare bag searching for her tiny gift. It was there, she knew it. It had to be there. It was all she had. If she didn't

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I found this sentence in psalm 91.1 interesting. It is a statement of fact. It is an equasion. If a person does X, Y will happen. Whoever dwells will rest. Dwell is a strong word that we don't use too much these days. It means to stay put, be fixed and firm. Someone dwelling is not moving. The phrase Most High is a designation for Jehovah God. Jehovah is Most High because he is the only God. Every imagination or demon who calls itself god is none but an imposter. Thinking about dwelling in the shelter. Recently, just before the end of the world on December 21, 2012, I saw an article about a guy who had spend thousands and thousands of dollars to construct and furnish a huge concrete ball house. He went to such trouble to avoid being part of the earth’s terminus. Today, January 4, 2013 this individual must feel like a ninny. The end didn't come and he has a concrete ball house to pay off.

The gossip has it that firstborns are favored. At least that is what my second born told me. My wife and I believed that we treated all three of our girls equally. Though I have to admit we have many more baby pictures of our first than of our second. Was your firstborn favored? Adam and Eve’s was. I noted just this morning what she said at his birth. The text is in Genesis 5.1  I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD . The  biblos.com  note after the word  gotten  says, Cain sounds like the Hebrew for  gotten . The next Bible sentence reads,  And again, she bore his brother Abel . Is that favoritism or author’s word choice. Whatever the case, life choices prove one thing; favoritism or no Cain was a loser and Abel a winner. In this chapter the birth joy quickly evaporates into life stories that relate their respective professions, their offerings to God, his acceptance and rejection of said offerings and finally murder. These few lines cover a lifetime for Abel.

And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths . Genesis 3.7 Did you ever wear platform shoes. I mean the kind that John Travolta used in Saturday Night Fever. How ridiculous were those! I had some. In fact, every time I look at my wedding album, there I am looking like John. Wow. That was the style. Here in Brazil there are some corny looking shoes styles that will one day be in someone’s wedding album. People will look and laugh. “Remember when we actually used those?” they'll say. What dictates our style is most often it is what we wear. Who dictates what is IN and out of our style? The clothing moguls of course. Whoever they are. Evil people no doubt. But why do we wear clothes? You might think that a strange question. There are people who don't. They are weird we are not. Right? In God's perfect creation there were no clothes. How could that have been perfect? I have had nightmares about stuff like this. Me in the middle of my Junior High school wi

The title is not a misquote. I didn't mean to say, “The Good Life”. “Good light” is a phrase that Moses quoted and God used in Genesis 1.3. What does “good light” look like? Would you know it if you saw it? We awake to a crystal clear, sparkling, lovely Summer, Winter, Spring or Fall day and it thrills our soul. Imagine how different our perspective might be if we were seeing “good light”. “Mike, get to the point, for Pete’s sake! I was up late last night. I don't want a long drawn out, flowery, ‘funny’ lead into a sermon!” Sorry. I was up until 3:30 AM too. New Years Eve/ Day is like that isn't it? This is somewhat how the phrase looks in Hebrew though it probably wasn't blue nor digital on Moses’ iPad,   וַיַּ֧רְא   אֱלֹהִ֛ים   אֶת־   הָאֹ֖ור   כִּי־   טֹ֑וב . At least this is what I cut and pasted from biblos.com . “Good” and “light” are some of the first words of Creation. God created light and saw that it was good. Think about that. How did stuff look befor