Author: Dave Dishman (Page 297 of 459)

The Lord, of course.

When signing a treaty with his uncle Laban, whom Jacob fled with his wives and children and flocks, the men built a large alter of stones, then pledged to maintain the peace and respect the new border between them.

Laban swore by the God of Abraham, the god of Nahor, and the god of their fathers, covering all his bases. When his turn came, Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Issac.

This particular name of the Lord is found only in this one place in the Bible. Fear of God—reverent awe—formed the basis of Jacob’s relationship with the Lord.

Later, the Lord instructed the children of Israel regarding this type of fear:

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

Perhaps a good question to ask myself is, do I fear the Lord, or do I fear the gods of this world? What do I look upon in wonder and amazement and humility? Jacob, despite his history of deception, grew into a reverent awe of the Lord.

Perhaps I might grow in this direction as well.

Genesis 31 in reading through the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Andreas Wagner

My elementary school-aged nephew poorly masked his glee when he dealt the Uno cards between the two of us. Since he’d left the room to prepare in private, I knew I faced a stacked deck, and I enjoyed the fun of the deception. After allowing him to celebrate his crushing victory, I insisted on a re-shuffle for round two. Now he faced a merciless, sharp-eyed Uno veteran.

Jacob, fresh off stealing his brother’s birthright by deceiving their father, fled to the lair of a master deceiver. Uncle Laban hooked Jacob with a promise to marry his daughter Rachel. On the wedding night, with Jacob three sheets to the wind, Laban switched Rachel for her sister Leah. Jacob, incredulous, exclaimed to Laban, Why have you deceived me?

Call it karma, or reaping what you sow, but Jacob the deceiver got taken to school. Laban played the game perfectly. Jacob experienced a master at work, now realizing how his brother and father must have felt.

Jacob might have known better, but love is blind, and his mother was back home. Rachel (his mother and Laban’s sister), concocted the plan to steal the birthright, and Laban fixed the marriages. Both excellent schemers.

What kind of family upbringing did Laban and Rachel experience? I wouldn’t want to play cards for money in their house.

There’s a saying I’ve heard about certain people—you can only trust them as far as you can throw them.

Seems appropriate for this family.

Genesis 29 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Adam Mills

The woman rushed home through crowded streets, ran through her doorway to the bedside, bent over to check her child, then sank to her knees, sobbing with gratitude. Her beautiful daughter slept calmly, at peace for the first time in years. Healed by a few simple words of Jesus.

Much is made of this interaction between a Greek woman and Jesus. She’s the one to whom Jesus spoke the line, it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs, referring to his mission to the lost sheep of Israel. Her response brought joy to the master—even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.

All she needed for her daughter were crumbs—if they dropped from the right table. She know that only Jesus possessed the power to heal her daughter. Here’s an insightful picture of prayer, of going to Jesus for what only he can provide, a lesson for us when we talk to the Lord.

But mostly I think of how happy and relieved and joyful this mother felt. How she chattered about Jesus and her daughter. How the neighbors stared in awe mingled with a tinge of fear. I wonder how her daughter turned out when she grew up? How did they take the news of the death of Jesus? How overwhelmed was the mother upon hearing of the resurrection?

One thing for sure, this mother spoke of Jesus to her daughter, her family, her neighbors, and maybe even her daughter’s daughters, right up to the day when finally she left for a seat at his table.

Mark 7 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Storiès

Last week I tested positive for Covid-19.

It seems that the omicron variant finally caught up with me, as it’s done with tons of other people. I experienced covid like a really bad cold, and spent last weekend on the couch watching football (my wife quipped—not that different from most weekends). Today I feel mostly recovered, just a bit wrung out. Another weekend of football should polish off the lingering effects of this virus.

The opening words of King David in Psalm 4 spoke to me in the midst of my illness:

Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

Relief from my distress sounded pretty good, and this with a covid experience milder and less tragic than many others around the world. It’s nice to know that I can breathe and pray, and the Lord hears.

David closes with a thought appropriate to these days of pandemic. While we continue to invest in safety protocols, and in vaccines and boosters (I have had both), a simple virus eludes our best efforts to squelch it. David reminds us who remains in ultimate control:

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Thank you, Lord, for modern medicine and for your hand of peace in my life.

Psalm 4 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Giorgio Trovato