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Gen. 18
Sarah laughed at the thought of having a child when she was no longer physically able to do so. I can’t blame her. It was an impossible thing. Even if she had wanted to believe that God could do it, it would have been difficult, to say the least, to wrap her mind around the reality of it. Sarah took a wrong turn, however, when the LORD called her out on her disbelief. She denied it. She did so because she was afraid, but what was she afraid of? I think maybe she was afraid to admit her weakness.
I think there is at least some element of human pride in all fear apart from the fear of God. Thus, misplaced fear is a roadblock to surrendering to God. Being mighty in faith is not half as important as being humble enough to admit our weakness. After all, God already knows our weakness, and He loves us anyway, so there is really nothing to fear. So I pray for the humility to admit my great weakness and, rather than trying to deny it, to cry out in desperation, “I do believe; help my unbelief.” (Mk 9:24b).
Matt. 17
I have written about this temple tax incident before, but I see yet another angle in it this morning. The Temple tax was a payment established by God. As the Son of God, Jesus was exempt from this payment. Yet He paid what He did not owe and also paid on Peter’s behalf. Note also that Jesus did not pay this tax out of His own pocket but, rather, out of God’s provision. Did you catch the picture in all of that? As the wholly righteous Son of God, Jesus was exempt from any penalty from the Law. Yet He paid, on our behalf, what He did not owe so that we, because of Him, could likewise be exempt. None of this came from any human effort or earning, but directly through God’s provision.
Neh. 7
I don’t have a whole lot to say about this passage this morning, except that there is all kinds of wisdom in the Bible. Nehemiah’s instructions for appointing guards definitely came from a knowledge of human nature! He directed that the guards of Jerusalem be inhabitants of Jerusalem and that they should take up posts in front of their own homes. Why? Because we are so much more protective of what belongs to us than of what belongs to others. It makes me think of Jesus’ parable about the untrustworthy manager, where He said, “…for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.” (Lk. 16:8b). There is wisdom in understanding human nature so that we can use it for good.