Forgiving
5 He took him outside and said, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them." Then he said to him, "So shall your offspring be." 6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. 7 He also said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to take possession of it." 8 But Abram said, "O Sovereign LORD, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?" --Genesis 14:5-8
In this passage, it's important to note that Abram 'believed the Lord.' He believed that God would keep His covenant with him. However, only one chapter later, Abram laughs when He says He will bless Sara with a child. Still, He forgives Abram's unbelief in this instance and does bless Him with a child named Ishmael, and does make a great nation of Abraham.
1Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2and he began to teach them saying:
3"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. -Matthew 5:1-11
Thinking about the Beatitudes, it's important to consider the context. Before Jesus, people relied on the book of laws to tell them who was and wasn't blessed. Those laws provided them with a way to classify and categorize people in terms of their 'goodness.' Today we use money or power or prestige to create similar hierarchies. But, here Jesus says, that's not true. You can't judge whether or not your brother or sister is blessed, because blessed are the meek, blessed are the peacemakers. Note that Jesus doesn't state that the rich are not blessed. He doesn't state the captains of armies are not blessed. It seems to suggest a shift in our thinking that we can't come up with judgments and classifications, because 'anyone can be blessed by the Lord our God.'
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.
9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, [a]
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward [b] all his brothers."
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen [c] the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi [d] ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
-Genesis 16:7-14
I loved this verse as I read it again this morning. I love to think of the love and care that God showed to Hagar. He saw her sadness, and He went to her. He was the God who saw her. And even though she shouldn't have run from her mistress, God gave her direction, sent her back, and had mercy upon her. I thank the God who sees me at all times.
Demanding
13"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. -Matthew 5:13
20For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 5:20
Although God is a forgiving god, He is also demanding... warning us that we cannot lose our saltiness or we will be 'good for nothing' and 'thrown out and trampled by men.' Our flavor and our salt come from the power and working of the Holy Spirit in our lives. That is why this year I'll work on rededicating my life to Him... letting His flavor be present in my life.
Also, we need to still uphold the law to a high degree... even higher than the Pharisees. Jesus came to give grace, but also to challenge us not to abandon the law... but to think above and beyond the law... with the love that He gives us.
27"You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.'[a] 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart Matthew 6:27-28
33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' 34But I tell you, Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one. -Matthew 6:33-37
38"You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.'[c] 39But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. 41If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. -Matthew 6:38-42
43"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor[d] and hate your enemy.' 44But I tell you: Love your enemies[e] and pray for those who persecute you, 45that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. -Matthew 6:43-45
These familiar verses are especially familiar to Brethren kids. "You have heard that it was said,... but I tell you" verses. In the words of the cook Emerill Lagasse, Jesus kicks it up a notch! We shouldn't just walk one mile, but two miles. Offer not just your tunic, your cloak as well. And do not avoid certain swear words... avoid all swear words! We are now given an indeterminant amount of grace, but also a higher and more challenging law... a law that calls us to always give more, be better, to be 'perfect, therefore, as our Heavenly Father is perfect.'
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