For a full description of the (Y4) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Gen. 28
Isaac finally seems to have accepted the fact that Jacob is the one through whom God would carry out His covenant with Abraham. He passed on the blessing of Abraham as he sent Jacob off to find a proper wife. And God confirmed that blessing when He appeared to Jacob at the place Jacob named Bethel. Why Jacob? He was not only the youngest son, but he was weaker, deceitful, and reluctant. Even after God appeared to Jacob and said, “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” (Gen. 28:15), Jacob did not consider Him to be his God. Maybe all of that is exactly why God chose Jacob. It is obvious Jacob did not receive God’s promise by his own merit.
Matt. 27
Have you ever executed a poor decision and then immediately regretted it? I know I have! According to Matthew, Judas did as well. Matthew wrote, “Then when Judas…saw that [Jesus] had been condemned, he felt remorse…” (Matt. 27:3a). I wonder if the reality of what he had done set in when the situation reached that point of no return or if Judas’s remorse was the result of an unexpected outcome. What if Judas, like the other disciples, expected Jesus as a conquering king? And what if, unlike the other disciples, he became impatient and thought he could do something to press Jesus’ hand? Maybe, then, he betrayed Jesus, not to get Him killed, but to force Him to act. If that was the case, Jesus’ condemnation would have been a huge let down to him. Either Jesus wasn’t the Messiah at all, or Judas had gotten something very wrong.
All of that is very hypothetical, I know. But it is also well within the realms of possibility and human thought and behavior. And it makes me think that decisions should never be based on a hoped for or expected outcome. If a decision is good and right, you can live with it no matter the outcome. That may actually be a good way for me to discern whether my decisions are based on God or self. I need to ask myself if I am desiring the outcome or seeking to serve God.
Est. 4
Esther knew it was unlawful for her to approach the king unbidden. She knew it could result in her death. And so we receive yet another very vivid image of God’s kingdom in this remarkable story. Mordecai told Esther that if she tried to save her life by doing nothing, she would surely perish. Thus, her only real chance at life lay in her willingness to let it go. This is the truth that Jesus taught. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt. 16:25). This was true even for Jesus. And we get a glimpse of how this truth applied to Him in Esther’s story as well. Through her willingness to lay down her own life, Esther extended the opportunity for life to many.