The Fear of Isaac

"God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him. ⁸ O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You."

Psalm 89:7-8

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, for all wisdom springs from the mighty God who created all things.  This glorious King is not to be reduced to "a friend next to ya" but ought to be reverenced by His redeemed.  It is one thing to imagine what God is capable of, but better yet to praise Him for all He has done and also promised to do.  He spoke the universe into existence and sustains it faithfully according to His infinite power and grace.  God is the source and spring of all life seen and unseen by men.  Having great fear of God we give Him the credit He is due, avoid what is evil, and delight to do what pleases Him.

Whilst reading through Genesis as a family we came across a couple of verses which provided a fascinating title of God.  In stating his case against Laban, Jacob said in Genesis 31:42, "Unless the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty-handed. God has seen my affliction and the labour of my hands, and rebuked you last night."  He could have said the "God of Abraham and the God of my father Isaac" but Jacob did not.  He referred to God as "the Fear of Isaac."  It is right for man to fear God and greatly reverence his Maker.  Hebrew poetry employs synonymous parallelism to emphasise a point by using words which enlarge the meaning (see Psalm 89:7 above).  Fear and reverence are not synonyms (though we might use them in this manner) and expand our understanding of how man rightly relates to God.

The title of God employed by Jacob made me think:  if it was obvious to him Isaac his dad feared God, is my fear of God evident to my children as well?  How might Jacob realised Isaac feared God?  Most likely because his words and decisions reflected this fear and reverence of God.  Perhaps when he spoke to God in prayer he bowed with his face to the ground and offered costly sacrifices as a man would to a powerful king.  Isaac no doubt related Abraham's faith in God and their many interactions - like Isaac's miraculous conception or when Abraham bound Isaac on the altar intending to slay him in obedience to God.  That would put the "fear of God" in you, to hear the voice of the Angel of the LORD boom from heaven in Genesis 22:12 saying, "Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."  This event greatly impacted Isaac, and the righteous response of faith was to fear God.  Isaac's fear of God showed how awesome God was to him and all.

Through the testimony of his life the Fear of Isaac impacted his son Jacob as well.  Genesis 31:53 concluded the words of Jacob to Laban:  "The God of Abraham, the God of Nahor, and the God of their father judge between us." And Jacob swore by the Fear of his father Isaac."  The Fear of Isaac became the Fear of Jacob, and Jacob spoke these binding words before the LORD the eternal and almighty Judge of All.  A parent who fears God receives no guarantee from God their children will follow in their steps concerning faith in God, and Esau and Jacob well illustrate this.  But there is no denying the impact the fear of God Jacob observed in his dad for many years was greatly influential in leading him to the Fear of Isaac as his only God and LORD.  May the Fear of Isaac be our Fear as well, for who is mighty like our LORD who is faithful in all His ways?

The Work of Ministry

The most important ministries of the church are not always the most visible ones.  When Christians think about ministry, it is typical to think of roles like a pastor, worship leader, or teacher, someone who has a recognised position.  These are the people whose names and bios are on the church website, but they oversee only a fraction of ministry God does through His people.  There are heaps of valuable and even indispensable roles in the Body of Christ which are easily overlooked because they are not platform ministry.  Solid Bible teaching is very important, but it is not everything in a church.  Every part of the Body has been divinely established by Jesus to do its share.  The organs of a human body are largely concealed and we need them for survival and good health:  the same is true concerning the church.  The work of the ministry is something we are all called to take an active part in for the good of the whole.

Ministry in the church is reserved for those who comprise the church of Jesus Christ, those who have been born again through faith in Jesus.  Think about the service of the tabernacle in Israel:  the children of Levi were given this responsibility and privilege, one tribe out of 12.  Whilst they were responsible to teach the children of Israel of God and the Law, a lot of their work was menial service.  They were required to keep the light burning, bake the bread, set up and break down the tent, carry it and the vessels from place to place, offer sacrifices, and study the Law.  The majority of the things done by the Levites did in the tabernacle had nothing to do with preaching but living in accordance to the Word of God day by day.  As people who comprise the Body of Christ the church, we are all enabled to serve and obey Jesus in countless ways together.

One of my favourite description of pulpit ministry is seen in Nehemiah 8:8:  "So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading."  Previously in verse 4 it says Ezra stood on a platform of wood made to facilitate addressing the people.  We are told the names of the men who stood on the platform, but we are not told specifically the names of the people who built it.  In context it seems to have been built by the people who were being addressed!  Nehemiah 8:1-4a says, "Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. ² So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. ³ Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. ⁴ So Ezra the scribe stood on a platform of wood which they had made for the purpose..."  How cool is this!  The people were so intent on hearing the Law explained they made a platform so all who had understanding could gather around and hear clearly.

There are many people in churches who work behind the scenes to ensure the truth of scripture is communicated clearly.  These help in administration, behind a sound desk, cleaning, praying, reaching out to others, and even carpentry!  Messages are recorded and uploaded to websites or for podcasts.  And what about those who spread the word person to person?  Personal invitations to visit a church or sending a link to a message has been the first step to people being born again through faith in Jesus.  As servants of Christ even tasks considered menial are a big deal.  As we are Christ's slaves Colossians 3:22-24 applies to us:  "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ."  A cup of water given to a thirsty soul will be rewarded by God, and even a small deed for God's glory He rewards greatly.  Whether you are the one on a platform speaking or the person who nailed it together, in everything we do let us do it in service unto the LORD.

Sing with Understanding

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. ⁹ Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."

Psalm 32:8-9

Horses and mules must be trained to race, pull carriages, and accomplish labour beneficial to their owners.  A bit and bridle is employed to provide direction and make discernible signals horses and mules can follow.  As intelligent as these animals are, they lack the understanding a human being possesses.  We have been gifted by God to think rationally, solve problems, have detailed conversations, and implement plans.  God did not want His people to be like the horse or mule that merely follow the pull of the reins:  God desires His children to listen, receive instruction, and be guided by the Holy Spirit without harnesses.

I vividly remember buying tickets outside Disneyland years ago and saw three little girls in pretty matching dresses - the oldest sister at least 8 years old - each tethered to their poor mother.  They were so excited before long they had tangled themselves up like helpless dogs chained in a yard.  It was sad to see them pulling on the leads in all directions, seemingly deaf to their mother's pleas, and this poor woman could only hold on for dear life.  She was exhausted before they even entered the gate!  God desires it would be His voice and vision which governs our steps because He has given us more understanding than mere beasts because the Holy Spirit indwells us.

I read this morning in Psalm 47:6-7, "Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! ⁷ For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with understanding."  It is God's desire we would sing praises unto Him with understanding, knowing who He is, what He has said, and things He has done.  People sing along to the latest popular songs with little knowledge of the artist who wrote the song, the background on what prompted the song, or what the lyrics mean.  All they know is it is catchy and sounds good.  As subjects of our great King who is worthy of praise, God desires we sing praises with understanding.  We ought to know why God is worthy to be praised and the reasons we choose to lift our voices before Him in worship.  We sing because we acknowledge the LORD is our God, He has chosen us, and we are the sheep of His pasture.  We are not to be "sheep" in the sense we just follow along or rattle off rote prayers or passages without thinking, but identifying as sheep because we know Jesus Christ is our Good Shepherd, we hear his voice, and intentionally follow him.

In comparison to the Almighty God our understanding is extremely dim at best, but we are to praise God in light of His revelation to each one of us.  We are called to walk according to the light He has provided us, and to lift our voices in song for the glory of His name - not because we have to but because we see Him as worthy and desire to praise Him.  May the voices of angels and God's redeemed rise up in praise before the throne of God as one, an offering pleasing and acceptable to our Maker and King whom we know, love, and obey.

Expectactions Vs. Reality

Whenever medical surgery is performed, a period of recovery and rehabilitation follows.  Every time I have had surgery there were always unknowns because I never had the same procedure done twice.  I would imagine no surgical result is ever exactly the same - like no pregnancy or childbirth or child is the same!  I have had my wisdom teeth removed, my ACL replaced in a knee, and a mole removed from my back.  Each time there were unexpected complications, like when fragments of tooth started poking through my gums or the full strength of my back incision would not be achieved for a whole year - not to mention the itchiness!  It's been over a year and it still itches sometimes...but that sure beats cancer. (Just for the record I have never had cancer but the mole was removed as a precaution.)

A lot of people are pleased with the results of a surgery, even if the period of strengthening and physical therapy is long.  However, there are many who would have never chosen surgery if they had known what they were in for.  They focused on the good aspects of surgery and shrugged off the bad only the realise after the fact their expectations did not align with reality.  Contrary to what many think, surgery never returns the body as it was prior to injury.  It is no miracle cure:  it means scar tissue, complications, and restrictions.  I am very glad I had surgery on my torn ACL, but my knee is not the same as before my injury.  I spoke with a friend recently who had two full knee replacements and from the beginning one of them was never right.  I think all things considered he would have gone ahead with the surgery if he had to do it all over again, but his expectations were not met.  He could be bitter and sour over it, or gladly do the best he can.

When it comes to church ministry, it's good to remember Jesus Christ has joined different people together as one Body with Him as the head.  It's rare for our bodies to be completely healthy without creaks, pains, and needing special treatment, and the same rings true for the church.  There is always a hand which needs strengthening exercises or a joint which needs special attention and care.  Just like our bodies have needed root canals, surgery, physical therapy, rest, or a specially prescribed diet, every person in a spiritual sense needs continual divine treatment from Jesus Christ.  Put us all together and the spiritual "medical" history is, needless to say, quite extensive.  The only thing which keeps us from being roughly patched together like Frankenstein is our head Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer.  We have a lot of scar tissue, aches and battle scars, and sometimes we rub each other raw.  But praise the LORD He holds us together and unites us in His redemptive love.

If you have an expectation of Christian perfection in the church, the fatal flaw in this fantasy is that I am part of the Body of Christ - and so are you.  The reality is the church is a divine establishment but has a prevalent human element which consistently falls short of perfection.  Being reminded that God is perfect and we are not magnifies the grace of God.  It's amazing He would choose us and delight to provide a place for us in His kingdom and this prompts us to give grace to others.  We do not fault the man recovering from knee surgery that he cannot immediately run but we can have this expectation of others.  No matter how long you have walked with Jesus there is much learning, growing, and strengthening we yet need to progress.  The reality of Jesus Christ is awesome and blows away the wildest expectation of the humble for He is gracious, generous, and good.