Wednesday, October 8, 2008

1 Chronicles 1

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Boring? That's what my "book intro" warns of 1 Chronicles. But it also brings to one's attention that while this *is* a book filled to overflowing with names of people and places far removed from us, they are not far removed from God. Each life was engraved on the palms of Christ's hands, and mattered to Him to the point of death. Just as I matter to Him. Just as you do. Wow. That kind of puts it into perspective.

I couldn't help but think how our choices affect the course of history. In our lives, in the lives of our children, in the lives of theirs after them. Abraham was our subject in sunday school this week, one of the topics of discussion being how God promised he would become a father of many nations. We see that physically through the sons he fathered and spiritually by his "children in the faith". I find it interesting that if Abraham would not have heeded Sarah and taken Hagar as his concubine there would be no "holy war". There would be no Islam. If he would not have taken Keturah as a concubine there would have been no Midian... no Assyrians. All people groups that plagued Israel.

It is sad how we complicate things through our choices, but is reassuring and sweet to know that despite our falling flat on our face, He loves, He pursues, He redeems and restores. All of the examples in scripture should stand to prove that being a person of faith doesn't mean perfected faith. Abraham made some really messed up choices, and he laughed when God told him he would bear a son... that is not what I call perfect faith. Yet he picked himself up and kept trying, kept seeking to hear and understand and follow the leading of this Person who pursued him with intent to bless.

May I do the same.