HELP FOR HOME LIFE - 3Isaac and RebekahAs Bible characters, Isaac and Rebekah are probably best known for the fascinating account of the circumstances that led to their acquaintance and marriage - a story to which the Divine Author has devoted the whole of chapter 24, the longest chapter in Genesis. in this we have undeniable proof of the personal interest of our God in this special phase of the lives of His children. The story begins with the deep concern of Abraham that a suitable bride be found for his son Isaac, but not from among his unbelieving neighbours. This is still the mind of the Lord today, as we are taught in 2 Cor.6:14, "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers", and in I Cor.7:39, "She is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord". Nothing can equal the stability that is built into a marriage where both partners belong to the Lord, and continue in happy submission to Him in their approach to life. Abraham's deep confidence in God shines out in the terms of his commission to his honoured senior servant. The servant too, undoubtedly possessed the same faith. As we listen to his prayers we are reminded of Philippians 4:6, "In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". He believed that the Lord had prepared a bride for Isaac, and we see his mature wisdom in the practical test that he proposed, by which he would recognise her. The timing of Rebekah's appearance, her unwitting but ample fulfilment of his conditions, her family connections, her virgin purity, these all combined to bring to him the overwhelming conviction, "The Lord led me", and he bowed his head and worshipped. When he told her father and brother the sequence of events, they were deeply impressed, saying, "The thing proceedeth from the Lord". This evidence of the Lord at work would also be a strong reassuring influence in Rebekah's response to the question, "Wilt thou go with this man?" Then, as the servant recounted it all again to Isaac, what confidence it would give to him, as he loved her and she became his wife. For young believers facing these issues today the promise in Psalm 27:4,5, is still true, "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass". Almost twenty years passed by, and though clouded with unfulfilled hopes, their confidence was still in the Lord, as they both took their concerns to Him in prayer. The Lord answered Isaac's special prayer for Rebekah, and in due time the twins, Esau and Jacob were born, Esau being the elder. Because of a perplexity before the birth, Rebekah had inquired of the Lord why this should be, and the Lord revealed to her that the boys would become the fathers of two different kinds of nations, and the elder would serve the younger. But as the boys grew, the seeds were sown that would later shatter the peace of the family and have far-reaching effects. Esau became a skillful hunter, expert in preparing venison, and as Isaac ate of it, he allowed his appetite for it to develop until it began to influence his attitudes. Instead of loving both of his boys impartially, he loved Esau because he ate of his venison. We know that there is no sin in enjoying a tasty meal; for Paul tells us that it is the living God Who giveth us richly all things to enjoy (I Tim.6:17). But he also warns us that even legitimate appetites have the power to enslave if they are allowed free rein (I Cor.6:12). Then there is the awesome power of example. Children sense the things that their parents value, not by what they say, but by the place that they allow those things to have in their lives. How tragic to read of Esau later as a profane person, who sold his birthright (his spiritual heritage) for one morsel of meat. On the other hand, Rebekah loved Jacob, and she had good cause for this. He was a sincere and wholesome man, for that is the usual significance of the word translated "plain" in Gen.25:27. He was also a skillful and conscientious shepherd, and a deeply affectionate person, probably very similar in personality to herself. We know too, that she would not easily forget what the Lord had said about the future of the boys. The motivation for her affections certainly had higher elements in it than Isaac's did, but it is difficult for a parent who senses partiality in the other, to remain impartial in their efforts to redress that imbalance. Later in life, Isaac's sight failed, and he felt he was dying. He asked Esau to prepare one more meal of venison so that in the enjoyment of it he could bless him with his whole soul. Rebekah heard it, and knowing what a mistake it would be, she persuaded Jacob to impersonate Esau and he received the blessing by deception. in all this neither Isaac nor Rebekah inquired of the Lord nor made any mention of His faithfulness or His purposes. What a sad and subdued couple they would be at the end of that fateful day. Esau's anger was justified, but, unbridled, it turned to hatred and became murderous. Jacob fled for his safety, only to reap what he had sown, from his uncle Laban. Intended for a few days only, his absence extended to over twenty years and we have no reason to believe that Rebekah ever saw him again. Such a story as this surely calls for sober reflection, and we are reminded of Proverbs 4:6, "Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life". - R.M. Goatley CLOSING CHAPTERSI Timothy 6Paul's two letters to Timothy and the one to Titus (often Preferred to as the "pastoral epistles") contain much information about the care and conduct of Christian churches, with many details found nowhere else in the New Testament. Both men were Paul's sons in the faith and had become his associates in the work of the ministry. They had obviously proved their worth as men of God, men who had the ability to establish new converts in the faith and cope with assembly problems as well. To this end Paul had left Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete, and his letters were intended to encourage and direct them in that work. Throughout 1st Timothy, Paul contrasted what Timothy should do and teach in the service of God, with what evil men did and taught in the service of Satan. He touched on current errors and warned of others that lay ahead. He dealt with the importance of prayer, the distinction between the sexes in church life, the requirements for elders and deacons, and the obligation to give practical help in cases of genuine need among the Christians. Then chapter 6 begins with a special message for slaves and a solemn charge to Timothy: "These things teach and exhort". But Paul knew that there would be opposition to his teachings and immediately added: "if any man teach otherwise and consent not ..." The section that follows contains some graphic, striking terms that recall equally striking words earlier in the epistle. He had spoken of being SHIPWRECKED through failure to keep the faith with a good conscience (1:18-20); of being SNARED by the devil through pride (2:7); and of being BURNED ("seared") through contacts with deceiving spirits (4:1,2). Here he speaks of being DISEASED ("doting" or sick), of being DROWNED and of being WOUNDED ("Pierced" or spiked). Diseased (v.4). This sprang from a refusal to accept wholesome or healthful words, "even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ". It is the word of the Lord which gives eternal life in the first place and it takes that same word to keep us in a healthy state of soul. As with physical maladies, so with the spiritual; they can be infectious and lead to all kinds of complications. just see what follows in the case before us: "envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds". The only interest such men have in religion of any kind is personal gain. Drowned (v.9). In general, too, the average man has no sense of spiritual values, and thinks only of earthly things. Paul's warning against that spirit is as much needed now as ever. Money is still a root of all kinds of evil, both private and public. The fault lies, not in the money itself, but in human greed which craves for money and must have it at all costs. We remember how the Saviour once spoke of the danger of gaining the whole world and losing one's soul. Nevertheless men continued to ignore spiritual realities and rush on in their sins, intent on the very things which will one day drown them "in destruction and perdition". Wounded (v.10). The thought of covetousness and its consequences is carried over from the preceding verse, but with a change of metaphor. Here the lure of riches leads to injuries with most painful results. No Christian can walk in the ways of the world with impunity. There is a price to be paid for allowing mammon to turn our hearts away from the Lord. Those who do so will be "pierced... with many sorrows". They will have many a heartache and many a pang of conscience in this life, and will certainly suffer loss at the judgment seat of Christ. Paul's closing advice to Timothy comes under three headings: FLEE, FOLLOW and FIGHT (vv. I 1, 1 2). indeed we could consider much of the epistle as a whole under the same headings. Flee. This is not the flight of cowardice, but of holiness, even as Joseph fled in his hour of temptation. Elsewhere in the Scripture we are told to "flee fornication", to "flee from idolatry" and to "flee youthful lusts". Paul wanted Timothy to shun like the plague, all the "foolish and harmful lusts" previously mentioned, also the "profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called", at the end of the chapter. Follow. Fleeing in itself is not enough. Avoidance of evil does not consist in isolating oneself and living like a hermit. The Lord sets clear goals before His people, things that are found to perfection in Himself - "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness". It is only as we follow the Lord that this fruit of the Spirit will be seen in our own lives. Then money can become a positive blessing, with the rich becoming even richer! - "rich in good works", ministering to the needs of others and earning for themselves lasting riches in heaven, (vv. 1 7,18). Fight. The fightings of men, denounced earlier in the chapter, must give way to the fight of faith. It is not the battlefield, but the stadium that is here in view. In the Christian contest there must be commitment and endurance. Timothy had already made a public commitment to the service of Christ before both God and men, and Paul solemnly charged him to keep pressing on, looking back to the example of Christ Himself and forward to His second advent. "Lay hold on eternal life", urged Paul. This does not mean striving after salvation. It rather implies keeping eternal issues constantly in view and resisting the common urge to live for this life alone. "The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal". Once an aged Indian brother in Malaysia came to me with a smile on his face and a gift in his hand - a one million dollar note! But it was worth nothing, being old Japanese currency hastily introduced during WW 2, and of no value when the war finished. It was only a joke, but full of prophetic import at the same time. It reminded me that all the currencies of earth will soon count for nothing when the King of kings finally subdues His foes and reigns supreme. - W.P.W. McVey Be strong in the Lord! rejoicing in His might THE LORD'S SUPPERThe Lord Jesus gave two ordinances to His disciples: baptism and the Lord's supper. Both were instituted in the Gospels, practised in the Acts and explained in the Epistles. in baptism we have something that is practised individually, and only once; in the Lord's supper we have something participated in collectively, and often. in baptism we express our death with Christ; in the Lord's supper we declare His death for us. In the New Testament the Supper has the designations "the Lord's supper" because it was the Lord who instituted it, and "the breaking of bread" because of what is done. The name "the Lord's supper" recalls the fact that it stands in contrast to the Passover feast. The Passover commemorated Israel's redemption from Egypt, and their being established as a nation in covenant relationship with God. The Lord's supper looks back to the redemptive work of the pascal Lamb of God, Christ our Passover sacrificed for us, who has brought His people into the blessings of the new covenant. The "breaking of bread" not only tells what is done but expresses something of the fellowship of participation. In Acts 2:46 the disciples expressed their fellowship with one another in the domestic sphere in "breaking bread from house to house", while in verse 42 of that chapter we read of their common participation in the breaking of bread in the church sphere. Similarly in Acts 20 we read of Paul and his company coming to Troas and staying seven days until the first day of the week when "the disciples came together to break bread". This was the communal act of the church in Troas. In Troas, as in Corinth (I Cor. 16: 1), it was the practice of the disciples to meet on the first day of the week. After Paul's lengthy discourse he himself had a meal (v.11) before departing, but the reference to breaking bread in this verse is not to the act of the church - the verbs are in the singular. The practice of the early church therefore, was to assemble on the first day of the week, perhaps generally in the evening, to break bread. The first day was the day of the Lord's resurrection and of His first appearances to His disciples. There a number of different aspects of the supper that are touched on in the important doctrinal passage in I Cor. 11. 1. Participation. "The bread which we break". in the previous chapter the apostle has emphasized the common participation of each assembled believer in the supper. "The cup which we bless ... the bread which we break". The act is a communal one expressing fellowship together and oneness in Christ. "Ye being many are one loaf". Though one brother may take the lead in giving thanks, or dispensing the emblems, yet every participating believer has a share in, and declares their interest in the death of Christ. With Jesus in our midst, we gather round the board, The supper, too, as the Lord instituted. it, is marked by simplicity. He said only, "Take, eat". The actual words He used in giving thanks for the loaf and cup are not recorded. Perhaps if they had been, there would be the danger of their being used as a ritualistic formula. 2. Symbolism. "The Lord Jesus ... took bread". The elements that the Lord took were those that were at hand at the passover feast. The loaf of bread speaks of His body. it was not physically altered by His giving thanks and breaking it. Rather it represented His body which was given on the cross for us. In partaking we recall the wonder of His sacrificial act. Likewise the wine tells of His blood shed. in the cup we remember both the cup which He drained and our portion in Him. We are brought into the blessings of the new covenant. We recall His words "This is My blood of the new covenant which is shed for you". The new covenant stands in contrast with the old. At the inauguration of the old covenant, Moses as the mediator had taken the blood of the sacrificial victims, half had been sprinkled upon the altar (Lev.24:6) as the Lord's portion, and half was sprinkled on the book of the covenant and the representatives of the people (Heb.9:19), for both God and man were parties to the covenant, and in the book its terms were written. The words that the Lord Jesus used, as the mediator of the new covenant, mirrored those of Moses in bringing in the old. whereas under the old covenant there was a remembrance of sin every year, and a conscience of sins, under the new covenant God has declared "Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more". While the supper one day will no more be partaken of, the blood of the everlasting covenant (Heb.13:20) and the sacrifice of the cross will be had in everlasting remembrance. The song of the redeemed declares "Thou wast slain and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood" (Rev.5:9). to be continued D.V. - A.C. McEwan THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH
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